#my bozja girls

[opteekaal]

Day 3: Swept off their Feet

#ffxiv #ff14 #final fantasy xiv #final fantasy 14 #ff14 fanart #ffxiv fanart #Mikoto Jinba #Lilja Sjasaris #mikoto x lilja #ffxiv sapphic week #ffxivsapphicweek #my bozja girls #xivsapphicweek #opteekaalart

[tritoch]

reading lore for something else and was reminded of the facts that:

bozjan seers who had the echo used its power to alter people's memories as a form of therapy using crystal foci

employing their technique and one such focus is how you enter cid's memories to view the gunnhildr's blade relics

using the focus with the warrior of light's echo enables someone else with the echo to see your echo vision

also the storyline implies you can possibly intentionally trigger your echo when using the focus

ancient bozjans used crystals extensively for archiving memories for many purposes, including passing down martial techniques (which are the fragments you use to acquire bozja-specific actions like seraph strike or flare star)

most of the relic storyline involves finding other memory crystals (which appear to implicitly draw into themselves the memories of those who die near them, or are manifested on death) or revisiting memories of your past exploits and placing them into these crystals, and gerolt then using their aether (which we know is a major component of memory) to reinforce the relic

later stages involve you drawing out raw emotion into crystals using a similar process. these crystals are said to be very different, contain raw emotion or something akin to the power of prayer, and are either again created by you in pitched battle or are said to manifest from the strong emotions of warriors in conflict in zadnor. these crystals also require a different process and reagent to properly bind the emotion to the weapon.

knowing what we know now, those crystals are definitely full of dynamis and that whole part of the relic chain can be interpreted as gerolt working out a way to infuse dynamis into a weapon.

also the weapon save the queen itself (which i still want a replica of for glam) can hold the most aether and dynamis to empower it because it's made from auracite, much like the heart of sabik

also this is unrelated to anything but mikoto namedrops moenbryda which always floors me. i love that she knows all the archon scions (she's literally a student of baldesion) and they've never once mentioned her. she's so "theoretically lore-important character only appearing in this anime movie and never in the series"-coded.

this is all perfectly straightforward in the relic quests but i have to be honest i don't pay attention when mikoto or gerolt are talking and the way bozja was delivered didn't really work for me. writing it all out in plain text like this makes the lore feel absolutely wild

#ffxiv #bozja #yes i guess i'm saying mikoto is like one piece uta #also love the questline trying to comphet pair mikoto and cid together to avoid the twin siren calls of lilja and nero. #mikoto's like 'maybe i should try to hook up with cid. as part of moenbryda's wish for me was to truly live and get my fuck on' #girl...what #as a hroth wol all the 'oh yeah bozja had ancient seers with the echo' is so...huh?? what???? #i think this probably features in wolund's outside canon stuff #like a timeline where after endwalker he goes to bozja and studies the crystal stuff and works to rebuild the verdant path

[strwpup]

YOU 🫵 want mikoto jinba in dawntrail (propaganda)

reasons why mikoto jinba should be in dawntrail:

* she is THE foremost scholar on auracite (now that moenbryda is dead) which i think could be very important in 7.0

* she was a major player in both the IVALICE RAIDS and BOZJA, and both of those might be incredibly relevant if the mystery girl on the poster is princess ashe

* she is A MEMBER OF THE STUDENTS OF BALDESION according to encyclopedia eorzea 2

* despite being in the same city as her dealing with aether related quandries for a large swath of endwalker, we did not see her once. she would've needed to simply walk down the street to be in the background of the giant gathering firewood cutscene. she is mentioned one (1) time by a random npc who is annoyed his friend is simping after professor jinba (correct)

* she has ECHOES INTO THE FUTURE isn't that COOL AS SHIT i want this in msq. especially i want this all up in whatever solution nine is about

* there is no auri representation in the main cast and there should be

* she was also very close to moenbryda and urianger informed her of moenbryda's death and mikoto feels incredibly guilty about it because she enabled the research into white auracite. i want mikoto and urianger to interact on screen i think it would be healing. ALSO i cannot stress enough mikoto and moenbryda made a synthetic alien soul jail rock can we talk about that

* you want her to be given the g'raha side treatment SOOOOOOO bad. she's the only character i can think of besides maybe jessie jaye who has been in two major pieces of side content but isn't in msq at all

* she's a nerd i thought you loved nerds here

* i love her and you should consider this

thank you for coming to my ted talk vote mikoto jinba for dawntrail npc

#my post #ffxiv #mikoto jinba #auracite #dawntrail #7.0 #return to ivalice #bozja #urianger augurelt

[autumnslance]

LynMars FFXIV Write 2023 Master Post

This year's challenge completed! Congrats to everyone who wrote anything at all this month, even if just one prompt! Thanks again to @sea-wolf-coast-to-coast for 7 years of this!

Previous Years Master Posts: 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022

Anything wolcred ship-related is marked by an asterisk* as usual. Commentary and stats for anyone interested below the Read More.

