#story: lucia

[tomorrowsprotagonist]

more random oc stuff! first one is lucia as a hare and second one is some ocs in different universes. aya is a tenroe and jax is a cat fae ^^

[tritoch]

i know a lot of people (very understandably) dislike the paladin job quests in ffxiv, particularly HW, but i do think it's fun that, now that the pre-ShB MSQ revamp is complete, paladins now have a very cool and thematic in-game storyline that happens without a word being spoken: the development of passage of arms.

none of the below is directly stated in the script, but imo it's a fairly obvious gloss on what the game presents, if you assume a paladin warrior of light. spoilers for all expansions through the end of 6.X.

in the new version of steps of faith, as vishap breaks through each ward protecting ishgard from attack, lucia mounts a final desperate effort to hold him back, with a very familiar looking animation:

but even lucia can't hold back vishap's flame alone, so the temple knights surge forward to assist her. their efforts make the shield visually more powerful and larger. the temple knights here band together in defense of ishgard, and their knightly resolve to protect their home is the difference between victory and defeat.

lucia and the knights do ultimately succeed in defending the last ward, as you have to defeat vishap before their shield falls or you lose.

later in heavensward, obviously, we will get ffxiv's most famous (failed) attempt at blocking something with a shield.

this moment can be read as fairly impactful on the warrior of light's development; as i've noted elsewhere, after the trauma of watching haurchefant bleed out in their arms at level 57, at level 58 paladins learn to channel their magic into healing (and it's called "clemency," or mercy. mercy for whom? who was guilty?), and as someone pointed out on that post, at level 58 dark knights used to get "sole survivor", letting them heal in response to a marked target's death.

for a time, you literally carry haurchefant's shield with you, and 3.3 very much literalizes in genre fashion the idea that even when you are standing alone, your fallen friends stand with you. you don't need to call any allies to stand at your side and raise their shields with you because they are already there, in spirit.

stormblood marks a pretty important turning point in the warrior of light as a combatant, in my opinion, and the text makes this clear in several ways. first, in pretty much all your jobs, you've now far exceeded your trainers and are pioneering new techniques. this is no less true of paladin, which for 60-70 abandons any trainers at all for you to show off your peerless skills in a tournament.

second, stormblood is straight up a story about you getting stronger. at level 61, zenos kicks your ass. at level 70, you kick his ass. why? because you fought and got stronger and developed incredible new techniques and became a one-man army.

for a lot of classes, this story lines up nicely with the big rotation changes or flashy new finishers on the way from 60 to 70. SMN is now busting out bahamut and casting akh morn; RDM gets verflare and verholy; DRG starts harnessing nidhogg's power directly through dragon sight and nastrond.

the tanks are divided in two: warriors and gunbreakers get huge damaging upgrades at 70 in the form of inner release and continuation, each of which lets them hit the same button many times for lots of damage and satisfying animations. paladin and dark knight get more protective abilities; dark knight gets the blackest night, and there's been plenty said about that already by pretty much everyone.

paladins get passage of arms. instead of a relentless new attack (and you get requiescat at 68, which is a way bigger deal for your dps rotation), your big reveal at 70 for zenos in your fight in ala mhigo is a superior way to protect your party, a shield that lets you stand for your allies so they never have to fall for you again. it's lucia's same shield, except you need no allies' shields to reinforce you, proof of your martial prowess and your ability to transcend limits, and perhaps in truth a reminder that you never really stand alone.

in many respects passage of arms should really feel like a paladin signature move to you now if you are playing it at this point, because you should be popping it in pretty much every fight (you are using your mits, right...?). basically every FFXIV fight has at least one big AOE with downtime that warrants passage of arms usage, usually after the mid-fight add phase with slowly filling bar. since that AOE usually drops during downtime, there's no reason not to pop passage of arms (which otherwise restricts your movement and actions), and even on normal, sometimes every little bit counts on a damage check even if it means dropping DPS (thinking here of harrowing hell P10N on release, which was...less consistent for a lot of roulette parties than you might hope).

so from 70 onward, passage of arms is in a sense a paladin warrior of light's signature move, and certainly the one a player gets to most actually enjoy (since if you're using it, you're by necessity not doing anything besides moving your camera and admiring your sick animation). it doesn't have any competition in terms of spectacle until confiteor, and those you're usually throwing out in the middle of movement.

it's such a signature, in fact, that the only other person shown using your one-person version of passage of arms is your greatest admirer, who studied your legend for over a century.

and it's when he fails (should've popped arm's length, bud) that the warrior of light decides they can't let their friends fall for them, and sends them away with the transporter beacon. this is all wrong: you were meant to die for them, not the other way around. yours is the shield that stands between your allies and defeat. it is you who will win this passage of arms and break your opponents lance. and you do.

and then later, when they need to quickly establish zero's domain as a place of fallen grandeur, the home of someone who once believed in heroes but is now a cool and cynical vampire hunter d, what do they use? a decayed statue of someone in the paladin endwalker gear doing the passage of arms animation, of course.

from a visible instantiation of knighthood as a joint effort to defend what is sacred, to a tribute to the fallen friends whose memories stand by you and animate you, to a symbol of the wol's power as emulated by their allies or darkly mirrored in other shards.

not bad for a mit button you hit once per fight and otherwise never think about!

