Alternate "thinking" emote?

[Iscah]

I've recently realised that there are two different "thinking" animations for characters, and we only seem to have access to one of them - although our own character might do the other one in cutscenes.

I think it's meant as a guaranteed 'quiet thinking' animation with a simple pose, since some of the /think emotes are more lively - pacing around or showing different emotions (male Au Ra does a scheming grin!), and not able to be reliably used by the player-character in cutscenes as a result.

I was trying to find it in the emote list to use for a gpose setup one time, which made me realise that it doesn't seem to be available.

I've only spotted my characters doing it in non-repeatable cutscenes so far, most recently the Starlight quest so I was able to compare it for my four characters, at least.






Is this hidden away in optional emotes somewhere? I've realised it's used a lot, now that I'm aware of it. If not, I wonder if we'll ever get it - and that palm-punching "let's do this!" emote as well. (That one could be a reward for the absolute climax story quest, perhaps? But sooner would be nice.)


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Update 2021: This now exists as the "hmm"/consider emote.

[Yurenai]

I don't know if there's different versions, or what's available outside of default/Mog Station. I saw a PC standing AFK at a bulletin board the other day, and she was doing some constant "pointing at the board" emote, like you'd see busy-type NPCs doing. I don't know if you can earn it somewhere, or get it from a quest chain (I've not completed HW yet) but it was interesting as an idle animation. It was just a random graphic, it wasn't a real market board, and people don't animate when browsing that I know of. I do love that Change Pose is an option, though I doubt it would work with emotes, although it might be racial?

[Eloah]

I'm not sure there is one. I've only ever done the one thinking emote, and I think for lalas it's the same one, not separated by gender.

The images you've shared are all different races and genders. To show better proof you need the same race and gender performing the think emote. The image of the NPC you mentioned seems to be missing as well, so we have no idea what the alternate emote looks like.

[Iscah]

I saw a PC standing AFK at a bulletin board the other day, and she was doing some constant "pointing at the board" emote, like you'd see busy-type NPCs doing.

That sounds like /confirm, which comes from Lv70 treasure maps, but you can buy it on the marketboard - it should be quite cheap, or at least it was last time I looked.

Search for "Ballroom Etiquette" books. From memory there is also /scheme (probably decently priced) and the ludicrously expensive /shiver.

The images you've shared are all different races and genders. To show better proof you need the same race and gender performing the think emote. The image of the NPC you mentioned seems to be missing as well, so we have no idea what the alternate emote looks like.

That's my point though - they're all different characters at the same point in the same script, so presumably doing their race/gender version of the "same" emote.

And I wasn't meaning a specific NPC - it's just that we do see characters using it a lot in cutscenes, and probably more often than the actual /think emote we can make our character do. Minfilia does the Midlander version fairly often, and Elezen characters use that pose almost any time they're thinking. I know I've seen Merlwyb do the Roegadyn version.

I did get screenshots of my characters doing /think as well, but then I wasn't sure if it was necessary to post them or if it was too many pictures.

So, for comparison:


FEMALE MIDLANDER



/think: left hand on chin, right hand on left elbow
Other: left hand over chest



FEMALE ROEGADYN



/think: pacing back and forth with arms crossed, then hands on hips, looking frustrated
Other: single pose - left hand on hip, right hand over chest



MALE ELEZEN



/think: hand on chin
Other: hand on side of face

NPCs almost always use the other pose when thinking.



MALE AU RA



/think: right hand on chin; looking briefly thoughtful then grinning and nodding
Other: left hand over chest; serious expression



So as I'd said in my first post, the alternate emote is more consistently a "quiet thinking" pose regardless of the character's race/gender - if they used the /think animation at that point (or in more important situations) it wouldn't necessarily fit the scene. It's also a simple pose that they can hold for as long as they need to, while /think is a more timed animation that they would carry out and then revert to a neutral pose.