#even in regards to Garlemald stuff
Note
Gold 1: Does your OC have a long-term goal or ambition to which they are constantly working? Or do they tend to bounce chaotically from situation to situation, with no clear plan or sense of what the future may bring?
OC Questions on the Seven Colours of Medieval Heraldry
This is a tough one because it feels like both a 'yes' and a 'no'. I prefer for my OCs to have longterm goals, because otherwise it feels like...why am I out here? Why are they doing XYZ? What's the point? What are they doing it all for? With Jak, the specter of Garlemald hung over her shoulder, so she worked hard to become more physically fit, and to establish a name for herself among the underworld, and still is - but now the specter of Garlemald is gone! There's very little reason to push her body to its limits so she's "ready next time"...because now there will never be another 'next time' for Garlemald, hooray!
That, however, leaves a big hole in her life. She's like a tree that grew around a foreign object...and now that object has been cut out. What's left? Where does all the anger go? Where does she put it all? What's left for her, as a relic of Garlemald - as a now-forgotten creation of theirs? What does she channel herself into? In part, she still would like to become a fearsome and respected member of the crime community - renowned, admired, feared, respected... any combination of those things works for her. However... she needs something to sink her claws into besides the doldrum of Yakuza paperwork, and she and I are both looking for that at present... where does life go now? What does she apply that laser-focus to?
She has a chip on her shoulder regarding how the people of Ul'dah treated her and her twin brother when they arrived as refugees, so she's contemplating taking it out on the people of Ul'dah who deserve it most - primarily the wealthy elite and the law enforcers who were the worst about treating refugees/those in need like they were trash. I've always had a sort of 'dark justice' thing in mind in regards to her DRK soul crystal - like...what if Batman kept acting out of vengeance, instead of making it about the people he's trying to help? What if it was about making the wrong people pay, more than it was about helping anyone? She's a nihilist - and believes that breaking the wheel would just mean making a new one, where someone elseis on the top, and someone new is on the bottom... so why bother, if it's all just the same shit? Eat the rich, fuck the man, do what you want. (That all said, I have been seriously contemplating Jak stirring the pot in Ul'dah, so if anyone is interested in plotting...)
She's also spent plenty of time since Garlemald's fall hunting their refugees for sport, but as aid only continues to increase for them, she's backed off. It's not worth being caught, and isn't technically a longterm goal, I suppose? - she just hates that her people are being enlisted to sew tents, etc. for the people of the nation that caused her people to be refugees in the first place. Her tribe is utterly wiped out because of Garlemald, so she sees it as only fair if she exterminates the last of Garlemald - she's playing by the rules that Garlemald taught her, after all! (To her it's a longterm goal. But not one that'll ever happen, naturally - she's not going to single-handedly wipe out Garlemald's remaining populace, as much as she wishes she could.)
#thanks for asking#ffxiv rp#lfrp ffxiv#lfc ffxiv#ffxiv#miqo'te#garlemald#ul'dah#she's trying on this Ul'dah thing for size really#as a new sort of goal#she hates it in a way bc she's not trying to be some symbol of hope#she's not trying to be a hero#she just so happens to be doing things that people associate with that type of figure#anywho I don't have concrete ideas for ul'dah plotting - it's all proto-concepts rn#but I'd love to involve more people and meet folks and even have people try to help or hinder her#even in regards to Garlemald stuff#I am always open to plots and ideas#anywho she's in a transitionary period of her life and is trying on new hats - new goals - who knows where she'll end up next
10 notes
·
View notes
Text
I'm around level 82 Endwalker MSQ and I know that some really hate the Garlean section of the story, but I really like it.
Above all I really like the nuance in it all.
Firstly, I think they spell out the intentions of the expedition really well – the goal is to help the regular people who are suffering, but not excuse the system they live under.
Secondly, they spell out the really important detail that a bunch of the characters do not support the Ilsebard contingent.
As an example, not all of your job mentors might show up, as was my case with the RDM mentor because of his history with Garlemald, adding important nuance in terms of varying perspectives regards to helping Garlemald.
Reading some takes you'd think everyone agrees that Garlemald is all okay and cool now, but this is not the nuance/subtext I see in the text itself myself.
This was also not the sole objective of the expedition. The towers needed to go for the world to not end.
So it isn't just randomly barging in there to self-righteously "help" another nation. Everyone needed to be on the same page at least somewhat to survive.
Thirdly, I think they gave Gaius and his group enough nuance back in ARR (and Regula in HW) and we had enough decent and more complex good/less villainous Garlean characters across the game (Cid, Nero, Lucia, Maxima) for me to not feel like asking to see them as people was rushed or too late.
The key to me is that even the Garleans who were villains had defined, substantial perspectives and sometimes had non-villainous aspects to them.
The humanity itself was always there.
Fourthly, I see people say it is a thematic mess, but I don't see any of that, either.
The entire zone is full of nuanced perspectives on how fascism can hurt people and not once are we told to push everything the empire did under the rug – if nothing else the horrors of the system are only emphasised.
I agree with the system itself being the central enemy, which to me has been the entire thematic point of Garlemald from the start.
Licinia and her sister, the ceruleum workers from other provinces, Jullus and Quintus all represent very important aspects of how the empire's principles and its own self-made "faith" affected the people of Garlemald and to see it reduced to "oh some of them are just sad now", I think really misses the point considering the foundation of some of their stories.
Genuinely believing you're right, making nationalism almost a core of your identity and being distrusting of your enemy due to far-reaching propaganda are very real struggles under systems like this.
Finally, I've seen people say we are done with Garlemald now and it's so rushed because of this and I'm just not sure about that because to me that has never been the identity of this game.
It's really rare something is dropped and never brought up again, so I always disagree with almost any claims like this.
This is why I think Sky Pirates and Four Lords will also eventually have larger significance.
(And so will the 6.x series.)
I still feel the framing is very much "there is a long way to go here."
Doma and Ala Mhigo both had restoration arcs in various content and are still in progress, really, as the 6.0 role quests, literal "restoration" content and also patch content itself (4.1-4.3, 5.4-5.5 in particular for Ala Mhigo and Doma) attest.
I think we will still see more of the aftermath of Garlemald's collapse in the yet occupied provinces as I still think we will have to open up the huge cloud in the middle of the map in some form, I even think there still would be room for a Garlemald expansion, it just wouldn't be "as" urgent anymore and mixed with other stuff because the empire is an husk now.
As much as Bozja might seem like it was dropped suddenly because of the field notes, I do not think it is like this story to not address important aspects like this until we are unquestionably, completely done.
I know there are some reveals in the role quests and material in 6.x quests that people are also iffy about, but to me most of that seems pretty okay, too.
Garlemald has to reestablish proper trade connections, they have to fight the remainder of their old guard and they can never be complete victims. They also need an entirely new governmental system.
It's the old guard that holds them back, but also crumbles when threatened.
So I think where we are now narratively, we still need more time with Garlemald and I think we are not quite done with them yet and if there is something I personally would dislike from here on out, it *would* be getting no follow-up at all.
I think we need to actually visit Dalmasca, Corvos and Nagxia in some form and put a final end to all of those regimes.
Now, do I think more could've been done here?
Absolutely. As I said, we have whole occupied provinces we have still not seen and a whole massive cloud right in the middle of the map still uncovered.
(And I think revisiting Ala Mhigo's and Doma's struggles against specifically Garlemald in some form also needs to happen.)
So as much as I really liked the zone, it is still clear to me there might have been more done there (in fact it was confirmed because we know about a potential Garlemald expansion).
So I actually do share a criticism I see around, I just think what we got still turned out to be really good and really important nuance to go into regarding Garlemald.
Something about asking to somewhat empathise with an enemy faction just destroys any nuanced discussion on the internet, be it the heroes doing something bad (for good or bad reasons) or villains doing something good (despite having really awful views otherwise).
You see an enemy faction just even dip toes into nuance and the story automatically must be excusing them.
You see the heroes not be completely, unconditionally respectful and thoughtful and the story must be disrespectful itself.
It's such a boring way to discuss art (which is also made by people, who are flawed like anyone else) in my eyes.
