#fortemps family headcanons

[thevikingwoman]

FFXIVWrite2024 - Prompt 16

Fortemps household dynamics fascinate me endlessly, so here is some barely grown-up Artoriel POV

Fandom: Final Fantasy XIV | Words: 359

Artoriel de Fortemps | pre-ARR Rating: Teen. Character study, Ishgard society, Fortemps family, mention of infidelity (canonical), why is Artoriel the way he is? vague heavenwards spoilers

Third-rate

Artoriel de Fortemps doesn’t stop when he sees his little brother run past him, bloody nose and tears streaking down his face. He merely gets out of the way. Emmanellain doesn’t see him, his eyes on the ground as he rushes by. Probably running off to nanny, though he is far too big for that. Artoriel sneers, unbiddenly, and continues around the corner.

“Some third-rate knight he’ll be.”

“Third son, too.”

“More worthless than a bastard.”

This makes Atoriel pause. The statement is followed by raucous laughter. It would be unseemly to get in a fight over Haurchefant.

“Well, Haurchefant is a fine fellow.”

“For a bastard, aye.”

Someone snorts. “Don’t say that to his face. He trounced Delicrouxeus the other day. Mark my word, Count Fortemps will give him command of something.”

“Emond can’t even command his own dick.”

More laughter. Atoriel’s ears burn. He bites his cheek. He cannot be unseemly. He needs to be above reproach. The Fury knows his brother isn’t going to be.

“Mayhap little Emmanellain is Halone’s punishment? A hapless idiot of a son.”

“Bet ol’ Edmont would have been happy with even another stick in the mud like Atoriel rather than Emmanellain.”

“If he kept himself true, he’d mayhap had a brave and personable trueborn son. They’d all be a third-rate House this way.”

His clenched fist hit the wall. Atoriel bites his cheek to keep from crying out. He cannot. His growth spurt done, he’d hardly get any taller, but he cannot take on three squires. He mustn’t.

“Kept himself pure – Haviellemont, you better learn that. I saw you with that wench in the Brume but two days ago.”

“And what were you doing there?”

The voices fade as Artoriel hurries away. He does not run. He is not his little brother. If only Emmanellain behaved proper, there would be no doubt about the honor of their house. He brings shame on them all. Artoriel reaches the fresh, crisp air. He cannot help his little brother’s follies. He simply must be a better example. Above reproach, the perfect heir. Father needs neither Haurchefant nor Emmanellain as long as Artoriel is peerless.

[theworldwalkerswols]

Emmanellain rambling

I actually have a lot of Thoughts about Emmanellain’s characterization I just haven’t decided what my headcanon is yet.

But it hinges on the fact that he’s a gossip monger: he MUST therefore know that his behavior toward women but especially Laniaitte is socially unacceptable. He also only seems to behave so over-the-top inappropriately toward her specifically.

She (during one of the Cloud Sea sidequests iirc) has a piece of dialogue saying essentially that they were very close as children and that she thinks he clings overmuch to it even still.

Which leads me to the crux: he’s purposefully being performative to make a certain impression, to cement his reputation as a terrible flirt and a ladies’ man, and he singles Laniaitte out because they’re old friends, because he knows she’ll put up with him without ruining him.

I think he does this to compensate for something, but I can’t decide whether my headcanon is that he’s trans or that he’s gay. Maybe both!! Perhaps he was born as the only daughter of House Fortemps, his father got him a Fantasia to support him, and now he’s being performatively hypermasculine in the only way he feels he can to compensate for the censure of his peers. Perhaps he’s doing it so that he’ll be written off as a terrible womanizer and it will compensate for how close he is to certain eligible men of his age.

And though I don’t think she knows at first, I love the idea of him finally opening up to Laniaitte about it and her gently scolding him for not telling her the truth sooner before encouraging him to continue loudly and poorly proclaiming his love for her. It becomes a private joke.

He knows he’s doing well when he can see the change in the twist of the corners of her mouth because she’s trying not to laugh. She heckles him for it in private and tells him not to cut it so close. They’re better friends than ever because of it.

--

Regardless of what Emma’s trying to cover up, Haurchefant is the most observant out of all of the Fortemps by a country malm, no contest, he ABSOLUTELY knows that something is up and likely has good guesses as to what it is.

And Honoroit would put it together, the lad’s a smart cookie.

[thelaughtercafe]

All's Fair In Love And War

Tea Type: Half and Half with a lemon (Tickles with jealousy and some suggestive tickling)

Potential Triggers: Nothing except suggestive tickling, and speaking of it!

Pairing: Thancred x F!Mi'qote! Reader x Estinien

Length: 2.2k+

Summary: A sequel of sorts to my tword headcanons for FFXIV. You can gather it fine from reading, but I’d recommend giving them a gander if you want to get the full picture!

“So , who’s this Estinien fellow Alphinaud told me you bonded with on your travels?”

You flinched, looking behind you to see Thancred with a taunting grin on his face and glittering eyes. You hadn’t even heard him enter House Fortemps. It hadn’t been long since you’d found him and healed the Dragoon in question from Nidhogg’s all encompassing affliction and seeing Alphinaud’s cheerful grin behind his back you growled his way, ignoring Thancred for the moment.

“You little brat- he hasn’t even been back a full week!”

Your upset only amused him further as the Summoner took a casual sip of his tea, meeting your gaze from over the rim of his book, Refia chirping happily from around his ankles.

“And? I thought it would serve to cheer him up to hear of your exploits. Besides, it felt only right to inform him another was in competition for his affections.”

You went bright red and were left sputtering.

“I-how-whatever gave you that idea?”

Alphinaud’s eyes flicked behind you and he snickered with a hum.

“Oh? Am I wrong then? You’re blushing mighty hard for one meant to be apparently unaffected.”

“I-I don’t have to answer that.”

You huffed, crossing your arms and were surprised as Alphinaud merely shrugged and stood, beginning to leave.

“Alright then. I’ll leave you to it; do try not to kill her, yes? She does have duties to attend to in a day or so.”

With that he was gone and the back of your neck prickled which could only mean…

A hesitant turn of your head and you smiled nervously at Estinien, the unmasked Dragoon staring you down with the faintest of smirks playing on his lips. Thancred looked to be on the verge of laughter at your back.

