#bel aliender

[chysgoda]

September 28: Blunt

"Why were you so rude?" Bel's purple tail lashed behind her. She drummed her fingers on the grimoire at her hip. Next to the young woman Little, her opoleclent and slightly transparent scale kin familiar, was mimicking the upright and imperious stance of his mistress.

Thancred, Urianger, and Ahewann turned their heads just slightly to watch for Estinien's reaction. The five of them were waiting down the hall from Vrtra's chamber, far enough away that they could not hear what the dragon and Art'imis were saying. Bel had been glaring at Estinien the whole time.

"You would have handled it like the daughter of a high house and we would still be in there." Estinien shrugged and leaned back against the wall.

Thancred, Urianger, and Ahewann turned their heads again.

"How have you not been eaten?" Bel threw her hands up nearly dislodging the mottled green carbuncle resting limply across her shoulders. Button yipped annoyance and jumped down to rest on Little's back. "The bare minimum diplomacy does not take that long."

Thancred, Urianger, and Ahewann turned their heads back.

Estinien arched an eyebrow, "It was unnecessary."

Thancred, Urianger, and Ahewann turned their heads again

Bel abruptly turned to their audience, her ears pinned back in her agitation, "Are you entertained?"

"Yes."

"Verily it is so."

"Of course."

"Now who's being rude?"

Bel made a soundless noise of frustration.

#ffxiv #ffxivwrite2023 #estinien wyrmblood #bel aliender

[starswornoaths]

“what can i do to help?”

Pick your poison

Uthengentle lacked the hypersensitive hearing of M’iqote or Elezen races, but he didn’t need it to hear Bel swearing up a storm from within the training ground.

It didn’t take long to find her, hacking away at a training dummy with her lance. Even from a distance, the stiffness in her posture and the deep crease in her brow told him that she was less training with technique and more just working out aggression. Maintaining his distance, he waited for her to work out the worst of it.

When the trusts of her lance slowed and her shoulders slumped in heavy panting, Uthengentle finally called out, “That bad of a day, eh?”

“Isn’t it usually?” Bel growled with another pointed thrust of her spear.

“No, usually you’re just tired from training. What happened? Tell me all about it.” When she didn’t immediately answer, he tried again, “I promise I won’t threaten bodily harm on anyone who’s upset you.”

That got the desired effect, and she laughed hard enough she stopped attacking the training dummy.

“Just things with training.”

“What can I do to help?”

Bel didn’t immediately answer, though Uthengentle made a mental note to speak with Art’imis about it later, let her know what’s been happening with her daughter, especially if it was something discriminatory.

“...I don’t want to talk about it here.” She finally said quietly, and started her rotation over again.

“Why don’t we head to Serella’s? It’s not far, and it’s a hell of a lot warmer there, and you could see the pets.” When she didn’t stop training, but wavered between putting her weapon down and continuing, he sweetened the deal with, “I’ll get us some cocoa and cookies from that one stall you like on the way-”

He made good on his word to get them a nice hot drink and snack, and with a notice to her mother of where she was going, they made for Serella’s house, given how much closer it was than his own home in Ul’Dah. It was the best he could think of to give her both privacy to feel comfortable with talking about it, and also have backup snacks, blankets, and affectionate pets to help lift Bel’s mood.

#ffxiv #chysgoda #Bel Aliender #Uthengentle Arcbane #ffxiv asks #they just didn't go to Uthen's bc he lives in Ul'Dah and he lives stupid far away from Ishgard #and also Serella has cats and a dog #v important #I hope this sparks joy!

[chysgoda]

Last Dragoon: Dux Bellorum Part One

September 01: Envoy

The Song had been distracting for the last few days. There was something amused in the steady drum beat of Midgardsomer's heart that laid under Hrasvalger's strange yearning for family, his horde's curiosity, and a new note in the harmony that she did not recognize. Someone had slowly been making their way to the Dravinian forelands. Someone who should not be taking so long to get here and the white wyrm was growing grumpy. Bel Aliender did her best to cast aside the urge to retreat to Aynx Trine and fall into the Song. She had business with her own horde, as Vidofnir was fond of calling Defiant. 

Nearly ten years on from the eighth umbral calamity and Defiant was looking more like a proper town than a refugee tent city. She watched her husband drilling his pair of squires and her small cadre of dragoons spared under Baelsar's critical gaze. At the communal hearth Chochoba Choba was haranguing someone about disgraceful bread baking while Linda Carter and Dark Autumn watched the few children that had been born safely to Defiant. Whatever had Hrasvalger in a twist she would not let it sour the song in her own heart. 

Bel's ears flicked back, near the gate talons were pounding on the hard packed dirt of the road between Defiant and Tailfeather. She turned to see a black chocobo and one of the messengers that regularly made the run between the two settlements. They were pushing their bird far more than they normally would. They caught sight of her and did not bother to slow down as they barreled through the town's gates. The horse bird's talons let goudges in the dirt when the messenger finally reigned in their mount. "Thank the Traveler that you're not on patrol!"

Bel caught the chocobo's reins, "Breathe, Rolant."

