#OC: Zastelar

[tishinada]

Junelezen2024 Day 8 - sights

During her childhood, Zas had wanted nothing so much as a quiet place to call home, even the hayloft of a barn. But when her world was upended by the losses at Carteneau, her feet were set on the path to being a sellsword and adventurer. While the life was often harsh, she quickly discovered a hunger to see new places and meet new people.

But never did she expect that her return to Limsa Lominsa 5 years after Carteneau would lead her to ultimately walk a path to the ends of creation:

Everywhere she went, she had tried to find moments to take in the vistas, but not here. Not here where everything she held dear had been stripped from her. It was only months later, mostly recovered, that she had returned at someone else's behest. But that errand was not so urgent that she could not pause briefly to take in the desolation and say a prayer for all those who had been lost, even those who had left only these traces.

Was there anyone to hear that prayer? Maybe, maybe not. But she had learned that prayer had power, especially here at the end of all things. And perhaps those who had gone before would still hear her prayers in the aetherial sea where they finally rested.

[tishinada]

Zastelar, my bard

And her cousin, Astrelie

Elezen players should reblog this with their Elezen so I can look at more pretty elves. ♥

[cinlat]

OC Kiss Week: 2023

Shout out to @tishinada​ for her continued trust in me with her lovely characters. This is going back to the early days with Salix and Zas. Look at these babies.

Kiss Type: Platonic Word Count: 416 Fandom: ffxiv

To the outside observer, it would appear only as if a young couple had stopped for the night. One lounged while the other prepared a hearty stew, stirring the pot in silence. It was by design so that no one would know that the young apprentice was, in fact, alone.

It had started with an unnatural shiver, the sort that clawed its way into Zastelar’s bones and wouldn’t let go. The fever had begun later, but the stubborn Elezen hadn’t wanted to burden her new protégé. For his part, Salix had smelled the change before he’d seen it. A sort of rot that tickled his sinuses. He’d assumed it was the stagnant waters surrounding this part of the forest. Only once Zas had declared that they would camp early and slipped into an uneasy sleep did he sense the real danger.

Salix’s mother had not neglected his medicinal training simply because he was a boy. In fact, she’d spent more time on this subject than with his sisters. She knew he’d face the wilds on his own, one day, and wanted her son to be prepared. Salix could gather fever-reducing herbs and muscle-easing roots—in the Thanalan desert.

Here, in the close forests of Gridania, he could only hope that the similarities were enough.

Ladling the broth into a bowl, Salix crept over to his fitful teacher. Her brown skin had gone ashy under a sheen of sweat. He eased her head into his lap so that it would be at the appropriate angle. Salix was well enough out of his element as is, he didn’t want to drown his mentor in the process.

A furrow appeared on Zas’s brow as Salix pulled down on her chin. She didn’t fight the bitter taste, nor did she drink greedily. Salix was a patient friend, willing to wait as long as Zas needed to regain her strength. Willing to protect her so long as he could.

With the bowl half empty, Salix set it on the carpet of moss that cushioned their respite. He’d heard stories as a boy, his sisters tittering on about true love’s kiss and how it could break evil spells. He didn’t know if it was true, but leaned down to press his lips gently to Zastellar’s forehead. She hummed a name he didn’t recognize, then slipped deeper into slumber with a shaky sigh. And so, Salix sat like that until morning, with mentor's head cradled in his lap and a prayer on his lips.

[tishinada]

12, 14, 15, 24 and 25 for ffxiv ask game for Zas! :D

Thank you!

Let's see:

12: They have hobbies? - Yes, fishing (even though she makes some money from it and at one point it was how she survived). She loves the solitude and silence and the challenge of finding and landing the perfect fish. She also does some whittling, and she tracks down and is creating a collection of Duskwight literature and music from Gelmorra.

14. Their talents? - She has an extraordinary memory for melody and lyrics which she is completely oblivious to (possibly an Echo talent?) And while her singing and instrumentals aren't necessarily extraordinary, she has a particular talent for drawing an audience into the stories she's telling with her music.

15. Is a native of Eorzea? - Yes, she was born on Vylbrand, but in a remote area that wasn't really claimed by Lominsa. She now considers Limsa Lominsa her hometown.

