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to-mask-the-quiet · 2 years

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Prompt 20: Anon

Constance seated herself upon one of the benches in the foyer of the Marquaile estate, a slow breath draining from her lungs as she gazed over toward a coat-rack that quietly gathered dust in one corner. Of course it wasn't due to any lack of attention, its idleness was entirely of her own design. She had asked the staff -- what few of them remained in any event -- to leave it as it was. A single pea coat hanging from it that similarly gathered dust.

When Valeriaux first came into his inheritance he was distant and despondent. The vulgarity of its suddenness was difficult on everyone, but most so on him. He had always been a child of acute senses, a trait that extended to much of his own experience. She had expected that it would be a difficult thing for him to adjust to in addition to the absence of his parents. What she had not expected, however, was the violence in which he shifted from sorrow to contempt.

His shift in humors came one morning as he stormed into the great room and began demanding that paintings be taken from the walls, -- the portrait of he, his mother, and father the chief offender -- that furniture be rearranged, and that family heirlooms be stored. He wanted it all gone and away as quickly as possible. Constance, dutiful as she is, worked with haste to meet Valeriaux's demands. She began organizing the staff to do so as well.

In the all the bustle there was only ever one thing that was left untouched; it was that coat.

Valeriaux was a known enough quantity to her -- strange new severity or not -- that she knew that this small detail would fly underneath his radar. Whatever had gotten under his skin, whatever had driven him to scrape and scour every list trace of his connection to this family's history had not found purchase within her own mind. This coat was her silent act of defiance, her quiet memorial to a man that she admired a great deal, a somber reminder of what this legacy had lost with that passing.

Her heart ached to recall the last words that she had shared with him on that dreadful day. He seemed to be in such a hurry with such weight upon his features. Something had been burdening his soul with such gravity. If only she had thought to ask him then. If only she had tried to know and understand more of what was about to happen. If only she had managed to keep Valeriaux from slipping from her supervision. If only she'd done more to avert the tragedy that befell the Marquailes.

Instead she was left with Sacha Marquaile's parting words as he hung that very same coat upon that very same rack where she had elected to leave it.

"I have matters to discuss with my wife in the great hall and I would prefer that we be given privacy." The Marquaile patriarch paused as he moved to walk past Constance, worry written in the lines on his face, "Please look after Valeriaux for me." And then he was gone; a new resolve materializing upon his face.

#ffxivwrite2022 #constance leclair #sacha marquaile

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to-mask-the-quiet · 2 years

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Prompt 3: Temper

The splintering crack that reverberated within the relatively small – if not elaborate – confines of the office was jarring. It was a space that was largely prone to quiet contemplation or passionate study, but now it was in complete disarray. The shelves had been toppled over, the desk had been flipped, papers had been scattered, and paintings pulled down from the walls.

At the center of it all was Valeriaux Marquaile.

His breathing was heavy and labored and his eyes were tired. Sweat dripped down his face as he collapsed back into the scant remains of an office chair and dropped his head into his hands. There wasn’t a moment of peace in his thoughts since he’d returned from the vile swamp. Since the altercation in the Machi ruin. Everything that had happened in that accursed darkness gnawed at him. He knew better than to let a voidsent get into his head. He knew that those creatures delighted in suffering and would say anything to undo a mortal if it meant for a morsel of aether. He knew better. Yet here he was with his mind racing with all that might be. Was there truth in anything it had said? What of the fury and seething distaste of the errant Knight Dragoon? A voidsent is, by nature, duplicitous but what of him. He was no voidsent and his word had given terrifying credence to the voidsent’s.

It couldn’t be true. It wasn’t true.

She would never do as they said. She would never plan something so depraved and vile. She was his mother.

She would never.

And so the furniture paid the price of his internal conflict.

#ffxivwrite2022 #Valeriaux Marquaile

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to-mask-the-quiet · 2 years

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Junelezen Day 11 - Orthodox Mayhem

"Though there is much to myself that I present in falsehood, my reverence for the Elementals of the Shroud is not amongst them."

#junelezen #junelezen2022 #Valeriaux Marquaile

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to-mask-the-quiet · 2 years

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Junelezen Day 9 - Floor the Horde

"Every night the dream comes. The dream in which they are too many to number. The dream in which it all ends."

