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the scions reporting for duty support

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You know that scene in Endwalker where people from all across Eorzea helped find the adamantite needed for the Ragnarok, and if you'd done certain raids or story content the people involved in those raids and story content would show up or be mentioned in some capacity? As touching and cool as it was, I still think it was a missed opportunity to highlight just how beloved the Warrior of Light is.

"But wait," you say. "Didn't we have that in Shadowbringers, when all the factions in Norvrandt came together to help build the great Talos that would drag down Mt. Gulg? Didn't they all come to help the Warrior of Darkness put an end to the Light?"

Well, no. Not really. Sure it was the Warrior of Darkness and Thancred who'd made friends with the miners of Twine, but Alisaie had known the people of Mord Souq and the Inn at Journey's Head far longer than the Warrior of Darkness had. They were her people the way the Night's Blessed were Y'shtola— I mean, Master Matoya's. Urianger was going to ask the fae folk before deciding to ask the Crystarium's people instead, and those were the Exarch's people. The fae folk were Urianger's. Alphinaud went to Kholusia, and they were his people. In other words, other than being the mythical figure that the Scions and the Crystal Exarch believed whole-heartedly would save the world from succumbing to the Light, the Warrior of Darkness had very little to do with rallying the various factions of Norvrandt to their aid. The Scions and the Crystal Exarch had been in Norvrandt for centuries, years, months. At best, the Warrior of Darkness had been in Norvrandt for a few weeks. They did not come for the Warrior of Darkness. They came for the Scions and the Crystal Exarch, and to see the Light extinguished.

This is not the case in Endwalker, if you'd done the various raids and story content involved. Without them, it's an assortment of the people the Scions had been involved with: Ishgardians and pirates from Limsa Lominsa, the East Aldenard Trading Company and the Kojin, the Ironworks, the junior Scions, and the treasure hunters of Idyllshire. With them, you get direct assistance from the Redbills, the Bozjans, Ejika Tsunjika, the Four Lords, the Majestic Theater Company, Gaius Baelsar himself, and the Idyllshire goblins—people who had next to no contact with the Scions and only lent their aid because they were friends with the Warrior of Light (or at least owed them one, in the case of Gaius Baelsar). They didn't know shit about the Scions or saving the world, they just heard the Warrior of Light was involved and immediately offered their assistance.

And I wish the game would acknowledge that! The game makes a big fuss in Dawntrail about how the Warrior of Light has walked the world and has loved and been loved in return, but this scene would have been the perfect chance to showcase it! You have all these people very clearly and directly intending their aid for the Warrior of Light—Leofard and the Redbills personally flying to Old Sharlayan to deliver the supplies; Soroban and Hancock passing messages from the Four Lords and the Lexentales, the Bozjans and Ejika Tsunjika; Gaius going back to Valens' Weapons experiments—likely an endeavour that hurt—to find relics suitable for the Ragnarok's purposes; the Idyllshire goblins giving their all because how could they do any less for their dear friend in their hour of need?

All these people offered their aid not for the Scions, not to save the world, but because the Warrior of Light needed their aid, and while it was a great scene for the player, I can't help but wish it's acknowledged in-universe as well.

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Forge ahead, till the end, we pray~

—-

prints now available

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This is something I wish the game addressed more, because back in Stormblood the fact that the glamours that hid Rhalgr's Reach from view failed right after the WoL and the Scions arrived was never really discussed. That was too much of a coincidence, it would have been the perfect time for someone to blame the WoL and/or Scions for bringing the Empire's attention upon them. It's why I loved the bit where, after Yotsuyu starts rounding up Doman members of the Confederacy soon after the WoL arrives at the Ruby Sea, Tansui straight up asks the WoL if death and destruction always follow in their wake—because they do. They really do. Maybe not in this specific case, but the WoL brings with them trouble just by virtue of being the main character.

do you think with time the WoL has become a symbol of impending doom to people, like, they appear and everyone is like “ah, something truly horrible is coming for us if they’re here.”

I like to imagine it starts small with jokes, but as the story progresses people all across eorzea grow weary. They don’t shun the WoL, more like they ready themselves for the storm to come, or resign themselves to whatever they think fate has in store for them.

Would the WoL notice? Would it eventually get to them? I love thinking about it.

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gpose trick that i've never seen anyone mention!

maybe it's common knowledge, but maybe not, and i figured it out independently so i'm gonna share!!!

we've got these emotes like /vexed, that come with these extra visual effects, right? and they're very nice visual effects. but maybe they're not what you're going for. unfortunately, if you pause motion, it pauses too, and you can't get a clean shot without it.

but!!!!!!! if you use the deep freeze effect, the extra visual effects doesn't freeze. so you can wait it out for a couple seconds, unfreeze yourself, and voila!

pause motion and you've got a clean shot!

other emotes i can confirm it works with (i'm sure there are even more) include /consider, /wow, /frighten, /gratuity, /allsaintscharm, and /loveheart !!!