25 notes
·
View notes
Note
I am like. 70% sure that at some point y'shtola says to alphinaud that she was about his age when the exodus happened. But man the colony/mainland/exodus situation w regads to Thancred, Yda, and Lyse specifically has driven me to madness. The exodus was about five years after the conquest of ala mhigo and I feel like the Hext's could have made that journey far quicker then that- still, at the most conservative estimate Lyse still grew up in Sharlayan for ten years. What was her education like??? Yda seemed to have been working with the resistance for a while before her death, so who was taking care of Lyse? And Thancred- he seems to mostly self identify as Sharlayan? You never see him calling himself a Lominsan. Why was he assigned to Thanalan instead of La Noscea, if he knew the area better and had more contacts there? How much time did he even spend in Sharlayan before starting on field missions? (Also fun fact: Palaymo's dad is actually featured in a sidequest in Old Sharlayan! He never says it outright but he talks about having a son who followed Louisoix)
you are vindicated by @eriyu in the replies to my post!!
i agree with you totally about the hexts. god i wish i had more - okay i went and looked at the wiki page for yda and learned more from the encyclopedia eorzea v1:
Yda fled her homeland following the invasion of Garlemald in the year 1557 of the Sixth Astral Era. She and her sister first came to the Twelveswood seeking succor, but were forced to leave after being rejected by the elementals. After moons of wandering and foraging off the land, they found their way to the Dravanian hinterlands. With the aid of her future bosom companion, Papalymo, Yda was given a chance to begin her formal education in Sharlayan proper.
fuck the elementals 2. DAMN that's a long way to go, but coerthas pre-calamity is way less hostile to life than what we see 3. thancred truly copying the hexts in terms of "wandering around dravania foraging for moons". that would be a funny conversation for him and lyse to have
iirc, the only time yda is ever actually seen in game is in the 1.0 echo visions for gridania starters? every other time we see her is actually lyse in disguise (which - i have my own thoughts on the efficacy of that plotline, since we never actually see any meaningful difference between the two hext sisters or get much yda at all, but that's a tangent for a different day). i have to imagine that lyse was living with the totolymos in sharlayan when yda was killed, and the news of her death reached them first, allowing lyse to take her sister's place fairly seamlessly? or something? i don't think this plotline will ever really be touched on since lyse's story got basically finished when stormblood did (oh, lyse. how i wish your writing was a bit better.) (fordola and arenvald have been the continuing stormblood/ala mhigo plot/theme thread characters - lyse didn't show up at all in the role quest!). oh wait apparently there's some other stuff about YDA AND FORDOLA BEING FRIENDS? i have like no memory of this and i don't see a source but here's the wiki page. this is really stream of consciousness my apologies. oh well let's keep going
with regards to lyse's education, we know she didn't get her archon's mark (since it got vanished when she took off the yda disguise since papalymo was the one maintaining the illusion of it). the encylopedia has this to say about yda:
At first, this did not proceed smoothly, given her aversion to the study of letters. All too often, she could be found sating her hunger for lemoncakes rather than books. What Yda lacked in wit, however, she made up with her amazing physical prowess, and in time would channel this talent into becoming an expert pugilist.
considering how the encyclopedia also says that yda is "mysterious", i think that it knows that our yda is lyse, because it doesn't mention her becoming an archon in the entry.
also i agree with you about thancred, and at this point i'm developing the belief that louisoix tended to put his students in situations that were initially out of their comfort zones: yda/lyse got put in the twelveswood (where the elementals rejected them), thancred got put in the city state he didn't have a backstory in (he doesn't seem to have much fondness for limsa), and urianger got sent away from home and from his best friend. "here, kiddos! grow and develop! sink or swim!"
also it's so crazy that there was extremely little time between thancred arriving in ul'dah and watching ascilia be orphaned (also it's so crazy that he blames himself for that when there are people who literally let the goobbue loose). and then he became a teenage alcoholic. for work, of course. (shakes him)
i think there's an interesting compare-and-contrast between thancred and lyse - lyse has always been pretty vocally ala mhigan, and any association with sharlayan is mostly through her association with the scions. and thancred mentions his lominsan heritage maybe three times in my memory - explaining how he holds his breath so long in stormblood, recalling how minfilia called him a "wine-sodden wharf rat", and when he's reminiscing on the lominsan docks at the start of endwalker. beyond that he's pretty sharlayan. i do have the headcanon that he is faking his fancyboy accent, so i have the accompanying headcanon that he deliberately tries to distance himself from his childhood. i do think that thancred could've easily returned to sharlayan now and again to report in person, get info, etc, since he could still teleport back then. just not very often, what with the old teleport restrictions, but his handler is friends with a guy who's friends with the wilfsunwyns, teleportation experts...!
i do think it's interesting that louisoix had three kids from eorzea, had them educated/trained in sharlayan for their teenage years, and then sent them back off to eorzea to do recon and direct action for the circle of knowing. hm hm hm.
okay that's enough rambling. every day i think so much.
21 notes
·
View notes
Text
Putting this here - 6.4 Spoilers
While on Twitter I posed a hypothetical of if Corvos becomes one of the locations of 7.0, I actually... don't really think it. There's two things.
First, the envelope. The gold embossing makes me think of Emet-Selch's El Dorado bullshit. Second, the pattern... doesn't look Central/South Asian to me? Maybe others can share something to tell me I'm wrong, but it looks either Pseudo-Mesoamerican or Pseudo-Polynesian. Given how Vrtra has mentioned that he spent time in Meracydia pre-Allag bullshit, that also feels like an option, especially if we save Azdaja.
Second, Urianger's line. He says they're seeking neutral Archons, and the Scions are... the least neutral overall? Especially with regards to Garlemald? So while they would be all for helping build a post-colonial Corvos (And other ex-territories), they would not play well with any Garleans left. Like, even if they just mean "Neutral" as in "Unaffiliated with a major group" I'm... suspicious, because again, why would they also seek out the ones who are least neutral in a different way. I think most of the affiliated groups of Archons we know would all be better for a Corvos arc than the Scions.
... Well, my WoLs wouldn't, anyway. They'd just wave and go "Have fun you all.
(Krile is probably the second-least neutral about it if it is Corvos, given all the shit that happened that gave her her brother.)
... Also, I trust Japanese writers with writing a nuanced and interesting post-colonial narrative as much as I do Americans and British.
Which is to say... Not at all. It'll be just a full expac of the Garlemald arc for me, which was painful with how they tried and failed to make it work.
Also please tell me who wrote SoW. We're getting process of elimination right now. It's not Ishikawa, Hiroi, or whoever predated Ishikawa.
Guess I'll find out in 6 years with 8.0/9.0 stuff.
2 notes
·
View notes
Text
Regarding The FFXV/XIV Crossover Event
For Meiko's canon, the events occur in present content -- i.e post 6.55, in the time spent between Endwalker and Dawntrail. This adds the following context:
Initial concerns regarding aggressive "Garlean" technology hold more weight, as we are now on decent terms with 'mainland' Garlemald. Meiko and A'kihiiko are sent to investigate in the event that this is aggression comes from some of the holdout remaining legions, as well as to prevent a spike of anti-Garlean sentiment after the Alliance sent formal aid.
When Noctic discloses being from what sounds like another world, Mei stops Hiko from sharing the knowledge of reflections. Although it is likely the current case, maybe let's not blow the poor lad's mind with the hidden myths behind creation just yet. They decide to only reach out to Y'shtola for consultation if there is no other option. Fortunately, it does not come to that.
The summoning of Garuda also has implications, as Eorzea is working on alliancing with the beast tribes. Fortunately, the Ixali who summoned her appear to regret it immediately and there are no casualties on the Ixali's sides. Hiko continues to gripe about having to fight birds, though.
Meiko was this close to dragging Noctic to Limsa when he said he enjoys fishing. This close. She's also a little confused when he says they should set up camp after the events in the Bramble Patch ('but the city's not far...'), but A'kihiko immediately agrees because fun! And also FOOD?! Noctis and Hiko have similarities that Meiko cannot help but be amused by. What's with all these teenagers she ends up adopting? [I know Noctis is 20 but close enough)
After Noctis departs, Meiko and Hiko presume that he was a fellow Warrior of Light -- perhaps even a shard of Azem -- from another reflection. However, they're not too pressed about traveling to another reflection just yet. Summer vacation first. Although, Mei does reach out to Y'shtola to report in on their findings.
If any Noctis Muses (or other 15 Muses!) want to interact with Meiko, too, I am SUPER down!
Please note I don't know anything about FFXV, but I'm willing to look stuff up and learn!
1 note
·
View note
Photo
prompt: soul • words: 877 • era: shadowbringers patch content • [ masterpost ]
the spiritual or immaterial part of a human being or animal, regarded as immortal.
Tell me about Garlemald.
Bianca sat with her back to the trunk of a narrow cedar. She wound her arms around her legs where they pressed against her chest, folded up like an anxious child though that feeling of anxiety didn't quite reach her. Ever since returning to the Source, she'd felt strangely at ease. Her heartbeat didn't quicken when approached by others. Her mind didn't trail over memories like walking over glass whenever she had a free moment to ruminate.
She felt grounded, more solid, and she had been enjoying the sparkle of the night's sky when she realized she was not alone.
Not realized, really, but remembered.
Ardbert sat beside her, cloaked in a turquoise glow that reminded her of a certain star that she could see even more clearly during late summer. It hung above them... as Ardbert got comfortable at her side.
“Could you not find out yourself?” she asked, half-teasing. “My memories are your memories now.”
I didn't want to snoop.
Bianca chuckled.
“Of course.” She leaned her chin onto her bent knees. “What a gentleman you are.”
Ardbert kicked back and peered up at the sky. She wondered what he could see. Could he glimpse even the most minute details of anything set out before him? Or was his world a blur of easily missed colors? Could he see the stars above him, see individual blades of grass, see the veins of gold in her brown eyes? Did he have the capacity to wonder what mysteries they held? Or was he just some unthinking part of her, barely a ghost?
He made a pained noise that bordered upon the dramatic, clutching his head with one gloved hand. Gods, woman. Stop asking so many terrifying questions. I came here to talk, not philosophize on my existence.
“I'm sorry,” Bianca offered before settling on a chew of her bottom lip. “I got a little carried away.”