Rolant absently patted their bird's neck before he dismounted. One of Constaint's squires came up to take the chocobo's reins and guide the bird to water. Constaint and Gaius joined her while Rolant carefully opened an inner pocket in the bag slung crosswise over their body. Bel arched an eyebrow when she saw a pair of envelopes made with fine paper. The young elezan handed them to her. "There's two envoys in Tailfeather. They sent those letters and plan to start out for Defiant as soon as their traveling parties are rested."

Bel hummed an acknowledgement as she read the front of the envelopes. There was a subtle trace of magic in one of the envelopes. Not an intentional charm, more like the strings of a lute vibrating in sympathy was the sound of other instruments. The hand that wrote the address was simple and elegant.

'Ser Bel Aliender'

Bel flipped the first over to see if there was a seal and both her eyebrows arched. Next to her Baelsar shifted his weight and no doubt if she looked he'd have the tight subtle frown he always had when thinking. On her other side Constaint rested a hand on the small of her back. "I don't recognize that seal."

"It's the personal seal of the Satrap of Radz-at-Han," Bel ran her thumb over the rich blue wax and thought of the Song with exasperation. if Hrasvalger was going to inflict the Song with his personal annoyances the least he could have done was provide an actual explanation of who he was upset with. "and his envoy is more than what he appears." 

Rolant nodded, "The envoy is Au Ra but he's got the strangest green horn and scales. He's polite at least. Treats everyone in Tailfeather like equals. The other one…"

Bel shuffled the envelopes and frowned at the address on it. 

Dux Bellorum Aliender

Gaius hissed out a breath and explained when Bel glanced at him, "it is An old Garlean title. Dux Bellorum, leader of war, was given to generals of renown when Garlemald was just a collection of petty chieftains and kings." 

Bel pressed her lips into a thin line and checked the seal. She found the Empire's interlocked links pressed into pale red wax. What was that strangling chain doing anywhere near her people? "What does this second envoy call themselves?"

"Qunitus van Cinna legatus of the first legion," Rolant grimaced and ran a hand through their hair, "he and his escort have been trying. There would have been blood in the dirt if Machop and Envoy Varshan hadn't been able to defuse things."

"Do you know him, Gaius?" Bel tapped the edges of the envelopes against her lips as she thought. 

"A fanatic," the old wolf said decisively, "I did not think he had survived the fall of the empire."

"Love, could you ask the council to join me in the town hall?" Bel asked after a few long minutes. "Gaius could you make sure that the road stays clear and organize an escort? It would be wise to keep this legatus from encountering our vanth allies."

Baelsar nodded crisply and strode off to gather up what constituted Defiant's militia. Constaint bent to kiss the crown of her head and then straightened to go over to hearth where Chochoba still was. Rolant gave her a half bow and headed to the stables where his bird would have been. Bel blew out a breath and pinched the bridge of her nose. In that unguarded moment the constant background of Song surged and the ever present melody nearly pulled her into it. 

"Something wrong Lady Knight?" The lilting and oily voice brought Bel back to the present. She turned to glare at Carry Ermingild who held his hands up, "I'm only concerned for our Dux Bellorum."

"Carry please find something to do that doesn't involve finding titles to annoy me with." Bel said with an evenness that only six years of enduring the man's teasing could grant. 

"Oh don't be like that," the elezan man chided. "but I shall go and aid our old wolf with escorting our new guests."

He walked past her raising his arm and gave two twists his hand in a loose wristed wave.  

#ffxiv #ffxivwrite2023 #ffxiv fan fiction #au: last dragoon #Bel Aliender #Gaius Baelsar #constaint #red head writes a thing

[chysgoda]

Final Fantasy Write 2023

Long May You Hold

September 13: Check

"I need you to stay here."

Bel took in a breath and released it. The engineers and the lopporits were doing the final checks on the Ragnarok. Those going to hunt down Mention were scattered about the hanger in their own small goodbyes. This was likely a suicide mission even if nobody would say so. Next to her feet Button pawed at her mother's leg. Art'imis Chysgoda bent and picked up the carbuncle, who immediately rubbed its cheek along her horn. Bel released another breath and searched her mother's eyes. She wasn't asking this because she thought Bel incapable in battle, they'd fought side by side. "You're really afraid you'll fail."

Art'imis pressed her lips thin and settled the mottled green carbuncle on her shoulder, "You're the only other person that's built up the full six crystal blessing. If the worst happens I need you here to take the final stand."

Bel's tongue felt thick and dry. She hugged her mom fiercely. Bel swallowed several times until she found her words again, "I'll make sure there's plenty for you to come home to."

She felt her mother's smile against her shoulder. She felt the hard cool metal of the pearl white plates of her mother's armor against her chest. She felt the tears that seeped into the fabric of her jacket. She felt the strength and conviction in the arms that returned the hug. "See that you do, you've still got a master work to complete for the arcanist guild."

"I love you Mom," Bel whispered.

Art'imis popped up on tiptoe to rub a horn against Bel's cheek, "Love you too night light."

They stepped apart, with nothing else to say they shared final smiles. Art'imis gave Button a scratch behind the ears before the carbuncle jumped back to Bel's shoulder.

