#kendra t'soni

[snotsloth]

A heatwave hit Old Sharlayan just before the Scions embarked for Tural. So time for a brisk dip in the harbor! This will probably be my last gpose for a while. Have a good expansion!

[wandererorion]

Auraugust Day 3: Already going off script

Okay today's prompt was supposed to be "Heat Wave," which is a great prompt, but then I went completely off script and had to write 1.6k words of hurt/comfort Post-Vault angst. And then I HAD to do a gpose about it and now we're here. Fic under the cut! Heavensward spoilers abound!

Prompt List | Yesterday's Post

Turning a corner into a long hallway of private chambers in Saint Vaindreau’s Grace, Orion heard a rasping snarl, followed swiftly by a cacophony of glass clattering and shattering to the floor. Rushing to the third door on the right, he shoved it open.

“Kendra, are you alright?” Orion asked, eyes wide in panic. 

Kendra stood, her vibrant hair loose and tousled around her face, staring balefully at the pile of shattered glass and pooling tinctures at her feet. 

Feet that happened to be bare and quite close to thousands of shards of freshly broken glass. She was dressed only in a loose white shift that fell just past her knees. At some point she must have pushed the billowing sleeves up to her shoulders, leaving her wiry arms bare to the clammy air of the hospital. 

“Does it look like I’m alright?” she growled at Orion. She clenched both her fists so tightly that her knuckles went white, bright against her tanned skin. “I’m stuck in this - this cell while the Heavensward get further and further away. I can’t even fucking hold myself up, let alone a sword. Aymeric is wounded! And Haurch-” 

She choked on the precious name, unable to finish her thought. Her hands raised to her face as hot tears dripped off her dark lashes. With a sob, her knees buckled and she began to fall to the glass covered floor. 

Orion rushed to Kendra’s side, propping her up, mindful of the wound on her shoulder. Large, incomprehensibly gentle hands eased her back to the bed, propping her against the footboard, making sure she didn’t put any pressure on her feet until clear of the glass.

Once Orion was certain her weight had settled against the mattress, his grip loosened but he didn’t move out of her space. He cupped the back of her head in his palm and pressed her face to the soft, well-worn linen of his shirt while he rubbed firm, comforting circles into her back with the other. She could feel the firm keratin nodules of his chin rest lightly against the top of her head. 

“I’m sorry,” Orion said. “I’m so sorry, Kendra. If only I had kept up with you two. If I had been closer I could have…” His own voice caught in his throat as his sobs joined hers. “I’m sorry…” For a moment, he just held her close. The only sound in the room was the arhythmic staccato of their cries. 

“No,” Kendra said, pushing Orion away. “I can’t.”

She attempted to get to her feet, but Orion held her firmly in place. “I can’t just lie here feeling sorry for myself, I have to - “ 

“You have to rest and heal,” Orion’s firm medic’s voice came to the surface. “You’re in no shape to be going anywhere.” 

“Bollocks, I’m in no shape!” Kendra snapped. “I have to go check on Aym. We need to get an airship ready. The more time we delay, the further those void blighted bastards get away. There’s no time!”

She struggled against Orion’s hold but he firmly kept her in place, seated on the bed. He tried to reason with her, “I know, but Kendra, you’re in no shape to - “ 

“I don’t fucking care! Let me go!” she shouted. Strong, sharp nails found the soft, carmine-red skin between patches of obsidian scales. 

“Enough!” Orion finally raised his voice and gave her a single, firm shake. 

Startled, Kendra looked up at him with wide, watery aquamarine eyes. 

Orion closed his eyes and sighed heavily through his nose, attempting to recenter himself despite his own grief and distress. “I know you want nothing more than justice for Haurchefant right now. I understand. I want that too. And I know that being stuck in hospital is just compounding your feelings of impotence, but I need you to listen to me very carefully.”

He looked her directly in the eye, an uncommon move for a man as fussy and perpetually busy as Orion. “Your injuries may not be severe, but they could easily become so if you exacerbate them with strenuous activity.”

