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Dragon Quest Xi - Blog Posts
For the "top 5 anything" post; top five Jasper hcs!
Thank you for this ask! Here we go then!
He is insomniac. Because of that, he stays up late to work because he simply can't fall asleep. The years of stress don't help either.
2. Because he sleeps so little, he's not a morning person. He won't be fully awake if not for a warm bath and a sweet tea.
3. Because he works so late with for sole source of light candles, his eyes are very tired and he needs glasses. Not that he'll admit it any time soon.
4. He does a lot of work-out to compensate all the sugar he regurlay ingests. He's terrified to gain weigth and to look less appealing. However, his addiction to sugar makes it difficult to reduce his consumption. He usually reads or works on reports while training, as a way to save time.
5. He has an excellent memory that he trains as well. He also pays great attention to details, so he knows who he's talking to, even maids or soldiers/knights, and he knows details about them like birthday dates. He gets small gifts for the staff he appreciates, like a floral perfume for his appointed staff/maids.
DQXI Characters’ Favorite Musicals
Disclaimer: I’ve seen like, half of these.
Erik
Epic the Musical ; I don’t think Erik has ever read or even knows of that much ancient classic epic poetry but Epic is an insanely well executed and accessible adaptation that I think Erik would adore. This musical brings up questions of what it means to be a hero, where loyalties lie, the question of manmade will vs. fate, and closure. He cries at like six different parts.
West Side Story ; Doesn't want to admit how much he loves the romance so he pretends to project onto Tony.
Shrek the Musical ; I refuse to elaborate.
Veronica
Heathers ; Veronica loves fun and campy, and Heathers is exactly that. Yeah, there’s a really intense plot and social commentary about teen culture, bullying, and that ideal coming of age get twisted into a nightmare, but also she loves belting that one note in Candy Store.
Legally Blonde ; Thinks it’s a cool story about an underestimated girl diving into something way over her head for maybe the wrong reasons and coming out all the more right for it.
Mean Girls ; She just thinks it’s funny! Gets so heated if someone tries to compare Heathers with Mean Girls and call them the same thing. Likes to argue with Serena about whether Heather Chandler or Regina George would win in social warfare.
Serena
Peter and the Starcatcher ; Okay so this one is a play and not a musical but i think it has the perfect balance of childlike whimsy and narrative drama that she’d love. It’s just like her favorite storybooks from childhood!
Matilda ; Absolutely adores Matilda. Sometimes she feels a little guilty for resonating with the story, because it’s not that her family wasn’t loving or unappreciative of her talents. She just really likes Matilda.
Anastasia ; Oh...her poor heart...the themes of family, memories, romance...
Sylvando
Mamma Mia! ; Is anyone surprised? No? Didn’t think so. The drama, the Mediterranean beach vibes, Meryl Streep. Has all the musical numbers memorized by heart and can play most of them on his recorder.
Kinky Boots ; Listen, Sylvando is queer and we all know this. I think seeing Kinky Boots was part of what helped him explore his own identity growing up.
Come from Away ; I think this musical means a lot to him and even moreso after he comes to join the band of merry misfits that is the DQXI party.
Jade
Dear Evan Hansen ; Gets her right in the imposter syndrome. It reminds of her of how she's always longed for meaningful connection with others, but was never really able to achieve.
Beetlejuice the Musical ; It's silly and fun! Also the dead mom subplot also does a lot.
Six ; She can get a little bit of girlboss musical. As a treat. Really though, the story of a bunch of queens being independent and learning to rise above their reputations that've been dominated and tainted by men? Come on!! So perfect for Jade.
Rab
The Sound of Music ; He’s a classics enjoyer and what musical could ever be considered more classic than this one? Beautiful soundtrack, such a bittersweet story. It captures a lot of aspects of life that he finds himself reflecting on, like finding purpose, building a life with love and music, and defending that love even in the face of darkness.
The King and I ; Another classic and, in his eyes, a super fun exploration of the whole "royal romance" tropes.