So, as I was asking...
“Garlemald.”
Ardbert bobbed his head in a nod. Anything like what became of wretched little Eulmore?
“Gods, no.” The thought of anyone drawing comparisons between Garlemald and Eulmore nearly forced a laugh out of her, even feeling chided as she did for thinking of so many questions. “Garlemald... The capitol was built by Emet-Selch.” She pursed her lips. “Hades, rather. They were a mess until he organized them after possessing Solus zos Galvus. It was under him that they made the technological advances that we think of today as being birthed from Garlemald.”
Complicated stuff, then. Ardbert shut his eyes and leaned his head back against the tree's trunk. Imagine, an empire born of a total madman. Isn't that how it always goes?
“In my limited experience, yes.”
You miss it, though, don't you? Even for all its bloody warts?
“I miss what I might have accomplished,” Bianca said, her eyes fallen from the night sky to stare at the dewy blades of grass beneath her feet. She curled her toes, gripping at them through her soft-soled shoes. “I was so close to making an impact, but in the end, there was nothing I could do.”
Her shoulders bobbed as she heaved a sigh. There was no avoiding the sense of loss that the campaign in Garlemald carved into her.
“How can you tell?” she asked.
Every time I reach out, all's I feel is missing and mourning, like you're already saying goodbye the people still standing around you, like you wish you could be everywhere that's ever been important to you all at once. So you remember everything.
Bianca's laugh grew quieter than before and just a shade sadder. “I don't remember the color of Ingvar's kettle,” she whispered. “He brought us to his cabin just outside of Mor Dhona often. He made us food and brewed us all cups of tea. Once, he told us that the kettle was a gift from his former lover, Halla, and that he'd treasure it for the rest of his years.”
Didn't last the year, did he?
She shook her head.
“And now, I can barely remember his face, much less his kettle. I don't want to forget anything else, and I'm so worried that I will.”
Ardbert arched his back in a stretch. Any relaxed sound he made echoed within her ears rather than without. He turned to her, smiling, and tossed her a wink.
Give me a moment.
Bianca shivered. Dark swept in where Ardbert's glow had been sitting, sprawled out on the damp grass. She squeezed her legs against her chest. It was an uncomfortable thing, having your trauma dredged up and left out to dry, but she didn't have it in her heart to blame him, not after everything she'd been through.
Especially not when minutes passed and a thought surfaced.
Ingvar's kettle was yellow with tiny white flowers near the spout.
Tucking her face into the bend of her arm, Bianca didn't even bother to suppress the grin that rose up onto her lips.
You'll never have to forget anything s'long as I'm around, he told her, and she believed him. She believed him with everything she had. You'll always have that little cabin. And you'll have Garlemald, too.
“And you'll have the First,” she whispered.
Aye, I will.
14 notes
·
View notes
Text
Little Secrets - Thancred/WoL
Post-5.5. Silly little bit of fluff I’ve had lying around in my WIP folder since before 5.3. :)
---
The Rising Stones lay still and quiet as Thancred made his way through its hallways. Not that it was unexpected at this hour - either it was far too late in the night or too early in the morning for many souls aside for the town guards to be awake.
At least the others out in the field had been faring well when he’d checked in with them, despite their less than pleasant task of intercepting any further attempts to bring captives to the towers. Sure, he could have checked in via linkpearl, but after the chaos out in Pagl’than, it’d seemed prudent to get a feeling for the situation elsewhere.
Well, he could convene with Riol and Alphinaud in the morning, Thancred thought as he took the steps up the stairs to the sleeping quarters in twos. Despite his long travel and the late - or early - hour, he felt rather energetic.
Or perhaps it was the thought of slinking into Viana’s room and just catching a few precious hours of sleep with her after several days apart that put a slight spring in his step. Between his time away in Garlemald, and leaving again to see how the situation at the other towers were, he looked forward to the comforting warmth of her body curled up next to his as he slept. In the dark, still corridor, his quiet huff of laughter at himself seemed far louder than it was. It would have been a hard thing to believe once that he’d be eager to slip into his lover’s bed, just for the simple pleasure of sleeping by their side.
Nevermind that there were no fears of entanglement driving him from leaving said bed early, that he was content and secure in this bond between them that kept him by her side - that he could allow himself to have this simple happiness in his life, despite those moments where he felt it was something he had not yet earned, and those familiar, dark voices whispered to him that she would one day realise that he was not fit for her.
With a shake of his head, he fished out the spare key she had given him from his inner coat pocket and quietly unlocked her door. Her chamber lay silent as he slipped inside and closed the door behind him, bathed in the low light of the lantern left burning on her desk.
Too silent, in fact.
A small frown creased his brow as he quietly stepped deeper into the room and looked around the ornate Far Eastern wood screen that customarily partitioned off her bed from the rest of the room.
The piles of pillows and blankets were untouched, the covers still neatly tucked in. No one had slept in that bed tonight.
Thancred felt a small but potent pang of disappointment. Most likely she had been called off somewhere on an urgent matter, as was wont to happen.
Well, there was nothing to be done about it - guess he was sleeping in his own bed tonight. Tataru and Alphinaud would tell him in the morning where she’d gone, he was sure. Sighing, he reached out to turn off the lantern, when he caught sight of her gunblade lying on her desk with its maintenance kit beside it. Thancred stopped at once, a curious frown back on his features. Looking around he found her katana sitting on its customary stand and her axe hanging off a pair of hooks on the wall by her wardrobe.
“What the-?” he murmured to himself. She wouldn’t have left without any of her weapons.
Just then, there was the sound of a key turning in the lock, followed by a dull thud as someone on the other side pushed their weight against the door. A pause. Then the sound of it once more unlocking.
“Seven Hells, I swear that I locked-” Viana froze the moment she saw him, her eyes going almost comically wide in surprise.
Thancred’s eyebrows rose as he took in her appearance, the surprise he felt not mitigating the heat that instantly crawled up the back of his neck. A dark leather corset hugged her body, with familiar looking bits of gold jewelry twinkling in the low light like little stars against the dark blue cloth of her dress.
A moment of silence stretched out between them.
Clearing his throat, he smiled and gestured towards her. “Were I to check the hallway, would I find Urianger knocked out and robbed off his usual adornments?”
Viana’s shoulders, bared by the cut of the dress, sagged when she exhaled. “Funny,” she replied dryly while she stepped inside and closed the door behind her, turning the lock. Tall boots covered her legs, though even in the dim light of the room he could see the tantalising glimpse of bare skin at her thigh.
He tried not to let his eyes linger, but it was hard not to let his gaze wander and soak in her unusual appearance, used as he was to her in full armour or just lighter shirts and trousers. This was… extravagant, by comparison. “People have on occasion accused me of such feats,” he quipped.
Pausing, she gave him a shy, uncertain look while still lingering by the door. He was not meant to have seen her like this, he realised. Only once, long ago, had he seen her carry herself in such an apprehensive manner - at the banquet that had been held after the Grand Melee in Ishgard. But there were no crowds of gossiping nobles present now to watch her every move.
Thancred gave her a reassuring smile as he took a couple of slow steps forward. “So, do you mind me asking what this is about?” He had an inkling but...
Viana tensed up, and he nearly told her that she did not have to if so was her wish, but then she sighed and procured from behind her the folded together metal rings that appeared to have been suspended from one of the chains around her waist. “I suppose you’d find out sooner or later,” she said quietly as she took a few steps to close the distance between them.
With a touch of aether, the slender rings flared to life and hovered above her palm - a familiar sight, though hers lacked the intricate decorations of Urianger’s. The bracelets on her arm tinkled when she moved her arm over the astrolabe, her face set in a look of concentration.
Briefly, the room was illuminated by a surge of aether, and then a soothing sensation washed over Thancred, like a gentle whisper of the softest silk over his bare skin that swept away the weariness in his limbs. Rejuvenating magic, tinted with the warm, familiar feeling of her aether.
“I made the mistake of voicing some curiosity about astrology to Urianger while we were dealing with Eden.” The corner of her mouth curled with a crooked smile. “And I fear he took it as a personal challenge to teach me.”
“Ah, a grave mistake indeed,” Thancred chuckled. “Give him an ilm and he’ll take a yalm.”
Shrugging, she eyed the slowly spinning astrolabe with a small, thoughtful smile. “It’s been… interesting to learn though.” Her gaze flickered back to him. “I’ll probably never take this out in the field. I’m barely good enough to heal a minor cut, but I do genuinely appreciate the effort and time he’s put toward this. He’s a good teacher. Very patient with me.”
Thancred’s expression softened. He knew her lack of an education was a sore spot for her, and that she often felt like her non-existent grasp of magical theory made her less of use than the rest of them - that, as per her own jest, her sole contribution to any given problem was to take a beating and punch the issue until it either went away or one of them solved it. Gratitude towards Urianger for taking her under his wing tugged at his heart, along with a content pride in her efforts to learn. Even if Thancred himself thought that she hardly had anything to prove to them, in that regard. She was more than just a weapon. Reaching out, he took her free hand in his and brushed a quick kiss to the back of her fingers, below the rings that adorned them.
“I take it you were out studying the stars then,” he asked, recalling how Urianger would sometimes venture out into the fields of Il Mheg even when the blanket of Eternal Light had made it impossible to see the night sky.
