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sideshow-cellophane-blog · 8 months

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Honestly leveling up to 30+, getting Tharael and playing the Rhalata quest line sets you up to kiiiiinda be prepared for the main story's similar themes. Nessa left Tealor Arantheal waiting for her answer for literal months so she could at least start a life in Enderal first. She gets through the Golden Sickle, does bounty missions, explores Riverville and the Sun Coast before finally drinking enough to take on the Monster in the Arena.

And then everything you experience during the Rhalata quest with the Father mirrors the main story. Pride, hatred, obsession, unethical experimentation (not the Order itself, but Calia's father), body switching, dealing with the cruelty of the world and madness, finding that ONE person who understands you and dealing with them being taken away by the world (mirroring what happened to Yero and his wife, the Aged Man, Letho, Sirius, etc).

The trial during "Part of Something Momentous Part II" is a piece of cake for Nessa, who already knows of psionic illusions and the mind games that evil magic can play. Not much in Enderal tops what nightmares happened in the Rhalata's excavation site. Her and Tharael share that trauma and they have definitely talked through nightmares and ideas and psionics, they are probably more informed than the Order is since psionics and The Butcher of Ark are banned. A lot of Keepers and Novitiates seem ignorant of a lot of Enderal's darker secrets.

Aixon feels like someone the prophet once knew, rather than a total figment of your imagination. He represents the fear that holds you from escaping. You can pick up that skull at the end, "Regret," and instead of picking up the human heart or empty wine bottle at the altar you leave Regret on the stone that frees you. You leave Regret behind and it frees you. Nailaq left behind Qalian, Tharael left behind Brother Wrath. You kill Aixon, who represents fear and anxiety, and it frees you from the trial (I personally tried to kill him every time he opened his annoying mouth).

Then the High Ones meet the prophetess, and because you're level 30+ it's a sobering experience...for them. They may have brought the prophet back into this world, but like The Father and Tharael, you are fucked up because of it and stronger than you were. If Tharael can continue on, so can you.

Honestly having gone through the Rhalata quest and have Tharael by your side after is my favorite way to play. It adds a feeling of readiness instead of hopelessness at being called pathetic over and over again by the High Ones, who need to read a thesaurus and get more colorful words.

Nessa gives them the middle finger. How about you guys?

#enderal #enderal prophetess #enderal: forgotten stories #enderal: shards of order #tealor arantheal #rhalata #tharael narys #the father #the order #nailaq #jespar dal'varek #calia sakaresh

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desempleadas · 3 months

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hii I saw you liked 80s/90s sci fi and fantasy do you have recs? I've been getting into it slowly but it's obviously such a vast field I get overwhelmed bc I want to read everything

hi thank you for the question! yes 80s/90s sff was a beautiful era of genre fiction :D this is a list of my personal favorites in no particular order :

the magic casement by dave duncan

parable of the sower by octavia e. butler

a fire upon the deep by vernor vinge

sundiver by david brin

city of bones by martha wells

daggerspell by katherine kerr

equal rites by terry pratchett

enders game by orson scott card

shards of honor by lois mcmaster bujold

the isle of glass by judith tarr

nor crystal tears by alan dean foster

assassin’s apprentice by robin hobb

the eye of the world by robert jordan

the time of dark by barbara hambly

the prince of ill luck by susan dexter

the initiate brother by sean russell

the mote in gods eye by larry niven and jerry pounelle

#some of these are the first book in a 500 book epic saga so lmk if you want clarification on anything #asks

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aasteraarts · 19 days

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Hi all! (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧ What a productive April I had! This makes me so happy (o´∀`o) Today I decided to take a break from men and draw something else, I came across a picture of Rineus with my Prophetess (I’m just replaying Enderal（*＾-＾*）), I just can’t hold back my tears when I get to the moment with him. How I feel sorry for such a beautiful boy (╥﹏╥) (the idea of the painting is not mine)

#enderal: the shards of order #enderal forgotten stories #enderal #forgottenstories #enderal rineus #enderal prophet #vynblr #rineus picture #my art #watercolor painting #watercolor #watercolor art #aasteraarts

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flailingart · 1 year

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This is so sad. Hey Vatyra play Despacito!

