#halcyonlioness

[alicesadventuresinffxiv]

Telling "The First Step" as Background NPCs

One of the interesting quirks of the FC I'm in is that we often help a Youtube Let's Player record his FFXIV videos. Last year is when he did the Stormblood patches, and when I and a dozen friends got together for a special project!

Since the Lodestone short story "The First Step" would otherwise not be in the Let's Play (nor would the SMN 80 quest) we wanted to convey the plot beats of that story in another way. Specifically, we designed a handful of "scenes" that the Let's Player would naturally run across as he progressed the 4.x MSQ.

The goal was to make it look as though "Arenvald," "Fordola," and the rest of our cast were overworld background NPCs who changed position after every patch, much like the B-Team Scions do in the Rising Stones!

Our first scene could be found in Rhalgr's Reach at the tail end of 4.3. Here, Fordola and a few other Garlean prisoners are being conscripted into the Ala Mhigan Resistance. The idea was Raubahn’s, so Arenvald and Pipin are on hand to pass along the details as various Resistance and Alliance soldiers chat and train nearby.

(Credit to @halcyonlioness - here playing a Meteor-lookalike Garlean prisoner - for the first screenshot!)

.

Come 4.4, this same mix of soldiers could be seen early on in Ala Mhigo. The Resistance and the Alliance are collaborating on something, it appears...

(This screenshot by @shepspencil, with his character Anri as an Immortal Flames soldier! You can also see the Let's Player's Lalafell samurai in the background, where Alisaie and Thancred would appear for a quest at this point in the MSQ.)

Later in the same patch, more "NPCs" could be found by approaching the steps to the Royal Palace. Here, Fordola and Arenvald are being introduced to the Immortal Flames' Summoner squadron from the SMN 60-70 quests:

(More screenshots by @halcyonlioness!)

Of course, in the real short story, the scene where Fordola meets the summoners actually takes place outside Forgotten Springs. But the Let's Player wasn't going to pass through a random ARR village, so we picked a different location… albeit one that required getting our alts through a good chunk of the MSQ. It was quite the journey!

(Double Pipin shot by Pipin's player, who is a delight but does not have a tumblr!)

.

By the 4.5(6) MSQ, things might be looking dire for the Warrior of Light, but our "background NPCs" managed to defeat Ifrit offscreen, so they could be found celebrating in the Seventh Heaven bar...

And what a celebration it is! A few people were called away for Savage raiding important military errands throughout the day 😉, and we also had some random other players go AFK in the middle of the Rising Stones. As a result, the tableau actually evolved quite a bit as the Let's Player ran in and out a few times for the patch quests.

Here's where we ended up by the finale!

Some fun little details I’d like to highlight (with thanks to @halcyonlioness once again for all these screenshots):

-The summoners and the thaumaturge are all using Ifrit weapon drops now, and Crispin has his Ifrit-egi out to further emphasize the point of what we were up to.

-The Resistance thaumaturge was wounded in the fight and saved by Fordola, so she and Pipin are checking up on him again here.

All in all, it was an extremely fun creative challenge to "adapt" a written story to this unusual storytelling format. It was also quite an intense undertaking to organize! Even before the actual Let's Play recordings, we had weeks of rehearsals where we worked together to come up with our "stage blocking" and determine when in the MSQ each scene would be visible.

Ultimately, while I might have been the instigator of these shenanigans, I couldn't have pulled any of it off without such an awesome and talented cast.

Some of whom are also on tumblr! In addition to @halcyonlioness (Hyal) and @shepspencil (Anri), I'd like to shout out @darquingdragon (Arenvald) and @newsiesgirl (Alexia)! Thanks for putting up with my wild ideas. :)

As for me, I haven't done a project this involved before or since... but who knows what the future might bring?

[mugbearerscorner]

Nanaki, the Muaka Pup

A get-better-soon gift art for a friend. <3 @halcyonlioness

[newsiesgirl]

The unaccounted partner of Alexia, Nanaki Ananaki. He was originally supposed to be a Red XIII expy cosplay alt, but grew into his own thing… and now is one of Lexi's many significant others. Credit to @halcyonlioness for him and these pics.

[pan0ramy]

I've been tagged! :)

I was tagged by @tbex2468 and @imperatornero (thank you so much btw!! ❤)

RULES: Answer the questions and tag 20 blogs you’d like to get to know better!

Nicknames: None that I know of :/

Time right now: 11pm exactly!