She watched her mother turn and walk to where X'ruhn stood just far enough away to ensure and protect their privacy. Over her mother's shoulder the red mage gave her a nod. Bel nodded back and watched them join the scions who had gathered back at the Ragnarok. Bel ignored the speech by Alphinaud and Alisae's father, there was nothing for her in it. She felt when Bianca and Asamar stepped up on either side of her, their shoulders pressing against her's and at her back the tall protective presence of Zhadan. Bel was thankful for it when her family walked up the gangplank.

She didn't try to pretend her tears were from the brightness of the after-burner's blue white light.

#ffxiv #ffxivwrite2023 #red head writes a thing #endwalker spoilers #Art'imis Chysgoda #Bel Aliender #contingency planning because no plan lasts contact with reality

[chysgoda]

Final Fantasy Write

September 30: Amity

Major spoilers for Endwalker

"You were the hope they would never have been able to extinguish."

A child's voice had never scared Bel so badly. And its owner was very lucky that she had been preparing her arrays in pencil and had not started inking yet. She whipped around one hand on the small book that hung from her hip and wetted her lips to whistle the activation for the arrays in its pages. What she saw was a child with the feet of a hawk and blue wings sprouting from beneath blue hair. She let the air she'd gathered in her lungs go but kept a hand on the grimoire at her hip. She recognized this child from memories her mother had shared with her through the echo. "You're Meteion."

"Yes," the child's smile was weary and hopeful. "I was… hoping… that we could be friends?" The child wrung their hands and the naked hope in their eyes made Bel's heart break a bit. She also remembered her mother's wrath that Meteion had been treated so poorly by the creator who said he found all life precious. Her mother's words had been clipped as she paced in the main hall of the Baldesion Annex, *She never had a chance to become other than what she did. Wanting to know what makes life worth living is one thing, but Thal's ruby balls sending out a child to do it? A child with little sense of what she was going to experience let alone have the skills to put it in some kind of context.*

Bel let her hand drop from the book at her hip and turned completely around. She was silent for a long moment. "Where are your sisters?"

"Gone, your mother… please can we … talk something else?" Meteion dropped her head down.

Bel considered this child, both a victim and a harbinger, and remembered a rocky cavern filled with fire and prayers to Ifrit that fell from the lips of beloved parents. But the strongest memory was a hand held out and a gentle voice of a woman who had not needed to but for some reason looked down and did not walk away.

Bel held her hand out and gave Meteion a gentle smile. "Yes I think we can be friends."

#ffxiv #ffxivwrite2023 #Endwalker #bel aliender #Meteion #red head writes a thing

[chysgoda]

(@driftward) Hello hello, Obscure Screenshot Suggestions! I would like to see 🤖 to see them doing or wearing something associated with Garlemald or The Empire, and 🔮 to see them doing or wearing something associated with magic.

They had just a moment before the guards hurried them on to the cells. Minfilia dropped to a knee and clasped one of Bel’s small hands in hers. The little girl looked bewildered. There was a glassy sheen in her eyes that Minfilia knew was from shock. She remembered it the feeling from when her father had been killed by the rampaging gooble.

“Your mother will come. We will be all right.” Minfilia forced conviction into her voice. “The mother crystal will watch over you.”

“She didn’t watch over everyone we left behind.” Bel’s voice was small and confused.

The older woman grimaced and pulled the child into a hug. In her soul she cursed these Garlean invaders into the deepest pits of the seven hells. In her heart she prayed that Hydaelyn would help her niece escape, even if no one else did.

#ffxiv #ffxiv screen edits #red head writes a thing #ffxiv fan fiction #a micro fic to go with your screen shots! #minfilia warde #bel aliender #ask answered

[chysgoda]

Last Dragoon: Dux Bellorum Part Two

September 03: Free Space

Bel drummed her fingers on the counsel table. The initial meeting and reading of the letters had not taken long. And now they had dispersed. Chochoba and Raya-O-Senna to make sure that there was food for the guests. Dark to speak with the thavnairian weavers that Bel had offered sanctuary. Jaren to see to the safety of the road and organize an escort party. Which left her alone with the letters. The one from the Satrap was boring in all honesty. the envoy had been sent to offer the group of Thavnairians that sheltered on her town passage home. A simple and to the point cover for anyone who could not hear the Song.  

The second letter was just as short but left a hollow feeling in her stomach. 

Dux Bellorum Aliender I have heard the tales of your victory at the Battle of Riversmeet and of how the settlement under your rule thrives. In this time of woe such accomplishments are deserving of no small praise. Now that the damage wrought by my uncle's madness has been repaired, I can turn my eye to the provinces that we have shamefully neglected.  I trust you to see the reason in bringing Eorzea back into the Empire's generous arms. I have sent my legatus Quintus van Cinna to formally present the terms of your governorship and aid in selecting an envoy to return with him to our capitol. I look forward to someday enjoying your hospitality, Dux Bellorum.  In service and glory Nerva Zos Galvus

The sheer audacity of it stunned her. She ground her teeth and clenched a fist. They had heard that there were survivors, and that Nerva Galvus had been among those that had been elsewhere when the reserves of black rose under the palace had exploded. A rather convenient coincidence Bel thought given that in the wake of that Nerva had been the only one with legitimate claim to the throne left standing. 

