Final Fantasy Tactics Liveblog, part 4
May. 12th, 2026 08:49 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
althea_valaraMy laundry has been put in the wash, and I have Swedish Fish to fortify me. Time for more FFT!
( SPOILERS )
( SPOILERS )
althea_valara
What Do You Get The Person Who Only Wants One Thing?
May. 11th, 2026 08:41 pmrionaleonhartSome more Goes Wrong Show questions and answers from Tumblr!
Anonymous: If Robert could magically acquire one superpower, what would he choose? (Alternatively, if you could pick one for him, what would it be?)
Robert: I was offered one superpower of my choice.
Annie: Seriously? Lucky you! What did you choose?
Robert: I went for flight, in the end.
Annie: Oh, wow, flying would be amazing. Have you been flying around a lot, then?
Robert: What? No, of course not. I haven’t had a reason to use it yet.
Annie: Uh, what counts as a reason to use it?
Robert: (rubbing his hands together) Let’s see Chris cast Jonathan as Peter Pan now.
If I could pick one for him, maybe uncontrollable invisibility, because it would be funny. Suddenly turning invisible at random intervals is the last thing Robert wants; he’d promptly seek out ways to make himself impossible to ignore even when he’s invisible. The downside, of course, is that I’d have fewer opportunities to gaze upon his excellent face.
![[tumblr.com profile]](https://www.tumblr.com/favicon.ico)
the-red-thread-that-strangles: Would Robert prefer to be a butler or a maid, and how would he do in the role?
Both the butler and the maid are support roles and are therefore unsuited to the lead actor. However, the butler is often the culprit in murder mysteries, and the villain is an acceptable role. Therefore, Robert would prefer to be a butler.
Robert would not be a good butler, with his failures in the role ranging from ‘general clumsiness and speaking inappropriately to guests’ to 'outright attempt to usurp the master of the household’ depending on his mood. He’s good at dramatically welcoming guests to your manor, though, if that’s a task you’d like him to fulfil.
Anonymous: What if Cornley did a play that had so many woman characters that Chris decides it’s time for the guys to dress up? I feel like Max would be twirling his skirt at every possibility. Chris would be very serious about it and look really good. Robert would be very flashy and surprisingly good at moving in high heels. Dennis is so confused that Chris recasts him as the pet dog. Jonathan constantly gets his costume caught in the set.
You’ve got a lot of great suggestions here already! So I’ll mainly focus on how willing the male members of the drama society are to crossdress.
Max: happy to crossdress, thinks it’s funny. Definitely twirls his skirt and has fun strutting around the stage; you’re absolutely correct on that front!
Robert: absolutely happy to crossdress if the role is sufficiently major. Will complain that it’s degrading if he’s crossdressing for a minor role, but he doesn’t have any real objection to dressing up; he’s just using whatever excuse he can find to get a better part. Plays his female role with confidence and commitment, but he has some weird ideas about what constitutes believably female body language, and he refuses to shave his beard.
Jonathan: a little nervous, but willing to give it a try. Of course, in the end, he’s unable to get onto the stage. He sighs deeply. Why was he even worried? He should have known that nobody would actually see him dressed like this.
Dennis: confused and alarmed, assumes he’s made a mistake and picked up the wrong costume somehow. He’ll put on the costume if you manage to convince him it’s the correct one, but he’ll be on edge at all times, expecting Chris to scold him for being in the wrong outfit.
Chris: feels extremely uncomfortable when dressing as a woman, but he’ll do his best to push through it and put on a sincere performance. The look suits him, but his discomfort leads him to move and deliver lines a little awkwardly.
the-red-thread-that-strangles: It's Robert's birthday! No one (aside from Dennis, perhaps) has been able to forget about it, because Robert has been dropping increasingly clear "hints" about when it is and what he wants for the last several rehearsals. What do the other members of the Drama Society get him?
What Robert really wants is an audience for his four-hour one-man show, so that's how everyone is going to be spending the evening of his birthday. Most of the drama society will do other things for him in addition, though!
Dennis asks Robert what he'd like as a present. "I'd like you to learn your lines for our next play, ideally," Robert replies. Dennis tries really, really hard. He doesn't entirely succeed. But he tries really, really, really hard.
Robert insists on scheduling a life coaching session with Vanessa on the day. She tries to turn it down, saying that he shouldn't be working on his birthday; she's surprised, and a little touched, when his response is "Nonsense; I enjoy our sessions." She makes an effort to agree enthusiastically with everything he says during the session, and she gives him a generous tip.
Max gets Robert something that Max finds funny, maybe a novelty mug. Okay, I just went looking for theatre-themed novelty mugs, and I can now say with one hundred percent certainty that Max gets Robert a mug that says 'I AM NOT YELLING; I AM PROJECTING'. Robert interprets the mug as a sincere statement in support of his acting style and is deeply touched.
Jonathan gets Robert some sort of high-quality, practical accessory, like a nice tie or cufflinks.
Sandra initially assumed that just attending Robert's show would be enough of a present. When she sees Jonathan handing over his high-quality gift, though, she starts to feel she should probably have got Robert something else. She throws out the first thing she can think of that doesn't require her to buy anything: "I'll trim your beard for you." Robert seems pleased by the offer, oddly enough, although he backseat drives constantly during the beard trimming.
Trevor is going to be stage managing Robert's show, which he definitely feels is enough of a present, and he refuses to be guilted into doing anything else.
Annie gets tickets for Robert to see a comedic musical with her. They have a good time, although they'll both say afterwards that they felt there was 'something missing' from the production. This is a feeling that all members of the Cornley Drama Society experience when they watch theatre that doesn't go hideously wrong.
Chris gives Robert the lead role in their next play. Robert is ecstatic.
Anonymous: If Robert could magically acquire one superpower, what would he choose? (Alternatively, if you could pick one for him, what would it be?)
Robert: I was offered one superpower of my choice.
Annie: Seriously? Lucky you! What did you choose?
Robert: I went for flight, in the end.
Annie: Oh, wow, flying would be amazing. Have you been flying around a lot, then?
Robert: What? No, of course not. I haven’t had a reason to use it yet.
Annie: Uh, what counts as a reason to use it?
Robert: (rubbing his hands together) Let’s see Chris cast Jonathan as Peter Pan now.
If I could pick one for him, maybe uncontrollable invisibility, because it would be funny. Suddenly turning invisible at random intervals is the last thing Robert wants; he’d promptly seek out ways to make himself impossible to ignore even when he’s invisible. The downside, of course, is that I’d have fewer opportunities to gaze upon his excellent face.