Viana nodded and slipped her hand from his to caress his jaw. The scratch of his stubble made her smile widen a little, mirth dancing in her eyes. “Mm, his balcony has a good view of most of them. Otherwise we go up to one of the towers.”
With another wave of her hand, the astrolabe folded back up and she took a careful hold of it before walking past him to the same low cabinet upon which her katana stand stood. The soft light from the lantern caught on the gold chain hanging down between her shoulder blades. Focusing on it, he saw that another star pendant was dangling at its end, and that another, heftier chain was attached to the band around her upper arm. There was an itch in his fingers to slowly undo each clasp and tie, to loosen the corset hugging her body and unwrap her like a fine namesday gift.
“He’s been teaching me about the various constellations and how to draw on them,” she told him over her shoulder, unaware of how his eyes were following the chains looping around her waist, and the small blue gems hanging from them that sparkled like they were distant stars twinkling in the night sky. “Not sure how successful I’ve been at it though.”
She turned around and his gaze instantly snapped back up to her face. Clearing his throat, he nodded. “I’m sure you’ll get the hang of it.”
Viana shrugged sheepishly. “Perhaps. If nothing else I might be able to apply some of the theory to my gunbreaker barriers.” Her smile turned crooked, as humour sparked in her eyes. “And, I might not stand around and look like I just got clubbed over the head by Titan whenever a discussion turns theoretical in nature about aether balancing and all that stuff.”
“Ah, my dear, you’re hardly the only one who gets turned around by their theoretical debates.”
A soft peal of laughter made her shoulders shake as she walked back to him. “Well, I suppose I have Estinien as company in that regard, for now.” The knowing look she gave him made it clear that she knew he was obfuscating his own knowledge on the field, but instead of calling him out on it she merely leaned down and gave him a light kiss on the cheek. “I’m glad you’re back,” she murmured.
Smiling, Thancred slipped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer. “I’m glad to be back.”
Viana leaned against him and brushed back his hair from his eyes. “Planning on staying for more than a day, this time?”
Immediately he felt the long journey catch up with him, and with a tired chuckle he nodded. “Unless the gods decide to suddenly turn the world upside down tomorrow, then yes, I am.”
Her smile brightened a little at once. “Good.” She leaned down and he eagerly met her in a slow kiss.
Thancred made a pleased noise at the back of his throat, his heart skipping a beat in joy at being back with her. The kiss was short and sweet, familiar and welcoming in tone.
Almost too short, he felt, when she straightened back up. Peering up at her, he felt curiosity tug at him once more as he thumbed what felt like a star shaped pendant. “Haven’t seen you in something like this before,” he murmured with a smile. “Well, aside from that dress at ser Aymeric’s banquet.”
A blush immediately crept up on her cheeks as she glanced away. “Ah, yes, I... asked Tataru for some more aether conductive gear,” she replied while tapping her fingers against his shoulders in a nervous manner. “Apparently she’d gotten her hands on some new patterns in Ishgard that she wanted to try out. Decided to kill two cloudkin with one rock, as it were.” The tilt of her smile turned a little self deprecating as she shrugged, “Can’t help but feel like her efforts were wasted on me.”
Raising a hand, he touched her chin to urge her to look back at him. Thancred held her gaze and let the levity drop from his voice when he responded, “You look stunning, darling.”
Viana’s eyes widened a fraction before her expression settled back into a bashful look. “Not exactly my usual style,” she murmured, her tone uncertain. “It seems a bit… frivolous, compared to my normal clothes.”
“Nothing wrong with a little frivolity, if that’s what you are in the mood for,” Thancred mused.
She pursed her lips with a thoughtful look, before leaning down and pressing another quick kiss to his mouth. “Well, thoughts for a later time I suppose. Mind helping me out of this?”
“Mm, that would be my pleasure,” he replied with a grin and gave her waist a squeeze.
#Thancred#Thancred Waters#ffxiv#thancred x wol#really just wanted to finish up something for myself today#My writing
42 notes
·
View notes
Text
Some EW Thoughts
Just unlocked Dark Inside so here's some thoughts
- hey what's up with garleans offing themselves? yeesh
- i like the growth eorzea and co as a whole has gone through in this game. everyone that makes up the alliance at this point has in some capacity felt the crushing weight of the empire and more than half of them have been directly occupied and overtaken by garlemald, and yet when it became apparent that the garleans themselves were suffering horrors at the hands of fandaniel and zenos, they didn't hesitate to offer aid. yes, some people refused to be part of it, and that's their right they're allowed to feel the way they do about garlemald, but like being able to separate the leaders from the people is important in situations like these - something the garleans clearly struggle to grasp. but some of them are getting there. idk i just feel like it would have been very easy to focus on the tower and fandaniel and not give a second thought to the tempered or the garleans living on the fringes, let them figure it out themselves, but we didn't do that and in fact go out of our way to subdue the tempered and work on curing them and providing everyone else with supplies. it's good, i like it.
- garlemald gives me mad ff7 vibes ngl
- literally the entire thing with having dinner with zenos and then him taking over the wols body and shit??? could not have predicted that if i tried. like a lot of stuff i manage to figure out even if it's just before it's actually revealed but this i wouldn't have seen coming a mile away. the writing is spectacular, the whole sequence was nerve wracking and anxiety inducing, bravo squenix holy shit
- literally fuck the anima fight that shit killed me 3 times. im a fucking caster im SLOW stop making the mechanics so FAST
- i'm liking the expansion so far. i'm not as IMMEDIATELY taken in with it like i was with shadowbringers, and like honestly while i fully expect to enjoy the expansion and love the story and cry my eyes out and find it to be a very good ending to this plot, i think i will probably still like shadowbringers the best. idk if i can articulate why right now, especially since i'm not even 1/4 of the way through endwalker, but shadowbringers fucking blew me out of the water. every turn had me starry eyed and shocked and surprised and excited. granted i most likely just have not reached the meat of endwalker. i mean if i'm still in the level 83 quests and i'm already fighting zodiark, clearly some more fuck shit is gonna happen.
- so i don't know how exactly, but i know i'm wrong about emet-selch. like nothing has been spoiled, but a friend told me my theory was wrong :/ but she also said if she hadn't finished endwalker already she'd be 100% on board with what i'd been saying, which to me says i'm exactly where i'm supposed to be in regards to how i feel about emet-selch. the shit i was picking up on was laid deliberately and i'm SUPPOSED to pick up on it like that, which i can respect, and at l;east it doesn't mean i'm wildly off base. still like that ridiculous wet dog of a man and i'm excited to find out in what way i was wrong.
- absolutely love the fact that the wol's friends were immediately able to tell that wasn't them during the body swap shit btw. there's plenty of verbal affection amongst the scions and i appreciate it, but the lack of tactile, physical affection - even just a head or shoulder pat once in a while - always has me feeling like the bonds aren't very strong after all, but once standing face to face with them the ability to immediately tell that it's not your friend speaks volumes imo
6 notes
·
View notes
Text
Preparations
The old leather rucksack was nearing its capacity, struggling to accommodate all of the necessary supplies which had already been crammed into it. Rylen had already made several attempts to pack the items as efficiently as possible, but each iteration inevitably resulted in him pulling everything back out again with another round of colorful swearing.
“Gloves. I forgot gloves.” The realization hit him with a heavy sigh after he’d just finished cinching one of the buckles.
“Why don’t you just wear them on the way?” C’Zahra asked with a bored tilt of her head. She was ‘helping’ with the packing process by lounging in one of the sunbeams currently spilling across the couch. Several bounty fliers were laid in a loose stack in front of her, and she idly thumbed through the selection while pillowing her head on her other arm. “And wear all the other warm things out too, while you’re at it.”
“Not happening.” He answered quickly, glancing out the window at the oppressive desert sun. “Not this late in the day, at least.” After releasing a heavy sigh, he unfurled his bedroll on the floor again for another attempt at the tightest possible roll.
“How long are you planning on staying out there?” The sun seeker asked, before letting out a big yawn with no attempts to stifle it.
“No more than a couple days, I don’t think.” He paused, concentrating on tying the tattered bedroll into its proper place. “Sure you don’t want to come with? Who knows how much longer it’ll be before most of the good stuff is picked-over entirely.”
“Pass.” C’Zahra glanced his way with a bored expression. “Too cold, don’t care.”
The temptation to retort with a dismissive comment of his own was strong, but Rylen refrained from doing so. Instead, he simply looked back at her with a raised brow, surprised by just how exaggerated her apathy was regarding this particular excursion. “Are you feeling okay?”
“I’m fine-.” Her answer came swiftly, and she shifted her lazy pose to sit up a little more. “Why do you ask?”
Rylen paused again, watching her with a slight tilt of his head before he stood up and moved to retrieve his potion pouch from a storage chest. He knew he’d likely need the assistance from Rolph’s elixirs on his trip as well. “I guess it’s nothing, you just sound a little out of it. Look a little paler than usual too, have you been having the nightmares again?”
“What? No! No I’m fine. I mean I’m kinda tired, but nothing you need to worry about.” She answered quickly again, before arranging his bounty fliers into a neat little stack. “Garlemald just doesn’t really do it for me, and yesterday’s job was just kind of a lot.”