01. Envoy: ARR; Aeryn makes her Grand Company choice. 02. Bark: Dark has the wrong pie thief suspect. 03. Free Day! 04. Off the Hook: EW; Lucia & Maxima explore their new HQ. 05. Barbarous: HW; Aeryn's frustrated by the land of her birth. 06. Ring: EW; keepsakes & memories of Aeryn's mother. 07. Noisome: Dark & Iyna contend with ubiquitous seasonal flavors. 08. Shed: EW; Aeryn answers Zenos at the edge of everything. 09. Fair: EW; Azem's brother tries to ensure the future has his aid. 10. Free Day! 11. Once Bitten Twice Shy: ShB Bozja; unwarranted concerns. 12. Dowdy: Backstory; Aeryn's always had Opinions about fashion. 13. Check: Iyna discovers C'oretta's personal business. 14. Clear*: ShB; semi-poetic sweetness of coming together. 15. Portentous: Backstory. Zaine speaks to Tanzel about a decision. 16. Jerk: EW; Aeryn meets an old friend as the Final Days loom. 17. Free Day! 18. Fish Out of Water: Shb: G'raha gets used to his new life. 19. Weal: EW; Vrtra sees to his people and their home. 20. Hamper: In a possible future, Iyna answers academic questions. 21. Grave: Legacy; Zaine Striker returns to his childhood home. 22. Fulsome: C'oretta sorts through her parents' old promos. 23. Suit: ARR; what the Scions wore that most fateful night. 24: Free Day! 25. Call it a Day: Pre-ARR; Iron Summer contemplating his daughter. 26. Last: EW; a final conversation between ancients. 27. Sole*: Post-ShB; Thancred vs the perils of Aeryn's flip-tastic jobs. 28. Blunt: Post-ShB; working with Gaius, like it or not. 29. Contravention: EW; "In from the Cold" violates laws of nature. 30. Amity: EW; Varshahn & Aeryn discuss Thavnair & Garlemald.

Only 2 short shippy prompts all month! All 4 modern girls got a couple spotlights, various family cameos and backstories, a future prompt as is tradition, Zaine had a few posts, a few NPC-only scenes, a LOT of Endwalker, and even Ancient Icarus got a story, tying into 2021's "Destruct" prompt and how/why the siblings' souls have been connected through time and reincarnations.

A few of these are alternate takes on scenes I've touched on before, but it's interesting what a new prompt at a different time can get one to say, how we change as writers in what we focus on and how we say it.

This comes in roughly 300 words shorter than last year, at 18,493. The week of the 18-22 I had off work for my birthday, and that had the most 1k+ prompts, with a word count nearly double the other 3 full weeks. While the longer prompts are good, I'm really happy with how so many of the short ones turned out!

I was again trying to be realistic about my time, energy, not pushing free write days...and also working on an original writing project on the side, so I actually did do more writing over the month, just not FFXIV related!

(Also why some of my responses were in just under the wire...)

But this was a good break and exercise from that other writing, and let me try a few new things.

And comparing to earlier years--especially 2017 and 2018 when I was getting back onto the writing horse and feeling out my OCs--I feel like my growth as a writer, especially to be more succinct yet still evocative when needed, is evident. I've gotten a lot of practice in over time, and this challenge is one of the things that helped me get to where I can write an original story on top of my fanfic!

Breakdowns for funsies: Longest: 21 Grave; 1,652 words Shortest: 14 Clear; 106 words

Between 100-500 words: 1 Envoy; 2 Bark; 4 Off the Hook; 5 Barbarous; 7 Noisome; 8 Shed; 14 Clear; 15 Portentous; 26 Last; 27 Sole. Between 500-1000 words: 6 Ring; 11 Once Bitten, Twice Shy; 13 Check; 16 Jerk; 18 Fish Out of Water; 22 Fulsome; 23 Suit; 25 Call it a Day; 28 Blunt; 29 Contravention; 30 Amity. 1000+ words: 9 Fair; 12 Dowdy; 19 Weal; 20 Hamper; 21 Grave.

I didn't look at the totals until the end; I only checked some of the shorter ones during the challenge to see if they hit my personal "500+ words" cut off for adding a Read More to the posts.

"Grave" honestly could have been a lot shorter; I started the plot too early, and much as I like Zaine making one last visit to his childhood Nana, for the purposes of the challenge, I could have just focused on going to the lichyard to save myself time and energy, and wrote about the visit on my own another time. On the other hand, it's done now!

Not sure which is a favorite; there's a lot I like.

As usual, these will be revised at...some point (some more than others, probably) and added to Ao3, in my various series and threads.

#final fantasy xiv #ffxivwrite2023 #Lyn Writing #Aeryn Striker #Dark Autumn #Iyna Cauld #C'oretta Khell #Zaine Striker #Scions of the Seventh Dawn #A Realm Reborn #Heavensward #Stormblood #Shadowbringers #Endwalker

[elizabethrobertajones]

Hi! Top 5 NPCs for ffxiv? :>

Joint 5: the bunny girlfriends - Debroye from the bread quest in EW and Lilja from Bozja in Shb :) Debroye is fighting the good fight for flavour and that hardly needs expanding on after the build up Archon Loaf had in the MSQ as worldbuilding for Sharlayan. Lilja is just a badass bimbo nerd who is good enough to work at the Ironworks but cool enough for shiny nail polish and sunglasses in a warzone. They're small characters who you only meet doing side content but they have strong personalities and they get to rep viera girls who are just kinda nerdy and weird. I am disproportionately affectionate to both of them.