24. Their role models? - Hmm, this one is a little harder because while she had mentors, she didn't necessarily have role models. Kassiya was her primary mentor, followed by Eynzahr, I think. Venat possibly if I have to pick a role model for her?

25. Their fondest memory. - The moment Merl made peace with Za Da and the kobolds. Also, her most terrifying memory as she was certain Za Da would take the shot. (Followed closely by Merl insisting on being the one to make the killing blow for the Sahagin's blasphemy so they wouldn't have to live with the guilt of killing their own parent as she has had to.)

Thank you so much!

[tishinada]

xiv asks: 2, 3, 5 and 9?

Thanks! You didn't specify an OC, so I'll assume you wanted Zastelar.

2. Race and main class/job: Duskwight elezen and bard (hilariously enough, Zas was meant to be a throwaway character while I got my bearings in the game and then discovered that I really love duskwight elezen and bard in this game.)

3. A striking feature: Her purple eyes are very expressive

5. Their personality: She's very reserved and is actually quite reticent when she isn't "on" as a bard. (I developed this idea of her early in ARR partly because the WoL really doesn't have any lines in early game, and I was highly amused that the game itself starts making jokes about the WoL's taciturnity later.)

9. How do they make a living?: Adventurer (and previously as a sell-sword). Most of her money actually comes from fishing and botany though (bringing in particularly rare fish and plants for collectors and craftsmen). She also has exceptional wilderness survival skills and is competent in carpentry and leatherworking.

Thank you so much for the asks!

[tishinada]

omg, this is amazing, thank you both SO much! What an incredible surprise to wake up to this morning!!! Zas’s big happy grin is just so perfect! And the background! We sometimes describe them as a ray of sunshine and a stormcloud :D Chaos, thank you!!! Sleeps, have you seen this yet??

I had the absolute pleasure of being commissioned by @chaosandwonder for a couple of sweet pics in time for Valentines’ Day, and, well, I do oh so love the smoochy season! This piece is a surprise for @tishinada and @sleepswithvillains - I hope you like this little moment between your Zas and Fiona!

[tishinada]

Writer’s game: First Sentence

Got tagged by @kunstpause - thanks!

No pressure tags: @rainofaugustsith @cinlat @riajade01 @dingoat​ @jlsigman​ @starknstarwars​

And feel free to grab this even if I didn't tag you please ^^

Rules: post the first sentence of your last ten fics. If you haven't written ten fics, share as many first sentences as you have.

I’m going to omit the collab works so they don’t get posted multiple times, with the exception of a WIP that currently is planned for future collab.

1. Untitled and unpublished longfic (WIP Zas/Merlwyb - FFXIV)

Zas froze at the top of the gangplank as other passengers streamed past her in their eagerness to see family or friends. Just a few more steps.

2. Dance in the Shadow of Honor (WIP Ucevi/Quinn - SWtOR)

When the tall, powerfully built woman stepped out of the shadow of the spaceport entrance into the warm sun of a Balmorran noon, half a dozen people scrambled to put distance between themselves and her scowl. 3. “I Pray You’ll Be the Last” (Zas - FFXIV, one-shot) Zas nodded, her expression giving nothing away. 4. Untitled and unpublished arranged marriage AU (WIP Zastelar/Fiona Quinn - SWtOR, with @sleepswithvillains​ OC Fiona, and planned collaboration) Fiona sat stiffly as the matchmaker read through her file. 5. “The Liaison” (Zusae/Theron - SWtOR, one-shot) Theron rubbed at his head around his implants, trying to ease the tension before it could develop into a headache. Damn. 6. “Crossed Wires” (Tramini/Felix Iresso - SWtOR, one-shot) Felix grinned contentedly down at Tramini as they entered the kitchen, feeling completely satisfied with the universe for the moment.   7. “A King’s Ransom” (’Noka/Lana Beniko - SWtOR, one-shot) No one’s hair ever dries all the way in this blasted humidity, Odinoka thought grouchily, propping her feet up on an empty crate as she rubbed at her hair with a coarse towel.   8. “A Taste For Danger” (’Noka/Lana Beniko - SWtOR, a collection of short stories)

‘Noka leaned back in her chair on the bridge, feet crossed on the console in front of her, sipping her mug of caff with a nice shot of spiced rum she'd picked up on Rishi. The silence was glorious.