Rylen paused again, distracted from his task. “... You mean the library one?”
“Yeah.” C’Zahra picked up the papers and shuffled them again in an even tighter stack. “Doing all that reading just really wears me out after a while, you know?”
“Huh. I’m surprised you had all that much time to read.” Rylen gave a courtesy chuckle at that, but couldn’t help the lingering confusion that persisted in his mind. "I didn’t think we were there that long.”
“Long enough.” She answered with a shrug, before looking at him with a pleasant smile. “Point is I’m not going and you’re just going to have to deal.”
“Yeah, alright.” Rylen added with a sigh, having finished a final run through and double-checking of his packing list. Once he was satisfied that everything was accounted for, he picked up the hefty bag and slung it over one shoulder. “Well, take it easy.”
“Way ahead of you.” She pillowed her cheek onto her folded arms and stretched out more languidly on the sofa, giving him an innocent look.
Rylen blinked a few times, no longer seeing any traces of the paleness he thought he’d noticed earlier. Feeling reassured, he picked up the stack of fliers and folded it up, sliding the pages into one of the side pockets of his bag.
His armor clinked and rustled heavily with step as he began to make his way to the door. A brief moment was spared to reach down and ruffle C’Zahra’s hair along the way. She gave an even bigger smile and flattened her feline ears in response.
“And don’t read too many books while I’m gone.” He chuckled through the parting comment as he opened the door. “Can’t have you straining that little head of yours.”
2 notes
·
View notes
Text
i’m supposed to be asleep but fuck that i’m gonna go into some 5.4 stuff regarding thancred under the post, including both the msq and the eden raids, so steer away if you don’t want to see this!
we got little to no thancred content wrt the msq, sadly! but i’m going to say that my little shipper heart is rly happy with the reason why. the fact urianger insisted on coming along with thancred to garlemald and thancred accepts gives me some fuel to believe that they’re boyfriends, but more importantly i get to see how both of these characters have changed so much.
it’s really lovely seeing urianger finally decide to not stay away from the action, just as it’s lovely to see thancred slowly, but surely, allowing other people inside the barrier he formed around himself. back then, whenever anyone, the WoL included, insisted on accompanying thancred on his dangerous missions, he outright says no because of the dangers involved with it. whether that be slowing him down or getting them hurt, it’s important to note thancred’s missions have nearly always been solo missions ( sans that one time he took krile, which is the only time i can really think of? ). it’s not just the fact it’s urianger he’s letting tag along, it’s the fact he’s letting someone he trusts deeply tag along, which is something i really appreciate and enjoy. to me, it shows his willingness to actually move forward and attempt to connect more with the scions that he doesn’t just consider comrades, but the ones who’re akin to family.
sure, maybe it could be said thancred allowed it because he needs his bullets for his gunbreaker class, but i don’t see why he’d accept if he could easily go back to dual wielding daggers and call it a night :3c BUT THAT’S MY TAKE ON IT i would’ve loved if it was him, urianger, and y’shtola but the trust system exists so we can’t let it go to waste!
another important thing to note is how in eden 11, i believe fatebreaker to be composed of ryne’s memories ; not just that, but more importantly, the things she fears. everything about eden’s promise: anamorphosis is a representation of ryne’s fears: the eulmore gaol, ran’jit, the instances of innocence on fatebreaker ( or maybe vauthry? ), and most importantly, thancred. thancred’s gunblade and his appearance are one of the main things fatebreaker has, especially having the same voice as thancred. i find this part super, super interesting, because this shows that ryne, even if she doesn’t anymore, feared thancred at one point.
this is something i don’t want to erase, since even though i love dadcred, i want to acknowledge the fact that he was definitely not the best person towards ryne at first. that is to say, he was emotionally distant from her but still tried to communicate with her. despite that, his efforts weren’t enough, as evinced through shadowbringers and eden 11. it’s intriguing to me! that being said, i do want to portray thancred as being not the best dad to trying more and more to become a better parental figure for her. it’s not perfect, and i don’t want thancred to be perfect, but i want other characters to smack some sense into him, as well. he cares for minfilia, he cares for ryne, but in the first, he was still that man who selfishly wanted his minfilia back.
of course, that type of topic might only be really thoroughly discussed with a ryne blog on ideas of how they’re portrayed, bc idk if some people see her as fearing thancred but? who knows!
#* m. / out.#* m. / hc.#sort of#5.4 spoilers /#there's just a lot on my mind abt this patch i rly loved what i got
9 notes
·
View notes
Note
Name one thing their parents taught them. & Do they like being called pet names? Do they call other people pet names? What’s their go-to?
Name one thing their parents taught them.
Cooking! A lot of people are blown away when I tell them Laelia can cook -- and not only cook, but cook genuine gourmet stuff. To be fair, she does come across as the kind of person who can’t even boil water, and for a while she was living off ramen just because she was broke without her Legion salary. But back home in Garlemald her family runs Belisar in Cucina, a relatively successful restaurant that has seen steady growth over the years. All of the Belisar kids were expected to work in the family restaurant: some bussed and waited tables, one sister was a hostess, and Laelia just happened to do best in the kitchen. So if you want an incredible meal, you want Laelia, of all people, to cook for you.
Do they like being called pet names? Do they call other people pet names? What’s their go-to?
Lee’s pretty ambivalent about the whole thing. You can call her whatever you want because that’s sure as hell what they did in the Legion and Max was and continues to be generous with her own nicknames. In return she’s pretty quick to give out nicknames if she likes you, so most people she knows have some form of nickname. They won’t always be the most...sensitive nicknames, granted, and she’s especially bad with miqo’te (”hey, cat”) and viera (”hiya, ears”) in that regard. But it’s...the thought...that counts? :P
1 note
·
View note
Text
LF RP/Contacts - Azukhai
The Basics ––– –
Age: Adult (32)
Birthday: 21st Sun of the 4th Astral Moon (July 21)
Race: Xaela Au Ra
Gender: Male
Sexuality: Prefers women
Relationship Status: One partner, polyamorous
Physical Appearance ––– –
Hair: Wavy and thick, coarse and wild. A sable mane streaked with brown. Often loosely held together in a broad, waist-length braid hanging over his shoulder and chest.
Eyes: Strange; golden, glowing rings around dark brown irises with narrow pupils for seeing the unseen.
Face Reference: Jason Momoa
Voice Reference: Kratos, God of War 4 / Yautja (Predator)
Height: 7 fulms, 8 ilms
Build: Heavyweight, muscular, wrestler physique; ~400 ponze
Distinguishing Marks:
Horns like a behemoth’s and just as sturdy, smoky lips scarred down the left side, a mouthful of a dozen very sharp fangs, runic xaela tattoos across his torso and arms, animate spinal scales with dense spines down his vertebrae, one dangerously long tail, and Other Things.
Common Accessories:
Wears the Soul of the Warrior as a pendant around his neck hanging from a gold and obsidian-beaded leather cord, housed between a pair of curved boar tusks crossed at the tips.
Adorns himself with natural ornaments found on his endless journey, often wearing feathers or plants in his hair along with clothing and armor decorated with various animal hides.
The entirety of his left arm is wrapped from shoulder to knuckles in blessed linen bandages, strapped around his chest to keep the sleeve fastened.
Weapons:
Azukhai carries and most often wields a battle-axe that is half blade and half hammer with a cruel talon hooking from the pommel for maximum utility, simply named ‘his steel’ when referred to. The axe is well-weathered and very old, having been the instrument of his ferocity for a dozen summers. His second weapon is an intricately crafted odachi with a design forged in the depths of the Ruby Sea, its blade is said to cut like a riptide wave in terms of force. The sword is rarely seen bare, almost always wrapped from pommel to point in bandages of linen knotted around the guard to prevent it from being drawn.
His secondary hunting implements include a tomahawk with a toothed blade and a curved grip that doubles as a utility tool for survival in the wilds. Feathers hang from the bottom of the handle and the back of the axe-head serves as a hammer, much like his battle-axe but on a smaller scale for less violent purposes. A great-bow befitting his size can sometimes be seen slung around his body and the sword on his back with a quiver full of arrows strapped parallel to the sheath. Depending on his prey, Azukhai will trade the bow for a handful of throwing spears of which he can hold three of in a single hand. He also wears a flat, broad blade of steel on his right gauntlet that extends and retracts from the forearm of his armor, offering both a surprise and a lethal extension of his arm at close-quarters.
Personal ––– –
Profession: Monster hunter, with tenure
Hobbies: Surfing, alchemy, instructing martial arts, talking to the forest
Residence: Sometimes the Hall of the Brave, mostly anywhere... or nowhere
Birthplace: White Peak Mountain, Azim Steppe
Religion: Worship of Azim is a private affair but he is tenaciously faithful
Patron Deity: Tengri, the Great Wolf
Fears: Growing old, the incomprehensible void
Relationships ––– -
Spouse: None
Children: ???
Parents: ???
Siblings: ???
Other Relatives: An adoptive mother, former matriarch of the Nameless
Pets: To call him a pet would be a grievous insult. Tian is a lazy and aloof tiger griffin adolescent and Azukhai regards him as a little brother.
