Summary: Raising my various crafting jobs. Continuing the Hildibrand quests.
TW: transphobia
Dragoon – Eye of the Dragon
-The lancer guildmaster sends me to Ishgarde to help in their conflict with the dragons.
-I meet up with a Sir Alberic. An Ishgardian relic called The Eye has been stolen. They want my help.
-The thief is a dragoon named Estinien. It sounds like dragoons are lancers who specialize in fighting dragons.
-I track down Estinien. He’s insulted that Ishgard would send a rando like me after him - at least, until the gem on his chest glows bright. The Eye. It’s reacting to me.
-Estinien looks AMAZING in his classic dragoon armor. He jumps away. We’ll meet again!
-I report back in. The Eye harbors the power of the dragon. It’s only given to a single person, the strongest and wisest dragoon. That chosen person is known as the Azure Dragoon.
-Estinien is the current Azure Dragoon. Sir Alberic was once his teacher.
-Historically, the Eye has only aided one person at a time before, so it’s odd that it reacted to me while Estinien wore it. Maybe it’s ready for a change of owner.
-Sir Alberic plans to train me as a dragoon and retake the Eye from Estinien. I’m in.
-Yay, I learned Jump! Tested it out, and I love it.
1) It’s off the global cooldown. I can use it between two other damaging abilities when I wouldn’t otherwise be able to act.
2) IT LOOKS SO FRIGGING SWEET
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Disciples of the Hand and Land
-My next little goal is to bring ALL crafting jobs up to level 20.
-Weaver, alchemist, and goldsmith are all at or above 15. There are five more I haven’t started yet that I want to build to 15: carpenter, blacksmith, armorer, leatherworker, culinarian. Culinarian first.
-The culinarian quests focus on fixing the errors of an untalented assistant chef named Ingham. He’s super salty (lol culinarian puns) about how I am better than him at cooking despite being new, but he’s still helpful. I like him.
-The blacksmith guild’s tone is less “yay, we all love cooking!” and more “ARR! Pirates can’t be piratin’ without us supplyin’ them from keel to cannon, me hearties!”
-My favorite part about the blacksmith trainer is how he keeps trying to use sea and pirate puns and is TERRIBLE at it. Stuff like, “Blacksmithing is like a deep ocean, and to get to the bottom you have to… uh… sink? No, that’s not right…”
-The armorer trainer is an intense woman. Makes sense – if you craft subpar armor, people die.
-Much like the other crafting jobs, the early quests focus on helping out a… shall we say, “less-skilled” craftsman, to put it lightly.
-The more I do these quests as a group, the more I appreciate them. So many of them focus on how to deal with defeat and disappointment.
Do you get frustrated? What kind of teaching methods are best – kind, empathetic, aggressive?
-Next up, carpenter. The Carpenters’ Guild in Gridania was created to oversee the operation of watermills and promote cooperation between woodworkers.
-The carpentry master has a sort of zoned-in hippy vibe. “Be one with the wood. See the wood. FEEL the wood.”
*much time passes*
Okay. I got ALL my crafting jobs – Disciple of the Land and Hand – up to level 20. It was fun and engaging, but without a lot to write about. The process focuses on a mini-game for each craft where I try to use my Crafting Points as efficiently as possible to make a high-quality item. The higher quality the item, the more experience the craft gives me.
I love it, and will try to pace myself going forward.
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Hildibrand’s Quests – The Lapis Maiden
-When we left off, the masked thief promised to go after “the lapis maiden’s virtue.”
-The lapis maiden is Arabella, daughter of a Lominsan trader. She’ll make a rare public appearance at her upcoming betrothal.
-Briardien, the competent inspector, runs the investigation into the thief. Hildibrand helps, much like when my cat “helps” me fold laundry.
-Somehow, the search for the thief ties into a subplot of rebellious sentient vegetables who team up with the thief.
Hee! “Plot.” I crack me up.
-Scene change. We meet Arabella, the blue-haired lapis maiden. Ya gotta have blue hair.
-She’s unhappy with her betrothal in an arranged marriage. Plus, she seems attracted to Hildibrand for reasons passing understanding.
I see where this is going.
-The ceremony commences, but we still haven’t found the thief. Briardien tasks Hildibrand with what he’s good at: causing chaos and distractions.
He does so by entering the wedding in place of Arabella, the bride. In her dress. He looks pretty awesome.
I’m just worried whether this will be good clean cross-dressing fun or transphobia.
