#Scion hates editing

[scioneeris]

Working on edits today. 🫠

And then Patreon updates. 🥹

[impossible-rat-babies]

the juxtaposition between eyrie’s anger at alphinaud in post ARR and feeling as if they failed him ;—;

[halonicheart]

Endymion Nightbough hails from the Black Shroud and loathes Gridania with nearly his entire being. The sad irony of the matter is he often is required to be in said place for extended periods of time. It was his own fault really, he knew exactly what he was going to have to deal with upon joining the Lancer's Guild. It wasn't a choice he made on a whim, mind you. Despite the foul taste Gridania left in his mouth, he wished for change or at the very least encourage others to take the neccesary steps for a better city-state. Endymion was no fool, he is not under the impression that his deeds alone can make a substantial dent. Regardless, it's one he is willing to work towards.

Endymion joined the guild with the intent of one day become it's leader. The guild was already terribly scarce of other Duskwights, the numbers thinning by the day. He can't say he blames any one of them for leaving, were he not dedicated to his cause he may have up and left himself. His sense of duty was both a vice and a virtue. Truth be told, he really isn’t fond of his guild mates. The kind enough ones kept him at a polite distance and the rest… well, they certainly had a lot to say about his stiff demeanor when they thought he couldn’t hear them. Worse yet, the same lot that spit in on his name seemed hellsbent on trying to monopolize his spare time under the claim of bonding. He humors it, even when he really shouldn’t. When push comes to shove and tragedy strikes, Endymion ultimately resigns from the guild. He sets out on a journey, to think over what he truly wants in life.

Prior to quitting the guild, Ywain had bestowed him a mission to assist an Ishgardian friend by the name of Alberic. Endymion was never one to truly abandon a task, but as he no longer felt fit for the role- he could not in good conscience go through with assisting Ser Alberic. “Fret not, I have no intentions to leave you high and dry. I have someone more than capable of the job… if you are willing to listen.” He knew well that Lovette Vairemont wanted to see Ishgard, and this may be a necessary step closer to that dream. While Ywain was more than willing to entrust the matter to her, he trusted Endymion’s judgment as well as his work ethic, Lovette herself was reluctant. She wasn’t a true member of the guild, but with some gentler encouragement from Endymion, she agrees. “You’re terribly kind behind that glare of yours!” She had told him.

Despite Endymion’s standoffish nature, once he has warmed up he’s a staunch ally to have in your court. As per his Duskwight heritage, found family is just as important- if not more important than blood family. Even if all odds seemed to be stacked against you, Endymion is the type of man who would still vouch for you. Time and time again he did as much for the likes of Dorian Netherfell, who took far too much pleasure in running with the wild rumors surrounding his mysterious origin. Odd as he is, Endymion knows he’s a good man at the end of the day. Unfortunately for him, Dorian has taken a liking to playfully annoying him any chance he gets… it could be worse, he supposes.

Despite not being a “Warrior of Light” as well being most certainly echoless, Endymion’s part in the heroes journey is nothing to scoff at. The very first of his deeds ends up crossing paths with some familiar faces amongst Saint Coinach’s Find. Were you to tell him that would be entering the Crystal Tower with old and new friends alike, he would not believe you.

[vesselrae]

tbh if they make zero into a scion i’m going to eat my fucking desk. don’t do that to them PLEASE

[blessedtoaster666]

WITCH WEEKLY - Issue 94 - December 2006

Editor’s Note:

Gentlebeings of the Wizarding World,

Our cover feature this issue is the one, the only Draco Malfoy- a man who needs no introduction, but whose presence might require the briefest of explanations.

Lord Malfoy has had no shortage of press over the years… but since his release from Azkaban we have dutifully kept an eye on him, and for sore ones he is a sight. Every time we feature him, the owls pour in. Some carry missives with love potion-laced ink, in the hopes that we’ll pass them to the man in question (no judgement, we’ve tried to slip him a little something in the past) while others are Howlers bursting to scream about our hideous facilitation of lusting after a war criminal. How dare you drool over a terrorist! But drool we do, like a three-headed dog.

It’s one of our favorite things about Draco Malfoy: those who love him, would die for him… and those who hate him, would like to see him killed. We fall into the camp of the former- do you?

Read on for 10 of our other favorite things -

Venia Plumberton, Editor-in-Chief

BEST OF Draco Malfoy

We surveyed our editorial staff, as well as witches and wizards on the street (Horizont Alley, to be exact) to determine the 10 best features of the wizard we love to hate, but don’t hate to love. Caution… at least three witches went feral after editing this piece. You’ve been warned.

#1 - CHEST - We don’t know if it’s that he’s vaguely the color of honed marble, or that we had too many brushes with the fit statues at Hogwarts during our formative years… but oh, Mummy. We don’t get to see shirtless Draco often- perhaps he’s self-conscious of the scars? Are they from the whip of a lover… or perhaps the Dark Lord?

Our seven-page coverage of his trip to Bali last year, “Draco’s Treasure Chest” July 2005, contributed to our best selling issue. EVER. We are certain our journalistic prowess has not gotten that much better. When it comes to Draco, we’re delusional, not deluded.

#2 - EYES - Pureblood politics like to keep things in the family; but if inbreeding is wrong do we want to be right? Like pools of mercury, Draco’s eyes look terribly inviting but might just kill us if we take a dip. We have on record that his nickname in school was, “The Heir of Slytherin”. Basilisk, much? We’ve heard stranger. Speaking of basilisks… this magazine doesn’t stoop to such levels… but we know where your head’s at.*

*Right next to ours, in the gutter. But at least we’re looking at the stars… specifically, the Draco constellation.

#3 - HAIR - We here at WW celebrate a man who takes the time to learn grooming spells, and we dare say the Malfoy Scion created a few of his own to tame his mane just the way we like it. Tousled, pushed back, glittering platinum everywhere the light touches it. Oh, to run a hand through that hair. Maybe pull it, just a little. Ruin our life, Draco. We are at the ready.

#4 - SIZE - When the DM walks in the room, suddenly, we orbit around him. Is it because of his white golden hair (see above) or is it perhaps that he’s the size of a planet? The Muggles have really gotten into something called gravity, look into it friends - because Draco is our sun. 6’5”, the wing span of a bloody hippogriff and the legs (oh we’ll get started with those next) of a semi-giant.

#5 - THIGHS - We could be pressed to include the whole leg, look at those calves, but in the interest of being specific- Draco Malfoy’s thighs get us through our work day.

Thick as tree trunks, we’d surrender our wand to be a part of that forest.

We spoke to Madame Mirabelle, tailor to rich and infamous, and she assured us that while she hasn’t fit Draco in years, she knows for a fact he has a tailor on staff to “rightly pinch and pin” every set of trousers he wears. One must not assume that anything off-the-rack could surround such thighs, wrap that arse, cover that bulge and hug that waist without being magically pinched and pinned. We’re due for a sewing spell seminar, it would seem.

#6 - ABS - Speaking of waists… Well. We shan’t. We’ll just show a picture, it scores a V, for va va voom.

#7 - FOREARMS - Again, we feel remiss not mention the scrumptious biceps, the scandalously sexy shoulders… but let it be known, Draco’s forearm game is unmatched. Maybe it’s the veins; maybe it’s the sheer size of them. Maybe it’s the Dark Mark- you know we need to be reminded about the danger lurking underneath. Or maybe… we are ovulating? No matter. We’d let him cast any spell he wanted at us so long as he used those arms to hold his wand.