Traits ––– -
Extroverted / In Between / Introverted
Disorganized / In Between / Organized
Close Minded / In Between / Open Minded
Calm / In Between / Anxious
Disagreeable / In Between / Agreeable
Cautious / In Between / Reckless
Patient / In Between / Impatient
Outspoken / In Between / Reserved
Leader / In Between / Follower
Empathetic / In Between / Apathetic
Optimistic / In Between / Pessimistic
Traditional / In Between / Modern
Hard-working / In Between / Lazy
Cultured / In Between / Uncultured
Loyal / In Between / Disloyal
Faithful / In Between / Unfaithful
Additional information ––– –
Smoking Habit: Never
Drugs: Often
Alcohol: Socially
RP Hooks ––– –
Master Warriors who have learned to direct and cooperate with their Inner Beasts have important business with Azukhai. Having only recently tapped into the infinite well of rage of his own Inner Beast, control is something he struggles with daily and urges are often resisted with nerves of steel. He sees it as no surprise that the Will of Karash has manifested in him, perhaps even a goal achieved.
Alchemists and Enchanters in need of a new supplier would find no better fit than Azukhai to handle the legwork. He has a profitable habit of sniffing out both unusually practical and also highly sought-after, rare materials and reagents for arcane crafts. Azukhai’s prey is often valued greatly on markets for the usefulness of their parts, but only if the hunter himself doesn’t need them.
Fellow Friends of the Forest can find a steadfast ally in the hunter who lives to survive and preserve the survival of the wild, untamed and secluded places of the world. Gifted with a strange form of the Echo, his quarries are the monstrous; those that would corrupt and destroy in the name of power. Many monsters begin their evil plots hidden in woods and caves, out of sight until the first victim falls.
Dragonsong Veterans might recall the terror inflicted by the Fangs of the First Brood, a war-band of heretics and other mortals pledged to Nidhogg’s rage. Many Ishgardian outposts were razed by these guerrilla fighters, employing a tactic of the Steppe known as Wolf and Crow with Azukhai at the head of their operations in bloody battles against the Holy See.
Enemies of Garlemald who know the power of terror unleashed with precision should understand Azukhai’s motives and actions; that no quarter is to be given on any front to those who would make the world their Castrum. While no ranking general, Azukhai is always ready to jump at the chance to lay waste to any Garlean operation.
Xaela wise in the ways of the Steppe might find the hunter exceptionally strange, his lack of knowledge when it comes to most customs marking him as a lost child, whisked away from his tribe and raised by others just as lost and reviled. His brothers and sisters only kept their tribe names as a reminder that they were truly Nameless.
OOC/Contact Information ––– –
My Discord handle is Micah#1113. Discord RP is great, often easier than in-game RP.
Man, 23, Mountain Time. Moving to Hawai’i in January.
Azukhai is my main character so killing him off or rendering him unplayable isn’t on the table. Feel free to try fighting him though.
FFXIV’s lore is ambiguous enough to allow room for most fantasy concepts as long as they adhere to a few hard rules of the setting. My character is technically a Warrior but there’s much more to him than just his game class. I love characters who are made with the same philosophy. I might bend lore, might not. Let me know if something comes up.
This character is polyamorous by nature but OOC ERP (see: cybering) is not my jam.
Violence, grit, struggle and consequence are all great parts of any story just as the good times and lighthearted moments are. I shoot for a healthy mix of fluff and heavy stuff.
@crystalxivrp, @ffxiv-crystal-rp, @mooglemeet
134 notes
·
View notes
Photo
LF RP — JANOS JEN RENATA
The third of four sons, Janos has high expectations pushed onto him from a young age. His family name often preceding him (his two older brothers being officers in the military and his father being a high-ranking engineer), it might take a moment to realize that Janos himself is the family’s black sheep. Having failed to even get into the Magitek Academy despite having a passion for working with machines and magitek, Janos instead became an Architectus in the military in order to serve his country and make his family proud.
Unfortunately, bad luck and poor judgement led to trouble following in his wake. Where his siblings are marked as loyal and accomplished, Janos himself is marked as negligent at best, and in six years of service, he failed to earn a single promotion or any recognition for his work whatsoever. He was continually reassigned, never working for too long on any one project and occasionally being moved to different posts altogether, and eventually was relegated to simple maintenance work. Now, as a result of circumstances unknown even to him, he’s found himself in Eorzea: lost, homeless, and scared—but thankfully, not alone.
IN CHARACTER
Profession(s): Eorzean Cover—While Janos tries not to draw too much attention to himself, he often takes odd jobs to make ends meet and help pull his weight in his small circle of companions. Garlean Architectus—He’s loyal to the Empire, still uses his (last known) title in the company of other Garleans, and still believes himself to be in the Empire’s good graces even though “getting lost after being reassigned again” sounds an awful lot like “desertion.” His time in the military was spent primarily in central Illsabard doing maintenance work on weaponry and warmachina, though he didn’t really enjoy the work he was assigned.
Alignment: Chaotic Dumbass. Difficult to tell, but loyal to the Garlean Empire... For now. He had somewhat of a rebellious streak even back home.
Professional Talents: Magitek—Once an Architectus in the Garlean military, Janos learned his way around both conventional machinery and more advanced magitek devices often employed by the Empire. Nowadays, he uses his knowledge primarily to tinker, though much to his dismay he’s only really good at creating weapons... And, well, the quality of those weapons is often limited by the quality of parts he has access to.
Current Residence: Vagrant. He maintains an inn room at The Hourglass, but sometimes he has to move when he doesn’t make enough money to cover the next few days of inn fees.
Likely Haunts: Eorzea at Large—As a vagrant, he can get just about anywhere, provided he has the coin to get there. Unfortunately, as a Pureblood Garlean, he can’t use any magic including the teleportation magicks that make use of the aethernet. Ul’dah—He hangs out around Ul’dah’s markets often, and around Pearl Lane, enjoying the anonymity that blending into crowds there provides.
Hobbies: Tinkering—Janos loves to tinker, and dreams of having a workshop of his own one day back home in Garlemald. But, he’d take Eorzea too, since he’s stranded here for the foreseeable future... Theater—Over the years, Janos has read up on both Garlean and foreign drama, and came to enjoy it quite a bit. While he professes that he would never be able to get up on stage, he has quite a bit of respect for those who can.
MORE INFORMATION: Full Bio WIP | Tag
OUT OF CHARACTER
Hi there! I’m Crow and I use they/them pronouns! I’m generally most active during NA Evenings and Late Nights. I play on Balmung, but I’m open to RP connections from across the Crystal datacenter.
You can find detailed information about my hopes and expectations for RP on my dossier, here. The quick and dirty version:
OOC Communication > All
I am a med/heavy lore-strict RPer. I prefer medium-to-low power levels in RP and character- and plot-driven scenes. I won’t RP with any player under the age of 18 but as long as you’re not making it weird/creepy, I don’t have a problem with underage characters within reason.
I run an FC and an LS, so I can be pretty busy OOC because I have to run a lot of stuff related to that.
I do not really RP on Discord because my attention span is pretty crummy, but I have always been smitten with Tumblr RP as a longform format, so if in-game RP is impossible for some reason, I’m happy to write starters.
In terms of things I’m looking for:
Casual acquaintances and friends! But preferably: long-term plot-focused RP connections! Slice-of-life ain’t really my jam.
Business contacts! Janos is an engineer and a habitual tinkerer and does odd jobs to make ends meet. Maybe he could end up doing something for you?
Pre-established connections based on his background as a Pureblood Garlean born and raised in the capital and as an Architectus in the military (though his situation at the moment is obviously a little complicated).
Recommendations for events to attend? (And company to drag me along since I hate flying solo.)
Discord and Linkshell communities!
DETAILED RP HOOKS UNDER THE CUT!
Thanks for reading! If you’re interested in playing with me then please feel free to send me a message or make a note of it in the tags or comments on this post. My Discord is emet-selch wears prada#5086! If I’m slow please bear with me; I have a habit of getting absolutely swamped with stuff at more or less complete random, and my energy levels vary wildly from day to day and week to week.
tagging for visibility: @balmungrp @mooglemeet @ffxiv-crystal-rp @crystalxivrp @ffxiv-balmung-rp
RP HOOKS
1. Magiteknical Difficulties
Janos is a (former?) Architectus for the Garlean military. While he was generally relegated to maintenance work (and hated every moment of it), he loves working with machines even to this day and would probably be able to fix anything set in front of him given enough time to figure it out.
Given enough time and the right parts, he might also be able to build something for you! Unfortunately, most of his contraptions are dangerous even if they work, with Janos used to cutting corners to make something fast, not necessarily make it good.
The gunblade he carries is one of his own creations, in fact; dubbed “Bad News,” Janos used misappropriated parts to put it together before he wound up in Eorzea, and has only continued to work on it to this day. It’s held together with proverbial duct tape and it’s a wonder that it works at all, especially because once he got to Eorzea he had to modify its design to make it look less like Imperial models, which involved swapping out some of the better parts he’d slipped under his coat with some shoddier ones he found on Eorzean markets.