Kendra opened her mouth to interrupt him but Orion quickly cut her off. “Please let me finish my thought. Alphinaud and I are going straight to the Knight Commander’s office from here. We will check on Aymeric and plan our next move. Then we will ready the airship and make chase. I swear to you, I will not let any of them see another sunrise if it’s in my power. But in order to do all that, I need to know that you are safe and healing, right here. If you run off, half-cocked, your wounds still seeping, I will be more concerned with your safety than the task at hand. I’m even second guessing letting Alphinaudu come along.”

Cupping her face with one surprisingly soft hand, Orion traced the line of her clan markings with his thumb. 

“Please, Kendra. We both lost someone we love. I may not have loved Haurchefant in the same way or with the same intensity as you, but he was a comrade and a dear friend. I’m also reeling from his loss. I can’t - “ Orion choked, tears threatening to fall from luminous eyes. “I can’t lose another person I love today.”

Kendra remained silent, casting her eyes down to where she was wringing her hands in her lap. But she still craned her neck and purred softly as Orion bent down to press his forehead to hers. Their breaths mingled as each basked in the other’s presence. 

Orion was unsure when they had started this ritual, sometime in the chaos after the Bloody Banquet. It had been just the two of them and a traumatized teenager, on the run. 

At some point between losing the other Scions and now, Kendra had gone from begrudging colleague to the one fixed point in the maelstrom of his life. When they were first recruited Orion saw her as a lewd, raucous thief with an angel’s voice who drove him to distraction. Now, she was everything, almost like a lost shard of himself that he didn’t even know was missing. Knowing she was here and safe was the only thing keeping him from completely falling to pieces. 

Taking a deep breath, he straightened. He brushed his thumb against her cheek once more before letting his hand drop. “Now,” he said. “Before I go, would you let me take a look at your wounds?”

Kendra nodded, mutely.

Starting with her ankle, Orion gently poked at the swollen flesh. “Looks like it’s just a sprain, no breaks. I’ll have one of the Chirugeons come by and wrap it so that you’ve got some compression and support.” 

Falling into medic mode, he reached for the ties holding her neckline together, but then caught himself. “May I?” he asked, bashfully. “I’d like to check the bandage on your shoulder. Want to make sure you didn’t pull any stitches while heaving twenty pounds of glass and liquid across the room.”

In answer, Kendra reached up and unlaced her shirt, letting it fall open, revealing a prominent clavicle and a wiry shoulder, wrapped in linen bandages that were just starting to turn pink in a few spots. With a delicacy that still surprised her, Orion pulled her collar back a bit further so he could reach the tie of her bandage and unwrap it, revealing the pad of gauze and the stitched flesh beneath.

“Hmmm… the wound is seeping a little and it’s swollen but you don’t seem to have torn any of the stitches. Here.” Orion reached into a pouch on his belt and pulled out a small vial. “Drink this. It’s not a sedative, I promise, just an anti-inflammatory and immune booster. It will help the flesh calm down faster and help prevent any infection from setting in.” 

Kendra nodded and mechanically tossed the liquid back as if she was taking a shot of the strongest Brume spirits. Still saying nothing, she handed the vial back to Orion. Taking it, he watched her in awkward silence for a few moments, waiting for her to say something. Anything really.

But Kendra remained uncharacteristically silent, eyes downcast, ears tilted back and pressed close to her head. 

Realizing he would get no more from his companion, Orion leaned forward and placed a light kiss on her forehead. The incense of the Vault still clung to the loose fibers of her hair. 

He affectionately squeezed her leg, just above her knee as he stood. “A chirurgeon will be ‘round shortly with fresh bandages and an ankle brace. Thank you, Kendra. I know this goes against your nature. I won’t let you down. I promise,” he said. Kendra just looked at his feet, face expressionless. 

Orion smoothed the front of his tunic nervously, and then made his retreat. The hard leather of the soles of his boots made a quiet scuffing sound against the rough stone floors. Kendra continued to listen for the quiet shushing after he closed the door and walked back down the corridor. 

As soon as his footsteps faded into the background noise of the hospital, Kendra stood from the bed. Grabbing the used bandage, she sloppily rewrapped her shoulder and tied it off with one hand and her teeth. Then she walked straight to the door of her chamber, pace steady and certain, seemingly oblivious to the screaming muscles and tendons of her left ankle and the tiny specks of blood she left on the floor as shards of glass pierced the soles of her feet.

Like hell, he was leaving her behind.

