#zhahra

[renofmanyalts]

Many Alts! Handle It!

Here's my current roster! All links go to the character’s tag.

For posts about all/most of my characters that may not be tagged individually, see #all the characters.

Note: At the time of this writing (July 2023), I only have in-game access to my Balmung alts plus Strammund due to my current FFXIV subscription type. I'll still take asks for any of them, though!

Balmung Characters

Zhah’ra Savaptha (“Flower”) - Keeper of the Moon dancer and bodyworker – formerly in Ul'dah, Rhalgr’s Reach, and Limsa Lominsa, now staying at the Stray Inn in the Upper Paths of South Shroud.

Rhetzedyr Guldarensyn (Zedyr) - Sea Wolf farmboy-turned-artisan; co-owns Harvest Fountain Toys and Jewelry in Limsa Lominsa and is a founding member of the Elytra Concord artisan cooperative.

Renan Avnei’shoham (Renan) - chronologically-displaced magical chimera – a Nymian scholar and his Marine companion who were squashed together in a mishap aboard the Void Ark and subsequently entombed in a stasis coffin. They split their time between living with Negevs Ha'dov at Firefly Grove in Lower La Noscea and with Maayan in Limsa Lominsa.

Amande Desrochers (Amande) - Duskwight who grew up serving a (very) minor noble house in Ishgard, now in exile. Working as a retainer to Mama Dee’s husband, T'arik Tia.

Seselahi Rerelahi (Selah) - Dunesfolk scribe and calligrapher, currently working at Firefly Grove in Lower La Noscea as Secretary of the Elytra Concord artisan co-op.

Rhenbraen Helbsyn (Rhenbraen) - extremely prickly Hellsguard miner. “Not a swivin’ LASS, rocks-for-brains!” Currently apprenticed at Naldiq & Vymelli’s in Limsa Lominsa. 

Silver Sage - Hellsguard elder from Svatn Byr, a small village in Abalathia's Spine. Formerly in Ul’dah to study at the alchemists’ guild, now returned home. (Temporarily on Sagittarius, Chaos datacenter)

Maayan Delafontaine (Maayan) - Wildwood researcher and alchemist; co-owns Harvest Fountain Toys and Jewelry with Zedyr. She handles the logistics/supply chain side of things, so she travels frequently to all three city-states.

Mateus Characters

Strammund Grehmerlsyn (Strammund) - former Lominsan sailor, abruptly “retired” due to illness. Currently consigned to Thanalan for his health; works occasionally as a caravan guard.

Mamaati Maati (Maati) - opinionated Dunesfolk bookworm. Philosopher-economist at the Milvaneth Sacrarium in Ul'dah.

Emerik Liubasch (Emerik) - Hrothgar city-boy from Ilsabard looking to recover lost family traditions. Currently seeking training with the botanists’ guild in Gridania.

Ryoku Kazemoto (Ryoku) - elegant Raen samurai from a mountain holding north of Doma. Currently traveling in Eorzea on a mission to find a sacred object that went missing from a shrine in his home village.

Danyell Dwynwen (Danyell) - Midlander minstrel from Coerthas, currently working the tavern circuit in the Shroud.

Raranen Sasanen (Raranen) - black sheep of a Dunesfolk merchant family (Maati’s cousin); breeds racing/hunting chocobos in the Shroud. 

Iris Menuisier (Iris) - sardonic Wildwood bathhouse attendant at The Pools in the Goblet (and former coworker of Zhah'ra’s). 

Mama Dee (Dee) - former leader of a miqo'te dance troupe in Ul'dah (and mentor to a young Zhah'ra), now retired and married to T'arik Tia, a wealthy ex-adventurer. Maintains that she is from Thavnair. (In-game name: N'dezhda Lev)

Zalera Characters

Maparhi Savaptha (Maparhi) - newly-invested Hearer at Stillglade Fane. Cousin to Zhah'ra.

Pash'a Khoroushi (Pasha) - former Imperial conscript from the East End. Previously stationed in northwestern Ilsabard; current fate unknown.

Firn Sjararstrok (Firn) - Veena spear-hunter, currently at loose ends in Revenant's Toll.

[ylaziel]

A sketch portrait commission for @renofmanyalts of their wonderful character, Zhah’ra

Thank you thank you thank you sooo much for the commission. He was so much fun to work on and a real challenge with that hairstyle.. OHMAHGOD that hair was just a blast! I’m so happy how it turned out and i love it <.< So i went overboard and made 3 versions <.<

Commission Info

[seankitt]

The forest encourages you to see through all the leaves and branches.

Inspired by the wonderful Zhahra.

Artist Sean Kitt:

www.seankitt.com

www.seankitt.tumblr.com

www.instagram.com/sean_kitt

[asmida-lisda-blog]