Both the butler and the maid are support roles and are therefore unsuited to the lead actor. However, the butler is often the culprit in murder mysteries, and the villain is an acceptable role. Therefore, Robert would prefer to be a butler.
Robert would not be a good butler, with his failures in the role ranging from ‘general clumsiness and speaking inappropriately to guests’ to 'outright attempt to usurp the master of the household’ depending on his mood. He’s good at dramatically welcoming guests to your manor, though, if that’s a task you’d like him to fulfil.
Anonymous: What if Cornley did a play that had so many woman characters that Chris decides it’s time for the guys to dress up? I feel like Max would be twirling his skirt at every possibility. Chris would be very serious about it and look really good. Robert would be very flashy and surprisingly good at moving in high heels. Dennis is so confused that Chris recasts him as the pet dog. Jonathan constantly gets his costume caught in the set.
You’ve got a lot of great suggestions here already! So I’ll mainly focus on how willing the male members of the drama society are to crossdress.
Max: happy to crossdress, thinks it’s funny. Definitely twirls his skirt and has fun strutting around the stage; you’re absolutely correct on that front!
Robert: absolutely happy to crossdress if the role is sufficiently major. Will complain that it’s degrading if he’s crossdressing for a minor role, but he doesn’t have any real objection to dressing up; he’s just using whatever excuse he can find to get a better part. Plays his female role with confidence and commitment, but he has some weird ideas about what constitutes believably female body language, and he refuses to shave his beard.
Jonathan: a little nervous, but willing to give it a try. Of course, in the end, he’s unable to get onto the stage. He sighs deeply. Why was he even worried? He should have known that nobody would actually see him dressed like this.
Dennis: confused and alarmed, assumes he’s made a mistake and picked up the wrong costume somehow. He’ll put on the costume if you manage to convince him it’s the correct one, but he’ll be on edge at all times, expecting Chris to scold him for being in the wrong outfit.
Chris: feels extremely uncomfortable when dressing as a woman, but he’ll do his best to push through it and put on a sincere performance. The look suits him, but his discomfort leads him to move and deliver lines a little awkwardly.
What Robert really wants is an audience for his four-hour one-man show, so that's how everyone is going to be spending the evening of his birthday. Most of the drama society will do other things for him in addition, though!
Dennis asks Robert what he'd like as a present. "I'd like you to learn your lines for our next play, ideally," Robert replies. Dennis tries really, really hard. He doesn't entirely succeed. But he tries really, really, really hard.
Robert insists on scheduling a life coaching session with Vanessa on the day. She tries to turn it down, saying that he shouldn't be working on his birthday; she's surprised, and a little touched, when his response is "Nonsense; I enjoy our sessions." She makes an effort to agree enthusiastically with everything he says during the session, and she gives him a generous tip.
Max gets Robert something that Max finds funny, maybe a novelty mug. Okay, I just went looking for theatre-themed novelty mugs, and I can now say with one hundred percent certainty that Max gets Robert a mug that says 'I AM NOT YELLING; I AM PROJECTING'. Robert interprets the mug as a sincere statement in support of his acting style and is deeply touched.
Jonathan gets Robert some sort of high-quality, practical accessory, like a nice tie or cufflinks.
Sandra initially assumed that just attending Robert's show would be enough of a present. When she sees Jonathan handing over his high-quality gift, though, she starts to feel she should probably have got Robert something else. She throws out the first thing she can think of that doesn't require her to buy anything: "I'll trim your beard for you." Robert seems pleased by the offer, oddly enough, although he backseat drives constantly during the beard trimming.
Trevor is going to be stage managing Robert's show, which he definitely feels is enough of a present, and he refuses to be guilted into doing anything else.
Annie gets tickets for Robert to see a comedic musical with her. They have a good time, although they'll both say afterwards that they felt there was 'something missing' from the production. This is a feeling that all members of the Cornley Drama Society experience when they watch theatre that doesn't go hideously wrong.
Chris gives Robert the lead role in their next play. Robert is ecstatic.
Fanfiction: Twice Shy (The Goes Wrong Show, Chris/Robert)
May. 10th, 2026 06:24 pmrionaleonhartI've been struggling with writer's block for the past couple of weeks, but I'm delighted to report that I am back on my bullshit.
Title: Twice Shy
Fandom: The Goes Wrong Show
Rating: 14
Pairing: Robert/Chris
Wordcount: 3,900
Summary: “Ah,” Robert says. “I may have left out a crucial detail. You do know I’m a vampire, don’t you?”
( Twice Shy )
Title: Twice Shy
Fandom: The Goes Wrong Show
Rating: 14
Pairing: Robert/Chris
Wordcount: 3,900
Summary: “Ah,” Robert says. “I may have left out a crucial detail. You do know I’m a vampire, don’t you?”
( Twice Shy )
Wickedly Not Weekly Writing Logs - May 10th, 2026 - thoughts on the slow structural edits method
May. 10th, 2026 10:37 amvriddyA lot of editing thoughts as I find my feet with the new method.
General status/Learnt last week:
I suspect this more extensive way of doing structural editing might be merging two rounds of editing compared with what I did with the cursed witch. Last time, the "structural" round focused on general cohesion for plot and characterisation as well as pace. Then in the following "prose" round, I added a lot more descriptions and enhanced the worldbuilding, with the occasional new background character. This time, it feels more natural to include a fair bit of worldbuilding where it fits as well (and that's great, because there's the occasional plot impact, and getting that in early is helpful!). Even if this round takes me a fair chunk of time (especially when including the month of prep), this could still be significant time-wise because I usually need at least a 6-week break between rounds. But tbc since I still have to see how long this will all take anyway!
In general, I'm very happy because I'm adding loadsa new words, haha. I've already written more than March and April COMBINED! This is not actually very impressive!! Because I only wrote 520 words in March (was doing revision preps, which I don't count yet) and 1.5k in April (was mostly proofreading) XD
I feel like the pacing for this novel is going to be a lot better. With every scene, I'm being more deliberate about having questions and putting down puzzle pieces and also setting up smaller reveals on the way. I'm realising just how effective revealing something can be for raising curiosity. One of my big faults is trying to keep things secret for the sake of "the mystery", but that can also make the stakes way too vague at times. The reader doesn't know why they should care.
Having said that, I've only revised 4 scenes out of 47 48 (had a bit of scene mitosis this week!), so that might not sustain itself well, but I'm super excited to find out. I'm moving slowly but this all feels super cool.
