#Lodestone Notes

[thefreelanceangel]

So looks like we can expect a revamped benchmark at the end of the month, well before Dawntrail's early access date. These people are busting ass, damn!

[potatoesandsunshine]

if i was anakin skywalker i simply would not go missing

[breelandwalker]

Inspiration Salt

Intent: To increase creativity and inventiveness. Also assists with clearing creative blocks.

Ingredients:

3 pt Salt

1 pt Horehound

1 pt Jasmine

1⁄2 pt Allspice

1⁄2 pt Witch Hazel*

* - This herb should be avoided by persons who are pregnant or nursing. Exercise all proper precautions.

Materials:

Mortar & Pestle (or spice grinder)

Funnel

Mesh Strainer

Collection Dish

Container

Note: Powdered versions of most herbs are available online. I recommend Starwest Botanicals and Penn Herbs for quality products at reasonable prices. Also, if you can get your hands on a good electric spice grinder, you can make your own powder from dried herb products. If you don't have premade powdered herbs, grind each ingredient separately to produce fine powder. Sieve the material through the mesh strainer into the collection dish; this removes the larger unground pieces and gives you cleaner powdered herb. (Pro-Tip: Putting a funnel under the mesh strainer reduces lost material and makes collection much easier.)

Combine the component powders in the collection dish, mix well, and bottle immediately. Label with the name, date, and ingredients for future reference.

Use Inspiration Salt in any and all magics meant to stimulate innovative thinking or inspire new ideas. If you are a witch with a creative side or lots of term papers to finish, this salt just might be your new best friend.

Place a small bowl of Inspiration Salt in workspace to encourage new ideas. If you are inclined to candle magic, you can place a tealight candle in the center of the dish to amplify the salt's effects. (Open flame is not required to make this work; a battery-operated LED candle can provide the necessary amplification if needed.) If a candle is not available, a lodestone works well too.

Inspiration Salt makes a good additive for clay charms if you're in the mood to make salt dough clay. A small "study buddy" may be crafted to sit on your desk and lighten your work sessions.

-adapted from Pestlework: A Book of Magical Powders & Oils, (c) 2017 by Bree NicGarran

Want more magical powders? Check out the masterpost here and visit my shop for spell kits, books, magical powders, and more!

(If you’re enjoying my content, please feel free to drop a little something in the tip jar, tune in to my monthly show Hex Positive on your favorite podcast app, or check out my published works on Amazon or in the Willow Wings Witch Shop. 😊)

[diardri]

Dia's FFXIV Art Reference Notes, A possibly long post

Hello! I made this as a thread on my twitter but I might as well post a version of it here. For the record this will be a thread linking to the resources I use when drawing commissions or fanart, I have not made Any of these and whenever I can I will note the creators and link directly to their resources.

GPose Reference First and foremost, if you're drawing a WOL or ordering a commission of your WOL the most important thing is to take a proper reference GPOSE. I use the method in this post, to make sure I got all the angles. Clean refs are super important when drawing armor/intricate outfits so take care to take simple standing poses like the one in the tweet above. Cool dynamic poses might be fun but they're not really useful for referencing.

Gear/Weapon Reference

If you need good references for a weapon/outfit that you don't have a GPOSE for, I recommend using the attire website

This is a japanese website maintained by @/chiyo_asa on twitter and if you've ever looked up a piece of gear in the lodestone you've almost definitely come across their pictures.

This is a super rough translation in english of the menu of the website. While it is in Japanese it's very easy to navigate and all the pictures in the site are super high quality and very useful for referencing.

This is my number one source for gear references I haven't taken myself

The "mirapuri" button afaik is for glams they made themselves that they want to showcase.

An important note about this site specifically is that I believe it's currently undergoing an overhaul so Some weapons/gearsets might not be completely transferred in yet.

That being said, the majority of sets from dungeons/crafting/alliance raids/job gear sets etc are sorted like so, which makes it super easy to look for.

There IS also a search function but I'm pretty sure it works only for japanese input.

NPC reference sheets

@xivrefsheets Offers really detailed resources of npc models. They also occasionally accept requests on their ko-fi (closed at the time of writing this)

These are super useful and really high quality, especially for some of the boss refs they've done. As someone who doesn't use anamnesis I go back to their refs very often

Convocation of the Fourteen refs

Maintained by @/Igeyorhm on twitter this site has a nice list of Ascian refs per character in addition to some lore bits for each of them. Also some very useful closeups of the Ascian clothes.