[snotsloth]

Kendra and Orion both have the same Azem since Kendra is an Azem shard from another reflection. Their name is Janus and this is the main face they wore but they were also notorious for transmuting their body on a whim.

Janus's lore is fairly close to canon. Venat mentored them and nominated them as her replacement when she stepped down from the convocation. They were also schoolmates with Hythlodaeus and Hades.

Orion gets his intellectual curiosity and fierce protective streak from Janus. Kendra got their playfulness and sense of justice. In Ardbert, you can see their drive for companionship and stubbornness. They all have Janus's wanderlust and love of adventure.

To all of you who have an Azem/Ancient design for your WoL/FFXIV OC: I wish you a very can I see them and tell me their names/lore.

[physicalvocalist]

Dawntrail only just came out and I've already changed my glam once ouuugh

[snotsloth]

XIV Rarepair Week Day 6: Fight! Feat. Cid and Nero.

This is kind of stretching the definition of rarepair, but even though everyone seems to agree that there's something here, I hardly ever see fanworks focused on them.

#gpose #ffxiv #xivrarepairweek #xivrarepairweek2024 #cidnero

[snotsloth]

It's Wolmeric week over on Bluesky and Twitter, so I made this pose for Day 1: Holiday

Kendra and Orion took Aymeric on holiday to Thavnair to visit Estinien. That means early morning walks on the beach before the heat of the day sets in.

Made this pose myself from scratch, so I'm considering publishing it. I'm really proud of the hands and expressions!

[snotsloth]

Au Ra April Day 24: Strength

Kendra likes to feel tall, and she will absolutely take advantage of Orion's strength and shoulder-width to tower above everyone else.

[snotsloth]

FFxivWrite2024 Prompt 1: Steer

As had been the case with the magitek walkers in the Praetorium all those months ago, Kendra proved to be a natural manacutter pilot. She deftly steered her miniature airship in and out of streams of stratus clouds, trailing white vapor in her wake as they made their way to the Aery.

Orion, still not trusting his newly enhanced depth perception, trailed behind her and Estinien who flew steadily on, only diverting occasionally to bob and weave around larger gusts of wind. Though he had used these new goggles from Stephanivien for a few weeks, he was still occasionally struck by vertigo when focusing for too long on objects in the far distance. They had proved very useful in battle, but the idea of any kind of quick maneuvering in this manacutter made him nervous.

Thankfully it was a fairly clear and bright day in the Sea of Clouds. The crisp wind bit at Orion’s exposed cheeks and tore at the wool scarf around his neck but did not offer many obstacles between themselves and the Aery that floated as a dark mote in the far distance.

“Cid’s outdone himself this time,” Kendra’s voice snapped Orion’s attention back to his immediate surroundings. She had circled round and come up on his right shoulder, grinning so hard that her clan marks almost disappeared in the creases of her dimples. “It’s like riding a giant hummingbird! I can flit in any direction I want as easy as breathing!”

“I’m afraid the finesse of the controls is lost on me,” Orion shouted against the wind. “But I’m glad Cid has such an avid test pilot in you!”

“Aw, come on, Orion!” Kendra chided. She flew her manacutter in an effortless loop over his head and down below before returning to her previous holding pattern. “Live a little!” Despite their somber and quite possibly suicidal mission, her playful and adventurous spirit remained dauntless. Her orchid purple braid shone as it whipped in the wind behind her and her toothy grin flashed in the brilliant afternoon sun.

Despite his trepidation and mild nausea, Orion couldn’t help responding with a shy smile of his own as he answered, “While I would love to dart through the clouds behind you, I think my stomach would lodge and official complaint.”

“Best stay close anyhow,” Estinien chimed in, swooping close to the two of them as well. The black enamel of his helmet reflecting the sun with a blade-sharp glare. “The closer we get to the Aery, the more likely we are to encounter resistance. So keep close, Kendra. I don’t want you flitting out of eyesight again until we’ve landed.”

Kendra slumped against her seat and pouted. “You two know how to suck the fun out of everything,” she groaned, but she did keep close after that, getting her thrills by trying to steer her manacutter with the toe of her boot. Orion was unsurprised when she proved to be just as adept at that as he and Estinien were when flying normally.

