Tenebris; Answered - Tumblr Posts
literature aesthetics — yiuno.
Bold what applies to your character!
— Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
cobblestone streets / lamps shining out of the fog / the warmth of a fireplace / unopened bottle of wine / the tension between what things seem to be and what they truly are / the heady thrill of freedom / the panic of losing control / blood on the pavement / guilty vices / top hats and walking sticks / self-destruction / old documents tucked away in safes
— Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus.
rain hitting a windowpane / candles burning low / mountain ranges of white, snowy tops / frenzied obsession / a cemetery at dusk / slaughterhouses / all-consuming thirst for revenge / compassion turned to bitterness and hatred / a sense of duty weighing on your shoulders / inescapable guilt / the frozen wastes of the arctic circle / the feeling of someone breathing down your neck / lighting sparking through the sky
— The Picture of Dorian Gray.
erotic longing / paint on a palette / golden curls and rosy cheeks / the desperation to cling to youth / bees lazily drifting through the grass / hedonism / the blackness of a soul / a dusty attic / hiding secrets / blood pooling on the floorboards / gut-wrenching jealousy / a dimly-lit stage / temptation into corruption
— The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner.
cliffs rising up into the clouds / someone ambiguously supernatural always lurking / Edinburgh’s winding streets / religious zealotry / careful manipulation / family rivalry / a bible written in an indistinguishable language / a face that's always changing and shifting / Scottish lairds / something demonic masquerading as something pure
— Dracula.
letters and diaries / suitors courting a lady / castles nestled deep within forests and mountains / terror of the unknown / the howling of wolves / aristocrats from olden times / a consuming hunger / the dead rising / horses’ hooves thundering along a path / blood staining the snow / crucifixes warding off evil
— Wuthering Heights.
fog over the moors / embracing one who is already dead / a cycle of abuse / vicious, snarling dogs / a house left to ruin / a thorn among the roses / toxic love / ghosts / the howling wind / flowers that have died and begun to rot / wasting away / a voice you can’t identify
literature aesthetics — sora.
Bold what applies to your character!
— Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
cobblestone streets / lamps shining out of the fog / the warmth of a fireplace / unopened bottle of wine / the tension between what things seem to be and what they truly are / the heady thrill of freedom / the panic of losing control / blood on the pavement / guilty vices / top hats and walking sticks / self-destruction / old documents tucked away in safes
— Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus.
rain hitting a windowpane / candles burning low / mountain ranges of white, snowy tops / frenzied obsession / a cemetery at dusk / slaughterhouses / all-consuming thirst for revenge / compassion turned to bitterness and hatred / a sense of duty weighing on your shoulders / inescapable guilt / the frozen wastes of the arctic circle / the feeling of someone breathing down your neck / lighting sparking through the sky
— The Picture of Dorian Gray.
erotic longing / paint on a palette / golden curls and rosy cheeks / the desperation to cling to youth / bees lazily drifting through the grass / hedonism / the blackness of a soul / a dusty attic / hiding secrets / blood pooling on the floorboards / gut-wrenching jealousy / a dimly-lit stage / temptation into corruption
— The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner.
cliffs rising up into the clouds / someone ambiguously supernatural always lurking / Edinburgh’s winding streets / religious zealotry / careful manipulation / family rivalry / a bible written in an indistinguishable language / a face that's always changing and shifting / Scottish lairds / something demonic masquerading as something pure
— Dracula.
letters and diaries / suitors courting a lady / castles nestled deep within forests and mountains / terror of the unknown / the howling of wolves / aristocrats from olden times / a consuming hunger / the dead rising / horses’ hooves thundering along a path / blood staining the snow / crucifixes warding off evil
— Wuthering Heights.
fog over the moors / embracing one who is already dead / a cycle of abuse / vicious, snarling dogs / a house left to ruin / a thorn among the roses / toxic love / ghosts / the howling wind / flowers that have died and begun to rot / wasting away / a voice you can’t identify
quiz: character arc — yiuno.
Redemption Arc.
Your story had a pretty rough start and you did some things you’re not proud of, but you made the choice to change. I won’t go through how important it is to accept responsibility and keep striving to improve or whatever, because you know that already. What I think you should know is that your fuel does not need to be shame. You don’t need to stand over the bathroom sink with your blood in your hands until you can no longer make out your reflection. You will look at your face and you will see the person you used to be, but that person no longer exists. Today, you are looking, and that makes all the difference.
link to quiz.
Yiuno isn’t proud of his own past that is filled with unspeakable horrors. While most races have long desired the gifts of eternal youth and immortality, to this broken Viera they are nothing more than a curse—with the price to pay being his sanity, and hope for the future. Losing his twin sister, Yiuna, at the end of the Seventh Umbral Calamity was the final straw… if it wasn’t for Sora on the verge of her death, and he had only one way out of a mess he never asked for.
He managed to save the Xaela girl, countless times. In one such instance, he finally understood what death felt like and truly meant. Rather than wallowing in endless despair, he decided to take charge and responsibility over Sora. As they traveled across the realm together, their relationship began to entwine so intricately that Yiuno has come to realize that Sora is the soulmate he needs to ignite his hope in life.
When he looks at his own reflection in the mirror once more, he’s no longer the broken man he used to be. He can never be whole again; he can’t erase his past no matter how he tries to keep them buried deep within him, but at least he can say this with his head high:
“There is more to life than time itself. It is the time spent interacting with the world around us that makes us feel truly alive.”
Thank you for tagging me, @archaiclumina and @starforger!
quiz: ancient greek deity — yiuno.
Athena — Goddess of Wisdom.
In one word—sharp! You take pride in your skills, wit, and ability to work well with others. (And if you don’t, you should!) Things don't tend to get past you—you’re happy to forgive, but never to forget. You’re responsible and worthy of trust, and those who earn yours are lucky indeed. Remember: not every situation can be evaluated and through through with your head alone. Sometimes, the only way to know what’s right is to follow your heart.
link to quiz.
Yiuno’s patron deity is Halone, the Fury.
In Eorzean mythology, Halone is the mover of glaciers and the goddess of war, who commands the element of ice and is associated with the First Astral Moon. According to legends, Halone has a bitter relationship with Nophica, the Matron, due to her ambitions turning into bloodlust as she traveled across the realm with Oschon, the Wanderer. In the Myths of the Realm quest story, Halone’s depicted form is very much influenced by the fervent prayers exhibited by Ishgardians, resulting in her imposing stature and stoic personality.
In Greek mythology, although Ares is commonly known as the god of war, Athena’s military prowess and strong moral compass are associated with the intellectual and civilized side of war; as for Ares, he represents the brutality and lust for blood in wars (Homer’s Iliad). In many verses, Athena has lent her aid to numerous epic heroes, such as Hercules, Perseus, and later Odysseus. However, she can be fairly cruel to those who have incurred her wrath: in Odyssey, Athena punished Odysseus’s rival, Ajax the Great, by driving him insane and compelling him to massacre the Achaeans’ cattle while he thought that he was killing the Achaeans themselves. Even after Odysseus had expressed pity for Ajax, Athena had no remorse for what she did, eventually pushing Ajax to commit suicide out of humiliation.
