#Im sorry to any Hien fans

[fleetingfigures]

GIVE ME A CHARACTER; Hien Rijin

Little disclaimer, I'm an opinionated individual, so if any of my words about the character are rather harsh, try not to take it personally. Media exists to be criticized, and I'm definitely a critic!

How I feel about this character

I'm gonna be honest with you chief, but in finally starting to play FFXIV seriously at about the end of Stormblood, much of its story was rushed through by yours truly, so some of these opinions might be completely wrong to someone who knows STB's lore much better than I. Beyond that, a good chunk of the expansion's NPCs are some of my least enjoyed throughout the entire game, especially on the Garlean side of things. However, the lore and worldbuilding this expansion gave is still some of my favorite, and opened up a lot of doors for speculation, especially for characters on my end (note: see Luo Qiang lol). Though with that out of the way... My first impression of Hien was not a good one. I thought he was pretty stereotypical and one-note, and supposed he was fine to fit the narrative role he was created for. But if there's anything to know about me, I'm not the kindest critic to things that simply exist in their bubble. I think I spent most of the expansion waiting for some sort of character reveal or twist on Hien's part, something to spice him up a bit, but sadly it never really came. That's why among my friends, I refer to Hien as 'White Bread' as he's okay, but he's very bland.

All the people I ship romantically with this character

I don't ship NPCs in this game romantically much at all tbh, outside of maybe a stray WoLx(insert name here) relationship here and there. As such, I never even gave this any thought. Though, I think for story purposes, Hien would be better off not being shipped with anyone at all, so that story potential is instead shifted inwards and fleshes out the personal struggles of rebuilding Doma in the wake of their second fight for independence.

My non-romantic OTP for this character

OTP is a strong phrase, so here's some pairings I enjoy thinking about for him: - I think Hien and Thancred would make wonderful drinking buddies. - Hien and his retainers is obviously a good dynamic, especially imagining Yugiri having to play Mom as Gosetsu and Hien get a bit too merry while drinking. - Hien and Lyse having to rely and learn from the other as they're both young royals thrust into the duties of rebuilding their war-torn countries.

My unpopular opinion about this character

I believe my above criticism of Hien being bland is an unpopular opinion? But like... That's another thing I find annoying about Hien - it's that I'm almost incapable of forming any opinions at all about him. All I can say is that he's a bit boring and did his role fine, but I can't even go beyond that, and it pisses me off to no end! Maybe I just didn't read his lore enough or something, but sometimes I find it easy to forget he exists. And that's unfortunate, seeing as he's quite literally the figurehead of Doma. If it weren't for my own fascination with Yanxia and the crumbs of Chinese inspiration within it, I would pay no mind to Doma at all, especially with Hien as its leader.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.

Something at all? Maybe a moment of weakness in the face of dire straits, something that makes him recall the struggles his father suffered under around 25 years ago. A moment of personal weakness like that, one connected to not only his country's struggles, but ones he's struggled with for most of his life, the same ones that lead him to flee towards the Steppe.

With that my criticism is finished. Overally, I'd give Hien a 5/10 grade as a character. He exists, I guess.

Anyways, thanks for the ask! @placesyoucallhome And I hope this didn't read as too negative lol