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if i say "i imagine" or "i think" in regards to my ocs its because i dont knowwwwww. theyre living their own lives im just filming them at occasional moments and calling it a day

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It's probably funnier to me because it's nearly midnight and I'm exhausted but like. I have three (3) characters who are exclusively MNKs. They don't have any other jobs, just lorewise they're all some variant of CQC fighter — Marzanna is the "can incapacitate you with one strategic hit to a pressure point" martial artist type, Niko is the pugilist brawler type, and Bos was modeled after the Landlady from Kung Fu Hustle — so mechanically they're all MNKs in different lore flavours.

This sets them apart from the three (3) RDMs in my cast of characters — Raginmar, Lunamara and Valeria — who have jobs other than RDM; Raginmar is primarily an RDM and is the most skilled at it compared to the other two, since RDM is a secondary or even tertiary job for them.

Anyway, I'm rambling — my point here is that I have three (3) MNK characters and not a single one of them can wear the Common Makai Manhandler's Jerkin because none of them fit the aesthetic. I was trying it on Kirika and thought it looked really cute on her, so I thought about getting it for my actual MNK characters but alas! None of them suit the top! Marzanna is way too buff for that sleek overcoat look and she's the more elegant type anyway. Niko's the outgoing sporty type so outfits like the Diadochos and Vanguard striking sets suit her the best. Bos... I haven't nailed down her style yet, but it's DEFINITELY not the jerkin.

And that struck me as kinda funny because how can I have three (3) separate MNK characters and yet not a single one of them have that cool goth(?) aesthetic! Hell, I don't think I have ANY goths in my roster! Is that something I need? Do I need to change that? I was thinking about the dark eye makeup and lips I saw on someone from the leveling roulette and I thought they were really beautiful but I racked my brain and not a single character I have would suit that look! Why! Why do I not have any goths in my roster!

I'm... gonna go to sleep now.

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Caved and got this from the annual sale ughughgg I've wanted this hakama set for Kirika FOREVER and I finally got it and she looks so cute aughaughaugh

It's kinda funny how the only two characters who have cash store glams are the Hingan ones (laughs) L'vazha has the Lord's Suikan Set and Kirika has the Far Eastern Schoolgirl's Uniform. I guess it's because you don't get a lot of Japanese-esque / Far Eastern-inspired gear in-game, so for these two characters who are very specifically Hingan/Japanese in design, the cash store glams are the best I can get. I wish they'd put the normal yukata you see the civilians in Kugane wear in the game somehow, surely that's not too much to ask...?

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Just went through the confrontation with Nabriales and Moenbryda's sacrifice (again) and out of all the major deaths that the story keeps coming back to, Moenbryda and Papalymo's feel the least organic, at least in terms of building up that emotional rapport with the Warrior of Light and/or player enough for the Warrior of Light and/or player to be impacted by their passing. Haurchefant interacts prominently with the Warrior of Light and is a reoccurring character all the way from ARR and halfway into Heavensward. We get a whole expansion with Ysayle. We get a whole expansion with Ardbert. Emet-Selch gets TWO expansions, and even Venat and Hythlodaeus get two whole dedicated levels for us to hang out with. You can't argue the same for Moenbryda and Papalymo, who barely interact with the Warrior of Light and in fact never seem to have any significant one-to-one moments with them.

You could argue that Moenbryda's and Papalymo's deaths don't in fact affect the Warrior of Light all too badly like the others' deaths do—and you'd be right! Moenbryda's death is Urianger's grief. Papalymo's death is Lyse's grief. The Warrior of Light doesn't grieve them the way they grieve Haurchefant or Ysayle, or Ardbert, or the Ancients they meet in Elpis, and that's not the issue. The issue is that the game, especially with Moenbryda, tries to make the player feel something for their deaths when they've not allowed the player to engage with the characters enough for us to feel anything for their passing. I'd argue I feel worse about Wilred dying than I did for Moenbryda and Papalymo, and that's because we see so much more of him with the Little Ala Mhigo sequence and his interactions with us while he was in the Crystal Braves; we see him grow as a character, however brief and unrelated to us it was, and we don't get that with Moenbryda and Papalymo.

To make matters worse, Moenbryda's and Papalymo's deaths were driven by their connection to Louisoix: Moenbryda in wishing to understand his motivations for leaving her behind and sacrificing himself for the sake of some no-name place called Eorzea, and Papalymo in wishing to prove himself Louisoix's finest pupil, following his master's footsteps in sacrificing himself to temporarily seal the dread primal Shinryu. Again, that's not the issue—the issue is that ARR only gives us crumbs about Louisoix and the Circle of Knowing, crumbs that are nowhere near enough to make us care about him! Oh, Moenbryda and Papalymo are both paying homage to Louisoix through their sacrifice? Oh well, nothing to do with me! I don't know anything about Louisoix to warrant my caring!