Halone shares many similarities with Athena: of their appearance, they are both often represented with a spear and shield. (Interestingly, in the Euphrosyne alliance raid, the raid-wide damage during the interlude in Halone’s battle is called “Aegis of Halone” in Japanese, which is a reference to the name of Athena’s magic shield, Aegis.) Halone and Athena are both stern and dignified warriors whom many believes to be a symbol of victory in war. They both have an entire city (Athens for Athena, and Ishgard for Halone) devoted to worship them.
However, they also have numerous differences: Athena does not share a bloodlust for war like Halone, and she has little to no emotional connections with any of the Olympian gods. While Halone’s bloodthirsty nature is perhaps a myth created by Eorzean mortals to explain the relationships between the Twelves, Halone has shown care and concern towards Menphina, the Lover, who is regarded as a little sister to most of the Twelve gods.
Yiuno, too, shares many common traits with Halone and Athena. His actions and decisions are often driven by cold logic, very much like Athena’s cruel rationality. (He might have borderline bloodlust at one point, but that’s venturing into Yiuno’s dark and secretive past.) He can be brutally sarcastic (Athena), though he isn’t completely remorseless and still retains some capability to feel emotions (Halone). Like Athena, it will take quite a while to have Yiuno’s trust, but when you do gain his favor, he will become one of the strongest and most dependable allies you can ever hope for.
Oh, you might even earn a reliable big brother (or sister?) you never thought you’d need… just like Halone to Menphina.
(Re-posting old quizzes to this main blog for archiving purposes.)
quiz: villain type — yiuno.
Then Let Me Be Evil.
You never wanted to hurt anyone, but the world never gave you a choice. You did the best you could with what you had, but every innocent mistake you made was held against you when it counted, every crossroads led you down the wrong path no matter which way you went. No matter what you did, the odds were stacked against you. It wasn’t fair, and you are sick and tired of being told what a monster you are for things out of your control. Well, fine. They want a monster? You’ll give them a monster!
link to quiz.
As edgy as the last line sounds, this is certainly a reflection of Yiuno’s backstory. While he can’t say the same for Yiuna, his temperamental twin sister, Yiuno did get the short end of the stick ever since he was born into the world. (Or, reborn into the world if we talk about his Ancient ego, Chronos, the former Elidibus before he promoted Themis to take over.) Born a male in a matriarchal clan, where he had to hide his true gender to survive. Endowed with the gift of immortality that many would kill for, but unable to die and forced to live a life of endless suffering. Instead of reducing the weight of the curse by doing good deeds, that backfired and his sins grew with the body count piling up at an alarming rate under his blood-covered hands.
By the time the twins were hired by exiled Sharlayan scholar, I’suca Amariyo, for her expedition to the Nhalmasque ruins, Yiuno already had a fairly depressing track record. He’s almost like a personification of Death itself, for destruction follows him wherever he goes.
Not this time.
His bleak tale took a drastic turn when they discovered Sora in deep slumber beneath the shifting sands of a fallen civilization. Yiuno would never imagine the innocent, bubbly (and rather mischievous) Xaela was what he needed to escape the cycle of despair, and the frozen time for both him and this wannabe adventurer would finally move forward once more.
With the stasis that had trapped him for millennia finally broken, this unexpected freedom then challenges Yiuno’s very existence.
“Who am I—what am I? For whom do I fight? For what purpose must I live on?”
So many questions, but he may never know to answer to any. Or maybe the answers don’t matter. He doesn’t have to be a hero; he’s never been one, so he will follow his heart and embrace necessary evil.
Nothing really matters anymore, except staring into the horizon with his loved ones. Even if he must step on more dead bodies to make peace with himself.
(Re-posting old quizzes to this main blog for archiving purposes.)
book genres — yiuno.
bold indicates favorites
italic for light enjoyment
art | biography | business | chick lit | children’s | classics | comics | contemporary | cookbooks | crime | fantasy | fiction | gay and lesbian | graphic novels | historical fiction | history | horror | humor and comedy | memoir | music | mystery | nonfiction | paranormal | philosophy | poetry | psychology | religion | romance | science | science fiction | self help | suspense | spirituality | sports | thriller | travel | young adult | warfare
book genres — sora.
bold indicates favorites
italic for light enjoyment
art | biography | business | chick lit | children’s | classics | comics | contemporary | cookbooks | crime | fantasy | fiction | gay and lesbian | graphic novels | historical fiction | history | horror | humor and comedy | memoir | music | mystery | nonfiction | paranormal | philosophy | poetry | psychology | religion | romance | science | science fiction | self help | suspense | spirituality | sports | thriller | travel | young adult | warfare
14 associations — yiuno.
ELEMENT. Ice and Fire. In Thaumaturgy, balancing duality—of life and death—forms the basic foundation in this school of magic. While the two elements are of opposing nature, in the hands of an accomplished spell-caster, they can be turned into terrifying forces of destruction. Being the last direct disciple of the great Mhachi sorceress Shatotto, Yiuno is not a mage to be trifled with. Though he often hides his potent magical talent and sticks to his trusty blades to get his work done, those who are highly sensitive to aether may suffer sickness just by being around him for too long.
ASTROLOGICAL SIGN. The Spear. In Astromancy, this constellation is the sixth gate of the Lesser Heavens, often associated with the element of Ice. This is the reverse of the Elemental Wheel, where Ice is the first order in the cycle of Creation. It is said that “the Fury (Halone) resides in a palace of ice carved by Her own spear—ice formed of moonbeams collected by the Lover, Menphina.” As the final gate to open before the seventh, whereby attuning to the latter is equivalent to a dying wish, it is the last stand where one will be filled with the power to overcome their enemies, and gain the compassion necessary to show mercy to their foes.
GEMSTONE. Alexandrite is an interesting gemstone known for its color-changing properties under different types of polarized light, which reflects the many faces that Yiuno wears under different circumstances. To the public’s eye, an average adventurer and humble alchemist wandering from place to place. To those more acquainted with the arcane arts, a treasure hunter of ancient and dangerous artifacts. In the underworld, a ruthless assassin who pretends to be a beautiful ‘courtesan’ and seduces his targets into Death’s embrace.
NUMBER. Three. Yiuno has a twin sister, Yiuna; his alter ego, Yiune, is a feminine disguise he employs for his assassination jobs (long story short, it later becomes an actual form he can shapeshift into). However, back in the Amaurotine era, these three were originally a family of triplets.
COLOR. Monochrome—specifically black and white—is both a fitting and an ironic theme to Yiuno. On one hand, he embodies duality given his two-faced nature, and also the contrast between his public image and secret identity. On the other hand, he mainly thrives in the gray area—a Chaotic Neutral at heart.