She drug a hand down her face had he had had any actual success with this tactic of assumption? Perhaps the legatus was here to sweeten the deal, perhaps not. She took in another breath and let it out slowly. Regardless, she had a reputation for adhering to the old rules of hospitality that she did not intend to sully. Here the man out, feed him, give him a bed for the night, and set him back on the road to home. So long as the Quintus upheld the obligations of an envoy and guest he would leave peaceably in the morning.  

She stood, turned to make sure that her drachenmail hung neatly on its armor stand behind her seat, and walked out to meet her guests at the front gate. 

#ffxiv #ffxivwrite2023 #au: last dragoon #Bel aliender #Nerva Galvus #red head writes a thing

[chysgoda]

(@driftward) Ship meme, for Art’imis...

Aymeric. I am curious about how that dynamic would shake out.

Or Yugiri. What's that shape in the mirror.

Aymeric

Bel laid on her stomach reading the book uncle Artoriel had given her. Her mother sat on the bed next to her and stared at the wardrobe. Bel craned her head back to see how her mother’s lips pulled into a thin line and her eyebrows scrunched into the patch of ivory scales at the center of her forehead. Bel twitched her purple tail to the side to lay it alongside her mother’s sender ivory one. The young miqo’te girl placed the ribbon bookmark and closed her book. “He’s not like Ilberd.”

Art’imis expelled a breath somewhere between a huff and a laugh. “No, he’s not.”

Bel scowled when she noticed that her mom was picking at the scales on the back of her hands. She wriggled to get her knees under her and knelt up. She grasped one of her mom’s hands and pulled it towards her so that Art’imis couldn’t keep picking at herself. The paladin stared down at the hand Bel had claimed for a moment and then blew out a breath. She kissed the crown of Bel’s head and then rubbed the side of her horn against her daughter’s cheek.

They let the silence settle, soft and still between them. Eventually Art’imis sighed, “Well I know that you like him.”

“Mom!” Bel drew out the vowel into a whine, “I was ten!”

“Sorry darling,” Art’imis laughed and threw her arm around Bel’s shoulders, “seriously though, What do you think?”

Bel fussed with the end of her tail until her mother laid a hand over hers. “I think he’s kind. He never chuckles with the other nobles to keep face when someone makes a joke”- Bel raised her hands to make air quotes so aggressive she almost threw Art’imis’s arm off her shoulders - “about your scales or my ears. I know he can’t go with you when you have to be the Warrior Of Light, but he’d understand it and what it does to you.”

Art’imis hummed in thought and rested her chin on Bel’s head until the thirteen year old wriggled to get her to move. “Help me pick something out to wear?”

“Only if you never bring up that crush again.”

“Hmmmmmm, no promises.”

“Mom!!”

(The only person that doesn’t drag Bel about her school girl crush on Aymeric is Aymeric.)

Aymeric probably would have been who I shipped Art with ultimately except for one problem, I find Aymeric really really hard to write. Like to a stupid extent and I’m not sure why. On a character level though I think he would be patient and compassionate enough to wait for and help Art deal with her trauma (and Bel’s trauma) regarding the relationship with Ilberd. (Because I was evidently the only person who did NOT see that coming and I have inflicted that on Art’imis) Art was seriously messed up after the bloody banquet and it took her until 5.1 to get her feet back under her so she could trust a relationship again. With Aymeric I’d have to poke at it to get a feel for if that process would have sped up with him in a more romantically inclined role than a platonic one. As a couple I can see them working fairly well together. I can also see Edmont playing matchmaker just a bit because then he knows at least two of his kids are in a stable relationship. Also Aymeric as Bel’s adopted dad would be hilarious and adorable.

And now have some AU photos where Art’imis de Borel takes her husband to see the home of the twelve. (She’s pretty sure that there won’t be any trials while they’re there. Mostly sure. Well reasonably sure… okay she told him to bring the damn bow for a reason)

And here in particular she points out how you can see the tower that SOMEONE used to drag the scions to the first.

#ffxiv #ffxiv character stuff #ffxiv ask meme answer #aymeric de borel #art’imis chysgoda #bel aliender #I swear I’ll get to Yugiri. #brain drain has been real recently

[chysgoda]

Causality

Spoilers: Endwalker 6.2 / Pandaemonium

Warnings: None

Words: 1445

Notes: so I did do SOME writing during FFXIVWrite, I just never got around to posting it or never got more than a few sentences in. September was a busy month and unfortunately write just never got to the top five on the to do list. So I’ll just post these as I get time to finish them

Summary: Bel has concerns about her mother’s visits to the past and no problem with voicing them

“You shouldn’t be going back there.”

Art’imis looked up from the goat she had just finished tying up. She handed the tether to the gleaner she had been helping who gave her a grateful nod before leading the stubborn creature off. The raen woman brushed her hands off on her pants. “The researchers tattled on me?”

“Mom, most of the time you don’t exactly take pains to hide what you are doing or plan to do.” Bel gave her almost the exact same look the Edmont did occasionally, the one of slight exasperation and familial fondness. 