4: Gerolt... I think I've just spent too much time doing relic weapons... He's just awful in a really funny way and I wish him all the best and do all I can to ensure he has a better lot in life, and then one expansion later he is once again in deep drinking debt but saying the realest shit while creating incredible artworks. Also he's sort of 1/3rd the parent of the aforementioned child Frog has so I guess I need to at least get child support in the form of the first free weapon of each quest. The AU version of him and Mowen in the relic crafting tools thing actually really moved me and I'm not ashamed to admit it :')

Anyway in terms of "this guy!!" he's so up there and I'm always thrilled to see what Scenario he's in now. Over the long course of the game he's made an impression...

3: Ameliance. I'm certain she's a mob boss controlling everything from the shadows.

But seriously, no. The twins really are favourites but in terms of Top NPCs I'd been wondering about her the whole time since they do make mentions of their family and writing to mother etc and expectations were high, and getting to know her was so utterly wild because the plot demands on her from all directions of her family - her husband, her father in law, her children, the servants she hires who include the hired goons Alisaie brought to the Coils of Bahamut... Like. She is a character who had to be retroactively constructed from everything that has been said in a way that Fourchenault didn't need to be because his template is clear: He's the Son of Louisoix and burdened with cursed knowledge and the weight of history from immediate family and long lineage of being related to founding fathers of his city; he's EASY to write. Now imagine up the woman who MARRIED him, and has stayed married to him. And is going to stay married to him since the twins dealing with divorce doesn't seem like a probable plotline given the emotional directions of the broader story. Okay, now let's imagine a real woman with actual desires and personality who can fit into this puzzle piece.

Fucking Ameliance.

How on earth they convinced me she's real is a feat of writing I am in awe of.

2: Urianger is so important, like. Leave me alone, Il Mheg got me good because ffxiv seems to get everyone eventually, and now I'm nonbinary and he's my nonbinary icon :') SIGH. A Process Has Occurred. I could say more but honestly, I think that sums up that he is important to me.

1: Erenville............. Listen, I own multiple David Attenborough merch people get me because they know it's an easy gift. I had been a kid who sat and poked rockpools and puddles and I put snails in a jar and and of course picked up frogs in the garden. You introduce a character whose job is Animals and especially claims to be an expert in frogs??? He would have been at least with the bunny girlfriends on this list if this was his only contribution to the story. (And I would have enjoyed my feud in peace.)

Instead he's a fascinating guy who stood up for his workers, has leves where he's commissioning presents for gleaners, happily goes against authority to be helpful from the jump.... And NOW we get more content where we get to see him being a grumpy snarky bastard who is the only rational person in Sharlayan AND apparently has been neglecting being the only rational person in Tural too so off we go to see that in action???

I'm marrying him I'm marrying him I'm marrying him...

#ffxiv #endwalker spoilers

[most-fuckable-ff14-lady]

no cylva or misija? :(

begging y'all to make your own polls if your fave isn't listed here!!

i'm the only mod of the four of us that has fully completed MSQ. Bozja is not on my radar at the moment (i'll get back to it, i swear!!). not one of us has completed all the ShB role quests, and i just spoiled myself by looking up who Cylva is! thank you!!

accept the gorgeous gorgeous girls we've selected or ignore us altogether, idk. 🥰

mod azia

#asks #displaying behavior hydaelyn would find disgusting #enjoy the tournament!!! we sure are!! #we will be deleting other inquiries about where so-and-so is. sorry #but like i've been playing xiv for five years and i still haven't done everything there is to do #and my friends running this event started like. last november #mod viking just started stormblood #calm down y'all! #lucky we didn't put our wols in there for fun and excitement tbh

[karygurl]

wip roundup

Tagged by @roguelioness, thank you Rolo! <3

I think most people I know have been tagged by now? But if you haven't been or haven't had a chance to respond, please go for it, I'd love to see lil hints of things in your head!!

These are all FFXIV because that's where my fat cat of a brain is hanging out forever and always haha. I doubt I'll actually finish most of them but hey, I can dream, and I'm happy to expand on any of these if anyone is curious! I've tried to keep all the spoilers as vague as possible:

Fury of Halone (Cass gets truly angry after the ShB level 79 trial)

Choking on Poison (Thancred and Cass after the post-HW ceremony at Falcon's Nest)

Haurchefant to the Rescue (him and Cass talking when she can't sleep her first night in Fortemps Manor)

Good Luck Charms (Cass's first trip "home" after base ShB)

Fragments of [Spoiler] (Before saying goodbye to two people at the end of EW, Cass tries to make the impossible, possible)

Voyeurs (two people look on during the happenings of the EW level 89 dungeon)

Dressed Down (Cass grows a spine in ShB and tells a certain pseudo dad how much his actions are hurting the girl he's caring for)

Assorted letters between Thancred and Cass

Cass and Bozja

Cass and Thancred discussing who she is after [EW Trust trial spoiler]

