#galahdian culture

[ertrunkenerwassergeist]

Does Galahd have anything similar to Halloween/All Hallow's Eve? (apologies if this has been asked before)

Not Galahd, no.

But they have something named 'tsuraisch zehwirs schurahi'. Long ass name, I know. XD

It means 'Week of the Golden Sun'. It's celebrated sometimes between the early autumn storms and late autumn. The exact timing is decided by the Great Gathering and so can vary from year to year. It's entirely dependend on the weather.

Originally it was just a time where people prepared their homes and community for the colder season, but after the Story of Erinnye it became much more serious. It became a community effort, where resources are gathered and shared.

Each evening of the week there are dances and music and stories. (Galahkari will never leave out an opportunity to tell stories.) On the last evening of the week each community/village/town/what-have-you makes a huge hot-pot.

This whole celebration is about preparation for the cold season, warmth, food and community.

There is, however, a nation that has something very close to Halloween.

Tenebrae

[ertrunkenerwassergeist]

@raven-6-10

That's so cool!

It's definitely a technology the Galahkari inherited from Solheim.

Just imagine what the buildings look like. Stone and wood merged with beautiful glass which very conveniently also functions as windows. (The electricity was intentional, the windows a happy accident. So they're everywhere in every size and form, not just squares at convenient eye level.)

Just imagine a world full of beautiful stained glass windows which also generate electricity…

[Oxford Photovoltaics]

[zeroangelo13]

Vykeri "Vyke" Ultyr

"Tell me, sinner, what is light without darkness?"

Given Name: Vykeri (Veke-Eri) Lucian Name: Vyke (Veke) Clan Name: Ultyr (Ul-Tyr) Alternate Name: Azem / Azim / Azeyma

Title(s): - Warrior of Light (Former?) - Warrior of Darkness (Former?) - Fatewalker - Oir-Makti (First Hunter) - Hiereiai (Priestess)

Clan Beads: - Blue Goldstone (Primary) - Black Onyx (Secondary)

Thank you to the wonderful ertrunkenerwassergeist, ofcaramelandcoffee, secret-engima, a-world-in-grey and literally anyone else making headcanons for FFXV and Kingsglaive - you guys are all awesome

[a-world-in-grey]

Sola/Little Nox Dissidia au

@raven-6-10 @secret-engima

The promised trainwreck under the cut!

The Citadel's been a wreck of tension ever since Spitfire and the prince went missing. Abyssus yowling fit to wake the dead brought the on-duty glaives running to find Sola's bed empty, phone still on her bedside table and all her shoes still in her closet, all signs pointing to an unwilling departure despite a clear absence of any sign of a struggle.

They'd raised the alarm, checking on the rest of the royal family and their retinue-

-and found Prince Noctis' bed as empty as his sister's.

Then, while Citadel security was swarming like a kicked anthill, spearheaded by a blackly furious Marshal and King's Shield looking for their godschildren, those guarding the Crystal had sounded the alarm.

Which is when they'd found their missing royals, via the Crystal putting out a hologram of the two like something from a bad science fiction movie.

Tredd hasn't gotten a decent night's sleep in four days.

If it's not the palpable worry radiating from the King racking up the tension, then it's the fact that the royal children have been summoned to a desolate world to participate in what's essentially a glorified death match on opposite teams, during which Prince Noctis is in nothing but his pajamas.

No one is ever again calling Sola's insistence on keeping her deployment bags in her armiger frivolous.

Though, if Tredd has to be completely honest, Sola's younger brother's lack  of proper attire is only a fraction of what's causing the tension. No, the bulk of it goes to Spitfire's newest Uncle and now youngest brother. The once-Chancellor of Niflheim and Captain's kid. Captain's kid who's apparently the Crown Prince's clone, created from a sample Niflheim stole how knows how many years back.

Luche had dipped out to make a phone call to Axis, because those are Arra braids in Ardyn and Nox's hair, and Axis had completely neglected to mention that his recent adoptees were Lucis Caelums, leaving Tredd to watch Axis' clansmen on this fucked-up version of reality TV.

Nyx has been teaching Spitfire the Ulric Dance ever since her Rage a few months back clued them all into the fact that Spitfire's as Sky-born as anyone can get without being an actual dragon - and seriously, Tredd is this close to shaking Nyx, the idiot needs to adopt her already, for Ramuh's sake - so he's in the room whenever he's not sleeping. Which means Libertus is also here, making sure Nyx does take the time to sleep because the last thing any of them need is the twitchy Ulric doing something Dumb, aided by Abyssus literally carrying Nyx out of the room when it's time to catch some shut eye.

Crowe's anxiously watching her girlfriend fight off various monsters and champions, fingers plucking at the rubber band Crowe's worn on her wrist ever since the Burning. This hadn't been how Sola and Crowe had wanted Sola's family to find out about that particular relationship, but Crowe had adamantly refused to be barred from the room for a second until Sola came back.

Luche, like Tredd, is there as Axis' braided brother, leaving the rest of the Fourth Regiment to attend in shifts depending who's on break, with Pelagia and her Third Regiment counterpart running everything because Captain is also busy watching this clusterfuck.

The Marshal's not left since the whole thing started - has he even slept? - but the King and Shield have to leave for short periods to make token appearances lest the entire country learn the royal children have disappeared into the ether. Gladiolus and Ignis have to be forced out of the room for their studies, which has apparently resulted in temper tantrums worthy of a Raging Sola, but the two young teens have yet to convince the King, Shield, or Marshal otherwise so the process repeats every day without fail.