Even more NPC and Boss Refs

I believe maintained by @/MlNRATHOUS on twitter, this site has a really nice array of major NPC and boss references in various angles and with colourpicks for skintone and hair which is super useful. I use them a Lot

Lalafell centric refs

Norirow Note is a super cute blog that showcases glam items/ weapons/ chocobo barding and more.

It is NOT meant to be an art reference, however if you play a lala like me, I find their showcases useful when drawing gear on lalas.

Even if you don't use it as an art ref it's a super cute blog that's just fun to go through AND fully translated in english so I recommend just having a fun time reading through it anyway.

Bonus- Au Ra Scales.

I literally found out about this today but @/saficchi on twitter has made a super detailed angled ref sheet for both male and female au ra scales and I love them for it

Bonus 2 electric boogaloo- TextTools

I use this to import 3d models of specific weapons into CSP if I'm drawing them.

I don't know how useful this is for other art software but it's saved my ass from freehanding titania weapons so in the thread it goes

That's the full list of refs I personally use, if there's more that people want to add please feel free to do so in the comments. I hope it helps people out in their creative endeavors!

[autumnslance]

Blacklist Improvements in FFXIV!

Enhanced Blacklist Functionality (removes the player model!)

Mute List

Term Filter (applies to most channels in most circumstances)

Estate Expulsion

Enhanced Lodestone Privacy Settings

These will apply across the offending player's account, though note many of them are stored client-side in some cases.

[katherinecrighton]

Nuts and Bolts: Some Writing Advice

(Reposting a 2013 post from the Anna Katherine co-tumblr)

A friend of mine awhile back asked the aether for some practical, straightforward writing advice, which I assumed meant nuts and bolts stuff.

This is what I ended up writing to her.

(Caveat emptor: 1. The reason advice looks contradictory is because it literally is different for everyone — shit that works for one person won’t work for someone else. Just stick it in your toolbox and move along. 2. I will say obvious shit that you already know. Because it’s possible somebody else doesn’t. 3. You may totally disagree with anything/everything I say, oh my god, that’s fine.)

1. Use the word “said.” Throw in a “she declaimed” every once in a while if you like, but don’t do it all the time. Feel free to put in no dialogue tags at all, if it’s clear who’s speaking. But “said” is free and generally invisible to the reader (and the goal is to not remind the reader that they’re reading).

2. Writing advice for short fiction and writing advice for novels are and writing advice for one genre versus another are all going to tell you slightly (or wildly) different things. So, you know, watch out for that. I suggest switching mediums entirely, and try reading up on screenplays or three-panel comics.

3. Stick your finished draft into a Kindle or some other robot reader, and have a mechanical voice read the story to you. It’s a step removed, and you’ll hear where it clunks. Make notes as it goes.

4. If you don’t have a robot reader, read it out loud to yourself. Actually out loud. Put check marks wherever you cringe. It’s where the reader will likely cringe too.

5. Start your story at the point of change. It’s more interesting. Backfill with exposition a couple of paragraphs later.

6. Sometimes, if I’m writing a one-off, I pick a motif and stick with it as a lodestone for all my descriptions. It’s a way of creating a sort of subliminal mood and atmosphere for the reader, while at the same time maintaining a nice sense of continuity.

7. The English language likes to hear things in threes. Three bears, three nights, three wishes, and what with one thing and another, three years passed. English also likes iambic pentameter and any other rhyme or rhythm scheme it can get its hands on. Readers want language to both have a pretty meaning (three brothers seek their fortune) and a pretty sound (now is the winter of our discontent). The fastest way to do this, and not have it be totally obvious, is to combine the two. Have three lines of description, three examples of something, three jokes — and do it semi-regularly. It creates a rhythm in your work, like a heartbeat. Study other people’s stories and see if you can find where they’re doing the same or similar things. Count stuff.

8. Then, later, fuck with your readers by breaking the rhythm. Stop the heartbeat. Miss the step. The reader will get nervous and uncomfortable and have no idea why. Makes for good tension.

9. Other things that make readers uncomfortable: Set dressing. We’re used to visual mediums. If you want to set up a really uncomfortable scene, describe key things around it going in, and make it clear that it’s Not Okay. A pair of scissors that have been left half open. A door that is not entirely shut. A radio caught between two stations, the garden hose still left running. Nothing overt, nothing obvious – just stuff that feels uncomfortable to read. Do enough of those in a row, as you head toward a confrontation, and the reader will be a ball of avidly reading tension by the end of it. 