Thancred musings on the gods at different points from ARR through EW

[crowdsourcedloner]

so one of my big hangups over Nailah right now is the lack of an ingame model for her, so this post will be talking about how i see her vague cloud self and ideas for how she could look as well as general female hrothgar rambles. (it’s long and all speculative and incredibly self indulgent)

okay so to start, i’m gonna reference this art (from the shadowbringers artbook)

this is, to my knowledge, one of the few images we have for femhroth, outside of the bozja mural seen in a STQ cutscene. it’s concept art for the queen we fight at the end of delubrum reginae, which is a female roegadyn in the final game (due to lack of female hroth models). there understandably isn’t a lot of detail to her, as the artist was probably more concerned with the queen’s throne doodads, but from what we can see she has a more humanoid face than male hroth have. is this intentional? is it just placeholder? why does this image interest me so much? well...

this is a female ronso from ffx. while ffxiv’s hrothgar are distinct from ronso, they were used as inspiration (one of the male faces has a horn option to call back to kimahri as well as the lost’s color palette being similar to ronso palettes). female ronso have less bestial faces than male ronso (to my eyes) and i expect this to carry over into ffxiv’s female hrothgar as well. do i like this hypothetical decision of less bestial femhroth? i don’t know. i don’t have much faith in the developers going through with a full monster girl. i do know that female au ra had a massive shift towards their current more petite appearance compared to some of their concepts (included in the heavensward artbook) and i wouldn’t be surprised if the developers wanted a more cutesy or conventionally attractive model for femhroth. i’m rooting for the more bestial model ideas personally, but i’ve made peace with the potential for something else. i’ll work with whatever they give me. a good example of the more bestial look i’m thinking of is karmaho’s work, check them out here. their scholar design is beautiful! another look that feels likely to me is the below image.

this is fanart of a genderbent kimahri (artist credit here). this image feels closest to what we’re getting for two (relatively arbitrary) reasons: her skin color and ear placement matches the queen in the shadowbringers concept art and she’s quite human compared to kimahri’s original design. the art is also just really cool and i wanted to show it to y’all.

so how does this tie into Nailah?

there is a pretty big difference between the two potentials for female hrothgar, which makes it weird to decide a face for her. i have a few color palettes i’m between though! and no matter what, she will have glorious fluffy hair. i’m not budging on that. her potential color palettes include genderbent kimahri (its so soft! and pretty! and her eyes work so well!) or something like a snow leopard (white fur with dark markings and striking blue/yellow eyes! monochrome color scheme my beloved!) or a dark blue concept (dark blue/purple skin with black hair and golden eyes! close to a panther!) or something like a pale calico (pale markings that you can barely see! she looks so gentle!) or... who knows! maybe the character creator will hit me with something new! there could be fur patterns that capture my imagination! until then, she’s just my vague cloud child of infinite possibilities and i love her.

#female hrothgar #its nailahposting hours #...that'll be my headcanon tag lmao #this post is long and unhinged #but really fun to make #i'm on the biggest copium for fanfest y'all have no idea

[aterlupus]

“Gaius,” the elderly man struggles to speak. His days are numbered. He knows it, and so does everyone else. But, both he and all around him pretend that is not the case, as the emperor’s mortality is a taboo subject, only spoken of by the enemies of the empire, who wish to see him fail. Thus, despite the ticking clock overhead, and lack of an heir apparent, none dared bring the issue up, forced to silently wait for the old man to kick the bucket.

Frankly, Solus found the situation quite amusing.

Every man related to this body of his was dreaming of taking his place, but none would dare show it, lest they be seen as vultures that they were.

“You will leave Eorzia to van Darnus.” The emperor’s voice was still commanding, although the grip of his bony fingers on the legate’s wrist, was a frail one. “You will return to Ala Mhigo and resume your duties.”

Gaius and Varis had attempted to oppose the approval of the meteor project, but Solus refused to hear it. Van Darnus held the key to a powerful weapon of the Allag and Solus had granted him permission to detonate it over the heads of their enemies. The blighted land could burn, for all he cared, just as Bozja had beforehand.

They would submit or they would be annihilated. Solus was almost saddened he would not be presenting the ultimatum himself. He did so miss seeing defiance give way to terror in their eyes.

“I need someone loyal.” He breathed. “Someone that is not awaiting my demise.” A bitter chuckle turned into a cough and the emperor had to rest his head upon the pillow, breathing in and closing his eyes for a moment. “My son, my grandchildren, cousins and nephews, they are all the same.”

He waved dismissively at a servant offering him water, gesturing for her to leave the two of them, and turning back to Gaius as the door closed behind the girl.

“I know you and Titus are not the best of friends. He is hardly fit for the throne; decadent and disloyal as he is. But, don’t let Varis fool you. He is not a benevolent ruler in the making. He is merely a coward.” He chuckled. “He lives only in the name of my Lucius. Men like him make us weak. He will make you weak, if you follow him.” The emperor warned, his golden gaze fixed on Gaius. “Return to Ala Mhigo, reign as I have taught you. Take my place, if you must, for the empire.”

"I will be blunt with you." Gaius doesn't deign to waste Solus's time -- he usually did not before, but Gaius at least recognized respect and formalities. Now? There was simply no time left.

"If Nael succeeds, there will be no Eorzea left to claim. If Nael fails -- and in this, I have no doubt -- then we will only have a nation of those stirred up and angry at us for our incompetence and violence."

