#@ idalenn -- no YOU by the way

[paintedscales]

8 A 8 aaaaa, thank you!!

um!! i have some lovelies that i would love to share!!!

@blossomblade -- i have to show off my partner of fifteen years. other than just being the best person i know (totally not biased), elika is a bombastic character i think more people should get to know! he's been stepping out into doing more stuff with his character, and a lot of his gposes are honestly really good, too.

@nicholerose92 -- one of the sweetest people i have had the absolute pleasure of meeting here on tumblr since i joined. host of the glitter and story halls, it has been an absolute blast getting back into rp and storytelling. likewise, the stories that have been made about all her characters are so well done -- if you have time to read them, you should!

@ainyan -- has such evocative writings involving her ship with thancred; each piece i've read it such a delight. not to mention that kali is just absolutely gorgeous, and the poses that are made are so lovely and tender and great all around.

@sasslett -- also an amazing writer, and has such dedication to it to have an amazing series of events and histories to reference in regards to jess and her partner, varrus. plus, there are so many soft and sweet gposes that are really worth checking out! and! i can't forget about the fact that she literally organizes one of the neatest little ffxiv swap events that allows ffxiv creatives of any passion and skill level to make stuff for one another in the spirit of making stuff for one another!

@sylaurin -- if you haven't seen kab, iskra, or thiago yet, you should! there are so many awesome gposes that sylaurin makes -- many humorous, and many also just rich with storytelling that i'm always happy to see more of.

@naejlas-axe -- an amazing writer with a fun viera to bully. i have thoroughly enjoyed being able to read and learn about lejo, not to mention also having rp'd with him in the past. did you know they're also drawing now, too? \ o w o / sketchies and drawings to get into the swing of things, and i'm enjoying getting to see that work get done and put out there! :D

@shadesofblades -- art friend \ o w o / !! has awesome art with bold lines and puts such attention to detail -- especially in au ra scales (my weakness when it comes to people that draw au ra)! but also, you should learn about baatu or aoki! they're the ones i see -- or at least notice -- the most! and i enjoy learning more about them the times i see them!

@mimble-sparklepudding -- another one of the sweetest people i've had the pleasure of meeting here on tumblr. the poetry and limericks he has made -- some just spur of the moment -- have all been so uplifting and have been a needed laugh whenever i come across them. plus, all the surprise poems and limericks made for others? absolute sweetheart for doing that. ; ;

@finishing-touch -- i mean... look, if you haven't seen finishing-touch's gifs just yet, you really should. i mean, they are so well done in the fact that a lot of them are rich with characterization, are shot well, and there are ones that you can tell a lot of work and love go into. genuinely an inspiration when it comes to me shooting for gifs and getting them set up on my end. and not just gifs! i've also used that inspiration to make little movies on my own time!

@icehearts -- esca is gorgeous and the gposes that come from icehearts are so lovely when it comes to getting everything set up. i enjoy greatly getting to see esca any time she shows up, and just how the shots are often taken care of to really make such awesome pieces.

@valdiis -- has amazing writing that i've gotten to chip away at as i work on getting through all the entries i have left of ffxiv write 2024. i've enjoyed aeluan for a while, and getting to see more characters written and detailed are just...so...!!! well done. i love the mixing of humor into the writing i've gotten to consume, but also the contrast when it comes to the more serious stuff as well.

also, shoutout to my fellow estinien enjoyers!

@janzoo -- the first wolstinien shipper that reached out to me, and has such a cute polycule between drakyr, aymeric, and estinien. i love that there's just a lot of sweet indulgences in the gposes that have been made -- especially just setting up aymeric and estinien in gpose to be sole focuses in new outfits, or outfits that just look nice.

@humblemooncat -- ki'to and u'lohi are absolute amazing sweethearts with their polycules. plus, i've seen an amazing evolution of gposing since i first joined and met humblemooncat, and have been so happy to see the growth.

@vasheden -- another person i've been glad to see the visible improvement of when it comes to gposing! i've seen so many good gposes over time, and i love how i've just seen them get better and better, especially when it comes to the tender moments between kaia and aymeric (and estinien whenever he decides to stick around :9)

@amalthea-felsblood -- makes wonderful little vignettes and stories of amalthea and estinien that make them look so sweet and tender between one another. there's a lot of care and attention that goes into setting up those poses and stories.

@mrlarkstin -- has amazing gposes! not to mention has a cute polycule with their wol, estinien, and vrtra who have a cute little bean of a daughter. seriously the composition of the gposes that are made are so good and i strongly recommend looking at them.

SHAMELESS PLUGGING - FFXIV STYLE!