Sola latching on to her new uncle and brother isn't a surprise. She's Sky-born, they do that. Especially because for all that the ex-Chancellor is clearly missing more than a few lines to his sails, he equally as clearly cares for and is protective of his niece and nephews, despite his distaste for Regis and Mors.

Were it not for the danger to her brothers, Sola would probably be having fun. The chance to cut loose against other skilled fighters? No one looming over her shoulder, scrutinizing her every action and deeming anything not up to their standards as 'monstruous'? Sola would have loved that in any other scenario.

But Spitfire has two brothers to protect, and Tredd swears under his breath when Sola assigns herself to Noctis and Nox's guard team, instead letting Ardyn join the strike team. The self-sacrificing dumbass.

"Care to explain that?"

Whoops.

Tredd cringes away from the Marshal's displeasure, silently thanking the Storm-Father that the King and Lord Amicitia are off in an unavoidable meeting with one of the Councilors.

"Sola is better suited on the strike team, sir." Luche says politely, before Tredd can stick his foot further in his mouth. "She's not usually charged with guard duties in the field."

The Marshal eyes them both severely. "Izunia is stronger than Sola." He says sourly. The revelation of the former Chancellor's heritage and all it's unpleasant implications hasn't been fun for anyone. "He can take a smaller strike team, freeing more people to guard Noctis and Nox." Unsaid is the fact that neither Sola nor Ardyn will leave the princes alone with strangers.

"Yes, sir." Luche demurs. That had been the argument Sola used to convince Ardyn.

(Tredd hadn't thought anyone could be more protective than Sola of her brothers, but Ardyn has her beat by a mile. Ifrit have mercy on whoever tries to harm either of the princes in the future, because Sola and Ardyn sure as Pyre won't, and Tredd doubts there'll be enough of the moron in question afterwards to scatter their ashes.)

Tactically, the assignments have merit. As Tredd exchanges a glance with an equally grim-faced Luche, he knows tactics aren't what they - or any of the glaives - are worried about.

Spitfire doesn't do defense. It's not a matter of skill. Tredd wouldn't be worried if it was, skill they can compensate for.

No, the issue is that Sola's a damn dragon of a Sword. Her first, second, and third instinct when dealing with threats is to kill it. She can't do that on defense - her priority has to be Noctis and Nox's safety, even if it means letting her target escape.

It's not impossible. Not when she's got help.

And yet Tredd can't shake the feeling that this isn't going to end any way but badly.

.

Tredd's right.

Two days later, everything goes to Ifrit's Pyre in a gift basket.

The strike team is away, trying to complete whatever the objective is that will send them all home.

(Ardyn is a force of destruction to contend with, tearing through enemies like they're tissue paper, making the King pale with an anguished epiphany he refused to share.)

The ambush catches everyone off guard. The strange dragon-like creatures swarm the protective detail. The healers push Nox and Noctis behind them, the champions better suited for close quarters combat struggling to keep the creatures off their more vulnerable companions.

In the commotion, Tredd doesn't see what sparks it, but he sure as Pyre sees when Spitfire loses it.

A low snarl rips from her throat, gaze and focus narrowing down on the threat in front of her.

Crowe swears. "Pyre-damn it all, someone back her up-"

But none of the other champions are watching Sola's back. They're too busy with their own battles, too busy keeping the kids safe. They don’t notice how Spitfire's been drawn away from the rest of the group, don't see the blind spot left vulnerable without a glaive or Abyssus there to cover her.

If Sola's family hadn’t known before, they've sure as Pyre realized it now. It's impossible to miss the glaives' reactions - Luche's grim certainty, Libertus' hand a physical restraint on Nyx's shoulder, Nyx's hands clenching and unclenching as he resists the useless instinct to grab his kukris and throw, Crowe's snarling at people who cannot hear, the way every muscle in Tredd's frame coils as he fights off the Fury rising like a wave-

-and crests, as Spitfire staggers, the attack she doesn't see ripping through her. Magic erupts throughout the room as Sola's eyes widen and her face twists in an agonized cry that has no breath to voice.

Sola hits the ground, and Nox s c r e a m s.

Ghostly weapons tear through the remaining creatures, a constant stream of light and steel that is nothing like any armiger they've seen. Champions startle as weapons pass through them harmlessly only to shred the creatures around them, until nothing remains.

The healers rush to Sola's side, but even from here, Tredd can see that it's bad. Really bad - he doesn't know if Spitfire's going to make it even with three healers and her own regeneration trying to save her life.

There's another burst of magic and Ardyn arrives, terrified and protective - Nox's magic must have alerted him, but Tredd doesn't know what the ex-Chancellor can do that the healers can't, Lucis Caelum magic just doesn't heal…

Ardyn takes in Nox, boneless with exhaustion and sobbing in Noctis' hold. Noctis, trying to keep it together. The champions doing their best to shield them from where Sola is laying on the ground between the healers.

(None of them can see it in the blue of the Crystal's hologram, how Sola is too pale against the shock of red hair haloed around her face, nearly indistinguishable from the blood staining the grass.)

Something in Ardyn's spine steels. He strides forward, ignoring the champions' attempts to keep him back, shedding his upper layers before he kneels and gathers Sola against his bare chest.

(The scars hit Tredd like a sucker punch. They've all seen some gnarly scars, no one survived the Burning unscathed, but these… these are torture scars. Torture scars and death blows and the glowing sigil of the royal family that can't be anything other than a brand.)