10. Graphic sex scenes are equal to action scenes. In both instances, know where everybody is, and what everybody’s doing. Describe with more physical action than you think is necessary. If the reader doesn’t know where everybody’s limbs are and what tools are being used, then they’ll get confused and bored. You can always edit later.

[kemetic-dreams]

Roots under Beale: The Significance of Beale Street to Memphis Hoodoo History

In the late 1800s, Robert Church, the first African-American millionaire in the South took great interest in Beale Street. After purchasing land on Beale, Church built Church Park and Auditorium exclusively for black Memphians. He also created a recreational center and an upscale hotel. Beale Street was very important to African American life in Memphis as Church wanted to create a safe haven for black Memphians where African American food, music and entertainment could be celebrated.

A community of healers, conjurers and rootworkers began to develop on Beale. Memphians knew that you could visit the right store or juke joint and find someone with the ‘gift’ to provide magical and spiritual help. Beale Street musicians like W.C. Handy began to speak of the hoodoo culture through the lyrics of their songs. Blues singer Lillie Mae Glover known as ‘Ma Rainey II’ became popular on Beale Street as not only a performer but also a conjurer. She would perform rituals and various spiritual workings for other performers on Beale, as well as random customers who knew to seek her out. One of her special abilities was the ability to make mojo hands for blues musicians. While many hands were traditionally made using roots, lodestone and a red flannel bag, Lillie Mae made hers using common ingredients like sugar, flour and a heap of coal.

It became evident that hoodoo was being practiced in downtown Memphis much to the dislike of the white community. Hoodoo and any African based religious practices were compared to savage paganism that threatened the wives and children of the white community of Memphis. Local police were put on alert regarding the threat of hoodoo and ‘voodooism’ as it was commonly referred to.

The Memphis Press-Scimitar reported:

‘The Voodoo business still thrives on Beale Street. Police, looking for a witch

doctor yesterday confiscated a half a sack full of “Stay Away Powder,”

“Easy Life Powder” and “Spanish Luck Drops” being sold to negroes at

25 cents a set. The “Stay Away” powder, supposed to jinx a love rival,

proved to be nothing stronger than flour. “Easy Life” powder appeared to

be a fine grade of ground clay. “Spanish Luck Drops” were more potent.

They were a cheap but stout perfume. All in all, police figured the 25-cent

collection cost the producers not more than a couple of cents.’

Raids on rootworkers and conjurers were quite common in the city. There is record of a number of arrests where hoodoo devotees were arrested and artifacts such as mojo bags and amulets were confiscated and in some cases destroyed in the presence of practitioners. Hoodoo was not only feared but represented empowerment for the black community, something that the times simply would not allow.

The development of a hoodoo community on Beale Street gained the notoriety of the title ‘The Black Magic District’ as many Memphians knew that one could obtain a cleansing, a black cat bone or guidance from the ancestors by visiting the right individual on Beale. In the 1940s gold miners would visit Beale Street looking for conjurers to help them spiritually locate treasure along the Mississippi River. The rising number of Memphians using Beale Street’s healers as a form of healthcare caused some Memphis physicians to become critical and voice offense against the community’s rootworkers. However as writer Keith Wailoo in has noted “Those who invoked spirits to relieve one’s rheumatism or to subdue one’s enemies would not be driven easily from the Bluff city.” Hoodoo was here to stay.

In 1876, Jewish immigrant Abraham Schwab opened one of Memphis’s most iconic businesses on Beale Street. A. Schwab began as a dry goods store offering everything from cloth overalls to blues records. Years later the store began to carry a number of hoodoo related curios. In fact at one point the store was literally bringing in shipments of over one hundred and twenty tons of hoodoo related candles. The hoodoo community in Memphis would purchase oils, candles, incense and roots from the oldest store on Beale. One of my earliest exposures to hoodoo curios came when as a child I was taken into Schwab by my parents. I remember the scent of incense and the colorful collection of candles and curios. It was a wonderland to the senses.

During the writing of A Secret History of Memphis Hoodoo: Rootworkers, Conjurers and Spirituals, I was given the opportunity to visit the store’s archives and see some of the remnants of hoodoo curios and artifacts. A number of old curios from Memphis based companies like ‘LaClyde Lucky Products’ and ‘Lucky Heart Cosmetics’ were preserved in pristine condition saved for their historical preservation. Boxes of dried rattlesnake root, John the Conqueror and assorted herbs could still be found. A member of the Schwab family shared stories of hoodoo practitioners throughout the years and the many testimonies and stories of customers from the conjure community.