It's that time of year again! Here are just a FEW of the amazing blogs available to follow in the FFXIV community here on Tumblr! (A lot of them can also be found on Bluesky--two for one shot!) If you're not following them, YOU SHOULD BE!

@lynxden -- gorgeous shots, amazing information on lion dancing and the history of it, even some goddamn STOP MOTION ANIMATION with FFXIV screenshots, that is astounding.

@coldshrugs -- a gorgeous WoL and some absolutely amazing screenshots, I am just... *sigh*

@darcar -- a Viera as pretty as Anna (and I rarely say that...)

@cerbaros -- the GPose just gets better and better and BETTER...!

@zylphiacrowley -- ever wanted to go through the MSQ in graphic novel format? Zyl's got you covered.

@mist-touchedxiv -- come get you some Viera lore theorizing and some really interesting backstory!

@abyssalmermaiden -- legit I wonder what people drink to come up with such absolutely fucking cool character ideas...

@iron-sparrow -- why are you not following them? Why are you not following them? YOU'RE MISSING YEIN!

@ink-dreams-ffxiv -- the fishercatte is so CUTE!

@oneiroy -- not only do they put up some hella good mods, they take AMAZING shots.

@verysmallcyborg -- and if you follow Ryss, you have to follow Fornax so you can get the complete "butches in love" package!

@nolanel-corbeaux -- you will meet the skink and you will thank me for directing you to this one.

@ser-corviknight -- Avery has such FUN characters and one of the most unique WoLs I've ever seen.

@ahollowgrave -- I will always and forever push more people to follow Odette.

@feralkwe -- watching Feral get into GPose crimes is almost as delightful as reading their fanfic.

@arty-ffxiv -- when you meet Kupa, you'll wonder why it took so long to follow.

@drownedlight - this is really just a gateway to their AO3 page, but I know the fanfic will lure in just... OH so many...

@sezja -- a violet Hrothgal is the first beauty to greet you, isn't that a delight???

DO YOU KNOW MORE??? ADD MORE!!! GIVE ME MORE WONDERFUL, TALENTED PEOPLE TO FOLLOW!!!

(Like you @luck-and-larceny I see you posting more Malika lately...!)

[elliewiltarwyn]

Then vs. Now

tagged by @ubejamjar, thank you <3

i'll pass it along to... @verysmallcyborg @idalenn @ahollowgrave @selnyam @sylaurin @sasslett

I think I had poked around at a couple of the settings before, but this was the first time I took a Proper Gpose, in March 2020.

Compared with tonight in December 2024:

...gods, where do I even start for the differences lol.

switched jobs, going from wanting to heal to bulking up and taking on martial jobs like dark knight, monk, and viper

like actually bulking up, her customize+ scaling looks so natural to me now that skinny peeled Ellie looks so off lol. it's not a huge difference but it's noticeable.

found out how to give her muscle, those arm dragon tattoos, an Archon mark, and arm/leg hair. the tattoos were a joke at first because it's year of the dragon and i'm a dragon in the chinese zodiac, but errrr oops i'm too used to them now. and they look sick.

her highlights changed to black (with a swerve into white for ShB), her facemark changed to match her hair color, and some of her face shapes were different, but she was always face 2 with this skintone and hair color. really nailed that right off the bat.

she was just my avatar in this online RPG back then. it'd take a year or two, probably after beating 5.3, when I'd start thinking about her as an actual character. And now I have an idea of how much she's grown, how much she's lost, what she's gained, how many women she's managed to smooch--

she's on tumblr now, which has also been a great way to meet so many cool wols and their amazing players and i'll forever be grateful for those opportunities and the friends i've made. <3

...if any of y'all ever want to play with ellie i've got mare files i can lend >.>

[nhaneh]

@idalenn kea may be smol but she is stronk!

So I have thoughts on miqo'te tails, yeah? Like I don't think they're directly prehensile - in fact I think the lore directly speaks against that possibility with occasional statements like "ain't that just the way the tail curls"? But given how miqo'te also canonically use their tails to help with balance and agility much like real world felines, those tails are inevitably going to have both mass and muscle to them.

Now sure, we're not talking arm wrestling muscle here - they are neither monkey tails nor elephant trunks, but they still have enough heft to be able to impart momentum? Let's look at a fairly well-known clip of a cheetah as an example.

During that sequence the cheetah goes from a left-leaning banked turn into a right-leaning banked turn, and then back to a left-leaning banked turn again, and in both cases it starts the transition by first shooting the tail out to the side and swinging it in a half-circle rotation in the opposite direction that it's rotating its body. By doing so, it's effectively using its tail as a reaction wheel, using its rotational momentum to help counter that imparted on its body, helping it maintain the stability and traction to stay upright rather than fall over on its side.

Let's take another example, this time of a leopard!