Another discovery/experiment: I thought that because I did so much preparatory work, it would maybe be easier to edit in the evening when my brain is not as fresh, but that hasn't really happened. For example, I had to consider which PoV to use for the new scene the evening I tried, and I just couldn't answer the question. Like, what are the stakes for each character? What's the impact for the order in which the information is revealed in the story? Where else or in how much time can I bring up the information that PoV X won't know?
However, if/when I try again an evening session, I'd like to remember to look at the smaller questions I skipped. For example, there's a plot-relevant flower I must describe, and what it looks like exactly isn't super important but it needs to be specific. I need to sit down with that and return to the description I skipped soon. (Because it's so important to the world, I think inworld people would use it as a comparison point for colours or shapes or other things.) I've also got some slang to make up!! Like I've got a few swear words, but I want a worldbuilding-relevant equivalent to "thank god" too, considering what this population has gone through. And there's a missing nickname for a childhood friend. It should be charming and evoke closeness, but also be embarrassing to an adult. Lol.
I know I mentioned before I wanted to improve my sentence craft but that will have to wait. My head is too full already with all the new stuff I'm learning to apply in this round of revisions. Maybe during the 6+ weeks break, whenever I'm done with this round? Who knows!
Projects:
- Only Soul Thief, and happy with that! :D I'm in the phase where it feels nice to be working on a chunky project and knowing exactly what I'll be working on next.
Next week?
Just keep it up with the revisions in general.
Additionally, I did send the Cursed Witch to a couple of beta-readers, but everyone is busy so I don't expect to hear anything until next month. Still working out technical kinks for 2 more beta-readers, so hopefully resolve that by the end of next week! I should try Ellipsus again at some point and investigate if my beta-reading issues from last time were resolved...
And that's me! Lots of learning so I'm very happy. Any creative plans for the upcoming week??
I fear the crazed and lonely looks the mirror's sending me these days
May. 9th, 2026 11:58 amthe_siobhanMy sister went to my dad's house the day after I did and managed to get a couple of book cases emptied. Then she called me and said, this is never going to work. They just have too much stuff and MIL has to decide what to do with every single object. It will take months.
( So Plan B )
( the downside of being made out of meat )
Meanwhile my house is now piled full of crap because I haven't had a chance to deal with it. The neighbourhood yard sale happens at the end of the month so a lot of it is going on a table with a sign that says "Free". The Bell techs that were supposed to show up and look at the downed wires never showed up so I need to follow up with them and I have a couple of other things around the house that I have to get fixed that will just have to wait until I have a week where I know for sure what my schedule is going to be.
***
Lord Brock got put on a new medication, a painkiller this time. He was so stoned on the first day, or maybe just dizzy. I legit thought he had had a stroke for a second when I saw him first thing in the morning, it looked like he was dragging his hind legs but it turned out his legs were fine, he was just really floppy. I had to carry him up and down the stairs all day. I also think he fell over in his litter box, I keep finding little splashes of litter and turds all over the place.
He's on a half dose as of yesterday and we'll see how it goes. He seems much more normal this morning.
He's also very excited that he now gets two daily doses of medication because that means two rounds of treats. Bliss! I should be as easy to please as a cat.
( So Plan B )
( the downside of being made out of meat )
Meanwhile my house is now piled full of crap because I haven't had a chance to deal with it. The neighbourhood yard sale happens at the end of the month so a lot of it is going on a table with a sign that says "Free". The Bell techs that were supposed to show up and look at the downed wires never showed up so I need to follow up with them and I have a couple of other things around the house that I have to get fixed that will just have to wait until I have a week where I know for sure what my schedule is going to be.
***
Lord Brock got put on a new medication, a painkiller this time. He was so stoned on the first day, or maybe just dizzy. I legit thought he had had a stroke for a second when I saw him first thing in the morning, it looked like he was dragging his hind legs but it turned out his legs were fine, he was just really floppy. I had to carry him up and down the stairs all day. I also think he fell over in his litter box, I keep finding little splashes of litter and turds all over the place.
He's on a half dose as of yesterday and we'll see how it goes. He seems much more normal this morning.
He's also very excited that he now gets two daily doses of medication because that means two rounds of treats. Bliss! I should be as easy to please as a cat.
Final Fantasy Tactics Liveblog, part 3
May. 7th, 2026 09:32 pmalthea_valaraI'll be honest, folks: I don't have much oomph to play tonight. I'm going to give it a whirl, though, because I do not want to spend the next two years on one game. So on we go!
BUT WAIT, WHAT'S THIS! A tool tip on the screen has piqued my interest! Now I need to play more to find out what it's about!
( SPOILERS )
BUT WAIT, WHAT'S THIS! A tool tip on the screen has piqued my interest! Now I need to play more to find out what it's about!
( SPOILERS )
You: / The mental breakdown she told you not to worry about:
May. 7th, 2026 10:49 amspindizzyOkay, so we're talking about this. Cut for discussing mental illness and self-harm, caveat emptor.
(I AM FINE.)
( Read more... )
(I AM FINE.)
( Read more... )
Community Thursday
May. 7th, 2026 04:56 amvriddyCommunity Thursday challenge: every Thursday, try to make an effort to engage with a community on Dreamwidth, whether that's posting, commenting, promoting, etc.
Posted and commented on![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
bnha_fans.
Commented onbooknook.
Commented onworderlands.
Commented ongetyourwordsout.
Posted and commented on
bnha_fans.Commented on
booknook.Commented on
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getyourwordsout.book meme!
May. 6th, 2026 11:36 amalthea_valaraborrowed from falkner
This week I'm reading: I'm currently not reading anything, but am seriously thinking of borrowing the audiobook for the Murderbot novel I'm currently on. I own the ebooks and tried reading them, and normally do not have an issue with ebooks, but Kevin R. Free (Murderbot's narrator) is SO GOOD that I felt something was missing when I was reading the ebook. So yes. I think I'm on the third book? Not sure.
My favorite book of all time is: I don't have just one, but I can point to some from my childhood that made an impact on me: "Scruffy", the "Wrinkle in Time" series, "Where the Red Fern Grows"
My current favorite book (read or re-read in the last 3 months) is: I recently reread To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis, which was a delight. It's got some mystery to it and even knowing the solution to the "mystery", it was fun to reread to see how they got to the conclusion.