#enderal #enderal: the shards of order #enderal: forgotten stories #s; enderal #c; v.barbossa #made a (short) playlist for her with some tunes she would use to busk and play #obviously i needed to make a playlist cover #i'll give you three guesses where she's at rn 😘

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notmuchtoconceal · 5 months

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verily, verily, i say unto you -- so yeah. i don't need to do this part.

the only way the zelda downfall timeline makes sense to me is if you treat the production order as a chronology in its own right.

let me explain.

(so) the legend of zelda (the original, which is always best) takes place at the end of a later-to-be-revealed fallen timeline, yet even in the stated status quo of the original game, the kingdom of hyrule is in ruins.

ganon has seized the triforce, of which there are now only two.

zelda divides the second piece, pertaining to wisdom -- into eight pieces, which the hero link must find to prove himself worthy to ender the secret 9th dungeon, the sprawling underground skull rock which you enter through a recurrent formation in the shape of an eyeglass.

link, in the sequel, must then locate the hidden triforce of courage.

he does this --(in a mysterious northern isle actually the main body of the previously glimpsed southern aisle) through a dramatic shift where the poles of his awareness are flipped to a narrow and unnatural side-on perspective, necessitating steep grinds and a mastery over magic and the vertical axis, he renders inert an enchantment by placing six crystals in six statues to open the gate to a palace hidden on the most-distant near-proximity of the new continent ;-- where he must thenface-off against a vaguely deco-inspired monster of Native American myth before overcoming his own dark side and claiming his place as rightful inheritor and possessor of the final enchanted triune artefact.

(this is also the first (and only) time there seem to be two zeldas in existence at the same time ;-- the rescued maiden and the awakened beauty.)

so, yeah.

that's the classic NES duology and that's where it ends.

the north american title of the SNES prequel is particularly relevant, for though a significant upscale in terms of graphical fidelity and precision of control, the narrative posits itself as deliberately backwards looking ;-- this is an attempt by the now unified kingdom of hyrule to reckon with its history. in the intro cinematic to this story about a good king assassinated and usurped by a conniving enchanter, we hear of the imprisoning war, seemingly the source of all this cute lil redneck kingdom's seemingly endless woe. it tells of how the triforce was first bloodied by human hands, perverting the sacred realm and contaminating the magickal-psychic matrix of the land's consciousness.

After a detour where Link realizes that life is merrily, merrily but a dream and collects the Eight Instruments of the Sirens in what is not-at-all a deliberate mirroring of his future-forerunner's collecting of the 8 Shards of the Goddess's Wisdom, he cracks the world egg atop a mountain by playing live an extended lullaby for the Wind Fish who is more accurately a Land Whale, and slays the Nightmares who held him to slumber, incidentally liberating the only freedom-loving soul from its illusion --

After that brief detour, what seems to occur -- you being jaunty enough to continue to humor this, among my many other thought experiments -- is this hypothetical backwards looking perspective (related to Zelda's later archeological ambitions...? I haven't played either BotW, do allow your own knowledge to fill-in or contradict as necessary) which deigns to witness the Imprisoning War (I suppose they could be so direct as to ask the Triforce itself?) seems to split the timeline by observing it (Butterfly Effect, quantum fluctuations, the atomic weight of consciousness) in effect erasing the original from existence as it creates the two.

If this seems absurd, do be aware -- Ganondorf receives the Triforce of Power in Twilight Princess seconds before his death by execution at the Light Swords of the Sages. This is a deliberate deus-ex-machina which the narrators refer to as a "divine prank" and seems to rely on the player's familiarity with the events of the previous games (so much of what, in Twilight Princess's narrative seems to be nostalgia points simply reinforcing -- it's eerie familiarity. This land's status as the shadow of a former (or estrange contemporary's) glory.

That is -- the knowledge that Ocarina of Time ends with Link possessing foreknowledge, his meeting with Zelda in the post-credits will ensure that a change will occur.

The Triforce is a Divine Object belonging to the Sacred Realm and so Exists Above and Outside of Time.

If Ganondorf possesses the Power of the Gods in One Timeline, he possess them in All Timelines -- even one's where he's a loser convict on death row about to get iced by elderly nerds.