“…Do I want to ask how much you heard?”

“Much and more than you would’ve liked I suspect, as seems to be customary in our relationship by this point.”

Amusement was thick in his deep voice and you hid your face in your hands as Thancred approached and slung an arm over your shoulder.

“Well I for one, should very much like to know more about this relationship you developed in my impromptu absence."

His grin was sharp and from the tightness of his grip you knew he was the slightest bit jealous of Estinien, not that he’d ever dream of letting the Dragoon know of it.

Estinien, for his part, remained stoic as ever save the smallest of smirks, his eyes taking in all and giving away nothing.

"Hmph. I’m surprised she hasn’t already told you as much. Well, I’ve nothing to hide in any case. I believe she should be the one to tell all, however. What say you to taking this somewhere more private?”

You nodded eagerly, desperate to not be caught by Emmanellain or worse Haruchefant . He’d never let you live it down if he caught you like this and you were already drowning in embarrassment. You looked to Thancred to see his smile had strained thanks to Estinien’s prodding. You opened your mouth to suggest your quarters but Estinien was already opening the door for you all to exit.

“We can retreat to my quarters. The Dragoon barracks are all but abandoned in the wake of our victory and they’ve moved back in with their families. The building is essentially mine to do with as I please, according to Aymeric. No-one will overhear us.”

The walk to the barracks was silent until you broke it, trying to distract Thancred from glaring into Estinien’s back and instead speaking of your other Ishgardian friends and the other Scions alike. That relaxed him and his grip around your shoulder loosened. Even Estinien’s shoulders relaxed and you swore you caught him glancing back with a fond expression more than once.

“I can’t believe Alphinaud truly fell for that hair-dye prank. Alisaie near laughed herself hoarse.”

You playfully nudged him as you entered the barracks.

“Don’t think I didn’t see you stifling laughter too in the corner. You’re not as slick as you like to think, sir thief.”

Estinien opened his mouth to quip and you cut him off with a knowing smile.

“…and you’re not any better. You act all broody but I catch you smirking at Alphinaud and I’s antics all the time so don’t even try to deny it.”

He seemed affronted as he led you both up to his room but by the time he was closing and locking the door he was smirking again.

“True enough. That scene where you laughed yourself hoarse and nearly came from my voice alone was particularly smirk worthy, if I may so.”

The smugness was thick in his voice and you coughed, laughing nervously as Thancred froze.

“Y-You shouldn’t joke like that Estin-”

“Oh I assure you I’m not. Your friend wished to be informed of our relationship. Besides, you and I both know there’s better ways to make you laugh.”

“I’m going to end you. What happened to keeping it secret or regretting it!?”

“I didn’t explicitly say it, now did I? It’s still up to you if you wish to tell him and be punished.”

You sputtered at that in outrage but when you finally looked up at him, the impassive look on his face ensured you stayed silent.

Thancred finally broke his silence, removing his arm only so he could cross them across his chest and stare down at you.

“I see you’ve developed a bratty streak in my absence. Hmph. A pity. We’ll have to see that remedied.”

His eyes glittered in competition and you swallowed, hard.

“Either you tell me plain this little secret you and the Dragoon are dancing around or I’ll deliver a punishment all my own. I suggest you choose wisely which of us you’d prefer.”

His hands moved to his scabbard, and belt deftly removing both and you looked away to see Estinien removing his heavy armor as well, revealing a white t-shirt just underneath along with black sweats.

Great. So you were to choose between a punishment you knew what to expect and one you didn’t.  Unfortunately, you really wished their positions were reversed. Estinien wasn’t the type to change his method over jealousy- Thancred was and if you chose to keep your mouth shut you had no doubt he’d have no problem making you regret it. Thancred would never hurt you but he wasn’t the one who typically interrogated your enemies for nothing.

But say you did the opposite, and told? That’d just rile him up more you were sure of it. The fact that you explicitly told Estinien about your little kink before him?  When he’d teased you with it for so long while oblivious? Gods you couldn’t take the embarrassment. You risked a glance at Estinien, now fully out of his armor who merely raised an expectant eyebrow in response. Asshole. He was calling your bluff. Of course, all that wasn’t even including the public humiliation of being absolutely wrecked to the point of tears, likely until you safeworded if you told. Like it or not, the choice was made.

“Eyes up here gorgeous.”

You blushed as Thancred drew your gaze back to his, an amused smile tugging at his lips.

“What’s it gonna be?”

“…I can’t. I’m sorry Thancred.”

You could feel the way Estinien stood up taller in pride, the huff of laughter under his breath and your cheeks burned brighter as Thancred took you in.

“So it’s to be an interrogation, is it?”

“…that’s not as scary as you make it sound. I know you’d never hurt me.”

You tried to play it off in some vain attempt to make him change his mind but he only shrugged, easily seeing through you.

“Of course not. Pain isn’t the most effective method anyway until the psyches been worn down some. Not that I plan on using that either. No, I think you and I both know what I’m planning to do.”

You tried not to let it show on your face but you were nervous and before you could think better of it, you were pleading your case to Estinien.

“I didn’t tell, aren’t you going to help me? This is your fault after all!”

Estinien snickered, shaking his head.

“My fault? Interesting phrasing. It’s not my fault you’re so frightened of a little tickling by my hands you opted not to confide in your long term friend. The only help you’ll receive is if he asks for it. You’ll like it anyway, I’m sure.”

Your mouth fell open in betrayal.

“But you said-”

“That you couldn’t say anything without punishment. Nothing about my end. In any case, I’d worry about your current situation before it’s too late.”

Your eyes widened and you whirled to look at Thancred but he was already staring back at you with wide eyes.

“By the Twelve… you really…? This whole time? Ha. And here I thought I was imagining things. You really do like it.”

Your eyes moved past him to the window but you startled as Estinien’s long fingers squeezed your shoulder.

“I wouldn’t try it. I’d catch you even if you did manage the jump and Thancred is too quick for you to run towards the door, not to mention it’s already locked.”

He mumbled into your ear, causing you to shiver.

