🐇🌿🗡️ Hej, this is a little blog for my main WoL, Ljómi- a haughty, sadistic seventy-year-old herbalist.
typical content: gpose, art commissions, personal art, writing in/out oc, shippy content (generally with Emet-Selch and Zero), community-tagged NSFW art & gpose, aesthetic reblogs. Posting is infrequent!
what is not done here: bigotry, fandom drama
I'm open to character questions and other silliness even if I'm shy about it! Though, I do not directly in-character RP with others.
🌱 🌱 🌱
My personal tumblr with non-Ljómi reblogs, dumb personal posts, and occasional nature / food photography is located at mosspan.
Around level 15 in the Main Story Quests of FFXIV, you start doing dungeons. Outside the first two of these, you'll see several groups of adventurers. One of those groups consists of Paiyo Reiyo, the Lalafell Thaumaturge you see in the video above, Liavinne Painefort, an Elezen archer, Avere Bravearm, a Hyur Gladiator, and Edda Pureheart, a Hyur Conjurer and also Averes betrothed.
Hailing from a poor village, Edda and Avere left at about sixteen years of age, hoping to make a life for themselves as adventurers. Unfortunately, luck was not on their side, and Avere made for a questionable party leader, quickly taking on jobs that were far beyond their skill level, possibly in an attempt to emulate the hero that would become known as the Warrior of Light, who had recently become a rising star in the Adventurers Guild. Their first major mission, into Sastasha, ended in humiliating failure, and Edda became the target of blame for her party, with them declaring that her healing magic wasn't up to the task. Even taking the precaution of buying extra potions was met with scorn and mockery. Their second mission, into the cultist filled Tam-Tara Deepcroft, ended in disaster, as Avere ran ahead despite Eddas warnings, drew the attention of too many enemies, and was slain.
In the aftermath, at Carline Canopy, the Adventurers Guilds base of operations in Gridania, the Warrior of Light witnessed Paiyo and Liavinne heaping all the blame for Avere's death on Edda, taking no responsibility for their own part in it, or Avere's own guilt, before abandoning her there. Edda was left alone, with nothing but Averes head, all that she'd been able to recover. Some time later, in Ul'dah, Edda would meet the Warrior and finally speak with them, speaking of how Avere had been inspired by them, and how she planned to return home to bury him, train, and resume her adventuring career.
This was the last the Warrior would hear of her for some time, taking place at level 20. Over the next 30 levels, the Warrior would grow in fame, gaining the title that everyone would know them by from then on. During that time, both the Warrior of Light and Liavenne would join the Scions of the Seventh Dawn, an order dedicated to trying to bring peace among the divided nations of Eorzea, although Liavennes time with them would be brief, the Elezen losing her life in the Imperial attack on the groups headquarters.
At level 50, the Warrior would encounter Paiyo Reiyo in Ul'dah, deeply confused and concerned. He'd received a letter from Edda, inviting him to her wedding... to Avere. And that the wedding would be in Tam-Tara Deepcroft, the place where Paiyo knows Avere died. The letter also claimed that Liavenne had already agreed to attend, and Paiyo had been hoping to find her and learn what this was all about. The Warrior revealing that Liavenne was dead, and had been for some time only increases his confusion.
They soon discover that Liavennes grave has been ransacked and her body missing, and Paiyo races off to Tam-Tara... and is intercepted by Edda, who escorts him in.
Edda had never returned home, and never buried Averes head. Having acquired an unusual tome during her brief adventuring career, she began studying it, and soon experimented with the void magics within. The girls sanity, stretched to breaking point already, quickly snapped under the strain. She summoned voidsent from the thirteenth, binding them to bodies, including Liavennes, and then Averes, whose remains transformed into a hideous winged beast, although she planned to transfer the creature she now believed to be Avere to the Warriors body, so he could be just like the adventurer he always admired.
Despite this though, the creatures were no match for the Warrior of Light, who destroyed the defiled corpses and banished the voidsent within from the realm. Confused and scared, Edda backed away, tripping over the candles around her 'wedding circle' and fell to her death, smiling all the way down.
Afterwards, Paiyo and the Warrior reflected on Eddas tragedy, and Paiyo stated his intentions to return home and retire from adventuring, feeling he'd done too much harm already... And then he saw Edda, standing a short distance away...
