#warriorbcund

There was a ringing in her ears. Whoever, or whatever, had hit her did so with such a force that it stole the breath from her lungs and sent her backward at least ten fulms before she hit the ground. U’feynril groaned as she forced her eyes open and propped herself up on her elbow unsteadily, her other hand reached for the back of her head with trembling fingers; they returned stained red, and she grimaced at the sight through her bleary vision. It would be more than just a headache this time.

“Can you walk?”

The question gave U’feynril pause. Her eyes followed the unfamiliar voice up to meet pale eyes beneath the snowy fringe of an Au’ra she’d never met. They held that gaze for a beat, before she realized that the threat may very well still loom over them. U’feynril took a deep breath and with great effort attempted to push herself to her feet; a shock of pain shot through her ribs but she clenched her jaw to endure it, while one of her arms reached to hold her side. 

Broken, she thought to herself.

“Walking may be optimistic,” U’feynril rasped with a shaky breath, “if standing is any indication. But let’s not fret over it here, I can whine when we’re safe.”

– Damn it, the hair playing was what got him to snuggle further into the pillow, tail lazily twitching. It was like B’itsy almost knew it was his weak spot.

Mmm, stories about warriors and princesses… He thought on it more, then he adjusted; moving as if the smaller Miqo’te weighed nothing as he settled once again. “I suppose I can tell such a story, yes.” Yerentai cracked open an eye as he looked up at the wall, thinking. “There once was a warrior princess - fierce and true. She hunted many things. Fierce tigers and rare birds were her prey - seeking for both affection and confirmation from her father, and to prove that she needed no man to defend her.” He settled again, moving only to adjust the pillow as it was getting too hard for his liking.

Aha, victory! B’itsy grinned in celebration of her clever ruse as the story was begun. Settling in, she separated a bunch of her Xaela friend’s thick hair, beginning to braid it. 

“Oh Tai, you need to learn to smile some more!” Especially since you're so gosh darn tall you look like you’re going to murder a bitch.

The blazing sun sat high in the sky, its rays piercing through the chill that had settled among the neutrally colored bricks that was Uldah. Beads of sweat had begun to form at the Aura’s brow despite the cold. The bland, thickly hempen robes that wrapped around her head and body threatening to suffocate her-- but Felurian was willing to sacrifice comfort for anonymity. She glanced from side to side as she stood amidst the crowd, noting the stout, towering walls that surrounded them-- proud banners of the Immortal Flames put on display for its citizens to see. Felurian couldn’t fathom the effort required in constructing the heavy bronze gates that kept the city safe. Although mostly obscured by the surrounding walls when the gates were open, the Aura could tell that the gates were more than a couple of yalms thick.  Her attention returned to the speaker before them as he yet began again his fervent sermon, his arms waving wildly as he gestured towards the very gods he worshipped. It was almost as if he thought these “gods” would save him from anything to everything-- famine, disease; perhaps even a blessing for a fruitful family. Lastly, he condemned those that did not believe in the Twelve, stating that the Twelve were the only gods in existence.  Felurian looked away with disgust, pulling the garb tighter around her face. “What a conceited people,” she whispered scathingly, “to think that gods would save them. To think that the Twelve were the only gods, and all of them were worthy of saving.” 

1. Favorite race?Can I say Garleans?  No?  Okay.  I love Roegadyn.  The men are massive beefy walls, the women are big and strong and still undeniably female and beautiful and feminine.  There’s a lore-workable reason for them to exist in almost any scenario you can think of (barring pure tribal RP), and they’ve managed to keep some semblance of their own cultures while continuing to co-exist with other groups.  Both subraces have a strong unifying undercurrent, and they just look amazing in literally any glamour.  Full tank plate?  Yes please.  Male Sea Wolf Sailor Moon?

...no, that’s definitely not me.  Why do you ask?

14. Your garbage favorite character(s)?I have to own up to my sins here and say Solus.  He’s a drunk theatre major with a math final in four hours, and he’s fucking amazing at convincing you that the fact that he hasn’t studied one bit is somehow all your fault.  I aspire to his level of dramatic presence one day.  He’s so done he’s overdone.

I love it.

22. You obtain one in-game item to use/wear IRL, what do you pick and why?Answered previously, but I’ll give you another answer: the [Brand New Skirt] from the Hall of the Novice gear--specifically the male version.  Tight leather trousers and a miniskirt slit to the waist then stitched back together on both sides?  I’d rock that any damn day of the week, probably while doing the Manderville Mambo just to show off my legs.

30. What do you hope for in the next expansion?Oh man, there are so many angles from which I could tackle this question.  My dearest and fondest hope is always for more lore about Garlemald itself: the tiny bits of semi-domestic architecture we got in Stormblood with the Embassy in Kugane were such a tease, and there was clearly electric lighting in the 4.5 negotiations scene; that tent was clearly supplied by the Garlean side, not the Eorzean.  Is the palace a true palace, or is it more of a fortress prettied up?  What’s the technology level with which most civilians in the home provinces are familiar?  *What’s going on in the far north of Ilsabard?*  Inquiring minds just gotta know!

Gameplay-wise, I’m curious to see how they solve the issues of tank and healer balance while still keeping the jobs mechanically different enough that they don’t feel like all the same job.  It’s a problem pretty inherent to trinity design in MMOs, and a hard balance to strike: different, interesting, and balanced.