If you look closely, you can see how the tail starts shooting upwards just as the front paws push off from the ground, only to then swing downwards at the apex of the jump in order to impart just that little bit extra rotational momentum to keep pushing the pelvis upwards.

During high energy motion, the tail basically operates a bit like a counterweight, imparting both stability to keep upright as well as extra momentum to jump just a little bit higher, reach just a little bit further, turn just a little bit faster. And none of this is particularly exclusive to felines - you can look at pretty much any animal with a tail with enough size and mass to be used to aid in stability and you'll likely see much of the same kinds of motions and behaviour - it's ultimately much more a question of how physics work than how cats work.

Of course, this means that you could also easily imagine some miqo'te being notoriously clumsy and prone to falling over due to the motor control for their tail being a bit jank and often ending up doing the precise opposite, imparting instability rather than helping to keep them upright, or other awkward issues like their tails being prone to push chairs away from them when they try to sit down.

Thing is, too, most of our limb control is actually pretty automatic - it's usually pretty rare to find yourself directly thinking about where exactly each hand and foot and arm and leg is or what it is doing, you just do the thing without putting all that much thought or focus into it. In fact, one of the key aspects of proficiency in mechanical tasks, whether that is driving a car or typing on a keyboard or even just walking somewhere, is reaching the point where the actions become so much of a practiced routine that they no longer take up a notable amount of cognitive load. Most of the time, a tail would be just another limb running on autopilot - you might be able to physically direct it like you might an arm or a leg if you focus on it, but most of the time it'll just do what it does, whether that is to help maintain balance and stability, or to communicate and express yourself, or even randomly be a nuisance.

And I figure for most miqo'te, a lot of this is just things they learn pretty early during childhood without thinking about it or having to be taught how it works - it's like how you don't have to think about the righting reflex to help keep yourself upright, it just kicks in to do its thing.

Chances are there would probably also be certain kinds of quirks and habits you might see in some miqo'te depending on what kind of environment they're used to or were brought up in - a miqo'te that's used to cramped crowds might be much more likely to have an unconscious habit to keep their tails close to themselves, while one that's spent most of their lives in more open spaces with plenty of uncertain footing might instead have their tails move about more openly, never more than a twitch away from trying to counter a stumble or fall.

I realize this is a lot of paragraphs simply to say that yeah I definitely think Kea has a fair bit of strength in that tail of hers; underneath the floof it's nearly all bone and muscle, and likely takes up at least a couple of percent of her total body mass - quite possibly even comparable to that of an arm. It might not have the rigidity necessary to impart or resist force or impact the way an arm or a leg can, and I don't think it could support her full weight, but there's definitely some strength behind it.

[idalenn]

Day 4 - Reticent

Worqor Zormor - Lillian and Alisaie switch up the plan to harry the Second Promise. (7.0)

Major characters: Warrior of Light, Thancred, Urianger

Full text below the cut

Quick as a lie, Lillian’s hand snapped away from her forehead and a golden cord yanked Alisaie whole into her grip.

“We’re changing the plan,” Lillian growled, twisting the younger girl around to get at the leather tube slung across her back. “Alisaie, you and Krile stay with Wuk Lamat, and I’ll head off the others at the pass instead.”

“What’s come over you,” the girl cried. “So. Suddenly?” Wrenching with all force in her Elezen frame, she tried to free herself to no avail. Lillian’s arms were muscle woven with steel.

“Thancred got the best of us. Heard all we – quit moving – intended. They’ll expect your harassment up ahead.” Her deft fingers slid around the tube’s hooks, undoing them one after another. So much easier without gloves, she thought. In short order the map was flapping in her hand. “But not mine.” Krile nodded, clarity writ plain on her face.

“The Echo. We’ll leave this to you, then.” She knocked their Hrothgar claimant across one hand with the dripping end of her brush. “Worqor Zormor awaits us, Third Promise. Our friend will rejoin us once she’s finished.”

Confusion reigned over Wuk Lamat’s own expression. “Does anyone care to enlighten me on this?”

“It must needs be later, I’m afraid. Just run for now. I’ll do my best to inform you of the basics on the way.”

“So it goes.” Wuk Lamat’s shoulders slipped with a heavy sigh. Beyond a protesting Alisaie, Lillian hurriedly crumpled the map into a long green pocket of her cape. “I bring you into my circle for help and you look to escape me at the first chance. Sometimes I think you just can’t toler-AH–” Wind took the rest of her words, loose earth and shards of rock showering the remaining party as Lillian raced off with its power at her back, yalms melting away with each stride.