FLORA. Antirrhinum, more commonly known as Snapdragon or Dragon Flower, is one of those flowers with double meanings. On one hand, it symbolizes grace, strength and protection, which are some of the positive traits that Yiuno possesses. On the other hand, it also represents indifference and deception, bringing out the darker, negative side of Yiuno.
FAUNA. Strix. According to in-game description: “A guardian bound to the Rare Tomes Room on the highest floor of the Great Gubal Library. Similar to skatenes, Strix is an owl which has been enchanted with heightened intelligence. Strix’s comparatively vast intellect, however, grants the creature command over spells of formidable potency.”
SEASON. Autumn and Winter. Autumn, of falling leaves and a fiery but sorrowful palette, a season where time starts to slow down as daytime becomes shorter. Winter, of falling snow that paints the landscape white, a season where time comes to a standstill and dangers lurk in the shadows of the long, long night.
TIME OF THE DAY. Dawn and Dusk. Less about the exact time of the day, but more about the changes in time that happen at that very moment—representing the shift Yiuno would experience in his life. Be it his gender identities, or the blurred lines between a blessing and curse to his immortality… It’s like the two sides of the same coin: the difference is all but a matter of perspectives. The real test is how he acts upon those perspectives.
PLACE. Though there are a few locations that may appear to be synonymous with how others would perceive Yiuno, such as libraries and graveyards, I’d say the most accurate association would be the labyrinth. Filled with many twists and turns at every corner, much like Yiuno’s long and complicated life—or, his dark and troubled mind.
SMELL. It’s really hard to pin down a specific aroma for Yiuno, partly because masking his true scent is something he pays attention to as a master of disguise. To some, he’d give off the fragrance of a finely aged red wine, brimming with wisdom and dry humor; to others, he’d probably smell like walking death, counting down to their impeding doom under his bloodied blades.
FOOD. Royal Eggs. However, given his wandering lifestyle and the need to stay undercover most of the time, he doesn’t have the luxury to eat this all the time. He has since come to view this as a self-reward on rare occasions he gets the chance to enjoy a royal meal in a quiet inn room.
BEVERAGE. Espresso con Panna, with double shot. Yiuno is a huge caffeine addict, and this is the only in-universe drink that can sate his obsession with coffee.
SONG. “Nageki no Oto” (EN. Song of Lamentation), by KOKIA. A song about war and loss, which is very fitting given Yiuno’s darkly colorful past.
quiz: character arc — sora.
Disillusionment Arc.
It’s hard to imagine yourself when you were young. Maybe you were meant to be a hero; maybe you could have been, in another world, but this world only made you sad. There seemed to be too many problems to fix—too much cruelty, and too many hard lines that you did not know how to soften. The world turns; it is bloody and hard, and you sit on your bed, thinking about the blood and the hardness… and everything you failed to do. I know it feels like you could sleep until the end of time, but I hope you don’t. I hope you lift yourself out of bed one day, not to save the world, but to peel an orange and to walk in a forest—to find all the softness you could not create.
link to quiz.
Identity crisis is one of the main focal points to Sora’s character development. It’s even harder when she needs to juggle between various titles and labels: from a baby adventurer-turned-Warrior of Darkness, to finding where her true loyalty—and sexuality—lie.
There were times that Sora just wanted to scream and leave. Why should she bother to save this world—repeatedly, even—only to be forgotten in the wind while the Warrior(s) of Light take all the credits? Why should she work so hard to keep the corruption at bay, while she has to prevent herself from being tainted inside out?
There were times that Sora just wanted to go to bed in silent tears, and never wake up to face the same horrors again.
Perhaps it’s fortunate—or unfortunate, depending on one’s perspective—that Sora has a veteran and mentor, Yiuno, to guide her along the way. Maybe that’s an understatement, when her relationship with the enigmatic Viera is clearly more than meets the eye…
(Re-posting old quizzes to this main blog for archiving purposes.)
quiz: tragic play character — yiuno.
Misunderstood Villain.
Prepare for an onslaught of both the most dehumanizing and hateful takes, and flood of thirst comments. You’re chronically misunderstood; whether or not you’re actually evil is debatable. You may be acting out for revenge, to defend someone you love, or even just to protect yourself—you’re a pretty jaded person. You don’t trust or even really like most people—perhaps you did, at one point, but that part of you is gone, and you don’t go a single day without grieving it. You think a lot about what your life could have been. You’re stuck in the past—you’re angry and maybe you don’t even want to be, but this is the only way you can see to survive. You’re open, but less in a trusting way and more like a wound. You don’t like to let people see you, but the hurt spills out of you before you can stop it. You’re impulsive, even as you try hard to plan and prepare. Maybe someday your side of the story will finally be heard. Until then, you can convince yourself that being hated is safer anyway.
link to quiz.
Oh, wow. What an eerily accurate result.
Yiuno embodies many aspects of an anti-hero: be it common tropes (ex. Dark and Troubled Past), or tip the scales further into extremity (ex. Psycho for Hire and Femme Fatale), it’s really fun working on his characterization… as much as I struggle to comprehend his complex, multilayered nature.
I dunno if people see him as a misunderstood villain—guaranteed, this guy literally kills for a living, and he was a war criminal at one point (as a major participant during the Magi War in the Fifth Astral Era). His unique physical condition has twisted his perception of time, like he’s stuck in a psychological limbo akin to a living hell, for eternity. While the idea of eternal life has been explored many times in the game (both the MSQ and mostly the ARR side-quests), to an immortal like Yiuno, only death can bring him true peace.
Oh wait, sounds like Emet-Selch much? Not really—for one, Yiuno does not crave for the past (in fact, he wished he could erase it and start over again), and he doesn’t believe in utopia. While Emet tried to justify his genocidal acts as a “necessary ritual” to reclaim his lost paradise, Yiuno doesn’t even bother to sugar coat the war crimes he’d committed. Though Emet (in Shadowbringers, not Endwalker) did humor the idea of giving the current world a chance as he observed how WoL and the Scions tried to save the First, he never stopped to show outright contempt for the Sundered, calling them lesser beings unworthy of existing. Yiuno, however, never harbors any form of racism or social prejudice towards anyone—on one hand, he sees people as, well, just people; on the other hand, he may appear to be rather apathetic and detached (and hence why he could kill people as willingly as Emet, but for different reasons).
It also didn’t help that his childhood was equally fucked up. Born into a clan with an unconventional (and controversial) family system and societal rules, Yiuno grew up pretending to be a girl for many years just so that he could stay together with his twin sister for as long as possible. This twisted upbringing gave him a rather unique outlook to gender and sexuality—while he identify himself as biologically male and is very much aroace, mentally he feels disconnected and sees them as mere labels. It’s hard for me to explain in a way that people can understand, without radical folks jumping the gun and dissing me about “misrepresentation” and stuff, so I won’t go into details here. (If you want to know more, feel free to ask me in DMs!)