Hadestown ; This is a newer retelling of an old story, but he eats it up. The adaptation of Orpheus and Eurydice is just so unique, and the musical showmanship is something he can really appreciate
Hendrik
The type to say he loves theatre because that’s expected of someone of his status, but he falls asleep in the balcony seats every time. Jasper smacks him awake with the playbill. There’s only a few he’s actually stayed awake for—
The Lion King ; Wonderful theatrics that are so visually interesting that he stays awake past the opening number. It's the only court drama that he finds compelling. The duty and honor of it inspire him.
Waitress ; Saw it with Princess Jade when she was younger. It was just so different and exciting from the typical high society bores that he's used to seeing! And Jenna is just such a determined protagonist, he's rooting for her from the start.
Annie ; He cries.
Jasper
Phantom of the Opera ; He will fight within an inch of his life defending this musical as The Best Ever, The Musical That Defines Musical Theatre. Will absolutely sob during “All I Ask of You.” He thinks the phantom was just misunderstood.
Wicked ; Enjoys the musical entirely separately from the written work. This musical has brought Jasper to a point never experienced by anyone else in Erdrea but explicitly experienced by early 2000s fandoms. He's rotated the this musical in his head like a microwave and probably talks Hendrik's ear off about the lore, character dynamics, etc.
Cats ; Secretly his favourite musical literally ever. It's just so silly. It makes him laugh. Hendrik does not understand what he sees in this musical.
Which dqxi character like tea or coffee more? I personally think that the Luminary likes hot chocolate more lol
Big agree on Lumi being a hot chocolate enjoyer! I actually have a post about the DQXI characters’ Starbucks orders lol— but just tea or coffee in general? Lets see~
Erik
He wants to a black coffee person so bad, he thinks it’d make him look cool. Realistically, he can’t drink coffee without a bunch of creamer and sugar.
It does give him the jitters but only if he drinks a LOT.
Veronica
Coffee person for sure! But restaraunts never want to serve her coffee >:( she makes Serena order it for her
She likes Mexican hot chocolate too! Spicy and warm -w-
Serena
Totally a tea girlie. Loves settling down in the evenings with a nice warm cup of herbal tea in a big cozy mug with cute print on it.
Doesn’t mind coffee, just doesn’t prefer it. Has a surprisingly good tolerance for caffeine, though.
Sylvando
That man is from Mediterranean Europe, he drinks coffee more than he drinks water.
Doesn’t hate tea, but he’s very picky about it. Has to steep it perfectly. The tannic-ness can ruin it for him.
Jade
I think she’s pretty evenly split 50/50, but tea is just more common to her daily routine, especially because Rab always has some on hand.
I think if she had the opportunity to she’d maybe have a cup every morning to help wake her up.
Rab
Definitely prefers tea. Helps warm his heart and soothe his old bones.
Coffee is like a once in a while treat for him, especially if he’s having some pastries with it.
Hendrik
My partner headcanons that coffee plants are not native to Heliodor and I believe it. I think coffee gives Hendrik heartburn.
He drinks tea not because he prefers it but because he does not want his tummy to hurt.
Jasper
It’s canon that he loves lemon tea with too much sugar!
Has a better caffeine tolerance than Hendrik, but coffee can still make him nauseous if he drinks it too fast or has too much. Also drowns his coffee in sugar.
Hendrik, teaching Sylv Zwaardsrustian, holding up an apple: Appel. Sylv: Okay, that's easy. Hendrik, swapping the apple for a potato: Aardappel. Sylv:
I think about this constantly. Hendrik is only 36 years old and he’s endured so much trauma, both physical and psychological. He was alive for long enough that he has memories of his homeland and of his father teaching him how to dance. I imagine that he was only six or seven years old when Zwaardrust fell. Maybe not old enough to remember everything, but old enough to remember the darkness and the screams and the unyielding terror. At the same time, do you think he remembers waking up alone and scared? Do you think he remembers seeing the helmet of the Helidorian knight that dug his body out of the rubble? Do you think he remembers the shock in their voice when he coughed, when they realised he was still breathing, that he’s alive? Do you think he remembers his own birthday?