Thancred cracked his knuckles and you flushed, ducking your head but he was there to corner you against the wall just behind, Estinien moving back to let him do as he wished.

His fingertips once again guided your eyes to his and this time he held it.

“Oh no. You’ve hid your reactions from me far too long as it is. I want to savor this. You’re going to tell me, truthfully. Do you like being tickled? Have you gotten off to the idea of me teasing you until you come undone as many times as I wish? Hm?”

The self-satisfied smirk was evident on his lips as you squirmed and just about melted in his arms; already giving him his answer. He’d never seen their Warrior of Light so red before.

You nodded and Thancred was content to let you go, but Estinien pushed you back by your shoulder, just behind Thancred’s own, his azure eyes burning into you.

“We both know he wanted a verbal response. Give it to him.”

At the familiar dominance in his tone, you folded, eyes rushing to Thancred’s.

“Y-Yes I have. More than once! To both of you!”

You squeaked it out before looking to Estinien for approval, to which he nodded, hand moving from your shoulder to your head where he ran his fingers through your hair.

“Good girl.”

It was a quiet mumble, but the praise filled you with warmth where the adrenaline once was.

“To both of us, huh?”

Your eyes flew open at the playful lilt in Thancred’s voice.

Oh Gods had you really said that?

You were still too content with Estinien’s soothing ministrations to move but you looked nervously to your favorite thief.

But he wasn’t looking at you.

“Estinien. What say you to a friendly competition?

"There isn’t many in Coerthas. What would it entail?”

“Who can make her come undone the most? Winner gets to stay with her for the night and the loser has to be on guard duty and stay awake.”

“Not very high stakes but I’ll take it. As long as she agrees to it, of course.”

“That goes without saying.”

They both turned to you and as sheepish as you felt, you still agreed.

“…Okay. But we’re obviously including the typical safewords. Lahabrea for you, Thancred and Nidhogg for you, Estinien. Still okay to use?”

You always checked, ensuring the words weren’t triggering for them and both nodded.

“You both have more in common than I realized, actually. Huh. So…how are we doing this then?”

Thancred looked vaguely amused as he shrugged.

“I can always run out and fetch some restraints. You’re awfully calm given your earlier flusteredness, you know.”

“No need, I have my own. It’s the hair. Makes her melt. Ears too, and those triple as an extra erogenous and ticklish area so I target it often. Her back will have the same affect.”

Thancred’s eyes lit up at that.

“No way; I didn’t even know she was ticklish there!”

“Wait don’t-eep!”

You yelped as Thancred moved before you could stop him, nimble fingers slipping underneath your shirt and drawing patterns into your back, occasionally spidering or digging in slightly to make you squeak. Nonetheless, you melted forward into Estinien’s waiting chest and sighed in content, small giggles slipping out now and then.

“So this is why you tensed and would jump away whenever I tried to massage your shoulders. Could you get any cuter?”

You nuzzled Estinien and grumbled weakly, taking solace in his warmth.

“This isn’t playing fair.”

“You’ve got a safe word darling. You need only say it if you need us to stop at any time.”

His deep voice rumbled in your ear before his teeth pulled, making you arch a moment before a purr escaped you, making you gasp, flinch away and cover your mouth.

The two men froze.

“…Tell me you heard that too, Wyrmblood.”

“Loud and clear. Naughty kitten, hiding such sounds from us for so long.”

Both men’s voices had deepened in their lust and it was obvious to see it in the way their eyes darkened as well.

“Now then, why don’t we find out what other sounds you can make for us. Shall we truly get started?”

Breathless you could only whimper as Thancred tongued your throat, while Estinien retrieved the restraints.

“I’m fucked aren’t I?”

“Not yet you aren’t. But you will be. Thoroughly .”

[lilas]

I am demanding.... er.... respectfully requesting Avi'li and Erenville headcanons please? 人´∀｀)

Hehe, happy to fulfill your demand—er, request for Avi’li and Erenville headcanons (‘•̀ ▽ •́ )φ

When he starts working and hanging out with Erenville more, Avi’li begins to spend his nights in the Noumenon reading different articles and books on various animals, especially those that Erenville talked about that day. He’s excited to continue the discussion the day after!

1. This is going to be a multiparter: from some discussion with friends, I headcanon Erenville has a sophisticated palette taste wise; he’s traveled a lot and has had a variety of cuisine; however the Sharlayan and Gleaner mindset still prioritizes practicality over all else, so when he’s on the road he settles for things like archon loaf, road rations, and plain foods

2. Meanwhile, Avi’li has been practically spoiled with food all his life. Food has always been provided to him (his family, inn food, street food, the House Fortemps staff, Aymeric’s staff, the resistance, Domans, the Last Stand, Mehryde’s Meyhane, Vrtra’s people, etc etc etc). In short, he has no idea how to cook for himself outside of burning rice and having fish that’s slightly too chewy.

3. So when he visits Erenville on the road, regardless of their relationship, he has to suffer road rations and the plainest food for…longer than he’s had to be comfortable with lmao

4. It inspires him to cook! Thus starts Avi’li’s culinary arc.

5. All of this to say: Erenville is the pickiest food critic lmao. He knows flavor profiles and what works and what doesn’t, and he’s a hard audience to impress. It frustrates Avi’li to no end, but it’s a fun challenge you know? Cooking to impress your not-boyfriend! I have a scene in my head where Erenville makes some minor nitpick that no one would actually care about it, but that’s the joke right, and all Avi’li can do is silent scream into a cushion lmao

They’re such a comedy duo to me, they just riff off each other really well? Definitely that pair that is just “yes and”ing each other all the time

After the Boat Kiss(TM), Avi’li touches his lips A Lot unconsciously, with his fingers and also biting it when he’s in thought. He’s thinking about that kiss! Beyond frustrating for Erenville to watch because he Knows because Avi’li is so obvious and yet they can’t make out about it??? Like there’s an easily achievable solution to this and yet….

And this is most I can share until things develop in DT! Thank you for asking and indulging me! (´°̥̥̥ω°̥̥̥｀)

[lizarddiary]

Is it easy to write or otherwise portray other characters (or OCs) reactions to your OCs relationship? Are these interactions important to your characters story? For example, is the relationship one that can be publically acknowledged?

