Final Fantasy XIV, Part 2 (Evil George Washington, and also, Catgirls)

3.28.2020. Let's talk for a minute about Ahtzapfyn, or as I call him, Evil George Washington. I love the design for this character. Tricorn hat, bottle of ale, frilly coat, and sideburns for days. I had seen him earlier in my session, and I'd said to myself, "Oh wow, that dude's awesome! I hope he's not just some filler NPC there to pad out the environment."

Whatever gods rule the lands of Final Fantasy heard my prayers and smiled. Not only is Evil George Washington an important character in the early Marauder questline, but he gets his own cut-scene and a scripted battle sequence.

"The main difference between me and the Delaware River, my friend, is that you'll rue the day you crossed me."

So, yeah, that was a fun experience. Not particularly challenging, but I've been told that FFXIV is extremely easy until you get to the higher level instances. I'm holding out for those. Of course, I'm about twenty levels behind most of my guild at this point, so I'm soloing this game until those instances show up.

A 'screenshot' of my higher-level guildmates in all their magnificent splendor

3.29.2020. So, I don't really play MMOs for the story. Or rather, I do, but I don't play for the experience of the narrative -- I play for the anecdotes. Those little remarkable things that happen organically and make you say, "Oh, but do you remember that one time, when..." or "Oh, so I saw the most ridiculous thing!"

In my wanderings today, I experienced a number of delightful anecdotes. These are four of my favorites.

Drippy watches a trio of dancing catgirls performing in a street theater in Ul'dah.

I learn the name of the Cultured Conjurer, and Y'shtola gets a whole cutscene to herself.

Seriously, the voice actor for Y'shtola is chewing the scenery with her line delivery during her introductory scene, and I'm here for it. This character encapsulates a lot of JRPG tropes in a way I find endearing, and I'm hoping to see more of her in this game. A quick google search of Y'shtola shows me that she's a character in Dissidia Final Fantasy NT, but that version of Y'shtola is a little bit sexier and a little less endearingly dorky. Ah well. She's still a magical neko girl sent to guide me to my destiny, and that's what really counts.

I unwittingly lend aid to the greatest aesthetician the world has ever known, and I am repaid with a wondrous and unexpected spectacle, and his eternal gratitude.

Drippy aids a catgirl in her quest to become a famous dancer.

Ok so 3/4 of my anecdotes are essentially, "I like catgirls," which was unintentional but, uh, well, I guess I learned something about myself while writing this. I'm gonna stop writing and go reflect on the choices which have led me here. Peace.