“True enough, do you want to talk here or at the apartment in Ul’dah?” Art’imis smiled and looked over her daughter. The pinch between her eyebrows said that the younger woman would prefer somewhere besides the options given. Ishgard, if Art’imis had to venture a guess. There Bel would have options for backup to help talk sense into her stubborn mother.

“Does it matter?” Bel snapped. When her mother didn’t respond she continued. “You gamble every time you use that portal to the past. We don’t know enough to know if it’s stable, as far as G’raha knew that simulacrum of Alexander that you destroyed was the key to the time travel systems. That portal could collapse at any time and using it just puts stress on a system we don’t know the limits of.”

“They need my help,” Art’imis said gently. “And if it has already happened-“

“Time is NOT that straight forward.” Bel interrupted the barest hint of blue dragon fire sparking in her eyes. “The past can take care of itself. We need you here in the present!”

“I’ll finish what I’ve started Bel,” Art’imis’s voice hardened a hint of the paladin brought up to meet the angry dragon mage.

“What you’re doing is trying to assuage your own guilt for what happened to Elidibus.” Bel cast her words out like the lance she had once used and it hit just as accurately. 

For a moment Art’imis blinked in shock before finding her wits again. “Don’t presume-“

“I will,” again Bel cut her off. “You’ve taken Hydaelyn’s inaction as if it is a burden you must bear now that she is gone. You are not responsible for her failings. You do not need to give out your own blood in reparations for what you had no hand in.” 

Art’imis ground her teeth. She had always been proud of how observant and people savvy her daughter was. Having it turned against herself was a frustration she should have anticipated. The raen woman blew out a breath and focused on stilling her lashing tail. Bel did the same, though her ears remained pinned back against her skull. They stared at each other and Art’imis broke and looked away first. “Bel, inaction would be indol-“

“Don’t quote that indolence line at me.” In an instant Bel was tensed and ready to fight this battle with her mother again. “It is not indolent to recognize when you give too much of yourself and say no. You of all people have that right!”

 “I will not-“ Art’imis glared and and made a cutting gesture when Bel opened her mouth to interrupt again, “Let me state my peace Bel. I will not risk our present. How can you be any more certain that these actions aren’t necessary to maintain our timeline?”

Bel pressed her lips thin. Her eyes narrowed like she was trying to see something just behind her mother. “I can hear Ratataskor’s voice in the dragonsong sometimes. Not the echo, her voice and soul as present as Bianca is when we follow the other dragoons around to laugh at the trouble they get into and cause our own. The dragons experience more time than us. Yesterdays, todays, and tomorrows all blended together into a whole. The echos come from other times where she was not murdered, or where things happened differently. What I have learned from the Song, from tearing up my throat trying to sing with it, is that time is not a river. It is a bottomless sea. If I listen hard enough I can hear where other choices ring like harmonics in a choir. Other times that could have been and other me’s that could have been press against my entire being and ring like a crystal bell before the moment passes and all that’s left is the knowledge that it was there.” 

Bel took a long breath while her mother absorbed what she was saying and then dove on, “Our choices matter, we are not bound to a single path of causality. A ship can still move forward even if the wind and current do not favor it, it can change course to avoid a storm and still arrive safe at harbor. Our triumphs and vicissitudes and tomorrows are our own. Theirs are their own.” 

Bel refocused her eyes to meet Art’imis’s own. “Please leave them to themselves. You cannot save everyone.”

Mother and daughter, free paladin and dragon mage stared at each other. Art’imis reached out and pulled Bel into a hug. “I can’t stop.”

“Of all the things Hydaelyn left scared on your soul, I think I hate her most for that one,” Bel pressed her face into her mother’s hair, briefly wishing for the days when she was not several ilms taller than the small auri woman and could still see her mom as the invincible protector. 

“I’m pretty sure you can’t blame Hydaelyn for this one.” Art’imis smiled bitterly into Bel’s shoulder. She twisted her head to run the length of her horn against her daughter’s jaw as she stepped away. “What’s happening in Pandaemonium is part of my present now. I can’t abandon them.”

Bel sighed, “I’ll keep an eye on things here, for you.”

“There’s my girl.” Art’imis gripped Bel’s shoulder. “I need to eat, join me at Last Stand and you can try explaining that bit about the Dragonsong again.” 

Bel huffed a laugh and then mother and daughter made their way out of Labyrinthos. 

.

..

…

..

.

Our triumphs and vicissitudes and tomorrows are our own. Theirs are their own.

“What troubles you my friend?” Themis’s voice cut through Art’imis’s thoughts. She pulled her eyes away from the distant purple horizon she’d been staring at while chewing on Bel’s words. 

“How much are you prepared to trust me?” Art’imis closed her eyes as she gathered her courage and conviction, and most importantly her faith. 

Stay strong, keep the faith, at duty’s end we will meet again. We will. We will.

Our choices matter, we are not bound to a single path of causality.

When she opened her eyes the odd silver and gold locked gazes with Themis’s crystal blue stare. He cocked his head and did her the courtesy of considering the question carefully. “You have been nothing but a faithful companion. Wherever you are from, dear falling star, I’ve no doubt that they have need of the skills you have honed so sharply. That you lent us your strength in battle is an honor. That you also gave your friendship and compassion is humbling.”