-Never mind. As the scene goes on, it falls into raw transphobia. The “jokes” focus on how horrifying it is to see a man in a dress, how enraged men are when the cross-dressed Hildibrand gets close to them or makes kissy faces at them.
-The thief reveals himself disguised as the husband-to-be. He swipes Arabella’s necklace, and the sentient vegetables help this Man of a Thousand Faces escape.
-At least Arabella is okay. Apparently, her necklace is known as “Azeyma’s Virtue.” Hence, “the lapis lady’s virtue” was stolen after all.
-Arabella’s marriage is called off. She’s thankful to Inspector Hildibrand.
-The next challenge card arrives. “When next we meet, I shall come to claim the victor’s spoils.”
-We get another trailer for the next Hildibrand quest series: the Coliseum Conundrum!
AND BOTH GILGAMESH AND CLASICALLY PERVY ULTROS WILL BE INVOLVED YAAAAAAY!
-Next up, carpenter. The Carpenters’ Guild in Gridania was created to oversee the operation of watermills and promote cooperation between woodworkers.
-The carpentry master has a sort of zoned-in hippy vibe. “Be one with the wood. See the wood. FEEL the wood.”
*much time passes*
Okay. I got ALL my crafting jobs – Disciple of the Land and Hand – up to level 20. It was fun and engaging, but without a lot to write about. The process focuses on a mini-game for each craft where I try to use my Crafting Points as efficiently as possible to make a high-quality item. The higher quality the item, the more experience the craft gives me.
I love it, and will try to pace myself going forward.
---
Hildibrand’s Quests – The Lapis Maiden
-When we left off, the masked thief promised to go after “the lapis maiden’s virtue.”
-The lapis maiden is Arabella, daughter of a Lominsan trader. She’ll make a rare public appearance at her upcoming betrothal.
-Briardien, the competent inspector, runs the investigation into the thief. Hildibrand helps, much like when my cat “helps” me fold laundry.
-Somehow, the search for the thief ties into a subplot of rebellious sentient vegetables who team up with the thief.
Hee! “Plot.” I crack me up.
-Scene change. We meet Arabella, the blue-haired lapis maiden. Ya gotta have blue hair.
-She’s unhappy with her betrothal in an arranged marriage. Plus, she seems attracted to Hildibrand for reasons passing understanding.
I see where this is going.
-The ceremony commences, but we still haven’t found the thief. Briardien tasks Hildibrand with what he’s good at: causing chaos and distractions.
He does so by entering the wedding in place of Arabella, the bride. In her dress. He looks pretty awesome.
I’m just worried whether this will be good clean cross-dressing fun or transphobia.
-Never mind. As the scene goes on, it falls into raw transphobia. The “jokes” focus on how horrifying it is to see a man in a dress, how enraged men are when the cross-dressed Hildibrand gets close to them or makes kissy faces at them.
-The thief reveals himself disguised as the husband-to-be. He swipes Arabella’s necklace, and the sentient vegetables help this Man of a Thousand Faces escape.
-At least Arabella is okay. Apparently, her necklace is known as “Azeyma’s Virtue.” Hence, “the lapis lady’s virtue” was stolen after all.
-Arabella’s marriage is called off. She’s thankful to Inspector Hildibrand.
-The next challenge card arrives. “When next we meet, I shall come to claim the victor’s spoils.”
-We get another trailer for the next Hildibrand quest series: the Coliseum Conundrum!
AND BOTH GILGAMESH AND CLASICALLY PERVY ULTROS WILL BE INVOLVED YAAAAAAY!
---
Random Stuff
Leatherworker Ququshu’s desires are… unconventional.
A player with awesome garb that makes her look like an FFXII Judge.
Mini Ghido!
Minute Mindflayer.
A fucking amazing Ixion mount.
The literal cutest minion in the game, a smol fat chocobo.
---
Next time: Continuing with the Hildibrand quests. No idea how many of these mini-episodes exist at level 50, but I’m going to keep at them until I run out. Really enjoying them.
Random Stuff
Leatherworker Ququshu’s desires are… unconventional.
A player with awesome garb that makes her look like an FFXII Judge.
Mini Ghido!
Minute Mindflayer.
A fucking amazing Ixion mount.
The literal cutest minion in the game, a smol fat chocobo.
---
Next time: Continuing with the Hildibrand quests. No idea how many of these mini-episodes exist at level 50, but I’m going to keep at them until I run out. Really enjoying them.