[swoliwog]

completely forgot to post this on here

[romancemedia]

The Best of Anime Friendships

[tomorrowsprotagonist]

yearly oc redesign ^^

[tomorrowsprotagonist]

some older designs for luciaya!! since theyre immortal(ish) i imagine they stay mostly the same with a few minor tweaks like hair and style choices: - ayas horns get sharper and longer!! - she also grows out her bangs and keeps her hair up (its a bit past her shoulders when down) - lucia gets a really sick ...double eyepatch? instead of using some regular white bandages (i dont think she EVER gets comfortable without an eye covering in front of anyone but aya) - and she cuts her hair into what im dubbing the Older Butch style - lucia also stops aging at around 30-40 so she has some slight wrinkles. aya can shapeshift and kinda popped out of existence as a teenager already so she either matches lucia or goes a bit younger (they prolly have some inside joke about aya liking older women aaaa)

[bacchanal-if]

Fox · the Courtly Charmer

❥ Orientation: (f/m) demiro/demisex ❥ Possible Identities: Tamsin/Thomas, Henrietta/Henry, Lucia/Laurence

Suave, charming, devoted—the perfect lady or gentleman. It is evident they know who you are, and they seem intent on capturing your heart. Tread carefully, they will do their best to sweep you off your feet and into their arms.

Rabbit · the Flustered Ingenue

❥ Orientation: (f/m) demiro/demisex ❥ Possible Identities: Tamsin/Thomas, Henrietta/Henry, Lucia/Laurence

Gentle and kind, hoping and hesitant. All they’ve ever wanted is to love and be loved. Can they trust you to be their one and only?

⚑ Butterfly · the Mysterious Rake

❥ Orientation: (f/m) grayro/omnisex ❥ Possible Identities: Edith/Edward, Henrietta/Henry, Lucia/Laurence

Darkly alluring and dangerously seductive. To you they are a closed tome. To them you are an open book. It is unwise to be reckless when you catch their interest, lest you succumb to their hunger.

⚑ ??? · the Uninvited Guest ❥ Orientation: (?) aro/pansex ❥ Possible Identities: ?

How refreshing you are to them.

⚑ Edith/Edward Egerton · the Loathed Betrothed

❥ Orientation: (f/m) ❥ Romanceable In: Every masked route ❥ Possible Identities: Butterfly

You’ve never so much as spoken a word to them and yet they’ve asked for your hand—circuitously. They are the only tradesperson said to match your father’s ruthlessness and wealth.

Tamsin/Thomas Baker · the Returning Friend

❥ Orientation: (f/m) ❥ Romanceable In: Every masked route except Rabbit's ❥ Possible Identities: Fox, Rabbit

Your childhood—and only—friend. Who was once your treasured confidant is now a near stranger, and the distance between you can be measured by their once easy smile devoured by sad lonely eyes. They’ve worked in your family’s gardens since they were able to hold shears, and were promoted to head gardener when the last overseer perished.

Lady Henrietta, Countess/Lord Henry, Earl of Great Northrope · the Reclusive Deviant

❥ Orientation: (f/m) ❥ Possible Identities: Fox, Rabbit, or Butterfly

The host of the fabled Bacchanal, and the only child of the most influential peers of the ton: the Duke and Duchess of Thornwall, Earl and Countess of Great Northrope. Their austere and reserved manner is betrayed by their reputation for glutenous depravity. Despite this they are hunted by debutantes and widows alike for their status. They seem in no hurry to shed their singlehood.

Lady Lucia, Baroness/ Lord Laurence, Baron of Oxburn · the Affable Socialite

❥ Orientation: (f/m) ❥ Possible Identities: Fox, Rabbit, or Butterfly

The inextricable bosom friend of Henrietta/Henry. Where their friend is a pall upon the room they are a source of light. Their amiable company draws everyone to them like moths to a flame, and it’s easy to quit their company feeling quite blessed by their attentions.

[bronzeys]

They had no business looking this good wow

[someartistsammy]

Missing them tonight

[vool-zam]

we'll always have san myshuno

[windslar]

Tartosa

[marmakar]

This is Lucia from GTA 6, but this is Vice City Stories artwork style

[just-ghaleon]

in that case, how about luna and lucia interacting? whether it's luna's older form, her as althena, whatever you want

Sorry to make you wait, had to take a bit of an art break! But I'm all refreshed now, so have some Luna and Lucia Lunacy! OuO

(poses by @mh-presents !)

And also a more somber Althena and Lucia interaction:

(pose meme by @gaminegay ! I had fun completely changing the tone of the original pose, heeheehee :3)

[strikehawkatyourservice]

OK IT'S SUPER LATE FOR THIS BUT I'M GOING TO MAKE FOR IT.

First of all. THIS IS THE CUTEST EVENT I'VE SEEN!!!

They are using de Chibi form how I'm not going to love it!!!!

Then we have Strike Hawks XD

THEY

ARE

PLAYING

D&D

PLEASEEEEEEEEE!!!!!

[bacchanal-if]

July's Short Story: Embers of Freedom (Henrietta/Henry)

Wordcount: 1,034 With a special appearance from Lucia/Laurence, join Henrietta/Henry as they deal with their many admirers.

To sign up for the Courtly Charmer tier and access the story, please do so here!

[bronzeys]

never in a million years would I ever thought to see lucy horny on main x