Hm... Well, I am unsure if I can speak about OC / OC relationships much since I do them with other people and tbh I don't know if any of the stuff I can say is 100% canon even for that AU. But for Tahla and Cemi, they're both gladiators in the Ul'dah Coliseum, and Tahla's persona hides her identity. Cemi is also almost always in character, who is not supposed to be in a relationship. So they only really get to interact as a couple in private.

These are all headcanons me and Cemi's mun ( @the-littlest-kojin ), so I am unsure how difficult or easy to write this would be. Given the nature of their jobs it felt natural that it would go this way.

For Nara I only have headcanon the reactions of her and Haurchefant dating and eventually getting engaged.

You know the drill, HW spoilers under the cut

So, in the AU that follows the game closely, their relationship was difficult to hide from the Scions and the people around Camp Dragonhead. They were never subtle, nor did they had to.

Haurchefant's family was delighted, too. So delighted, in fact, that they offer Haurchefant to become a full member of the Fortems House once more, were he to marry Nara. Mostly just so the Warrior of Light herself would also become a Fortemps, by marriage in this case.

All of this became quite easy for me to "write", in this sense. I feel like the story of the game itself is telling you what would happen in those cases. With the adoration you recieve from the Fortemps, to the fact that some soldiers in Camp Dragonhead already ship you two.

[morganali-art]

I decided to sit down and sketch out all my WoLs (not including like, six other joke characters that I have) and I have come to the conclusion that someone should take the character creator away from me.

I got too many lil guys 😵‍

From left to right...

J'rhota Tia is just a silly orange lad - PGL/ROG main, a scrappy little fight boy. Means well, but very head empty. Constantly getting locked out of the Waking Sands, but unfortunately is the only one who can take down Ifrit without getting tempered.

Amelot Greywoode Lost an eye on one of her adventures - couldn't afford a glass eye to match her good eye at the time, so the one she wears under her eyepatch is slightly off colour. (Highlander, GLD)

Parasha Pasha - Tiniest gorl. Min height lala. My god, she's so small. 🥺💕 Ostensibly mains WAR/DRG, but really is a FSH main.

Sami'ra (Sameth/Bunny) Lavellan - ARC/ROG main, previously a Dragon Age Inquisitor. Yearns to keep the stories of his people as a historian, but in the harsh economic times post-calamity, adventuring better pays the bills and provides for his large extended family. Per his name, he is the youngest son in a Keeper family with an oddly large number of sons. Truth be told, not all are family by blood, though are loved just as well. Sam has quite the crush on a certain Lord Commander.

Cessalie Sombreterre was an orphan of Ishgardian birth, and made her way to Ul'dah at a young age to try and make her way in the world, eventually taking up adventuring. Ostensibly a BLM main, though dabbles in roguery and swordplay. Min height elezen. Amongst her people, she's so leetle 🥺💕 Marries into the Fortemps house.

Hazel Rah is my main lad, first boy I ever made. He was born in the Golmore Jungle. Though he misses his childhood home dearly, he was forever restless, and eventually left - spending some time in Dalamasca and other occupied territories, before travelling to Eorzea in the wake of the calamity. Young for a travelling viera, he's about 70ish years old. Before he came to Eorzea, his forest name was Rjel Fith. He loves to garden.

Clover Frith is Hazel's much older sister - she's around 200, though she's not one to keep count. She left the forest when Hazel was quite young, in his 20s or thereabouts. When they met up again decades later, she was taking work as a gleaner in Sharlayan. Though her forest name is long left behind, her last name was Fith.

Blackavar Rehw-Dvre was Hazel's childhood sweetheart. In my headcanons, he does not leave the forest at all until well after the calamity - the general upheaval and unrest making its way even unto the forest, prompting the Rava people to make the choice to send scouts far from home to investigate. As such, though he is confident in the ways of his home, he is very out of place in the wider world and is often mystified by the ways of outsiders. As far as appearances go, Blackavar actually has quite curly hair - so I imagine his hair is more like the catboy hair both J'rhota and Sam have. Alas, there's no perfect bun options 😞

Holly Huorlwesfv is a veena bunny who I created as a retainer and went "aw fuck, I did it again," and had to turn him into a real boy because I liked him so much. He doesn't yet have a lot of a backstory yet, but I named him after Captain Holly from Watership Downs, and so in my mind he looks quite a bit scrappier than he is. Ears are scratched up and tattered. A few more scars. He's a stoic bun, a former guard most like. Definitely a fighter. PLD main iirc.

Bitter Snow is my beautiful, purple, goth Roe. I did not mean to give her the same name as Yellow Moon's paramour, it happened completely accidentally. 👀💦 She's so pretty, I ought to play her more. Pretty sure she's a DRG main, I cannot recall.

[mimble-sparklepudding]

Ishgardian Starlight Celebration

Mimble (and his puppy) are enjoying the Ishgardian Starlight Celebration, especially the various seasonal treats.

For those of you with Ishgardian OCs, or OCs with links to Ishgard, what are some of your ideas or headcanons about the celebrations and your characters involvement in them?

For example...

Does Francel of @aroseyetbloomedwrites arrange special events for the children of The Firmament and their families? Does he receive any gifts from the people?

Does Aymeric escort Hali of @firelightmuse to view the richly decorated manses of The Pillars? Or perhaps accompany her to a Starlight Ball in her honour?

Do Meeps (@meepsthemiqo) and Emmanellain visit his family over the Starlight period? How does she feel about this? Do the children enjoy playing in the snow?

Does A'vett (@avettabendrot) have any special bakes for the Starlight Celebration? Is there an Ishgardian Stollen? Or does he fashion a Gingerbread Tribunal to display in the shop window?

What starlit romance awaits Kai (@kissstealkai) amongst the glittering frost and flickering candlelight?

How involved is Faiolan of @mirageofthecrystal in House Penderghast's Starlight Celebrations? Does his House adapt their celebrations to further their goal of bringing Ishgardian society together?

Does Rulian of @miqomischief / @rulianbadeux actually get any time off over the Starlight Celebration? What events or functions does he attend? And what gifts does he get for his husbands?