Art’imis gave Themis a half bow in gratitude for his words and to hide the wince of memories from Nordvrant. When she straightened she gave him a soft smile, “Not buying the line that I’m Azem’s familiar anymore?”

“I know Azem well, and the creation of a familiar that would be only half as capable as you are, is well beyond her knowledge or interest.” Themis hid a chuckle behind his fist. “It is a good cover though and anyone who’s only experience is with the wild tales that come back to Amaurot will no doubt think it within her capabilities.”

Art’imis smiled, allowing herself to partake in Themis’s good humor for a moment before the weight of what she was about to tell him drug her back into its somber shadow. “Let’s find Lahabrea. I would prefer that you both knew and I don’t want to tell this tale more than once if I don’t have to.”

Themis cocked his head to the side again as he considered her. He nodded and gestured for her to follow him.  Walking in the wake of his white robes Art’imis felt her spirit lighten as guilt that had been clawing at her soul fell away.  When she left Elpis this time, she would heed Bel’s warnings and not come back. She could not be here when stars fell from the sky and consumed everything with fire. 

She could not save everyone. 

But perhaps she didn’t have too if she left them with the knowledge they needed to save themselves. 

#ffxiv #ffxiv fan fiction #red head writes a thing #pandaemonium spoilers #endwalker 6.2 #endwalker 6.2 spoilers #art'imis chysgoda #Bel Aliender #Themis #a very belated ffxivwrite entry #I very nearly put warning: wibbly wobbly timey whimey bullshit #because this game cannot keep its time travel framework consistent

[chysgoda]

Thaliak, the Scholar 7. When it comes to formal education, does your character have any goals? 8. Does your character enjoy reading? If so, what kind of books? 9. How important is education to your character?

So quick (ha ha I thought before I actually started writing this) head cannon to contextualize some of what I’m going to go into. Also this is a very YMMV head cannon so ya know I like it others may not. But we’re talking about my characters so full steam ahead!

The Echo acts as a hand dandy hand wave for why WoL can speak to everyone and written language is included in this universal translator per Eorzean Encyclopedia 1. However, on a logic level this doesn’t work entirely for me.

Spoken language works in the meta of the world because when two or more people are directly interacting there also all of the related body language, vocal intonation, and aether/dynamis right there to add all the delicate nuances that come with spoken language. the Echo can really just fill in the gaps (I also think this a big charisma stat bonus for WoL because their in person communication skills have a pretty strong empathic boost)

Writing however has more than a few levels of abstraction and varying amounts of time between the writer and the reader. There’s a lot of very specific ways different cultures use written language to fill in the blanks left when you take out body language and vocal intonations. Another layer of abstraction is translation where you go from an original writer through another person(s) before it ends up in a language the reader can consume. This translation even exists within one language if there’s a chunk of time and language shifts. Two examples of this are; Received Pronunciation vs. Original Pronunciation in Shakespear’s plays (look up the youtube channel Shakespear on Toast and watch his lecture series on this and other things. It’s fascinating) closer to home older Millennials trying to interpret Gen Z slang/abbreviations. So given that the Echo is the ability to “cross the boundaries of the soul” there’s a lot of dead space between the souls and the Echo acts more like google translate rather than a nice fat stat boost. I also think some kind of actual experience with the language outside of the echo is needed otherwise WoL could just read all of the ancient allagan nonsense that keeps popping up.

So given all of that, on to actually answering the question.

Art’imis is ambivalent with regards to any formal education in relation to herself. She’s very well aware that she would be an absolutely dreadful student if someone made her plop her butt down in some Studium class. A large portion of that is her struggle to actually be able to read most of the materials. She was entirely illiterate when she first got to Eorzea (her echo woke on the Azem Steppe before she came to Eorzea) because she had no experience with Eorzean common in any way other than what was spoken in the Kuagane port and on the ship to Eorzea. Her mentor in the gladiator’s guild taught her to read well enough that she could negotiate contracts and part of that negotiation was an instance on plain language. That demand however isn’t something you can ask of an already written book and books are kinda important to formal education. It isn’t until she’s with the scions and Bel is learning to read that Art’imis’s own skill starts improving because she doesn’t want bel to have her limitation and so helps encourage her daughter by learning with her. Even after her reading improved, complicated texts, both technical and poetic, took her a long time and a lot of effort to wade through. So technical stuff she can learn but prefers to learn through conversation. Eorzean trashy penny romance novels are generally straightforward enough and entertaining (in both good and bad ways) enough that she enjoys reading them. Which was where she was kinda floating until Hozan and Yugiri showed her some of the texts that they had managed to save and bring with them. Art could get through those easily and had her first solid clue as to where she came from.