(The King is white as a sheet. Tredd wants to throw up. Parents are supposed to support you, not… not this.)

(Six, no wonder Axis kept Ardyn and Nox's heritage a secret. That Ardyn is able to trust and care for any of his Kin is astounding.)

It's not until magic rises from Ardyn's skin that Tredd realized what's happening. That he realizes what the tint of the Crystal's magic had disguised. But he's seen Spitfire heal others dozens of times out in the field, he recognizes this shaping of magic, and Ardyn is so much stronger than Spitfire-

It doesn't make it any easier to watch as Ardyn's skin splits, his blooding pouring out to join Sola's painting the ground. Doesn't make it any easier to watch as his wounds close, Ardyn gasping and trembling from more than just pain as he curls over his healed but unconscious niece, even as Noctis and Nox barrel in to comfort him.

Tredd's almost relieved when the Marshal turns to them and demands, "What the fuck just happened?"

As one, every glaive turns to Nyx. He's the only Chief present, he's the only one who can make the decision to share Galahdian lore with Outsiders as he has been with Sola.

Nyx stares a few moments longer at Sola's too-still form, hands flexing. Finally, he turns to face the Marshal and the King, expression dark as a thunderstorm. "We call it the Draconian's Rage."

"We?" The King's eyes are sharp. Tredd thinks he sees something of the warrior the King must have been when he visited Galahd twenty years ago.

"Galahd. The Draconian and the Infernian weren't the only Astrals to Bless humans. The magic disappeared long before the time of the Founder, but we still Remember." Nyx glances back to where the healers are fussing over Sola and Ardyn and Nox. "You have the Draconian's Blessing. But the Draconian isn't human."

Nyx turns back to the King, storm-blue locking with armiger-blue. "The Astrals aren't human, and sometimes their Blessed aren't either."

The King's lips thin. "You're saying my daughter isn't human." Treading on dangerous ground - the King's never taken kindly to the rumors painting Sola a monster.

"Physically, she is." Nyx says, steady as the cliffs against the storm-swept tides. "In her soul? Her instincts? She's no more human than I am."

That startles the King. "You are-?"

"Ramuh's. Storm to Sola's Sky."

There were rumors that the Ulrics were Ramuh's Blessed. Coeurl-Kin. Shape-changers and Wind-Walkers and as Black as the storms in their souls.

Tredd never thought he'd hear the rumors confirmed. This is Clan History. Private Clan History only ever shared with Clan Allies. If that.

"We thought you knew." Tredd says, trying to buy some leeway for Nyx. Tredd can't reveal that he's also not-quite human. Not without his Chief's permission. He might be able to get away with telling Sola - it's only a matter of time before she joins the Clans - but King Regis? Tredd would be in serious trouble. "You have thousands of years of history. Family customs as unique as any of ours." Customs catering specifically to those non-human instincts, Tredd doesn't say.

Tredd suspected otherwise after Sola's Rage in HQ. Sola didn't know anything about her Rages, only that she'd get so angry she couldn't think beyond needing to kill something. She was terrified that she'd try to kill anyone near her, hence her retreating somewhere secluded until she could regain control over herself. When she'd come out of her Rage to find Nyx and Tredd at the end of her weapons, injured but otherwise in one piece, she'd been horrified that she might have tried to kill them.

She hadn't known that she wouldn't. That even in the deepest Rage, her instincts would recognize the difference between hers and threat. Sola would never harm an innocent bystander. Not on purpose. Not unless they provoked her first.

So Tredd had suspected. He didn't want to believe it - how could the Lucis Caelums not have any information of the Draconian's Blessed? He knows Mainlanders don't keep Tales like the Clans do, but they do keep records! Sola cannot be the first Lucis Caelum to be Skyborn!

But no. The royal family has no clue.

What a mess.

"What does that mean for Sola?" The Marshal asks while the King processes Nyx's revelation.

"She's protective." Crowe says. Tredd snorts at the understatement of the century. "She'll react violently to anything threatening her Claimed. Lethally, if she can - Skyborn don't like leaving threats alive to try again."

"Prince Noctis and Nox are her only vulnerable Claimed. Prince Nox has his uncle to protect and care for him, which will satisfy Sola's instincts." Because nothing short of an Astral will be able to get past Ardyn to harm Nox, and even then Tredd would still put his money on Ardyn. "But Sola's Sword to Prince Noctis, and the oldest and strongest of his Retinue. She's his primary protector. Not being allowed or able to kill anything threatening him will stress her instincts."

The Marshal grimaces, glancing at the King and Shield. Tredd wonders if he's thinking about how Sola came to join the Kingsglaive. She'd eventually told them the circumstances behind her joining their training, one night out on deployment. Knowing now that Sola's Skyborn, that was a really Stupid decision on the King's part, banning Sola from protecting her disabled brother. The King was lucky Sola didn't try to sneak out of Insomnia after them.

"When she's under a lot of stress, she'll lose her grasp of human language." Tredd tells them. Tredd's never had that happen to him, but he also knows that as far as Seaborn instincts go, his are fairly tame. Sola, unfortunately, is way out on the extreme end of the scale. "Sign language she can comprehend, and that empathic thing she does with her magic. She'll lose her words before she Rages, so if it's that bad don't bother talking to her. She won't hear it."

Another glance between Sola's relatives. Six, how many signs had they missed?