 Up the path she went dodging around fallen stone outcroppings and growths of blue and violet crystal, the image of the Second Promise’s ascension on a column of air with Thancred and Urianger in tow still burned into her eyes. Not one soul in that damned town malms below had mentioned that was a possibility. Or perhaps her attention had fallen off at the wrong time in conversation and missed its passing mention in one of many grand tales she had been forced into hearing, some unexplainable act that had allowed the defeat of a rampaging beast like Valigarmanda. That was the irritating part about scholars like Koana; legends always held a grain of truth, and those learned as he always knew how to exploit those grains. Like as not down in the valley there existed some Sharlayan device he’d built capable of calling tempests to aid him.

Irritated, she slammed her staff into the mountain face and flooded it with aether. Juts of jagged, black stone ground out, dislodging flora that had lain root in the rock and birds that had found roost in the plants. Once extended enough for use, she bound up the cantilevered platforms, staff readied, its tip alight with pearlescent aether. One bird arrowed towards the Miqo’te, squawking complaint till light and petrichor found their mark, the smell of roast windkin filling Lillian’s mouth with water and nearly sending her feathered cap flying into the abyss. She almost shed a tear as the bird tumbled limp trailing feathers through the clouds.

After the last step, Lillian found herself on a mountain ledge flanked by a low rise of boulders and flowered moss. She drew out the time weathered map and flattened it on the ground, tsking at a tear she made in her haste to abscond. Wuk Lamat had been correct, but why waste time and confirm to the child claimant what she already knew? She was haughty, naïve, self-absorbed, and above all, a fool who believed Lillian’s actions took her well-being into consideration.

Were you not similar once, and did you not learn better? The voice of logic nagged. Quiet. Never so much as she, Lillian thought back, smoothing the spot Thancred pointed out to the Second Promise; a wide pass dotted with the ruins of ancient walls

“Alisaie plans to harry us here. She’s a quick-footed little pest, but we’ve battled alongside long enough for me to know exactly where her faults lie, and I’ve been itching for the opportunity to knock her down a peg or four. I’ll have her in bed without supper and you your victory before the Third Promise realizes she’s been made.”

We’ll see if you can manage the same against me, she thought, stuffing the map back down, wind licking at her heels as she ran. Beastkin poked their soft, red noses from their dens as she passed and retreated just as quickly. Excitement made her ears unable to stay still. They beat a dangerous leather heartbeat against their coverings sewn into her cap. Her thoughts were smothered, but so were the land’s whispers.

The ruins were a short jaunt away. There, the ground was soft and pocketed with fist-width craters filled with tepid water. Vegetation grew verdant from the civilization’s desiccated corpse to cover the bones in green embrace.

There it was. Along the path to the mountain’s summit, a towering stone barrier stood solemn. Dutiful. For a Miqo’te clad in forest colors: easily concealed behind. Some great hand had torn a hole through its skin and left a passage from ruin to path providing the perfect redoubt from which to utilize a White Mage’s magic against unwary passersby. Lillian sprinted across the sodden field, her mind bursting with all the possibilities to slow down her opponents.

As she reached the hole, a white blur faded into the open space.

A reticent blur of white absent of sound, of tension, of presence and definition. The pressure of existence swelled gradually with each fifth of moment. Her brain fired desperately on every available detail.

Bulk; clothing; the jangling of canisters; his interwoven bandolier; plant musk hiding his scent.

Thancred?

Who could claim the greater surprise? Not he, who knew of a coming. Not her, who knew of an arriving.

But if anything, he didn’t appear surprised at all. In fact, he was even –

Smiling?

A strong, hardened jaw stared back at her, yellow teeth glinting from a light growing –

From below?

A tickle started in her brain. Understanding came before the knowing.

Water flew into her hand from the puddle below before growing outward in a blue, glass-thin sheen in the path of the gunblade’s edge, hardening into a shield faster than the blooming muzzle flash. The explosion sent her flying back in a trail of dust and smoke. Powder smell filled her nose. Her ears rang with a cannon blast. Wind gathered thick around in a shroud of green aether to carry her from danger, willing herself to land upright on stable ground.

But as she did, a sigil circled with arcane letters expanded across the stone.

Rolling in the air, her hand wreathed in blinding green tore across the space as a wave of wind struck her full in the side mere ilms from the sigil, lifting the Warrior of Light to send her tumbling bodily across the ground and out of the way of harm as the sigil vanished in a thunderclap of dust and heat. Coughing up more dust caught in her throat, she turned blazing yellow eyes to the cloud of soot obscuring her would-be assailants.

“Bastards… the both of you.” She rose on shaking legs. Shards of broken stone had ripped tears in the cloth of her garb. Blood sheathed from a deep, muddy cut on her arm, but nothing else felt broken.

“Come now, we’re all friends here, and what’s a scuffle between friends.”