Hendrik’s service to Heliodor is simultaneously all he has to live for and a constant reminder of what he lost. If things were just a little different, he never would have been here. But what can he do about it now, y’know? He owes his life to King Carnelian, to Jasper as well frankly. According to the official character book (iirc), he was skin and bones, still crying for his family, and only fell asleep after Jasper shared some sweets with him and read him storybooks. What a privilege to grow up alongside such a patient, ambitious, utterly brilliant prodigy. What a fraud I am, standing next to this genius. Hendrik’s undying dedication to his oath is a fight for his life, for the right to feel as if he’s even worthy enough of a man to fight in the name of Heliodor, of a king who shaped the course of his life in ways he would never imagine.
I also think it’s not unrealistic that his trauma, the consequences of it, and how he’s processed it inadvertently contributed to his rivalry and fallout with Jasper. Obviously that doesn’t make it his fault, but things tend to affect other things like that.
The fall of Dundrasil was probably so horrific for Hendrik. Being knighted as a general afterwards probably felt entirely undeserved. Growing up, training at Puerto Valor, putting his soul into becoming a valiant knight, all for what? To let a kingdom die? He was forced to confront a question he never asked and always feared the answer to.
“If I were stronger, could I have stopped it?” No. No, you couldn’t.
Also I’m sure it wasn’t fun finding out that king carnelian was possessed for at least 16 years and exploited Hendrik’s ignorance of the fact while also exploiting his fractured relationship with his childhood best friend
Do you guys ever think about how Hendrik survived the fall of both Zwaardsrust and Dundrasil? The fact that they both fell due to monster attacks must have been horrible for him.
Thinking again on some Dave Lore: In the book "Dave: A Legend", he's mentioned as becoming a "pink-masked privateer". A privateer was sponsored by the state, so to speak - which got me wondering.
A privateer was often issued commissions, or letters of marque, allowing them to attack other ships without fear of it being labelled as piracy, and being allowed to claim those ships as prizes under law. Dave only became a privateer after his beloved King fell - which I've always assumed to have been King Arnout of Zwaardsrust, the last King. After Arnout fell, so too did Zwaardsrust, leaving Dave without a home kingdom.
Twenty years or so later he met Sylv - a noble by birth - and together they painted all the masts and sails in the inland sea pink. Ergo, Sylv, as Dave's newfound sovereign, commissioned Dave and allowed him to go after those ships without fear of reprisal - and even helped him in that task, as the book mentions.
DQXI Characters and Nausea
“That’s such an oddly specific thing to write about why are you—” My stomach hurts and I’m sad about it
Erik
The sight of unappealing food can actually make his stomach turn quite a bit, surprisingly. There’s just not too much he won’t eat.
Veronica
Gets motion sickness and horrid seasickness. The Salty Stallion is not kind to her.
Serena
Overwhelming smells make her nauseous, and give her a migraine. She loves the aesthetic of scented candles but it’s so hard to find ones that don’t unsettle her
Sylvando
Whenever he gets a little stage fright (or pre show anxiety?) he can feel his stomach get a little bit jumpy, but that’s almost never
He will get nauseous whenever he experiences bouts of depression or uninspired times
Jade
The sight of blood makes her nauseous, most injuries do
Rab
Gets indigestion pretty regularly due to his age and having a sensitive stomach
He also feels stomach pains if he overexerts himself physically
Hendrik
Bugs make his stomach uneasy. Their legs and their slime and their eyes and their…ourgh.
Jasper
Getting too worked up over anything can lead to him feeling queasy. Too much excitement, too much anger, too much anxiety. He’s very sensitive.
Where I’d Take DQXI Characters on a Date
Not quite a set of headcanons as much as just self indulgent nonsense -w-
Erik
I feel like he’s an activity guy. Part of me wants to think that the pressure of conversation would make him feel a little shy and second guess himself more than usual.
Rollerblading, ice skating, or even something like axe throwing would be a great idea! Something physical that lets him feel confidently in his element (agility, deftness, sleight of hand)
Veronica
I don’t know if I can call it a date but I’d take her to build a bear just to fuck with her LMAO
Afterwards I think it’d be fun to walk around the rest of the mall and laugh at silly stores, do some window shopping. Maybe get a giant pretzel.