Tredd determinedly ignores it. "When she's Raging, either give her space to work through it or spar with her. Sola won't hold back, but she won't try to kill you. But if you need to step out of the fight, make it physically clear that you surrender. Weapons away, hands down and open, on your knees and throat bared if you have to."

The King frowns. "That seems… dangerous."

"Not with Sola." Nyx says before Tredd's temper leads him to say something snarky and unwise to the King. "She'll always recognize her own."

"Shit's starting up again." Luche suddenly says.

Everyone turns back to the Crystal, conversation tabled.

For now.

[lastglaivestanding]

i thought you knew. ( from nyx )

“I thought…” prompts || @purposeclaimed

-

She’s clinging to him for dear life, pulling herself as close into Nyx as she can manage. Her whole body trembled with each heaved breath, heavy inhales of relief. Millicent keeps her face buried in his chest, hands all but clawing at the back of his jacket for purchase as she tries to steady her breathing to a reasonable manner.

She had never been a religious woman, but she would absolutely start praying to whichever astral had granted her this small blessing. She had thought she was merely seeing things when Nyx got out of the vehicle. From all she knew, the the glaive had all been killed in the siege of the city or betrayed to join Niflheim. She thought she had lost everything again. Thought she had lost him. So when she saw his all too familiar profile she had to take a moment to make sure she wasn’t just seeing things. When the others around him had acknowledged him, confirmed his place in reality, the woman had practically sprinted to him.

After what feels like far too short a span of time, Millicent pulls back and aggressively tries to wipe her face dry of tears, trying to collect herself. She grabs a hold of his hands, not quite ready to let go completely. It’s as though she’s afraid he may disappear if she’s not touching him.

“No, I had no idea. I was out on that deployment. It was a fluke, a sort of trap or something, I don’t know. By the time I made it back to the mainland the city was in ruins. Reports said that the king was dead, the empire had seized the city, that the glaives had turned... God, I thought you were dead” she can feel the way her throat closes at the mere concept. Her eyes are already glistening with new tears and she reluctantly lets go of him to wipe at her eyes again “Fuck… Nyx” her voice is failing her, cracking as she does everything in her power to keep from absolutely breaking down in relief. Millicent reaches up, gently taking his face in her hands and bringing his head down to rest her forehead against his. “I’m…. Im so glad you’re alive”

[ertrunkenerwassergeist]

@raven-6-10

That 100% reads like the Galahkari attitude for murders of crows. Don't follow, don't interact, don't walk through. Just be glad they're there because that means Galahd's magic is healthy and abundand.

Though for the bog thing: My brain has now started to cook stories about the Bog people on Galahd. I really like them, though I don't write enough of them.

[sparklecryptid]

Share with us your rewrite lore for Galahad please. I'm liking where it's going so far.

okay. so. i can't like. share all of it because that would make the post mega long. HOWEVER. have some bits and pieces that will become relevant.

Twice-born: galahdians who have memories of their previous life. usually only occurs once every few centuries. pretty rare but common enough they have protocol and traditions surrounding the twice-born who are usually treated with a respect only reserved for elders. depending on the twice-born they may also be inducted as an elder while they are physically quite young since they are seen as carrying wisdom from their past life and being Chosen by ramuh.

Chosen: people on Galahd chosen by gods dead or alive. Chosen people exist outside Galahd in other cultures but may not know that a god has 'claimed' them as one of theirs.

Blessed: Chosen who have gone through a trial of some sort and have become Blessed by the god that chose them. Twice-born are not automatically Blessed by Ramuh but many go through trials to be considered Blessed by him.

Clans: Seven main clans: Khara, Arra, Lazarus, Furia, Bellum, Ostium, and Ulric. Within a Clan there are several families each with their own bead that they wear in conjunction with a Clan bead. Those from the 'main' family of a clan only need to wear one bead unless they are married and decide to wear their spouses beads.

Elders: knowledge keepers and experts in their clans history and the history of galahd. each clan has its own traditions that the elders pass on. that being said there is an elected elder that represents the whole clan in a council of elders where they all go and decide what to do about important multi island wide events

ANYWAY! hope this helps! I have worldbuilded quite a bit more from when I first started the royal bastard au and I hope it shows.

[ertrunkenerwassergeist]

Here’s a silly question: how would Galahdan’s react to an outsider who had somehow stumbled into interacting with galahdan myth? Like a person who’d befriended crows and is clearly a but magic because of it, or someone who can talk to snakes? Would they be mad at them even though it just happened? Would they be determined to ignore it? Or would they be curious and want to solve why this happened, or wonder if they were originally from galahd? (Not the kids taken by lucis, who they know are. But maybe someone who was just lost or orphaned by the war.) related: has anyone become galahdan that galahd forgot was an outsider, or who they refuse to acknowledge was because they became important to their history?

Hi there!

Not a silly question at all, my friend. You might just get a bit of a longer answer. XD

No, the Galahkari wouldn't be mad should this happen. Though it should be said that it's not exactly easy to find these magical phenomena on either continent because Bahamut upset the magical balance so much by binding almost all of the black magic to the Lucis Caelum line.

(Side tangent: I came to the conclusion a bit ago that the Fleuret line doesn't exactly use white magic, but more of a holy magic. Though I don't like that name and am trying to come up with a better one. Cleansing magic is too narrow, I feel. If someone has a good idea, please tell me.)