Thancred sauntered out from the debris, a shite-eating grin ballooning across his handsome features. Following suit with a light chuckle was Urianger, his astrometer spinning at the ready with cards prepped for reading.

“Our comrade believeth her hand superior to thine own.”

“Count yourself lucky that Alisaie hadn’t been the one around that corner.” Lillian spat a globule of saliva laced with red. “You might have killed her.”

“And I would have been eternally guilty for the act, make no mistake.” Somehow Thancred’s smile grew wider. “But, thankfully, no luck was necessary. You came around just as I had planned.”

“Planned? Ha!” Lillian tossed back her head to laugh. The movement made her wince. “Unless one of you can divine the future, my being here is all luck. And where has the Second Promise gone?”

“Ahead,” Thancred said.

“Thou would beggar of us an explanation?”

“Please. I’m all ears – hold…” She held up a finger hazy with radiant white and plunged the digit into her ringing ear. As the aether healed the damage from Thancred’s attack, the plants around her feet withered into brown husks and crumbled to join the dirt. “Apologies – Now I’m all ears.”

“Your Echo.” Thancred wore the face of a child swimming in an ocean of unwrapped candies. At Lillian’s widened eyes, he continued. “A most useful tool in our adventures, being allowed to witness past events as they occurred. But only as they occurred.”

“Of strength in sight does it boast, yet Master Thancred, awash in inspiration and long accustomed, privy to thine Echo’s potency, hath discovered the flaw in its making.” He held a hand to his lips and laughed lightly. Lightly and restrained. “Deceived we were, as means to deceive you.”

Lillian shook her head. “Somehow I believe this is just some trick to keep me here.”

“Oh, you were tricked, all right. Now your turn comes – what did the Echo show?”

“And why would I tell you?”

“You saw us discussing plans with Koana; plans to ambush Alisaie; plans in which I spoke of knocking her down a peg or four? You witness events exactly as they occur, so once we witnessed you succumb to the Echo’s effects…” Thancred placed a hand to his forehead.

“Into the fold were the Second Promise and I giveth allowance, and a trap thus lain for our dearest friend.”

Thancred’s fingers drummed along the gunblade’s handle. “Do pass on my thanks to Alisaie. Had it not been for her plot on Ultima Thule confirming you’ve density common with archon loaf, this endeavor may not have been as fruitful as hoped.”

The skin under Lillian’s left eye began to quiver. White aether burst at her wounded arm as the dirt crumbled into fine powder under her boots. “I hope you realize what you’ve earned.” Her words came out as a low hiss, the corners of her mouth twitched ever so slightly upward.

“A prize, I wager! And a prize Urianger and I have wished so long to taste.”

“Indeed. We bringeth all our might to bear, that we may witness might worthy of song and notoriety, what bringeth even eikons to heel.”

With a malicious cacophony, like to an endless sea of keening glass, from Lillian’s back spread opalescent wings of aether aflame, size and ferocity swelling until she was rendered a silhouette before their crescendo. Sensation of needles prickled against the Scions’ skin, and the myriad wounds below notice across her flesh steamed forth white clouds until hale and closed.

“Try not to choke on it.”

[primamchorus]

wip wednesday

tagged by @lal-ffxiv thank you! ♥♥

tagging: @ubejamjar, @ainyan, @sasslett, @idalenn

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From unreleased WIP chapter: Side Stories From Eos: Shooting Range

“And you specialize in what, exactly?” Prompto just wanted to make sure he was getting everything cleared up before making his way to training of any kind.

“Gunmanship.”

Prompto’s brow raised slightly.

She was going to be his marksmanship trainer? He was expecting a grizzled war veteran, or at least someone that was twice their age. But…Mollis looked to have been as fresh into high school as he was. Was she really going to teach him how to use a gun properly?

“You seem surprised,” Mollis said in observation.

“Well…yeah…” Prompto managed in response. “I-I mean…I just wasn’t expecting you to be so…young.”

A huff of air was expelled from Mollis, her saccharine smile grew into that of amusement. “If the itinerary I went over for you is correct, you’ll have your time with the ‘old’ men and women. For now, you’re learning basic gun care and proper handling. A gunman needs to know both out in the field.”

Prompto’s shoulders relaxed. So he was not being thrown immediately into the deep end. That was reassuring at least.

Mollis turned on her heel, glancing back briefly at Prompto. “If everything is situated, let us head out to the shooting range. I’ve already made sure to prepare our lesson for the day.”

[lilbittymonster]

From the Fic Writer asks - 17. Do you write your story from start to finish, or do you write the scenes out of order?

I always write the scenes out of order. I tend to write in splotches and then go back and play connect the dots just bc it's easier for me to write what solidifies on its own as it comes to me, rather than try to write top down.

