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Character asks!

3. What was the first thing you decided on, the character's name, appearance, personality or their role in the story?

&

4. The reverse! Which of those four did you struggle with the most?

Whichever character you wanna talk about most, friend!

Joke's on you, I'm answering for ALL of them!!!

Generally I have the easiest time with appearances and the hardest time with names. Appearances I can drop out into the game or into a drawing with ease, but I'll waffle on a name for up to DAYS.

I still remember sitting in the living room, looking between the TV and my phone when I was making Wyz, and I spent probably half an hour piecing together her name after I went through character creation in about five minutes.

Personality-wise, I really went with the flow for all of them. Wyz was always kind of going to be a punchy, friendly sort, and I was willing to work from there. Ganbold of course started as the Bard Stereotype but I like his evolution into someone who does care, he's just also all about freedom. J'nahka I think changed the most, as I originally intended him to be something of a himbo, but I couldn't look at that adorable golden healy boi and not make him a sweetheart that's just a little slow. I don't remember what I originally intended for Leilelle, actually, she was really the blankest slate I had, but the DRG story compelled me to make her a little more of a contrast to Estinien in an opposites-attract kind of way. And Lorelia, she was intended to be a more no-nonsense sort of character, very serious and by-any-means-necessary, but it was actually the in-game emotes that made me change her to be a little more friendly, if rough around the edges, because the emotes were just so bubbly and expressive that I couldn't keep her all gruff and serious.

And as for role, I maybe would have intended for Ganbold to be my Warrior of Light, since he's who I was playing when I really cracked into playing XIV for real, but I like where I ended up, with Wyz as my main in the WOL trio and Ganbold as more of a compelling side character. Plus I have Lorelia as Azem in her own timeline, which I did intend when I made her, and I've really liked writing everything I've come up with for her. I'm pleased with where everyone's ended up, and it's been a good time rolling them along into the story and seeing where each part takes them.

Thanks for the ask, friendo! :3c

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i saw this post by @kasunshine​ and i had to do the thing

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Anonymously tell me something you like about my OCs

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the concept of soul shards is one of the coolest things xiv lore could have handed us. they really said: go! make your blorbo like a dozen-ish more times. but different. if you want.

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Local red cat here to encourage you!

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for the ask game

how did you choose your characters' names and why? what was the process?

So, here's the interesting thing regarding the process of naming my beloved characters, Vahloh'ir Kiba and Imami Dataq (this will get rather long):

Theeeeeere really wasn't one for my boy. See, ol' Vahloh here was not originally intended to be my WoL. I ask that you cast your mind back, to a time before the unlimited free trial that included the award-winning Heavensward expansion...

Stormblood was on the horizon, and I was told to try this Final Fantasy game. So, I downloaded the benchmark, and made my future WoL... Imami!

I had it all figured out. I chose Imami because I liked how it rolled off of the tongue, and Dataq because I liked the idea of a wanderer with a found home to come from a tribe of wanderers. Simple, clean, nice.

But, I had to see if I would actually like the game first, and the trial back then didn't have Au Ra. So, I decided to make a catboy. "Because everybody will be playing catgirls, obviously, so a catboy will be fairly unique!" I was a silly soul, looking back. But, I wanted to be decently authentic, and looked up Miqo'te naming conventions. I chose to make him Vahloh of the 'Ir' tribe, because it sounded like Valor, and just threw in the last name of Kiba because I didn't like the idea of either Tia or Nuhn. To justify it, I came up with some headcanon that he encountered some refugee family that said 'Kiba' around him, and he latched on when traveling to Ul'dah.

I didn't realize until about... Titan that I got my naming conventions mixed up. But by then, it was far too late. I had grown attached, Imami had become a secondary character, and Vahloh'ir became the WoL. I could have renamed him, sure, but I really liked his name. So, I fleshed him out a bit. I had his real name be R'vahloh Tia, made him a mix of Moon Keeper and Sun Seeker, and had him take his father's "Ir" when he left the tribe without considering the consequences because he was an impulsive 18 year old.

Thanks for the ask, Mysterious Anon!

Also I'm gonna just post young Vahloh-folks:

R'litra Nato

Zuva'ir

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no seriously, how did he do it

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hope is a skill

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everyone say thank you mikoto for reminding us to always check how studies were conducted before reblogging them!

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Do you think G'raha had an adjustment period of "initial reaction vs. experience"

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How big is their role in the story? Do they make a frequent appearance or are they a character with little "screentime" but big influence? Or are they just a favourite background guy?

@a-moonlit-flower

Answering for Vahloh'ir, below a read-more because I mention a guy:

Vahloh'ir Kiba is one of three main WoLs in his story, with the other two being Niya Empurre and Wyzngeim Sthalmhaswyn (belonging to two good irl friends of mine!), alongside a cast of original side characters. Technically, he's the main WoL, as his Ancient, Baldr, was Azem, and a majority of the plot's events happen to him. So, pretty big influence.

I wanna show my friends:

Niya Empurre

Wyzngeim Sthalmhaswyn

There are (and will be) AUs where he has varying relevance on the main plot, but the main Vahloh'ir is the main Warrior of Light.

Thanks for the ask, @a-moonlit-flower!