"I will return to Ala Mhigo but if you are not alive to see the results of Nael's actions -- and sh-- he will fail, then I will take Eorzea for our country. I will not let our efforts go to waste for one bad Legatus." He speaks bitter and sharp, enough for Solus to have enough reason to call for him to be executed or dismissed.

"I watched you. When I was only a child, I watched you conquer nations... but as more and more came our way, as our fight became one of expansion and not of survival... I saw you, settle in your ways, and grow soft and complacent in the throne of the Emperor." Gaius holds his hand up when Solus opens his mouth, urging him to shut up. He wouldn't do this in any other situation. "Do not interrupt me anymore. You don't have time."

"I don't want to end up like you. Understand? I am not, no... I never will be, the Emperor. I know it to be foolish to resign myself to the fate of another. But if you want civil war -- and let me be clear, that it what you are leading us to -- I will have no part in it. Do you understand me?"

"Whatever man or woman settles the score, they will be the Emperor, and I will call them Zos as they deserve. I will take my place beneath them, and kiss their cheek as I have kissed yours. I will place my trust in those deserving -- the one strong enough to survive. But I will not be mistaken."

"No matter what of your kin or otherwise takes the throne -- you, and nobody else will forget -- the one who is really in charge, is the one with power, absolute." Gaius looked over Solus, and for a moment, almost, it looked like he could kill the Emperor himself, so assured was he in this moment. In these final days, no, final hours, of Solus's life, Gaius made clear to the man he called Emperor -- it was he who was always in charge.

"If the XIVth Legion split from Garlemald, your nation would crumble. I am your best bet. I am your best leader. I am your best soldier. What I say is true, none alive have what it takes to stop me."

"... But I don't want the throne. I don't want the cushion that softened you into what I see you as now. I will sharpen my blade, and keep myself ever to my goal, and ever to your goal -- even if you, and everyone else, has lost sight of it."

Gaius leans forward, despite his thrashing of a speech he gave to his Emperor, and he kisses him, softly, pressed to his lips, like a lover. His forehead presses to Solus's wrinkled brow.

"No matter how many emperor's come after you... I will only ever serve one." He hissed against Solus's mouth. "... Only one."

#rp #ic #love u mwah #now go die old man #hgjhkjlk #long post #contemptim

[yzeltia]

Handed Down from Stone

Chapter 7: Etched in Pyrite Characters: Y'zel Tia, Ysayle, Y'shtola Rhul, Y'mhitra Rhul Rating: Tia for Tia Notes: None

-Falcon's Nest 1567-

Y'zel wiggled his ears as he caught some whispers. There was a gush of excitement it seemed, strangers visiting from somewhere in Iselbard, thankfully not Garlean. Looking up from her note heavy copy of the Enchiridion, Ysayle tilted her head. "What is it?"

"We have visitors in town...people are in a sort of fuss over it."

"What sort of fuss?"

Y'zel shrugged then stood, moving to the window to open the shutters and look out. People had seemed to gather around the town center. Looking to one another, the friends nodded then hurried outside to see the commotion. Pushing through the crowd, the two found themselves gazing up at three very large furry cat-faced men, two juggling large broadswords between them and the third rallying up the crowd as they performed.

"A traveling circus troupe," Ysayle queried, "I wonder...I've not seen a Miqo'te man. Will you be home as burly and hairy when you grow into a man?"

Y'zel folded back his ears and glared at the Elezen as she looked on in awe. His attention was soon pulled back as the crowd gasped. One of the large men backed up on a rickety wheel and spread eagled against it.

"See the bravery of the Hrothgar," the announcer roared as the unchained man chucked a dagger into the wood, narrowly missing the bound one's paw. 

Y'zel grasped while Ysayle calmly looked on. The trick repeated again, this time landing between the man's knees in a circle made by his tail. The boy's stomach turned as he tucked his own tail around his waist while the crowd cheered on and tossed Gil.

"Now, the final shot," the ringleader called out, passing over to place a head of gysahl greens on the target's head. 

Y'zel held his breath as he reached for Ysayle's hand. The girl rolled her eyes, but gave him a reassuring squeeze. Rather than attempting to throw the blade, the trick master aimed the weapon out by the hilt. 

"A machinist weapon," Ysayle inquired aloud.

"Maybe?"

Taking a deep breath, the aiming Hrothgar pulled a trigger and unleashed a powerful blast of fire into board. Shards of wood and leafy greens soon rained down from above. As the smoke cleared, the bound Hrothgar coughed then gave two thumbs up with his chained paws, tips of his ears singing a little and headboard gone. The crowd cried out with applause, raining Gil down on the troupe.

Awestruck, Y'zel looked on expectantly. "What a cool sword," he breathed out.

"Boys," Ysayle sighed dramatically before turning back to her house to return to her studies.

Curiously, Y'zel lingered and looked on to the trick master watching him from afar. The Hrothgar was quick to pick up on his shadow, but pretended not to notice until the boy got closer. With a big grin he turned then let out a roar that knocked the boy on his tail. Tears welled up in the Miqo'te's eyes, promoting the man to react quickly and help him to his feet.

"Sorry little guy. Thought I might give you a little scare. Did you like the show?"