All that to say that the outsider must have most likely been on Galahd for some magic shenanigans to have happened. Which also means that the Galahkari must have at least tolerated the outlander enough to have them on their lands. So no, not mad. Even if it had happened outside Galahd, they wouldn't have been mad. Magic is often unpredictable and can have a will of its own, which is very much no ones fault.

The Galahkari would treat the person who got out of their Magic Incident with whatever talents/changes lake any other person this happend to. Like a normal person. Might make fun of them though for being reckless enough to have had it happen. And then educate them to make sure something like that happens again. Because magic attracts magic.

I don't think they'd really wonder if the person has Galahkari ancestry. Because magic can happen to anyone. It's just more likely to happen to someone who already has a bit of magic, because - like I said - magic attracts magic. And Lucians can have a bit of magic. Or the Tenebrabi, or Nifasi, or the Accordanse. (New name for people from Accordo! I feel like this one might actually stick. XD)

To your last question:

No, not exactly. It hasn't really come up yet, but the Galahkari do have stories about Ardyn. Because there were still Galahkari roaming about the continent when he and his brother were (properly) alive.

Ardyn was an ally to the Galahkari and helped them out. In the stories he's in, he has a lot of epithets, like all important people in their stories do.

Flame-Hair.

Sun-Eyed. Blessed by the sun.

Healing-Hands.

The Blessed-Cursed.

Most people who show up in Galahkari stories and aren't Galahkari, are declared as such. Ardyn isn't. Though he also isn't declared a Galahkari.

Which means you could lawyer your way into saying the Galahkari are trying to redact history into saying Ardyn was a Galahkar. I could see that discussion happen in the Blinded History AU at some later point in the story. (Should I ever get so far into writing it.)

But no. The Galahkari never declare someone as theirs when they aren't. Cases like Ardyn's are the closest they ever get to it.

It's a question of mentality anf pride, mostly. The Galahkari don't exactly like outsiders. And never enough to just... steal their identity for their own.

I hope that makes sense?

[secret-engima]

So I'm dumb and scouring through Final Fantasy just to learn what the significance of colors means is to complex for me, so could you explain to me what colors have what meaning and cultural significance to Nyxsuke and Lib?

The color meanings are not canon, if you're scrounging through canon content, sorry! Galahdian color meanings are something I started HCing and that @a-world-in-grey also picked up and helped me expand on greatly. You can find them ... somewhere in the galahd culture tag on my blog. But to give a quick overview of colors most relevant to Nyxsuke and Lib:

Purple - Color of Loyalty, also one of the two primary colors of Clan Ulric, it signifies the clan's stubborn loyalty to causes, family, and keeping their word.

Black - Color of Undaunted, basically to wear black means you do not shy away from danger, having too much black in your clothing can also indicate you are brave to the point of being reckless. It is the second primary color of Clan Ulric.

Blue - Color of Protection, it is one of the primary colors of Clan Ostium, their other primary color is Black, which was adopted from Ulrics. As sister clans, the Ostiums are considered to be kinda the braincells of the Ulrics, and their Undaunted color adoption is because they keep having to wade into trouble to scruff their local Ulrics and drag them out.

Other relevant colors off the top of my head for Nyxsuke verse specifically would be:

Red - Wrath/War

White - Purity of Ash, this color worn on clothing very specifically signifies that the wearer is ready and intending to destroy Something or Someone until literally nothing of it remains. The more white there is, the bigger the target.

Pink - Poison/Deception, you can imagine how many heart attacks this gives Nyxsuke whenever Sakura prances by in red dresses with pink hair.

Green - Vigilance, can either mean that the wearer IS vigilant or can mean that those who see the wearer should BE vigilant.

Orange - Freedom (you can see why Nyxsuke double-takes so hard over Gai and his Green-on-Orange color scheme probably, dude is literally out here as a walking warning sign with a few accents of "I do what I want")

There are more, as well as specific combo meanings, but I'll be here for like an hour if I try to write it all out all over again XD. Again, if you want to read more, just browse through the galahd culture tag on my blog for all the Galahdian hcs. I think I also tagged color posts specifically as "galahd colors" or "galahd color meanings" but I'm not 100% sure anymore. It's been a while.

[andywinter16]

What is something that glaives like about themselves :

Nyx is proud of his tattooes that are egraved to his skin forever. They are part of Galahdian culture, part of his past that he cherishes dearly. They show his accomplishments, losses of the loved ones and commitments.

Luche´s absolutely proud of his arms (especially upper arms). He can protect his people with them no matter what and he´s not afraid to get them dirty. Also gets blushy when people compliment them.( Also he has a few freckles on his left arm)

... I really don´t like the way it´s going, Tredd. It´s his hard six pack, okay? He even learned how to make it dance, which is pretty neat. But behind this is lot of sweat, blood and renunciation. So that´s why he likes more tight clothes. (Why not to show-off, right?)

Interestingly enough, Titus is proud of his numerous scars from battles. They remind him of the long journey he took to acquire his dream. And that there is no way to turn back, he´s already too entangled in this mess of war.

It´s her hair! She cares of it very much with expensive shampoons, oils, coditioners etc. Crowe always had a long soft hair, that other girls were envious of. ( She greatly enjoys when Libertus braids them for her, but she will never admit that to him)

He loves his smile! Because he can joke around with others and gives them hope when everything seems lost. His smile is like sunshine, it makes you melt inside and energize you like no other.