Last thing I Googled: Sidequests for the game I’m playing rn :P (Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE…it’s the most weeby thing ever and I LOVE IT)

Fave music artist: For K-Pop? B.A.P/Mamamoo/f(x). For regular music? Imagine Dragons/Panic! at the Disco/natewantstobattle.

Song stuck in my head: Knock Knock by TWICE (K-Pop) and Black Rain from TMS#FE. (Like I said, weeby but i’LL BE DAMNED IF YASHIRO AIN’T HOT AF)

Last movie I watched: Tangled. My favourite Disney movie. ❤

Last TV show I watched: A Series of Unfortunate Events! IT’S SO GOOD OML

What I’m wearing now: Pikachu pyjamas :3

When I created this blog: I think about 5 months ago…? Don’t quote me on that.

The kind of stuff I post: Overwatch, K-Pop, Fire Emblem, Jacksepticeye, video games and other nerdy stuff.

Do I have other blogs: Not right now, no.

Do I get asks regularly: I actually just figured out how to turn them on the other day, so no XD

Why did I choose my URL: It’s literally just my full name & the last two numbers of the year I was born…unoriginal, I know.

Gender: Female

Hogwarts house: SLYTHERIN FTW

Pokèmon team: Valor. fite me

Fave colours: Red. Just red. ❤

Average hours of sleep: Around 6-8 during the week.

Lucky number: 4!

Favourite characters: Laslow from FE: Fates (if that wasn’t obvious enough already), Reyn from Xenoblade Chronicles, Pit from Kid Icarus (Uprising to be specific) and Sombra/Junkrat from Overwatch. ^_^

Dream job: YouTuber/vet.

Number of blankets I sleep with: pretty sure I’d die if I didn’t have my fox blanket

I tag (I don’t exactly have 20 people to tag but whatevs):

@cornerbackcastiel @crimson-insomniac @cuntdestroyer5000 @halcyonlioness @itisasign @katieamnesiaandrews @killuba @konekocchii @oftheflcwers @sirsnickerdoodle @stardustphan @susansepticeye @theimmortalwarrior29 @yzza-bel

[elfowlgirl]

Thought: What would force Alana to hide her true identity in the first place to go so far as to disguise herself as a masculine lord?

this and a few other questions asked by the kitten put together in one!

1. How did she become a ruler?

2. Is she using magic to take on a masculine form? or is she binding her chest?

1. ....it only occurs to me in answering these that kitten knows little of LoM and probably doesn't actually know how the lords became lords so I will ignore that question and instead look in the general direction of that series!

2. DB technically (and somewhat pointedly) doesn't know magic, so she's binding her chest.

for the thought - I don't see it so much as "hiding her identity" as "picking up a new one" - my original basis would be that she seeks to kind of make herself a new person after the deal with Aglk-Kutuul and finds that she prefers to identify as male... going with the whole "DB's already dead when he meets Aglk-Kutuul", it might be memory loss, or, similarly, just reinventing herself (...er, himself? gah, pronouns past vs present are confusing)

[newsiesgirl]

Nicole Singer- Hyur, Midlander ♀️ (bi/poly) in Kaleidoscope (friend's rp fc) - An Idol and Model who loves to help those who are struggling. Very sweet and very flirty. Raised from poverty in Limsa Lominsa. Main jobs: Bard and Dancer Story Progress: 2.0 finished Current partners (using this loosely): Constantine, Hyal (unwillingly), Mayv ((all of these characters are my friends characters, the first two being from @halcyonlioness)) Past partner: Meteor

My chaotic bisaster. She is my version of Meteor, kinda.

[halcyonlioness]

Inktober 2017 - Day 16 - Survivor of a Dead World by HalcyonLioness

(special shoutout to @deadperson626 for one of the character designs. ... apologies for mangling and obscuring him for this piece, Mask, but it was kind of a necessity for the composition. ^.^;; )

[halcyonlioness]

Inktober 2017 - Day 10 - Threat by HalcyonLioness

... it continues... 