It wouldn't be such an aggravation if the story doesn't insist on making the player care. You have a sequence with Moenbryda's parents comforting Urianger in Endwalker, and there's a sidequest involving Papalymo's father as well—their deaths are not forgotten! They're hearkened back to! They're even included in this image of the fallen made floating in the aetherial sea!

Clearly their sacrifice is considered as major as Minfilia's and Haurchefant's and Ysayle's, which would make sense if the game bothered to put in the effort to make us care about Moenbryda and Papalymo in the first place!

Okay. Rant over. I initially wanted to write about how Raginmar very likely called Kirika to help heal Moenbryda before he went after Nabriales and Minfilia—in-game it makes sense for the Warrior of Light to not be able to call anyone, but by post-ARR Raginmar's adventuring party is pretty established; they're all connected by linkpearls and can contact each other in an emergency, and Moenbryda getting blasted in the stomach by a column of dark aether very much counts as an emergency. There's one issue with that scenario, however:

Papalymo: "She was counting on the theory that a soul's aether burns brightest at the moment of its passing. A scholar until the very end..."

Moenbryda was dying when she gave up her life to temper the aetherial blade. That was the theory she was counting on: that her soul's aether, near its end, would burn brightest at the second of her death and be enough to augment the aetherial blade.

Thancred: "She gave her life to temper the blade of Light? I...I have no words."

If Raginmar was able to get Kirika to come and try to heal Moenbryda, that makes this plot point implausible. She wouldn't have been near death if a healer was at hand. A solution to that problem would be Kirika actually failing to heal Moenbryda and managing to only staunch the wound instead of healing it, but that's additional trauma for Kirika that I have to think about and work on, and I do not have the time for that— oh no— I can feel the brainworms coming—

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Minfilia: "Alas, the key problem—how to form an aetherial blade at will—remains unsolved. Nevertheless, it is only a matter of time."

Slogging through post-ARR with Marzanna and this is kind of both funny and tragic in hindsight, considering that Raginmar eventually became skilled enough in aether manipulation that he could do this exact thing the Scions were having trouble with (laughs)

I know the Scions putting the Warrior of Light primarily on combat duty and not involving them in any of the cerebral work is more due to gameplay reasons (since combat is the primary gameplay, after all) than serious narrative reasons, but it does get grating over time—especially with how dismissive they can get. As much as I like to rag on the Scions for treating Raginmar like a musclehead, though, I can't even blame them for this; initially I thought this would be one of those instances where their dismissiveness combined with Raginmar's tendency to keep things to himself end up making things worse for everyone, but this early in the story Raginmar likely wouldn't have been able to manipulate aether to create blades at will like he can now anyway. He only started being able to do that post-Shadowbringers, thanks to the aftereffects of the Light aether corruption he'd had to endure.

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Also this really could have been a tweet but I deleted Twitter from my phone and this isn't exactly a thought I should be burdening my current FC mates with, so might as well post it here

I don't know how my previous FC could do raid prog on weeknights, it's only 10.30pm and I'm about to pass out, how were they raiding until midnight????

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I don't know how my previous FC could do raid prog on weeknights, it's only 10.30pm and I'm about to pass out, how were they raiding until midnight????

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FFXIV drinks--full set!

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Finally tried out VPR with Hyllizirn (because it really only makes sense for her, lore-wise) and since she's still in StB, I don't have access to any of the cooler outfits (see: the Augmented Crystarium scouting coat). This was the best I could do and I gotta say, she doesn't look half bad! I deeply and sincerely wish she has a cooler hairstyle but Mother Miounne's hair so far is the literal only best fit for her ough

How am I liking VPR so far? Hahahahahahaha

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(source)

That last part is unironically Raginmar. I talk a lot about how he feels the Scions and most of the people he meets take him for granted and use him as their living weapon most of the time, but crucially Raginmar also does not make an effort to tell them this. He internalises things to a severely unhealthy degree because he is unable to let anyone in and allow himself to be vulnerable. He needs someone to show him that they care first, to be vulnerable with him first before he can even begin to reciprocate—it's why his strongest friendships are with people who baldly approach him head-on like Estinien, Hien, Aymeric, Tataru, Leofard, Stephanivien etc. since they're the kind of people who just won't leave him alone.

The Scions always leave him. Always. Pre-Duty Support retcons, you'll notice the Scions always leave him to do tasks both impossible and dangerous while they're off gallivanting elsewhere running 'support' or what have you. He's always their first approach to a problem, and they always treat his successes as a given, even when it puts him in unfathomable peril. They never apologise for it, not until Shadowbringers—and even after that sometimes they don't. Even when he's criticially injured or traumatised (see: The Vault; that first fight against Zenos at Rhalgr's Reach; defeating the Lightwardens and suffering from light aether corruption; the aftermath of In From the Cold), they brush off his pains and insist on him getting back to his feet because there's simply no time to waste. Never mind that he'd just lost his first real friend in Eorzea, or taken a critical hit, or passively suicidal because that's what he's here for, isn't he?, or traumatised from having his entire agency ripped away from him.