#junelezen #junelezen2022 #Valeriaux Marquaile

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to-mask-the-quiet · 2 years

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Junelezen Day 5 - Eorzea Defended

"There is more to the hunt than stalking one's prey. One must know the Shades intimately if one is to succeed in staving off the shadows."

#junelezen #junelezen2022 #Valeriaux Marquaile

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to-mask-the-quiet · 2 years

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Junelezen Day 4 - History Repeating

"Even now, with follies of Mhach laid bare, there are those that would look to the past and say it means nothing. I cannot allow it."

#junelezen #junelezen2022 #Valeriaux Marquaile

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to-mask-the-quiet · 2 years

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Junelezen 2022 Day 2 - Calamity

"The greatest calamity of them all yet bleeds its way unto the halls of our Star."

#junelezen #junelezen2022 #Valeriaux Marquaile

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to-mask-the-quiet · 3 years

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9 - Friable

Valeriaux sighed.

“...Gentler.”

The duskwight’s gaze hovered over the slimy mound that remained in the wake of an all too enthusiastic attempt at cracking an egg on the counter top of the Delphinus’ kitchen. Rising up from the yolk-y viscera was a metallic arm - of a sort - that originated from a moderately sized spherical body that had rotated entirely unnecessarily to ‘face’ Valeriaux in the wake of his offered direction.

“Acknowledged. I shall reduce velocity to produce the desired result.”

It was beginning to become a touch suspect whether or not this particular ‘assistant’ was going be of much use in this particular manner. The node, since coming into his possession by way of his exasperated friend Baidur, had been a useful addition to the Delphinus in a myriad of ways. Given its capacity for intricate work of the mechanical nature Valeriaux thought that it might be of some use as a sous chef of sorts as well.

He did not expect needing to offer this much training to the floating bulb.

Plink. Crack!

The node made another attempt at performing the requested task to desired specifications. Valeriaux was almost afraid to look given that he’d need to clean up the mess in the end. Yet, as his violet eyes slide over to the protruding manipulator, he was greeted with a sight of an egg that was quite nearly perfectly fractured. The cracking along the shell spread out over the entirety of the egg. It almost looked as though it had been wrapped up in some sort of webbing.

“Much better, now ...”

And then it feel apart entirely within the node’s grasp.

“... let us work on a different task.”

Valeriaux sighed.

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to-mask-the-quiet · 3 years

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2 - Aberrant

A spark unbound in sky above;

wicked intent aflame.

Telophoroi accost the pair

upon Draconic claim.

Levin-born light, undone by fear,

does soon reveal despair.

Foul ink soon spilled from vein to blot

the rabid blaze of flare

The black did cut the sky to bleed

its boon upon his soul.

Then fire as fangs soon pierced the heart

of life once free now sold.

The night now wept, frenzied in guilt;

As wing now beat with thrill.

Horror of heart did wrack his mind

While tooth and claw fulfill.

Telophoroi now lost to all

within Draconic flame.

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to-mask-the-quiet · 3 years

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1 - Foster

The bright, vibrant early morning sunlight filtered in through the latticed windows of Valeriaux’s study with a rosy-tinge. The elezen himself sat within a plush, high-backed chair before a wide desk; one hand cradled a cup of steaming tea that smelled of deep earth. The other hand tapped idly upon the desktop, violet eyes trained upon the wall opposite them. There wasn’t anything there, not really, but there were plenty of memories. This hadn’t always been his study.

Images of a young elezen boy, a duskwight with violet eyes, bursting through the door and rushing over to the massive collection of books floated through Valeriaux’s mind. The kind and gentle fashion in which the man extracted himself from a plush, high-backed chair before a wide desk and whatever important missive lay before him so that he could join the boy in the midst of pilfering the shelves of select, yet arbitrarily chosen, books. The way that he lifted the boy, scooping him up by the underarm and setting him down gently beside him on a cushioned bench before taking up one of the books and beginning to read to him.

The tension within Valeriaux slowly built, winding tighter and tighter, until he forced its break by lifting his cup of tea to take a distracting sip. He could feel the pounding within his chest ever-so-slowly begin to subside. The tea, cool enough to drink but too hot to do some comfortably, provided a merciful grounding to his straying thoughts. A welcome, but ultimately temporal, reprieve His right hand resumed the idle drumming of fingers upon the wood of the desk.