9. “Silence” (Misheen/Andronikos - SWtOR, one-shot) Lips, warm, soft, hesitant, brushing across his own... 10. “Patience” (Misheen/Andronikos - SWtOR, one-shot) Andronikos hadn’t been on her ship long, but he understood. A zabrak Sith? A busted pirate on a four day binge could still have seen the stares and whispers and sometimes outright sneers that trailed her everywhere. Thanks!

[tishinada]

Zas has a house!!

She won one in the Empyreum, one of the former FC wards. Literally nothing but the house yet, but I guess this is my weekend project now, lol.

[tishinada]

So, got an early XMas present from my DIL, art of my FFXIV Bard, Zastelar, in her favorite outfit with a fishing rod. I’m stunned, honestly. A scan she did before framing it:

[tishinada]

Tagged by @cinlat​ and yes, my main, Zastelar, is a Duskwight Elezen, and I post stuff on her fairly often.

o/

Hello, I guess I’m doing one of those “reblog if you post FFXIV stuff so I can follow you” posts.

My dash has been a little dead, so I’d like to see more stuff. And by stuff I mean Duskwight characters because I’ve started to see a few more around here and it makes me happy! Also I need more Urianger content in my life that I don’t have to make myself. I’ll probably take a peak if you reblog without either caveat.

Me, I make shitposts and ship my WoL with Urianger. Someday I’ll get around to posting my longfic too.

Following from raynshyu!

[tishinada]

As much as I love Zas’s nautical outfit for fishing, I decided she needs an option more in line with how others dress for the ocean fishing expeditions.

Her favorite outfit (art by my extremely talented DIL:

So...half my morning was spent trying to come up with something that suited her and could be dyed purple without spending half my gil, lol. The Ala Mhigan Gown was fairly easy choice (and a popular one with the fishing crowd.) But I didn’t want to go with bikini bottoms and short shorts are hard to come by without spending a *lot* of money, even if you’ve got fairly high crafting skills. I found one pair that kind of looked like comfortable cargo shorts, but even dyed to match, I didn’t think the style fit with the top. Then I went through the pants in my glamour chest and realized that the Pagos gaskins that @cinlat​ gave me when I first started the game could be dyed and the style looked pretty good with the top.

So, her new fishing gear:

I want sandals that suit the outfit better, but these will do for now.

[tishinada]

Took advantage of the opportunity to get some great screenshots tonight of Zas getting a little flirty:

Zas. Eyes up.

I have no idea why that conversation emote does that since in almost every other instance in the game, your eyes track to the face. Maybe the game just knows how embarrassed she’d be when she realizes where she was looking :D

[tishinada]

Zas got a new hat!

I’d rather have silver accents on the hat, but oh well, lol.

[tishinada]

Zastelar goes fishing. To the point it’s a joke among her friends if she’s not around. If she needs solitude, she packs some food and takes off for some remote spot that’s rumored to have a particular rare fish. If not, she hops a ship with a group of fishing buddies and spend a full day hitting some of the best ocean fishing spots.

Kassiya paints landscapes or tinkers with alchemy (she started dabbling in alchemy in order to produce new pigments for her painting.) Her preferred spot for painting is her indoor garden with a picnic basket full of nibbles. She keeps her painting secret, more or less, for personal reasons.

FFXIV Daily Question n°5 : What is your character favorite place or way to chill ?

[tishinada]

I reached a point I could afford to get an apartment (in the Mist district, I like the beach, lol.) And started remodeling the FC chamber as a early story crash pad for Zastelar, Salix ( @cinlat​ ), and Kokogu ( @kunoichi-ume​ ). It’s still a work in progress, but we got together tonight for screenshots. I swear, the color coordinated outfits were completely by accident, lol:

I noticed I can’t really get the wall shelves low enough for a Lalafell to reach, so I imagine trying to decorate a room for one requires some creativity, lol.

Kokogu is the outgoing one of the group, lol. Zas and Salix are the brooding introverts, lol.

I’ll post more as we fix things up.

[tishinada]

And on to Shadowbringers!

New gear from our beloved Lalafell designer:

The all black was just a bit too much, so I dyed some of it grey. Suitable for an expac called Shadow bringers, lol.

Can’t remember if I posted her steppes gear she wore for a lot of Stormblood, first dyed teal, then russet:

The teal was pretty, but the russet and light browns suited her better.