And on a more petty note, you'll notice that in cutscenes, the Scions never wait for him before walking away. That always struck me as callously cruel, for some reason.

But just as the Scions are at fault for taking him for granted, Raginmar is also at fault for never letting them know what he thinks about it. Is he quietly resentful and distant and evasive beyond the point of his typical paranoid, secretive nature towards them thanks to their behaviour? Absolutely. Does he tell them, hey I'm not a fan of how you guys are treating me, can we not? No. He does not.

And that's part of his fatal flaw. By Dawntrail he and the Scions will have gone through multiple world-saving adventures together, will have been companions for years—and they still don't know much of anything about him. They are still surprised by the way he thinks and the things he says and the little glimpses of personality beyond the quiet, stoic, steadfast man they thought they knew. His true self is like a treasure found at the end of a gruelling hunt; worth far beyond its weight and measure, but only if you decide to work for it without expecting your efforts to be reciprocated, to break down his walls and try to understand what little he can bring himself to share, if he even deigns to share any. And not everyone does or can.

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dawntrail impressions pt. vi

In this installment: moments of weakness, a daring rescue and a tag team I never expected to see after all this time. Oh, and the Feat of Proof, if that matters to anyone (laughs).

Spoilers under the cut, as always:

Back to Earthenshire we go! But before that...

Wuk Evu: "Yet when it comes to describing the place itself, the stories do not always agree. Some portray it as one might expect: a glittering metropolis of golden towers. Others suggest it is more unassuming and owes the name to a fabulous treasure hidden at its heart."

Wuk Evu: "Every telling, however, has a common thread: those who go in search of the golden city do not return."

OMINOUS.

Wuk Evu: "The lesson to be learned from this, Third Promise, is that to seek the legend is to court death. I must implore you to proceed with the utmost care."

Raginmar, at the back of the group, mutters quietly to himself that it must be Tuesday then; usually he'd pitch it just loud enough for either Thancred or Estinien to hear him, but he doesn't bother since they're not here this time. The twins still hear him, though, damn those sharp Elezen ears (laughs) it scandalises them a little bit because they weren't expecting him to make such a droll comment.

———

Erenville: "What are we to make of these cautionary tales? If every expedition has ended in tragedy, how then did the Dawnservant find the city and return without incident?"

You know, nobody said they ended up dead. Just that they were never to be seen again. Maybe they got to the golden city and decided to just live there instead of going home!

———

Sareel Ja: "If neither wealth nor territory are of value, wherefore does he seek to bring the world to heel...?

Oh of course that's all you care about, you greedy power-hungry asshole. Ugh. My money's on Zoraal Ja having a legitimate, well-intentioned reason for wanting to subjugate the whole world and he's just going about it the worst way he can. Sareel Ja's just unable to understand his motivations because he can't understand the concept of wanting to actually serve your country.

———

Sareel Ja: "Your cleverness in particular is most admirable, Second Promise. We must have you apply that Sharlayan knowledge you so cherish, and arm Tural with weapons of magitek design."

First of all, the best magitek engineers are still Garlean, so you don't know what you're talking about. Second of all, Sareel Ja absolutely flinched from the sudden murderous intent he felt boring into him from behind. Nobody knows better than Raginmar how destructive magitek can be. Nobody here has directly suffered from it more than he has, and having to hear this from some smug old bastard who's never set foot out Tuliyollal his entire life, who's never seen the sheer horror magitek can wreak pisses him off like very few other things can.

———

Zoraal Ja: "Easier to expand our territory...and swallow Sharlayan whole."

Hoo boy. This is the first time we're being shown the depth of Zoraal Ja's ambition, and it's not pretty.

I want to say it's a bad move — Tuliyollal is just one nation, how do they think they're going to expand their territory across the sea and swallow Sharlayan whole — but then I remember Garlemald absolutely swallowed several nations whole. Huge chunks of an entire continent, even. That said, I'm wondering just how strong Tuliyollal's military force is, and if they can really be an invading force. If Bakool Ja Ja and Zoraal Ja are any indication, the Mamool Ja seem to be a pretty warlike people which explains some of them heading to Eorzea to become mercenaries (and bandits). The Silverscales must have at least been of some renown in Tural since people knew them by name, and they came back in tatters after getting absolutely destroyed by one (1) adventurer.

Granted, that adventurer was the Warrior of Light, but still!

Also if I'm being honest, this basically amounts to a declaration of war and I'm not sure why nobody's running off to let the Grand Company of Eorzea know so they can prepare accordingly, just in case.

———

Krile: "The stories describe a place of boundless happiness, but are also rife with dire warnings of seekers who did not return. What are we to make of this...?"

Obviously they liked it there so much they didn't want to leave, duh.

———

Alisaie: "One day we're sailing up rivers, and the next we're hiking up mountains."