The last book I bought was: Physical? The Final Fantasy XVI tie-in book Logos. Digital? A Gentleman's Gentleman by TJ Alexander. I haven't read the first yet, but I quite enjoyed the romance novel! Hadn't read the author before, but the book was on a list of Best Romances of the Century So Far, and it sounded like a fun romp. Glad I gave it a try!
The first book I bought with my own money was: I have no idea. I do have memories of buying the "Mr." books, like "Mr. Happy", when I was young (I had a large collection of them) but was that the first? Who knows! We had book fairs at school from an early age and I would have ordered some through there, but that might not have been with my own money.
The first book I received as a gift was: Oh, probably long before this, but I got "A Wrinkle in Time" trilogy for my First Communion and it was very formative for me. I doubt this was the first book I got, but it's the first I REMEMBER getting.
The last book I received as a gift was: Final Fantasy XV: The Dawn of the Future. I need to read it...
The last book I borrowed from the library was: A Princess in Theory by Alyssa Cole. I didn't get very far into it, but that was NOT the fault of the book but rather me. The last four books I had read were all historical-based fiction, and it was a shock to the system to be reading a contemporary.
This or that:
Physical book, e-book, or audio: Yes? Preference for ebook these days, but I'll do any format
Used, new, or fell off the back of the internet: Prefer new
Fiction or non-fiction: Fiction
Read at a coffee shop or at the park:Coffee Shop
Paperback or hardcover: It's been a while since I read a physical book, so I dunno.
Romance or Crime: ROMANCE!
Yes or no:
Literary fiction? NO
Sci-fi/fantasy? YES!!!
Poetry? Eh, not really
Memoirs? Sure
Philosophy? No
Thrillers? Yes
Chronicles? ???
Travel logs? Yup
Dialogue heavy? Yes
falknerThis week I'm reading: I'm currently not reading anything, but am seriously thinking of borrowing the audiobook for the Murderbot novel I'm currently on. I own the ebooks and tried reading them, and normally do not have an issue with ebooks, but Kevin R. Free (Murderbot's narrator) is SO GOOD that I felt something was missing when I was reading the ebook. So yes. I think I'm on the third book? Not sure.
My favorite book of all time is: I don't have just one, but I can point to some from my childhood that made an impact on me: "Scruffy", the "Wrinkle in Time" series, "Where the Red Fern Grows"
My current favorite book (read or re-read in the last 3 months) is: I recently reread To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis, which was a delight. It's got some mystery to it and even knowing the solution to the "mystery", it was fun to reread to see how they got to the conclusion.
The last book I bought was: Physical? The Final Fantasy XVI tie-in book Logos. Digital? A Gentleman's Gentleman by TJ Alexander. I haven't read the first yet, but I quite enjoyed the romance novel! Hadn't read the author before, but the book was on a list of Best Romances of the Century So Far, and it sounded like a fun romp. Glad I gave it a try!
The first book I bought with my own money was: I have no idea. I do have memories of buying the "Mr." books, like "Mr. Happy", when I was young (I had a large collection of them) but was that the first? Who knows! We had book fairs at school from an early age and I would have ordered some through there, but that might not have been with my own money.
The first book I received as a gift was: Oh, probably long before this, but I got "A Wrinkle in Time" trilogy for my First Communion and it was very formative for me. I doubt this was the first book I got, but it's the first I REMEMBER getting.
The last book I received as a gift was: Final Fantasy XV: The Dawn of the Future. I need to read it...
The last book I borrowed from the library was: A Princess in Theory by Alyssa Cole. I didn't get very far into it, but that was NOT the fault of the book but rather me. The last four books I had read were all historical-based fiction, and it was a shock to the system to be reading a contemporary.
This or that:
Physical book, e-book, or audio: Yes? Preference for ebook these days, but I'll do any format
Used, new, or fell off the back of the internet: Prefer new
Fiction or non-fiction: Fiction
Read at a coffee shop or at the park:Coffee Shop
Paperback or hardcover: It's been a while since I read a physical book, so I dunno.
Romance or Crime: ROMANCE!
Yes or no:
Literary fiction? NO
Sci-fi/fantasy? YES!!!
Poetry? Eh, not really
Memoirs? Sure
Philosophy? No
Thrillers? Yes
Chronicles? ???
Travel logs? Yup
Dialogue heavy? Yes
Signal boost: Want paid account features, but cannot afford it at the moment?
May. 6th, 2026 08:06 amvriddyyourlibrarian is hosting a point gift event this year again as part of Three Weeks for Dreamwidth, and enough donors have pledged to gift up to 68 people! See this post on 3weeks4dreamwidth for all the details.Quoting from
yourlibrarian directly:"Paid features are the only way to support Dreamwidth financially, but people who want these services can't always get them for financial or logistical reasons. Thanks to donor pledges, we can now provide points to as many as 68 people, but in order for this to work, people need to step forward! Follow the link above to find out more. Donors and giftees both participate anonymously through screened comments."and
"Remember, paid features is the only way to support Dreamwidth financially. Having giftees means we give Dreamwidth financial resources for all they do.":)
Is There Garlic On This Pizza?
May. 5th, 2026 10:19 amrionaleonhartA couple more answers to Goes Wrong Show questions I've received on Tumblr!
Anonymous: In the CCGW intermission, we get a glimpse of Robert’s CV—apparently, in Romeo and Juliet he played both Romeo and Juliet at the same time, while Chris was listed as the director (later usurped). Do you have any thoughts or ideas about the story behind that?
Robert playing both Romeo and Juliet in the same production is one of my favourite details from Robert's CV; it's such a Robert thing to do. I love him. He should play every part in every play.
I'm actually working on a fic about the dual-Roberts Romeo and Juliet right now [I received this question while I was writing Adaptability], but the concept there is 'there are literally two Roberts', which seems unlikely to be the canonical way it played out! It might instead have been something like this:
- Chris casts himself as Romeo.
- Robert uses every tool at his disposal - complaining, attempting to ensure none of the society's actresses will be available on the night, arguing that casting two men as the lovers will show the progressiveness of the drama society - to get himself cast as Juliet.
- Perfect; Robert is now Juliet! He's in a lead role! He's satisfied.
- ...
- Is he satisfied?
- Now that he sits down and counts, Romeo does have slightly more lines than Juliet. There's a difference of seventy-five lines! That's almost fourteen percent of Juliet's lines! Surely Robert should be playing Romeo?
- Robert attempts to persuade Chris to switch roles. Chris, incredulous, refuses.
- Robert continues to complain. Chris threatens to take Juliet away from him.
