#and with me picking lancer when i tried the free trial for the first time and sticking with it when i got the full game?? its like fate dude

[steelhazes]

the guy that's obsessed with skyrim and gothic architecture ends up being obsessed with heavensward???? surprised pikachu face????

[pangolinheart]

And another: how did you go about creating Rhiki? was she always a Miqo'te? Did she change at all from where she started?

Rhiki was actually my second FFXIV character, albeit my first long-term one. I had started the game like 2 or 3 years earlier via the free trial and had a character on the Aether server who was a Roe lady named Styrnlona. I never really got very far though and then I got busy with work and other things, so I ended up putting it down and not picking it up again. (Styrnlona also started out as a lancer.) When I picked it up again it was at a recommendation of a few friends I played D&D with. Because I played a tall, buff goliath barbarian woman, it somehow seemed too on-brand to remake Styrnlona on the server they played on. So I tried to make a character that was totally different from anything I had played recently (mostly buff women and shitty magic elves). A miqo'te or viera seemed like a sufficient departure from what I would usually choose, so that's how Rhiki ended up being a miqo'te. That being said, I was really tempted to make an au ra... If female au ra weren't so short I probably would have (though Rhiki ended up absurdly short anyway so the joke's on me.) As for her personality, I kept with the theme of trying to make her different from my typical character. I don't have very many recent characters who are super social or emotionally intuitive, and the idea of playing a character that was more fun-loving and mischievous appealed to me. Originally I envisioned her as being more of a trickster-type character, but as I played she ended up becoming a little more excitable and dorky.

Compared to other rpgs I've played, ffxiv doesn't really give you any sot of starting point or background for your characters, and since I knew nothing about the game or plot when I started I wanted to make her motivations general enough that it would be easy to adapt to whatever direction the plot took. Lots of "fledgling adventurer" backstories I had used before or felt too edgy or played out, and I also didn't know enough about the game to 100% commit to a backstory. I ended up with the general idea of "some dumb wayward 20-something who doesn't know what they want to do with their life so they're just vibing and trying stuff out." Appearance-wise I really just kind of played around until I found a concept I liked. I had a hard time deciding between the sun-seeker and moon-keeper subtypes (I like the moon-keeper lore better but I'm just not a huge fan of the giant round pupils lol). I ended up trying to make her coloring around a theme of "sunrise/sunset" - thus the original purple and orange hair and purple and orange highlights and purple/pink eyes. I originally intended for her skin to be darker, but the lighting in the background I was using made it look much different than it ended up being in-game. I've thought about my free fantasia to change it, but I'm not totally sold. If I could go back I would give her the lion-like tail instead, and maybe the slightly darker nose facial feature... But I've already gotten so much art of Rhiki as she is and I can't think of a good story-relevant reason for her appearance to change lol.

Overall, Rhiki hasn't changed too much since I originally made her. Obviously she got a new haircut that necessitated a slight color change (the orange looked too weird with the highlights on the pvp cut.) She really does look older with her new hairstyle. In regards to her personality, she definitely ended up less "alluring and impish" than I intended and more "goofy and obnoxious," but she's still a fun character to play around with! And of course there's the maturity that comes with age and experience. And the compounding effects of trauma. You know how it goes. If I ever made an alt I might try to go with someone a little... taller lol. Maybe go back to Styrnlona, or try out a duskwight or viera. There are a lot of glams Rhiki just doesn't look good in because of her body type. I'm still tempted to make an au ra though because I love the horns and scales... A hyur wouldn't be off the table either. I might also try to make a character with longer hair - sometimes i want to try out a longer style for Rhiki but every time I try them on she looks like a totally different catte...

[luxusnoname]

Quotations

Summary: Aeleus faces the challenge of recommending a book to Dilan based on his personality. But how can he do so without giving his own feelings away? A late submission for @apprenticeweek’s Day 3 prompt: Quotes.