Raginmar just laughs. Now you know how what it's like! For some reason I'm reminded of that one quest in the House of the Fierce, where Raginmar had to go all the way to Kugane to pick up some documents to bring back to Yanxia, and Alphinaud was all "oh you're back so soon!" Hello? That was a journey across the Yanxian plains and the Ruby Sea and back, give Raginmar some goddamn credit!

At the time I was being a real gil-pincher too because I was saving up for a house, so I actually did travel all the way to Kugane and back on foot (laughs).

———

Koana: "Raginmar and I should work together at least, the better to facilitate communications between our groups."

For context, Wuk Lamat's gone missing and Koana and his entourage's joined in to help find her.

First of all, did Thancred or Urianger not give him a linkpearl? Second of all, I lowkey like how Koana's essentially designated Raginmar as the de facto leader of Wuk Lamat's entourage and everybody's just like "yeah, that works".

———

Koana: "You played your part to perfection, Raginmar. A man of many talents, just as Thancred and Urianger described."

I feel like that might not have been exactly what Thancred and Urianger meant about his acting talents, but okay.

(Context for anyone unfamiliar with Raginmar: he's extremely secretive, spent most of his Scion career pretending to be unassuming and mild-mannered, and pretty much hides his true personality from everyone he meets including the Scions; it wasn't until the end of Shadowbringers that he started loosening up a bit with a select few of the Scions, and he still surprises them sometimes)

((Case in point: the droll comment about how seeking the golden city carries with it the risk of death and how that's basically just another weekday for him, scandalising Alphinaud and Alisaie who overheard him))

———

Koana: "If you would be so kind, Raginmar. Pray leave them capable of speech."

Tall order, that, but he'll give it his level best (laughs).

———

Wawkesa: "One look, and I could tell that man was a killer. A butcher. A salted devil in the flesh."

I cackled so hard at this line because yeah! That's Raginmar, alright! It is so refreshing to see Raginmar getting some respect from these two-bit mooks for once!

———

What will you say? > You need to calm down. > Be patient. Trust in Thancred. > I thought you were the cool-headed one.

He's not going to tell Koana to calm down because he's been in Koana's shoes — back around post-ARR, Hyllizirn was taken in order to draw out the famed Champion of Eorzea and Raginmar was nearly out of his mind with worry and guilt, compounded by the fact that the kidnapping came at the heels of a very bad fight between him and Hyllizirn. Hyllizirn came out of the ordeal relatively unscathed (and gave her abductors a painful lesson of her own) and they sorted out things between them, but that's neither here nor there.

The point is, Raginmar knows what Koana's going through right now. He's not going to tell Koana that he needs to calm down, and he's not going to poke fun at an obviously frantic and agitated big brother. That's not helpful at all. He says to trust in Thancred instead because Thancred is one of the best trackers he personally knows, and it helps to remind Koana that something is being done to help find Wuk Lamat.

———

AND HERE COMES THE MONEY SHOT! Thancred tracks down Wuk Lamat's location and the whole gang is together, coming to her rescue! Eagle-eyed observers will note that the group is missing a member (I certainly did) which leads us to this incredible, incredible scene with the tag team of the century*:

*I am exaggerating, but only because Raginmar's and Thancred's friendship is very important to me and seeing them in a tag team makes me so very happy

It is hands-down one of the best cutscenes so far for me, not least because Raginmar looks so goddamn badass. The way no one gets in his way as he does that purposeful slow walk towards Bakool Ja Ja, keeping the Mamool Ja's attention as Thancred strikes from behind to free Wuk Lamat — god, how can anyone still complain when this cements the fact that the Warrior of Light is still a bonafide badass and literally the biggest threat on the field?? And the way both Thancred and Raginmar smirk at each other — it was planned, these two motherfuckers came up with a plan to utilise Raginmar's sheer overwhelming presence to mask Thancred's, this acknowledges so many things and I'm just—

(screams into the void)

Just LOOK at the smug smirks on their faces, GOD, I can't STAND them. They had no right to do this to me, ugh.

What's even better about that scene is that Raginmar is seemingly unarmed. That's right, this unarmed middle-aged man is the biggest threat you can't afford to take your eyes off from on the field right now, and it's so validating for me. He doesn't even need weapons to be dangerous!

———

Koana: "I will never forgive him for putting our sister in danger! He will have forfeited his right to be called brother!"

This scene largely pokes fun at Koana for being an overprotective big brother, but it also makes me wonder about their relationship with Zoraal Ja. Zoraal Ja is the First Promise, the miraculous son born to Gulool Ja Ja. Koana and Wuk Lamat were adopted. Were they ever close in the first place? Did Zoraal Ja ever see Koana and Wuk Lamat as his real siblings, given how he's Gulool Ja Ja's actual child and they're adopted?

———

Wuk Lamat rescued, we now continue on to Worlar's Echo for the Feat of Proof!

Alisaie: "Chilly air. Stout stone construction. If I squint a bit, I might think I was in Ishgard for a moment."

Hey now.