How do the two interact?

If Ganondorf does something in one timeline, does it effect what he does in all timelines? Do the two newly introduced split timelines somehow feed into one another? Perhaps Ganondorf's brief ascension in TP -- his feeding off of his symbiosis with Zant and the associated corruption of the Twilii people -- is enough to give Ganondorf in the Wind Waker timeline the strength he needs to break free of his bindings? This would, in effect, make TP as much a prequel to WW as sequel to MM!

Does this imply -- do indulge me this detour, let us see together to what fruitful avenues it may lead! -- that the more Hyrule's history is revealed, the more its awareness of itself seems to diverge and fragment into dead-ends, side-roads, alternate possibilities, predecessor upon predecessor, past upon past, coming to accrue as much as it clarifies -- bouncing like a ping-pong ball ball (by which i mean that more exquisite art -- the energy tennis match between hero and villain) as the chaos gives way to shape and the chaos to some deeper form?

Conclusions in one windswept corner in time, from bouncing back and forth from some fairy tale past about an enchanted cap and a world of little people and a blade which divides one into four ... and a land where your kingdom was drowned for good, your patriarch renouncing his entitlements, to bless you to open and terrible freedom to not repeat the mistakes of your ancestors, setting sail for a distant land you will make you own ... which you discover is spider-webbed with train-tracks which were already there. designed by a more mechanically advanced-prior civilization. train-tracks. across the entire-continent. already there.

not connected to some heartland city, no -- of course not. simply another variation on the tower of babel and wasteland motifs you've already glimpsed in that other other timeline's alternative alternate world.

i confess, on my first and only playthrough of Spirit Tracks (despite or perhaps precisely because of its inoffensive nature) i found myself so bored, i put it down halfway through and didn't pick it back up for six months, and when i did it was only because -- there would be a new game soon.

skyward sword was yet a glint on the horizon. there were no plans yet announced for a zelda on the wii which wasn't already on the cube.

i had a dream where i was in a sprawling floral-lattice work of a stream-shrouded 1920's train station and there was an inkling i needed to finish that last zelda there would be another one soon.

i needed to finish it, there would be another one soon.

i can't recall if there were skylights, yet i seem to suspect.

skyward sword, it is my regret to feel, though not openly repeat -- was so bad, i fear despite being intellectually open to another zelda, it left me feeling i had outgrown video games as a general hobby and this was a good place to stop. i feel it was giving me a dreadful warning.

all technology from this point on is simply training you to play fetch for the AI girlfriend who is submissive waifu masking claustrophobic smother-demon timesink. It was telling me get out all now. All further digital games will simply be coded nanny state propaganda.

i feel the entire series Zelda herself has been slowly transitioning from Mother-Sister to Sister-Wife and Now Link Has to Put His Dick In Her and It's Repulsive. I don't want it. I understand why infinite access to bitches and bling turned Ganondorf into an insipidly hunky blue swine beast.

I do not wish to wed the nanny state through a symbolic incestuous union with the machine. I can't imagine the level of loneliness and feelings of personal disempowerment would could ever possibly drive one to wish to own, let alone interact with an Alexa. I have no idea why anyone would consider this histrionic. I suspect most are half-aware, barely alive.

The first Demon to which I ever bore witness was the Microsoft Office Paperclip and I immediately knew it was evil; a withering force of infantilization which yearned to strip me of my savvy and I rightfully shunned it! I do not wish for my interfaces to have personalities or crack jokes! I want machines to be machines! A machine with a soul should be cathartic only for it reflects a solitary intellect's capacity to endure.

If you've ever seen The Film Simply Called Moon by David Bowieson, they did it right in that. That was a good AI companion. He was one step above Wilson from Cast Away. He was basically a totem comfort object with a short term data cash which functioned as semi-authentic short term memory. He was a simple machine, but it was real. That was honest.

Why would anyone ever love a son? It takes a saint to love a son. Autism is basically Son: The Personality cause They're All Like That. That's what it is to be a Boy, which is why it is so confusing when you are an Autistic Girl who is also Heterosexual! Being An Autistic Lesbian makes everything hilarious, oh my God. That level of natural detachment, if properly harnessed -- constant lazer vision. Carve microchips into people's faces. Rub your swampy crotches together to create fungal blooms live-erupting out of hot spring geysers scarring lily-white flesh!