Libertus is fond of his hands. He can cook  and bake with them delicious food for his friends, braid Crowe´s hair (and his own) and protect his people with them. Those hands are also covered in blood of his lost comrades, which takes haevy tool on him.

Soni is proud of his back muscles. He´s proud how strong they are, it also means he can carry a lot on them. And hey, he can be a little bit show off for the S/O when he excercise,right?

Axis is proud of his legs, how fast and strong they have got. He can out-run an enemy and give them fatal blow or catch his children when playing a game. 

[caparrucia]

Hi, thank you so much for unleashing your fils unto our universe! I have a prompt for when you feel like it: in SIO, how did Libertus and Leto meet and start dating?

Thanks again!

The first week, it was easy enough to cover the shifts to look after Nyx. The second less so, but they had managed just fine. By the fourth week, however, Cor was an exhausted mess, Aranea was a frothing mess and Prompto was an anxious mess. So Letho made an executive decision and took the night shift, every single day, and gently but firmly invited all three to go home and get some rest. Night shift wasn't a big deal, as far as she was concerned, Nyx would spend most of the night asleep and when he wasn't, he mostly read or watched TV.

At least, that was the plan.

On Monday, about eleven, Libertus showed up. Letho knew Libertus as Nyx's grumpy and generally not very amicable brother, but in her experience, that was to be expected. Libertus - and Nyx - were Galahdian, and Letho was not. She kept very cordial relationships with the Galahdian community in general, as she'd over the years become something of a linchpin of the community, helping their kids navigate the education system and generally looking out for them. But it was one thing, of course, to be a decent sort of Lucian, and another to be a friend. And Nyx and Letho were friends, the sort that ate together and drank together and got into silly bickering fits just for fun. And she knew, Galahdians didn't like that. She didn't even blame them. Working so closely with them and seeing the way they were treated, Letho thought it said something about them, as a culture, that the worst they did was close ranks around each other and refuse to let strangers into their social circle if they didn't prove themselves first.

Nonetheless, Letho had proved herself... to Nyx. Not to Nyx's brother, who seemed to think she wasn't trustworthy enough to keep watch, and so he'd decided to park himself in the other, equally uncomfortable armchair in the room with her, with only a quiet, irritable grunt as a greeting. Not ideal, of course, but also... well. She wasn't scared of him, for all he postured and huffed and puffed at her, every time they happened to meet each other. He was Nyx's brother. So they sank into semi-comfortable quiet, each focused on a book of their own, with only the steady beeping of the monitors keeping track of Nyx's continued not-dying and the soft hum of the news playing on the TV as background noise. Despite herself, Letho found herself listening to the news, attention split with the habit of looking of upwards to fifty individual children, all clamoring for attention, all at once, so when the segment turned into a discussion about taxes, Letho let out an unconscious, yet very sarcastic ha under her breath.

"What was that?" Libertus rumbled, to her right, squinting suspiciously.

And perhaps because it was two in the morning and she'd been up since six, Letho found herself answering sincerely.

"Oh, the new tax proposal is bullshit," she said, rolling her eyes. "Everyone knows it's just EXINERIS throwing a tantrum because they didn't win the bid for Insomnia's power grid." She rolled her eyes. "Again."

Libertus tilted his head sideways and back, a little, and Letho couldn't help but think of a crow, when he did that. It was very bird-like, that gesture, and Nyx did it too. But where Nyx was playful, Libertus looked calculating. Measuring. Always on guard.

"They're taxing gas," he said, after a moment, "not the power grid."

"Well, yeah, but that's their angle," Letho replied, shrugging. "Insomnia itself is pretty clean, energy-wise. Cleaner than EXINERIS, any way. So it's not like gas hiking up will hurt them, directly. But the people outside Insomnia, in the fringes between the power grids, they live or die on gas for generators and trucks. And sure, the bulk of Insomnia is fed by Izl, but since the ceasefire, a lot more stuff is coming in from Cleigne and Duscae, and people will feel it when those prices hike up to make up for the new gas tax." She paused. "Well, they'll try. Chances are they're going to get shot down again." She snorted. "They get shot down every year. But it's very frustrating that they keep trying. At least the Lord of Cavaugh is pretty consistent in keeping region taxes low."

Well, he better be, she did not add out loud. If Cor suddenly went around raising taxes and fucking people over, Letho was pretty sure Nyx would strangle him before she got the chance to do it.

"Hm," Libertus said after a moment, before shuffling in place. "That sounds daft."

Letho did not disagree, and considered the night as success because around four, when they reran the roundtable discussing the tax law proposal, they ended up talking about it. And it was... well. Nice. Libertus was surprisingly incisive when he let himself speak in words and not just disgruntled noises. But he was lacking a lot of context, and it clearly annoyed him.

So on Tuesday, at nine, Letho herded Cor and Prompto out of the room and took her place in the genuinely super uncomfortable armchair and felt very silly right up until Libertus showed up at twelve. Then she spent about an hour meandering inside her own head, trying to figure out how to actually offer and trying her best not to come off as condescending in the process, before giving up and just going for blunt.

"Here," she said, passing along a small - for her! - stack of books to him. "You sounded interested, yesterday. I hope it's not presumptuous of me."

They were not the sort of books she'd lend Nyx. These were dry with tax code history and energy grid politics and a very intractable door stopper of economics essays that nonetheless had, when she'd been twenty, cracked her skull wide open, metaphorically speaking, and shed light on a lot of until then incomprehensible political maneuvering she'd always been baffled by, in the news.

