Tag Archives: Chuchupa Chupa

FFXIV: Absolution

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It’s still strange to me how much of a cliffhanger 3.0 is compared to 4.0 or 5.0. Then again, 2.0 had a bit of a cliffhanger, with Bahamut’s roar, but even though Bahamut was in the trailer blowing up the world, it wasn’t like we’d already fought him once, and his quests ended up being the 8-man raids and not MSQ.

(Reminder: in the European medieval period, ‘small beer’ was not really considered alcoholic, everyone drank it, even children)

If you like Kekeniro and want to see much more of him from another angle, he’s a blatant expy of my tactician Ceniro from my FE7 fics.

With this, my 3.0 interpretation is complete. I’m going to take some time before getting into 3.x; I haven’t plotted out how the raids and 24-mans will fit into the timeline yet and I would like to just play the game again and see how it’s changed since… 3 years ago I last played? I’m not leaving forever, I’m really excited about the Dragonsong War, and Achiyo going back to the East in SB, and just how ShB is going to work with 8 WoL, to name just a few things.

Chapter 30: Unbreakable

 

Chapter 31: Absolution

Achiyo could not eat, could hardly drink a little water, so much was she filled with fear. It would not pass from her, no matter how she breathed, no matter that the healers all told her she was physically well and urged her to eat and regain her strength. She just couldn’t. Her stomach hurt, and not from any wound. Continue reading →

FFXIV: Unbreakable

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This chapter is of course named for the soundtrack of the Fractal Continuum – which is not the ARF, I am aware (the music of which is named Imagination). But while Imagination is all beautifully desperate and heroic and I love it, Unbreakable is one of the most kickass dungeon tunes in the whole game, maybe even my favourite dungeon theme (yes, even over A Long Fall (Twinning dungeon) – that name always reminds me of a ONE OK ROCK song…). Unbreakable makes me want to learn to play drums. But that’s gotta wait because I’m learning bass guitar first.

I wonder if Azys Lla is supposed to be pronounced in a Welsh fashion, with the double-L? Given that, for instance, the level 60 24-mans take naming inspiration from Gaelic (Mhach, Cu Chulainn) I don’t think it’s out of the question. In which case everyone’s pronouncing it wrong. : D

I feel like Thordan’s motivations weren’t really adequately explained in the game? Why he came to Azys Lla (so that his primal form could absorb the Warring Triad? I would have liked better clarification at the time, especially since you don’t fight the Triad until later patches), and what he intended specifically to do once he became a god. It would also have been nice to have a better idea of Lahabrea’s plan, but at least his goals are clear.

I enjoy the in-game canon that the WoL single-handedly one-shots Thordan and knights out of pure rage. (BFG Division starts playing) Continue reading →

FFXIV: On the Hunt

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So my grandparents gave me a bonus gift this year, so I used it to buy like 5 FFXIV books, including the first Ishgard artbook and both Encyclopedia Eorzeas! I have no idea when they will arrive but since I think the Encyclopedias are being reprinted they probably won’t arrive until I’ve finished HW. Sure, all the info is also on the wikis, but it’s nice to have it in book form to flip through. (Also the Primals Blueray concert, let’s go!)

Vivienne isn’t actually ice-aspected; she’s Umbral Earth (Althyk, December birthmonth) and I headcanon that Fray is lightning-aspected. So when Alain mentions elements he’s really speaking more poetically.

Chapter 28: At What Cost

 

Chapter 29: On the Hunt

Cid had been enlisted into the chase, naturally, as the archbishop had left upon an airship heading into dangerous territory, and who better to aid them than the man with an airship and no fear of danger? The engineer was delighted to bear them on another adventure, and sailed them cheerfully into the Sea of Clouds to the far north. Continue reading →

FFXIV: At What Cost

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Achiyo’s theme songs are Bibliophobia (for in-game tracks) and The Legend of Ashitaka (for out-of-game tracks). They maybe don’t fit the asskicking that happens in this chapter, but I thought it was worth a reminder. : )