#8 - SNEER - A snide look, on the face of Draco Malfoy, is better than a smile on any other man… We’re sure should Draco ever smile our way, he’d be crowned ‘Most Charming Smile’ in an instant… but to that end, we’ve never seen it. We’re not sure he’s capable. So we covet the sneer.

Eyes narrowed, nose flared, lip curled? Check, checkity, check. Sign us up for the next war!

#9 - JAWLINE - We long to go to a taffy emporium with Draco and watch him sample the wares… such is our obsession with seeing him clench. For Merlin’s sake, someone get the man some gum! We deserve such visions, we’ve been so good.

#10 - HANDS - Hands tell the story of the man- and here’s what we know… Draco’s hands can palm a quaffle and are typically adorned with family heirloom rings. He likes a Muggle watch, and doesn’t always need a wand. An eyewitness told us she saw him stop a falling bottle at his bar, The Jobberknoll, with just a flick of his fingers, as he dined with friends. We love a wizard who takes matters into his own hands.

[daemon-in-my-head]

Past Life Dark Urge Asks - 9th Edition:

OK but how does Durge actually view relationships and romance?

What does their room look like? Describe it to me. Neat? Messy? Organised mess where everything has its place?

What's their favourite spot to hang out at after a long day of temple managing and murdering in Father's name? Is it by the altar, their desk, a certain someone's office or by the docks?

Gorion's Ward was a hero and a Bhaalspawn that defied Bhaal. But they're also a powerful person who rose far above many, as well as the reason Sarevok once returned. What does Durge think of them? Is he an idol or a villain to them? When did their view of them change or do they perhaps even feel pity for the sibling which had been led astray?

Durge loves efficient killing, but what was their one little indulgence whenever they did it? I don't mean getting loot, keeping trinkets. Did they perhaps draw out the hunt or play with the mouse unfortunate enough to fall into their trap?

There's this funny bit that Durge refused to clean themselves, but is it true for yours? Did they indeed always carry the scent of entrails or did they bathe regularly? After all, Bhaals Scion has a reputation to uphold.

Speaking of Water, Baldur's Gate is a Port City. What did Durge think of the sea? Did they long to sail or do they prefer solid ground beneath their feet? Did they feel any connection, or was it just a body of water, perfect to drown some innocent souls?

Durge is clearly a skilled master of their craft, but would they ever consider taking an apprentice? Perhaps they already did? Or would they absolutely detest those who yet lack skill and prefer they attain it on their own?

Orin makes for a great spy and even the Bhaalist Temple relies on intelligence to survive and operate more efficiently. Did Durge ever try to help out Orin in attempts to gather intel? What was it like? Did they charm their way into hearts and minds, or did they rely on the thing they did best, a skillful killing?

Bhaalspawn are pretty similar to Aasimar in every aspect, well except that Aasimar are children of celestials and good aligned powers while Bhaalspawn hail from the Lord of Murder. What did Durge think of their goody-two-shoes counterparts?

Bhaal is widely hated or feared, as are Bhaalspawn, but what does Durge think about that notion? Would they hunt down anyone who dares speak I'll of their father, or could they not care any less? Do they perhaps revel in that fear and hatred?

If Durge knew they'd lose all their memories in the future, what would they think? Would they weep for their treasured moments or perhaps even feel delighted about forgetting a dreaded past?

Name a personality trait of theirs which is, in theory, something great, but they've taken it to such extremes it became something negative.

How is Durge handling failure? Do they handle it at all or do they just refuse to acknowledge any?

Would Past Life Durge like for their life's story to be told and remembered? Why or why not? In what way would they have liked it to be remembered?

In general, how does your Durge cope with stress, life, and the things that happened? How did it affect them? Are there any lasting effects from an outburst once?

On a scale of 1 to 10, how easily does your Durge snap? 1 being the world could end, and they'd barely be mildly inconvenienced, and 10 being somebody looks funny in their direction, and the next minute, they're in a nasty brawl.

What is their favorite spell? It doesn't have to be one they themselves know or learned. Just a spell they think is neat, handy, cool, etc.

If there happened to be a street fair in the Gate, would they attend? Yes or no, who would they go with, what would it be like visiting one of those with them?

Bhaal was a netherese arcanist. Does Durge, considering they're made from Bhaals flesh, consider themselves to be netherese? Have they ever thought about these things or do they simply not care?

I totally forgot I had these I'm sorry lmao. They've been rotting away in my drafts the whole time.

[brocktonbay]

MISS TUMBLR SEXYMAN 2023: WORM EDITION

Post-Game Report

(art graciously provided by @senviva)

Congrats to Marquis and Number Man for their joint win in the Wormblr Sexyman Tournament! #LOVEWINS!

Gregor the Snail, an ever gracious competitor and runner-up has stated “I’d like to congratulate Marquis and Kurt on their victory. I know a lot of my fans were really disappointed that there wasn’t a #GregorSneep, but at the end of the day, they put in the work and left it all on the field. I’m so grateful for how far I got.”

Gesturing to the two villains rawdogging it on the podium long after the cameras cut and confetti ceased falling, Gregor added, “We all owe them a personal thank you for taking Jack Slash off the board. That guy’s behavior was real unprofessional, real unsportsmanlike. Involuntary surgery, foul play, outside tinker intervention… I mean, what’s next? Calling in Scion to blow @brocktonbay off the map? You hate to see it.”

Gregor wishes for his fans to know that he appreciates all their (mostly) kind words and support, and that regardless the outcome, this has been a huge moment for Case 53 rights worldwide. He plans to spend the next week decompressing with his wife, fellow Case 53 Shamrock. What a lucky lady!

As for Marquis and Number Man, well, whatever they have in store for the world next, we’re sure it’ll be terrifying. (And sexy)

This is @brocktonbay, signing off for good. Thanks so much to all the people who participated, and an especially big thank you to artists @heyitschartic @ishdaj @lizardinkart @sweaterregrets @strikermoment @rililith @cpericardium @tactilescream @bug4932 @despite @rainfrazier @aruliart @senviva who graciously donated their time, skills, and enthusiasm to this silly little event. Stay sexy, wormblrinas!

[public-trans-it-deactivated20240]

Figured I would make a post of all my various FFXIV OC's.

Warning: There are more than just these 4, those are just the big ones. Also, this is like 5 years' worth of weekly RP with my FC, and we very much leaned into the absurd over-the-top fantasy of the FF series. So, like... boy HOWDY is this gonna be a lot. Edit after finishing writing this draft: it was far more than I thought oh my god I forgot how bullshit all of this was. However I added a clear indicator of where you can skip the most bullshit parts.

(All infoblocks are how the character would describe themselves. Summaries are (mostly) my own words, unless I think its really funny to not do so.)

Read More

I also have redacted a lot of info about other people's characters cause I'm not entirely comfortable sharing all of them here. So the names of other characters, and also my FC's name, are entirely removed. I've also tweaked some of the details slightly, mostly just the timing of certain events, and combining/removing a couple of the T'alia's (yes there used to be more). Also spoilers [ARE NOT IN THIS VERSION, YOUR WELCOME MISHA].

If you don't want what is basically a summary of a four year long RP campaign, you can get the short version by just reading the entries for the four characters listed above.

Name: T'sraetn Slein Race: Miqo'te/Garlean (Mixed race) Clan: Seeker of the Sun Gender: Cis(ish) Woman (She/Her)

T'sraetn was born in the capital city of Garlemald, child of a garlean scientist, Varrick lux Slein, and a miqo'te conscript-engineer, T'alia Raio. Her father was researching the Echo, trying to find ways to replicate its effects with a garlean soul. When the Garlond Ironworks rebelled and fled for Eorzea, T'sraetn's family fled with them, though Varrick was killed in the process, [REDACTED FOR MISHA REASONS].