Libertus grunted.

She chose to believe that was an approving grunt, even though it sounded exactly the same as the rest of his grunts.

She knew for sure on Wednesday, because Libertus was there at ten, with an entire stack of annotation cards and a combative look on his face. Privately, she was very jealous of the fact he'd managed to devour every book she'd lent him, in a day. And he'd read them, too, the annotation cards were not for show. He had very pointed, very incisive comments on literally everything, and really, really deep down, so far down she didn't dare acknowledge the thought, she thought that was hot.

A little.

Nyx kicked them out of his room around two and they ended up in the smoking bench in the Hospital's gardens for about two hours, completely absorbed by the discussion. Which was nowhere near done by the time they excused themselves and let Cor take over the post, so on Thursday they picked up right where they left off. Friday things got heated and stubborn and snarky, because they were done discussing theory and now they were fully on opinion and personal experience and... well. Libertus was Galahdian, and Letho was not.

It was fun, was the thing.

Libertus was a ruthless, cunning, argumentative monster, but he limited himself to argue his point and attacking hers, not her. It was very fun to get into an actual fight with someone, and not be insulted. And oh, he was smart. Vicious and relentless and very stupidly witty.

So yeah, okay. A little more than just a little hot.

"Savis."

Letho stopped and found Libertus looming a few feet away from her, frowning up a storm. And suddenly, in the early Saturday morning light, out in the street, she felt a little nervous, because Nyx wasn't there anymore, to mediate by virtue of being unconscious in a corner. It was just them, and the scant few people out and about so early on a weekend.

"Letho," Libertus said, gruffly correcting himself, and scowled even more.

"Yes?" She asked, trying to not let it show how nervous she was, all of a sudden, as he slowly climbed down the Hospital's front steps to come stand next to her on the sidewalk.

Libertus tilted his head back, bird-like all over again, but it was different and she couldn't put her finger on why, until he said:

"You wanna grab breakfast?"

Because he was Galahdian, and it meant something - a lot of things! - that he offered.

"That sounds lovely," Letho said, because it was, and hoped to any god listening that the heat on her face was from the morning sun and not. Well.

Everything else.

[starshcwer]

ffxv –––– never bow out of what you begin

born to a galahdian mother & an insomnian father, tifa lived a near idyllic childhood at the edge of the city, surrounded by the agricultural land that helped to feed it's citizens until her mother's sudden death when she was eight years old. tifa turned to many forms of comfort in the aftermath of her death, with one of them studying as much as she could about galahdian culture, intent on never losing sight of that side of her while also keeping that connection to her mother, who had once spent many evenings telling tifa stories of her home. she and her father spent a few more years living there before moving further into the city just before tifa turned 12.

the fact that she was considered one of the lucky few to attend the same middle & high school as the prince was something she didn't pay much attention to. she figured he had a hard enough time attending school as it was, & attempted to get through their few interactions as quickly & as normally as possible. at fourteen, she began to become more aware of the toll the war was taking on the world outside of insomnia, & she enrolled in martial arts classes, intent on learning to defend herself & to be able to protect her home & those she cared about, & she found her focus lingering on her technique & schoolwork instead of the gossip & intrigue of her royal classmate.

upon her father's passing in her final year of high school, she was hit with the sudden responsibility of figuring out her future on her own, & though it hadn't been her original path, she joined the crownsguard for the stable income, access to education, & the opportunity to continue to use the martial arts she'd been studying for years. however, along with this new job, she needed something else, something more social & upbeat, & so she took a bartending job at a bar in the city.

her excellent ability to mix drinks & keep up conversation already make her fairly popular, but she's also a big hit among member of the kingsglaive for her ability to make off the menu galahdian drinks. correctly.

[ertrunkenerwassergeist]

Okay, that. Is incredibly cool.

Like woha. That sound gives me goosebumps.

And also yes. Galahd absolutely had something like that.

A nearly complete 1st century BCE carnyx found in 2004 at Tintignac, France (the one in the left picture, with a reconstruction in the right). Fashioned as a snarling boar, the carnyx was a war horn used by the Iron Age Celts between c. 200 BCE and c. 200 CE

[sylleblosscm]

@galahdborn:

❣️ + Luna/Nyx :3c

---

Important Survey [accepting]

Who is the little spoon? In this cruel world, it is snuggle or be snuggled. Though I wouldn't say "spooning" is the right term for their situation so much as "Luna makes herself comfortable, and there they stay". Like so.

Who sings in the shower? Luna, often forgetting that motels have thin walls. Enjoy the show while you can, Nyx.

Who plays pranks on the other? I wouldn't say they play a lot of pranks, so much as Nyx is just a very mischievous person, and brings out Luna's inner gremlin.

Who is the one who listens to pop music? To be honest, I think Luna has had a lot of fun with the radios in their various stolen vehicles. Some people would search for gil or weapons - Luna pries through their music collection.

Who brings the other a random cup of joe? Nyx makes the food and Luna makes the drinks. It's a balanced partnership. She likes to try different teas that they find.

Who picks the cheesy movies for date night? I could see them channel-surfing and landing on whatever seems the least boring, since goodness knows they're going to chat through the whole thing anyway. Between them, these two do Not have the focus for an entire movie.

Who is more likely to feed the other in public? Once while they were on the road, they had to go undercover as a couple for Reasons. Nyx played it up a great deal, just because it's fun to watch Luna squirm.