It's also good for keeping things consistent wrt foreshadowing because that way I have a better idea of what needs to happen when for X scene to happen the way it does.

Thanks for the ask @idalenn

Fic Writer Asks

[starrysnowdrop]

For the choosing violence - 14.) that one thing you see in fics all the time

Hmmmm… 🤔

This is a hard one, as I find FFXIV to be a really large fandom and there is plenty of fic variety out there. But if I had to think of one thing that might irk me a bit, I’d say that I don’t exactly like to see certain popular ships in fics over and over again done in the same exact way, even with ships I personally like.

What do I mean by this? Well, let’s take Azem x Emet for example. There’s so many fics that write Azem x Emet as romantic, or even a one-sided romance, so much so that I think it tends to overflow into the wider fandom, and that’s where I get particularly irked. Because anyone can write whatever they want in their fics, I don’t have any problem with that.

But I do, however, get really annoyed when the fandom at large suggests that Azem x Emet is a romantic canon ship, where it’s just a really popular fanon ship. It’s why for Hali’s Azem, she’s Hyth’s younger sister by blood, and she sees Emet by extension a brother, though not by blood. I want to see more platonic Azem and Emet, and familial Azem and Emet. I like to see ships written in different ways, so please, don’t be afraid to do something new and “unpopular”!

Ehhh that’s all I’ve got for that. Thank you so much for the ask @idalenn!! 💖

[duskmother]

Which Greek God Would Favor You? -> Svetlana Iduyan

Athena (Goddess of Wisdom)

in a word - sharp! you take pride in your skills, your wit, and your ability to work well with others (and if you don't, you should!). thing's don't tend to get past you - you're happy to forgive, but never to forget. you're responsible and worthy of trust, and those who earn yours are lucky indeed. remember not every situation can be evaluated and through through with your head alone. sometimes, the only way to know what is right is to follow your heart.

tagged by: @pettyeti

tagging: @ferin-the-fern @idalenn @fair-fae @the-unending-journey

quiz: here !

[idalenn]

Day 1 - Steer

Aftermath of the Crystal Tower. Alphinaud learns from a true businessman. (A Realm Reborn)

Full text below the cut if you'd rather read it on Tumblr instead of Ao3.

“And of the boy – were you successful locating his next of kin?”

“The documents provided by NOAH were bereft of evidence related to his origins. Unofficially, we’ve heard claims he may have familial ties within the Corvosi of southeastern Ilsabard.” The Elezen woman tapped a quill to the open, hide-backed volume in her hands. “But we are unable to confirm their validity at this time. It remains hearsay.”

“Then our efforts must be concentrated in a more scholarly direction. We cannot simply shrug our shoulders when it comes to Sharlayan. Having the loss of their pupil go unrecognized, or worse – underappreciated – will impact future endeavors. Reparations will soften the blow and secure fertile grounds for tilling.” With his own writing tool, edges leafed in gold and tipped with a brilliant ruby, Lolorito scratched his final signature onto the treaty.

A click of the inlaid jewel sent the tool’s end retreating into itself. Black ink dripped from the hole; blood from an open wound. One quick swipe with cloth made of finer material than Lillian would ever own picked it up without a trace left behind. Lolorito curtly tossed the cloth back among the ink pots. “A veritable drop in the ocean of spoils we’ve earned this day, wouldn’t you agree?”

Lillian felt a veritable ocean of sweat growing in her boots. Devoid of windows or any sort of opening to the outside save the single door combined with an abundance of crystal-lit lanterns, the Monetarist’s chamber buffered her and Alphinaud with a furnace’s heat. Even wearing gloves she feared taking the document in hand and drenching their hard work. The scars across her face ached under the pressure.

“Adamantite. Allagan technology. Wisdom beyond measure and reach, and beyond price some might claim, but there will be a price, and as sole owner of that crystal tower, the price shall be any figure negotiable.” The Lalafell chuckled to himself as he sealed the treaty with wax and sigil before sliding it across the desk. “And this is just the beginning. I know our contract was only for the tower’s acquisition, but I have grand plans in motion for future expansion, and you’re just the two to help see them bear fruit.” He spread his arms wide as though welcoming them into his embrace. “Care to stay for a time?”

Another cramp ran through Lillian’s leg. The chairs they sat in were perfectly Lalafell sized, undoubtedly Lolorito’s primary audience, but less so for the snow-haired Elezen child across from him, and unbearably small for the Miqo’te dwarfing every other soul in the room, whose legs were forcibly kept at such an angle between chair and desk that, if this meeting continued much longer, were liable to fall off.

“Other business calls.” She said.

“Of course. Scions and governments running you ragged must come first, but forget not my offer. And you, Master Alphinaud? From your quiet I must believe in some thought being given.”