I guess the last line rings true—perhaps it’s easier to hate him for no reason at all. I mean, unless it’s his soulmate Y’shtola or the energetic curious child Sora, very few people have the patience and time to learn more about a walking history like Yiuno.
about me — people i’d like to know better.
LAST SONG. “Trickster” and “Showdown”, both songs by the Japanese band FIVE NEW OLD. They are opening themes for the anime HIGH CARD, which I finished binging just last week. The songs incorporate a lot of English lyrics—the main vocalist, HIROSHI, is a fan of Western culture since young. His English pronunciation in those music videos are pretty good. A quick content warning about the songs involving poker card themes, to err on the safe side.
FAVORITE COLOR. It’s hard to pick just one specific color, since I’m a fiend for graphic and web design… I’d say monochrome—all the different shades of gray, including white and black. I like neutral colors most since they’re very versatile when combining with other colors to make palettes for my design ideas… and well, it also makes clothing coordination fairly straightforward, because I can’t be bothered to spend time thinking what to wear every day, you know?
CURRENTLY READING. Wuthering Heights, by Emily Brontë. When I first read this book—as a teenager and merely out of curiosity, I recall—I was fairly disgusted by the characters, especially at the raw violence and toxic relationship between them. Now that I’m older (and hopefully wiser, I dunno), maybe my opinion of this novel will change. We shall see. I don’t recommend this book to minors because it’s a disturbing read, and I’m saying this from personal experience, lol.
CURRENTLY WATCHING. Odekake Kozame (en. Little Shark’s Outings). It’s a short animation series depicting the slice of life of a very cute baby shark called Kozame-chan. It’s based on a collection of short comics by Japanese artist Penguin Box, which were originally posted on Twitter. It was later picked up for serialization by Kadokawa Corporation and Enterbrain for their Aokishi magazine since October 2021. I highly recommend this wholesome series to brighten up your day and help you stay positive!
SWEET, SAVORY, OR SPICY? Sliding between savory and spicy depending on my mood of the day. I don’t like sweet stuff, and usually tend to avoid them unless I really have to take some.
RELATIONSHIP STATUS. Single and happy to stay this way. I’m not stopping my muses—especially Yiuno—from trying to find a partner in life, though.
LAST THING YOU GOOGLED. I don’t keep track, honestly. I mainly use Google search like a dictionary. I mean, at least it’s ad-free, I guess?
CURRENT OBSESSION. Aside from my muses (I’m forever and always obsessed with them), I’d say dark academia—with sprinkles of Victorian and gothic aesthetics. And maybe a bit of witchcore and vampcore.
Thank you very much for the tag, @miqojak! It took me a while to fill this up because I tend to write a lot, just like you.
quiz: japanese spirit animal — yiuno.
Jorōgumo — Spider Lady.
Jorōgumo are lone warriors who prefer to live solitary lives. You possess a cunning intelligence that makes you an excellent tactician, but you are left with an equally cold heart and see other humans as nothing more than insects to feed on—whether that’s just using them as sources of knowledge… or something far more sinister. You’d rather spend the night in with a glass of wine and a game of solo chess than go out raving or even to the pub. Jorōgumo can be skillful deceivers and powerful shape-shifters when they need to get ahead; however, when confronted with genuine compassion and sentiment, they can get their mental web in a serious tangle. Remember: letting your guard down with others may actually yield magical results beyond anything a textbook could ever provide.
link to quiz.
For many Eorzeans, immortality is their answer to ascend the limitations of finite life. To Yiuno, however, it is a curse to eternal solitude. How many centuries—or perhaps even millennia—have come and gone? Even as he listens to the clock ticking away in the shadow of an inn room, time has stopped for Yiuno since the day he and his twin sister, Yiuna, were banished from their clan eons ago.
Though death has forsaken him and his soul is barred from ever rejoining the lifestream, Yiuno isn’t impregnable—blood still runs through his veins just like you and I. He still feels pain as raw as the knife that impales him… over and over again. His body and mind have screamed for release countless times, until the voice decays helplessly into the limbo, leaving only a numbing silence behind.
“If I cannot die, then I will live on. Even if I must trample over other lives to do so.”
This time, and maybe just a little, he is grateful for the longevity as a blessing in disguise. The passage of time becomes a tool to hone and polish his survival skills: knowledge sharpens his mind, magic broadens his capability, and experience creates his many faces in society. A fierce warrior who can stand his own ground on the battlefield, and a shapeshifting liar who has lived quietly in the shadows of known history.
As for the people around him, they are like candles lit up by the hand of gods, its flame burning brightly in the darkness. Their lives wane with each passing time, then they flicker and give way to the void…
Until he meets Sora. A young Auri girl who throws his stale life into a complete mess. A budding and excitable adventurer who shows him a new meaning to life.
Yiuno is willing to devote everything he has for this Warrior of Darkness… even when these unexpected changes will open fresh wounds in his long frozen heart.
(Re-posting old quizzes to this main blog for archiving purposes.)
quiz: tragic horror character — yiuno.
That Which Cannot Be Known.
Oh, god. How did it come to this? To some extent, you’ve gone so far past your own idea of “human” that it must be kind of fun, right? Maybe, I’m not sure. As an artifact of cosmic horror, you’re wild, wacky and colorful. People are probably drawn to that, but you will never let them know you. The mystery intrigues for a while, but it’ll wear everyone down. It’ll wear you down, too. Who are you? Do you remember? Are you so far gone that you can’t go back? And maybe the most tragic thing of all—becoming so distorted in your identity, and for so long, that no matter how hard you want to return you can’t ever seem to figure it out. But you’ve learned a vast amount up in the stars, and people will work hard to get to know you. It doesn’t matter who you used to be. Sometimes, you should just start from scratch: give yourself a name, a birthday. Let someone celebrate these things with you.
link to quiz.
Oh, god. Where to begin?
The result is eerily spot-on, and I don’t want to run the risk of revealing too much of Yiuno’s backstory to spoil the fun about this character. However, the one thing I can say about him is: Yiuno’s life has been built on lies and deception for as long as he can remember.
Did that pique your interest?
According to canon, Vieras are only separated by gender when they reach puberty. Adult males will return to their settlement to collect those identified as boys, then they are taken out to the wild and are trained to become wardens. This means that once the young males leave their village, they can never return and be in contact with the females except during the mating season.
Yiuno has a twin sister, Yiuna; they grew up together and were extremely close—inseparable, even. When they both became adolescents, Yiuna didn’t want her only brother to be taken away from her, so she took the risk to hide Yiuno’s masculinity for as long as they could, using any means necessary. While it was certainly a feat that Yiuna managed to keep her brother’s gender a secret for almost three long summers, the elders eventually found out and they were trialed for breaking the tribal law… which ended with expulsion from their birthplace.