T'sraetn became fascinated by all forms of magic in Eorzea, following the paths of the Arcanist before branching out to other fields. She continued to find stronger and stronger opponents to test her magical prowess against, eventually awakening to the Echo and being recruited to the Scions.

The events of 1.0 through Stormblood happen relatively the same as they do in the game, though T'sraetn went missing after [REDACTED FOR MISHA REASONS]. She reappeared once again after the events of Shadowbringers 5.3 (sort of, see below), now sporting several cybernetic augments throughout her body, with all of her limbs being fully cybernetic.

She initially had no issues with her augments, barring a few exceptions. However, after the events of Endwalker, she grew to hate them. She believed these augments were the only thing that allowed her to survive her fight against [REDACTED FOR MISHA REASONS]. She eventually underwent a dangerous procedure to remove her augments and replace her limbs with vat-grown cloned organic transplants.

T'sraetns version of the Echo manifests it in a bizarre temporal distortion. Time feels as if it passes differently for her, with her experiencing weeks or months in the span of time that others claim to only experience days. In combat, she experiences her own death over and over again until, eventually, she survives the fight. The way that [REDACTED FOR MISHA REASONS] experience [REDACTED FOR MISHA REASONS] makes her feel a kinship with them in this regard, and has lead to her developing an unhealthy obsession with both of them.

T'sraetn has grown disillusioned with the life of adventure, and now spend much of her time drinking and reliving [REDACTED FOR MISHA REASONS], hoping at some point she will discover her life since that point was just a very long vision, and if she just did something different [REDACTED FOR MISHA REASONS].

The rare times she is sober, she spends studying [THIS ENTIRE FUCKING PARAGRAPH REDACTED FOR MISHA REASONS HOLY FUCK].

She funds these expeditions by selling her services to the goblins of the Wolves Den, helping them refine and test their designs for human pilots.

(Here she is, Ms. Warrior of Light herself. I do find it hilarious that 'Mech Pilot' is a lore friendly profession to have, so I had to go for it. I technically have two versions of T'sraetn! (Well... 3) One is the version I used in my Free Company's weekly roleplay for about 4 years, who is not actually the Warrior of Light, and the other is, in fact, the Warrior of Light herself. However, everything canon to the FC version is more or less canon to the WoL version. We won't be getting into the third version on a SFW blog. [REDACTED FOR MISHA REASONS])

Name: Killer Kweh Race: Unknown Clan: Unknown Gender: Unknown (They/Them)

Killer Kweh is a vigilante who began to harass T'sraetn's FC around the events of late Shadowbringers, keeping tabs on the various villains and scoundrels that the FC let slip away, thinking the power of friendship would be enough to save the day. Together with their chocobo, Wark Warrior, the two would track down and kill those the FC had spared. They eventually began to confront the FC, trying to pressure them into no longer forgiving those who wronged them.

Their identity remains a mystery to this day, and will likely never be discovered, no matter how often the other FC members says things like "T'sraetn the mask doesn't even cover all your hair, and we can clearly still see your tail." or "Can you hide your chocobo's costume somewhere else? We need to clean the stables."

(I kept this glam and now use it for PLD/RDM. Originally I was actually planning to have Killer Kweh be an entirely different character, but the FC kept making jokes about the tail showing, and I decided to roll with it cause having it just be T'sraetn the whole time was FAR funnier tbh, and we needed something light hearted at the time.)

If you don't want to read a whole boatload of FC lore, you should skip all of this. (Scroll down until you see the quest complete)

Name: T'alia Raio Race: Miqo'te Clan: Seeker of the Sun Gender: Cis Woman (She/Her)

The first of the many, many, MANY faces of T'alia, who served as one of the central antagonists for much of the FC's life.

As mentioned above, T'alia was an engineer working in Garlemald before her family attempted to flee alongside the Garlond Ironworks, her husband being killed in the process. Wrought with guilt over his death, T'alia vowed to attempt to continue his research once they arrived in Eorzea, studying the soul and how various things could affect it.

Where her husband turned to the Echo, T'alia instead turned to the void, and to the tempering effect of primals. She made a pact with a voidsent, offering it not her own soul, but the soul of her research subjects, in return for studying its effects on them.

She eventually joined a Free Company, finding them to be perfect test subjects and developing an obsession with helping them grow stronger. She carefully examined and documented the effects on them and their aether after various fights with primals and voidsent, all under the guise of helping them grow stronger.

The idea of the FC needing to grow stronger became more and more compulsive, culminating in her trying to graft the soul of her voidsent into the aether of an injured FC member, an act which was the last straw and resulted in the FC turning on her.

She harbored no ill will against the adventurers, and continued her experiments from a distance, using facilities within abandoned garlean bases to construct various monsters for the free company to "train" against, frequently against their will.

(The FC I was with from 1.0 up to Stormblood Launch had a lot of drama. I originally made T'alia as a way to shop around and play with other FC's. When I joined my current FC, they mentioned not having any real dedicated antagonist for their RPs, and so I decided before the first RP I joined that T'alia was eventually going to make a heel turn, and played her as friendly but also very clearly having an ulterior motive. Also T'alia is still my MCH glam!)

Name: T'alia Raio Kime Race: Disembodied Soul Chimera Clan: Specter Yeah :) Gender: Monster (It/She/He)

T'alia's research into metempsychosis culminated in the preservation of her soul, at the cost of the willing destruction of her own body, obtaining a state not unlike those of the Ascians. She began growing multitudes of clones of herself, experimenting on them, merging them with beast men, and creating terrifying new chimerical bodies with which she continued to 'test the potential' of the FC.

However, these bodies and her soul mixed like water and oil, and she was never able to fully utilize them. While each one was quite powerful on its own, under her control they were exceedingly frail, and she would find her soul being ejected from them long before the point the body itself failed. This eventually forced her to turn back to her original field of engineering, augmenting these bodies with cybernetic enhancements.

Eventually, she invited the FC to one of her most ambitions plans to date, which she referred to as "The Merger", a combination wedding ceremony and business merger between both herself, and another rival of the FC's who also was heavily proficient in the field of engineering. This event was, in truth, an experiment where she splintered the timeline and merged it together again. During one timeline, an FC member was killed and replaced with a cybernetic replica crafted by T'alia and her new wife, while in the other timeline the FC member lived on as normal.

T'alia's plans for all of this were seemingly lost when her corpse was discovered in some ruins, impaled by a chunk of white auracite that kept her from escaping the vessel she was inhabiting. This drove her wife deeper into despair, and the widow blamed the FC for allowing this to happen, becoming a far bigger threat to them in the process.

(It was a running joke in our RPs that T'alia would keep getting called an Ascian, only to respond, "I still don't know what that is..." While she did achieve a similar form, it was elusively through her own research, and she never had any affiliation with the Ascians)

Name: Tali Race: Various Clan: Various Gender: Nonbinary (She/Her)

Shortly after T'alia's death, one of her augmented clones began interacting with the FC. She revealed she was the one who killed the 'real' T'alia, an action she had no choice in taking. Several of this clones augments allowed T'alia to control her remotely, and she had taken control of her body to kill herself. These augments still remained in place, and even with no one controlling them now, they still prevented certain actions, such as revealing what T'alia was planning.

This T'alia clone continued to work alongside the FC, eventually being welcomed with open arms as a full fledged member, with the FC renaming her 'Tali' to differentiate her from her creator.

