#OC: Zastelar

[tishinada]

Haven't had much time for screenshots recently (and none for posing.) But got a few good ones of Zas while doing the viper quests that I really like:

[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]

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]

And Zas has her mount! Courtesy of a lot of trips through Arum Vale by Lyria, Senzen, @semper-draca​, and @cinlat​

She also has a new fishing buddy, with her own little fishing pole and bait bucket:

[tishinada]

Still fishing a lot. New personal best for ocean fishing :D

Zas got really lucky with some funnel sharks...

[tishinada]

Hi there! :-) For the WoL questions, 3. Who do they worry about the most?

Ah, thank you!

Found family, of course. Most of all, her adopted little brother Salix who belongs to @cinlat followed by their very outgoing friend, Kokogu Kogu who belongs to @kunoichi-ume . Later her cousin, Astrelie, becomes part of their little found family (nicknamed Hydaelyn's Strays.) As time goes on, of course, the rest of the Scions (especially Tataru) become quite important to her. I had already more or less developed her as someone who naturally jumps to protect people even before I got into some of the more recent content, so it works.

Zastelar, Salix, and Kokogu just relaxing in their crash pad:

Zas and Salix shortly after she adopted him (you can tell from her hair that this was very early lol):

And Astrelie, who is quite different from Zas, lol. Aster is a extroverted hedonist and a cynic, with a very biting wit. But a kind heart she hides even from herself.

Thank you, that was fun!

[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]

So, I liked the seneschal option for the little ladies day on Zas enough that I got the jacket. The pants were, sadly, out of my budget, lol, but I think the outfit came out pretty well.

Undyed with tights instead of pants and the Elezen’s heels:

And dyed purple with the pants that go with that jacket, lol.

[tishinada]

So, there’s a rug I’ve wanted for Zas’s apartment since I started decorating it, but it was really expensive on the market (over 500K most of the time, lol), and even though I could craft it, one of the materials was also really expensive (over 200K most of the time) and could only be obtained otherwise by gardening (with seeds that were, of course, expensive.)

So I’ve been watching for any drops in the price of that material and buying it in bits and pieces. FINALLY...

The rugs I had down before were OK, but boring, lol. NOW the public area looks finished :D Admittedly, the rug is the most expensive thing (in terms of what I actually spent) in the entire apartment, even shopping for bargains, lol.

Zas taking in the new addition, which also looks like it would be very warm underfoot (as opposed to the marble floor.)

Editing to add a pic with normal lighting because it was designed with this lighting in mind:

[tishinada]

Zas has a new dragon mount!

[tishinada]

So, I decided I needed to make up with Pozhar after riding around with her in raingear for a week or two, lol.

I made her Ice Barding

I think she’s much happier with such pretty gear (I really need to stable her and try to change her color, even though I rather like the default color.)

I really want to make her the Titania barding, but damn, you need a very expensive feather to make it, lol. Even if I got one as a drop, I’d probably guilt myself into selling it on the market :D

[tishinada]

Zas got a new hat!

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

[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]

I just realized that I posted screenshots of the gang lounging around the crash pad (ala fantasy world early college student eclectic decorating, lol.) But never anything of my new apartment itself.

So, here it is, a combination of Limsa Lominsa and the Far East styles, with the lighting turned up to bright:

The indoor oriental garden is my newest addition.

The Lominsan office area:

The koi pond that takes up almost half my bedroom, lol.

And my crow’s nest (the reading loft above the koi pond:

[tishinada]

Zas doing a little night fishing on the ocean...

[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.