Does Mercer of @furys-mercy take some time away from his workshop and clandestine activities to celebrate the season? Does he ever donate mechanical toys to be gifted to the children of The Firmament?

What does Akhutai of @scales-claws-and-thorns make of all this talk of families and emotional closeness? Is there anything about the celebration that he enjoys?

Has Ichelle de Fortemps (@loldragoon-ffxiv) found ways to use the Starlight Celebration to advance her more socially progressive aims? Is there a way in which she could use the occasion to make a diplomatic gesture to strengthen Ishgard's relationship with the Dravanians?

Does Xynal of @kskellington find Ishgard beautiful at this time of the year? Or is there some ambivalence about the celebration for him? Will he be marking the occasion with his husbands? What gift would please him most?

Does Fennie of @scholarlostintime bring in any Ishgardian Starlight Celebration traditions to help his children learn about their cultural heritage and history? (maybe not the salt rock though)

How will Drac (@draculas-husband) and Count Edmont be spending the Starlight Celebration? Would they be happy with a big family occasion or would they prefer something quieter and more intimate?

And lastly can there ever be enough sparkling lights and cocoa to reconcile Inxli (@pinxli) to the cold!

(If you're not already following any of the above blogs, I strongly recommend you check them out, there are some amazing characters and stories to be found).

As for me, my humble Ishgardian Starlight Holiday Headcanon is that this would be what Ishgardian festive music might sound like - ideal for having in the background of a Starlight Candlelit Dinner or even a Starlit Stroll...

Apologies to any Ishgard-linked blogs I left out - I have to go to bed now!

[janzoo]

The Difference Love Makes

Read it on AO3 above (registered users only) or under the readmore below -

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Final Fantasy XIV Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Characters: Edmont de Fortemps Additional Tags: Oneshot, Ficlet, Angst, Not Beta Read Summary:

Prompt: Clear

Edmont de Fortemps wanted to be a father, but he fears that didn't make him a good one. Basically some headcanons about how Edmont feels, but prose-ified.

                It was clear that some of Ishgard’s nobility saw their children as necessities, as obligations to their house and their ancestors. Many hardly gave their children the time of day, letting servants and nannies raise them instead.

                Edmont de Fortemps was not among them.

                He had a soft spot for all children, and dearly loved his own. He looked forward to having a family. As much as he would’ve liked to have had a daughter as well, his family felt complete.

               In his own mind, it was clear he had failed them. His eldest child doubted, his youngest child floundered, and his middle child...

                Edmont often wondered if wanting and loving his children made a difference when he himself seemed an unfit parent.

[ainyan]

An Introduction

Name: Kal’istae Miurani (Kali)

Race: Au Ra (Xaela)

Gender: Female (She/Her)

Age: 24 (1.0)

         24/29 (2.0) (Do you age in the Rift?)

         27/32 (6.0) (Headcanon of 3 years passed since 2.0)

(More below the split - mild spoilers, lots of rambling. Read at your own risk (of boredom XD))

Notable features: Indigo skin, obsidian scales, violet eyes with lavender limbal rings, pale lavender freckles on nose and cheeks (limbal rings and freckles glow slightly)

Background: Kal’istae does not remember anything before the moment that she reappeared in Ul’dah approximately five years after the Seventh Umbral Calamity. Standing on that cliff overlooking the Jewel of the Desert, she remembered little of her past beyond a name that might or might not have been her own. Driven by a burning desire to do, she approached the city. When Wymond asked if she was a new adventurer, his question resonated deep in her soul, and the rest was fate.

Although others have come to recognize her as one of the heroes saved by Archon Louisoix at the Battle of Carteneau, neither they nor she remembers much else, nor has any clan or family come forward to claim her as their own. She did discover that the Miurani were one of those Xaela clans unfortunate enough to make first contact with the Ishgardians during their flight from the Garleans - meaning that if Miurani is her clan, it was unlikely that many, if any, had survived.

Personality: Kal’istae Miurani is outwardly a cheerful, pleasant woman with a positive outlook on life, filled with hope and confidence.

Inside, nothing could be further from the truth. Her lack of past weighs heavily on her and she often feels cast adrift and disconnected from everyone else in her life. The fact that so many rely upon her strength of arms and magic only increases the sensation of being alone, as few seem to care for her as a person, but only as a tool. The revelations on the First and later in Elpis have only widened this gulf. As a result, despite her willingness to sacrifice everything to help those in need, only a very select few have ever won past her outward emotional shields to see the morass of self-doubt and unhappiness that lurks within and understand the cost of what they ask.

Of those few who have seen the true Kal’istae, foremost are the Scions, although it took until their travails in the First for them to be fully aware of the true nature of their companion. Nanamo, too, has gotten a heavy glimpse of the Kali within, as well as Lord Edmont Fortemps and Lucia Junius. Ryne, Gaia, and Feo Ul are fully aware of Kali’s struggles, while Yugiri Mistwalker and Severian Lyctor have more than some suspicions. The Seedseers know that she hides much of herself from them thanks to the Elementals, but they are unaware of how deep the rabbit hole goes.

Kal’istae has a deep sense of loyalty that drives her to hold fast to her roles of Champion of Eorzea and Savior of the Star, although she feels little connection to the former other than the fierce convictions of those she holds most dear. It is for them that she drives herself to the brink of breaking again and again to preserve the people for whom they would sacrifice in turn, as well as for those tenuous connections she has forged amongst the peoples of the star.

Relationships: Though Kal’istae keeps most everyone at arm’s length, some few have made it closer:

Thancred is most notable for having stolen her heart; she loves him to what she considers a frightening degree and she struggles to believe he truly loves her in return. 

She also loves G’raha Tia, although her affection for him is more mutable and less consuming. He is her best friend, and he and she and Thancred have begun nibbling at the edges of making it something more. 

Y’shtola has become an older sister to her, while Urianger fills the role of younger brother, irrespective of their actual ages. Both Alisaie and Alphinaud also hit on that younger-sibling scale - much to Alisaie’s disgruntlement.

F’lhaminn has taken on an aunt/mother-role; she recognizes that Kal’istae desperately needs a mother-figure in her life, and after everything Kali had done for her in regards to Minfilia and Niellefresne, she wants nothing more than to see Kali happy and secure, with Thancred if possible. Ameliance has also started to take an active interest in seeing that Kal’istae has the female support she needs.