As a pipe organist myself, the Vault’s soundtrack made me nearly cry with happiness when I first heard it because it’s so beautifully Baroque (I was seriously freaking out musicgasming all over the place haha). A videogame piece for organ that treats it seriously and not just a trope for “intellectual bad guy”! I mean, it doesn’t even sound specifically like videogame music, and I think that’s one of the great things about it. It sounds like heavy Buxtehude, tbh. IT’S SO SPARKLY. I really want the sheet music. I tried transcribing it myself but there’s so much reverb it’s really hard to hear a lot of the individual mid-range notes. Though it’s also so cool how when you go to higher floors of the Vault you hear less and less of it, just the bassy pedal notes that would naturally carry farther, it’s a great detail, I love it. I also appreciate how Soken weaves the organ into random other soundtracks (and bagpipes, my other favourite niche instrument, though I don’t play that) purely for the timbre.

And then I cried with sadness, obviously. Continue reading →

FFXIV: Victory Achieved

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Hey guys! I know it’s been forever since I uploaded… I’ve been trying to finish Devil’s Due, because there’s only 3.5 chapters left in that… but I’ve headed (deliberately) so far away from the source material that I’m basically writing original fic, and it’s really complex and hard and I’m too busy to brain it through. So I’m coming back to something more relaxing.

So you guys know the video on YouTube where (among other things) some people test the bite strength of a T-rex as portrayed in the classic Jurassic Park movie? Now imagine that strength test for Nidhogg. :3

I actually didn’t mean for Lilidi to get so involved? But she’s not the sort of person to sit around when people she cares about are in danger. I’m actually not sure how that’s going to develop! I didn’t make a plan!

Next chapter is the one everyone’s been not waiting for… Some of my readers have referred to it obliquely, saying they’re not prepared, and that was years ago… you prepared yet? Just kidding, no one’s ever prepared. (Liam O’Brian voice: you are not prepared– wait wrong game) Continue reading →

FFXIV: Hurry Up and Wait

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Okay so I was like “I’m just going to put enough of the DRK quests that people understand the DRK quests are happening, like I’ve been doing with the other class quests” and then I rewatched them and was like “I have to put them all in because I love them so much”. (Thank you Natsuko Ishikawa!!!) So… hope you like DRK quests because more are coming! XD

It’s time to proclaim that I think Heart of Steel by Beast in Black is an excellent theme song for Sid! I used it for the second fight. (Also I looked up ‘tramontane’, it’s a northern wind.) For the first fight, I used Nail of the Heavens, which might have been Vivienne’s in-game theme-song if not for the fact that everyone associates it with BLU now. (I don’t remember Vivienne’s exact glam, but I think it’s something like the Omicron fending top and gloves, the Abyss pants and boots, and the Chaos helm (the Abyss helm is more stylish, but it clashes with the Omicron top)) (also I’m not sure what sword she has right now, because as soon as she gets Cronus Lux she never uses anything else, but the Baldur Blade is pretty close in shape so let’s go with that) (who else misses Dark Arts?)

Also it’s terribly annoying to me that Alphinaud has finally deigned to reveal when Elezen get their second growth spurt, because it’s thrown off my own plans to LET MY CHILDREN GROW. (I haven’t played since 5.0 so no spoilers please but one of my friends told me the news.) Sooo while I was planning to have the twins full height by SB, and started dropping hints about it already, I have changed that to reflect my new knowledge.

Chapter 25: Hraesvelgr

 

Chapter 26: Hurry Up and Wait

Estinien had remained behind to stand lonely watch over Nidhogg’s lair, while the Warriors of Light and Alphinaud returned to Ishgard to find if Cid Garlond were in the neighbourhood. While the others scattered across the city, some to the Jeweled Crozier, others to the chocobo stables, Achiyo, Alphinaud, and R’nyath went to the manor – for as Honoroit said archly, “When it comes to – ahem – exchanging information of uncertain origin, Lord Emmanellain is something of a prodigy.” R’nyath had winked at the boy. He knew exactly what that meant. Continue reading →

FFXIV: Primal Alliance

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Was going to try to get all the way to Hraesvelgr in one go but decided to split it in half to reduce my (completely irrational) word-count anxiety. Which turned out to be an excellent plan.