I also think she’d like going to a gachapon arcade :)
Serena
Bookstore…Barnes and Noble…showing each other our favourite literature, poetry books, maybe even exploring some graphic novels…picking out books that make us think about each other…buying over priced Starbucks drinks…
A paint and sip or cooking class together would also be fun!! An activity, but something cooperative and cozy
Sylvando
Oh man I’d be nervous about this one
Immediately I want to start the night with a super fancy seafood dinner. Something we could both get super dressed up for. Seeing a theatre show or opera afterwards might be nice too!
Jade
I know in my heart she’d love a gym date but I’m far too out of shape for that and I would cry. We’re going for a nature hike together.
Rab
Honestly? I also think a nice little nature walk or visit to a public park would be nice. We could feed birds :)
I think he’d also lowkey love a board game cafe. Vibes. Fun drinks and possibly snacks. Learning experiences.
Hendrik
It is canon that this 6’6” man is afraid of bugs and if I ever met him personally I’d never let him live that down. I would take him on a date and surprise him with tickets to visit the museum. We would see the butterfly vivarium and then go touch giant cockroaches. I would buy him a giant, hyper-realistic stuffed isopod plush in the gift shop.
There would not be a second date.
Jasper
I would be terrified, first of all. If I don’t impress him I’d never be able to show my face on this earth again.
Honestly? I think I’d gamble and take him to a museum. Not for the same reason as Hendrik. Definitely an art museum. Is it a little quiet and boring? Maybe. But it would give him a chance to monologue and show off his thinking and analytic skills, and I think that would make him feel appreciated.
Then I would propose to him
DQXI Characters and Calling vs Texting
Erik
Bad at both. Has hundreds of unread messages and missed calls he never actually plans to get back to
The only person he’ll answer semi-regularly (like once a week) is Lumi, and they barely even text because they’re always right next to each other
Veronica
Prefers texting, uses lots of fun punctuation and emojis like (● ˃̶͈̀ロ˂̶͈́)੭ꠥ⁾⁾
Low-key a meme queen. Finds the most obscure reaction images.
Doesn’t mind phone calls, absolutely does mind when they take longer than 15 minutes.
Serena
Loves calling to check up on you and very much keeps you on the phone for longer than 1 hour
Texts you as if she’s writing a letter to her lover overseas. Perfect grammar, very long winded, occasionally writes “from Serena” at the end
Sylvando
Calls AND texts like a 90s girl kicking her feet in bed, painting her nails, hair up in curlers, modelling on a motorola razr advertisement
Jade
Texts, but like, not very expressively. Uses an emoji every now and then. Her manner of speaking does not translate into written word at all. It always sounds like she’s mad at you.
Rab
Texts like your grandfather does next question
Hendrik
Prefers calling. Writes his text messages like he’s writing an email.
“Good morning, Luminary. I am reaching out to inquire if we will still be visiting the library with our companions this afternoon. Sincerely, Hendrik.”
Jasper
Texts like your mother does. The way he phrases things gives you anxiety. Incredibly offended if you do not respond immediately. Uses ellipses (“…”) excessively.
GIRLS! erik's there too lol
need u to understand how obsessed I am for the cd dramas I recently reread the transcript for the play one and jhrrgrghrghhgrghrgfghgfrfgghfrgfrhg
How DQXI Party Members would navigate TikTok
Erik
Started by posting silly videos for himself and his friends. Videos of him and Lumi doing viral dances, pranking Veronica, the occasional thirst trap fit check or cool knife trick
Accidentally got a decent amount of attention. Like, people get excited when they see him leaving comments on their videos.
Doesn’t post nearly as often as he did before he got famous. Posts way more often on a secret private account he made.
Veronica
TikTok almost banned her for not meeting their age requirement
She’s got a very small presence. Doesn’t post too much, maybe an occasional review of a book Serena recommended to her. Sometimes posts herself showing off new magic abilities.
Restricts most of her videos to “friends only” but that doesn’t stop Erik, Serena, and Sylv from dragging her onto their accounts.
