#user: vasheden

[paintedscales]

Thank you @vasheden, @theworldwalkersdiaries, and @fuyumeh for the asks, and sorry it took me so long to get to this one! ; w ; Between AuRaugust and now FFXIV Write on top of real life stuff, the plate has been rather full, as it were!

Also, I'm not neglecting the 🌸 / picnic emote. I just have the energy to draw this for this (belated) ask. :')

The Wardrobe Meme

They're a mandragora family! Nomin as the Mandragora Queen, Estinien as the grumpy Tomato King, and both Fleurette and Cyrielle are wee kidragoras. :>

I like to imagine that Estinien has learned that karma is, in fact, real and that he's paying the rather minimal price back from sending Aymeric the gaja suit those years ago. :y I also like to imagine that the costumes weren't just spotaneously bought, but were instead sent to them by Ameliance who is MORE THAN THRILLED AND PREPARED to dote on the twins and make sure they have matching costumes.

[rocketsagan-blog]

Thank you for tagging me: @sir-catsalot95

Last song: Paint the Town Red - Doja Cat

Favorite color: Purple

Currently watching: A Sign of Affection

Sweet/savory/spicy: Sweet

Relationship status: Married

Current obsession: Cross Stitching

Hello @vasheden , @obliviousmelon , @gay-fucking-goblin

It's chill if y'all wanna participate or not, I'm like an infant tumblr user, so I've never done one of these before

[paintedscales]

By contrast, what was the moment that first made their ~heart~ Soft for the other person? Not necessarily a conscious realization of “I love this person,” but a moment that had them like “Oh...I adore them...”

Good evening, Vasheden! Thank you so much for the ask. I don't think this one comes from a prompt list, which thank you! I really appreciate the interest! ; w ; /

I wanted to answer something that's been sitting in my inbox for a while at this point before I went to bed tonight. :'D This one has been on my radar for a while.

So...in my writings that I've been off and on working on, it was Estinien who got smitten first. After everything, and after their time meeting and understanding that they both buried the hatchet on the Steppe, it was Ghimlyt Dark for him. The way I have it framed in one of the drabbles I wrote is that he found Nomin having collapsed due to the Exarch's meddling at an inopportune time, and when he went to defend and whisk her from the battlefield, he was just...

Hm...

He understood that, as the Warrior of Light, losing her would have been detrimental to everyone. But as he was bringing her back to safety, he started having other thoughts. Like what if it wasn't just because she's the Warrior of Light? I'm saving someone who has just as much experience as I do, and can relate to the same things that I do... There was kinship on the Steppe, and then I think Ghimlyt and being so close to losing her in that moment was just that little click for him that was just, "oh...I don't want to lose her because I'll lose someone who understands me better than anyone else."

From there, for him, it just starts to grow. Not that he ever speaks up on it. I think Aymeric probably picked up on it when Estinien brought Nomin to him, though. Maybe. Not sure yet. I haven't really explored how I want to go about that.

As for Nomin...

It was while she was on the First. After remembering what little fragments and moments of delirium in Estinien's hold during Ghimlyt, and also being told that she was rushed into Aymeric's care thanks to him, Estinien lived in her head rent free.

Much like how I imagine Estinien, Nomin has also experienced the fact that she did reconcile and come to understandings enough with Estinien on the Steppe that it felt apt to call him a decent enough friend. It was a lot of dancing around similar trauma bonding, but bonding nonetheless.

On the First, she thought of him, she thought of him so much. Remembering being held by him and feeling grateful that he rescued her from getting killed by Elidibus. So when she came back from the First and she met with him again, just seeing him triggered that happy response. That tail flick. When that happened, she realized, "oh...oh... I actually do want to be with him. I want him at my side as much as I want to be at his."

And that was fun (not)! Because Nomin didn't actually know what to do with those emotions. I don't think Estinien did, either. So...I think both of them just shelved those emotions for later. Fast forward to Endwalker before traveling to Ultima Thule where they both confess to one another. :p

[paintedscales]

Outfits! 🌸 and 🎃

As I said, wasn't neglecting the picnic one. Just needed a few more spoons (and some time) to doodle something quick! :') For anyone interested in the Halloween ask, you can view it here!

Thank you again for the ask, though! Much appreciated! ^^

The Wardrobe Meme

[paintedscales]

CURIOSITY– How thoroughly do they explore new places, things, or ideas? Do they go out of their way to learn new things?