A son is a little whelp you fuck emotionally until it's manly.

It's horrible. You have to actually love that to do it right. Look at yourself and see how hard it is to love you, apparently. It doesn't make any sense to me when you're repulsed by yourself. Why would you find either you or me repulsive? We're having fun maybe you should get that checked out.

#that was great #i think #i can #*i think #the legend of zelda #downfall timeline #microsoft word #clippy #demonology #begone demon of learned helplessness!#begone demon of insipid wondering!#begone bemon of lackadaisical non-concern!

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hawkellion · 2 years

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Tumblr, I have accidentally discovered the greatest AAA RPG of the past six years.

This game marries the mechanical complexity of old-school isometric CRPGs with the accesibility of modern titles, absolutely gorgeous, high production value visual design, an insanely immersive open world and a thoughtful, well-written story that successfully blends high-fantasy roleplaying with psychological horror, resulting in playthroughs lasting upwards of 100 hours.

The problem is that this seminal masterpiece, which I wouldn't hesitate to mention in the same breath (and in some aspects, maybe rate higher!) as titles like the Mass Effect series or The Witcher 3...

is a fucking free-to-play Skyrim mod.

A total conversion mod, to be specific, called Enderal: The Shards of Order, currently available on Steam under the name Enderal: Forgotten Stories, where it comes bundled with its DLC (!?!?!??).

You might think I am joking.

I am not.

You might think that I am using hyperbole above.

I am not.

It's free to download as a standalone if you own a copy of either edition of Skyrim on PC, but it's well worth even the asking price of purchasing Skyrim - even if you never intend to play it. This game is kind of to Skyrim what Fallout: New Vegas was to Fallout 3, but that's selling Enderal short. If you enjoy CRPGs and the drought of any high-value productions in recent years is getting to you, you owe it to yourself to play this. It's not flawless, of course - no game is - but any issues you might have are far outweighed by the innumerable strengths this game has. This game would be worth the price if it was available for $60. For a free title, this game is unmatched for value paid.

I downloaded this game recently, thinking it would be an OK way to pass some time. Instead, I was blown away by something that filled all crawings I had towards RPGs for years now. My recommendation could not be stronger and considering the severity of brainrot this thing has given me, I will be probably posting more about it in the future.

Please, play this game. Walk blessed, Prophet.

#enderal #dearest mutuals: my most sincere apologies about this in advance #this game is so good it has made me write about games again

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crystalartsandanimation · 2 years

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Was it worth it?

Was it worth risking everything in your life to serve him, the one who promised you power, only for him to betray you the instant you gave him what he wanted?

Was it worth betraying the ones who offered to reconcile and become friends with you for the power you never received?

These thoughts buzzed angrily in Purple's mind like aggressive honeybees defending their hive from predators.

He still couldn't believe it. He was still in shock. He did everything as King Orange said in hopes of gaining the power he desired, even more than the power he lost due to the Ender Dragon egg incident.

He thought back to the time where he and King Orange went to the back of the throne room to discuss what he accomplished.

----

"I was able to convince the stick figures into following me to the Parkour Course Dimension. After each course, I instructed them to go one at a time for the final one. The parkour course directed each stick figure in different pathways, all ending with a platform where a piglin brute is stationed to give them their trophy for winning the competition. At this point, they should be at the intended locations, the piglin brutes ensuring that they don't make any attempts to escape."

"Everything is going according to plan," King commented. "I'm impressed, Purple. You've done a very fine job so far." He patted him on the head.

----

"Here's what I want you to do now. You are going to fly over to the stick figures' PC. See that Minecraft Master Block icon on the hot bar?"

"Mm-hmm."

"That icon is very powerful. Take a look at what that red stick figure did with it." He played the scene where Red attacked the group with the icon, then skipped to the scene where he used it to create a mega stick made out of cobblestone.

"Whoa... wow..."

"You will take the block, and when you return, we will place it on my staff, which will harness all the energy it has. Then, as promised, in return for your service, I will share with you the power you could ever want. We will rule together."