Who gives the other random little compliments? Nyx probably gives more by sheer volume, but Luna is the most direct. Once she gets over her hangups, ofc.

Who is always stealing food from the other’s plate? Nyx does it then dares her to take it back so she will come closer and he can steal a kiss. It's very smooth and all, but after a while, it might just be easier if they share a plate.

Who is more likely to let the other borrow their car?  Nyx drives, period. Unless they need to make a quick getaway, because Luna drives like the laws of physics don't apply to her.

Who makes the list before they go grocery shopping? Nyx makes the list, partly because he knows better what they'll need, and partly because he knows Luna will inevitably get distracted looking at interesting things she's found. ("Nyx, look! It's candy but it's shaped like little chocobos! Isn't that novel?") (He always leaves room in the budget for her because she's too cute to say no to.)

Who makes sure the other takes their meds when sick? Oh, they're both stubborn when they're sick, but at least Luna will allow her injuries to be tended before charging back into battle. They could fund their entire journey if Luna had a gil for every time Nyx pretended to be fine, it's just a scratch Luna, don't worry about it - and she had to calmly explain that one does not build an immunity to gunfire or stab wounds.

Who watches sports and has to teach the other the rules? Luna has no idea what's going on, no matter how many times Nyx explains it, but she's glad he seems so excited. Conversely, she's dragged him along to a few live Tenebraean sporting events, but they're all hopelessly complex and look more like performances than athletics anyway.

Who pulls the other to their feet for a dance in the living room? They're both the type to do this. Once, Nyx pretended he didn't know how to dance just so Luna would "teach" him and he'd get to hold her and also mess with her at the same time, the sly dog.

Who has to keep reminding the other to hurry or they’ll be late? I wouldn't say either of them are inclined to be regularly tardy. But if they don't want to be there, they will complain to each other the entire event and talk so much shit.

Who is the one most likely to get a tattoo with the other’s name? Ok this is actually an interesting one - because of royal protocol and public image and whatnot, I don't see Luna as the type to get inked in any way, shape or form usually. However, those small tattoos are an important part of Galahdian culture, presumably marking something about the person or their life events. So I could imagine her getting something as part of a major event in their lives as per tradition, as a way of embracing his culture. Nyx, obviously, has no qualms with cultural tattoos, and there's probably something traditional for commitment, so. It's all very sweet, they're doing their best trying to bring their worlds together.

[altrxisme]

Johanne being taunted that she's not even a true Galahdian.

"You can braid your hair and have your tattoos. We can tell you're not one of them." She is significantly fairer than most Galahd-born and her auburn hair is uncommon in the Eastern continent of Eos.

She was only eight at the time Galahd was attacked but she still retained everything she learned there, and continued to learn more about the culture when she and her father moved to Insomnia. She never stopped learning even when she found out she was Niflheim-born.

It's not until she restarted the Valkyrie and Einherjar clan that she finally accepted that she can be all of them at once. The clan was originally from a distant land and later brought in all sorts of people into it after all.

[a-world-in-grey]

I think I'm gonna need a list of Sola's relationship status in different verses because I'm lost.

Nox!Sola gets married at 20 and has three kids by the time canon rolls around.

Dyn!Sola is married but has only the one kid when she's 27.

Hanahaki!Sola is dating but not married?

And I have no idea what the rest of them are doing.

No problem!

In Shadows of Heaven's Light, Sola starts dating Libertus at 20, marries at 24, and they adopt their first kid during the Long Night when Sola is 27-28 (exact timeline on that is still TBD). For reference, Libertus is 5 years older than Sola.

For aus or crossovers where Sola and Libertus don't time travel, they end up adopting another four kids. Sola dies in her sixties from the strain using so much magic over the years had on her body, while Libertus lives into his eighties and gets to meet the first of his great-grandkids.

Take My Breath au (Hanahaki!Sola), Libertus and Sola don't start dating until she's 25 at the earliest, but I may push that back to when she's 26-27 depending what I plan to do with the plot. So she and Libertus are dating but not married by the time canon starts.

Sunshine Never Stops au (Nif!Sola), Sola doesn't meet Libertus until she's 19-20 years old, and while she does get a crush on him, she hasn't at all considered the idea of dating anyone while she's so focused on curing the Starscourge.

Nox!Sola starts dating Libertus when she's 20, like in SoHL, but she and Libertus have a whoops pregnancy when she's 21, resulting in twins when she's 21-22. Sola and Libertus marry Galahdian-style shortly after Sola finds out she's pregnant, but they don't have a Lucian wedding until after the twins are born. Then, during the Roadtrip Nox and Sola take Noctis on when Nox and Sola are about 24, Sola finds out part way through that she's pregnant again, resulting in kid #3 by the time she's 25. Which is all I've got so far for that.

Dyn!Sola again started dating Libertus at 20, only for Noctis to disappear a year later. Sola and Libertus married shortly before Noctis came home with Dyn, and Sola got pregnant about three months before Noctis' Coming of Age, shortly before she turned 25, so she'll give birth in the coming spring, a couple months before she turns 26. As for how many kids that'll be... I think I'll keep that under my hat for now. >:)

But general rule of thumb: if Sola's younger than 20, she hasn't started dating Libertus, and barring a whoops baby or other unusual circumstance, Libertus and Sola date for four years (traditional in Lucian culture) before getting married. And, barring extenuating circumstances such as time travel, Libertus and Sola eventually end up with a bunch of kids, biological and/or adopted.

Hope this helps!