Good morning (or afternoon / evening), Vasheden! Thank you for the ask, and sorry for the late answer on this one. Much appreciate all the same, though! :>

Positive Psychology OC Ask Meme

Nomin likes to think that she's pretty thorough with some places that she finds of interest. However, with as busy a life she leads, coming back to areas she's been to before, she discovers something new. I'd say that Nomin finds joy in that, though! The discovery of new things in places she's been before always seems to stoke some level of excitement most of the time.

As for things and ideas... Things not so much. If there are items with secrets, Nomin probably glances over them. In some of my writings exploring characters that join Nomin later, there's another character that tends to find secrets and hidden compartments on things. And then ideas? Nomin sure attempts to! She has certainly done what she can to slow down and consider her ideas and others' ideas as much as she can before she comes to a conclusion or acts upon them.

I also think that Nomin tends to go out of her way -- at least more so when she was younger -- to learn as much as she could have. Growing up, and especially running from the Steppe, arriving in Eorzea, and then aiding with the Scions of the Seventh Dawn, sometimes she just wants to sleep. Like, she still finds wonder and desire in learning new things, but by the Night is it exhausting.

[paintedscales]

🌟 : A secret wish headcanon

Hihi, Vasheden! Thank you for the ask!! \ o w o / ♥♥

EMOJI PROMPTS

This one is actually pretty difficult, because Nomin doesn't really have a lot of secrets, and kind of makes what she wants pretty clear (so far as I've written her!).

I guess, though, one of the biggest things that she kind of hopes for is having people she can call family. Like, really call family. I think after leaving the Steppe -- particularly deciding to leave the Sagahl behind -- she feels like she's lost that family. Literally and figuratively in the cases of Esenaij's death, and thinking Bayarmaa won't accept her if she ever returned at the time.

She doesn't really start seeing the whole of the Scions as family till some of the climax points of ShB, with more of a lean of being like a protective older sister to Alphinaud during the events of late ARR and HW. (But still kind of struggling to see him as "family".)

So I suppose when I think about her children as well, even if they were absolutely unplanned and a surprise for both her and Estinien, I imagine she has a lot of fears in how to raise them properly. Though ultimately, I think she starts feeling more grounded and proud of herself as the children get older and it feels like they're given everything Nomin kind of wished she had when she was younger: love, support, and a family that is there for them.

[paintedscales]

14. Is their anything they associate with each other?

Hiiii, Vasheden! Thank you for the ask! Sorry that it took me a hot minute to get to it! I appreciate it all the same, though, and hope you've been doing well! \ • w • / ♥

ROMANCE ASKS

First and foremost, the color blue in general. One does not carry the mantle of Azure Dragoon without having blue associated with them in some fashion, Nomin, aside from her name quite literally meaning 'lapis' or 'azure', is literally very nearly covered head-to-toe in blue when simply just in her nameday suit.

Specifically, Woad Blue for Estinien, and Othard Blue for Nomin.

When it comes to associating other things with Estinien, Nomin has grown an appreciation for the gentle caress of the wind, to which she feels some part of Estinien within ever since Ultima Thule. She also associates dried squid, the smell of spruce and cedar wood musk, forget-me-nots, and the feeling of the sun upon her skin.

As for what I imagine Estinien's associations with Nomin are, the main one would be the moon -- he might not have as strong a sense of finding a 'Nhaama' or even seeing himself as one's 'Azim' -- but it means something to Nomin in some respect...even if she might deny it. Outside of that, some other things I imagine he associates with Nomin are horses, the smell of fresh paint, the smell of freshly tilled soil, oxidized copper, tea, oranges, and cornbread.

I feel like I may be missing some things, but these are what come to mind at the moment.

[paintedscales]

@vasheden & @crowdsourcedloner thank you both for the ask! :'D First time a double has happened! ; w ;

Angst Questions

Nomin likes to do things alone a lot of the time. She doesn't like having help, because that means having other people in danger at worst, having people get in her way at best. Very often, she'll hear of news, or be debriefed on something, and sometimes attempt to slip away to see if she can at least scout out the thing on her own to size it up and make her own assessment of the situation.

Something a little less severe: she has a tendency to automatically attempt to hide herself. Her scales. If she's wearing something with a hood, sometimes she'll put her hands on it and make the motion to bring it over her head before settling down. She has to remind herself not to put on gloves or wrap her hands to hide those scales. She's steadily getting better about not hiding herself because now a good portion of the Three Great Continents knows her appearance either having seen her themselves, or by word of mouth.

[paintedscales]

Is your muse easily flustered? Do they blush, swear, etc.?