Eddas ghost could occasionally be seen briefly around the three hub cities, before disappearing. And for a time, it seemed that would be the last of Edda Pureheart...
@unionizedwizard you don't get to leave this in the tags, you're absolutely right. There's also Dolorous Bear and his group - the ones who you beat to the Sastasha dungeon clear, remember? When you turn it in they grumble about the job being done by the time they showed up, but accept it in good spirits as nothing personal, it's a first-come-first-served kind of business. And then when you get to Copperbell you find out that group got there before you and they all died. Just like that. Never see them or hear about them again. Adventuring is a brutal business right from the word go, and that's why people are so very impressed with you for your ability to survive and excel at it even early on.
passing by through the dawntrail spoilers tag and i agree with a lot of your sentiment about dt despite my enjoyment of it. i'm sending an ask specifically just because i feel like you're the first person i've seen mention the overuse of flashbacks recently?? i know it's not a big deal to a lot of people, but it feels a complete lack of trust in the audience to remember something, especially something that was shown in the same expac! (looking at you, area 3 in zone 6). this seems to have started in 6.x and not slowed at all and it's really unfortunate :/
Before Dawntrail it felt like a weird nod to shippers (they kept showing villains in what felt like positive recalls??? and how could we have forgotten who Zenos is) but now I get they actually think they need to remind us of events. It feels like part of an overall tone shift to me and I’m honestly worried about them trying to appeal to more casual gamers when FFXIV’s pull for years has been the complex and well written story. The lack of new lore past basic culture of peoples we most likely won’t visit again… will we actually get overarching story we’ll need to remember expansion to expansion? People who just want to half pay attention to MSQ to get to the endgame, people who played two expansions two years ago and can’t bother to refresh their memory on where they are. I think for an MMO, that’s a silly ploy for new players. My partner who plays regularly but is less into MSQ than I am and tends to forget a lot but found it annoying too!
My response to Dawntrail. Woof. When I started the expansion I actually posted reactively about how much fun it was feeling, and deleted that two days later.
Spoilery through the end of MSQ below-
I went into Dawntrail really excited for a chill start-up to future story. Vacation vibe while running into events and characters that might set up big consequences and meaning to other events down the road. No expectations of big drama within the expansion itself just building blocks. We got one block with zero attached narrative. While everyone is yelling that this is supposed to be our new ARR so we should chill about the quality of it- ARR provided us with countless characters, villains, and background plots without conclusions that continued into the future expansions (I know 1.0 really did this but for the sake of the story we have now, it was ARR). It may have been slightly confused and heavy-handed with its traditional MMO gameplay, but it did have a huge engrossing world set up for us. Dawntrail played out like any other expansion except feeling like it has even less effect on the future of the game in-world. We saved the day, again, and everything is exactly the same as it was a couple days prior. After Endwalker, I was excited at the thought of the WoL picking up their belongings and heading off into the horizon on their own and fumbling their way into new exciting events and alliances; yet our place in both the Void arc and Dawntrail felt so reliant on the Scions' decisions it's like nothing has changed. The WoL has been through so much and would be quite capable at this point yet seems to have no agency. This feeling of being trapped by past characters they can't seem to shake off, along with the idea being pushed repeatedly that we are an "adventurer" who goes where the wind takes us, makes the absence of a new band of allies kind of depressing. This was even more annoying as the Scions throughout Dawntrail felt very empty character-wise and unnecessary for the plot. Their reactions to events felt like having a livestream chat on the side of MSQ with no development of their own. I admit that I can't read the future, and maybe patches will make some characters we encountered continue on journeys with us, but nothing pointed to that as they all had their roles in their homes. While not new, I am hopeful Erenville will continue with us elsewhere! I was actually morbidly hoping something would happen making Wuk Lamat not end up in the throne, to give both continuous conflict and a new ally for some period of time past this expansion.