These are but a few of the numerous stories about rootworkers and conjurers on Beale Street that were instrumental in the history of hoodoo in Memphis. The history of hoodoo in Memphis is a story of cultural survival that needs to be told.

[just-eyris-things]

2 DRACONIC LODESTONES AND 1K RESEARCH NOTES AWAY FROM COMPLETING MY AURENE LEGGY COLLECTION I CANT BELIEVE IT I THINK IM GOING TO GO INSANE-

[dandelionjedi]

I'm watching a Tango stream from a week or two ago, and he's talking about armor trims with Scar.

He made the comment that he wishes they were more rare, since the hermits got all of them in like a day, and I had to laugh.

Tango. You guys are not normal. Are you not aware of this? Maybe they should be rarer, but you CANNOT compare the speed at which hermits acquire rare items to the speed at which any normal Minecraft players acquire rare items.

Just a reminder:

Not one, but TWO Ender Dragons have been brought to the overworld

There are at least FOUR different warden farms

Cubfan made a floor out of LODESTONES

And Tango, have you looked at Decked Out recently? This server is not a normal minecraft experience.

Side note: Tango and Scar were saying the trims don't look good. I'd say they only look good on Netherite armor, which is not ideal, but is worth mentioning. Doc has full Netherite, and he's rocking the trims.

[medusanova]

Ok Rivusa historical au marriage of convinces! Pretty please with cherry on top!

Musa observed the crush from her position at balcony, tapping a fingertip anxiously against the glass of the watered-down swill tonight’s hostess passed for wine.

Below her was a horde of blushing, simpering debutantes, fluttering about the dance floor like frantic rabbits, hopping to and fro in hopes of attracting a mate. And, of course, there were the desperate, unfortunate gentleman putting every effort into dodging their advances — and, who’s fathers (or dwindling coffers) had, quite probably, imposed the lodestone of “marriage” around their necks this evening.

If she had to hear a fortune-hunting mama say the words “secure your future” once more she’d strangle herself with her corset. The damned thing was one tug away from asphyxiation anyway.

Though her father had every reason to believe it too was Musa’s time to secure a husband with a decent title, there was only one problem: she didn’t want a blasted husband, did she?

Sometimes she was glad her dearest mother wasn’t around to see the man she’d loved turn into a soulless, title-grabbing merchant with his sole focus reduced to being accepted into any gentleman’s club. Even if it meant throwing his only daughter into the lion’s den.

Unfortunately for him, Musa refused to be reduced to an obedient piece of chattel for his gain. Refused to allow anyone, even if it was her father, to dictate her life. Refused to sit back and just let it all happen.

Which is why tonight, Musa was taking her fate back into her own hands. She tapped the glass harder until a staccatoed tinkling echoed from the glass.

“Good evening, darling,” drawled a low voice from behind her. A large, gloved hand reached out to grasp the railing in front of her. Her tapping abruptly stopped. Speaking of lions…

Musa turned around to find herself looking up at Lord Riven, Marquess of Linphea: rake of the first order, and, regrettably, the man upon which her newly chosen fate hinged upon.

Tall and big-framed, every line of him was taut with feline grace. The twinkling chandeliers overhead highlighted the sun struck golds through the darkness of his hair. His eyes were jungle-green, cheekbones high and straight, and the full curve of his lips sparked a note of erotic dissonance to his otherwise aristocratic features.

She ignored the low heat unfurling through her chest, arching a brow. “‘Darling’, is it? And pray tell, my lord, who’s given you permission to address me with such familiarity?”

“I did,” he stepped closer, twisting his lips into a sensuous smirk. “Is it not a husband’s right to shower his bride in meaningless endearments?”

She looked around to see if there were any eavesdroppers about, lowering her voice. “That may be, but I’m your soon-to-be bride, Lord Riven. So I’d appreciate it if you didn’t take liberties and avoided saying things that might raise suspicion.”

Her irritation seemed to bounce right off of him as he grabbed the glass in her hand and downed its contents, grimacing when he swallowed. “Is this what they make you ladies drink?” He shook his head and set the glass on a nearby table. “No wonder you’re always starchy, overbearing, and uptight.”

Her control snapped, of course he wasn’t taking this seriously, wasn’t taking her seriously. No one ever did. “I will not-“ She broke off, looking around them again before dragging him into the nearest open door — the lord of the manor’s personal study, by the looks of it.