Sniffling, Y'zel rubbed his eyes then nodded.

"Y-Yeah."

"Bet you've never seen anything like it?"

The boy nodded then pointed to the sword. "What is it? A machinist weapon? Or a special sword?"

"Ah, the Gunblade. A specialty in Iselbard where we hail from. Do you know where Bozja is?"

"On...Iselbard?"

"Look at you! A little cartographer!"

"They taught geography in my old school..."

"Well it seems the important parts stuck. That is where my brothers and I hail from...and our blades!"

The man brandished his sword for the boy, letting him touch the metal and roll the chamber curiously.

"The munition...it's aetheric!"

"Very good!"

"Where do I get one!"

The Hrothgar stood and holstered the blade and shook his head. "And what would a boy with no whiskers need with a tool of war?"

"My dad trains me and my friend in the ways of the sword," the boy boasted proudly.

The Hrothgar stared then shook his head before taking a knee and putting his paw on the boy's shoulder before. "My sword is very dangerous. It's not a plaything."

"But...you were just playing with it with your brother! That was very dangerous and not its intended use! I'd be very careful and only use it to protect myself and my dad and Ysayle!"

The Hrothgar blinked while his brothers approached from behind, snickering at the boy's earnest gaze looking up at him expectantly. Fishing in his pocket, he pulled out a golden stone and handed it to the boy. "When you get your whiskers, show this to any of my people and ask for Radovan. If you're still filled with a noble spirit, I'm sure he'll teach you our ways."

Y'zel blinked at the stone then looked up as the large paw came down to pet his head. With that, the man began to help his brothers clean up their mess and pick up Gil, leaving the Miqo'te to run back to Ysayle to show her his gift.

-Gridania, Present Day-

Y'zel yawned a bit as he sat with his cousins, boxes of munition stacked high between them. Y'mhitra hummed to herself, moving at a leisurely pace while Y'shtola busied herself to get through the chore of ensuring Thancred had an adequate supply of bullets before embarking on her next venture.

"Zel, how is that researcher of yours," Y'mhitra finally broke through.

Y'zel flushed, side-eying Y'shtola before looking away from her, unsure if his expression might give off an aetheric pulse that she might pick up on. "He's been away on research. And I've been too busy with all my odd jobs between Gage Acquisitions and the Gubal Restoration. There's little time to let it flourish."

"Really cousin? I heard from a mutual friend he went missing and you've been seen pestering his students for news in Labyrinthos," Y'shtola responded without looking up from her work.

Y'zel lowered his ears and huffed while his other cousin giggled. 

"What about you, Mhitra? Wasn't there that Ala Mhigan guy you fancied," the Tia asked in turn.

"A loss. He never picked up on my interest and instead clumsily flirted with the Elder Seedseer's siblings until your G'raha came along and turned his head. He's probably off on some adventure now not paying me a second thought. It was a shame, he brought me some beautiful silks for assisting him. Maybe you've been a bit luckier sister?"

"I'd rather not."

"She just doesn't want to brag about her suitors," Y'zel teased.

"There you go with that Tia-ingrained imagination."

"Ignore her, go on Y'zel! Is one Thancred?"

"I cannot speak there, but she certainly has caught the eye of not only a Warrior of Light, but one of my colleagues as well!"

"Which ones?"

Y'zel thought for a moment, "It's best I respect my ally's privacy on the colleague front, but the Warrior in question is U'rahn Nuhn!"

A bang rang out from Y'shtola's side of the table as she overcharged a bullet. Startled, her family perked their ears and tails before laughing as the Archon sulked. This did little to dissuade the other two from continuing.

"Sister! He's barely a man  I did not think you'd fancy someone you couldn't at least match with."

"There's something to be said for just wanting to be held at night though, Mhitra."

"A singular lapse in judgment faced with the Final Days and I shall not cease hearing of it until it rounds again. I've no interest in Tias and their touch starved tom catting."

"She's sounding more and more like Master Matoya every day," Y'mhitra sighed, frowning at her sister as she tapped her fist on her cheek.

"He's a Nuhn though," Y'zel pointed out.

"Even if that were remotely believable, it means nothing to me. This might be lost on you two, but there are those who aren't guided by the burning of their loins and confuse it for the passion of their heart. Some people might be attracted to one's mind and soul, and only then feel motivated for companionship."

The two went silent for a moment, letting it sit with them for a moment before Y'mhitra turned to Y'zel. "A researcher? Zel, you have a proclivity for doomed relationships."

The young man squeaked, "When did this become about me?"

"I warned him as such, but he refuses to see reason. It's the Tia in him."

Y'zel puffed out his cheeks then yelped as he too infused a bullet with far too much aether, letting it burst in his hand.

#final fantasy xiv #ffxiv #final fantasy 14 #ffxiv oc #ffxiv miqo'te #ff14 #ffxiv endwalker #y'zel tia #y'shtola #y'shtola rhul #y'mhitra rhul #ffxiv gunbreaker #gunbreaker #handed down from stone

[gravyffxiv]

FFXIVWrite - Prompt 14: Attrition

The blade screamed as it touched the grindstone.