So tl;dr for Art: no; ambivalent/ more likely to sketch; in relation to herself no, in relation to others absolute cheerleader

For a Bel, she was raised by a mix of adventurers, post doc nerds, an ascian pretending to be a spook/post doc nerd, and Ishgardian nobility, so she has much more distinct opinions about education/reading than her mother. She started learning to read around when her echo awakened in the bowl of embers because it looked close enough to burning meteors from the perspective of a 7 year old to trigger the generational soul pstd. Learning to read for the first time, at that age, with the echo, presented some interesting educational challenges. Lahabrea was the one that taught her how to read around the echo (for REASONS (™)), the scions and various associated adventurers encouraged a love of reading and learning. If the bloody banquet hadn’t happened she probably would have gone to the Arcanist Guild in her early teens. In Ishgard any mage schooling was a hard no and Edmont tailored her education so that she could step into a role as a schenchal, politician, or just in general have a very solid I can make things happen and keep happening skills at her disposal when her career as a dragoon eventually came to an end. When that career ended very early due to injury she made the decision to go train at the arcanist guild after a lot of conversations with a lot of different people. She finished her delayed thesis for the arcanist guild shortly after Endwalker since the guild mistress had very kindly handed out end of the world extensions to anyone who asked. For casual reading Bel will pick up just about anything that catches her eye or that someone in her extensive family network suggests. When you’re raised by an eclectic group of people you end up with an eclectic set of interests.

tl;dr for Bel: She’s currently conducting research about using arcamina to channel dragon aether; yes and pretty much everything; yes

#ffxiv #ffxiv ask meme answer #Art’imis Chysgoda #bel aliender #random things I have very complicated head cannons about #thanks for the ask!

[chysgoda]

🍾: Does your OC believe in luck? If so, do they have any charm or ritual they do before a stressful event?

Art’imis: so I have this HC that for gladiators in Ul’dah it was BAD luck and a serious act of disrespect to pray for luck/help before a fight. (However you damn well better be sure that you give thanks afterwards or you just might find yourself short on good luck.) Giving the gods their dues usually involved leaving some offering to the shrines of Rhalger or Halone just inside the entrances to the sands. The most common offering was a handful of bloody sand, but teeth that had been knocked out or broken bits of weapons are present in abundance. Art’imis took that with her when she became an adventurer (like many other gladiators who joined the guild or the grand company). So after fights or such she’ll generally thank Halone and very deliberately leave some kind of offering with the prayer. Alphinaud asked her once why she did that when she never performs any other kind of worship. She told him it was “hedging her bets”.

Bel: Poor Bel ends up straddling worlds quite often. So she was very famillar with her mother’s customs regarding praying for luck, but she was also effectively raised by Edmont de Fortemps from 10 onwards. She’s very intimately aware of Hydaelyn, the Ascians, and the nature of primals; but she has also been going to church with the Fortemps family through much of her formative pre-teen and teenage years. So she strikes a balance with praying for Halone to watch over and grant luck to her loved ones in a battle while following her mother’s example of thanking the goddess for any help she cared to grant to her personally and leaving an offering of herself afterwards. Bel has gotten very good at dodging questions about her religious beliefs over the years.

Tristan Galis (gonna start working through his character with these): Tristan believes in luck but puts much more stock in faith and conviction. (As a Paladin should) prior to being exiled from Ishgard he would quite often serve as champion to those that found themselves victims of the church. He would pray to Halone to reaffirm his own faith and conviction before hand.

#ffxiv #ask answers #art’imis chysgoda #bel aliender #Tristan Galis #some how this ended up being more about religious beliefs? #eh two of them are paladins it works

[chysgoda]

(there's an English translation in the comments on the video)

This would be the song I've decided on for Bel and Allie, and specifically this cover of it. they're both children of war in their own ways and are more than familiar with loved ones going off into life and death situations. They both know it's not that far a step from lament to war cry, or from war cry to lament. the almost frantic pace is also just very appropriate for their lives from when they meet after the Emerald weapon fight to the end of 6.0.



Also it's just a kick ass song.



This section of the spoken word portion also just felt very right for not just them but the generation in Ishgard growing right as/after the Dragonsong war ended.



But sometimes in life, a wild wave of justice rises

Shining brightly towards the sky

And history and hope wed

As thus, search for the changing of the seas

On the other side of vengeance

- Jeffrey Siothrun Sardina (from their english translation of the spoken word section)

#ffxiv #ffxiv character stuff #bel aliender #Allie Baelsar #courels and serpents #Seo Linn #siuil a run #random character thoughts #still haven't decided the most likely place you'd find this kinda song in Eorzea

[chysgoda]

🖊️🖊️🖊️🖊️🖊️

Headcanons for Bel and some characters that either haven’t made it into writing I’ve shared or haven’t been explored very much.

Bel Aliender

Bel is extremely proud of both her journeyman and master works for the arcanists guild. She has put a lot of herself into that research.

What she hasn’t formally researched is dragon aether and the dragonsong. Her combat spells are repurposed dragoon abilities and half baked things concocted based on her observations and experiences of the dragonsong.

Unfortunately for her she gave into her advisor’s very big sad eyes and wrote a barely cited (and by barely I mean primary source philosophizing from various dragons) op-ed piece for one of the scientific journals out of Sharlyan after a paper was published that was just widely wrong about almost everything.

Now she gets attention only for dragon research and has more or less abandoned research at the arcanists guild.