“I will not have you compromising my plan before I can even set it into motion!” she finished, pointing a finger in his direction. “We need to be discreet. And careful.”

Sliding his hands into his pockets, he meandered toward her, slowly, like a lion studying the movement of a rabbit, before he stopped right in front of her.

“Well, maybe if I’d been informed of said plan, I might’ve found it in me to pretend some semblance of either of those.”

His nearness was enough to make Musa’s heart race, but she didn’t back down. This was too important to her. Her own fate, her own freedom. No spoiled lord could ever understand the concept of not having freedom, and she wasn’t about to let one get in the way of her plan.

“I told you, the less it looks like this has been premeditated the better. You court me, you ask my father for permission, the banns are read, we wed. My father gets his title, I get my freedom, you get your inheritance back. It’s as simple as that.”

“Courting? Permission?” He leaned a forearm against the bookshelf, causing Musa’s back to collide with the one behind her. Reaching a hand out, he tugged at the strand of hair by her cheek. “Where’s the fun in any of that, hm?”

“Fun?” It came out in a mixture of outrage and breathlessness. “My plan isn’t meant to be fun, it’s meant to be a series of strict-“

He captured her next words with his mouth. Kissing her once, twice, before he murmured, “Let’s try my plan instead.”

She gasped, unable to keep track of all the sensations he’d brought out of her: irritability and anger and disbelief and wildness and.. and desire. She’d never felt so much at once and while she knew in the back of her mind that her life, her future was in the balance, she couldn’t help but want to explore the tempting chaos he’d just teased her with.

She yanked his collar and pulled him back.

They pressed closer together and he slipped into her mouth, teasing her tongue while he held her close. She gasped at the intrusion, never having felt something like this, like him before. Their breathing heavy when they pulled apart again, only to crash back together against the shelves.

The hair at his collar was soft. The pulse under his cravat was fluttering. Her lips were swollen — and he kissed her harder still. Sucking at the skin beneath her jaw, down to the dip in her throat. Letting his tongue trace her lace collar until she whimpered and pulled him back to her mouth. He was devouring her against the bookshelves, like the heroines she’d read about in the romance novels Terra kept hidden beneath her pillow. And Musa couldn’t get enough of it.

She was still happily drowning in the new sensations he’d conjured within her when he pulled away for a third time, staring at her intently, almost wonderingly- before something caught his sharp gaze over her shoulder.

Musa’s heart sank because, even before she turned around to see the hostess of this very ball standing at the open door of the study, she wouldn’t have ever been able to mistake her shrill, overly-loud, “By the gods, what is going on in here!” Echoing through the room.

And then, “I hope you’re planning to do right by this young lady, my boy!” A gruff man’s voice joined the shrill one, unsurprisingly more dramatic than the lady’s.

And instead of showing even an ounce of chagrin or remorse, instead of stepping away from Musa, he ignored the gathering crowd by the study door to lean his face close back into hers, throwing away all sense of propriety to whisper, “See? My plans are always better. Darling.”

[lucenare]

After too much time, I am finally presenting the collaborative Caspian playlist! On spotify and youtube. Two of the songs are only on the youtube playlist because they aren't on spotify.

Notes from suggestions under the cut!

Since I Saw Vienna 

Suggested by @ghostyjpg

“This song is an almost spot-on telling of Caspian's story pre-prison/post-LoTW's death. It's one of the first songs that comes to mind when I think of him as a character. If Caspian were ever a main character in a coming-of-age movie that started with him leaving the village where she was buried and a montage of him travelling, this is what I picture would be playing.”

Ghost Boy 

Suggested by @lucenare

“The only song I knew would be on this playlist when I decided to do one for Caspian. This song can be interpreted two ways. The first is the song’s intention, which is about transitioning and leaving home as someone new. The second is interpreting “her” as a separate person from the singer, in this case LoTW, and grieving a loss that feels incomplete because the memories and reminders are everywhere.”