Characters/Pairings: Dilan/Aeleus

Rating: G; real fluff hours here folks

Word Count: 1.4k

~~~

Quotations

It wasn’t often that the shift schedule at the castle aligned perfectly to give Aeleus and Dilan the same afternoon off. The only other senior guard was Braig, who was trusted with the duty of overseeing the lower ranked guards only in the absence of the other two. Dilan had grumbled and said there was good reason for it, but Aeleus wasn’t about to complain. 

And so as they often shared their patrols, they shared their afternoon together in the library. Dilan had selected a tome on horticulture, his brow furrowed as though proper soil acidity and cross-pollination techniques were the most stimulating topics in the world. Aeleus settled in beside him with some light fiction.

The best people possess a feeling for beauty, the courage to take risks, the discipline to tell the truth, the capacity for sacrifice. Ironically, their virtues make them vulnerable; they are often wounded, sometimes destroyed.

Aeleus dog-eared the page, making a mental note to write it down in his notebook later before continuing on with his reading. Beside him, Dilan’s eyes flickered to the book.

“Found another one, have you?” He asked impassively, feigning disinterest even as he leaned over to peer at the page himself. “Let’s see it then.”

Aeleus helpfully tapped at the page with his forefinger. Dilan chuckled to himself. “An apt quote. Your heart is far too soft, my friend. Many would take advantage of that.”

“Better to open it for others than close it off from the world,” he rumbled, a small smile softening the jab.

But Dilan was used to the teasing from his oldest friend. A huff was his only response before changing the topic.

“You must have a quote for every person and situation at this rate,” he muttered as he turned a page, no longer actually reading his own book. “I bet you even have quotes for me.”

“I don’t believe I do.” Aeleus hummed. “But if I find any, I’ll pass them along. Or, better yet, I’ll lend you the book.”

“Oh you know how I do so enjoy fiction and poetry,” Dilan deadpanned. “Though I suppose if you recommend it, I’ll suffer through for your sake.”

Aeleus smiled. His companion didn’t share his love of reading for enjoyment, so the offer itself was rare. Dilan’s choices always served a purpose, academic or otherwise. That wasn’t to say Aeleus only indulged in light reading, but he was the only Apprentice that did so frequently. It could do the lancer some good, he thought. Something to soften the tough exterior.

Aeleus peered at his friend, who was thoroughly engrossed in horticulture once more. It was just about as peaceful as he’d ever seen Dilan. He smiled, warmth radiating from his chest and making its way throughout his body before he turned back to his own reading for the remainder of the afternoon.

~

A week later, Aeleus had read a few books, but struggled to find the perfect quote for Dilan. Well, that was actually a lie. There was one that made him think of his fellow guard, but it turned out to be more of a reflection of his own feelings toward the man. And it was much more forward than he was capable of being.

But I, being poor, have only my dreams;

I have spread my dreams under your feet;

Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.

The verse encapsulated feelings that he’d spent years trying to make sense of, feelings he wished he could one day verbalize to his friend. He had little to offer but would give it all in a heartbeat. But Dilan was slow to let others in, and hard to win over with pretty words. And Aeleus, of course, wasn’t great with words to begin with. Perhaps he could work up to it.

After a few more days - and many skimmed books - he found a line that was perfect for the stoic guard. It was a romance novel, of all things. He would probably hate it. But the quote was so perfectly Dilan that as soon as he happened upon it, he knew it had to be the one.

He was still too young to know that the heart’s memory eliminates the bad and magnifies the good, and that thanks to this artifice we manage to endure the burden of the past.

It was a gentle reassurance that no matter what trials the heart has suffered, love would prevail with time. After all, it was with time that the man opened up to him as much as he had. If it was time he needed, then Aeleus would give it to him. Secretly, it served as a promise as well. If the time came that Dilan was willing to open his heart… Well, then Aeleus would be there for that as well.

After some hesitation, he bookmarked the page with the quote and handed the book off to Dilan the next day. The lancer accepted it with only a small grumble, promising to read it soon.

By the next week, he still hadn’t reported back to Aeleus with his thoughts. It worried him that the guard hadn’t said anything at all, positive or negative. Perhaps he had come on too strong after all, and he’d been too forward. Dilan’s heart could be a delicate topic, no matter how hard he tried to convince the world otherwise. Hopefully the man had just forgotten and the book sat on a nightstand gathering dust, its bookmarked page blissfully undisturbed.

But one night as Aeleus retired to his quarters after a shift, there was a peculiar book-shaped package at his doorstep. He picked it up and unwrapped it once he was inside. It was another romance novel. One he was familiar with, actually. He’d read it some years ago in his youth. Turning it in his hands to inspect it, he noticed the corner of a page was folded in.

He smiled. It had to be from Dilan. But what prompted it? His friend had said nothing to him about the other book, but clearly he’d read it seeing as how they were exchanging literature now.

Since he had read it before, he felt only a little guilt in skipping to the marked page. As he flipped through the pages, however, a slip of paper flew out and fluttered to the ground. It was a note. He picked it up, holding it under a lamp to read.

I appreciated and enjoyed the recommendation, my friend. But next time, I’d appreciate your honesty first and foremost. Braig brought me one of your other books and told me it was your first choice. Consider this a response to that one.

~ Dil

Wait, when had Braig been in his quarters? Aeleus rubbed his forehead. What book had the nosey guardsman delivered on his behalf? He performed a quick inventory of his bookshelf. The only one that seemed to be missing was… Ah, of course. The confession. But how could he have known it was meant for Dilan?

With a sigh, he concluded that there were many things Braig shouldn’t know but did anyway. His heart leapt into his throat, dreading his friend’s response now that he knew what had happened. He returned to the delivered book and began reading through the earmarked page, searching for the quote.

But Dilan wasn’t a man to bother with subtlety. He had underlined it.

I had not intended to love him; the reader knows I had wrought hard to extirpate from my soul the germs of love there detected; and now, at the first renewed view of him, they spontaneously revived, great and strong! He made me love him without looking at me.

A gentle smile broke out as he sat down, reading it one more time for good measure. It would appear that he should’ve been more forward in the first place. He never would have thought that his own feelings were reciprocated. Moreover, he never would have thought that Dilan would read a classic romance novel of his own free will. He studied the book once more; the spine was slightly cracked and worn, and the pages fanned out with ease. The lancer continued to surprise.

Now, with the difficult part sorted out, Aeleus began to think about his response. He could invite Dilan over for tea that weekend. Or perhaps they could discuss it as they patrolled the castle grounds. But of course, the answer was obvious.

He tucked the book into an empty spot on his bookshelf, thumb brushing over it with a soft smile, and began searching his shelves once more.