- Fine. Robert will have to take matters into his own hands. If he drugs Chris before the performance, just a little innocuous drugging, he can step into the role of Romeo, where he belongs.
- One small downside: nobody else has rehearsed the role of Juliet, so Robert is going to have to play her as well.
- Actually, that's not a downside at all. This is going to be the greatest performance of Romeo and Juliet ever seen.
There is one detail from Robert's CV that this concept doesn't account for: he lists the venue for his Romeo and Juliet production as 'France?', question mark and all. How does Robert end up putting on this play while uncertain of what country he's in? Unless he accidentally drugs himself slightly in the process of knocking Chris out, and then Chris regains consciousness before the play and, furious, chases Robert onto the Eurostar.
Anonymous: do you think robert would enjoy being a vampire?
Robert Grove would have a great time hamming it up as a vampire. He’d wear a cape. He’d hiss. He’d insist on the Cornley Drama Society putting on more vampire-centric plays, largely because he’s now the obvious choice to play vampiric characters.
There is not a chance Robert is nobly going to abstain from drinking human blood. He would attack strangers if he had to, but he’s a coward who wants to avoid serious physical conflict, so he’d try to persuade people to let him drink their blood voluntarily.
This works out fine at first; Sandra is happy to be a sexy vampiric victim! But then Sandra decides she’d prefer to be a sexy vampire, and Robert immediately agrees to turn her. After all, if they’re going to be putting on more vampire plays, it’ll be good to have someone who can play female vampires as well.
So now there are two vampires in the Cornley Drama Society, and Robert’s main source of blood is no longer an option.
Max and Annie agree to let Sandra feed from them: Max a little nervously, and Annie with surprising enthusiasm. Vanessa, very nervously, lets Robert feed from her; she’d really prefer not to have her blood drunk, but she’s worried about Robert not having enough sustenance and she doesn’t entirely know how to say no. Chris, having repeatedly insisted there’s not a chance that Robert will get any of his blood, eventually gives in because he’s worried about Vanessa and wants to ease the burden on her. (This leads to a very confusing sexual awakening for Chris, naturally.)
Also, hey, while I'm posting things from Tumblr, here's a video I took of the hopeful little meerkat I mentioned in this post! If you turn the sound on, you can hear the meerkat's tiny curious chirps and my charmed laughter.
Anonymous: In the CCGW intermission, we get a glimpse of Robert’s CV—apparently, in Romeo and Juliet he played both Romeo and Juliet at the same time, while Chris was listed as the director (later usurped). Do you have any thoughts or ideas about the story behind that?
Robert playing both Romeo and Juliet in the same production is one of my favourite details from Robert's CV; it's such a Robert thing to do. I love him. He should play every part in every play.
I'm actually working on a fic about the dual-Roberts Romeo and Juliet right now [I received this question while I was writing Adaptability], but the concept there is 'there are literally two Roberts', which seems unlikely to be the canonical way it played out! It might instead have been something like this:
- Chris casts himself as Romeo.
- Robert uses every tool at his disposal - complaining, attempting to ensure none of the society's actresses will be available on the night, arguing that casting two men as the lovers will show the progressiveness of the drama society - to get himself cast as Juliet.
- Perfect; Robert is now Juliet! He's in a lead role! He's satisfied.
- ...
- Is he satisfied?
- Now that he sits down and counts, Romeo does have slightly more lines than Juliet. There's a difference of seventy-five lines! That's almost fourteen percent of Juliet's lines! Surely Robert should be playing Romeo?
- Robert attempts to persuade Chris to switch roles. Chris, incredulous, refuses.
- Robert continues to complain. Chris threatens to take Juliet away from him.
- Fine. Robert will have to take matters into his own hands. If he drugs Chris before the performance, just a little innocuous drugging, he can step into the role of Romeo, where he belongs.
- One small downside: nobody else has rehearsed the role of Juliet, so Robert is going to have to play her as well.
- Actually, that's not a downside at all. This is going to be the greatest performance of Romeo and Juliet ever seen.
There is one detail from Robert's CV that this concept doesn't account for: he lists the venue for his Romeo and Juliet production as 'France?', question mark and all. How does Robert end up putting on this play while uncertain of what country he's in? Unless he accidentally drugs himself slightly in the process of knocking Chris out, and then Chris regains consciousness before the play and, furious, chases Robert onto the Eurostar.
Anonymous: do you think robert would enjoy being a vampire?
Robert Grove would have a great time hamming it up as a vampire. He’d wear a cape. He’d hiss. He’d insist on the Cornley Drama Society putting on more vampire-centric plays, largely because he’s now the obvious choice to play vampiric characters.
There is not a chance Robert is nobly going to abstain from drinking human blood. He would attack strangers if he had to, but he’s a coward who wants to avoid serious physical conflict, so he’d try to persuade people to let him drink their blood voluntarily.
This works out fine at first; Sandra is happy to be a sexy vampiric victim! But then Sandra decides she’d prefer to be a sexy vampire, and Robert immediately agrees to turn her. After all, if they’re going to be putting on more vampire plays, it’ll be good to have someone who can play female vampires as well.
So now there are two vampires in the Cornley Drama Society, and Robert’s main source of blood is no longer an option.
Max and Annie agree to let Sandra feed from them: Max a little nervously, and Annie with surprising enthusiasm. Vanessa, very nervously, lets Robert feed from her; she’d really prefer not to have her blood drunk, but she’s worried about Robert not having enough sustenance and she doesn’t entirely know how to say no. Chris, having repeatedly insisted there’s not a chance that Robert will get any of his blood, eventually gives in because he’s worried about Vanessa and wants to ease the burden on her. (This leads to a very confusing sexual awakening for Chris, naturally.)
Also, hey, while I'm posting things from Tumblr, here's a video I took of the hopeful little meerkat I mentioned in this post! If you turn the sound on, you can hear the meerkat's tiny curious chirps and my charmed laughter.
3W4DW check-ins: the catching up quick hits (Days 8, 9, 10)
May. 4th, 2026 10:50 pmalthea_valara1. one creative thing I did today
Saturday: Gathered projects to take along to an outing, and thought about knitted tee
Sunday: Did more swatching on the knitted tee, and washed the swatch
Monday: Measured gauge on washed swatch, and considered new yarn/new gauge tools but did not order any.
2. one thing I'm proud of today
Saturday: I streamed that evening after I got home from seeing
goody_scrivenerSunday: I made a to-do list and did most things on the list, including cleaning my room some! (If you know me, you know this is a big accomplishment)
Monday: Did more work after I got home from therapy, even though I wanted to just play on the internet. Also, played some FFT!