At least for Gravy, that is how it felt. She hated grindstones. She knew how useful they were, of course, and also that sometimes you really need to shave off a lot of metal at one go. But to sharpen a blade? That was a crime. Heresy even.

“Byregot’s brass balls, stop that!” she yelled, placing the crate she was carrying atop another crate, “You’re taking too much off, blade’s gonna be as weak as Ishgardian beer!”

A few faces turned towards her, most of them curious, some holding back a chuckle. The camp was buzzing with activity, soldiers moving to and fro, weapons and armor being made ready or repaired, orders being given. In the distance, thunder and explosions.

It was a regular day in Bozja.

The Highlander that used the grindstone made it stop, standing up to his full height. Ironically, he was not as tall as Gravy herself – who was not a prime example of height among her kin – so his forehead reached her nose. He still puffed up his chest as if he looked down at her.

“That sword’s been with me for ages, girl! I know how to treat it. Who do you think you are?”

“The one who’ll make you a new sword when that one brakes.” Gravy huffed, pointing at the crates behind her. Inside of each were swords, knives, spearheads and arrowheads, all for the war.

“If you know so much about swords, why aren’t you using one?” the highlander, in turn, pointed towards the far-off battlefield, “Why aren’t you fighting?”

Gravy rolled her eyes, heading towards the wagon where more crates were. She had been busy. “It’s not my job, pal.”

“It will be if the Garlics knock on your doorstep!”

“It won’t be if you use my pieces, that’s for sure.” She grinned at the man, placing yet another crate on the ground. No one around to help a lady, the shame.

Several different thoughts crossed the Highlander’s mind, one worse than the other. The eyes of the soldiers around him, and their head shakes, told him the best way was to just let it be. A few of them even patted their weapons, nodding. They knew what she was talking about.

Gravy had to stifle a groan. The grindstone was back in action.

***

The camp was notably emptier that time. Fewer soldiers moving around, fewer orders being given. Thunder and explosions still sounded, though closer than the previous time.

“Where’s grindstone guy?” Gravy asked a face she recognized, a girl who was probably not even twenty summers old, assistant to one of the army smiths. She was helping unload the crates. They were fewer and smaller this time. Not many requests like before.

“Oh, he’s dead.” The girl answered, her tone flat. She had seen too much death to be fazed by it.

“Broken blade?”

“No. I mean, it did break, but…” the girl paused, looking around the camp, “Captain said he kept going with it until he couldn’t anymore. Too tired and hurt. It’s happening a lot lately, Garlics getting closer and all.”

Gravy put the last crate on the ground, patting the girl on her shoulder before she went back to the smithy. The Duskwight could hear it in the girl’s voice, that lack of emotion when too much of it had been felt before.

There were no grindstones to sharpen senses dulled by too much bloodshed.

#FFxivWrite2022 #FFxivWrite #allyn grav'nost #ffxiv #ffxivrp

[myrfing]

remember that bozja IVth girl where shes like ^_^ we are just scouting 5 feet away from your encampment lets go team! and the descrip for her first fate is like "it's frowned upon to kill healers BUTTTT" (gourd is a healer) & you like, obliterate her entire party as she takes the backfoot north through the southern front while she's all like We Can Come to an understanding Please we just need to occupy dalmasca for our new state of Garlemald+ (new and improved) Please and she goes fucking crazy at the end all like YOU KILLED ALL MY FRIENDS YOU WOULD NEVER UNDERSTAND. she and elidibus should have been friends

#bozja really playing with fire posing the question of 'can second class conscripts of an empire co opt its power and structures to wage. #class warfare against the society of a country they occupied and raze it to the ground to build their new Better State on top of' #i was like i. okay

[umbralsound-xiv]

“it was just a quiet evening. I was reading in front of the fire.

As lovely as my new room is, it is... It is so much space for one person. I am not used to it. It is lovely, and lonely, and although i have never been one for too many people, solitude is the very life i saught to leave behind.

A small number of people by the fire eventually became so many more. Faces i knew. Faces i did not.

I met the dancer’s brother. The one who cooks; he prepared me fruit, and brought something for me to drink. And... It was a peaceful evening. Mostly. The Doman girl came to sit for a short while too.

...And then the other Viera started speaking about Bozja. I... I did not want to think about it. If i ran, what questions would that arise? What would people have said? It would have painted me guilty in an instant, for all i wanted to tear myself from the floor and flee. But no. I sat there.

I had to fight to keep the faces from my mind. The roar of flame behind me was suddenly so unwelcome. I tried to ignore him. He was there. He was there too.

Did he know me? Know of me? What if... What if they find out?

They will not.

Please, not now. Wait until nighttime. Until the quiet, like always. People can not see, then. They do not have to watch, or listen. They will not ask questions if they do not know.

But the thoughts sunk fast in my mind. I turned back to my book. The clawed woman offered me wine, but i declined. I shared my fruit.

Alcohol never did Nao any good, and it certainly would not for me either.

She was... Kind, to me. The Keeper, too; even after everyone had left, spoke to me of flowers, and books, and offered to help me find what i searched for. A book about flowers and their meanings, local to Eorzea.

...The people are kind, here. But would that be the case, if they knew?

...I want to forget. But i want to remember them.

I am thinking it impossible to be able to do both.