~~~

Author’s Note: First time writing Dilan/Aeleus \o/ I hc Ael as a bit of a classic lit nerd; mostly adventures and epics, but with a definite soft spot for romance and poetry. Also I’m a terrible reader OTL I just spent a few hours searching for quotes that stuck out to me. In order they are: Ernest Hemingway (no source so probably just something he said but we’ll pretend he wrote it), Aedh Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven by W.B. Yeats, Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Márquez, and finally the big one: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë. Maybe Aeleus isn’t the only one with a soft spot after all 👀

[nubblenubs-blog]

Adventure Into – Eorzea - Final Fantasy XIV

Although I’m not a full, hardcore Final Fantasy lover and lore nerd I fully appreciate each of the games in the series (Especially Final Fantasy X, who doesn’t love the almighty Tidus laugh and Blitzball?!). The one game I have completely fallen head of heals for however, is Final Fantasy XIV. I’ve tried so many MMO (Massively Multiplayer Online) games before but this one, somehow, just keeps pulling me back being somewhat of a staple in my steam library. History Today we’re going to be talking about Final Fantasy XIV A Realm Reborn and the brief history of the series. The Final Fantasy series has been around since 1987 in Japan, where it stated as a turn-based RPG (Role Playing Game) it grew in popularity and a few years later, in 1990, the English version was released to the public where still it grew! The turn-based formula has been a solid staple for a lot of the series, the first deviation from the formula, (as well as genre of game) Square’s first of two Final Fantasy MMORPGs (Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game) created in 2002, Final Fantasy XI. Final Fantasy XI dropped the turn-based system for a more active system and allowed players from all over the world to connect and explore the world in parties and enjoy the story that the Final Fantasy series was known for. But this wasn’t going to be their first rodeo with an MMORPG, as in 2010 Final Fantasy XIV was released and was a vast graphical and performance improvement on its predecessor with all new systems and jobs, people loved it. This however was short lived and didn’t do too well, and the game took a drastic turn in terms of story line by literally plummeting a moon down on the world that, in story terms, destroyed a lot of the land whilst concluding the story of Final Fantasy XIV (Known as version 1.0) in November 2012. But this wasn’t the end of FFXIV at all! With so many stories to be told, a world to still be used and a dedicated team leader Naoki Yoshida we get fast forwarded 5 years in game time and the game was revived into Final Fantasy XIV A Realm Reborn (Or version 2.0) in August of 2013, once again with more graphical and performance improvements and a huge story overhaul that was truly needed. The Game When you launch you’re greeted with a simple main menu and very Final Fantasy-esk music chiming in the background, (and will actually change depending on the expansions you have!) you will then be thrusted into the character creation, one of my favourite parts even if it isn’t as detailed as other MMOs. Once your character is suitably looking, you will have the choice of the standard base game classes 2 Tanks, 1 Healer and 6 DPS’ each based in their respective starting zones.