Gaia and Ryne are like her much younger sisters; she refuses to consider them daughters, but they look up to her as an older-sister/mother figure and she is fierce in her desire to protect and nurture them.

Her work as Severian’s assistant/apprentice earned her his respect; her quiet, steadfast support following his failure to resurrect his lost love and her efforts on behalf of F’lhaminn have earned her his trust. He fills the niche of uncle/older-brother for her and keeps a close eye on her and Thancred.

Until Thancred managed to convince her to try an exclusive relationship, Kal’istae entertained a FWB relationship with Jacke and Brithael and occasionally with Lorens. Though she’s withdrawn from their beds, they still remain close friends. Jacke in particular keeps a close eye on her; he loves Thancred like a brother and is grateful to her for bringing the ex-wharf rat back into his life.

She is quite friendly with the Alliance leaders, although she saves her deepest affections for Nanamo, having enjoyed a much closer relationship with the Ul’dahn Sultana than any of the others. She is also close to Aymeric due to their time together in Ishgard, but she tries to keep him at a distance ever since Thancred suggested that the affections of the Lord Commander might be a bit more than just platonic.

She doesn’t know what to make of Magnai or Sadu; both Xaela seem to expect her to understand more about her own people, and that expectation emphasizes just how much she lost in the Rift. So she spends an inordinate amount of time avoiding them.

It took her a long time to warm to Gaius Baelsar - and it took him an equally long time to warm to her. They were the ultimate nemeses for so long - it was hard for each of them to grasp that he was only ever a pawn in Lahabrea’s hand. Her help with the Weapon Project helped to ease them towards acceptance; his devotion to his family softened her heart towards him and now they are tentatively taking steps towards friendship.

Her feelings about Emet-Selch are incredibly tangled; she knows, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that who she once was was special to him, special in the way that she is special to Thancred, to G’raha Tia. She’s seen him through Hythlodaeus’s eyes, seen him through her own eyes, and it’s hard to reconcile the noble, fierce advocate of the well-being of the Star with the arrogant, broken creature she fought on the First. But in the end, she cannot deny - what he did, he did for love - love of the Star, love of Hythlodaeus, love of Azem. And that is a motivation she understands too well. So she hopes that he will remain happy and whole with his Hythlodaeus, and that they both will be reborn together someday. And she is grateful to have known him.

There are others who are slowly gravitating towards her inner circle: Scholarch Montichaigne, Adius and Mab (OCs from Garlemald), Estinien, Vrtra, and Krile.

Motivations: First and foremost, Kal’istae is motivated by adventure and learning. She wants to go, she wants to do, she wants to know, and it’s not always in that order. She also has an incredibly strong sense of her own martial power and understands instinctively that her incredible strength and skill mean that she has a responsibility to protect those who cannot protect themselves, especially from threats that only she can face. Like the Ancients, she too is driven by the concept of Duty, and her duty is not only that of the Warder, but the Wanderer.

Dreams: Kal’istae dreams of being admitted to the Studium in Sharlayan. More than anywhere else in the world that she has traveled, it is here that she has felt most at home. Thancred has thoughts in that direction - spurred by the knowledge that his own master would be delighted to have such a powerful protege in his hand. She also dreams of bridging the gap between worlds and making it possible for Thancred and G’raha Tia to visit those they love on the First. Her final dream is to free Garlemald from the vestiges of war and help its citizens determine the path of their own future, free from the tyranny of the Ascians and the Galvus dynasty.

Hobbies: Kal’istae makes plushes, and specializes in plushes of people she knows and minions and mounts she’s collected. Her plushes are highly prized among her friends; she gives them away only rarely, and they almost always indicate a special regard from her. She’s particularly proud of her Scion plushes and sleeps with the Thancred plush she made after he returned to them in Ishgard. Thancred still hasn’t managed to convince her to make him a Kali plush to sleep with in return; he’s trying, though.

OOC Notes: Kal’istae is not my original Legacy character; that character has long been abandoned. She is my main RP alt, and so ICly has done everything that my main play character has done (so, everything).

[starrysnowdrop]

A little Hali question if I may?

When she first came to Ishgard (presumably after the events of the Bloody Banquet) how did she experience the city?

I imagine she found it a little bit chilly, but also Lalafells are not a common sight on the streets of Ishgard, especially during the Dragonsong War. Did she find herself the object of curiousity or even prejudice? Or did she find it easy to mingle and make connections?

What did she make of the austere and puritanical Halonian faith? Was it very different to her own experience of religion (Ul'dah having quite a worldly approach to the matter, with worship centred around trade, for example).

As well as what she found different or challenging, were there any things which felt familiar? Any things which, for better or worse, seemed to her to be consistent features of a city, regardless of geography?

Yay, first Mimble ask for Hali! I’m super giddy about this one because I’m currently working on Hali’s character profile as I write this, so this will help me with developing her more! So here it goes! 💖

Hali did arrive in Ishgard right after the Bloody Banquet, just like in canon, and it was certainly a huge culture shock for her.

The cold and the tons of snow were only to be expected, as she knew how Coerthas was affected by the calamity weather wise, and she packed a coat, hat, gloves, and boots accordingly, but perhaps that was the only thing she was prepared for.

The first thing she discovered was just how much religious zealotry was rampant in Ishgard, and how revered the Archbishop and the clergy were, as other city-states certainly had their patron deities and priests, but nothing she had seen before could’ve prepared Hali for Ishgardian faith. This alone made her feel like a fish out of water, as she is Sharlayan and she has really only looked at the Twelve in an academic sense, and she’s not a believer in any faith, so this certainly didn’t earn her many friends amongst the Ishgardians at first.

The other thing is the obvious difference: Hali is a lalafell in a nation that doesn’t have an native lalafells. I do headcanon that one of the reasons that Tataru and Alphinaud were arrested on suspicion of Heresy in the beginning of HW, besides the in fighting amongst the High Houses, is that Tataru was an easy target because she is a lalafell, and it would make it easier to have those accusations stick. So Hali was frequently harassed in the streets and she felt that she had to watch her back for the longest time in Ishgard.