2. Eorzeabound
Stranded in Eorzea for reasons unknown to him, Janos has taken advantage of the chance to slow down. After a period of readjustment, he’s settled in to a relatively slow-paced life in Eorzea, and seems keen on treating his predicament like a vacation—although he would like to return to Garlemald one day, he’s enchanted by the local cultures and customs and has taken the chance to reflect on the views that were instilled in him growing up on the teat of Imperial propaganda.
Janos is curious about Eorzean customs that are entirely foreign to him, such as many of their holidays and their religion. While he remains a staunch atheist (and even lacks belief in any sort of afterlife), he thinks it’s interesting to see how religion has influenced Eorzeans’ day-to-day lives and certain aspects of the different belief systems and cultures of the city-states.
3. Black Sheep of the Renatas
The Renata family is known for an excellent track record of service to Garlemald in both the military and civil sectors... Except for Janos. Possessed of a rebellious streak that only got worse and more visible after he failed to get into the notorious Magitek Academy, Janos’s track record of service leaves a bit to be desired. With a work track-record that was notably subpar and marked by repeated failures, Janos is regarded as a stain on the reputation of a family that since the establishment of the Empire had been rising through the Garlean social strata.
4. Keeping Up With the Jens
Janos spent six years serving as an Architectus in the Garlean military, though his career was going nowhere fast (something which even at the time he expressed frequent distress over). His track record was marred with failures and he ended up as somewhat of a social outcast, having few friends and mostly being known for being the Architectus who was most frequently being berated by his superiors. It took a substantial toll on his mental health and by the end of his time with the military, he did little but sleep, eat, and work.
Much of the latter days of his service are hazy or non-existent in his memory, a fact which he admits that he “tries not to let bother him too much,” as it’s a bridge he figures he’ll cross when he gets to it. Those who served with him would likely know of some incidents he was involved in, such as an incident wherein several of the magitek bits he’d recently done maintenance on went haywire. After being pressed on it, he admitted that it had been intentional. He also passed out on the job a few times and once locked himself in a broom closet for the duration of his break.
#ffxiv rp#crystal ffxiv rp#balmung rp#ffxiv balmung#ffxiv crystal#ffxiv#final fantasy xiv#balmung#crystal data center#crystal datacenter#hellsbovnd#ooc ( lfrp )#about ( janos jen renata )#[ ITS. A. LAD. ]#[ JOKES ASIDE--jan is a serious character and i look forward to watching him unlearn imperial propoganda!!! ]#[ its fake garlean invader zim yall ]
29 notes
·
View notes
Text
The Concept of Home
Lucia has a heart to heart with her sister.
Or:
In this house we love and appreciate Lucia goe Junius, who deserves nothing but good things and happiness and family.
Word count: 1,138
“Taken in by the sights of the Lochs, are we?” Serella asked her sister as she drew near.
Lucia did not turn to face her but let out a huff of laughter. Moving to stand beside the knight, the Warrior of Light found her expression darkly pensive, though the smile that yet tugged at the corner of her mouth seemed almost derisive. She wondered what was troubling her friend.
“Though they are quite the sight, I confess I was more focused on my own thoughts.” Lucia replied, and her eyes fluttered shut. “Much weighs on my mind.”
“Is company unwelcome?”
“Not at all.” Lucia’s smile softened into something more familial. “I am glad you sought me out.”
“Good. I’ve missed you, Cia.” Serella said with a nod.
“And I you.” Lucia’s smile was fleeting as she looked out beyond the salt flats to Ala Mhigo, its palace resplendent, save for the Imperial standards that swayed gently in the breeze. “Though we are on the eve of battle, my thoughts are...scattered. I mislike it greatly.”
“If you’d like to talk, I’d like to listen.” Serella offered, regarding her sister intently. “What troubles you so?”
There was not an immediate answer, and Serella was not going to push the subject; despite impressions, Lucia was not an unfeeling person, merely that she took more time to process her thoughts and feelings. It was a lesson Serella had been slow to learn herself, but a lesson that had taught her much of her sister.
“I am reflecting upon my usefulness.” Lucia admitted, and Serella had to bite the inside of her cheek to refrain from interrupting her for the want to remind her that she was so much more than what she could do. She was still speaking, after all. “Prior to turning my coat, I had access to the latest in Magitek arms and armaments. I knew of blueprints for prototypes and schematics for the best weapons of war the Empire had available.” Her lashes fanned against her cheeks when she lowered her gaze. “I have been away long enough that none of that matters.”
“I don’t follow.” Serella admitted quietly.
“I have no intelligence to share, Serella.” The First Commander replied in a harder tone that bordered on angry. “I know naught of the weapons you mean to face— nor what the Empire will deploy against the Alliance.” After a pause to collect herself she continued in a more even, if detached tone. “Aught I knew I turned over to the Lord Commander upon my defection. I had not thought that such advanced machinery would be obsolete in a matter of years.”
“The Empire moves quickly.” Serella said for lack of knowing what else to say.
“And waits for none.” Lucia agreed tiredly. “I find myself feeling...displaced. I have been away from Garlemald long enough that it is unfamiliar to me, and yet…by the same token I know so little of my enemy that I cannot aid Eorzea as I once did. Not any longer.”
Serella half wanted to ask if Lucia feared that she would be cast out, her worth spent. She bit the question back, not wanting to instill a grossly unfounded fear in her if she had not thought of it. Knowing Lucia, however, it had doubtless at least crossed her mind.
“Sounds to me more like you’re finding where you want to be, rather than where you’re made to be.”
“I was a spymaster, Serella. T’was my job to gather such information.”
“‘Was’ being the operative word, sister mine.” With a shrug, Serella asked, “Now look at you: knight in shining armor, fighting alongside her brothers in arms to free a nation from tyranny. The stuff kids dream of being. A hero. Are you happier where you are, and who you are, now that you aren’t a spy for Garlemald?”
“...Yes.” Lucia admitted it like it caused her physical pain. “Despite my inability to provide intel on the enemy.”
“I can think of at least a dozen people who are happier for knowing you. And you have to know you’ve been an inspiration to others, Cia. And to me.” With a shake of her head, Serella gently admonished, “And you’re more than your use besides.”
“I would say much the same to you.” Lucia gave her a wry smile.
“I’d also remind you that you’re more than where you came from, you know. More than your blood. You’ve gone and adopted, what, six people as family? Seven?”
“Eight, if you count little Estelle.” Lucia supplied, even as her smile widened faintly.
“You’re a woman who ventured to a new and unfamiliar land, had her heart moved to revolution by an earnest and wide eyed local, rallied under pressure to turn the tide of what would have been a massacre, and found family among those who did not share her blood.” Serella clucked her tongue with a grin. “That’s the most Eorzean thing I’ve ever heard.”
“Speaking from experience, are you?” Lucia chanced, though Serella noted that her smile was warm again.
“After a fashion.” The Paladin confirmed with a nod.
“...Thank you, Ellie.” Lucia said softly. “I was in need of a reminder.”
“As do we all from time to time.” Serella waved a hand dismissively. “You Ishgardians most of all, stuck in your little snow globe as you are.”
“‘You Ishgardians?’ Have you need of reminding as well?” Lucia grinned. “You are Ishgardian as well. My sister in all but blood. Time and distance have changed nothing.”
“...Thanks, Cia.” Serella said around a smile. “I needed that, too.”
Lucia stepped closer to the parapet overlooking the Lochs. “You were right: ‘tis breathtaking from up here, to look upon it with eyes unclouded.” She looked back up at the palace and pursed her lips. “Those banners could do with changing.”
“Soon to be outdated, I’m told.”
“I would hope so.” Lucia nodded, though spared her sister a glance from the corner of her eye. “Though back to the topic of reminders: I daresay you are in need of another.”
“Oh?” Serella blinked in surprise.
“Not once have you regaled me with tales from the road.” Though her expression was as stone the First Commander’s eyes twinkled in mirth. “I am gravely offended.”
“Ah, must be from getting my skull cracked. I had forgotten!” Serella threw her head back and laughed. “Might I interest you in a tale about an underwater civilization?”
“You jest.”
“Well, if you aren’t interested—”
“Tell me from the beginning.” Lucia finally said around a laugh. “I demand context.”
And context Serella provided, and the two sisters sat upon the railing on the outskirts of the Ishgardian encampment, sharing tales of what had happened, reminding one another that though they were in a land largely unknown to them, that they were together was enough to be home.
#Serella Arcbane#Lucia goe Junius#ffxiv#hello yes hi Lucia is a delight and I'm so happy she's with us#and also I wouldn't even want to think of fighting her bc I don't think the Echo could save us she's too powerful#also yeah I was romantic on main and I still am but uhh#I'm also just being lovey on main and familial love between people who aren't related is my j a m#I hope you all enjoy!#\o/#spoilers for 4.0
10 notes
·
View notes
Text
LF-RP - Makael Vari - Balmung | Crystal Server
THE BASICS ––– –– –
Occupation: Assassin for the Garlean military, Freelance Assassin for the right coin.
Hobbies: Lavishly spending gil, collecting weapons, alchemy, studying people.
Race: Viera
Sexuality: Unknown
Relationship Status: Single
Languages: Eorzean (Common), Bits of other languages
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
Color-Wheel: Black, White, Orange, Purple, Red, Gold
PERSONAL ––– –– –
Residence: Garlemald
Place of Work: Everywhere, he rarely stays in one place.