And regarding Wuk Lamat- absolutely love her. That doesn't mean that the dialogue making her repeat herself constantly about peace and learning wasn't some of the most tedious stuff ever put in this game. This tendency along with constant flashbacks and Scion commentary of "this reminds me of past expansion event" made it feel like the game, which has put us through complex politics and Limsa Lominsa dialect, now thinks of us as babies who can't pick up on the most basic thematic threads. The flashback to the Shadowbringers trolley guys was so unnecessary- let the audience pick it up on their own! And if they miss it, the current event should be fun or interesting enough that it's ok. I was thinking by the end that it was all for new players who chose to skip everything before Dawntrail, but flashback pictures would give nothing to them. I entirely agree with the complaints that this expansion was overtly exposition-based. Learning about new cultures is a huge basis of what we've gotten over the years, yet we generally learn through story beats that aren't just "learn the cultures". I love how important the individual cultures are, their differing ideals and lives, and how much color it adds to FFXIV, but I don't want to feel like I'm being placed in a classroom about it.
As we're tagging along with Lamat, it feels weird to me that we were asked to come at all. While I don't have qualms with being a side character to her, she's capable in combat and we're not given the chance to prove ourselves in much other than it, and we don't even mentor her in any way. We could have been the big sister/brother teaching her the ropes! Being given the mezcal jar to hold feels like an encapsulation of the entire ride. It feels like with how much new non-instanced dungeon/raid content we've started to get in MSQ, it was jarring how little there was in the entire expansion. We start out early with the look and zoom mode on Galool Jaja's tablets (which makes no sense why aren't we just walking up to them) and then they just forget we can do anything like that again other than sneaky stalk mode.
After the Rite of Succession and the brief moment in Texas, stuff starts getting better in plot and pace. There's some actual mystery, new characters who are more than an example of a culture, and it doesn't feel like you're doing things for a checklist. I'm obsessed with Otis and Galool Ja. At this point, the predictability seems to wane.
And then it comes back hard two levels later. The final area is again, a complete rehash of Shadowbringers and Endwalker. The Final dungeon is a complete rehash of Shadowbringers and Endwalker. The final zone is incredibly ugly, and I assumed with how jarring the colors were it would be glitchy and haunting. No, it's just a tasteless theme park that is keeping people happy for hundreds of years by having water fountains? Not much in this area points to people having anything but happy lives in a pointless and plasticky town, and yet as recalled by Alisae, their situation mirrors other civilizations we were shown to end up very unhappy. But they all like their salty popcorn and spending eternity serving it to others. I cannot understand the vibe they went for here and the task was again a tedious checklist. I also didn't understand the scale of this location- they made it Amaurot-esque extending to the horizon, yet we are able to turn off all memory sticks in a five malm radius- there could have been mention of other scions making their way to power down areas we weren't involved with, or a montage? Something? There's no way that would be everything.
I really wanted to enjoy Sphene, yet she has nothing to her but one side of Emet-Selch wrapped up in faux-innocence. They tried hard to place her as a foil to Wuk Lamat in the same way Emet and Exarch are foils, yet they had Lamat mention it directly ten times and at that point, how can you care about it anymore? There are threads they placed for her that I can't parse and was hoping to lead to a deeper character- how is the levin sickness her fault? In the end they painted her as nothing more than an overly caring helicopter mom. (Sphene WOULD beat you up at a child's soccer game.)
And that one building block I mentioned at the beginning- having an overpowered Azem-based stone that just hands Y'shtola exactly what she was looking for feels cheap and demeaning. I know she could have figured it out herself. In the same way I know Wuk Lamat could have figured out her trials without the perfect NPC walking up to her by chance every time.
In the end everything was entirely predictable. You get told x, you know that x is coming. We were told about Solution Nine before the drop- can you imagine if Amaurot was spoiled? We don't need plot twists, we don't need insane curves in characterization (Bakool Jaja I'm looking at you and your 90 degree angle), but some detail would really help, something that doesn't feel like it was a fan's recreation of tribe quests and the last two expansions, something I can continue to look forward to. I would have loved for Tural to have more stake and power in what goes on with Alexandria's presence. I would love for Tural to be more important in the future of the story, because I love everything there, and I'm just sad as hell about the package it came in. A package that came with Donkey Kong music using the same part of the leitmotif in every song, instead of Latino tinged songs that fit the region (if Kugane deserves that masterpiece, Tuliyollal deserves a sweeping and nostalgic piece that ties into the heart of Tural). Hell I would be happy with a minigame of making a piña colada if it was something new, but if feels like we're hanging onto loose threads now.