~

As they drew close to the Aery and the winds picked up, even Kendra had to hold onto the controls with both hands. The massive island floated in the sky, surrounded by a maelstrom of freezing wind and seething with Nidhog’s dark, malicious aether. Orion took a moment to make sure his pistol and ammunition box were securely fastened to his belts and spared Lily a gentle pet on top of her glowing head that peaked out from the folds of his scarf where she had tucked herself away from the biting winds.

“Keep an eye out,” Estinien called out. “Now that we’re close, the wyrm could come at us from multiple directions. We don’t want to be caught unawares.”

Both Kendra and Orion nodded to him, their mouths set in twin lines of determination. Orion peeked back down to check on Lily once more. “You ready, pretty girl?” he murmured into his scarf. “This will be a tough fight and these winds are fierce, so stay close, okay?���

The sparkling, effervescent sensation of Lily’s wordless thoughts caressed Orion’s mind. Her nervousness mirrored his own, but so did her determination. Bubbles of her memories burst against Orion’s mind like champagne bubbles tickling the back of his nose; a smiling Aymeric ringed in firelight, the gentle brush of Lucia’s bare thumb against her cheek, Count Edmont’s quiet chuckles as he watched her tug playfully at the tips of Emmanellain’s hair, goading him into chasing her around the sitting room. She had come to care for their Ishgardian comrades as much as he and Kendra had. They knew what had to be done to ensure their longterm safety and happiness.

“Coming up on our seven and below!” Kendra called out.

Craning his neck to look past the sharp wing of the manacutter, Orion saw Nidhogg’s massive form loom up from behind them, dark wings briefly cutting off the sun as he flew higher and loomed over their suddenly flimsy-feeling airships. The rumble of a roar building in Nidhogg’s chest rattled Orion’s bones before it even reached the wyrm’s obsidian-sharp fangs.

“Fire!” Orion shouted and all three manacutters darted out of the path of Nidhogg’s breath as a primordial pillar of fire blazed across the sky above them.

Estinien righted his ship first, then grabbing the eye in his possession, he brandished it toward the great wyrm. Nidhogg flinched away and back-winged slightly to create some distance between himself and the seething, malicious relic.

“Wicked mortals!” Nidhogg’s voice rattled the frame of Orion’s manacutter and cast a chilling shadow through his mind. “I shall melt your flesh and turn your bones to ash!”

A bolt of searing light flew straight for Nidhogg’s head but he nimbly dodged it, another rumbling roar building in his gargantuan chest. Orion looked up to see Kendra standing straight up in her cockpit, bow still held high as she readied another glowing arrow.

“Below!” Kendra yelled, nodding to a snarl of root-like rock formations that branched out of the main body of the Aery. Peering closer, Orion saw what they were shielding; a series of flat platforms that Nidhogg’s brood must have used to come and go from the Aery.

“Those are big enough for us all to land on!”

“Go!” Estinien ordered the both of them. “I’ll cover our retreat!”

Kendra swung her bow back onto her shoulder and dropped into her seat, steering her manacutter into a tight arc that curved below the vicious bramble of stone and into the protected alcove beneath. Orion followed her as quickly as he could, gritting his teeth against the rattle of the manacutter’s engines as he pushed it towards its top speed.

[snotsloth]

After being away for most of the week, I now have the Gpose itch something awful, so here's another Romance Cover Challenge attempt for Heavensward. Squeezing three bonus romantic interests in was a challenge!

[snotsloth]

Finally back to Gpose shenanigans. New face bones are going to take a sec to learn, but I can already tell I'll be able to get much more realistic expressions.

Spoilers for lvl 96 MSQ under the cut.

[snotsloth]

They finally dragged him out of the office.

[snotsloth]

Reunion

"Aymeric!"

[snotsloth]

They're up to no good.

[snotsloth]

Au Ra April Day 27: Kindness

"Back when we first started all this, trust wasn't something that came naturally to me. I held everyone at arm's length. But your kindness eventually won me over. There was no angle with you. You just wanted to help." -Kendra

[snotsloth]

Au Ra April Day 26: Moonlight

Kendra: Hey, we did it.

Orion: We sure did.

[snotsloth]

Au Ra April Day 8: Sunrise/Sunset

Sunrise on Orion's Island Sanctuary.