---[Bonus Ficlet]---

The Curator watched impassively as the demon immediately began pounding on the protoglass barriers of his new prison.  Not two minutes after stirring awake, and already the nascent creature was readily throwing tantrums.  If she weren’t so mentally spent, The Curator would have found this behaviour fascinating. “Y͜o͏ų can’̷t c̀onta̷in m̧e! ̡ Į a͘m á GO̶D!͜” the demon hissed in defiance through the protoglass, punctuating the statement with a few more solid, genuinely threatening thumps.  He sneered in displeasure for a moment upon realizing his captor didn’t even blink, then the sneer morphed into an unsettling grin.  “B́e͘si͠d̴e͢s, ҉you҉’̴re̴ ̡al̸re͡ad͜y ͜to̡o la̵te. ͟ ̴Į’̷m͡ j͘u҉s͠t͝ one͢ ̴óf m͡a̧ny ͞now͢. ̷I͟’͢m̵ e̕veryw̴h͞ere!̕”̡  Cruel, triumphant, smug laughter rang through the room, even muted as it was by the containment’s material. The demon’s laughter began to peter out; The Curator was still standing there, just standing, in exactly the same place, adamantly stoic, her gaze hard but contemplative. “W҉h͟at? ͡ ͠No ͟r̛i̶ghteou̡s̕ r̴etoŕţs?͡ ̧ ͜No͝ ͝p͜i͘t̛h́y͏ c̶om͝men̶t̨ar̷y?”̷ jeered the captive.  “͏Or͝ a̡re you͟ ̀ju̕s̷t ͝u͠pset ҉tha͞t yo҉u̴r met҉a̵l pe̛t’̕s̛ ̛sacri̕f̵ic͠e͘ ̷was ̴fǫr͏ no͠t͡h̷i͘n͞g?̧ ̷ T͝ha͟t ҉fo̵r ̡ąl̴l ͜yo̶ur̀ ͏o͢t̀h͏ęr̢w͘o͜rl͘d͟l͡y̕ p̵owe̢r͡, y̛ou̸ onl͠y go̴t a͘ ̢sliver͜ of̢ ̴th̡e̶ ͠w̕hole̢?”̨ Silence. A dark, amused cackle.  “S͞o̷me̸ ̧gu҉ard̷i̷a҉n̕ of̨ ̸t̕h̸e͝ ͜multi͟ve̸rs̕ȩ ͡you̷ ̀ar̢e, ͘kįtt͠y ͟cat.̨” “For a ‘god’, you clearly have no idea what you're talking about.” The demon stiffened in momentary surprise at the Curator’s reply; then another, lower chuckle drifted through the protoglass.  “̨The̢n e͢n͟lig͢hten͝ m͜e.͟”

“I am a Curator.  My duty is to preserve.  ‘Preservation’ and ‘protection’ are two very different concepts, demon.”  A pause; too short to let anyone else get another word edgewise.  “I do not need the whole as you claim.  I only need the sliver, which I already have.”  She stepped forward once, a single, simple movement that simultaneously asserted her authority and showed a defiance of her own.  “You.  You are a specimen to be observed and studied, and from what we learn, we can deal with your kith and kin in the wild.” The demon hissed and glared.  “I̷’d li͟ke͡ t͏o s͞eé yo̸u͏ t̛r̷y̴.͢” “It’s only a matter of time really.”  The Curator’s expression remained reserved and businesslike.  “Already, I can see that you’re thriving just from the attention I am giving you.”  She tilted her head for a moment as if in thought.  “What would happen if I were to just … turn away?” The Curator slowly made a move to step away and turn her back; even as she shifted her weight, the demon frantically began to pound his fists on the protoglass, screeching at the top of his lungs through the thickly layered, otherworldly enamel.  “̵NO̶!͝ ́N͞o. Do͠n’t̡ ͢y͟ou D̵A̷R͠E̴ ͘t̸ur̢n͜ ̨y̛o͟ur̀ ̷back̶ ̀ơn m͝e!!” “Or you will what?” asked The Curator as she faced the demon again, her tone even, difficult to discern.  “… disappear?” The demon recoiled sharply away at the word ‘disappear’. “Fascinating.”  The Curator rubbed her chin lightly, watching the incarcerated creature all the while.  “I was not certain that hypothesis held any water.”  She dropped her arms to either side, smoothly clasping her hands behind the small of her back.  “… but it apparently does.”  A brief flicker of pity crossed her face.  “As I said before, it’s only a matter of time, and time is something I have a surplus of now in regards to you and your ‘influence’.”  She took a step forward.  “The influence you need to bolster your ‘godlike’ strength will inevitably wane, you realize.  You are doomed to be forgotten like so many others before you who claimed deity.”  She continued striding forward, slowly, meteredly.  “A mockery, a memory, a footnote, a meme … and then nothing at all.”  She came up to the glass, right next to it, eye to eye with her captive.  “One by one, all your other fragments will die of … let’s call it a starvation of sorts, until your ‘infestation’ is manageable.  All we need to do until then is damage control …” The demon stared at her, its countenance now frozen in an expression of combined terror, realization and perhaps the slightest hint of lingering denial. The Curator’s face never changed, not even once, as the unmistakable aura of teleportation magic rose on an unspoken cue around her frame. “… and here, you will remain, a lone specimen in my eternal archives, until and beyond the day of divine reconciliation, forever … and all alone.” Perhaps the demon was still hoping she would give him the luxury of screaming abuse at her back while she would demonstratively walk away from him; it certainly seemed that way, the manner in which he was already drawing in breath, eyes narrowing in preparation for whatever foul litany he would attempt to claw back some semblance of personal validity with. She took a single step back, the magic enveloping her in an elaborate web that made her gestalt shimmer and warp … and within the next pulse of thought, she was gone from the room. The demon sat transfixed for several heartbeats, if such a creature could have been imagined with a beating heart; eyes widening, then limbs beginning to quiver, and then he threw himself, fists flailing, at the smooth, unyielding inside of his transparent cage, but with the source of his defiance now denied him, all he could do was fill the rest of the chamber with the rebounding echoes of his screams. It would take a long while before silence would settle once more. A silence punctuated by broken sobs.