Serena
Never actually meant to post any videos but then she saw a BookTok take that was so horrendous she couldn’t stop herself from making a 14 minute video stitching her response
One of the biggest influencers leading critical discussions about contemporary literature. Would like to post cooking videos, but she’s too shy/under-confident about her skills
Posts videos of herself playing the harp every now and then to try and share some positivity— and then goes right back to dragging Colleen Hoover’s name through wet dirt
Sylvando
His presence immediately drew the attention of all his adoring fans, and he eats it up. Always posting make up tutorials, GRWM, OOTD, cooking, dances, etc. If he misses one day of posting his followers think he’s dead.
A rare but treasured breed of Sylvando post is the two minute long video of him reminding his followers to never stop smiling, always protect their own light, and to never give up fighting against the darkness that plagues the world.
He also dedicates a lot of his content to promoting/collaborating with smaller accounts :) The spotlight is meant to be shared!
Jade
Rarely posts, but when she does it’s usually some variety of a “get ready with me” video. Accidentally became famous because she’s got a lethal face card.
Loves showing off her cutesy matching workout sets and her favorite post gym recipes. Collabs with Sylvando whenever they have homie gym dates :)
Very easily discomforted by the parasociality of social media and will randomly drop off the face of the earth for months at a time
Rab
Help him. He doesn’t even have his own TikTok account, the kids just drag him into their own
Recurring character in his children’s (the party’s) videos. “Seeing how many oranges I can stack on my grandfather’s head while he sleeps.” // “Grandpa’s first time playing deltarune” // “My grandpa’s favourite sandwich recipe”
Not always fully into it but it makes him feel young and hip, and he loves making his kids happy :)
Hendrik
He’s got one of those accounts with a blank profile picture and autogenerated username like hendrik0621593
Never posts anything. Follows his friends and likes their videos and minds his business. Occasionally asks Jasper what certain slang means because he’s so out of the loop.
Always ends up on strange niche sides of TikTok because the algorithm is so confused by him. Ended up following a few mushroom forager accounts.
Jasper
Only has an account so he can block Hendrik.
Has a hard time getting into social media because he’s just so disinterested in the affairs of random people. Whenever he sees something annoying online, he gets a little embarrassed that he even cared enough to get angry in the first place
Tries to avoid doomscrolling but the content he does consume is usually aesthetic oriented. Musicians and singers, vacation inspo, occasionally baking content.
DQXI Characters and how they’d comfort you during finals week
Because this game is the only thing getting me through postgrad
Erik
At first it seems like he doesn’t really care that much but he’s actually just trying to stay out of your way. He thinks he’ll just distract you, and he doesn’t want to be another obstacle for you.
Wants to support you as best he can, but you’ll need to be direct with what it is he can do. Say the word and he’d have the sword of light in your hands if you really wanted it.
Please for the love of Erdrea do not ask this man to proofread your papers or he might start crying.
Veronica
The older sister instinct kicks in for sure. All of her advice is completely unsolicited, but she just wants you to succeed! Would sit and help you take notes, listen to you practice presenting, and offers excellent feedback
Wants to make sure you’re happy and healthy and not losing yourself to your work. Reminds you to drink water, throws a blanket over you when you fall asleep at your desk.
That doesn’t stop her from nagging you and calling you lazy when you wake up.
Serena
Offers to help with everything, even if it’s a little distracting sometimes.
Very she’s committed to being there for you. If you pull an all nighter, she’d volunteer to stay up right there next to you. She’d still end up falling asleep before you do, but it’s the thought that counts.
Would very much offer to do things like cook, clean, walk your dog while you focus on your studies. She wants to lessen your load as much as possible.
Sylvando
Retail therapy <3 He spoils you with little gifts, whether it’s a new purse or even some cute stationary so that highlighting the 7th textbook you’ve read is a little less painful
Your number one cheerleader. Postgrad degrees are serious commitments and acts of dedication to something you must care about, and he knows this.
Sylvando would do everything he can to reaffirm your confidence in yourself. It would make him sad to see something you care so much about bring you stress, so his top priority is making sure you smile.
Jade
I think she’s the type to wake up early in the morning to go to the gym. Before she leaves, she’d make your breakfast and set it on the table so it’s there when you wake up.
When she comes back to you, she has two iced coffees and a little box of pastries from the coffee store for you two share while she sits with you.