That’s just the tip of the iceberg to Yiuno’s darkly colorful past. As a Viera, his longevity also poses an identity issue: how can he explain his unusually long life and eternal youth to other Eorzean races, whose life expectancy is barely a scratch compared to his own? The only way is to be constantly on the move, creating new aliases, reappearing as new people with each identity change.
“Yiuno Reine” is definitely not his real name. Perhaps the current him isn’t even the real him.
Who is he, really?
It was a question he used to ask himself, when his own age became so disconnected with the passage of time. However, when Sora becomes a huge part of his current self, for the first time in his long, long life, time finally starts to move forward once more.
(Re-posting old quizzes to this main blog for archiving purposes.)
This one also forms an interesting comparison with another quiz I did here, where they both share similar premises, but the other was more generic and straightforward compared to this.
quiz: how your adventure ends — yiuno.
You slip away quietly to return to your wandering life.
You smile as the party you have been adventuring with shouts with joy; they hugged and laughed with you until something in the back of your head tells you it’s time to go. You have no home, but these people were the closest you ever got to one. Still, now the adventure is over there is no need for this alliance. You begin on down the road when you hear the pounding of feet behind you and you’re suddenly scooped up by your friends. They tell you wherever you may be, you always have a place with them. You say your goodbyes and then walk into the woods, where you emerged from all those months ago.
link to quiz.
Given Yiuno’s diabolic reputation as a ruthlessly efficient assassin in the Eorzean underworld, you wouldn’t expect him to waste his time with a bunch of novices. However, there was nothing to stop this cunningly resourceful man to use everything and anything in his arsenal—including these innocent travelers—for his own agendas.
With his youthful appearance, traveling together with a group of young and budding adventurers would seem less conspicuous, with none the wiser about Yiuno’s true identity. The scarcity of his race and his androgyny did pose some problems, especially with members who were more sexually active. Driven by his survival instinct, Yiuno managed to pacify their lust; in exchange, he had to juggle with a harem he wished he didn’t have.
His only concern, however, was the need to consciously suppress his raw power to better fit in with this group of libido-charged misfits. Feinting incompetency was easier than trying to explain the various shenanigans he was capable of that were too much for others to comprehend.
Throughout his journey with the team, Yiuno watched them grow and mature. He often kept the party at arm’s length—his pretty smile never reached the coldness in his green eyes, and he sealed away their every attempt to steal his kiss with a finger. To the members, Yiuno’s existence was like a fever dream they never want to wake, but alas… the dream must end, when that day came.
The day when Yiuno truly gave them the goodbye kiss.
Was it real? Or was it all a dream? The group could only blink at each other in confusion when they woke up the next day. Something—someone was missing, but their memories were hazy. All they could remember was a handsome young man (or was it a beautiful young lady?) whom they all loved dearly, and now he/she was gone. Forever. They scratched their heads and looked around one last time, then they packed up their belongings and continued their adventure…
All the while unaware that Yiuno was observing them from the shadows, before his impassive face cracked a smile and he faded into the darkness.
(Re-posting old quizzes to main blog for archiving purposes.)
I recalled doing this quiz while somewhat drunk one day; instead of my usual commentaries, I ended up writing a short blurb that probably didn’t make much sense. I dunno what was going through my mind at that time, but I guess this could work as a summary for a what-if story.
Should I turn it into a fic? I’m not sure, honestly—looking back at this now, it doesn’t feel like something I’d normally write, and my memory of this is hazy at best. For now, just bear with this, and I’ll leave you to fill in the blanks with your own imagination.
Ty for all the fun tags and head canon sharing friend!! I hope you are starting to settle back in to the tumbles! c: 🌺 send this to ten blogs you think are wonderful! 🌺
You’re most welcome! I’m glad you’re enjoying and having fun with them. (Do pardon me for spamming you with more of those, because sharing is caring!)
And thank you very much for listening patiently to my headcanon rambles! English isn’t my native language; sometimes I either struggle to get my point across or misunderstand others’ comments. I’m still learning to get better!
quiz: pokémon gym leader type — yiuno.
Ghost Type.
There’s so much to love about ghost-types: they’ve got a cool spooky aesthetic with a lovely color scheme, they can be super strong in battle, and they often have plenty of fun tricks up their sleeve. You’re usually relaxed and enjoyable to be around, but you know how to get serious when you need to. Other trainers respect you, even if they’re easily spooked.
link to quiz. | make your team.
It’s been a long time since I last watched the Pokémon anime series. I stopped around the first few episodes of Sun & Moon because I was thrown off by the sudden change in animation style. I did a speed-binge fairly recently on the older seasons (specifically AG, DP, and XY), and with the nostalgia still fresh in my mind, I’ve decided to rewrite my thoughts on the result.
I initially expected Yiuno to get one of the following three:
Psychic. Often portrayed as mysterious and intimidating due to their abilities related to mind control, telekinesis and even premonition, Psychic types are also highly intelligent, which further elevates their power to change the course of a battle in their favor. Yiuno is an enigmatic individual with a rich life experience under his belt—with his deep insight in ancient mysteries, it’s within reason that he can bring out the potential of Psychic types.
Dark. Just like the name suggests, they often come across as brooding and reclusive. They are very independent and strong-willed, making Dark types formidable opponents not to be trifled with carelessly. Yiuno is a solitary wanderer who has survived the bloodiest war, braved the harshest frontier—and still stood tall after all these years (and many more). The quiet strength that he possesses can give a huge confidence boost and build a strong bond with Dark types, making them a force to be reckoned with when they fight as one.
Steel. Indomitable and logical are a few traits commonly used to describe them. They can hit really hard while others can barely put a scratch on them, making Steel types a tough powerhouse on most battlefields. Yiuno is a hardened survivor who reflects the qualities of Steel types with his astute and grounded personality. Even when they are both in a pinch, they can entrust their backs to each other and work together to overcome the obstacles in their way.
The result was an amusing deviation from the predictions I’ve listed above. Ghost types are almost synonymous with troublemakers with a penchant for practical jokes and jump scares. They are unpredictable and whimsical, with no qualms to cause misfortunes and create havoc just because it’s their idea of “fun.” These traits seem like a far cry from Yiuno’s pragmatic character—he’d rather strike his foe from the shadows with lightning precision than to needlessly taunt them, in which the latter might give his prey a chance to formulate a counter strategy.
That being said, Yiuno isn’t about all angst and no fun. He has a fairly dark sense of humor, and he is a dangerous glass cannon on the battlefield—making up for the lack of power with unorthodox tactics that can be fatal to those who underestimate him. The come-and-go nature of Ghost types also compliments Yiuno’s wandering lifestyle, and perhaps their fun-loving personality is what Yiuno needs to take some breaks from life responsibilities.
Team Lineup.