3. video game progress
Saturday: leveling progress on an FFXI alt, streamed new alliance raid in FFXIV
Sunday: more leveling progress in FFXI, and EFC's birthday party in FFXIV
Monday: Played some FFT! didn't get much done because of liveblogging, but folks! Activation energy is HARD for me, so I am very proud that I turned the thing on and played some at ALL.
music meme? music meme!
May. 4th, 2026 10:28 pmalthea_valaraDoing this mostly for the LOLs. Stolen from thatjustwontbreak
Songs
Last song I listened to: Band: Hic Svnt Leones by The Primals (from the "Forge Ahead" arrangement album of FFXIV songs)
Favorite song ever: The one that comes to mind right now is "Sometimes When We Touch" by Dan Hill, because yeah, that refrain? I WANT THAT.
Current song on repeat: By choice? Don't have one. But Apple Music really likes to play FFXIV's "Oblivion" for me, both the original version and the "Let It Go" version. Good thing I like the song! Funny thing is that I didn't like Oblivion for months at first, but then it grew on me and now I love it.
Song that reminds me of my childhood (positive, I actually enjoy getting reminded of this): Elvira!
Song that reminds me of my first crush (romantic or platonic): ....I got nothin'
Song that reminds me of a person important to me now: ....again, I got nothin'
I love this song I will add it to playlists for no reason: "Breezy" from Final Fantasy VIII. It's so calming to me!
I love this song and I wish I could listen to it again for the first time: hmm, first that comes to mind is the piano version of "Heroes" from FFXIV: Heavensward
A playlist about me would start with this song: "Dynamis", from FFXIV:Endwalker. I find the song breathtakingly beautiful and hopeful. I like to think that I am a beautiful and hopeful person. Maybe?
Artists
My top 5 artists of all time are: Nobuo Uematsu, Masayoshi Soken (one of these days I'll remember how to spell Masayoshi without having to look it up), Naoshi Mizuta, Yoko Shimomura, Noriyasu Agematsu
My current top 5 is (current rotation for the last month or so): Wait, top five artists? Because Apple Music has mostly been about Soken-san's music lately... which I do love a LOT but I'm starting to wish for other FF music to play.
When I want to feel at home I listen to: Um, this is still the artist section, so... Naoshi Mizuta? Thinking specifically of "The Republic of Bastok", because Bastok is my HOME in a way that Gridania and Ul'dah aren't.
When I want to feel somewhere else I listen to: Uematsu-san, specifically "Silence and Motion" from Final Fantasy VIII
Last artist I discovered: Terry:D who does piano arrangements of Final Fantasy music. I quite liked them!
Albums
Last album I listened to: Forge Ahead (arrangements from FFXIV: Endwalker and other songs)
Favorite album of all time: FFXI: Rise of the Zilart tied with Distant Worlds (the first)
Comfort album that I listen to to feel better: Not an album, but a playlist of calming songs. Heavy on the FFVIII because that was my favorite soundtrack at the time I made the playlist, but also features the exquisitely beautiful "Brothers" from the original Fullmetal Alchemist soundtrack
Album I'd pay to listen to again for the first time: hmm, probably Shadowbringers?
Album that reminds me of my teenage years: CRINGE CRINGE CRINGE CRINGE new kids on the block
Album I would love to listen to live from start to finish: Shadowbringers
Last album I bought: "Endwalker", digitally on iTunes. I own the BluRay but the only Bluray player I have is my PS4 and that's a pain to deal with, so now I can listen to it whenever I want.
Last album I received as a gift: ???? it's been YEARS. probably not since my twenties?
Last album I recommended: Dawntrail, probably? For "Smile". I like that song.
thatjustwontbreakSongs
Last song I listened to: Band: Hic Svnt Leones by The Primals (from the "Forge Ahead" arrangement album of FFXIV songs)
Favorite song ever: The one that comes to mind right now is "Sometimes When We Touch" by Dan Hill, because yeah, that refrain? I WANT THAT.
Current song on repeat: By choice? Don't have one. But Apple Music really likes to play FFXIV's "Oblivion" for me, both the original version and the "Let It Go" version. Good thing I like the song! Funny thing is that I didn't like Oblivion for months at first, but then it grew on me and now I love it.
Song that reminds me of my childhood (positive, I actually enjoy getting reminded of this): Elvira!
Song that reminds me of my first crush (romantic or platonic): ....I got nothin'
Song that reminds me of a person important to me now: ....again, I got nothin'
I love this song I will add it to playlists for no reason: "Breezy" from Final Fantasy VIII. It's so calming to me!
I love this song and I wish I could listen to it again for the first time: hmm, first that comes to mind is the piano version of "Heroes" from FFXIV: Heavensward
A playlist about me would start with this song: "Dynamis", from FFXIV:Endwalker. I find the song breathtakingly beautiful and hopeful. I like to think that I am a beautiful and hopeful person. Maybe?
Artists
My top 5 artists of all time are: Nobuo Uematsu, Masayoshi Soken (one of these days I'll remember how to spell Masayoshi without having to look it up), Naoshi Mizuta, Yoko Shimomura, Noriyasu Agematsu
My current top 5 is (current rotation for the last month or so): Wait, top five artists? Because Apple Music has mostly been about Soken-san's music lately... which I do love a LOT but I'm starting to wish for other FF music to play.
When I want to feel at home I listen to: Um, this is still the artist section, so... Naoshi Mizuta? Thinking specifically of "The Republic of Bastok", because Bastok is my HOME in a way that Gridania and Ul'dah aren't.
When I want to feel somewhere else I listen to: Uematsu-san, specifically "Silence and Motion" from Final Fantasy VIII
Last artist I discovered: Terry:D who does piano arrangements of Final Fantasy music. I quite liked them!
Albums
Last album I listened to: Forge Ahead (arrangements from FFXIV: Endwalker and other songs)
Favorite album of all time: FFXI: Rise of the Zilart tied with Distant Worlds (the first)
Comfort album that I listen to to feel better: Not an album, but a playlist of calming songs. Heavy on the FFVIII because that was my favorite soundtrack at the time I made the playlist, but also features the exquisitely beautiful "Brothers" from the original Fullmetal Alchemist soundtrack
Album I'd pay to listen to again for the first time: hmm, probably Shadowbringers?