The Road to Nowhere 

Suggested by @lucenare

“To me, this song is about the struggle of Caspian watching Rae struggle to piece together the war and the resets. Knowing you’re missing so much fear and destruction, not knowing if you’ll ever know the truth for real as you face the fact that someone you love has become burdened by the desire to fix everything”

When the Day Met the Night 

Suggested by @ghostyjpg

“Caspian as a young adventurer, probably a couple years after he initially left home, but never finding someone to call a friend. "Her eyes saved his life, in the middle of summer." Being when Caspian and LoTW first met. This is the story of their friendship. *ALTERNATIVELY:* Ghae in some capacity, either one of them being the Sun or Moon. "He was just hanging around, then he fell in love." Neither of them expected to fall in love with each other, despite the hardships they were facing with Ominous Bane at the time. “

Go the Distance

Suggested by @wise-girl13

“Our lost one traveler searching for a home”

Good Old-Fashioned Loverboy 

Suggested by @wise-girl13

“Ghaae can I say anymore “

Juliet 

Suggested by @sage-is-in-fact-very-tired

“I don't actually know why, but it just kinda *feels* Caspian- “

If My Heart Was a House 

Suggested by @ghostyjpg

“Caspian and Rae's first dance song if they ever got married in lore maybe? DMCA be damned lmao. Also a song that I strongly associate with them in general. Caspian not having a place to call home since he was a child, and then not again until LoTW, and after her death finally having someone be home when Rae became said home. "If my heart was a compass, you'd be north." The only compass Caspian actively makes sure he has either near or on him is the one that Rae gave him that points to his lodestone necklace. “

Lego House 

Suggested by @wise-girl13

“Caspian talking to Rae and Aax letting them know that he's going to be there throughout everything.”

[driftward]

Research Proposal: A Conceptual Framework for the Use of Anima in Creating an Aetheric Fairy Construct Researchers: Z. Vauban, B. Ardashir, and Y’s. Rhul Reading level: Considered appropriate for those of thirteen summers and up Problem statement: The current zenith of the art of creating a stable Nymian fairy is currently based on extensive mathematics from the records of Nym, as well as painstaking equation work, extensive materials use, and moons of dedicated work to the end of creating an entity that, while sentient, shows far less capability, initiative, and flexibility than fairies that have been found and recovered from soul stones dating from the Nymian era. We are proposing the use of recent advances in anima soul gems to fashion an improved soul stone and accompanying anima spirit to hopefully bridge the gap and create an aetheric faerie construct that is more similar to those the ancient Nymian empire apparently relied upon. Notes: None

~*~

Foxglove stood stiffly at attention while Zoissette went through the equations that governed her existence, tracing them with a finger. In her other hand, she held a single, solitary little soulgem between her fingers, gently twisting it back and forth.

The idea had come to her while she had been working with Ardashir on the matter of creating anima weapons. Rowena had thought an adventurer such as herself would be interested in such a thing, and she was not wrong. But while the other adventurers were more interested in having their intelligent and adaptable weapons, Zoissette had been rather more intrigued by the anima aspect. Early experiments did not produce much fruit, but eventually, she had managed to coax an anima spirit into being.

It looked familiar. Extremely familiar, in fact. She had been reminded of the elementals that had manifested when they retrieved Y’shtola from the lifestream in Gridania. She even went back and compared her sketches of them from then to the anima spirit she had now. They were both vaguely humanoid in shape, glowing entities made of energy, with flowing wings on their backs.

Foxglove, a faerie modeled after the Nymian fairies that had been found to date, was also a small humanoid, a glowing entity made of aether, with wings on her back.

At first, Zoissette had assumed it was simply an interesting cultural lodestone of sorts. In standardizing on one form, the Nymians would be well equipped to perfect its construction, and eliminate questions rising from such, allowing them to focus their efforts and energies on other aspects of their familiars. Similar to how, in Eorzea, by far the most common familiar was the humble carbuncle. Others existed, of course, from Nixies to Poroggos and more exotic creatures, but if an adventurer was versed in the matters of summoning familiar, by and for the most part it was the carbuncle they summoned. She had just assumed the Nymians had settled on the fairy instead.

However, now she had different questions in mind. The fairies were robust aetheric constructs, and all that had been found to date, if they were functional, they were fully made to a Spoken level of sentience. Not all carbuncles necessarily were, and even the intelligent ones could vary greatly in actual capability.

And then there was Foxglove.

Foxglove had been painstakingly made by herself and Papalymo, and had been, to date, well, functional. Zoissette had simply assumed that it was merely a question of time and experience, but as moons passed into seasons, Foxglove’s ability to adapt to situations never improved, they had never shown much of a personality, and they had shown little initiative. They followed stratagems well enough, and they were competent in their support role, but only just.

Lily had been lively and opinionated and more.

And so she had considered the possibility that the Nymian fairies were not constructs of pure equation, but rather, if they had been modeled on artificial anima. The anima providing an animating and motivating force, while the equations dictated form and functionality. A marriage of two disciplines, leading to an impressive whole. An insight Papalymo and her clearly had missed, for even if the anima line of inquiry did not quite hit the mark, it was obvious that neither had the efforts that produced Foxglove in the first place.