While Tali already differed significantly from her creator, she felt a deep unease about being compared to her. She took up the gunblade and began to dabble in various shape changing magics in order to further differentiate herself from T'alia, resulting in frequent damage to her body and need for replacements of her various artificial limbs. All the while, unfamiliar memories began to surface in her mind, revealing that the memories of T'alia's own past that she had planted in Tali weren't sticking.

While she was unable to reveal T'alia's plans to the FC, she was more than able to be reckless about leaving around too many maps about where T'alia's various facilities were located, leading the FC on missions to shut them down and uncover more details about T'alia's plans, with Tali quickly piecing the details together and becoming both more distressed and more frantic to get the FC to uncover the rest.

Over the course of these expeditions the FC found T'alia's main base: a facility located in a rift in spacetime filled with a massive number of clones. Thousands of clones of T'alia, as well as hundreds of clones of every single FC member.

This facility housed enough clues for the FC to realize two things: first, that T'alia was being coerced into her actions by some other entity that she had been plotting against, and second, Tali's differences to T'alia came not from her augmentations, but from the the fact that she was never a clone of T'alia at all, but her own daughter T'sraetn, augmented and brainwashed into becoming a pawn for T'alia to use.

(Yes the DPS symbol on the blue background is intentional. It's a joke about me always off-tanking at the time, and being a 'Blue DPS'. The name Tali was actually a typo from an FC member addressing her, but everyone immediately realized it would be a great way to differentiate this other version of T'alia, and so we kept it. Also, we had a running joke in our RP's that Tali's arms just fell right off about once per RP night.)

Name: T'alia Allengray Race: Miqo'te Clan: Seeker of the Sun Gender: Cis Woman (She/Her)

Pouring over T'alia's research notes, T'sraetn and the FC eventually found the source of what T'alia had been pushing them all towards, the entity that had plagued her for her entire life: T'alia.

This other T'alia eventually made her presence known by possessing a shape changing quicksilver construct that the FC had defeated, forming a new body for herself. Taking the old T'alia's role as antagonist (though never posing anywhere near as much a direct threat), she was happy to monologue to the FC, and even gave them a linkpearl to answer any questions they might have.

This other T'alia (who the FC simply refered to by her surname, Allengray) was a copy of herself from a different timeline, who had trapped herself in a perpetual timeloop that lasted from the moment of her birth, to the moment of her death. Her original self became nothing more than a disembodied specter within the loop, forced to observe the same events play out over and over again. Over the course of the more than 5 million years she spent trapped in the loop, she slowly gained the ability to subtly influence the members of her FC, with a far bigger influence on each loops iteration of herself.

In her original timeline, Allengray and the FC had fought a devastatingly powerful primal, Lich. As they began to realize their conventional methods of killing primals would not affect it, they eventually chose to build a temporal cage, crafted from the remains of Alexander. The device would contain one aetheric being, and one mortal being, binding the two together. Lich would be trapped within it, and bound to the lifespan of whoever activated the device. While Allengray was not the one selected to bear that burden, she stole the device in the dead of night and sacrificed herself to it, rather than watch any of her friends suffer. Instead, she was left to be tortured for millions of years, watching Lich kill her friends over and over again while she could do little more than watch, and whisper to each version of herself to beg them to find a way to stop it.

(Another kept glam! Allengray is my BLU glam. I actually introduced her as a palette swapped version of another FC members 'Monster of the Week', which was the quicksilver construct that Allengray possessed. She was a bit of an amnesiac trickster for a bit, as her soul adjusted to her new body.)

Name: T'alia Allengray Lich Race: Primal Clan: Aetheric Parasite Gender: Primal (It/Its)

Eventually, Allengray revealed Lich's true nature. Unlike other primals, Lich did not exist as a body. It was more of a parasite that existed in the lifestream, devouring the souls of those who died, which is why it had been so difficult to find a way to stop. And over the course of hundreds of loops, it had grown and adapted to exist within a person's aether, feeding off of them.

Specifically, that of Allengray, where it had latched itself into and fully consumed her. While the timeloop was still connected to the lifespan of each timeline's T'alia, Lich was free to wreck whatever havoc it wanted on the FC, manipulating the timeline to ensure they would suffer over and over again to amuse itself. Even if they found a way to kill it, which the FC occasionally managed to do, the timeline would still be reset on its death, meaning the most the FC would ever be able to do to it is doom another timeline to be the victim of its wrath.

Moreover, with this timelines T'alia now trapped in white auracite, she could never truly die, allowing Lich to remain in this timeline indefinitely.

This timelines T'alia (which is T'alia Raio, in case you lost track. Very understandable if you did.) still managed to get the last laugh. Through their various interactions, the FC of this timeline had become a force of abominations. Fractured primals, artificial constructs, temporal anomalies, and voidtouched avatars, all untouchable by Lich. A fierce battle ensued, Lich toying with FC with the knowledge that killing it wouldn't stop it, even as it clearly grew frustrated.

In the final moment of the battle, the FC revealed their ace in the hole, one of their enemies who had a far bigger grudge against Lich than anyone in the FC. The wife of this timelines T'alia, holding a recreation of the device that trapped Lich and Allengray in the timeloop in one hand, and the white auracite that held her wifes soul in the other. Binding the device to herself and her wife, the two became banished from this timeline to spend eternity with one another, replacing Lich and Allengray in the loop.

Lich did not have time to make its feelings on this development known, as the FC shredded it apart and destroyed it for good.

(I've always fucking loved the concept behind Lich, because in case it wasn't clear by now, I am ABSOLUTELY FASCINATED by death and how we relate to it, and wish Lich had a bigger role in Final Fantasy (I love you Stranger of Paradise). In XIV in particular I felt it had so much potential as a primal. Plus "Killing the embodiment of death itself" is such a final fantasy ass final boss.)

(Additional fun fact: this timeline is the 72,323nd loop that Lich and Allengray were trapped in. Since I'm going with a dumb quest formatting for this, I'll say first person to correctly guess why I chose that number gets... idk... a trust banner of their character and/or a wallpaper made of them? This post contains all the information an FFXIV player would need to guess why I chose that number.)

Name: Noraliene Haillenarte Race: Elezen Clan: Wildwood Gender: Cis Woman (She/Her)

Despite all appearances, Noraliene is an elezen born to House Haillenarte in Ishgard. A member of House Dzemael dosed her drink with a fantasia during a banquet, and when she awoke the next morning as an Au Ra, she found herself the target of a horrible campaign to undermine House Haillenarte by claiming they are heretics, as well as an attempt to use her as "proof" that Au Ra are companions to dragons and must be purged from the city.

She was exiled by her family and escaped the city the next day, being pursued by several members of the Ishgardian Church seeking to kill her for her supposed heresy. Cold and exhausted, she eventually collapsed in the snow, where she claims she froze to death before being resurrected. In truth, she was rescued before that point by Ysayle, and her blue skin is a result of being tempered by Shiva.

After Ysayle's death, Noraliene took her place and helped lead her followers in reintegrating into Ishgard. She had no desire to return to the place of so many bad memories, however, and decided to join up with T'alia's FC shortly after T'alia revealed her true colors, granting them her aid as the new avatar of Shiva.

Despite her tragic past and icy aesthetic, she actually has a very warm and bubbly personality, eager to share her love of Doman Romance novels with anyone who will listen, and excitedly prying into the love life of anyone who was willing to share. She eventually grew tired of the constant stress and drama of being an adventurer and married another Ishgardian exile, choosing to move far away from Eorzea with her new wife.