Disclaimer. Before I go into details about the thought process behind Yiuno’s dream team, note that the choice is purely based on aesthetics. I ain’t got the brain power to do the math stuff, lol.
With that out of the way, let’s dive into the curious lineup I have picked for Yiuno:
Gengar / Mega Gengar (♂)
In the anime series, this beloved Gen I Ghost-type evolution chain is often depicted as a spooky trio with fondness for haunting abandoned places and scaring any trainers who are passing through their territory. While they have no ill will towards humans, their ghostly pranks aren’t appreciated by people—more often than not, this has resulted in their ominous reputation as harbingers of bad luck. Gengar, in particular, is a Shadow Pokémon that enjoys scaring people from the dark; its ability to absorb heat from its surroundings would explain the chilly atmosphere whenever it appears (or wherever it lurks, even).
I’d imagine that Yiuno and Gengar had a rocky start at first. Gengar would have thought that Yiuno was like any other unsuspecting trainer and tried to prank him for laughs, but Yiuno gave him an eye for an eye—enough to force Gengar to reveal himself and battle the shrewd Viera head-on. When Yiuno did win the fight, Gengar did not take his loss well; he continued to make his new master’s life miserable for quite a while. After many ups and downs, Gengar eventually came to respect Yiuno’s strength and intellect. When he decided to entrust his back to this mysterious, astute master, Gengar’s hidden potential was finally able to shine, and they became a fearsome duo on the battlefield. Their strong bond for each other would eventually allow Yiuno to Mega Evolve his signature Pokémon and attain greater heights.
Marshadow (♀)
This little fellow is a curious addition to Yiuno’s team. Categorized as a Mythical Pokémon, this Fighting/Ghost type would’ve been quite difficult to obtain in the actual game series due to their rarity and limited appearances.
I’d think that Yiuno befriended Marshadow rather than capturing her; she then chose to join Yiuno and became a formidable fighter in his lineup. Marshadow is probably attracted to Yiuno quiet resilience, and Yiuno enjoys having her as a companion (when he needs a timeout from Gengar’s usual prank calls). She’s also a fairly shy Pokémon—she would often hide in Yiuno’s shadow when provoked or frightened outside official battles.
Misdreavus → Mismagius (♀)
Just when Yiuno thought that Gengar was more than enough for the pranks on him, cue in the latter’s partner-in-crime: Misdreavus. While Gengar’s tricks were more practical and tangible, Misdreavus fed on the fears and despairs of her target, and then she would twist their dreams into horrifying nightmares.
If there are any shared traits between Misdreavus and her master, it’d be their craftiness. Though she can make up for her lack in power with her tricks and traps, she eventually chose to evolve into Mismagius due to her competitive streak against Gengar to rake up more personal wins in gym battles.
Shiny Mimikyu (NB)
Another curious addition to Yiuno’s team—in particular, their shared mastery in the art of disguise. Unlike Jessie’s Mimikyu (which had an obsessive hatred towards Pikachu), Yiuno’s companion wore their disguise with pride, and they chose to serve Yiuno after acknowledging the latter’s skills.
This Shiny Mimikyu isn’t all about glam, either—they are the second-fastest Pokémon in Yiuno’s lineup, the first being another member further down this list.
Ceruledge (♀)
Oh, man. This Pokémon is a tough one to tame. Ceruledge is quite the bloodthirsty battler, and she’s willing to play dirty to get the wins. She takes the crown for being the sorest loser in the team (worse than Gengar), but she begins to change for the better under Yiuno, and finally takes real pride in her fighting capabilities.
Though her speed is second to no-one, Ceruledge’s secret wish is to learn sword-dancing to please her master—her way to thank him for his patience with her. Under all that bloodlust, this one is actually a pure maiden at heart.
Spectrier → Shadow Rider Calyrex (♂)
A Legendary Pokémon introduced in Gen VIII, Spectrier is said to be an arrogant stallion that once ruled (or rather, terrorize) a certain region as its strongest lord. In this verse, I’d imagine that he’s still a horse with an inflated ego, and his tyranny had caused grief to the Pokémon living in his realm.
Perhaps Calyrex sought Yiuno to free the land from Spectrier’s cruelty; through battling, Yiuno might have discovered that the only way to put Spectrier in his own place was to combine Calyrex with the former, becoming a Shadow Rider. Facing defeat against Yiuno and Calyrex, Spectrier would probably acknowledge Yiuno as a worthy master to serve.
Afterword.
(Re-posting old quizzes to main blog for archiving purposes.)
Seeing reblogs of Fakemons via @starrysnowdrop reminded me of this old quiz—which, in a twist of fate, I did this only because I saw it from her, too!
Looking back at the sheer amount of stuff I wrote up there, I vaguely recalled a brief spell of developing random headcanons of Yiuno in a Pokémon AU. Honestly, I should stop adding more ideas to my endless list of fic projects I want to develop (but I procrastinate too much to write anything worth publishing, oops). I already have too much on my plate at the moment, though I guess I can still keep this in view and revisit another time when I’m not this un-creative.
character associations — yiuno.
Tagged by @miqojak. Combined from 5 Things, and Character Features.
emotions & feelings.
apathy. / bloodlust. / cynical. / inquisitive. / melancholic.
greetings.
curt nod. / offhand wave. / raised eyebrows. / sideways glance. / tight-lipped smile.
body language.
crossed arms or legs. / finger on lips. / hands in pockets. / pinch nose. / rest chin on hands.
clothing.
as yiuno — high necks. / hoodies. / three-piece suits. / trench coats.
as yiune — far eastern. / high-cut silt dresses. / over-the-knee boots. / stockings.
colors.
monochrome. / neutral palette. / dark and cool themes.
objects.
a curious deck of tarot cards. Can be used both defensively (as shields) and offensively (as throwing blades).
flip cards with binder ring. For summoning familiars (in the form of black owls) to do scout work for him.
leather-bound necklace with a wind-aspected crystal. Used as a voice changer for some of his disguises.
scents.
freshly-brewed coffee or tea.
rain-scented air after a drizzle or shower.
smell of battlefield; of blood and gunpowder.
vices.
chaotic alignment. Only motivated by his own goals and agendas, he has no qualms to switch allegiance or betray people according to his own needs and wants.
manipulative liar. He’s highly mistrustful towards people and fairly unwilling to open up to others, preferring to conceal his real self behind multiple layers of deception. He also charms or tricks them into getting his own way or to do his bidding.
mercenary. If you want his assistance, he expects reasonable payments for his troubles. He doesn’t operate on benevolence.
sadistic. He enjoys watching people being punished; occasionally he may take a more active role and torment others instead.
aesthetics.
blood splatters on snow-covered fields.
dusty tomes and abandoned libraries.
heavy fog over mountainous landscapes.
secret hallways and hidden alleys.
whiskey on the rock, served in lowball.
songs.
over the clouds — alan.