Zoissette remembered Y’shtola’s criticisms of her work. How she only knew how to look on the outside of things, and was blind to deeper insights. Papalymo had scoffed at the time, and had accused her of making things up in seeing things that were not there, and it had started one of their arguments which Zoissette had stayed out of. Y’shtola’s criticism had stung at the time, a bit, and she did not fully understand what Y’shtola had meant.

But Y’shtola, sharp as her tongue could be, was rarely mean in spirit. Just blunt. And now Zoissette thought she may be beginning to understand. Y’shtola had been right, of course. Zoissette was good at the little details that made up facts, and was good at analyzing what was in front of her, and even could piece together the big picture a puzzle might form, but she was bad at inference and the subtexts that often pointed to deeper truths.

And the truth was, Foxglove was just a simple construct, little better than a wind-up, barely as robust as even the simplest mammet. Zoissette and Papalymo both had missed a deeper truth that lay at the heart of the Nymian art of fairy summoning.

And now it was just her here, to carry on the work alone.

The anima spirit could help her bridge the gap, she believed, but she did not want to do the work alone. Y’shtola had offered to help, after all; Zoissette’s help with Alexander in exchange for Y’shtola’s help with the anima research. While the Alexander mission had not gone exactly smoothly, and the two women’s relationship had wound up strained for much of it, in the end they had learned to bridge their differences, and their friendship had wound up all the stronger for it.

And yet, Zoissette somehow felt herself becoming more distant. Part of it, she was sure, was that she was sorely missing Papalymo. He had been her mentor, and he had helped her so much with Foxglove. She may have heard rumors that hinted that he may be alive out there somewhere, but for now he was not, and she would do well to continue to move forward in his absence. But she felt as though she would be betraying him, somehow, if she was to get help from someone for the next stage of the fairy project which they had spearheaded together.

Which was ridiculous, she knew. She could imagine him pointing high up to the letters above Idyllshire, reading aloud the Sharlayan motto of ‘knowledge seeks no man’. And she could imagine hearing his admonishment, telling her she would do well to seek knowledge, wherever it may come from, whether it was him or his fellow Archon.

And Y’shtola could possibly be great help. Zoissette well remembered Matoya’s home full of familiars, and Matoya’s comments on the anima research to date. Y’shtola was Matoya’s student, and unquestionably would have the same depth of expertise, even if not an exact match. Y’shtola could provide that deep insight that Zoissette lacked, while Zoissette provided the rigor and careful calculations that the project would demand. Each making up the weaknesses of one another, playing to their individual strengths.

But she was hesitating. Y’shtola and her had already spent plenty of time in close quarters in recent memory. Would the Archon have the patience to deal with her for the time it would take to undergo another lengthy research project? She was certain Y’shtola would not mind the slight deviation in plan from working on an anima weapons to instead working on an anima familiar. The woman relished most any intellectual challenge. But still, the work did not promise to be quick or easy, and Zoissette was finding herself hesitating at the risk of spoiling a good friendship with too much of, well, being herself.

And, if she was honest, she was not certain she wanted to risk getting closer. The future was ever uncertain, particularly for the Scions of the Seventh Dawn and adventurers like herself. All she had of her old mentor now was rumors. And a familiar. She looked over at Foxglove.

Foxglove just stood still, staring off, waiting for instructions. Always ready, never changing. Just existing, and nothing more.

Zoissette’s fingers tightened around the anima soulgem she was holding, and she made the call. Her hand went to her linkpearl, seeking Y’shtola’s frequency.

It was time to move forward once more.

[autumnslance]

The following additions and adjustments have been made to the armoire:

Items purchased from the Online Store can now be stored in the armoire.

Stored items from the Online Store will appear in the "Costumes," "Fashions," and "Mascots" categories.

The category in which stored items can be found will now be shown upon storing them.

A name search function for stored items has been added.

Stored items can now be glamoured from the armoire interface.

GLORIOUS!

I have wanted this exact thing for years. So much freed space in my glamour dresser and retainers now!

From the Patch 6.5 "Growing Light" Preliminary Patch Notes, on the Lodestone.

[ainyan]

Hello, and welcome to my blog! I'm Ainyan, and below you'll find some of the characters that I may be posting about. I primarily post about the excellent MMORPGs Final Fantasy XIV and Star Wars: The Old Republic - but I also play a lot of other games like Mass Effect, Dragon Age, Persona, Destiny, and others, and am happy to talk about them as well!