Tristan Fiendslayer

After the calamity and being exiled on pain of execution Tristan continued to serve the Twin Adders in an auxiliary capacity. Tristan has not accepted an official position in the grand company because he is unwilling to give up his vows as a paladin to the Ishgardian people. When he’s not being a wandering knight he serves in the yellow serpents unit and was gifted a customized captain’s sword named Durandal by the Serpent Marshal. Rumor has it that Grand Marshal Swethryk smacked the displaced knight with the hilt and lectured Tristan about fealty going both ways.

Asamar Oronir

Neither Bianca or Bel have seen Asamar lose his temper. While Bianca’s beloved lizard battle medic is not mild mannered, he has a very easy going flow that they have never seen ruffled. Bianca asked his grandmother about it once. The old woman just patted her check and told her to pray to the old gods that she never saw him loose his temper

Felicity Ware-Junius

My little match girl!! Despite Lucia’s grumbling about the proper procedures for adoption she didn’t turn down Art’imis’s meddling to smooth out the process. Felicity is an industrious little thing who is absolutely fascinated by the crafting trades. Something both Hilda and Lucia are very supportive of. Felicity learned how to sew patchwork dolls and animals and has covered her bed with her new friends and given some to the watch in case they meet any other kids like her that need someone to hug.

Anonymous Moose

Moose is one of Braedon’s most reliable adventurers. He’s a walking stereotype being a big roe with a giant axe on his back, but he’s steady, competent, and has good manners. He’s one of the pillars of the local guild that keep things running and helps make sure that more green horns survive than die.

#ffxiv #ask answered #Tristan Fiendslayer #Asamar Oronir #Anonymous Moose #felicity ware junius #bel aliender

[chysgoda]

11. Do you think  your character is lucky or unlucky? What do they think? 28. How materialistic is your character?

11. Do you think your character is lucky or unlucky? What do they think?

Luck is a really strange thing to think about from the perspective of the writer. If I want a specific thing to happen to a character I can arrange causality to my liking to make sure said specific thing happens. And unless you're using some kind of randomizer as a writing tool the random happenstance that we collectively call luck just doesn’t exist in constructed worlds. So from my perspective I don’t really think in terms of a character being lucky or unlucky because there isn’t any random happenstance that would be called luck happening within the parameters of my writing.

As for the characters Art has been around the block enough times that she takes the stance of assume your luck will be terrible because Murphy is a bastard. A stance she has passed on to her daughter.

28. How materialistic is the your character?

Stuff if nice, but not nice enough to value over people.

Art’imis is a clothes horse and collector of strange things. This includes everything from gifts from city state leaders to this one rock that caught her eye in Rhalger’s Reach that no one else can figure out why it’s interesting.

Bel has a few keepsakes that are deeply important to her, such as her plush Chocobo Popo the lucky, and the lute Artoriel gave her for 16th name day.

#ffxiv #ffxiv ask meme answer #Art’imis Chysgoda #bel aliender #thanks for the ask!

[chysgoda]

send 💣 for a stress headcanon

Art’imis has two defaults and may fall back on one or both demanding on the type of stress. For emotional and esoteric (for lack of a better term) stress she paints. She has a rather nice travel watercolor set Alphinaud got her for her name day at some point during Stormblood. (To replace one that got trashed during the great dravinian road trip). The only people that can look through her sketchbooks without permission are Bel and Alphinaud. Her other method of de-stressing is sex which is usually a response to physical and/or life threatening stress. This hasn’t always been an option because the kind of bedroom games Art likes require a significant amount of trust, and trusted partners aren’t always thick on the ground.

Bel’s default stress relief is music. She learned to play a few instruments as part of her schooling in Ishgard (and bonding time with Uncle Artoriel). After retiring as a dragoon early (bad injury on the Garlean front) she’s kept a lute with her while studying at the arcanist’s guild and tends to keep one with her while traveling. During the part of the Ishgard restoration quests where WoL gets roped into the concert she saves her mom by taking up the performing duties since she could actually play the piano.

#ffxiv #ask meme answers #Art’imis Chysgoda #Bel Aliender #I am still caught in lute vs guitar on YouTube

[chysgoda]

🖊

Okay more of a group HC but I’ve been having a lot of fun poking at it.

The tomestone smart phones are a piece of allagan tech that Nero reverse engineered. The phones have to be attuned to each other in order to be able to work. There are two test beds for this, the adventurers’ guild and Bel, her team, Art’imis and Grandpa Edmont. (Nero has a firm hold on the title of Bel’s favorite (non scion) uncle but also has no problem in making sure it stays that way through bribery)

They have settled into their group chat arch types

Edmont de fortemps: sends food pictures to the group chat

Art’imis Chysgoda : forgets the thing at home half the time and when she does pick it up she floods the chat with two days worth of responses.

Bel Aliender: attempts to communicate like a normal person.

Bianca Pelinore: has invented memes and is making it everyone’s problem

Asamar Oronir: communicates only in typed out emojis

Allie Baelsar: one word answers and surprisingly good landscape photography

#ffxiv #ask meme answered #braedon makes one of his waitresses work his phone for him #momondi thinks they’re the best thing since sliced bread #Mother Miounne puts up with it because it’s useful enough to out weigh the annoyances