So i will keep it to myself, and endure, alone. Because if there is one thing i have learned in my many cycles, it is that solitude is always an inevitability, in the end.”

#Muse: [Eir] #Chapter: [Idle Hands] #FFXIV #IC #Screenshot #Writing #Musing

[hikari-ni-naritai]

Oh thats good! The beastmasters (Lyon, Daguza, Pagaga and Clarricie) were easily the best so that's nice. And fair! As much as I did start liking Bjalsaljen (I think he's called, the main guy?) The overwhelming amount of bara furries was a little meh. I really liked Misija being there for variety/there finally being a femroe after Moenbryda back in ARR... I guess there is Merlwyb who is cool but you get what I mean. BUT yeah I think I just liked the idea of an imperial traitor who had reasons for doing so, with this imperial legion being the most sympathetic, so when she was really fucking sadistic suddenly it was a little off putting, and then the clumsy "We pushed her to do this" fell a little flat, since, no one pushed her to create abominations from people who frankly had very little to do with her oppression which was a shame to me. If they made the betrayal of Queen Gunnhildr less ancient maybe I'd understand, but now she just went on a revenge rampage hundreds of years too late for something that, to me at least, seemed kinda of necessary since I think the Queen got influenced by the blade too much? Though I'm not sure the flashbacks were weird). It just felt like it had the same issues SB had, with interesting points and characters which get shafted by a story that fumbles it.. In SB it was too much of the same point getting hammered in over and over, while in Bozja it was like, what I just rambled about and having way too many furry men, maybe some Hyur if you're lucky. SPEAKING of maybe more interesting haha, what's your favorite race after catgirls? I like catgirls even if they are a bit everywhere, but I think you can guess my favorite by the first bit of this ask. Jesus this got long im sorry

After catgirls I like au ras a lot. The first two retainers I made were au ra and the only non-catgirl alt I've made was an au ra who I love deeply. I can't say I really get the appeal of femroes. I'm wondering if it has to do with the fact that I'm very rarely attracted to anyone without getting to know them first. Like you'd have to be extremely fucking cute for me to appreciate it without having an emotional connection, and catgirls and au ras are the only two races that really pull that off for me. Hyur girls can be cute too. I lost my train of thought. Love you anon 💙

[msviolacea]

other people aren’t always hell

A non-exhaustive list of things that have happened to me in FFXIV that have made me happy to be playing an MMO.

- Morning Expert Roulette, we wipe on the first trash pack of Hero’s Gauntlet. 

Healer: f*** my bad

Other DPS: shit, it’s just roulettes, nbd

- Standing in Limsa, super happy with my bun’s new glam and sad no one I know is online to appreciate it, and a catboy comes running up immediately and /charmed-s at me before running away. 

- Doing a hunt train and watching everyone get SO EXCITED when the last boss turns out to be a CAVE RAVE.

- Discovering the character named “Dashcon Ballpit” is part of said hunt train.

- The togetherness you feel with total strangers as you all gather around in Bozja emoting at the poor suckers who decided to take on the red chocobo, as you all wait patiently to raise all the dead when the last three people standing finally kill the stupid thing. 

- More togetherness: the pleasure of shit-talking Gaius with total strangers during your five hundred and sixty second run (give or take) of Praetorium  because you’re trying to get that extra level on an alt job.

- Getting into voice chat with your in-game friends and having one of them go “come to my server right now”, only to give you a minion from a savage fight you certainly aren’t good enough to do.

- Another trip to Limsa nets a boyband? boy-and-girl-band? pop band of indeterminate gender? doing perfectly synced dance emotes in matching glittery black and white suits. 

- Your internet fucks up in the middle of a roulette dungeon and it takes you five minutes to come back, only to find the rest of the party waiting for you at the last boss performing the Manderville dance in sync. 

- Having someone in your FC volunteer to help decorate your house so that you can have the cozy urban witch getaway of your dreams, at least in virtual form if not in real life.

- Standing around a main city and realizing you recognize character names inspired by at least three different fandoms you’ve been in.

#ffxiv #final fantasy xiv #i enjoy other people sometimes

[heretic-altias]

I have committed Horse Girl crimes, and stole Juedi's hair for the generic horse model. Stayed up all night doing this last night. Tumblr can have the direct link bc I can post my notes here. The folder contains the images as well as the file itself.

Things to note: - This effects ALL horses using the model that the unicorn uses. But not the pegasus, which is a seperate model despite looking identical. I'm hoping to apply this to the pegasus in the near future as well. - Rigging is not my thing. I had to rig this mane/tail combo to the skeleton myself. The tail animations definitely clip the legs sometimes, and can look a little wacky when running. I'm sure if you look closely some mane animation is odd too. But it's fine if you don't look too closely. - Don't look too closely where the original tail attached either. It was too high, so this one is lower meaning I had to fill in a hole in the mesh. I'm sure it's imperfect. - While I applied this to all NPC horse models, I have not been able to check on every single one. I checked on the Steppe ones, but the one in Bozja is on its own for now. Just tell me if you see an issue with that one.

Bonus: If you'd like to customize the mane color, it can be changed in the colorset! Line 15 on material B (the one with Juedi's textures)

#ffxiv #final fantasy xiv #ffxiv mods