Hey, if Ysayle knows that Hraesvelgr ate Shiva so their souls would be “entwined forever”, how come she thinks she’s Shiva reborn??? (Still, having a primal inside you and the Echo at the same time must really mess with your head. I feel bad for her. And then they fridged her. Not as fast as Moenbryda, but still! Ugh.)

I actually used Footsteps in the Snow to write the boss fight, because I like it better than Ravana’s themes.

Chapter 23: Loneliness

 

Chapter 24: Primal Alliance

Achiyo hurried through the streets back to the manor with Tataru’s anxious voice ringing in her horns through her linkpearl. All about her the streets were buzzing with urgency, which she feared stemmed from the same source – but she would know soon enough. Continue reading →

FFXIV: Guide Us to Victory

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I wanted to write in something resembling the big battle at the end of the trailer, because Heavensward’s trailer is one of my favourite trailers of all time, and that fight is exciting! My interpretation was also helped by listening to The Last Stand by Sabaton, which is about a different group of courageous-unto-death religious guys. Unlike those guys, the Ishgardians do survive though. It also gave me opportunity to insert shipping! Please let me know what you think!

I noticed when writing this chapter that my Miqo’te characters are overachievers compared to the others with the number of classes they’ve got. Oops!

Chapter 21: Brothers In Arms

 

Chapter 22: Guide Us to Victory

The tall grey halls of the throne room rose about Achiyo, austere and imposing. They were more austere – older, perhaps? – than the glimpse she had gotten of a vast cathedral filled with golden light higher up in the Vault. Cold light streamed down from pale arched windows, illuminating the venerable bearded man in his throne upon the dais. He was flanked by soldiers, a Heavens’ Ward knight, and Lord Commander Aymeric, but all of them stood upon the lower ground. She found the effect… lonely. Sultana Nanamo had never had so much separation between her people and her self. Continue reading →

FFXIV: Brothers in Arms

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I WROTE

A CHAPTER

(how has it been a year and a half since I updated this)

So… I was going to try and use Nanowrimo for visual art purposes this year, because I couldn’t settle on a fanfic to work on and I have a huge backlog of visual art to get done. As you can see, I finished Caoilfhionn’s story. And then I made the mistake of listening to some Beast in Black as a break from all the lovely K-pop/Aviators mix that I was using for plant boys.

Vivienne: I HAVE BEEN SUMMONED

So apparently I’d rather do anything but draw… And then it took me another 3 months to finish the chapter even after I started. I can’t seem to get traction with this one again. Though now that I’ve semi-committed, I’d like to keep going. Part of it is probably that it’s a bit more difficult to get immersed when I’m not subbed (I haven’t been subbed since 5.0, and have avoided spoilers since. Not sure when I’m returning still, but does it really matter when the fanfic is so far behind? D: ) The quality might be a bit lower than usual. I’ll work on it in the future for sure. Continue reading →

FFXIV: Shining Ishgard Among the Clouds

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In which Tam is a massive ace. (His medallion was last mentioned halfway through Chapter 4 if you care.)

I tried to take a break from fic writing BUT I CAN’T so have another chapter of random bits and pieces

Description of Ishgard should be read with Solid in mind (Ishgard should always be beheld with Solid in mind; still my favourite city theme! MY HEART)

Also, fun fact: since Tharash has quit the video game, Crim/Yllamse talked him into DMing a FFXIV-themed 5.0 DnD game for us based on pre-HW Ishgard (I’m still working through the lore resource lol). Crim is playing another Xaela grump, Yllamse is an astro, and I’m playing my Temple Knight sunshine boi Syndael Argennoux who was mentioned a couple times in this fic.

Chapter 19: The Parting Glass

 

Chapter 20: Shining Ishgard Among the Clouds

Achiyo had said they would go to Ishgard, and she still wished to. The way they’d been chased through Ul’dah… She feared to return to Eorzea, and Ishgard’s ingrained hostility towards her race seemed far more mild and bearable than Eorzea suspecting her of being a murderer. And, too, there was a nagging feeling of responsibility… Ishgard’s wards had fallen, and they’d already suffered dragon raids as a direct result. If they’d been able to hold the dragon back a little longer… Continue reading →