Endwalker, Hands Down. The Manderville Weapons Were The Only Set Of Relics I Actually Bothered To Complete

Endwalker, hands down. The Manderville Weapons were the only set of relics I actually bothered to complete for all jobs while they were still relevant.

It's really refreshing to make better use of the time to do a variety of contents in game rather than mindlessly grinding for just one thing... for hours or even days. I absolutely despise grinding, because I want to maximize my limited playtime rather than wasting all that on something so... mind-numbing and it didn't worth all that effort at the end of the day.

Aside from the straightforward system and efficient upgrade steps, I also enjoyed the side story attached to the weapon quest―that's what I call a real summer break from saving-the-universe shenanigans. Just goofing around on misadventures with the gentleman inspector and getting into all sorts of wacky chaos... actually did make the usually stoic Yiuno crack a grin from time to time.

You can't deny that Hildy's mom is hot. Both literally and figuratively. Also Godbert is best man. Playing as him in one of the instanced battles was so fun!

Cyberpunk aesthetics is my kind of shit. The DRK weapon is pretty cool because it's actually an oversized whip, ha.

Eureka and Bozja were a mixed bag for me:

Eureka Weapon designs, at least up to Pyros, are dope.

Some of the NM mechanics are interesting, I guess... when you consider the trend of fight designs in Stormblood. Ozma is still one of the coolest mounts in the game.

Fuck the maps. Especially Pagos. Fuck those sleeping dragons.

Resistance Weapon designs initially started out really good... but ended up being absolute trash (save for RDM).

The dungeon fights were fun and challenging when they were still fresh and uncapped stats... But now that it's optimized to death it's just another brainless grind all over again.

Anima is only easy when you can solo and cheese most of the steps now, or unsync and complete the grind quickly within an hour or two. I can imagine it being a chore when the relic was still relevant in Heavensward.

Zodiac? It's forever the worst, both in terms of the grind (fuck the books) and the amount of gil you need to get through certain steps. (Easier for me to just farm UWU and get all those weapons with better glow, lol.)

I forced myself to finish the Yokai Watch event when they rerun it a second time with inclusion of GNB and DNC weapons, back in Shadowbringers. While I don't understand why the devs brought it back again in Endwalker and there weren't any new weapons for RPR and SGE, at least I didn't have to go through all that hell again; just talk to the NPC to collect some adventure plate thing I'd probably never use at all. I cannot comprehend people who enjoy this kind of torture, but hey, I respect that this is fun for you, just not my kind of fun.

about me — people i’d like to know better.

LAST SONG. Online - TWRP Feat. Tom Cardy & Montaigne. I’ve been a fan of TWRP for a number of years now, as well as loving Tom Cardy’s chaotic energy from when I used to watch his Tiktoks (I’ve since deleted the app as it was a huge time-waster for me), so when I heard that they had collabed for a song I knew it’d be a banger. I’ve had it on repeat since it was released.

FAVORITE COLOR. I really love dark greens, burgundy and warm, autumnal yellows. My bestie also gifted me an Oracle deck for my birthday and I adore the similar colours/ wintry forest palette that it has. I think it’s been a big inspiration, even if the cards keep calling me out!

CURRENTLY READING. I’ve been slowly plodding my way through The Way of Kings  by Brandon Sanderson; I’m enjoying it but just have not had the spoons/ attention span to dedicate to reading. I tend to gravitate towards audiobooks nowadays, which I listen to when I’m driving.

The most recent books I’ve finished have been audiobooks during my commutes- I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jeanette McCurdy, and Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism by Amanda Montell.

CURRENTLY WATCHING. I’m watching more YouTube at the moment than serialized shows. One of my favourite YouTube channels, Lore Dump, has started a series on the Yakuza games and I’m really enjoying the chaotic energy that Chase brings to the host seat. 

The idea behind the channel is that one of the three hosts does a full plot recap of a game franchise that the other two have not played or aren’t familiar with. They’re long form videos that you can treat like podcasts or put on in the background (I use them for my commute to/ from work), and they’ve covered series like Bioshock, Metal Gear, Red Dead Redemption and Batman. They also did a 12 video series on Kingdom Hearts that is just under 30 hours long, which I highly recommend if you’re into long haul deep dives!

I love it because the hosts clearly love the series they’re talking about dearly, and hearing the others gradually getting swept up in the excitement of the narratives is really entertaining.

SWEET, SAVORY, OR SPICY? I’m a sucker for savoury foods, but I do get the occasional craving for sweet foods. Sadly I can’t tolerate spicy foods like I used to :<

RELATIONSHIP STATUS. Happily married for the past eight (nearly nine) years! My partner and I married young, and it’s hard to believe it’s been so long already. I adore him so much and it’s been a joy to grow alongside him.

LAST THING YOU GOOGLED. “Do they make scuba suits for dogs”.  This was for our modern day TTRPG game, using the ‘Everyday Heroes’ module for D&D 5e. 

The game is set in Australia in the 2070s after a catastrophic rise in sea levels, and because we’re playing in our home state, we’ve been able to use google maps and a lot of real-world resources in the game which has been super fun. We’ve even made an interactive map to keep track of important locations.