Alphinaud took the treaty in a shaking hand. “Your assistance to the Crystal Braves is greatly appreciated, Lord Lolorito. If I may, I have but one more question, and after we’ll be on our way.”

“Then I take it you need time to consider.” Lolortio stroked his goatee, smiling with brilliant white teeth. The mask made interpreting his expression impossible. To Lillian it appeared a predator’s grin. “Very well. The floor is yours, my boy.”

“Care to share the details on how you intend to move forward? Specifically, I wish to know how you will honor the loss of G’raha Tia, without whom this endeavor would have ended in failure.” The Elezen aide narrowed her eyes. Lolorito’s smile never dropped an ilm.

“For effort contributed, I suppose you can be trusted with particulars. I am nothing if not fair, as Nald’Thal demands.” One of the lanterns flickered, and a glint off a gold-plated scale on the Lalafell’s desk caught Lillian’s attention. “G’raha Tia has no will, no family of note who can be contacted or given payment, and represents no organization outside of one within Sharlayan. Any and all possessions within NOAH’s hands will be returned to that organization. His share will, of course, be divided amongst all hired.

“Sharlayan will receive a lump sum of gil in an amount yet to be determined but no less than two hundred thousand. That previously mentioned organization will also partake of a sizable donation. Ah, but this name eludes me.” He snapped his fingers rapidly as if trying to light a spark. “I’m sure it began with ‘students’ something or other… the students of…”

“Baldesion.” Alphinaud finished through gritted teeth.

“It is refreshing, Master Alphinaud, to meet another so untrained in subtleties and be reminded I am not so alone in this world. As someone eyeing to hold a position of political power in our realm, you would do well to either hone a silver tongue or abandon all pretense of furthering your cause with it.”

“You only saw our friend as numbers to be counted!”

“Absolutely! Much in the same way you yourself only see the Syndicate in measures of usefulness and value to your coffers. Life is a series of numbers! You sought profits as well as I, my boy, and in doing so one must on occasion plan for declines. All gathered in this room have value, and all will be made equal should misfortune come to pass.”

Lolorito leaned forward over the desk, his hands folded together in a wall from which atop he stood a giant before Alphinaud and the Warrior of Light. “You captain an uncertain ship, Master Alphinaud, and unless you wish your company dashed amongst the rocks, you had best learn to steer.”

[primamchorus]

For the love asks - Is your OC easy to love? If not, then what are the barriers?

good evening to you, idalenn and @actualanxiousswampwitch!! thank you both for the asks! \ o w o / ♥ i hope that the two of you have been having a good day / evening! let's see what rng spits out at me for these!

A Short Ask List About Love

oh... and it's the eldest half of the vox siblings...!

i think, as the eldest of the vox siblings (as well as the eldest of the 114th), aestus is probably really intimidating to a lot of people, which in turn, makes it hard to feel like it's right to love him? if that makes sense?

that said...

aestus does have a wife, and he does have a child. he cares very much for both -- a vulnerability he his not comfortable sharing outside of his home due to the nature of what it entails being a vox.

a lot of the barriers that make it difficult is that aestus has had to learn to put a lot of walls up in order to keep himself and his family safe. to keep the others of the 114th as well as the previous generation of the 113th safe (as he has worked alongside the 113th; being the eldest by a considerable margin allowed him that opportunity).

he's very guarded, and deflects from his personal life a lot of the time. he keeps people at arm's length. he can only show the 114th (which includes his own blood siblings) as much care and warmth as he feels is appropriate, and it eats at him. as far as he's concerned, it's for their own safety and protection -- even if the people around him may not see it that way.

vera is definitely easier to love than aestus. she has no special someone nor a sweetheart to call her own, though (and honestly, despite the dating profile ask, she's not actively looking).

however, she is still a vox... and she is a vox who is holds the mantle of ears of the king and head of house vox while aestus is away on his own mission that sees him unable to fulfill either role.

as such, vera has learned what exactly it means being in aestus' position. she doesn't like it, and because of how she doesn't like it, she has actively defied it in some cases. she is more open with others...to an extent.

more of the members of the 114th enjoy vera because of her willingness to be open, and her less intimidating personality, though.

[elliewiltarwyn]

I would love to hear your thoughts on 3 and 17 for Ellie!

3. What was the first thing you decided on, the character's name, appearance, personality or their role in the story? (also asked by @idalenn!)

I've mentioned before I didn't start thinking of Ellie beyond "mmo avatar" until I was past 5.3, so that really narrows it down to the name or appearance. and. fun fact: she wasn't even originally named Elilgeim Wiltitarwyn, it was some random vaguely fantasy-ish jumble + FF ref. I want to say it was something like...Altessa Materia, something like that. i much prefer what she has now, she doesn't look like an "Altessa" to you, does she? :V

so it was appearance, with everything else coming afterwards; i've also mentioned i like, did not have a problem putting her together in the character creator. my brain just said "i want to make big woman" and i said "hell yeah" and she was done in five minutes. and her appearance definitely informed my character choices once i started actually making them, but i started from "big woman hot" and went from there lol.