The boy hadn’t learned to read yet, he was still learning, but he was voracious in his appetite. Even if he didn’t understand what it was the books said. The mere act of listening and watching as the man dragged his finger across the page to point to the words he was reading was a thrill in itself. The magic of experiencing the symbols upon paper transformed into sounds; sounds that the boy knew. The giddy energy within the room found equal home within the man’s brilliant smile while he read.

Valeriaux suddenly shot up from his chair. A reflexive response to a single jolt of emotion. His jaw was clenched while his head hammered rapidly within his chest. The duskwight inwardly cursed, silent and sharp, his teacup only half-empty. He pushed his chair back so that he could step out from around the desk, stalking his way over to the study door in hurry. He glanced back over to the wall of bookshelves, a slow breath filtering through him. Then he slipped through door and slammed it behind him.

The door remained faintly ajar.

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to-mask-the-quiet · 3 years

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35. Do they always rationalize errors? How do they accept disasters and failures?

(For Valeriaux)

Up until his time on Salemtaza’s Voyage, and the events of Heartless, Valeriaux would often rationalize his errors in a very detached way. Particularly those pertaining to his more clandestine activities. You determine the reason and account for it next time. End of story. He was decidedly harder man before then and his drive always kept him moving on to the next hunt. There wasn't time to waste wondering how that last one could have been different. As long as you were still alive, and could continue, you did.

His relationship with error, failure, and disaster now is much more chaotic. This is particular true when it comes to death and violence. He's still very comfortable with unilaterally putting down voidsent without hesitation, but the people behind the summoning have conjured up more complicated feelings in him now. In times past he worked with a heavy hand, but now the weight of it feels crushing. He can't see it plainly in black and white anymore and that is a frightening new reality to him.

The idea of taking a life and being wrong about the reason after-the-fact is terrifying to him.

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to-mask-the-quiet · 3 years

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4. What type of discipline was your character subjected to at home? Strict? Lenient?

Valeriaux's "home" for the first seven or eight years of his life was always somewhere different most nights. He and his mother never stayed anyone particularly long. They didn't always necessarily stay in places that they were supposed to be. It was a reality that demanded a fair measure of discipline, though it also afforded him a great measure of lenience in other parts of his life.

Once he was adopted into the Marquaile family his life took on a bit more order and discipline. Though his father was not a harsh man, he did expect a lot from Valeriaux because he saw the talent that the young boy had. He did what he could to foster it.

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to-mask-the-quiet · 3 years

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2. Their mother? How do they think of her? What do they hate? Love? What influence - literal or imagined - did the mother have?

Valeriaux cared deeply for his mother. It was his mother that kept him safe and fed in his earliest memories. The first seven years of Valeriaux's life were spent in poverty but his mother always made sure that they had food and shelter.

If you asked Valeriaux today if there was anything about his mother that he didn't like he'd likely immediately claim that there was nothing. She was ever the calm, steady, serene rock that he needed her to be when all felt tumultuous.

She was the undaunted and the unflappable as far as Valeriaux was concerned. A symbol of perseverance and tenacity. It made her loss the harder on him.

It would probably pain Valeriaux if he were to consider the fact that his mother's greatest influence on him after her death was as a well for him to draw out anger and contempt. Even if it wasn't directed at the woman herself.

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to-mask-the-quiet · 3 years

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1. How does your character think of their father? What do they hate and love about him? What influence - literal or imagined - did the father have?

The short answer? Very poorly.

The fact that his father is responsible for his mother's death supersedes any and all affection that Valeriaux might have once felt for his father. All he has left for the man his hatred for what he took away from him and a deep desire for vengeance.

Before that, however, Valeriaux couldn't have possibly been closer to the man. Though he came to be Valeriaux's step-father somewhat late into his childhood they bonded at a rapid rate. It was not long before a genuine love existed between them. It's what made the loss sting all the more.

As relatively influential member of the Twin Adders Valeriaux's father held considerably high status -- at least as much as one can in Gridania -- and Valeriaux benefited from it greatly. His father was his closest confidant as a teen and his greatest mentor. Though it is absolutely true that he is more like his step-father than his mother by malms he would not want to hear it in the slightest.

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to-mask-the-quiet · 3 years

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12. How does their education and intelligence – or lack thereof - reflect in their speech pattern, vocabulary, and pronunciations?