In our last session, we found information that points to us needing to go to locations under the new sealine and joked about taking our rangers’ sniffer dog along on the dive.

The answer we got is yes, there absolutely are diving suits for dogs.

CURRENT OBSESSION. I’ve been getting back into playing mobile games in my downtime! A few long-time favourites of mine are below- bear in mind that I’m on Android so these may not be available on iOS if you want to check them out.

The main one I’ve been playing is called Luna Story; it’s the first in a series of 3 apps that are nonogram-based games. Using a grid and a sequence of numbers, you fill in the grid to create pictures. I’ve had Luna Story installed on my phone for years and have been sporadically playing it, but I’ve recently dived into it again and am playing it before bed, on my lunch break and even when I wake up some mornings. The grid sizes range from beginner (5x5) to advanced (20 x 20) and uses super cute pixel art.

The other is called My Oasis, which is an idle clicker game where you progressively grow an island with animals. It’s got lots of positive little messages in it, like the abilities to buff your clicking being called virtues- like ‘compassion’, ‘selflessness’, etc. The animals I’ve chosen for my island are all favourites of the people I love- a fox for my little sister, a red panda for my husband, giraffe for my mum- even a racoon for myself. The animals can speak via bubbles with encouraging messages, and sing to you- you can sing back to them with a little keyboard at the bottom of the screen. Super cute, if a little clunky at times.

Tagged By: Thank you @why-raven for the tag! ♥

Tagging: @zenmai--jikake--no--komoriuta, @gatheredfates, @riftdancing, @ishgard, @this-is-ris, @thefreelanceangel and anyone else who wants to do this! ♥

SORA AMARIYO The Hopeless Romantic・The Quest Giver・The Final Boss

smash or pass? — yiuno.

— quick facts.

HEIGHT. 6' 1" / 186.5 cm

AGE. Unknown (immortal, appears 20+)

GENDER. Male / "Female" (as Yiune)

SEXUALITY. Demiromantic Asexual

— the pros.

ASTUTE. Yiuno is highly intelligent and perceptive; coupled with his resourcefulness, he is an asset you'd definitely want as a partner, whether it's on the battlefield... or even for the long trip ahead across the realm. A protector who's got your back, always. ENIGMATIC. Yiuno is a (wo)man of mystery; his broad knowledge of the world, particularly in ancient history and arcane arts, is extremely valuable. His secretive nature will also keep you on your toes... and yearning for more. There's never a dull day for as long as you're with him. REFINED. While Yiuno is a practical person at heart, he also understands the importance to be presentable for various situations. Perhaps it's due to his educational background, or his rich life experience—regardless of reasons, Yiuno certainly makes a great first impression, and continues to uphold that in the long run.

— the cons.

CHAOTIC NEUTRAL. Yiuno operates only by his personal code, his own rules—he doesn't bend his will to others. He can save lives as much as he takes them away; he has no qualms to lie or hurt people. A morally gray person through and through, he simply does whatever it takes to complete his own objectives, to fulfill his personal agendas. It's either his way, or no way. MANIPULATIVE. While Yiuno's secretive nature would excite those who seek the thrill of suspense and mystery trying to crack into his inner world, he's not going to let you in so easily. Sending you on a wild goose chase is what he does best (and enjoys most), and you're in for hell of a ride trying to navigate through his multi-layered masks and labyrinthine mind. SOLITARY. Yiuno often comes and goes like the wind—any attempt to seek a co-dependent relationship with him will only earn you a cold shoulder at best. He doesn't reject human interactions per se: he recognizes the necessity to blend into the society for a life of normalcy. A loner at heart, he needs lots of space for himself and his personal pursuits. He has little to no interest to indulge in the whims of others, unless it aligns with his own goals.

— more info.

WIT. While Yiuno doesn't demand his potential partner to possess the same level of intelligence as him, it'd certainly be easier to build rapport and gain his favor if you're able to communicate with him on equal footing. Otherwise, don't be dismayed at his superficial reactions, a facade maintained out of politeness. Or he'd simply ignore you and walk away once his attention span for you has dried up. SLOW BURN. Yiuno is no stranger to one-night stands or sexual interactions; however, these are often associated with the darker side of his job, hence he's not particularly keen to go there if you're looking to develop a more genuine connection with him. Coupled with his mysterious and callous nature, gaining his trust will be an uphill battle. If you don't have the patience to peel off his tough defenses one layer at a time, then you don't deserve to know him, to be with him, period. BEST OF BOTH WORLDS? Yiuno becomes a shifter due to an incident that involves the aetherial sea (it's a long story); he eventually comes to terms with his duality. Prior to this, "Yiune" was merely a feminine disguise that he used for jobs dealing with the underworld of Eorzea. Once seen as separate identities, now he accepts both egos as two halves that make him whole. Gender and sexuality be damned—man, woman or other, Yiuno frankly doesn't care. Satisfying the sensual needs of both ends of the spectrum isn't a problem for him, but the inverse is a different story altogether.

FFXIV Dawntrail CG Promotional art

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