(Did I make this character just as an excuse to spam the Diamond Dust emote during RP nights? You can't prove that. She was actually made so that I could join the RP easier when other people wanted to host an RP, instead of trying to bullshit together another reason why the FC was just willing to team up with T'alia again. The Diamond Dust spam was just a bonus. I also have a 26 page screenshot comic about her origin story that I've written out, and just need to actually take the screenshots for, but EFFORT...)

Name: Muddied Glory Race: Au Ra Clan: Raen/Xaela (Mixed race) Gender: Cis Woman (She/Her)

Muddied Glory is the orphan daughter of a Raen and a Xaela who were both killed touring Eorzea while she was just an infant. She was placed into the foster care of a Hellsguard woman, who gave her the name she has now.

At a very young age, Glory was adopted by the Church of Halone, where she became a devoted follower of their doctrine. As she grew, she would eventually find herself blessed by Halone with visions into the lives of those she would grant absolution (Its just the Echo), and very rarely, she will wake up in the morning with no memory of the previous night, the events of her own life falling away so her memory could instead be filled with the knowledge of a killer who must be brought to justice, delivered to her through the eyes of their victim.

Her conviction of faith is never stronger than when she faces on these killers, and from the moment they lock eyes with her, before even a single word is said, they are filled with the terrifying knowledge that she is there to bring them to justice. (This is the usual reaction people have when the woman they killed last night shows up in front of them.)

(Glory is me going "Hey remember that one Sahagin Priest in MSQ? Where we learned what a fully realized Echo was capable of? Yeah we need more of that", with the additional silliness of the character in question having no idea it's happening to her. Once again, I was very excited when [REDACTED FOR MISHA REASONS])

Name: Ifrit's Bride Race: Tempered Clan: Thrall Gender: Seemingly Trans Woman (It/She)

While there has not been a cure until very recently, being tempered has never been a 'one and done' affair. A primal is fully capable of tempering a single person multiple times, corrupting them far beyond the point of recognizability, as seen most commonly in Leviathan's drowned.

Ifrit's Bride is an example of that. It is unknown what rank or purpose she served among the followers of Ifrit, only that it was far more aetherially corrupted than was the norm for the followers of Ifrit.

After plaguing them for years, she was eventually captured by the Brotherhood of Ash where they worked with the immortal flames and the new anti-tempering magics lent to them to attempt to see if the process could be combined with the Brotherhood's Sacred Ash.

(Technically, she wasn't given the name Tempered Lass until after she was cured, so I should have used a different name for the trust banner. But also fuck making another one, I'm almost done with this post. Also I can't do tribal dailies on this character anymore, because I refuse to complete 'Losing One's Tempered' so that I can always keep some Sacred Ash on hand.)

Name: Tempered Lass Race: "Prefer not to disclose" Clan: "Prefer not to disclose" Gender: So Fucking Much (She/It)

The result was... mixed. While they managed to cure the Bride of Ifrit of her tempering, she had no memory of anything prior to the point of being cured, and her body remained warped.

She was given into the care of a Hellsguard woman who gave her a very... on the nose name, and there it was discovered that without regular treatments of the Brotherhood's Sacred Ash, she would once again begin hearing the whispers of Ifrit compelling her. She is also particularly gullible, but it is unclear if that is a result of the process that cured her, or simply a natural character trait for her.

While the Brotherhood of Ash welcomes her with open arms and is happy to provide her with Sacred Ash at no cost, Temmie prefers to try to live in Ul'dah. She is frequently found among the refugees, helping them for far too little coin for what she needs to sustain herself.

(The reason she can't remember anything is cause there is nothing to remember. Despite appearances, Temmie is not an Au Ra, she is a Miqo'te. Specifically, Temmie is a clone of T'sraetn created by T'alia to test the effects of tempering. Also, if it wasn't clear, her and Muddied Glory are foster sisters.)

Name: Gyococo Gyoco Race: Namazu Lalafell Clan: Namazu Dunesfolk Gender: "Depends on how much you are paying." (She/Him)

Gyococo is a lalafell adopted and raised by namazu. Once the Far East started becoming a more popular tourist destination for Eorzeans, she began seeing more and more lalafells, eventually growing curious enough to wish to visit and explore the land her real parents hailed from. At least, that's what he told people.

In truth, Gyococo cared little for pursuing his ancestral culture and just saw what she assumed would be an ignorant and unassuming market she could swindle as a merchant. What she found when she arrived in Ul'dah, however, was a society of cut throats and swindlers worse than any namazu could ever hope to achieve.

After months of barely scraping by, he eventually turned over a new leaf. She befriended an illiterate playwright and now acts as her scribe and editor. While he is far from the rich woman he was hoping to become, she lives comfortably and is happy with where her life is at.

(I don't touch Gyococo much, mostly because the playerbase is really fucking weird about lalafells and really fucking weird about trans women, and the overlap is... not fun, honestly.)

Name: Gaeli Cat Race: Gaelicat Clan: Gaelicat Gender: Gaelicat

Gaelicat.

(Gaelicat.)

[GAELICAT FOR MISHA REASONS]

[wind-up-thancred]

"what scion does your wol HATE" "what popular ffxiv npc can you NOT STAND" "what ffxiv npc do you think should have DIED in the story and never came back" "what ffxiv npc is OBJECTIVELY THE WORST" what if we all just shut the fuck up and stopped making these pointless threads forever. just an idea idk edit because it took somebody literally two minutes to get on my case for this: this is my personal opinion and i am simply tired of it. obviously i fucking cant control other people lmfao i figured that went without saying but i guess not

[athina-blaine]

you can't carry it with you if you want to survive (Nimona 2023) - Chapter 2 (Preview) (New)

(Note: this is not the finalized draft; anything featured is subject to edits or deletion)

Chapter 1 (Recap) Ambrosius braced himself against the quiet, waiting for the sharp prickling of his pulse to steady. He didn’t know how long he stood there before he became aware of a dull pain in his hand.  His glasses. At some point, he’d squeezed them so tightly they’d snapped in half, the glass puncturing his skin. He stared at the thin ribbon of blood running down his hand until it had stained his white sleeve red. A deep, bitter frustration burned behind his eyes. He’d never get through reviewing his documents now. Not unless he wanted to give himself a migraine so bad it could actually kill him. The night was lost. He’d upset Ballister for nothing. His jaw tightened. Fuck it, he thought, chucking the crushed glasses across his desk.  He needed a drink.

Chapter 2 (Preview) (Updated 01/21/24)

Remember your training. Remember who you are.

We are born to protect this kingdom.

Thankfully, we have a descendant of Gloreth to lead us.

Refilling his glass, Ambrosius reclined in his chair as far back as the wooden frame would allow, running a hand through mussed hair. The office’s temperature had grown intolerable after only a few sips of the dark liquid, and so the top buttons of his uniform lay undone, exposing his throat and sternum. A few more sips, and he imagined he’d be tempted to roll up his sleeves and kick his feet up on the desk, boots and all.

Just considering it sent a roguish thrill coursing through him. Even in solitude, Ambrosius seldom permitted himself to sink into such a state of dishevelment. Every morning he’d stick to his routine—hair styled, face done, freshly shaven—even on rare days when he'd had no obligations but to otherwise laze about his apartment.

Ballister had teased him for this. He’d needle Ambrosius time and again, asking why bother waking up so early to groom himself when Ambrosius had confessed he hated mornings. On one occasion, he even went as far as wrestling an amused Ambrosius back into bed, pleading with him to enjoy a few more hours of sleep for a change.