———

Erenville: "The Skyruin's fires are described as eternal—flames that can be quenched by neither storm nor time. And here I thought it a literary embellishment."

Raginmar, who has been burned by an eternally-burning flame and is capable of casting those same flames: mmhmm.

———

Patient Gravekeeper: "Moreover, we do not conceive of death as others do. For us, a person does not die when their heart ceases to beat, but only when they are no longer borne in the hearts of all who know them."

I just know that hit Raginmar somewhere tender deep inside, with everyone he's loved and lost — his comrades, his subordinates, his friends and companions. He carries the memory of them with him still, and so they will live on forever.

———

Stoic Chronicler: "No. No virulent plague or newly arisen blight. For the local Tonawawta and Shetona, it was but a mild affliction of the sort that comes with the turning of the seasons."

Stoic Chronicler: "What manifested for them as slight fevers and coughs, however, proved deadly to our people."

Stoic Chronicler: "Out of every ten Yok Huy who joined that northern campaign, nine succumbed to the infection. Those who survived continued to suffer, finding it difficult to sire offspring."

Erenville: "I've heard of this before. Lacking an inherited resistance, visitors to distant lands can fall deathly ill to diseases a local might shrug off."

A surprising reversal from what happened to the Whalaqee. I guess it kind of speaks volumes to how isolated Xak Tural is, that the diseases there would be something unknown to the southern part of Tural.

———

Stoic Chronicler: "Your genuine interest in our history is...refreshing."

Now, there are a lot of ways to interpret this line — they could be referring to Wuk Lamat's enthusiasm, but in that case wouldn't they have mentioned her specifically? If both Zoraal Ja and Koana had arrived at this point before Wuk Lamat, they could be making a comment on the other two's distinct lack of interest in the Yok Huy's history. They could also just mean the whole group in general, since the Sharlayans are always interested to learn about something new.

I like to think of it as them directly addressing Raginmar, though, because Raginmar grew up with a historian for a father and developed an interest for the subject despite himself, and so the keen way he paid attention to the Stoic Chronicler was obvious for them to see.

———

Wuk Lamat: "If you could stay and tend to him, the rest of us will continue on to Worqor Zormor."

Alphinaud: "Understood. Be careful up there."

Sometimes I think about how Alphinaud always focuses his efforts on running support and helping others instead of charging into the fray himself, and how it's such a change from his overconfident days as the Commander of the Crystal Braves and I feel all gooey inside. He's probably got the single best character development in this entire game and I love that for him.

And to think I absolutely abhorred him back when I was playing through ARR (laughs)

———

Okay I know we joke about Alisaie being Red Alphinaud but that doesn't mean I want her healing! HEY!

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dawntrail impressions pt. v

In this installment: the Feat of Pots, pathetic wet meow meow Wuk Lamat, and a mysterious summons...

Spoilers under the cut, as always:

Sareel Ja: "If this power truly exists, then I humbly beg a fair share of it."

Sareel Ja: "Time is passing, and I would put my plans in motion without delay. The useless tool is cast aside, after all."

Sareel Ja: "And just so there is no misunderstanding... You consent to this course no matter who is made to suffer?"

Oh my GOD, it's just red flags everywhere with this guy. They really could not be more heavy-handed with the foreshadowing, truly.

Foreshadowing aside, this scene shows exactly why Zoraal Ja is unfit to rule, aside from the whole warmongering expansionist thing. It speaks volumes of Zoraal Ja's character: that he's working with this shady-ass royal advisor of some sort (I forgot his exact position, but I know he's part of the royal court), going along with his plans like sheep and disregarding any and all harm it could incur just to achieve their respective goals. Wuk Lamat and Koana rely on their allies not to tell them what to do, but to guide them throughout this contest. They make their own choices. This is not the case with Zoraal Ja; he's clearly under Sareel Ja's thumb and goes along with his plans, and he's willing to risk everything — even the lives of those he may or may not care for, as hinted here — for his aims.

Those traits do not a good ruler make.

———

Wuk Lamat: "If there's one thing I've learned on this journey, it's how practiced you are at aiding those in need."

Wuk Lamat: "And I mean to make the most of having such an incredible mentor at my side!"

Obvious jab at the Warrior of Light's saviour tendencies and nod to the player aside — that is meant as a nod to the player, right, with her looking right at the camera as she says that? Does she look down if you play a Lalafell or something? — the way Wuk Lamat refers to the Warrior of Light as her mentor encapsulates everything I just said about Zoraal Ja.

———

Koana: "Surely, it would be more effective to engage a uniformly trained collective. I cannot understand their fixation on individual contracts..."

Again, the game's being extremely heavy-handed with how they're showing each claimants' flaws and all that so I can't say too much about this. I just think after a certain point it gets a bit grating, is all.

———

Koana: "Even Sharlayan goldsmiths could not easily replicate such exquisite artistry."