The moon that quietly soaked in sadness Paints the land red and disappears Can you hear my voice? In this bloodthirsty era Can I continue to be myself?
rapport — tatsuya kitani.
In the tranquil solitude I wished for a quiet end I felt sad for something inside me that was slowly going cold But it didn’t matter To love someone and to want to be loved It means that there is an equal amount of pain involved That’s why I kept my heart closed But now you have entered deep into it
song of lamentation — kokia.
Every time I tried to protect something Someone was sacrificed Wondering what we’ve been fighting for My heart lamented in silence
I thought that as long as I live, I’d be fine Until something I treasure was taken away from me I felt like I could hear the sound of my heart breaking Is it okay to go on like this?
truth — arashi.
I can’t return (after the tears that fell) Memories swirling (the colors of freezing tears) At the end of this world where everything was taken away
No matter what kind of ending I create, my heart remains a mystery Like the darkness that approaches the truth No matter what kind of world I create, I can’t see tomorrow Like a lily, pure and untainted My wishes remain transparent
weight of the world (japanese) — keiichi okabe ft. marina kawano.
This is my curse The depth of the sins I’ve committed Even with my corrupted soul I’ll still redeem your wish
This is my curse The pain of killing a promise With the final dream I threw away I’ll still atone for your wish
All lyrics translations (except “rapport”) are by @why-raven. Please credit if use. Do not claim as your own.
quiz: hunger games life story — yiuno.
Tribute of District 2, Victor of the 71st Hunger Games.
You were raised the oldest child in a loving family—lucky, you knew, to never fear starvation. In District 2, you had a comfortable life, but your parents told you that you must resist the violence the Capitol was teaching. That it was better to lose this safe life—better even to die—than to become a monster like the tributes who volunteered for the games and spent their childhood learning to kill… all for the chance of Capitol fame. You listened, like children always do. You believed, like children always do.
Then, when you were eight years old, your parents were drafted into the Peacekeeping Force. “A shortage of willing recruits,” said the grim-faced Peacekeepers who arrived at your door. Your parents refused—refused to fight for the Capitol. The punishment for refusing was death. Hanged in the town square, as an example to others.
They forced you to watch… with your four-year-old brother, too.
With time, he forgot. But you never did.
You decided that it was better to be strong than kind; better to be smart than foolishly idealistic. So you trained with the careers and learned to throw knives with deadly accuracy. You took over your father’s job as a stonemason, and resolved to protect your siblings, always. Nothing else mattered. You would put them first, over fantasies of a world without the Capitol’s cruelty. You would love no one else and nothing else; otherwise, it would only make you weak.
Your parents had abandoned you. You wouldn’t do the same.
When you were seventeen, your thirteen-year-old brother was reaped for the games. You weren’t surprised—you’d been waiting for this and dreading it for years. But this time, you were prepared. You’d watched every year’s games carefully, memorizing which strategies worked and which didn’t, perfected your skill with the throwing knives and the spear. You volunteered to take your brother’s place, like you always knew you would.
You didn’t cry when you said goodbye to your brother and sisters. You told your brother that he had to be strong now. You told your two younger sisters that they had to look out for each other, because no one else would. That you’d be back soon… But in case you weren’t, you loved them.
“I love you.”
I love you, I love you… I love you. You hadn’t said those words so plainly in years. They made you vulnerable, like something in you had cracked open, a part of your heart that you normally kept tightly closed and covered up.
You told your siblings not to watch the Games. You didn’t want them to see if you died, but also because you didn’t want them to see you kill. To see what you were capable of.
For them, you reminded yourself. Only for them.
For the Chariot Parade, your Stylist dressed you in a warrior’s outfit, tight black fabric with bronze armor—the weapon that symbolized District 2. You weren’t the most beautiful, but you drew the crowd’s eyes. In training, you demonstrated your skill with throwing spears to win your way into the Career pack. You spent most of your time at the knot station, something you had never learned in your district. No one else joined you there, except for a few young and timid tributes. You tried not to look at them, tried not to think about them.
The instructor taught you how to set snares for small animals, but you asked him to show you larger traps. Your real prey, after all, were the other Careers. And you needed an inventive trick to defeat them, because they were all equally skilled with weapons, and most were much stronger than you, too.
In your private session with the Gamemakers, you finally showcased your true talent: knife throwing. You awed the Gamemakers with your lethal accuracy and speed, scoring a ‘9’ in training. In your interview, you wore a simple black dress and your long hair in an elegant bun. Caesar asked you what you liked about the Capitol; you merely said that the people were lovely. A lie that burned your throat, but one that would hopefully win you sponsors. He asked whether you thought you could win, and you said no. You didn’t think so—you knew it.
You took no district token into the arena, because you needed no reminder of home. You truly believed you would return to it. You needed to believe it.
When the Games began, you raced into the Cornucopia with the other Careers. You grabbed a case of knives and killed a boy just seconds before he would have attacked you. The bloodbath seemed to be over so quickly, probably because you were filled with the rush of adrenaline. When it was over, you stood with the other Careers in the wreckage. Seven tributes were dead—one by your hand. You didn’t feel anything. Only one thought remained in your head, repeating like a heartbeat. I have to get back to my family.
The boy from District 1 gave you a sharp look. “Good job with that knife,” he said. “Oh no, it was a lucky shot,” you laughed—but you didn’t think he believed you. Trying to keep up appearances, you traded your throwing knives for a spear another boy had picked up. But you kept one knife secretly concealed in your tunic.
For a couple of days, you stayed with the Careers, hunting weaker tributes at night and guarding your supplies during the day. Whenever you killed, you tried hard to make it quick and painless. It helped you suppress the guilt. By the third day, tensions were rising and you knew it was time. While the other Careers slept, you quietly slit the throat of the girl keeping watch with you. She didn’t have time to make a sound, she probably didn’t even feel it. You killed three more sleeping Careers the same way, before one woke up and screamed a warning. Grabbing the throwing knives, you fled.
You waited out the fighting for almost a week, hidden in the woods in a corner of the arena. Constantly moving around to minimize your chances of being caught. The three remaining Careers tried to find you, but they couldn’t. There was a feast—you didn’t go. Finally, there was only the boy from District 1 left.
Then you left the edge of the arena and headed a little ways in, closer to the Cornucopia. Weaving rope from vines, you carefully set the trap you’d learned back in training. With your supplies and a staged campfire as bait, to make it seem as though this was where you’d been living. Then you hid nearby. Waited for hours. He came.
When his leg was caught tightly in the snare, you emerged. He thrashed, but it took only two knives for you to kill him, staying safely out of his reach.
His dead eyes haunted you, afterward. But you returned to your brothers and sisters—as the victor of the 71st Hunger Games.
link to quiz.
A pretty long read, yes, but with a major theme that I’m sure many of you can relate: doing whatever it takes to save your loved ones—no matter the price to pay, no matter the consequences to bear. When you have no choice but to cast your moral compass aside and give into your survival instincts, for only the strongest can live on while the others must die. Only the last one standing has the strength and power to protect another; how else can you do that if you can’t even save yourself?