At the time, Ambrosius had conceded. They’d only been dating a few months at that point, and it had taken embarrassingly little persuasion to convince a smitten Ambrosius to forgo his usual routine and curl back under the cozy covers.

The morning after, however, while Ballister still slept, he rose at his usual hour to start on his routine.

It’s just what Ambrosius did. He’d never given it much thought beyond that. He’d developed the habit as early as primary school, recalling with fond warmth the mornings his mother would let him play at her vanity, mimicking her and her serene elegance. Ambrosius had been quick to fall into a morning routine of his own, smoothing out blemishes and tending to his brightened hair.

After all, even as a child, he’d understood the importance of maintaining appearances, even if—

Is something on your mind, Ambrosius?

… I’m fine, Director.

—even if, internally, he felt like his entire world was falling apart.

Tilting his head back, he drained the glass in one smooth gulp, grimacing at the burn that seared his throat. In the same motion, he reached out for the slender bottle sitting atop his desk, refilling his glass once more.

It's not as if Ambrosius indulged often. He knew how it looked; the scion of Gloreth, disgracing himself with his shameful vices. He'd always known how it looked—but that had only ever stressed the need for discretion. He just needed to be a little clever about it, that's all. He didn’t even like bourbon. He didn't like dark liquor in general, only having the bottle in his office by pure chance—a gift from a visiting dignitary, proudly claiming it to be aged in their nation's most exquisite oak casks.

It’s not as if Ambrosius indulged often. 

Only in emergencies. Only when his hands were shaking too badly to be of any use.

But things had escalated the night of Ballister’s disappearance.

At the thought, Ambrosius’s breath hitched, piercing his chest like the tip of an arrow. Holding his glass, he closed his eyes, letting his consciousness slip down into his body; down into his liquor-warmed veins, the hollow pang in his stomach, the exhaustion behind his eyes. 

From this distance, Ambrosius took apart the memory—the metal of his sword clattering on the ground, the panic and shouting, the shock of red on white gloves—until it had released its hold over him, slinking back into the shadows of his mind. 

In the brief moment of respite, Ambrosius managed to draw a full breath of air into starving lungs. Yet, even with the blissful, numbing aid of the liquor—

It doesn’t matter. You shouldn’t need proof. You know I’m not a murderer.

Did I ever mean anything to you?

Why can’t you just leave me alone?

—the flood of memories wouldn't stop. Ambrosius squeezed the glass as he fought to steady his breathing, its sharp edge digging into the bandaged cut on his palm.

Ambrosius—

—Bal’s eyes had been so desperate—

—I am begging you to trust me—

With a clumsy lurch, Ambrosius reached for the neck of the bottle, his elbow colliding with a stack of documents perched on his desk. He watched with glazed eyes as they cascaded to the floor, scattering in all directions across his office.

He slumped over his desk, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Things had escalated the night of Ballister’s disappearance, and Ambrosius had been teetering on the edge of total collapse ever since. Even the liquor wasn’t helping these days.

With a weary sigh, he pushed himself up from his chair and sank to the floor, pausing to battle the swaying sluggishness that sank with him. He attempted to organize the files as best he could, though it devolved into little more than shuffling papers into a haphazard pile. With both his missing glasses and the intoxicated haze blurring his vision, the text appeared to him as little more than ants crawling across a tablecloth.

He needed to head home if he wanted to get any kind of rest before finishing tomorrow morning’s preparations. Hopefully, Geoffrey would be able to pick up his slack and—did he even know where his spare glasses were? He hated their bulky, unflattering frames, but it would be better than the torture of wearing his contacts while he’d be undoubtedly nursing a hangover.

Ballister would know where they were. After the events of that night, though, he doubted Ballister would be in the mood to tell him.

Shame curdled Ambrosius’ stomach. That wasn’t fair—of course Ballister would help him, even if Ambrosius was the last person in the world who deserved it. 

But all that would have to wait. For now, he just needed to get these damn files sorted.

Crouched beneath the desk, scanning the floor for one last stray budget document, a sudden, sharp chime rang from his pocket, startling him so badly that he jumped and banged his head into the underside of the drawer.

Eyes watering, he settled back onto his haunches, bringing his phone to his ear with one hand and rubbing the back of his throbbing head with the other.

“This is Ambrosius,” he said, vaguely noting the late hour and the unfamiliar number, but primarily relieved that his words hadn't emerged as a slurred, incoherent mess.

“Sir Goldenloin?” 

At the unfamiliar woman’s voice, Ambrosius narrowed his eyes, confused. “Yes?”

Preview #2

[cto10121]

R&J Clown Takes Special Edition —Twitter English Teacher Spreads Romeo Hate Dumb

A wild deranged Twitter thread came from out of the blue to wreak havoc, oh heavy burden. Typical R&J clownery, but there was one thread that was really unhinged. Clownery is back on the menu, boys

“English Teacher Mode”

1) Yes, because Romeo isn’t really in love with Rosaline. That’s literally the point. It’s a point of contrast.

2) Romeo does not play it off his answer to Juliet as a joke. His answer to Juliet’s question is: “Th’exchange of thy love’s faithful vow for mine.” This is not a joke. How do you even construe this as a joke???? Romeo isn’t convinced Juliet will pursue a relationship with him—with good reason, since before that Juliet was vacillating something awful.

3) Because lack of sleep = horny. Because not wanting to sleep because you’re in love is not a thing that happens.

4) “Romeo talks about food, which makes us think he is some loathsome rich person” 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 I CAN’T (also!!!! all the characters except the Nurse and Friar all rich!!! they’re almost all nobles!!!! wtf!!!)

5) Juliet’s lack of agency is a key part of her tragedy…but so is Romeo’s. They are BOTH victimized and BOTH lack agency (age, patriarchy) and have agency at turns (as noble scions). Also, Romeo is literally exiled and wanted for murderer, so yeah.

6) Both of Juliet’s parents betray her, and her Nurse. It isn’t an all-male thing. The Friar helped however he could. And Romeo literally gave his life for her.

7) “Teacher mode off” Take his degree AWAY

Other Clownery

“Dumped” implies a prior relationship. Romeo never pursued Rosaline; it was all a one-sided crush on his part. Meanwhile he and Juliet literally get married.

Because EVERYONE that was at the CAPULET party is a CAPULET, it’s true!!!! Mercutio was a CAPULET, Benvolio was a CAPULET, Romeo was a CAPULET, their friends were CAPULETS, the people Capulet invited who were clearly not CAPULETS were CAPULETS. How could he have been shocked that Juliet was a CAPULET at a CAPULET party????

Romeo: I wish Juliet would cast off her veil of virginity, that’d be great ☺️

Juliet: I want him to [censored] on my [censored] and the force of my [censored] and his [censored] will turn day into night ☺️

Clowns: Romeo’s lust!!1!!1!1

[sainteda]

thank u for the tag @weirwitch <3

1. How many works do you have on ao3 (or masterlist)? two :3

2. What’s your total ao3 word count? - 168,833k, ignoring an orphaned bellarke fic. yeowch

3. What fandoms do you write for? - mostly harry potter, specifically tom riddle unfortunately. the special interest cannot be stopped. i do have a hotd fic but i have doubts it'll ever be updated again lmao. i'd love to write for bg3 though but that could be the hyperfixation talking

4. Top five fics by kudos - 1. paper confines, 2. scion of the stranger, but my kudos to views ratio is so tragic 😭

5. Do you respond to comments? - YES. sometimes on wp as opposed to ao3 i'm more forgetful because there can be so many per chapter, but. yes. always

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? - no endings yet so nothing to say abt that................ but i do know

7. What is the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? - ^

8. Do you get hate on fics? - i don't think so?

9. Do you write smut? - not on this account 😁

10. Craziest crossover? - back in 2018 writing it x stranger things crossover felt like something really revolutionary but it was, in fact, not. still fun though

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? - i've lost count of how many times

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? - i've gotten messages about it but i'm waiting until the fics are complete and edited first!