"We will rule together." Purple repeated quietly, enunciating each word of the last part of the sentence carefully, as if to process what will happen after he completed his service to King. A short pause, then his lips moved into a wide smile. He applauded happily, then loudly and confidently repeated the sentence one more time: "We will rule together!"

----

Power... we will rule together...

Before, these words sounded beautiful, like sweet bells ringing on a clear, crisp, meadowy morning. To say them felt so easy and free-flowing. It tasted sweet like honey. Now, saying these words just feels like a curse. You're choked up, there's a hard lump in the throat, they leave a bad taste in the mouth. It also feels like swallowing broken shards of glass; as they move down the body, they leave nothing but pain, scars, and blood behind.

Purple buried his face in his hands. One chance. One chance. Just one chance. He had this one chance, this one opportunity to gain any form of power ever since he was stripped of his kingship. And it all went down the drain.

Compared to the distraught feeling he felt when he lost his sovereignty, this feeling felt even worse. And it's not just because he didn't get what he was promised.

----

"Don't you 'hi, Green' me! You tricked us! Again! And for what? To steal our home PC's Minecraft Master Block icon for your own selfish desires? We thought we were friends now! How could you betray us like this?!"

"We trusted you!"

"Damn you, Purple! Damn you to hell!"

"Where do you think you're going? Don't think we're done with you!"

"Purple, you backstabbing traitor!"

----

The ultimate sacrifice Purple had to make when serving King Orange in order to get what he wanted was to betray the Stick Gang.

Again.

At first, Purple was hesitant. After the encounter in League of Legends, he grew fond of the group. He was intrigued from what he learned about them - where they came from, what their interests were, what their personalities were like, how stable their friendship was. He was grateful for their kindness, to decide to put their differences aside and make peace. He earned their trust and friendship.

Despite all that, though, he was still upset that he didn't have any more power. He missed it. He wished he still ruled over his kingdom. He wished there was a way he could obtain some type of authority. That was the deciding factor in whether he wanted to be loyal to either King Orange or the Stick Gang, and he chose to be loyal to the former because of that factor.

Now they hate him again.

Of course they do. What did I expect? I betrayed them again. My desire for power trumped over the earned trust and friendship of who used to be my friends.

Now look at him. He's currently in a cave staying dry from the rain and hiding from Green, who chased him through the Nether portal he escaped from, still angry about his betrayal. It's cold, dark, and damp, mainly because there was a water source nearby. At least he would be safe there for the time being, but he did need to be careful. Monsters could spawn in at any time.

Oh, what difference does it make, though? I have no power, I lost my friends...

Purple's heart sunk even lower when he had this next thought.

And this is what it feels like to be betrayed, isn't it?

The cold and dark zap that surrounded Purple for an agonizing few seconds after King struck him in response to him attempting to grasp his staff containing the Minecraft Master Block and thinking he would finally obtain the power he longed for - he shuddered. He could still feel it electrifying his whole body.

The cold, indifferent stare King gave him while he called him for help when Green and Yellow caught him by his elytra with their fishing rods before jumping off to continue fighting Orange, who had another Minecraft Master Block - it was a fatal stab to the chest.

It was like the time he abandoned Green and Blue, who were calling him for help and holding on to each other as the time in having the potion's levitation effects given to the former slowly ran out, to their deaths, so he could collect the Ender Dragon egg. Only this time, he was Green and Blue in this situation, and King was him.

The rain continued to pour heavily from the dark gray clouds. Lightning flashed, followed by rolls of thunder. It's daytime now, but night will fall soon.

Purple breathed once. Twice. Thrice. Then curled up into a ball and softly began to cry.

I'm sorry, guys. Orange... Green... Yellow... Blue... Red... I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm really sorry, everyone. I've really messed up this time. I don't want to obtain power anymore. I just want to be friends again.

Unfortunately, at the same time, he knows it's easier said than done. The trust and friendship the Stick Gang gave him, and he thanked them with his desire for power and another betrayal. He somewhat hoped Green would soon find him and beat him up. He deserved it. Besides, whether or not everything blows over, would things ever be the same again between him and the stick figures?