·         Limsa Lominsa, the city of pirates, beaches – Marauder, Arcanist

·         Ul’dah the rich and merchants, desert – Gladiator, Pugilist, Thaumaturge

·         Gridania very …down to earth people, forests – Conjurer, Archer, Lancer

Once you’re situated into a world one of the MANY cutscenes this game has to offer will start giving you the general gist of the current situation and once completed, you’ll arrive in your starting town ready to get going! Now that we’re finally into the game itself we get the choice to play with either a controller or keyboard and mouse, this is because the game is also on PS4 and has extremely good controller support for an MMO, however, for this I will be using the standard KB+M. Since this is the tutorial I will rush through and allow you yourself, to learn and I will jump past this section. Once tutorial is over you’ll then be put into the world with other people and can properly start your adventure, getting quests, items, fightin’ critters and following the story of The Warrior of Light. The main part of the gameplay is simple and easy to pick up especially as you level up, getting more intricate as you reach the higher levels of 60-70. However, Final Fantasy XIV is still slower than other MMOs with a global cooldown of 2.5 seconds on standard skills and longer for other skills, which can feel particularly sluggish if you’ve come from WoW with a lot of procs (programmed random occurrence) and movement. Aside from the global cooldown though, the skills are all pretty unique with some beautiful animations that fit your level. I also absolutely love running boss fights, from the hard modes to the extreme and savage, it’s a great challenge with friends and randos! But it’s not only that, there are so many other activities you can do in this game that aren’t all about fighting and defeating creatures; you can actually take up a more tame job such as a crafter or gatherer, race Chocobos, play cards, buy and decorate a house, transmogrify your outfit into something adorable or even take a break during your big adventure to play an RTS (Real Time Strategy) instead! There is so much more this game offers you than just questing and fighting and it’s all so well incorporated into the world and lore that you can get absolutely lost in it and experience/enjoy it all! The Ups and Downs The biggest downside of the game is the monthly subscription system. Although personally I feel like I get my money’s worth every month with the amount of playtime I put in and will continue to put in, I know that’s not the case for everyone and can be a huge put off. Other than the price when it originally re-launched on the PS3 there were many limitations though recently they’ve started streamlining it a lot more (Since they had also stopped support of the PS3 in 2017) whilst keeping phenomenal console support which is very impressive. To give the subscription credit, it is cheaper than a fair few subscription games and comes with a couple of options, one being cheaper than the other, 1 character per world or 8 characters per world. The newest expansions are also bundled in the previous ones, so you don’t need to pay for them individually which is pretty awesome. But before even getting the game and the expansion you can play a free trial that allows you to level up all the way to 35 with every vanilla class giving you a small insight into it each one as well as saving you money since it’s an unlimited time trial, however some features are taken out so bots cannot make use of it such as creating parties, trading and mailing. But the biggest thing for me personally is that it’s not pay to win at all, there is pay for convenience but it’s purely optional other, than that it’s just lots of very cute and aesthetic looking things! The Mog Station (as the shop is called) has lots of cosmetic only items such as clothes, mounts, housing so if you want that cute mount ‘just cuz’? You get it! You want that boost because you don’t like that class at early levels? You get it! All in all Final Fantasy XIV has been an amazing experience and probably my favourite MMO out there. It’s is a staple in my library, and I will hopefully be playing it long into the future with the way it’s ever evolving! Thanks to the amazing team behind Final Fantasy XIV and of course, the players that make the experience as special as it is!