Whether it’s merely a necessity to complete his job or a resignation to his immortal fate, Yiuno isn’t as apathetic as he appears to be. He does have a soft spot for very specific people—namely, those he’d consider to be family. He definitely wants to reunite with his twin sister, Yiuna, his only blood kin left in the world; that doesn’t mean he’d forsake the new family under his care now.
Yiuno was reluctant at first—babysitting wasn’t his forte, and certainly not those with personalities that rubbed him the wrong way. Sora is a child: pure and innocent, but she carries a heavy responsibility that clashes with her hot temper. Aisa, while inquisitive and hardworking, still has a very long way to go for her talents to fully bloom. Then there’s Y’shtola, the only woman in the world he’d ever regard as an equal—though he often refuses to admit it, at least not openly.
Yiuno is certainly a tough nut to crack, after being hardened by the horrors of his past—too bloody to describe, too many to count, too long to keep track of. For all the experiences he has under the belt, for all the deception he’s done over the millennia, you’d never imagine a simple line such as “I love you” could break the impassive mask on this man’s pretty face. Was it a lie? Or there might be a shadow of truth in a declaration like that? No one knows; not even the very person who said those words himself.
Yiuno thought that his eternal life would’ve turned him cold: numb to the pain of suffering, ignorant to the guilt of his choices, and forget the regrets born from his mistakes. He often lied to himself that it was for his own good, that his own needs superseded the existence of others. Yet he is afraid to be reduced to nothing more than a killing machine, a tool of destruction who succumbs and submits to his sorry destiny. He struggles to keep a semblance of conscience, a sense of self—or whatever that is left in him.
(Re-posting old quizzes to this main blog for archiving purposes.)
Won’t tag anyone, given that this quiz is extremely long. I did this on a whim—as you can see, it’s from quotev, not uquiz—and the result read like a second-person fanfiction. Kudos to the quiz maker, because the writing is actually good for something fun and casual like this. I do recommend people giving this a try and read the different result stories.
Though Suzanne Collins, the author of The Hunger Games series (THG for short), had repeatedly denied that her story idea was a rip-off of Battle Royale (or BR, by Koushun Takami, published in 1999), many critics believed that the her books were, at its core, a modern spin on the latter.
I have read both novels; I won’t go into an all-out (and probably unnecessarily) analysis of them here, but I personally prefer BR more. For anyone looking for pure entertainment factor in narratives, BR is the clear winner. It’s even more ironic that one of the major themes explored in THG was about manipulation and ethics of entertainment, but it failed to capture the adrenaline rush and wow factor where they really mattered; many times, those moments fell flat to me. Meanwhile, in BR, entertainment wasn’t even the main purpose of the novel—but it was able to ensnare us, the readers, completely into a twisted dystopian Japan far better than what THG did with the Capitol.
I absolutely love AUs—I enjoy putting characters out of their comfort zone into alternate universes with completely different rules from what they knew and used to. As a huge fan of character studies and experimental writing, I find it fun to explore my muses from a different perspective when I put them in various settings.
Absolutely no tail (and no peets) for all my Viera characters.
These features don’t fit into my personal aesthetics—I’m glad that canonically they don’t have one, and all the bun tail mods I’ve seen out there are just weird to me. They also don’t fit into the lore I have developed for Yiuna and Yiuno’s birth clan. Some people have mentioned that they find Viera with short fluffy tail to be cute. My twins, on the other hand, are anything but cute.
That being said, I’d imagine the twins aren’t bothered by the existence of either or, to be honest. Etheirys has a very diverse population, and there are mixed races too, so it’s entirely possible for different Viera clans to have features unique to their own bloodline! Like someone had mentioned in the reply section—it’s more fun and interesting to have variety, regardless of personal preferences.
viera wols, bun tail or no bun tail?
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Did you design your OC with a specific aspect of RP in mind? Such as shipping, NSFW things, attending in-game social events, hosting events or entertaining others?
Little OC Creation Ask List. — OPEN
Thank you for the ask, @mimble-sparklepudding! I always love your ask questions for the thoughtfulness and insight, and I’m very happy to receive one from the OP (´◡`) To answer the question: not really, for the options stated in the question.
Whenever I design my OCs for storytelling (be it for writing fanfics or RPing with others), I usually go along with either my personal aesthetic taste, or if I already had a rough idea for their lore to pick something that would work reasonably. I don’t think about what other players would feel towards my muses because I didn’t create my characters for them in the first place. Great if you like my blorbos, but it’s fine if you don’t vibe with them. My characters and I aren’t here to please everybody. I’ve been writing and roleplaying in other fandoms for at least a decade, way before I even joined the FFXIV community, so I’ve never felt the need to create my characters around other people unless absolutely necessary.
So far, I’ve only shared two major muses openly on this site: Sora and Yiuno. Sora is a likeable sort of character, with her cute appearance and child-like innocence (we do not talk about her penchant for violence). She was the first OC I made when I started playing the game during Shadowbringers launch. I was fairly clueless about FFXIV back then, so I didn’t really think much about her character development and mostly went along with what felt right for her. I only started working on her backstory proper around patch 5.55, when I’m more familiar with the game’s lore.
As for Yiuno… he wasn’t created to be someone good and straightforward, like Sora. When male Viera is added to the game in Endwalker, I thought of designing a character who is multilayered, complicated, and fun for me to explore from various perspectives. Yiuno is a dangerous but broken man; almost nothing about him is particularly likeable as a person (except maybe his face, lol). Speaking of appearance, that was what I had intended for him—he has an idealistic beauty that could charm others to gravitate to him, until they finally realize the horrors he kept behind that pretty smiling mask (and by then it’d probably be too late). He’s supposed to be a hypocritical existence, the embodiment of paradox and contradiction.
The only exception created for shipping with NPC, I’d say, is Persephone, the other half of Yiuno’s Ancient self. The serious reason is my own take on the true motive that drove Emet-Selch to extremity in his actions against the Sundered on Etheirys to reclaim the Star for his own people (i.e. my way to fill in some blanks in the canon). The fun reason? I enjoyed the various studies on the relationship between Hades and Persephone in Ancient Greek mythology, and I want to do something similar with them. (Also, I stand by my personal headcanon of Emet and Lahabrea often lamenting about their wives after the Convocation meetings.)
While most people might be unwilling to admit this, our characters also serve as an extension of our real selves, particularly in a virtual world like Etheirys. I mean, we technically don’t see the real faces of other players in the game (unless you share your RL photos, that’s on you), so naturally the avatars that everyone sees in the game is a representation of the player controlling that character. I believe that ultimately people create characters for themselves, because they are the ones making the conscious choice and taking the necessary actions to fulfill that decision. Just my two-cents.