Birthplace: Golmore Jungle
Travel Experience: Allot. He’s been all through Eorzea, Othard, Garlemald and various other places.
APPEARANCE ––– –– –
Height: 6′4 ft.
Build: Toned but slender
Age: 28
Gender: Male (A bit androgynous looking)
Skin tone: Dark ashy grey
Eye color: White
Hair color: Black
Distinguishing Marks: Tattoos on his face and back, various scars from combat and training, multiple piercings on his ears.
Common Accessories: Weapons (primarily his throwing knives and Senbon Needles), various poisons and alchemist ingredients, gil.
BODY LANGUAGE ––– –– –
Walk: Silent, very smooth and elegant
Voice: Somewhat androgynous depending on what he wants to get out of a conversation. Naturally it’s very smooth and slightly masculine, but lowers in tone depending on his mood and situation. He is capable of fluctuating the tones and pitch to sound more feminine if the situation calls for it.
Tics or Mannerisms: Has a habit of fiddling with a coin or weapon in his hand when waiting for something. Highly observant and will analyze every person in a room before acting. Can come off very confident and a bit arrogant. Very specific about his appearance, especially his grooming and accessories (Earrings are a big one).
Smells After: Has a slight scent of chemicals.
Posture: Depends on the situation, but usually relaxed or confident.
Disabilities: None
RELATIONSHIPS ––– –– –
Partner: None
Parents: Mother and Father - Both deceased as far as he knows. Adopted parents are alive and well.
Siblings: None
Children: None
Extended Family: None
Pets: A black raven-like bird that follows him around.
Other: He has no interest in relationships and considers the idea simply a tool to complete his work and a convenient way to get others to drop their guard. Anything that can be seen as interest is purely an act and there is most definitely an underhanded reason for him to take interest in anyone but himself.
PERSONALITY TRAITS ––– –– –
* Allot of these are going to fall in the ‘In Between” category because they highly depend on the situation, whether he is working, and whether acting a certain way will benefit him. He is a sociopath, and while he has a conscience, it’s very very weak and he lacks general empathy towards others.
Extroverted / In Between / Introverted
Disorganized / In Between / Organized
Close Minded / In Between / Open Minded
Calm / In Between / Anxious
Disagreeable / In Between / Agreeable
Cautious / In Between / Reckless
Patient / In Between / Impatient
Outspoken / In Between / Reserved
Leader / In Between / Follower
Empathetic / In Between / Apathetic
Optimistic / In Between / Pessimistic
Traditional / In Between / Modern
Hard-working / In Between / Lazy
Cultured / In Between / Uncultured
Loyal / In Between / Disloyal
Faithful / In Between / Unfaithful
Addictive / In Between / Nonaddictive
RP HOOKS ––– –– –
Garleans: Kael was raised in Garlemald and quite comfortable around Garleans and conscripts (though he does look down on them a bit as he’s a citizen). More often than not he’ll be quite welcoming to other Garleans and citizens though.
Freelance Work: Need someone to disappear? Want to settle a dispute without getting your hands dirty? With enough gil he can take care of those issues. Kael has little care for the type of work if it pays well, even if it’s simply a job to frighten someone, or full on murder, so long as it doesn’t turn him against his home. (Need a villain for a plot? This would be a suitable hook for that. He doesn’t need a large role, I’m quite happy to have him a supportive role to the plot.)
Alchemists: A fair portion of his work involves alchemy and poisons, which he needs to restock as well as improve upon. Meeting and trading ideas with other alchemists is a pivotal advantage to his work and general life style, so Kael will often seek out those well known and talented in the field.
Other Criminals in the Shadows: One can never have to many connection in the underworld. While he prefers to work alone, if the pay is right, he has no issue completing a job with others so long as they don’t try to remove him from the equation after to take his share of the profit.
Plots: This option is available for discussion. I quite enjoy playing a role in the story and plots of others. If you need a villain or a threat in your plot, he can certainly fill that roll! His involvement is subject to the discussion however as I will not involve the character in inappropriate scenes.
LOOKING FOR ––– –– –
Plot Heavy RP: In either a main or supporting role. (See above)
Connections in the Underworld: Always a benefit, and interesting encounters, not to mention good for work.
Entertainment: Kael gets bored easily, and sometimes likes to screw around with random people, playing mind games and digging for information that may be useful. For some the interaction could be completely harmless, especially if he finds them amusing, for others it could be a risky encounter.
Slice of life: Even an assassin needs a day off, and if caught in a good mood, he can be somewhat pleasant to be around... In small doses.
Garleans: Kael was raised in Garlemald, he’s a proud citizen and will often seek the company of other Garleans when he’s bored and wants to merely socialize. Many of his tricks and antics are mellowed around his brethren and interactions with him can actually be quite pleasant and friendly. It’s always good to make friends on the right side of the war.
ABOUT THE MUN ––– –– –
Who I am: A smol nerd who works allot (Customer service yay... LOL), but try to make time to log in and do stuff.
Server: Balmung, Crystal Datacenter (Always up to visiting other servers)
Time Zone: MST (Mountain Standard Time - Prairies)
Availability: Random. My work gives me different shifts all the time, so I tend to set up rp like an appointment. On the positive, no matter your schedule, at some point I can match it.
Writing Style: It can vary, depending on what is going on. I try to be detailed and descriptive, but it depends what I have to work off of from a response. I prefer 1-2 paragraphs, but I’m not overly picky.
Platforms: In Game and In Discord. I don’t mind either since I can check discord at work.
Restrictions ––– –– –
No to ERP, No to Smut, No to immediate shipping. This character is not meant for that and I would prefer to avoid the subject over all. He’s an egotistical narcissist, other people mean little to him, and I wish to build him more as an active role in plots and character development for both himself and others. The chance of him actually warming up to someone enough to form a relationship is incredibly slim and would take a great deal of time and rp to even consider.
If you and/or your character are under aged, I would prefer you avoid this character and look at some of my others. He’s a villain of sorts, he does bad things and he’s not the type to involve yourself with, especially in regards to any mature content. (This is excluding plot situations that do not have any mature content, for example, as a minor role in a plot involving a kidnapping and rescuing by other players, but it would have to be clarified in detail prior to my agreement to join, and contain no sexual content whatsoever.)
No permanent death. I am certainly open to injuries, including life threatening, he is a bad guy after all, but he’s new and I would like to enjoy playing him for a while before I even consider the idea of killing him off.
Contact: Direct Message here, or in game if you catch me online. I don’t give my Discord out until I’ve at least spoken to you a few times.
2 notes
·
View notes
Text
just some idle 5.0 speculation and ramblings (warning i did sorta bad at wording the thought-thinks)
OKAY SO I MEAN, everyone, myself included, seems to be thinking we're PROBABLY heading towards Garlemald and/or other shards/timejumps???? idk, those seem to be the main destination theories though.
I'm still kind of... on the fence if we're actually going to be hitting up Garlemald proper just yet though. Ilsabard, perhaps moreso, especially with Rak'tika Greatwood confirmed as viera-land. If we aren't straight-up heading straight for the heart of Garlemald though (and with some re-working depending on... if there are time-shenans or whatever else, possibly even if we are) one of my current theories for the direction we're going in is a bit more like...
5.0 = restoring balance. less a specific destination, but then with places like Il Mheg that remind me more of a Feywood/not-quite-of-this-world destination, I wonder if we won't be going All Over the Place (our world + shards?) to do... just that. Restore balance. Problem #1 on our plate right now as opposed to SPECIFICALLY bringing down the empire (though in the event that we ARE going to Garlemald, these of course do go hand-in-hand too). I think they'll be more of a focal point, but maybe moreso in the vein of "because the Ascians are controlling them", with Ascians being the MAIN threat.
6.0 = Heading to Garlemald proper and fixing That Hot Mess.
7.0 = THE MOON, CONFIRMED BY YOSHI-P. lol that's a joke. maybe? I mean who really knows but it COULD fit in this line of theory.
So, Restore Balance so everythings not about to fucking EXPLODE, take the fight to Garlemald proper, and then return our sights on the true enemy, Zodiark? this sounds like a REAL long haul though so dunno how ‘realistic’ it is.
again, it's not really a theory I completely subscribe to, but just thoughts that have been rattling around since they've been SO dodgy about WHERE we're actually going this time around. maybe that’s just cuz they figure We Know. But by this point for every other xpac we knew where without a doubt, and the trailers were far more clear in that regard.
This trailer feels significantly more story-motivated (not that they aren't all in some way, but they were usually more grandioise/'symbolic' almost, if that makes sense. They built off of story and happenings we were already fully aware of, whereas this is just... all new stuff with no grounding basis other than speculation towards its connection in current story. god did that even make sense
Anyway ANYWAY that's all, that's all I've got.
#5.0 speculation#i'm a mess forgive me i just really wanted to get these thoughts out I'VE GOT SO MANY
4 notes
·
View notes
Last Seen Blogs
chuuvesloona-blog
LOONA Chuuves
destinys-a-damn-druid
Destiny
asktwdg
twdg s1 ask blog!
didipracticetoday
Did I Practice My Instrument Today?
testecoeur
scio