---

Special thanks to @onaveridiansea for helping copycheck the bonus text.

Now if I may be excused ... *hides*

[halcyonlioness]

Inktober 2017 - Day 7 - Divination by HalcyonLioness

[halcyonlioness]

Ellipsis [...]

[Video Transcript]

Hello, cats ‘n’ kittens. I am the HalcyonLioness …

… “and what the heck is going on?!” I bet you’re thinking.

So, uh … it’s been a while since I contacted you happy lot and appraised you of my current situation.

First things first, I want to apologize for the sudden silence. I didn’t just grab what was given to me and run off on you guys; for what it’s worth, what was so graciously gifted when I pleaded for help was focused into some very important bills and it kept my head above water just that little bit longer. … and for that, I thank you.

… but … and I’m hesitant to say this … what I received wasn’t enough, and I’m--I was too ashamed to announce the result to you guys when the deadline… when the deadline caught up with us. All I had the courage to give you was an ellipsis and left it at that.  

For those of you who know me, for those of you who have stuck around for a long time, I will openly reiterate that--while I realize I don’t have to shoulder the weight on my own--I … I really don’t want to burden you guys with what is basically my mess and my responsibility.

I’ve spent the better part of the last couple months or so arguing with myself over what I’m going to do next. I have taken up the odd little side thing here and there--nothing permanent, nothing… well, nothing substantial and entirely temporary-- but I can tell you that I’m not desperate. At least, not desperate enough to run back to the work that I had walked away from… but I’m still not in a stable position, nor am I keen on asking for help in the same manner I did back in April, and I really don’t think I’m anywhere near a place where I can comfortably open a Patreon.

Looking back and looking forward, this current situation I’m in is... it’s not--as a certain veteran dungeon master put it--a ‘sustainable ecology’ for my various internet outlets and I cannot with good conscience keep asking for financial help without guaranteeing I can give something back in return.  I want this endeavor to be a mutual thing between us, cats ‘n’ kittens and not wind up with me being a leech on your kindness.

So, in an effort to start making this a mutually-sustainable thing, I’ve settled on doing something I’ve tried in the past: I am offering to do commissioned work in return for your continued support. Note that I’ve tried doing this sort of thing before, and I figure it hadn’t worked in the past because I didn’t quite have the audience at the time… and I’m banking … ehe, hoping that I do have enough eyes on these pages now, and I trust that all of you are willing to spread the word to others.

With that said, I roll the ball into your court once again, cats ‘n’ kittens. I have included here a catalog with all the information that one may need to get in touch with me and get things started. Do keep in mind that I have limited time, few slots available for customers, and the services I offer are first come, first serve.

That should do it. I look forward to working with all of you soon.

Have fun, be safe, stay awesome, and love always. See you on the other side. ~Lioness

[halcyonlioness]

It’s been a rough couple weeks, guys, and I’m in a position where I cannot afford to refuse help. Needless to say that the necessary details are in the video. If you are able, please consider helping me weather this storm I’ve found myself in, and if you’re not able, at the least keep my family and me in your thoughts and/or prayers.

Thank you in advance, you happy lot, for your patience and understanding. I hope to do right by you. 