No. No, it wouldn't.

Thus begs the questions again:

Was it worth it?

Was it worth risking everything in your life to serve him, the one who promised you power, only for him to betray you the instant you gave him what he wanted?

Was it worth betraying the ones who offered to reconcile and become friends with you for the power you never received?

The short answer?

No. No, it wasn't.

If Purple was wearing a crown right now, it would be the Crown of Betrayal.

Phew!

Thought I tried something different this time.

The other night, while I was trying to fall asleep, this writing activity popped up in my head. Since I wasn't able to bring myself to sleep, and the things that would be a great idea to write down were fresh in my mind, I decided to get started on it.

Yeah, I know, very smart of me to do that. Adding salt to the wound, I was taking my final the upcoming morning. At 7:30. But don't worry, I went to sleep after taking it, and thankfully, I passed! Thank you to those who sent me best wishes - I'm treating each test as if it was very important, but that's another story for next time.

(I should probably go to sleep right now - it's almost 6:00 A.M. here. [My sleep schedule's messed up, alright? Shut up.])

And of course, the cave setting with the thunderstorm is only an idea. I thought it would be an appropriate setting for this type of angst.

Anyway, this was my first writing piece, so I hope you enjoyed!

#alan becker #animation vs minecraft #avm purple

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faelune-home · 2 years

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FFXIV Write 2022: #30 Sojourn

(a/n: In a way, this feels like a nice book ender to my first prompt this month. Leaving home for adventure, and settling into what would hopefully become her new home. But that’s where the Sojourn prompt comes on, because in the end, it doesn’t become her new home from then on, because she eventually comes to find a new home and a second family in the Scions. ^^

But it’s the thought that counts, having planned and prepared for this day and this life for a long while and finally taking the steps towards it.

Thank you for reading this month. I’ll have a lot of organisational work to do now for all my writings. It’ll be daunting, but I finally feel a bit more set on Fhara’s path, much like she does here ^^

Word count: 490)

The inn room at the Carline Canopy was much nicer than expected. Not that Fhara was expecting a shabby room still covered in dust or chipped floors, but a full on water feature with flowers built into the wall was already more than surpassing her expectations even before getting to the basics of the actual room.

But it was tidy, with a soft bed and sturdy furnishings - a writing desk, a wardrobe, a carpet that was only just showing signs of wear on the edges. There was a small washroom connected to the room, with clean water coming from the taps and an option for hot water from the showers.

(That certainly impressed Fhara, since back home having hot water for bathing was dependent on either putting in the effort to heat each bucket over a flame, or having any spare fire shards or crystals, and most of those were already spent deep into the winter or saved for cooking. They didn’t always have the money to spare to order more from Thanalan even with her mother’s reputation and work quality…)

Fhara dropped her bags onto the floor and flopped onto the bed, ear flicking as she listened to the flowing fountain water, the birds twittering outside, the thrum of people buzzing about and going through their day. She was in Gridania. She was a long way from home.

And this was hers. Her own room. As a gift from the adventurer’s guild of course. Loaned for free for the first week or so, then she’d have to pay her way, according to Mother Miounne. Meant to encourage the newbies to get to work around the city or nearby settlements rather than just whittle away the free hours.

But it was hers! She would work hard to earn her spot, and make it a home away from home, at least until she turned her sights to further pastures and would need to consider travelling away from the city. After all her hoping and dreaming and a long time of waiting, she was finally taking the first step toward adventure and freedom.

She closed her eyes and thought back to all the times she’d talked about doing this with her parents, the way her mother had fretted and worried, but ultimately tried to be hopeful for her daughter’s future. And the way her father had been so encouraging, already helping her plan through the steps of where to go and what to do and making sure she was packed–

She shook her head of the memories when her chest began to grow heavy, sitting up from the bed and casting a glance around the room again. A nice room with the essentials.

It was hers. The first step on her new life as an adventurer. It would begin tomorrow when she signed up for the Archer’s Guild.

Or more like…it began today, with her very own room at an adventurer’s guild.

#ffxivwrite #ffxivwrite2022 #my writing #fhara laali #my wol #keeper of the moon miqo'te

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