One thing that personally irritates me about Koana is the way he keeps acting like Sharlayan's this absolute pinnacle of excellence, from technology to science to craftsmanship — to everything! — when he hasn't even seen what the rest of the world has to offer. He's like those people who've only gone overseas maybe once or twice and then never shut up about their trip, ever. "Even Sharlayan goldsmiths could not easily replicate such exquisite artistry" has he been to Ul'dah, the literal home of the Eorzea-renowned Goldsmiths' Guild? Has he seen the delicate metalworks of the Ala Mhigan Ananta? Does he know there are other goldsmiths than Sharlayan ones? Does he know that Sharlayan is not the greatest nation on Hydaelyn?

I get that he's mostly well-meaning and this stupid, blatant idolisation of everything Sharlayan is more to highlight the flaws in his character but good god this specifically pisses me off so bad.

———

The Feat of Pots required the claimants to bring one (1) craftsman back to Earthenshire to become a contracted potsworn; presumably the goal was to get the claimants to understand the importance of the collective's system of contracts in facilitating trade and commerce across Tuliyollal. This is where Fonjeantaine comes into play — he agrees to go to Earthenshire to hone his craft and become their contracted potsworn as thanks for Wuk Lamat's earlier encouragement of him.

This required us to travel back to Tuliyollal and discuss things with Fonjeantaine, however, which led us to...

Landsguard Messenger: "Oh, and one more thing: you are not to mention this visit to Wuk Lamat."

What's with the secrecy? Hello?? Without even giving me a chance to take a break after two riverboat rides, a whole-ass dungeon run, running errands all around Earthenshire and hunting down that damn Elezen in Tuliyollal??? Do you people not understand the concept of rest????

———

Sunperch Guard: "The Dawnservant awaits you within. While I was not informed of the reason for your audience, in terms of attire, I would suggest full battle regalia."

OH, COME ON!!!

———

Vow of Resolve Gulool Ja Ja: "Judging by the sailors' gossip, you are a warrior of renown in your homeland."

Lowkey cackling at the absolute neutrality of Raginmar's expression here, like he is not bothered at all (laughs)

Vow of Resolve Gulool Ja Ja: "Yet I wonder—with all your deeds done and victories won..."

Vow of Resolve Gulool Ja Ja: "Are you warrior enough to stand against me?"

He's so dramatic, did he really need three scene changes just for that one piece of dialogue??? Also if Raginmar can take down the literal embodiment of despair, he can absolutely take Gulool Ja Ja down. I know the game makes it so that the Warrior of Light is constantly challenging stronger and stronger enemies and I'm not saying Gulool Ja Ja wouldn't pose a challenge, but he wouldn't make Raginmar resort to his summoning abilities or go all out in his Lightwarden form, is what I'm saying.

———

What will you say? > Why don't we find out? > So long as neither of us gets too carried away. > I'm not interested in fighting you...

Because accidentally killing the ruler of a nation would be bad, yes.

———

Vow of Resolve Gulool Ja Ja: "The battle rage is upon me! I'll stop short of killing you, of course...but expect no other mercies!"

Good for you, Gulool Ja Ja! I've mentioned it before but it bears repeating again: Raginmar doesn't know how to spar. If you challenge him to a duel, he will fight as if his life is on the line. He will fight you to the death. He literally doesn't know how else to fight, so if you're challenging him to a 'spar' then you'd best not hold back.

———

Vow of Resolve Gulool Ja Ja: "I've brought my full strength to bear against opponents before, but you are the first to withstand it."

(jazz hands at Raginmar and his whole deal)

Like, what part of battled the literal manifestation of despair and then 1v1'd Zenos Viator Galvus in a fight to the death right afterwards and won do you not get? Granted the whole ordeal was bad enough that it killed him, but that's neither here nor there.

Jokes aside, the solo duty instance against Gulool Ja Ja was actually really fun! It was a good fight and I enjoyed it a lot.

———

Vow of Resolve Gulool Ja Ja: "Now, a confession. I said I craved a challenge, and that was no lie...but I had another reason for calling you here."

Oh of course you had an ulterior motive, I don't know what I was expecting.

———

Vow of Resolve Gulool Ja Ja: "I had to judge for myself if you were fit to attend my beloved daughter."

I prefer the term 'mentor' to 'attendant', thanks.

Also, I just want y'all to know that in the JP dub, he calls Wuk Lamat his "cute daughter" — かわいいなむすめ — which had me bursting into laughter. Doting father, much?

———

Vow of Resolve Gulool Ja Ja: "But one with your talents could easily dispatch the threats that bar Lamaty'i's way.

Overprotective father detected! The whole point of this was for Wuk Lamat to grow and learn to fend for herself. She doesn't need Raginmar clearing the road for her, although I suppose just the knowledge that he can if she ever needed him to is comforting.

———

Vow of Resolve Gulool Ja Ja: "Will you hear my question and answer me plainly? Address me not as the ruler of Tuliyollal, but a concerned father."