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To what degree is your OC's judgement impacted by the attractiveness of the person with whom they are dealing? Are they easily flattered or flustered by a pretty face? Or are they immune to such distractions when it comes to decision-making?

I'll answer for Vahloh'ir:

I would say that Vahloh'ir is resistant to such distractions when it comes to his decision-making. It helps that the world seems to be generally well-populated with attractive people, so you'd have to be pretty stand-out. And while he does certainly get flustered on occasion, he's usually able to shake it off pretty quickly if he needs to take thing seriously. His issues with decision-making, typically, are more emotional.

More below:

One could make the argument that Y'shtola could influence his judgement with a batting of the eyes, but not only is that more emotional (he loves his wife) but she also typically isn't interested in doing so. If she needs to sway him on something important, she knows he'll listen to her.

Pre-ARR Vahloh'ir is a bit of a different story. He enlists in the Flames prior to the Calamity, and while he's there, he's... easily distracted, we'll say. Thankfully, he had friends and squad mates who would help to keep him out of most trouble, and he had a clear-enough head to not do anything terribly stupid just because a pretty woman asked him to. But, well, he was young and really digging the whole "not dealing with tribe rules" thing. He grows out of this a while before Cartenaeu.

Thanks for the ask, @whatsthisascianbullshit!

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Character asks!

These are more focused on the background stuff rather than the usual "what would the character do in XY situation" kinds of asks. I've been looking for something like this for quite a while and in the end decided to make my own. Feel free to use, go wild, enjoy

What was the original thought that led to the creation of this character?

How long was the process before the character reached its final version? (or a version that would be clearly recognizable as the character?)

What was the first thing you decided on, the character's name, appearance, personality or their role in the story?

And reverse, which one of the four things did you struggle with the most?

How did you choose their name and why? Was it simply based on vibes or is there any specific meaning behind the name? Are the reasons behind their name different in- and out of universe?

What was the thought process behind their appearance? Did you go mostly for the aesthetic or are there other reasons they look the way they do?

What is an aspect of their appearance that you like the most?

What is the origin of their personality? And let's be honest - how much of it is projecting?

How big is their role in the story? Do they make a frequent appearance or are they a character with little "screentime" but big influence? Or are they just a favourite background guy?

What is their main character arc in the story? Where do they start and how do they develop? Do they get a happy ending or is their story a tragic one?

Is there any existing character from other media that your character resembles? Was the resemblance intentional or was it a coincidence?

Do you have a playlist for the character? What songs do you associate with them and why?

Do you have a voice claim for the character? What do you imagine the character sounds like?

Do you have any quotes tied to the character, either from the story itself or from another source that fit them?

Have you ever made a moodboard for them?

Is there any memes or running jokes associated with the character, both in- and out of universe?

Are there any motifs or symbols associated with the character? How are they represented, in their design, personality or in some other way?

Does the character have other characters connected to them? Do you have a family tree and "offscreen" connections made up for them or do they exist in a vacuum purely for the purpose of the story?

What is your general favourite thing about the character? What is your least favourite?

Bonus question: share any additional thoughts, art, favourite scenes, anything you've been waiting for a chance to ramble about

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Simple OC Ask List 4.

How good are your OC's table manners? Are they confident eating and drinking in sophisticated company, or are they paralysed by self-consciousness? Are table manners something they even think of as being important? How well would they adjust to different cultural mores around table manners?

How successful would your OC be at surviving in the wilderness for any significant length of time?

To what degree is your OC's judgement impacted by the attractiveness of the person with whom they are dealing? Are they easily flattered or flustered by a pretty face? Or are they immune to such distractions when it comes to decision-making?

How organised is your OC? Do they keep everything labelled? Do they arrange books in alphabetical order? Meticulously manage their food stores or kitchen? Or do they exist in a state of constant chaos?

Has your OC ever smashed or broken something in frustration? Are they perhaps easily thrown into a rage by uncooperative technology, or angered by the symbols of an organisation they despise? How did they feel afterwards?

How would your OC occupy themselves if snowed in or trapped by a storm? Would they secretly enjoy the experience? Or would they feel hemmed in or restless?

Does your OC collect any sort of art or crafted items? Perhaps paintings by a particular artist or sculptures on a certain theme? Do they dream of one day filling their home with rich tapestries or a fortune in delicate porcelain?

If called upon to fight or respond with force to the unwelcome activities of another, how would your OC usually go about this? Would they throw themselves into the fray? Pick off enemies at a distance? Or dispatch an admirer or underling to take care of the situation on their behalf?

Is your OC an early bird or a night owl? Are they happier burning the midnight oil and then sleeping in long after sunrise? Or are they usually tucked up by late evening, ready to rise and do something productive at dawn? How do they feel about people whose body clocks are different to their own in this regard?

What is the most surprisingly sensitive part of your OC's body? Is it particularly ticklish? An unexpected erogenous zone? Or perhaps a wound that never truly recovered after an injury? How do they respond to it being touched?

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I made a low-pressure weekly prompt list for a personal server w/ friends to help get inspired for the Summer with writing, drawing, and gposing! Don't ask about Estinien's outfit. It was gpose practice.

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Been waiting like 6 months to make this.

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