17. Are there any motifs or symbols associated with the character? How are they represented, in their design, personality or in some other way?

i... am bad at symbolism lol, and usually just shrug my shoulders and adopt what the msq hands our wol the azem shard: sun, independence, wanderlust, yada yada. and that can be narrowed down easily into the Azem crystal, which she wears as a necklace. her archon mark being a fake one sort of signifies a middle finger to authorities that decide she's not good enough too lol.

aside from those literal symbols, I think there's a reason red works so well for Ellie. as we all know from a Very Famous Tumblr Post, red has more positive connotations than negative. >:)

but seriously I think the red does a good job of conveying her passion, a fiery resolve (that especially manifests when she switches to maining melee DPS jobs), her sense of justice and willingness to go to extremes to enact it, and the rise in her self-confidence throughout the events of MSQ. i wasn't kidding on that pokemon post, i really do think she's essentially a 3-stage fire/fighting starter. (you are welcome for the image of Ellie as one of those mons. :V)

[ahollowgrave]

Ahh angel !!! it's such an honor to be included and amongst such lovely company !!! I post a lot about my main character, Odette Hollows! She has a WoL AU but it's not my focus, I mostly just like playing dress up and throwing headcanons back and forth with friends! And thinking about RP. Love to think about RP. I also want to add a few of my favorite FFXIV Tumblr users to this, in no particular order! @idalenn -- Truly probably one of my favorite WoLs and gposers. Powerfully creative and very very scrumptious plot points, scenes, and writing. @hazelkjt -- One of the best character builders I know!! Hazel is sooo good at making characters feel of the world of FFXIV in a way I admire!!! A great cast of characters too! @ubejamjar -- oh my GOOOOOOOD THE LIGHTING. The lighting and the OCs and the warmth !! Ajisai is such a gem of a WoL I eat up every new gpose and bit of lore/worldbuilding we get. @l3ylines -- aHHHHHH!!! Their Febhyurary posts have been so good and have gotten me very intrigued about their character!! @tallbluelady -- very good and lovely Urianger/WoLship, so good at capturing intimacy in their work! The URL is what you get: a beautiful and graceful tall blue lady.

SHAMELESS PLUGGING - FFXIV STYLE!

It's that time of year again! Here are just a FEW of the amazing blogs available to follow in the FFXIV community here on Tumblr! (A lot of them can also be found on Bluesky--two for one shot!) If you're not following them, YOU SHOULD BE!

@lynxden -- gorgeous shots, amazing information on lion dancing and the history of it, even some goddamn STOP MOTION ANIMATION with FFXIV screenshots, that is astounding.

@coldshrugs -- a gorgeous WoL and some absolutely amazing screenshots, I am just... *sigh*

@darcar -- a Viera as pretty as Anna (and I rarely say that...)

@cerbaros -- the GPose just gets better and better and BETTER...!

@zylphiacrowley -- ever wanted to go through the MSQ in graphic novel format? Zyl's got you covered.

@mist-touchedxiv -- come get you some Viera lore theorizing and some really interesting backstory!

@abyssalmermaiden -- legit I wonder what people drink to come up with such absolutely fucking cool character ideas...

@iron-sparrow -- why are you not following them? Why are you not following them? YOU'RE MISSING YEIN!

@ink-dreams-ffxiv -- the fishercatte is so CUTE!

@oneiroy -- not only do they put up some hella good mods, they take AMAZING shots.

@verysmallcyborg -- and if you follow Ryss, you have to follow Fornax so you can get the complete "butches in love" package!

@nolanel-corbeaux -- you will meet the skink and you will thank me for directing you to this one.

@ser-corviknight -- Avery has such FUN characters and one of the most unique WoLs I've ever seen.

@ahollowgrave -- I will always and forever push more people to follow Odette.

@feralkwe -- watching Feral get into GPose crimes is almost as delightful as reading their fanfic.

@arty-ffxiv -- when you meet Kupa, you'll wonder why it took so long to follow.

@drownedlight - this is really just a gateway to their AO3 page, but I know the fanfic will lure in just... OH so many...

@sezja -- a violet Hrothgal is the first beauty to greet you, isn't that a delight???

DO YOU KNOW MORE??? ADD MORE!!! GIVE ME MORE WONDERFUL, TALENTED PEOPLE TO FOLLOW!!!

(Like you @luck-and-larceny I see you posting more Malika lately...!)