I maintain two Carrds (FFXIV and SWTOR) as well as an active if infrequently updated Archive of our Own account.

I welcome asks (anon and named) and maintain an ever-growing list of prompts and ask memes that can be found here. I am a member of the LGBTQ+ and poly communities and am heavily pro-trans (and pro-human) rights. If you are a bigot or TERF, feel free to walk yourself right out of here - you'll find no succor and no discourse here.

Without further ado, my characters:

Name: Kal'istae Miurani (Kali)

Race: Au Ra (Xaela)

Canon Jobs: White Mage, Dancer, Gunbreaker, Sage, Dragoon, Summoner

Relationships: Thancred (Partner)

Status: Main RP Character (Marilith)

Link to her Carrd. || Link to her #tag.

(Note: Although Kal'istae is a real character, all of her achievements/deeds/experiences for actual in-game content are based off of Ciprys, who has done almost everything.)

Name: Ciprys Dreamweaver (Cip)

Race: Au Ra (Raen)

Canon Jobs: Summoner, Dancer, White Mage, Paladin, Ninja

Relationships: Cirdan Dreamreaver (Husband)

Status: Main Play Character (Famfrit)

Link to her Carrd. || Link to her Lodestone.

Name: Kyszarin Asyret (Kys)

Race: Viera (Rava)

Canon Jobs: Summoner, Sage, Reaper, Warrior, Dancer

Relationships: Raine Inarin (Lover/Partner)

Status: Alternate Play Character (Famfrit)

Link to his Carrd. || Link to his #tag.

Name: Szah'li Khiyanto

Race: Miqo'te (Keeper of the Moon)

Canon Jobs: White Mage, Dark Knight, Dancer, Dragoon, Summoner

Relationships: Alisaie (Partner); Kabniel (Meta)

Status: Alternate RP Character (Marilith)

Link to his Carrd. || Link to his #tag.

Name: Miurani'kal'istae (Nikali, Kali)

Race: Chiss

Class: Imperial Agent (Operative)

Relationships: Theron Shan (Husband); Saganu (Consort)

Affiliations: Empire (Saboteur), Republic (Double Agent), Eternal Alliance, Chiss Ascendancy

Status: Main Play/RP Character (Satele Shan)

Link to her Carrd. || Link to her #tag.

Name: Cip'rys

Race: Chiss

Class: Smuggler (Scoundrel)

Relationships: Theron Shan (Husband)

Affiliations: Republic (Loyalist), Eternal Alliance

Status: Alternate Play/RP Character (Satele Shan)

Link to her Carrd. || Link to her #tag.

[gefiltefished]

wanted to read patch notes over breakfast like the morning paper 😭 lodestone's still down for an hour tho...........

[mageiia]

maggie's altars* :

hermes espresso grounds cat treats feathers gold candles coins from around the world and different ages yellow and orange post-it notes the fool, the magician, the hanged man, and all ace tarot cards a joint alexandrite, citrine, sodalite, ruby, and leopard skin jasper crystals and stones

ariadne rubik's cube puzzle boxes with yarn in the center red & gold candles wine corks snake sheddings (naturally found, as whole as possible) chalice for bourbon/wine pearl necklace the empress, the star, temperance, and all queen tarot cards lodestone, rose quartz, citrine, and flower agate crystals and stones

hypnos opium pipe pressed poppies lavender black & white candles hematite ring a couple mini notebooks that functioned as dream journals a clear quartz pendulum with its own stand the wheel of fortune, strength, ten of cups, and page of cups tarot cards smoky quartz, peach moonstone, lapis lazuli, tiger's eye, and obsidian crystals and stones

dionysus leopard skull black & purple candles wine corks chalice for wine pinecones & evergreen clippings vine fruits, primarily grapes & strawberries black scrying mirror a bloodstone figurine of a leopard garnet and carnelian beaded bracelets and anklets the hierophant, death, and the devil tarot cards grape agate, sugilite, and amethyst crystals and stones

pan assorted wildflower honey mushrooms brown & green candles wood and bone pan flute goat horns small mason jar of sea water from ionian sea the hermit, justice, the moon, and judgment tarot cards fuchsite, emerald, calcite, and flourite crystals and stones

*she has a different but close by space where she does her active work, with more practical tools and a more neutral space, but these line the room with appropriate distances between them lol