Stay awesome and love always.  ~Lioness

[halcyonlioness]

Timelapse: D&D Lycan Blood Hunter Final Artwork: http://fav.me/dcvruse

Hello, cats 'n' kittens! I hope that this submission finds you well. With those pleasantries out of the way, allow me to introduce you to my first (serious and most treasured) DnD character: Kaelon Siegreis. It was my intention to start this sooner so it could be enjoyed during the 'D&December' event elsewhere, but we all know how busy it gets during this season and I was only left with one night to get everything drawn up and edited. So my apologies if this looks a little less polished than usual. *sadfaic* I'm depicting him here in this piece before the campaign I played him in started. At the outset, he was prickly, distant, and basically an altogether troperific, asocial Strider-wannabe. ... with an awkward streak about a mile wide. He had kind of forgotten how to 'people' properly by the time of the campaign's opening.  That said, I can safely say that he didn't stay a true 'Broody McBroodface' for much longer. :3 There is more to Kaelon and his story other than the blatantly obvious, but I'm saving those tales for when I can properly write them out (and figure out an interesting way of sharing them with you!) (( ... I just now realized that I had forgotten his rosaries. Darn. That's what I get for rushing. Details get missed... I guess we can assume he's got them stashed away in his belt pouch for now. )) That should be that. I hope you enjoyed and thank you for visiting! Looking forward to a kinder year with each of you. Stay awesome and love always, ~Lioness ---- Stock: fav.me/dh5xj8 - FantasyStock www.deviantart.com/pjenz/art/F… - pjenz References: Kibbitzer (hoods and cloaks) YamaOrce (badass werewolf!) TheShadowedGrim (how to draw wolf heads) Roll20 (... and some video game that I don't know that provided the armor reference... I think it's skyrim?) ---- Tools: - Photoshop CS6 - Wacom Intuos 3(?) tablet It's oooold. I just haven't been able to afford a new one. :/ ---- Dungeons and Dragons (c) TSR / Wizards of the Coast 1971-2018 Blood Hunter Class (c) Matthew Mercer / Critical Role 2015-2018

[halcyonlioness]

Inktober 2017 - Day 17 - Domain by HalcyonLioness

[halcyonlioness]

Inktober 2017 - Day 11 - Business by HalcyonLioness

... if it is what you think it is, it probably is.

You’re all welcome to guess, though. :3

[halcyonlioness]

Inktober 2017 - Day 9 - Struggle by HalcyonLioness

... yes. That is who you think it is.

*hides under her desk*

---[Bonus Minific]---

Her Companion was wounded. Semi-synthetic ichor kept leaking from the cracks and gashes in the Companion's proto-steel carapace as he continued to grapple with the demon; the creature merely laughing with sadistic glee at the cyborg guardian's mounting, barely-checked berserker rage.  The unnatural, shadowy being raised its sharpened weapon high in its hand—the blade slick with both blood and oil—to lay down another piercing strike … all the while, the demon taunting The Companion for holding back.  Goaded.  Belittled.  Mocked. Time was of the essence.  This demon, born of computer code and the desires of millions of souls, was growing stronger with every errant thought.  It was imperative that The Curator and her Guardian contain this creature posthaste, lest the worlds the demon had already infected be doomed to collapse and die. The demon stayed at the very least distracted, and The Companion was sacrificing much to make certain of that.  The Curator had to act and now.  Divine energies coalesced and crackled around her form, tears welling up in her focused eyes; she knew the potential cost of the action she was preparing.  Her Companion, already worn by the ongoing battle, was in the line of fire and would be caught in the backwash. She had traveled for countless eons with him.  She knew intuitively he would demand that she take the shot.  ... the knowledge and unspoken consensus between them did not make the looming choice any easier. The tide of battle turned, snapping the Curator’s mind back to the present.  In that split second when the Curator’s mind had wandered, her Companion had managed to disarm the demon, trapping the wiry, kicking, curse-spitting gremlin in a full-nelson headlock. "NOW!" he bellowed. Resigned determination set in her face. She fires.

[halcyonlioness]

[Masks RPG - OC] Deva by HalcyonLioness A simple piece for a simple superhero concept.

Timelapse video can be found here:  youtu.be/hmhUbxjPz1k 

This is a character I’ll be controlling in a future livestream (Lord and IRL willing.)

Cross your fingers, and I hope you enjoy.

Stay awesome and love always.

~Lioness