Rin Heartseer - Ask Him Anything!

Yeah know how my intro post said I'd likely have more WoLs soon? Yuuuuup.



Meet Rin! He's a Keeper Miqo'te who started experiencing the Echo at a very young age - as unchecked empathy. It's... it's something alright. It made the Bloody Banquet and Heavensward and is making Endwalker all so, so much worse, although meeting Krile has finally led to significantly more control than he's had at any point in his life before then.

Feel free to ask away!

(Sorry the picture quality is kinda crap, Sony is making it ridiculously hard to get images and videos off the PS4 at the moment and I haven't had a USB drive since the 2000s.)

Keeper! I love Keepers! Where did Rin grow up, and what was his general childhood like?

Are there methods that Rin has developed in dealing with his Echoes? Just something that helps take the edge off of anything that becomes overwhelming?

Hi Rin! What kinds of things do you like to do in your time away from being the Warrior of Light? And are there any people you particularly like to spend time with (either among the Scions, or outside of them)?

Ainyan wrote:

Keeper! I love Keepers! Where did Rin grow up, and what was his general childhood like?

Keepers are awesome!

Rin's tribe are nomadic, and used to mostly travel around the various provinces of Thanalan. They're mostly hunters and traders, known for their leatherwork and bone jewelry. His mother was a hunter and his father a crafter, and he learned the basics from them as a kit.

When he was four or five - or maybe earlier, it took a while to realise what was happening - he started picking up on the feelings of everyone around him. At first his parents tried to keep it a secret from fear he'd be made to leave, but thankfully the Elder of the tribe understood what a useful ability it could be and he was given the name Heartseer, a title given to tribe members who had the Echo. The fact that it was common enough in their history for there to be a title was a huge relief! From then until the Calamity, he accompanied the traders and Elders to learn how to negotiate and to warn them if anyone had bad intentions.

After the Calamity a lot of their traditional hunting grounds were destroyed, so the tribe had to range further and further. During one of these expeditions into new lands, he got seperated from them because of a hallucination? Dream? Vision? of the sky on fire and lost track of them. A friendly trader helped him get to Ul'dah, where he fell in with the Thaumaturge's Guild and stayed with them for a few years.

He did manage to find his tribe again mid-ARR, but his work with the Scions had already gotten to the Primal-slaying stage and though it pained him, he made the decision to keep to that work. He keeps in contact with them now, although it can be sporadic with all the travelling.

PaintedScales wrote:

Are there methods that Rin has developed in dealing with his Echoes? Just something that helps take the edge off of anything that becomes overwhelming?

As a child the only way to deal with it when it was bad was to pitch a tent away from people and try to sleep. Being a child with empathy SUCKS. As he got older he learned meditation from the more magically-inclined tribe members, and that helped quite a lot. A lot of the mindfulness and focussing techniques he learned from the Thaumaturges helped too, making it possible to ignore for long enough to get somewhere quieter. It wasn't until he met Krile and spent some time being taught by her about the Echo and its workings that he was able to find a way to sort of 'turn it down' when it's too much. It doesn't always work, but it makes a huge difference in his day to day life.

TheDeerLord wrote:

Hi Rin! What kinds of things do you like to do in your time away from being the Warrior of Light? And are there any people you particularly like to spend time with (either among the Scions, or outside of them)?

"Hello! Hrm... Well I try to spend time with my tribe as often as I can, although it can be hard between the constant travelling we all do! I find people with a lot of focus and 'warm' emotions to be most pleasant to be around when I can, so among the Scions I find Alphinaud, G'raha and Urianger very comfortable to spend time with. Y'shtola too, when she's in a good mood, and Tataru is an absolute joy! Honestly all the Scions are nice to be with, although I stay away from Thancred when he's drinking or Alisaie in a foul mood if I can."

"I spend lots of time with Krile, obviously, working on understanding the Echo and how it manifests! Oh, and whenever I'm in the First I absolutely have to go and visit Moren in the Cabinet of Curiosity, he's like a warm hug! Haurchefant was incredibly soothing to be around, and Aymeric is lovely when he has free time... Estinien is surprisingly good to be around when I'm having a bad day, now that I think about it. And E-Sumi-Yan at the Conjurer's Guild, and strangely Stephanivien is very grounding despite having one of the most active brains I've ever met..."

"I have so many friends who are fun to be with, really! I'm lucky!"

Of all the dungeons you've explored and the trials you've faced, which one left the best memories?

Skaar wrote:

Of all the dungeons you've explored and the trials you've faced, which one left the best memories?

Sorry about the delay, my ISP decided to bork itself again. Yaaaay.

"Oooo, that's a tricky one. There's a lot of places and fights that have been important for various reasons... But I think the Grand Cosmos is the place I had the best time! I got to spend time with G'raha being himself again, and it was really funny watching Alphinaud and Alisaie trying to get used to him being so good in a fight! It was good to see Raha being so happy and carefree that day."

Do you prefer tea, coffee... or some other type of beverage? What about snack foods?

*takes notes as the owner of a tea shop*

Spot Of Mummery wrote:

Do you prefer tea, coffee... or some other type of beverage? What about snack foods?

*takes notes as the owner of a tea shop*

"Hmm... to be honest I only drink tea when I'm feeling sick, and coffee makes me shake so hard I can't really do anything for a while after. I like fruit juices most, and lemonade, especially when they're really cold. And those cute little pastries that Lyngsath taught me how to make, the ones he gives out around the holidays! And the biscuits Tataru makes, the square ones in with the chessboard pattern. I like things that are sweet but not too sweet in general. ...Now I want to go to the Bismarck and help out again. I love cooking but I just don't seem to have the time for it very often."