Y'shtola's Eyes

[Ananisapta]

Why do her pupils reflect light? No creature I know of is that way, nor can I imagine a good reason optically. Also, it would add something if pupils would react to emotion as they do in reality.

[Mhaeric]

Why do her pupils reflect light? No creature I know of is that way, nor can I imagine a good reason optically. Also, it would add something if pupils would react to emotion as they do in reality.

She's blind to mundane sight but can see aetheric flows directly and her eyes help to convey that.

Also, take a look at dunesfolk lalafel eyes some time. They have the same near solid iris thing going on too.

[Ananisapta]

Hmm... I didn't know that. Was it discussed in FFXIV or some earlier version? Is the young Minfilia the same? Her eyes also seem misted over.

On the topic of Y'shtola, I also notice that her ears are completely expressionless. Anybody who's been around cats has observed that they use tail and ears to express emotion and attention. And, of course, their pupils react briskly to light and emotion.

You might not suppose from my comments here, but I spend a lot of time praising FFXIV in other forums; here is where I come to deliver myself of criticisms, hoping somebody among the devs might profit from these ideas.

[AnimaAnimus]

The change in her eyes was explained in the HW story when she is pulled from the aetherial sea and referenced at least twice since then. My guess is since you are lvl 75 you either used a skip potion or just skipped the dialog.

This game is filled with such things and as a lore junky I feel its always a bummer when ppl skip things because the world and story is really rich.

[Mhaeric]

Hmm... I didn't know that. Was it discussed in FFXIV or some earlier version?

As mentioned by the previous poster, she loses it during HW. You can see what her eyes used to look like in old cutscenes and promotional art. They were green and with Seeker of the Sun vertical slit pupils. The same events that caused her to lose her sight caused Thancred to become desensitive to aether. My personal feeling is that their personalities were also changed by it, moreso Y'shtola's, but I think that's more subjective on my part and could be from other stuff. Y'shtola seeming expressionless and cold is part of her personality now, but she used to be very carefree, almost hippy-like. Kind of like an arts professor with a PhD.

Is the young Minfilia the same? Her eyes also seem misted over.

I don't want to get spoiler-y, but Minfilia has a different reason her eyes are like that. There's a point in the story where her eye appearance, among other things, has a part in the story.

On the topic of Y'shtola, I also notice that her ears are completely expressionless. Anybody who's been around cats has observed that they use tail and ears to express emotion and attention. And, of course, their pupils react briskly to light and emotion.

My miqo'te ears don't move much except on a handful of animations, so I didn't notice anything unusual about her ears. Likewise the tail, although the tail moves more in general. It's just general movement most of the time, though, except on certain animations.

Also, miqo'te aren't cats.

[Iscah]

Is the young Minfilia the same? Her eyes also seem misted over.

Young Minfilia is like that because 'old Minfilia' was like that - it was covered during the post-Heavensward storyline that the same warp spell that left Y'shtola lost in the aetherial sea also pulled Minfilia in and she basically merged with Hydaelyn. In this state she has the same 'crystal blue' eyes that young Minfilia has.

My personal feeling is that their personalities were also changed by it, moreso Y'shtola's, but I think that's more subjective on my part and could be from other stuff.

Somewhere around the point where we've just rescued her, there's missable dialogue where she says (from memory) that being in the Lifestream was a struggle to hold her own self together and it has "hardened her in ways she cannot explain".