Album that reminds me of my teenage years: CRINGE CRINGE CRINGE CRINGE new kids on the block
Album I would love to listen to live from start to finish: Shadowbringers
Last album I bought: "Endwalker", digitally on iTunes. I own the BluRay but the only Bluray player I have is my PS4 and that's a pain to deal with, so now I can listen to it whenever I want.
Last album I received as a gift: ???? it's been YEARS. probably not since my twenties?
Last album I recommended: Dawntrail, probably? For "Smile". I like that song.
Final Fantasy Tactics Liveblog, part 2
May. 4th, 2026 10:00 pmalthea_valaraOkay, so I let a lot of time go between the first session and this one. That's because it was UNCOMFY playing at my sister's house. I had to sit on the bed and crane my neck to see the TV, and it was hard on my thighs to keep me perched on the bed, plus when I was writing my thoughts down, I twisted my whole body to use the laptop. NOT FUN.
So I decided to wait until I was home. Well, I got home last week but didn't bother to hook my Switch back up until tonight, oops. But it's hooked up now, and I am determined to play for a bit.
Got the Switch displayed on my main monitor, and Dreamwidth on my second monitor. I'm all set. LET'S GO!
( SPOILERS )
So I decided to wait until I was home. Well, I got home last week but didn't bother to hook my Switch back up until tonight, oops. But it's hooked up now, and I am determined to play for a bit.
Got the Switch displayed on my main monitor, and Dreamwidth on my second monitor. I'm all set. LET'S GO!
( SPOILERS )
Intensely Intermittent Writing Logs - May 3rd, 2026
May. 3rd, 2026 12:42 pmvriddyI'm nervous about doing another of these log posts because when they happened somewhat weekly, it was massively depressing to have to drop them when the shit and the fan met for a torrid love affair... Yet here I am! Random stuff that doesn't feel particularly post-specific. I guess I just want to chat ;D
General status/Last week:
I not only discovered the "copyholder" function on Scrivener (basically an additional way to break down your screen, adding a little read-only window at the bottom of your editor pane), but also that you can show a previous snapshot in there. I'm doing A LOT of rewriting at the moment because I added a couple of subplots, and being able to restart a scene from scratch while having the copy of the previous version below + a preview of my bookmark of the updated scene outline in the Inspector side-pane is really super neat.
Once again, I'm thinking I really should sit down with the Scrivener manual someday and have a good read. Then I remember it's nearly 800 page-long. But the number of times when I think "it would be really neat if..." for something small (or not!) and tadam! It's already somewhere in there! only ever increases.
I'm enjoying this round of structural edits!! Obviously, it is only the beginning, and is going slowly. My pace tracker is saying at this pace, I'll probably be done at the end of December lolsob. But that's fine, I'm hoping that it'll pick up a bit once I find my feet with this new way of doing things.
Additionally, something ultra cool that's happening is that I seem able to focus for longer periods than I have in a long time. I believe it's because I've done so much of the thinking work ahead of time and have such a detailed revision plan. A lot of the bigger questions already have answers, and it's about how to make it all fit into the current scenes (and a bunch of rewriting, clearly!) as well as a bit of puzzle solving as I move different character introductions and dialogues around. I think that'll calm down once we get past the intro chapters?? (Then there can be new types of problems XD)
Projects:
- Soul Thief structural edits!
What's coming up next week?
More structural edits, clearly :D And also I want to write to the folks who volunteered to beta the Cursed Witch to check if they're still up for it and confirm timelines. (Prepare thyselves!! >:D)
Feel free to share your writing/creativity plans if any for the coming week, too, if you'd like! What's going on with you?
Sprechen Sie Talk, Huh?
May. 2nd, 2026 01:46 pmrionaleonhartI don't have a fic on the go at the moment, but I'm in the mood to do something creative, so I thought I'd dig up one of my favourite memes!
Ask any fictional character you think I might be able to manage a question, and I'll reply in-character as them with an answer (or possibly reply as myself going 'WHAT THE HELL, I CAN'T DO THIS'). Feel free to ask either as yourself or as another character.
If you're not sure what fandoms I'm in, the fandom list on my AO3 might help.
You may, if you wish, ask multiple questions (and/or multiple characters) or attempt to engage the characters in extended conversation. Ask away!
Ask any fictional character you think I might be able to manage a question, and I'll reply in-character as them with an answer (or possibly reply as myself going 'WHAT THE HELL, I CAN'T DO THIS'). Feel free to ask either as yourself or as another character.
If you're not sure what fandoms I'm in, the fandom list on my AO3 might help.
You may, if you wish, ask multiple questions (and/or multiple characters) or attempt to engage the characters in extended conversation. Ask away!
3W4DW Day 7 Check-in
May. 1st, 2026 10:40 pmalthea_valara1. one creative thing I did today
I saw a movie!
No, wait, hear me out: you may be thinking that this isn't an action of personal creativity, and you're not wrong, but creativity needs to be nurtured and fed. A lot of the reasons I write fluffy fanfic is that I just don't have the necessary experiences to write anything else. I need more experiences! And that could be through living live myself, or it could mean by consuming media.
It is rare I watch movies these days. I don't particularly like movie theaters, for one, and for two, movies tend to be long enough that my mind wanders. But today's movie was good, and I mostly stay focused the whole time! It was also a more comfy setting for me, being at my local library rather than a theater.
I went on mom's behest, but once she told me what the movie was about I went "OOOH!" because I knew I'd like it. We say Rental Family with Brendan Fraiser, and it takes place in Japan (<3!) which is relevant to my interests. I enjoyed it! Not as much as seeing Barbie or Wicked, both of which we also saw at the library, but it was a good movie and I was glad I went.
2. one thing I'm proud of today
I listened to my body and fed it when it was hungry, and napped when I was tired. Otherwise... well, the day was rather lost with going out to breakfast this morning with mom, then movie, then home, then a late lunch, then FLOP on bed, then dinner, then streaming.
I also did not overly freak when something anxiety-provoking happened. This is good progress!
3. video game progress
The latest FFXIV raid has made me want to replay the Bastok Rank 6-10 missions, so before dinner I logged into my Amalberga, my documentation alt who happens to be from Bastok and has completed up to rank 5. I did read the wiki for the 6-1 mission, and I probably could have done it at her level, but it would have been dicey, as she was only level 82 (cap is 99). So I took her Trusts out to Mount Zaylom to fight crabs and level up. She's now level 85, and I am barred from leveling up again with a genkai (limit breaker) quest. I need to farm 10 Kindred Crest's (easy, I probably have them already!) and 5 merit points. I have no merit points currently, so that will mean more EXPing against crabs.
