#dromarch

My big sib got me the xc2 artbook for christmas!!!!! It got a little water damage probably during shipping but the actual images are still fine so it's okay! The first couple pages are just a little wavy

It's so cool seeing everyone together like this! Even if Pneuma and Brighid got eaten by the page folds rip

Beta designs are always so interesting to see. Pandoria seems to always have had electricity in mind, but more focused on wires and conductivity rather than lightbulbs. The bottom ones also have a witchy vibe going on.

The Addam ones are fun. I like the red armor, though I do think the white one he ended up with suits him more (and helps make him feel like he's of a completely different standing from Lora). It's a bit funny seeing all the different hairstyles on him. 1 makes me think of a grown up Alphinaud lol. Also, some of them have a crown hairclip which I think is cute

I find it a bit funny how completely different the energies between the 3 Milton concepts are. 2 feels like more of a serious and cynical kid, and 3 looks like a rich kid. Or a more sophisticated and composed kid at least. They might not have had Milton's personality completely figured out yet

Akhos' weapon is so cool! I wish we got to see more of it's form-shifting abilities. A bow that's also a shield that's also a scythe I mean what's not to love! (I love combo-weapons)

I don't really have anything to add I just love giant robots

Always nice to just see them hanging out with each other. Nia sleeping on Dromarch is super cute

Needle felted Dromarch from Xenoblade 2

I first played Xenoblade 2 after Xenoblade 1 first came out. It took a little to adjust to the tonal change from 1's more serious and emotional tone to what seemed like 2 being a sillier and goofier game on the surface. Despite that, I loved Rex's personality straight away, same with Nia.

The game starts off with a sense of whimsy and humour that really appealed to me at the time, and I still am really in love with the way the humour in the game works. It's silly but in a way that's nostalgic for me given the kind of shows and games I grew up with, like Pokemon for example.

I also loved the way the music brings you into the vibe straight away. Argentum Guild for example, has a very fun, happy, "we're on a new adventure, here we go!" kind of vibe. It drags you into Rex's journey straight away and also establishing reasons he's working so young, to repay his family.

Then the events with Torna, Malos and Jin in which Rex is killed and the tone shifts. Rex dies due to simple curiosity. He was just in the way due to trying to bond with the Aegis. I love how it shows the world's brutal nature so early after a typical happy RPG vibe the game starts with.

Pyra's first meeting with Rex has such a hopeful but emotional feeling, Pyra is just confused but also pitying Rex for his fate. However, Rex's hopeful nature surprises her, so she decides to save him by becoming one with him.

I love the next sequences where we see firsthand on how Rex changes others such as Pyra but also Nia who realised Torna were going too far for her own liking and it helped her realise she needed to leave to go on her own path and find what she wants to do.

This is when the game opens up, and Gormott especially, is just nostalgic for me. The music, the exploration, it's all perfect to me. The game carries on in a similar fashion and I fell in love with it more and more. Then we start meeting the other cast members as the game progresses.

I love Zeke and Morag so much and how they balance the party out with a more serious mentor figure and the more playful but supportive one. They both play a big part in Rex's development and the party is like a big family, which is so comforting to me.

Nia's character is why the game is so personal to me though. I relate to so much to her situation, the way she feels she doesn't belong anywhere and has to alter herself and fake herself to be accepted around others. Despite growing attached to Rex and the party, she's still scared.

'What if they hate me?' 'I can't handle someone else I love betraying me.' She keeps her body and past to herself as long as she can due to this. She however, decides to finally be honest when she realises she can save others due to who she is and to her surprise they accept her.

Nia was one of the characters who helped me accept myself and gain confidence over time despite my unique circumstances and issues in real life and it's due to this that Mio felt representative of my real self more outright. She's Nia's daughter and has a lot of her similar traits.

However, she's more closed off and self deprecative due to her circumstances and struggle to trust others. She feels no one can understand her, so she doesn't even try. The others help her come to terms with herself by the end of the game though and the ways how represent my experiences.

Overall, I love Xenoblade 2 as it's a vital experience to me and my identity and without it I might not have progressed to become the person I am now and I'm thankful for it due to this. I love this game so much and I can't believe it's been out for 7 years now.