Thank you so much for the ask! 💕

Vanilla Sunday Meme

I wrote her as getting flustered in the past, but it never really agreed with me. At least, that type of getting flustered. Blushy, stutter-y and avoidant of the topic.

Since then, a more comfortable sense of flustered I found myself more fond of for Nomin (now that I'm actively thinking about it) is this 'deer caught in headlights' kind of flustered. I wouldn't say she's easily flustered, though. Nomin is quite good at ignoring advances and flirtatious remarks, as well as most phrases deliberately used to get under her skin in a less serious fashion. We can chalk that up to her training with the Jhungid and enduring a lot of their remarks and insults.

During her confession to Estinien and seeing that he reciprocated her feelings, she became that 'deer caught in headlights.' Just absolutely stunned that he actually returned her feelings after being kind of scared of what his answer was going to be when it all tumbled out of her mouth. More so because the Final Days were coalescing to such a threat.

I think I do hearken back to a bit of the blushy, avoidant type nature of flustered with Nomin during their first few times, though. Being very self-conscious and having this idea built up in her head that her scales make her unappealing makes her a little hesitant about revealing more of herself and making herself that level of intimate and vulnerable with someone else.

[paintedscales]

day: What does your OC wear on a normal day? Why do they default to those clothes? Do they wear similar things, or do they change it up? wardrobe: How big is your character's wardrobe? Do they wear things threadbare, or can they afford new clothes often? Are they any good at mending and repairing their own clothing?

Hiii! Thanks for the ask! :D These are a lot of questions! • w •!! I'll put them under a read more since I know I tend to have a lot to write! ^^

OC Asks: Character Design Edition

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What does your OC wear on a normal day?

On a normal day, especially in recent time, Nomin can be found wearing a loose-fitting jacket and shirt combo that kind of is treated like a short dress almost! She also chooses to wear sheer tights and some ankle-high boots. She'll also wrap her hands, and often wear a flower in her hair (this yellow dahlia can be seen in a lot of her outfit choices, too!)

Why do they default to those clothes?

They're all relatively easy to throw on for the most part. The shirt and jacket especially. She doesn't like complicating her mornings. Things that take a long time to get dressed into feels like a waste of time, and is generally saved for more important events where she is expected to get dressed up. Out of her routine, ideally, the thing that should take the longest time to do is braid her hair or wrap her hands.

Do they wear similar things, or do they change it up?

That outfit is actually the only one like that that she prefers as opposed to her robes or deel from the Steppe. It's a more city-focused fit that she's adopted. Otherwise, her travel clothes are a lot more involved. Especially pending on where she's traveling.

How big is your character's wardrobe?

The only reason Nomin's wardrobe would be big is because of me and how I just like making outfits (shoves all my Style Savvy, Shining Nikki, and other dress-up games under my bed). Ideally, Nomin's wardrobe is actually pretty small to fit in with her largely nomadic nature. She would have casual clothes, small clothes (maybe a good few pair of them as the only thing she has multiples of), light travel clothes (for temperate and desert travel), and heavy winter clothes (when winter would hit, or if she was in the Tail Mountains).

I suppose I could say that with her more stationary life on the island sanctuary, that affords her wardrobe space to have a myriad of clothes and styles that she's fond of from traveling. Though it's also possible that she'd just leave them in there till the time was 'right' to wear them (so for events).

Do they wear things threadbare, or can they afford new clothes often?

Nomin doesn't really like her clothes getting aged and tattered, and will repair what she has when she can. Though if things are torn or ripped beyond repair, she'll generally go out of her way to buy something new. If the hems are coming loose, or if there are small scuffs and tears, she doesn't really mind too much. But if it's becoming a problem, then yeah, she has to do something about it before it gets worse.

With her understanding of trade and bartering on the Steppe, I'd also go out on a limb and say that Nomin is very conscientious of her money, saving it, and being able to afford new clothing items. Only if she wanted, though. Probably the only major disagreements she gets into now with Estinien are about his lack of understanding money and commerce.

Are they any good at mending and repairing their own clothing?

Moderately. It's all self-taught stuff, so things can get stitched, but it's not going to be invisible because of a 'pro-seamstress' touch' or whatever. You'd be able to tell when Nomin has repaired her stuff, because the stitching will be tight and maybe even a little crumpled.

When it comes to her stuff, she's very meh about it. Though I can guarantee you that if she is repairing anything for Estinien or her children, she'll make a larger effort to make sure her repairs aren't easily seen (she's not the best at it, but she's getting better).