After dinner, I streamed on Siofra. We're in the midst of the Wings of the Goddess expansion, and just finished the 5th set of the Windurst path questline. There was a battle that gave me some trouble. It's meant to be done with real players, and you can bring a whole 18-person alliance if you wish. I was doing it with Trusts (computer controlled NPCs) and they are pretty dumb, in that they won't attack until I swing my staff at an enemy. I'm a MAGE, folks. I get aggro usually by spellcasting. But nope the Trusts just stand there going "durr..." unless I do a physical attack. It's one of the few things that annoy me about the game.
Anyway. First attempt, I tried picking off the enemies one by one. Not good, the wards were defeated and I lost. Second attempt, I tried doing Diaga to grab all enemies at once, which allows for better fighting by the blasted Trusts, but the wards still fell.
The wards have an HP pool. I am a White Mage. The obvious thing is to cast Cure on them, but that doesn't work--they are immune to Cure spells. However, Dancer's Curing Waltz will heal them! So I changed my subjob from /SCH to /DNC, did a few macro changes, and tried again. This time I won!
Unfortunately, I only had oomph for a 2 hour stream. Because FFXI is unvoiced, I do a LOT of "voice acting" by reading lines. I am not an actor, but I try my best. It's exhausting though, trying to perform. So I opted to quit for the night when
jillwise who was watching had to leave.My FFXI anniversary was on April 25th: I first stepped into Vana'diel on that day in 2009. SEVENTEEN YEARS AGO. Where has the time gone? And how cool that the game is STILL up and running so I can enjoy it. But when I realized just how long it's been, I nearly crumbled into dust.
And now, BEDTIME! (Prompto: "Soft sheets, baby!")
3W4DW Day 6 Check-in: a day late (but not a dollar short)
May. 1st, 2026 02:30 pmalthea_valaraWhoops I forgot to do this yesterday, so here's my answers now:
1. one creative thing I did
I worked on a Divine Hat, hoping to finish it for a Nerdopolis challenge. I could have finished it in time had I stuck with it, but I changed projects because I really wanted to fill the Love What You Do challenge, where teams pick their own themes.
I started a knitting pattern for the challenge, but this was pretty late in the afternoon, and it soon became apparent I wouldn't finish in time. So back to crochet I went, where I freehanded a pocket tissue cozy. It's not great, but it's recognizable for what it is, so hey! And I got to fulfill the challenge, which made me happy!
Here's my write-up for my submission:
I spent a large part of my afternoon listening to and supporting a friend. I'm not always the best at being a friend, so I definitely want to give myself a pat on the back for this one.
I logged into Windy and did an alliance roulette on her. I got first Dawntrail raid AGAIN, for the second day in a row. I didn't mind all that much though, because it gave me a coin.
Windy's gear was at ilevel 745. She needs to be at least i755 to do the new patch content. I had previously ran the 7.4 dungeon with Duty Support, which dropped casting body for her. SCORE! I also spent some of her meager stash of gil on the crafted SMN book - and since there was a pentamelded one up for just a bit more than the regular HQ ones, I opted for that one. Her wallet hurts, but that was a big help in her ilevel.
After running the raid, I looked at getting more tomestone gear for her. She already had Historia hands; I picked up a Historia necklace and ring, too, because I had enough Mathematics for them.
I had an inkling that augmenting some of the Historia would be enough--did I have enough coins? I DID! So I augmented the hands and choker, and that put me at exactly 755. So she's good for content!
If I have time, I might do some hunt trains or something on her to see if I can't get the newer tomestone gear (Historia is kinda outdated at this point), but I'm not going to worry too much if I can't.
1. one creative thing I did today on Thursday
I worked on a Divine Hat, hoping to finish it for a Nerdopolis challenge. I could have finished it in time had I stuck with it, but I changed projects because I really wanted to fill the Love What You Do challenge, where teams pick their own themes.
I started a knitting pattern for the challenge, but this was pretty late in the afternoon, and it soon became apparent I wouldn't finish in time. So back to crochet I went, where I freehanded a pocket tissue cozy. It's not great, but it's recognizable for what it is, so hey! And I got to fulfill the challenge, which made me happy!
Here's my write-up for my submission:
Co-op’s theme this month is Favorite Streamer. Mine is Colin Ryan, who along with being a Final Fantasy XIV streamer, also happens to be the English voice of Alphinaud in the game! Colin’s streams are fun, wholesome, and chill, and I just adore watching his reactions as he experiences the full breadth of the game’s story for the first time.
Players in FFXIV are referred to in the game as the Warrior of Light. The WoL has a special ability called the Echo, which allows them to glimpse scenes from people’s pasts. When the Echo kicks in, the Warrior holds their hand up to their face, as if experiencing a sudden headache, and squints in pain. Well, when Colin first saw the Echo, he thought his character was sneezing! Henceforth, the Echo is called The Sneeze on his streams. In honor of this, I made a Pocket Tissue Cozy so I’d never be without my tissues should The Sneeze strike!
Team shout out for Nerd Cred: Colin is not only a streamer of FFXIV but an actual voice artist from it as well, and thus fits into my team’s scope! I can’t resist sharing this clip from his stream - here is Colin hearing himself in game for the first time. IT’S ADORABLE!
2. one thing I'm proud
I spent a large part of my afternoon listening to and supporting a friend. I'm not always the best at being a friend, so I definitely want to give myself a pat on the back for this one.
3. video game progress
I logged into Windy and did an alliance roulette on her. I got first Dawntrail raid AGAIN, for the second day in a row. I didn't mind all that much though, because it gave me a coin.
Windy's gear was at ilevel 745. She needs to be at least i755 to do the new patch content. I had previously ran the 7.4 dungeon with Duty Support, which dropped casting body for her. SCORE! I also spent some of her meager stash of gil on the crafted SMN book - and since there was a pentamelded one up for just a bit more than the regular HQ ones, I opted for that one. Her wallet hurts, but that was a big help in her ilevel.
After running the raid, I looked at getting more tomestone gear for her. She already had Historia hands; I picked up a Historia necklace and ring, too, because I had enough Mathematics for them.
I had an inkling that augmenting some of the Historia would be enough--did I have enough coins? I DID! So I augmented the hands and choker, and that put me at exactly 755. So she's good for content!
If I have time, I might do some hunt trains or something on her to see if I can't get the newer tomestone gear (Historia is kinda outdated at this point), but I'm not going to worry too much if I can't.