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? - i've joined an apply fic once but co-writing seems too stressful to me 😭

14. All time favorite ship? - asking me to choose between tom and amoret vs nadya and colette is like pointing a gun at my head. but it's nadya and colette

5. What’s a wip you want to finish but doubt you ever will? - scion of the stranger :( so many ideas but rhaenicent is all i care about in hotd now. so sorry aemond targaryen maybe s2 will revitalize my love

16. What are your writing strengths? - hmmmmm i always get told it's my dialogue but when i get really into magic systems and descriptive lore that's what excites me the most as a writer

17. What are your writing weaknesses? - NOT WRITING

18. Thoughts on dialogue in another language? - no thoughts head empty. i always just assume if i need to understand it a translation will be provided eventually

19. First fandom you wrote in? - 5sos and one direction at age 12 😭😭😭 but i do remember my elementary school introducing an english class in grade 4 and i was so hyped not to write in french that i basically rewrote harry potter. so in a way... it's been hpfic from the start. embarrassing

20. Favorite fic you’ve written? - paper confines, my magnum opus my firstborn child... also a very long oneshot on my other tumblr that shall not be named. iykyk

tagging: @skylessnights @recordplayerfics @icarusignite @omenthree

[medium-bloodcrafter-scion]

A Random Assortment of Thoughts about Nick

I feel like Nick doesn't get as much attention as he ought to as a character, mainly because he's Not Sel lol, but also he's basically MIA for most of Bloodmarked. I personally don't really get why he decides to not go with Sel and Bree when they risk their lives to save him (shame maybe?), but I have some thoughts and theories about his character and where it could go.

Nick as a love interest

I’ll be honest, when I finished Legendborn and Bloodmarked the first time, I couldn’t so much as tolerate the thought of Bree ending up with Nick and not with Sel. That enemies-to-lovers arc has me in a chokehold! However, upon re-reading, I’ve really come to appreciate Nick and Bree’s fast-burning, friends-to-lovers story. Nick comes across as very emotionally open and warm, but he’s not boring at all - he’s very flirtatious and even passionate towards Bree (seriously, go back and read some of those kissing scenes, especially the one at the Gala 😍🔥🥵). He boldly, openly loves Bree in a space where people reject her. He stands up for her, and I know he would eviscerate the Regents if he found out how they tortured her. I was actually kind of sad at how little we end up seeing him in Bloodmarked when I re-read Legendborn.

Nick as a person

Sure he's sunny and charming and golden, but WOW Nick has baggage - for good reason. A recap:

- He was trained so ruthlessly as a little boy, it was basically abuse :(

- The one person who saw his value as a human being and not just a future king was very cruelly removed from his life (Mom)

- He had a strange magician boy thrust into his space/life in a very invasive way (still love you tho Sel)

- His relationship with Sel is fraught with tension, jealousy, and bitterness on both sides. They at least settle into a form of acceptance in Bloodmarked, because they both love Bree.

- He discovers that his entire life has been a lie, watches the girl he loves get possessed by a medieval ghost, sees his father speared to death, and then has to come to terms with his own cold-blooded murder of Max (even though Max deserved it! ⚔️)

All of the above create a very complex, traumatised character who suppresses his rage to keep up appearances, but when we do see him lose it, he really, really loses it - e.g. when he punches Sel, and in book 2 when he beheads Max. There’s a ruthlessness in Nick that is driven by pure rage, and I really hope that gets explored more in the 3rd book.

It does make me worry about where he and Bree are headed, because Nick hates the Order (for good reason) and he is kinda self-righteous, so I’m wondering if he’ll feel compelled to kill Bree, even though he loves her, with the goal of ending the lines for good. I can somehow see him following that line of thought and feeling justified in doing so. He is, after all, the Scion of Lancelot - betraying Arthur in some way is kinda his destiny!

Nick as a Zodiac Sign

Don't know if Ms Deonn has given him a sign already, but I get strong Leo vibes from Nick - the golden hair, strong sense of justice, the way people look to him for leadership whether he likes it or not, the self-righteousness, the loyalty towards Bree...

Edit 2/6/23 - change my mind. He's inspired by Steve Rogers, who is a Cancer boi, and honestly it fits. His ability to navigate his and other people's emotions, the association with the colour blue, his fierce defense of those he loves... Very ♋

Nick as an AI-boi

Kept imagining a stereotypically cute blonde dude for Nick, so I tried to recreate it in AI art.

[smallnico]

7 and 10 for office minutia asks!

thanks for asking!!

7. What does Gortash call Durge? Bebe, kitten, bae, cutie patootie, smth else entirely?

he calls esper "my dear", "my dear urge" (with the knowledge that they hate it), and eventually "sespaer/spaer" (only when being serious. he's also the only person to call them that since they started going by The Dark Urge. they don't like being reminded of their personhood during that era). when referring to esper third-person to other people he calls them "the dark urge", "the urge", "the assassin", or "the scion of bhaal" -- or "the bloody hand" to the baneites, when he's trying to impress upon them that esper should be respected.

10. Do they schedule their meetings or are their spontaneous like that? Is Gort keeping a planner with all the dates marked in red when he can finally find some spare time to smooch the divine?

gortash probably keeps a planner, since he has a Lot going on -- memes aside. he doesn't put meetings with esper in that planner to avoid a paper trail (because esper is pretty strict about their own cult's secrecy, and if gortash doesn't play along they won't work with him), but there are a few outlined breaks in his schedule to meet with them when he needs to. which is kind of poetic, if you think about it. esper knows when those times are. gortash does have a habit of calling on them outside of the prescribed times if he has some new ideas to spin, or just wants to know that he can. esper also just shows up sometimes, especially later in their working relationship, not even to really do anything. just to hang out with observe their friend baneite counterpart and provide semi-solicited political advice. esper grew up in lethal political intrigue world capital menzoberranzan and they do miss their old evil political assassin gig.

also, gortash fucking wishes they were smooching. bhaalist esper is turbo-celibate and repressed as hell. they're too afraid of punishment and pain and loss for any kind of intimacy, physical or emotional. they can't touch people without feeling the urge to stop all that Breathing and Heartbeat Nonsense. love that's allowed to live is out of the cards for them, so because gortash is more useful to them alive (and also they care about him but shhh) they refuse to risk that kind of thing. ........ until bhaal blesses their collaboration. and even then the one and only time the two of them kiss is during the hell heist, when esper can't hear the voice of bhaal and actually has a momentary taste of freedom. (but molly, you know that. You Drew It lmao)

[paintedscales]

secret: What's one secret your OC never wants anyone to know about them?

Good evening, Briar! Thank you for the ask! \ o w o / I hope you had fun last night at the art party. ; w ; / ♥

OC Asks: Not-so-Nice Edition

There are a lot of different details about her past that Nomin would like some people to not know. I don't know if I would consider them a closely guarded 'secret' by any means? But they're also things she doesn't necessarily go out of her way to make known.