Though it is something of a facade, Valeriaux most often observed using a more archaic and refined speech pattern/vocabulary (a bit of Urianger-lite) that matches the high level of education that he was given when he was adopted into the considerably wealthy Marquaile family. Even if it is mostly a show that he puts on to appear the bumbling, harmless academic.

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to-mask-the-quiet · 3 years

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Character solidifying!

Specify a character and leave a number in my ask, if you’re feeling so kind!

1. How does your character think of their father? What do they hate and love about him? What influence - literal or imagined - did the father have?

2. Their mother? How do they think of her? What do they hate? Love? What influence - literal or imagined - did the mother have?

3. Brothers, sisters? Who do they like? Why? What do they despise about their siblings?

4. What type of discipline was your character subjected to at home? Strict? Lenient?

5. Were they overprotected as a child? Sheltered?

6. Did they feel rejection or affection as a child?

7. What was the economic status of their family?

8. How does your character feel about religion?

9. What about political beliefs?

10. Is your character street-smart, book-smart, intelligent, intellectual, slow-witted?

11. How do they see themselves: as smart, as intelligent, uneducated?

12. How does their education and intelligence – or lack thereof - reflect in their speech pattern, vocabulary, and pronunciations?

13. Did they like school? Teachers? Schoolmates?

14. Were they involved at school? Sports? Clubs? Debate? Were they unconnected?

15. Did they graduate? High-School? College? Do they have a PHD? A GED?

16. What does your character do for a living? How do they see their profession? What do they like about it? Dislike?

17. Did they travel? Where? Why? When?

18. What did they find abroad, and what did they remember?

19. What were your character’s deepest disillusions? In life? What are they now?

20. What were the most deeply impressive political or social, national or international, events that they experienced?

21. What are your character’s manners like? What is their type of hero? Whom do they hate?

22. Who are their friends? Lovers? ‘Type’ or ‘ideal’ partner?

23. What do they want from a partner? What do they think and feel of sex?

24. What social groups and activities does your character attend? What role do they like to play? What role do they actually play, usually?

25. What are their hobbies and interests?

26. What does your character’s home look like? Personal taste? Clothing? Hair? Appearance?

27. How do they relate to their appearance? How do they wear their clothing? Style? Quality?

28. Who is your character’s mate? How do they relate to him or her? How did they make their choice?

29. What is your character’s weaknesses? Hubris? Pride? Controlling?

30. Are they holding on to something in the past? Can he or she forgive?

31. Does your character have children? How do they feel about their parental role? About the children? How do the children relate?

32. How does your character react to stress situations? Defensively? Aggressively? Evasively?

33. Do they drink? Take drugs? What about their health?

34. Does your character feel self-righteous? Revengeful? Contemptuous?

35. Do they always rationalize errors? How do they accept disasters and failures?

36. Do they like to suffer? Like to see other people suffering?

37. How is your character’s imagination? Daydreaming a lot? Worried most of the time? Living in memories?

38. Are they basically negative when facing new things? Suspicious? Hostile? Scared? Enthusiastic?

39. What do they like to ridicule? What do they find stupid?

40. How is their sense of humor? Do they have one?

41. Is your character aware of who they are? Strengths? Weaknesses? Idiosyncrasies? Capable of self-irony?

42. What does your character want most? What do they need really badly, compulsively? What are they willing to do, to sacrifice, to obtain?

43. Does your character have any secrets? If so, are they holding them back?

44. How badly do they want to obtain their life objectives? How do they pursue them?

45. Is your character pragmatic? Think first? Responsible? All action? A visionary? Passionate? Quixotic?

46. Is your character tall? Short? What about size? Weight? Posture? How do they feel about their physical body?

47. Do they want to project an image of a younger, older, more important person? Does they want to be visible or invisible?

48. How are your character’s gestures? Vigorous? Weak? Controlled? Compulsive? Energetic? Sluggish?

49. What about voice? Pitch? Strength? Tempo and rhythm of speech? Pronunciation? Accent?

50. What are the prevailing facial expressions? Sour? Cheerful? Dominating?

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to-mask-the-quiet · 3 years

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"Whatever you may prove to be; you shan't have free reign over me."

An absolutely beautiful piece of Valeriaux, and some recent events, done by pandaspalkoj!

#ffxiv art #commissioned art #elezen #duskwight #he's dealing with some .... THINGS

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