One would think that it would be Yume that would be the biggest target of harassment and prejudice, as Au Ra would look like dragons to Ishgardians, but besides the talk behind Yume’s back, she wasn’t as much of a target as Hali was because Yume is a samurai, and the Auri woman has a look about her that made others think twice about confronting her, not to mention that Yume has her katana at her side at all times.

Hali, being a lalafell and a healer at that, certainly does NOT look intimidating whatsoever, and unfortunately this made her attract scum all the time. What protected her most was having the paperwork stating that she was a ward of House Fortemps, and having Yume by her side as a bodyguard of sorts.

What made Hali feel most at ease were the people that she would soon see as close friends and eventually as family: the Fortemps family, Estinien, and of course Aymeric. It was these kind, warm, compassionate, and courageous souls that made Hali feel most welcome to Ishgard, and now, whenever Hali thinks about Ishgard, she thinks about these amazing people that she is most fond of.

I hope I answered your ask properly, and that it did not disappoint! Thank you so much @mimble-sparklepudding!! Your asks are always most welcome! 🥰💖

[iernbone]

A collection of headcanons/footnotes:

Artoirel is physically weaker than Haurchefant. I guess that’s more or less a given, considering it takes six men to hold back a motivated Haurchefant, and the man can apparently flex his muscles so hard that he can pop the links out of his chainmail. Still, because Artoirel was prideful as hell and couldn’t stand to be outdone by his half-brother, he trained extensively to try and stay on top. Trying to beat him in terms of raw physical strength was an exercise in futility, so Artoirel instead focused on being the better tactical fighter, being able to make decisions and identify weaknesses more quickly.

He embraces his role as the head of House Fortemps fully, but if that wasn’t an option for him, then he would make an excellent field commander. Planning is one of his greatest strengths, and due to his logical nature, he is a very efficient problem-solver and has a talent for naturally seeing the best course of action and the best outcome. The only problem is that others could end up seeing him as a strict and unpleasant commander due to the emphasis he puts on diligence as well as how he tends to get impatient with other people when they don’t keep up with him.

He is very much a music nerd, as canon establishes with how he composes music. Though he is capable of playing multiple instruments to varying degrees of proficiency, his favorite is the violin, due to it being one of the hardest instruments to learn but most gratifying to master. If you’re a friend of his, he’d be more than happy to perform for you, and he’ll play a piece he composed himself if you’re particularly close with him. Also, since he is an avid collector of orchestrion rolls, giving him one is easily the fastest way to make his day. Depending on what you give him, you might even see a look of childish glee on his face for a moment before he composes himself again. Naturally, he’s fond of orchestrions with more “traditional” music like classical, but he tries his best to be more open-minded with other genres as well.

Artoirel was very jealous and resentful of Haurchefant, especially with the attention Edmont gave him, and part of that is because he likes being recognized. His loyalty to his family and duties are very strong, and he becomes frustrated whenever he feels that it isn’t seen. This also extends to his other duties in general, and he will get grumpy if he feels that he hasn’t been thanked for his work.

It’s always long sleeves with the shirts and pants with him. He’s a prude who prefers clothes that bespeak Refinement™, and he will probably look discomforted if made to wear more casual wear. He’s been brought up to be a proud member of nobility all his life, so it’s hard for him to move out of that.

[witchofthescions]

♥ - family headcanon

Headcanon Meme

((I have definitely mentioned Erna's family at least once before, so for the sake of summary: she comes from a Big family. Six siblings, both parents, a grandma, a great-grandma, a brother-in-law, and a baby nephew. It's large and chaotic and she loves them all to bits.

Lenar's immediate family is smaller. It's just him and his parents, who are on the older side because it took them a very long time to actually have a child. He's their very precious, very much wanted son and they love him to the end of the world and back.

His mother is Tracine Nillefrant, a rather quiet and stern Ishgardian-born Duskwight elezen. She's a knight in service to House Fortemps, which is part of why Lenar was already close to the family before Heavensward. She retired from active duty around the time Lenar was born, both because she had a kid to raise and also just because she was already in her forties. When she retired, she ended up transitioning into training new knights instead, so Lenar grew up watching her do just that and picked up a few sword skills along the way.

His father is Elveaux Nillefrant, né Auphort Goucoux. He originally hails from Gridania, but fled his home when he was about 15 years old because, to put it mildly, his parents were Not Great. He spent several years roaming the countryside of Coerthas with a band of bandits, causing a lot of trouble but somehow managing to avoid getting got by either the Temple Knights or the heretics. Around his twenties is when he met Tracine while she was on patrol. She kicked his ass, but spared his life, much to his confusion. They met multiple times more that way, and each time she was able to outmatch him. Until, finally, he asked her why the FUCK she kept sparing him. And she told him that she felt everyone deserves a chance to change, even heretics, and you can't very well do that if you're dead.

Needless to say, that act of mercy is what ultimately got him to change his ways and become the friendly, loving bard he is today.))

[theworldwalkerswols]

why I love the Fortemps brothers

Artoirel: Oblivious af, takes a long time to come around but means well by the end 

Emmanellain: Oblivious af but mostly wrt his own (nonexistent) love life, has literally always meant well 

Both of them: idiots (affectionate)

[ritterblood]

🍇  :    how would my muse describe their childhood?  how much has it impacted the person they are now,  or will become as an adult?  around what age did they or will they start to mature,  and why?  do they wish to go back to their days as a child,  or have they embraced adulthood?  

let’s get fruity

okay so to better give context on my headcanons, i feel like i gotta give a smol timeline of where i saw haurchefant as having passed his childhood :  with knowing his mother was a maidservant at the fortemps household before she got pregnant and likely got relieved from that service once the pregnancy was found out  ━ and who it was from, moreover,  i headcanon that haurchefant did actually spend his early childhood with his mother living in or close to the brume and only came to live in the fortemps manor with edmont when he was around 9 years old, after his mother fell ill and eventually passed away.  i base this on the fact that haurchefant very much seems to remember his mother as a righteous, beautiful, but ultimately quite frail woman whom he seems to cherish in his memories a lot. 