Just so you know, Gulool Ja Ja, this is what we commonly call a death flag. Good fathers who also happen to be kings don't tend to survive for very long in JRPGs.

———

Vow of Resolve Gulool Ja Ja: "Then tell me, given your journey together thus far, what is your impression of Lamaty'i?

What will you say? > She is young, but has potential. > She is not ready to rule.

You wanted an honest answer, that's what you'll get with Raginmar (laughs). None of them are ready to rule, which is actually pretty concerning when you think about it. Gulool Ja Ja outright says that if none of the claimants impress him enough during the rite of succession, he simply won't give the throne to them and will remain Dawnservant himself. He's been ruling for around 80 years, how many more years does he even have in him?

My bet is none. The death flag is way too strong with this guy.

———

Vow of Resolve Gulool Ja Ja: "Lamaty'i thinks she understands our many peoples—their histories, their cultures, their beliefs. But she knows only what she's seen in the capital."

Vow of Resolve Gulool Ja Ja: "With outsiders dragged into my game, I am also hopeful that the different perspectives you and your companions have to offer will inspire them to grow."

I get where he's coming from but, uh, with the exception of Raginmar literally every single one of these 'outsiders' are Sharlayans. That's not really what you'd call a diverse range of perspectives, truth be told.

———

Vow of Resolve Gulool Ja Ja: "I imagine you in particular have traveled many lands. Known many peoples and cultures—loved them and been loved in return."

He is absolutely correct and even echoed what I literally just said, but also his wording drove me to tears, what do you mean you're telling me that Raginmar's loved and been loved throughout his journey in those exact words, you can't just say that. This one throwaway line makes me so emotional, gah.

———

Vow of Resolve Gulool Ja Ja: "Guide Lamaty'i as you think best. Walk at her side and, when needed, push her to walk ahead."

Gulool Ja Ja asks us to keep this whole discussion a secret from Wuk Lamat and like, now I have an inkling of what Urianger felt back in Shadowbringers (laughs). Granted it's not as a heavy a secret as help me enact this suicide plan to save the star and the Warrior of Light without letting anyone know, especially the Warrior of Light, and the Warrior of Light has had plenty of people confide to them throughout the game, but I think this might be one of the rare few times that they're explicitly implored to keep a secret.

I wonder how the Mamool Ja age in comparison to Hyurs — are they like the Viera who live for hundreds of years, or like Elezens who live around 100+ or so? Gulool Ja Ja sounds like he might be in his 50s or 60s in human terms, honestly, which I think reminds Raginmar of his own father.

It's worth noting that he's already went through this sort of thing, albeit from a different perspective — Gulool Ja Ja is a father looking out for his daughter, while Raginmar was a brother looking out for his sister. A father's and a brother's protectiveness are not the same. Even if the age gap between them is more like father and daughter (20 years), Raginmar saw Hyllizirn as his sister and treated her accordingly, which meant that he was a lot less worried about letting her get into and out of trouble by herself. He trusts that Hyllizirn would be able to take care of herself and learn her lessons along the way, and so leaves her alone to it and won't interfere unless she asks him to; so does Gulool Ja Ja believe in Wuk Lamat, but the way he's imploring the Warrior of Light to protect and guide her shows that that faith is not 100%.

———

Vow of Resolve Gulool Ja Ja: "You needn't worry, Daughter. I took care not to inflict lasting injuries."

I like to think this line is him downplaying how fighting Raginmar took the wind out of him and he's just acting tough in front of her (laughs).

———

Vow of Resolve Gulool Ja Ja: "Koana's recruits are no less sharp—as one might expect of Galuf's countrymen. They saw the flaws in our claimants from the outset."

Now I'm wondering if he'd summoned Thancred and Urianger as well, like he did Raginmar. But if that's the case, why didn't he summon the twins and Krile as well?

———

Vow of Resolve Gulool Ja Ja: "The other two, though... They dismiss comrades willing to point out their shortcomings, and no good can come of it..."

It's beyond that — Bakool Ja Ja and Zoraal Ja are both Mamool Ja; they both have that added pressure of being the 'rightful' kind to inherit the throne. There's the issue of bloodlines and inheritance coming into play. And was it intentional on the devs' part, to have the two stubborn claimants who refuse to engage with outsiders to be Mamool Ja? To be from a race that's historically been enemies in Eorzea, and arguably more bestial and non-human than the X'braal and the Hhetsarro?

———

I'm going to stop saying what's coming up next (laughs) I feel like there should be a concluding paragraph or something summing up what I feel for this post, but really I'm just doing my best to fit as many screenshots into a post as I can while keeping the commentary flowing cohesively. I took about 400+ screenshots and I just hit level 95 in the MSQ, so there're a lot of screenshots to comment on and a lot of posts to make, and I think summarising my thoughts at the end of every post is an exercise in futility.

I'm mainly writing up these impressions? commentaries? for my own enjoyment but if you've been reading along and have comments of your own, I'm more than happy to hear from you!