I don't think I've ever spoke about Ljómi's voiceclaim on here. Kristín Anna was previously a member of Múm, and the emotions I have over their album Summer Make Good are closely tied to the part of my brain where I pull Ljó out of, so it seemed right. Kristín's singing voice can be so haunting, and I love the idea that a voiceclaim doesn't fit what people assume. We don't choose our voices so why should they be a close match to our personalities! A couple years ago I actually went to Iceland and the day before leaving, I rushed from my accommodation into Reykjavík for one last chance to get into the Smekklysa record shop after finding correct directions (the first time I tried there was confusion with construction/temp location). I happened to mention Summer Make Good to the shop employee and he told me she was playing at a bar with some friends that night! I was a mess from hiking that day but I grabbed a dinner, went, got to see her in the back of a group of ~15 musicians at this small bar and it's probably one of my favorite experiences ever.
Since people seemed to quite enjoy the Screenshot Meme that was doing the rounds recently, I thought I might have a go at making a list of my own, in case people wanted to have a play with it.
Apologies for not linking to the author of the original list, but their Tumblr is seemingly deactivated.
If you want some Screenshot Asks why not reblog and see what you get!
Send ❄️ to see them wearing something for winter or keeping warm in the snow.
Send ☀️ to see them dressed for a heatwave or a hot country.
Send ☔️ to see them dressed for a rainy day or during a storm.
Send 🌱 to see them in an outfit they might have worn at the beginning of their story.
Send 🪡 to see them in something they crafted themselves - or was crafted for them.
Send 💀 to see them in something they wouldn’t be seen dead in.
Send 🤡 to see them in something they might wear to make someone else laugh.
Send 👀 to see them in something that would make people stop and stare.
Send 🧦 to see them in something cosy and domestic.
Send 👑 to see them in something they might wear to impress others.
Send 🐾 to see them with a favourite pet or (animal) mount.
Send ⚙️ to see them with a favourite (vehicle) mount or machine.
Send 🧁 to see them making or eating their favourite food.
Send 🥾 to see them in something they might wear to blend in with a crowd.
Send ✨ to see them in something they aspire to wear or would like the chance to wear.
Send 🍑 to see them in something seductive or at least striking.
Send ⚔️ to see them in something they might wear for sparring or practicing combat.
Send 🪤 to see them with something they find hard to resist.
Send 🕳 to see them somewhere they really don’t like to be.
Send 🏖 to see them somewhere they really do like to be.
Send 🧤 to see them in their favourite gloves.
Send 🔧 to see them with their favourite crafting tool.
Send 🪩 to see them in their best dance party outfit.
Send 🎀 to see them in something flamboyant.
Send 👞 to see them in something very plain.
Send 🖤 to see them in something they might wear to a funeral or memorial.
Send 🛡 to see them wearing or doing something associated with Ishgard.
Send ⚓️ to see them wearing or doing something associated with Limsa Lominsa.
Send ⚖️ to see them wearing or doing something associated with Ul’dah.
Send 🌳 to see them wearing or something associated with Gridania.
Send 🪬to see them wearing or doing something associated with Ala Mhigo.
Send 🎏 to see them wearing or doing something associated with Kugane.
Send 🍜 to see them wearing or doing something associated with Doma.
Send 🌟 to see them wearing or doing something associated with Norvrandt.
Send 🐘 to see them wearing or doing something associated with Thavnair.
Send 💧 to see them wearing or doing something associated with Elpis, Amaurot or the Ancients.
Send 📟 to see them wearing or doing something associated with the Allagan Empire.
Send 📜 to see them dressed up like a MSQ character or NPC.
Send 🎭 to see them dressed up in the style of another person’s OC.
Send 🪞 to see them as a villain (if they are a hero) or vice versa.
Send 🔮 to see them in an AU setting.
Send 👹 to see them looking fierce or intimidating.
Send 🧸 to see them looking cute or friendly.
Send 💛 to see them with their best friend (NPC or OC).
Send ❤️🔥 to see them in something guaranteed to turn on their significant other(s).