I think Alphinaud is the first person in Eorzea that Nomin really opens up to, and that's in Heavensward after everything has happened with the Crystal Braves. Like, she touches upon it as a means to kind of relate the situation in some small way to her experiences, and at the moment, I imagine it to be something that helps Alphinaud get back up on his own two feet because he realizes that Nomin endured a lot of that before she was his age, and he has a bigger opportunity than Nomin did to make things right.

I guess outside of that...there's just the reason Nomin painted her scales? Like, just kind of having it act as a deterrent from people pointing her out and being like, "that's the Xaela with the blue scales!"

But even then, once Nomin got comfortable with some of the other Scions, they found out her scales aren't actually black. Papalymo was one of the first to learn about that, and when he said he wouldn't speak of it when Nomin was painting over them, she felt she could trust that. Obviously, it's not until the time before starting Stormblood that she understood why she could trust that he'd keep that secret.

Trying so hard to think about other things. Though it's just...kind of difficult. Nomin's not terribly a secretive person after Stormblood. Like...I dunno! She's pretty transparent and makes herself known when she's having genuine conversations.

I GUESS... Nomin struggled a bit during Shadowbringers and didn't tell anyone about the conflicted feelings she had about Estinien while she was also dealing with other things on the First. She hated that he often occupied her thoughts after she was told he plucked her from the Ghimlyt Dark and ensured her safety. Like, one of the thoughts she had was just, "I want to get everyone safely back to the Source so I can see Estinien." And she just felt disgusting for it for a long while.

[thefreelanceangel]

Tagged: Altitis Edition

@luck-and-larceny​ caught me. (Please ignore the goo-goo eyes I’m making at her. Or... don’t... I mean... :D?)

Favorite:

...I... hm. I have the hardest time nailing down a “favorite” in all honesty. Especially if we delve into the dangerous territory that is “former RP NPCs turned novel characters” that I live in. Because I have... so, so many favorites and I absolutely love so many of them. And I love to hate quite a few more of them. 

Okay. OKAY. Forcibly restricting myself to FFXIV characters. (Don’t you sulk at me, Nathan Talbot. Get back into the novel that’s awaiting editing. I’ll get to it in... uh... ask me in five years.)

And I honestly can’t choose a favorite. Even characters I made, took a few pictures of, thought about and then shelved can qualify because every single idea that sparks to life reassures me that age, exhaustion, capitalism and stress haven’t destroyed my urge to create.

Oldest:

As we’re sticking with FFXIV characters, it’s actually C’allie! And not just because she’s the first I made in FFXIV, but because her original incarnation was a Ceilican for an old World of Darkness online game that I ran. (It’s actually one of the first times that my husband and I got a chance to really RP together.) And that game was... gracious... twelve years ago?

I actually used Callie’s name for my FFXIV miqo’te because I was migrating over from GW2, where my hubby and I had Seifer & Anna, and I wasn’t sure if I’d be translating any characters from Tyria, but I wanted someone with a mental tie to the man I was (at the time) dating because I hoped to lure him in to play with me. It worked marvelously and the world got C’allie Kyho, the Seeker of the Sun. 

You’re welcome.

Newest:

Carmen Heron, the Keeper of the Moon architect specializing in erosion repair who is deaf in one ear, really really likes the ladies and smells like candied ginger because she spends so much time sucking/chewing on it. (She always keeps a tin of it in her pocket.) Why candied ginger? 

She lives in and works in Limsa Lominsa and she gets horribly sea sick. So! Having ginger always at hand helps!

Meanest:

Anna. 

Just... yeah. No debate, no question. Anna.

Softest:

Esti Kyton, my sweet, damaged barista. She’s spent her entire life just hoping to be special to someone, living on the fringes of a huge family that never quite seemed to accept her, and has dealt with abuse from both her mother and her ex. All she wants is a quiet home with someone she can take care of, good coffee and a small yard where she can hang her aerial hoop up for her daily practice. 

Most Aloof/Standoffish:

Meli Iliakos, my Warrior of Light. 

There’s... a lot of heartache she’s dealing with, especially after the events of Endwalker and what she learned about her distant and recent past. And being the Warrior of Light means people either assume they have a right to your time or they act like you’re too good for them. Meli doesn’t have the emotional bandwidth anymore to deal with either extreme, and so she stays quiet and tries to let the Scions (and her Scions-Ish) deal with the public at large whenever possible. 

Only in Norvrandt does Meli warm up to the people around her and drop the aloof demeanor.

Dumbest (Affectionate):

Chessi Eder, my lovable idiot. She has more than two brain cells to rub together, but does she realize that? Nope! With all she’s suffered in her life, it’s really a testament to her stupidity that she doesn’t realize she’s been horribly used. Chessi takes everything at face value, assumes the best of everyone and that finally paid off with her being “adopted” by Narasen & Voranoix L’espoir and getting herself a boyfriend-who-isn’t-her-boyfriend-right?-ooo!-is-he-my-boyfriend??? in Sezra.

Dumbest (Derogatory):

Reneaux Iseterre is... too smart for his own good, which essentially turns inside-out and becomes so dumb he can’t comprehend anything without it slowly soaking through his skull. He’s not quite That Guy From Your Literature Classes but he’s dangerously close.

Smartest:

Anna. While C’allie is really damn smart, Summer makes a living as a professional author and Esti has incredible business acumen, Anna’s greatest weapon truly is her intelligence. She’s incredibly good at analytical thinking as well as translating theory into practical application, which stands her in good stead in her quest for complete magical mastery. Anna also masters languages fairly quickly, helping her along when she finds new tomes or treatises from other nations. 

Horniest:

I’m going to shock anyone who’s read this blog for more than a month. It’s not C’allie. Seriously!! It’s NOT C’allie!

It’s Narasen. 

She and Voranoix spent years as just friends, aware of each other, friendly to each other but not much beyond that. And then he comforted her and kept her safe when she had a particularly bad night involving alcohol and loneliness, which led to a rather... long couple of days that they spent together. They went their separate ways and Narasen often thought back to ... well... all of the details of that particular encounter. 

When they officially began a relationship, Voranoix began slowly helping Narasen to recover from the multiple traumas she’d suffered in her youth. (Which involved killing a few people but you know, that’s how these things go.) And some of the methods involved that worked best finally coaxed Narasen into feeling safe enough to express sexual desire. 

Voranoix didn’t realize what he’d unleashed by doing that, but he’s not voiced a complaint yet. 

Now that Narasen is away from Gridania, married to the man who healed her heart and ensured her safety, and feels secure enough to show active desire without fear of what it might entail? She is always after her husband’s ass. 

Character You'd Bang:

Honestly, it’d be C’allie. I wouldn’t actually feel self-conscious with her because C’allie doesn’t have a “type” and she’s playful and fun and funny. I’d really rather hang out and chat with her for a few hours, maybe compare reading lists, exchange recommendations. But if she wanted a roll in the hay, well... She’s experienced enough to make it really good and isn’t hesitant about teaching, so I’d probably come away with some pointers.

Character You'd Be RL Besties With:

Again, C’allie. 

While Summer and I would get along marvelously, and I’d love to have Esti advise me on how to make coffee, C’allie is curious and loves to chat and would drag me out of my comfort zone to explore new things. I’d give her a safe ear where she could talk about her multiple partners as she needed and get her to slow down and maybe even work on creating things for herself. 

Tagging: @riftdancing & @gatheredfates (you two DEFINTELY have enough alts for this to work!); @gray-morality & @catscratching (I know the black snack has more characters and I think Seda’s player does, too); @miqojak (You’ve got at least two that I know of); @fair-fae; @furys-mercy; @thedragonrabbit