this just to say that there are two kinda separate phases to his childhood ━ the part lived with his mother and the part lived with his father, the latter of which definitely had the biggest impact on him, but the former of which he looks back on more fondly altogether.  

so if he were asked to describe his childhood, he will largely go back to those earlier years with his mother and speak of his days spent playing with the other orphans or spent in the chocobo stables as his youth, or speak of the mischief and shenanigans he got up to with francel, estinien or aymeric ( who, in my canon were his second and third closest childhood friends ). in short, he will focus on the few positives he has from that time, rather than focus on the treatment he suffered in the fortemps household for simply being who he was. 

that said, it is undeniable that the latter has greatly impacted haurchefant who he is today.  it is written in canon that the lady fortemps, though imo never physically abusive, did go out of her way to make him feel as unwanted and unwelcome as possible in his own home. in his short story with francel is is very obviously implied that she would bar him from going to social gatherings or parties, or was made to wait outside or in the corner while the rest mingled. through dialogue with artoirel, it was made clear that she did her best to keep her own children from interacting with haurchefant and that she never really made it a secret that she despised him, made him feel lesser and didn’t want him around and that edmont did little to stand up to her in her behavior.  in line with this, i also have the personal headcanons that she would not allow him to be tutored together with artoirel or emmanellain, that his chambers were in the servants’ quarters rather than with the rest of the family and that he would get smaller portions to eat, whenever she could get away with it. furthermore, he also got very little to no physical affection in those years and had to likely suffer a constant barrage of either the cold shoulder or passive aggressive remarks from her side. 

the fact that edmont quite obviously favored him didn’t exactly help in this regard. 

i have written a few headcanons on how this impacted him. we already know from the short story that haurchefant struggled with anger and resentment, a fact very clearly shown in how he completely went apeshit on the bandits that dared to kidnap and hurt the only friend he felt he had at the time. despite the desire to make his father proud, since despite their complicated relationship he did love edmont, he also rebelled quite a lot and was prone to losing his temper and getting into fights, especially once he started becoming serious about wanting to be a knight. and even though those outbursts of anger and aggression have very much mellowed in maturing in his role as commander and through the bond he formed with his men, i also believe the way he grew up has deeply impacted his sense of self-worth and the way he reads people ( tldr; he is good at reading and assessing people and people’s moods because his upbringing taught him to be hyper-vigilant of people’s motives quite early on, especially when it came to his stepmother ). it also caused him to mature far too quickly and push himself into this role as knight too quickly as well, imo. 

lastly, he has definitely embraced adulthood. he is in a much better place now than he was, with all his experiences and the bonds he’s forged from childhood to adulthood, those that have stuck with him, having made him into someone who chooses, above all, to be kind and open to anyone, to be exactly the kind of person standing in diametric opposition to anyone who would treat a person the way he’s been treated simply because of his blood or inheritance. 

[redwayfarers]

Bedroom/living quarters and happy headcanons for Nika and Cass? :>

love these omg <3

Nika

Bedroom HC

Nika's been a traveling performer for so long (read: didn't wanna commit to anything) that he hasn't really had his own room between like leaving home at the age of 18 and settling with the Fortemps family. As such, he isn't really used to decorating his living space and making it his own - if he does, he might be convinced to stay, so he just didn't do it - so when Edmont took them in and gave them all their own rooms in the mansion, Nika was very O-O as to what to do with it. He had to be coaxed into making the room feel lived in, bit by bit, and now it does have some signs of Nika!

Which is surprisingly orderly, all things considered, with only notebook pages with notes and his old ass lute changing places. He also hides his flowery perfume that he swears he doesn't buy, but trusts Artoirel will keep the bill silent. The jewelery is on display, though.

Happy HC

Now, we know that Nika isn't really a generally happy person, but he does have a very expressive face, which he hates sometimes fyi. That means that when he is actually happy it shows just about everywhere?? His first instinct is to hide his own genuine smile, but it fucking fails bc his whole face is smiling and shaped around the smile if that makes sense, so it's just a little adorable to see ngl.

Cass

Bedroom HC

Some remnants of his aristocratic upbringing do remain in that he does like the appearances of orderliness. I say that bc he is intrinsically chaotic and order runs away from him every chance it gets, but god does he try. In his old room at the Spire, it all looked as if it was in order - it was clean, nothing was out of place - but then you look closer and see that his earrings are mismatched in pairs, books aren't grouped beyond being books, etc. It's all like a small fuck you to Theo and all she represents.

Happy HC

He has a gummy smile! I think that's literally so cute as a fellow gummy smile haver lmao!!! It's also pretty wide and big?? Overall a very cute smile all things considered.

And an extra happy hc for you - cats sometimes like to play with his hair when he sits down and it's loose. It meows and Cass makes this purposefully inhuman noise as a sign for it to get the fuck away from his hair, but it takes him like a good few minutes of that to actually shoo the cat away bc it's just. playing. He's a sap

[tenuuchlegch]

WOL Questions! Who was your WOL before meeting the Scions? Are there any relationships/friends maintained outside of the Scions throughout the story?

Ah, man I love seeing questions like these!

Anyway to begin answering them, before Odtsetseg was officially the WOL, she was the daughter of Hotgo's khagan Temujin. She also was not a participant in any pre-calamity events in Eorzea as the au ra was only thirteen at the time. After the destruction of their tribe she and her father set out for Eorzea in order to follow the visions she was having. Unfortunately, Temujin did not make it to said western lands with his daughter. As a result, young archer became a vagabond only arriving in Gridania to both improve her skills as an archer and gain some reputation as a fierce adventurer.

Now concerning any relationships outside of the Scions: To name a few canon-wise I do believe she was friends or at least heavily acquainted with Mide, Dayan and their crew. They all came from the same tribe, after all. She also has kept in touch with the members of house Fortemps, since not only was Haurchefant a good friend but that family in particular also supported her raen mother and twin by providing them with work in an auri-hostile environment.

Now headcanon-wise Odtsetseg has improved and maintained relations with her raen mother and twin brother. With her twin though, their relationship hit a bit of a bump during the initial events of Stormblood. Fortunately, by Endwalker they made up and I can safely say after a certain raid xaela has a newfound gratitude towards her mother.