The way she supports you is very quiet and casual, but consistent. Does her best to keep you as routine oriented as possible. She knows responsibilities are daunting and she doesn’t want to see you run away from them.
Rab
He’s a little bit like an old dad who forgot how to do long division trying to help you get your fifth grade math homework done, but the spirit is there
Always offers to give you breaks. Want to come with me to the grocery store? Feeling like McDonald’s? Come sit on the porch with me and watch the sunset for a few minutes. Let’s watch some TV together tonight.
Brings cut fruit to your room when he knows you’re locked in and need to focus. Always leaves motivational post it notes throughout the house.
Hendrik
If you weren’t anxious enough about your work as it is, he (unintentionally) makes it worse. He’s a little bit on top of you, he remembers your deadlines better than you do and he will not let you forget them.
You might tell him to back off because he is just a tad bit making everything so much worse. He will be so apologetic, and from that point on he’s at your beck and call.
Need a break? Let’s take Obsidian for a walk. Hungry? He’ll bring food home for you. He’s got your favorite orders memorized. Need to cry? He’ll hold the tissue box, help you wash your face afterwards, and hold you if you really need him to.
Jasper
It feels like he’s actively antagonizing you. What, you’re having a hard time? What did you expect? Maybe you should’ve thought about that before deciding to pursue all this. What else are you going to do then? Quit?
It’s mean and not very helpful, but he’s parroting his own internal monologue towards you. You’d have to knock a little sense into him. After a discussion about projecting his own self esteem issues onto someone else, he’d be a little nicer.
Your weeks turn into long dates at the library, sitting across from each other at the desks. He reads his favorites while you study and promises to tell you how they end, as long as you finish your work. Afterwards, he takes you to dinner at your favourite place.
Thinking about the DQXI Party member's favorite fruits
Note: I haven’t finished the game yet!! Pls be careful with spoilers, I just got Jade back into my party 💚
Erik went wild dog feral the first time he ever tasted a mango. Exotic, summery fruits were rare to come across in Snifelheim, and I like to think he's very adventurous when it comes to food. Lingonberries hit him with a weird nostalgia.
I think Veronica is a strawberry girl, and she likes them even more when they're on the sour side. A bit of a basic choice, but she's not ashamed of it. It's only a little insulting now that she looks like strawberry shortcake.
Serena likes pears. Specifically Bartlett pears. Simple, mild flavor, not too crisp.
I think Sylvando loves citrus fruits. Oranges and lemons grow well in Puerto Valor. He's also a guava enjoyer. His favorite way to eat fruit is on a toothpick as cocktail garnish.
Jade likes grapes. Can’t explain, just vibes.
Rab is a rhubarb-strawberry pie enjoyer no I can’t justify this one either. This ain’t even about fruits anymore. I do think he likes most fruits that can be baked into something, like turnovers or pies. More characters (possible spoilers) below
Hendrik enjoys an apple. Simple. Predictable. Can't hurt you. Perhaps he'll engage with a berry if he’s feeling daring.
Jasper likes any fruit that goes well with whipped cream, like peaches, berries, cherries, etc.
Prince Faris is a diva, he'll only eat the most luxurious choices! Cactus fruits are pretty common where he's from, but for some reason he gives Passion Fruit vibes. I also think he'd like papaya. I think he'd like pinapple but wouldn't be able to eat too much. He doesn't like how it burns his tongue!
Vince Vanquish isn't a fruit enthusiast per se, but he likes to advertise healthy eating habits for the kids in the orphanage that he takes care of. He snacks on apple slices, oranges, bananas, the type of stuff that's easy to get kids interested!
Suddenly thinking again about the orb's powers the Sentinels used, and if those abilities were originally usable by the orb's original owners. Or perhaps, a reverse of those powers.
Red Orb: Increases' party defence by 50% Blue Orb: Removes debuffs Yellow Orb: Returns anyone turned to gold back to normal Green Orb: Reduces MP drained by certain abilities Silver Orb: Unleashes righteous lightning on enemies Purple Orb: Allows the wielder to create a clone of themself
hello. you should check out my mods for DRAGON QUEST® XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age – Definitive Edition. goodbye