Wanita Wanita Langit

Sambil macet macetan, mari kita nulis! Itu Judul kajiannya kece ya. Narasumbernya Ust. Bendri Jaisyurrahman. Karena sambil ngegambar design unit pengolahan air di visio, jadi remang remang gitu dapet ilmunya. Intinya, ada 4 wanita disebutkan dalam Quran yang dijadikan contoh buat para muslimah, 1. Maryam binti 'Imran 2. Asiyah binti Muzahhim 3. Khadijah binti khuwailid 4. Fathimah az zhahra binti Muhammad Apa alasannya? 1. Maryam itu wanita yang mampu menjaga kesuciannya sebagai seorang wanita. Ya Allah, mudah mudahan jadi motivasi buat hamba agar bisa lebih menjaga diri dari nafsu, interaksi ga penting dengan laki2 ajnabi, menjaga pandangan, menjaga hati supaya ingetnya sama Allah dowang. 2. Asiyah binti Muzahhim, istri sahnya Fir'aun, yang berdoa pada Allah untuk dibuatkan rumah di surga. Ada di surat at tahrim. Hal yang harus diteladani dari beliau adalah keteguhan imannya untuk tetap bersama agama Allah meskipun nyawa taruhannya. Fir'aun kan serem dan sombong. Bisa dibayangkan betapa tersiksanya punya suami yang kaya gitu jenis nya? 3. Khadijah, cinta sejatinya Rasulullah. Rasulullah memujinya karena kesetiaan Khadijah. Janda kaya yang mau menikah dengan pedagang muda seperti Rasulullah. menginfakkan seluruh hartanya untuk dakwah Rasulullah. orang yang selalu percaya pada Rasulullah disaat semua mendustakannya. wanita pertama yang beriman kepada Allah dan Rasulullah. mudah mudahan saya juga seperti itu pada suami. 4. Fathimah az zhahra, wanita cerdas, cantik, dan mulia di zamannya. Rasulullah said, "Siapa yang menyakiti Fathimah, berarti juga menyakitiku". Wanita yang tidak dimadu oleh 'Aali bin Abi Thalib. Segitu dulu nulisnya! Lapeeeer

[renofmanyalts]

Assorted Adventurer Plates

I've been gradually working on creating portraits and adventurer plates for my characters as it occurs to me to do so.

It's really fun to figure out what to put in the background for the screenshots. I've been gradually refining my methods, and I think I'm starting to get the hang of it, but a lot of times I end up missing one or more details, lol

Further musings and an update of what's up with me lately under the cut:

As you might be able to tell, some of these (Danyell, Zedyr) were created during the beta phase, so I should probably revisit them at some point (and I just realized that Maayan's has the wrong class/job listed, whoops!)

Unfortunately, Danyell, Firn, and Maparhi are not available right now because I am currently on the basic subscription, so I only have access to my Balmung alts (including Silver Sage, who is probably-temporarily over on Sagittarius on the Chaos EU DC) and Strammund on Mateus.

I've been playing FFXIV more actively in the past couple months, mainly sticking to (very) relaxed MSQ progression on my alts who were still in ARR, and now doing some crafting/gathering (procrastinating on MSQ, lol). However, I'm not sure if I'm "back" for real yet. I'm still in the same health situation that led me to take a two-year break from the game (god, I can't believe it was that long, what is time?), and so far I'm not feeling up to committing to RP storylines or anything where others would need to be able to count on me being present and focused. Maybe this will be another flash in the pan like when I created Firn last year and I'll have to stop playing again, or maybe I will be able to stick around in some capacity; as it stands now, I can't fully tell.

[renofmanyalts]

Fact for fact: Merces is an adequate cook if he is given clear instructions or a recipe to follow. If he is told to improvise... well, the result is edible but not very delicious (spices, how do they work?).

Fact for fact: Tell me a fact about your OC and I will respond with a semi-related fact about mine.

Prompt 4: Off the Hook

Who: Zhah'ra Savaptha and Merces Ninthstar (belongs to @ever-searching)

What: Extenuating circumstances leave Zhah'ra and Merces in charge of dinner.

Where: The Stray Inn, South Shroud

When: some time ago, in autumn, soon after the cold room had been installed

Content notes: food, obviously

Music: "Into the Light" by Off the Hook (Splatoon 2) (YouTube, lyrics, such as they are); bonus: "Soup Song" performed by Cisco Houston (YouTube, lyrics)

Zhah'ra stopped short in the doorway to the Stray Inn's kitchens, tail swaying uncertainly as he surveyed the bowls and baskets arrayed on the table. When Ulfric, the innkeeper, had been called away on an emergency, Zhah'ra hadn't thought twice about agreeing to help finish assembling dinner, especially when Ulfric had reassured him that it was all gathered together, and basically all he and Merces would need to do was cut up the ingredients and throw them in a pot. The broth was already simmering on the stove, even.

But this was... a lot of ingredients.

At least the things themselves were familiar enough. He recognized the unavoidable apples from the inn's orchard, and a few pumpkins with their ribbed green-and-orange skins. White beans sat soaking in a bowl. A double handful of celery stalks were arranged in a jar of water like the star's crunchiest flower arrangement. Beside them, a veritable mountain of some green, leafy something — two different green, leafy somethings? — stood heaped on a stack of towelling, still glistening with moisture. Lastly, there was a bundle of what Zhah'ra was pretty sure were leeks, with their thick, white stems and dark green tops. Maayan's exasperated recounting of too many bowls of the sandy, fibrous vegetables played in his mind.

It was just the two of them. The inn had no guests at the moment, and most of the residents were away. He glanced over the intimidating pile of produce, trying to imagine how it might fit together into a cohesive dish.

"Merces..." he said slowly, turning to look at his erstwhile brother-in-arms. "What would you say to having bread and butter for dinner?"

—

Zhah'ra can generally manage to competently get nourishment into himself, if not with very much flair. At this point in time, he had really only recently begun learning to cook, so he had little confidence in his skills when it came to making food others would find palatable.

On top of that, while he's not a strict carnivore, he does feel much better when his diet has higher proportions of meat and fish. He is... markedly unenthused about plain vegetable stew — especially after his stint in Rhalgr's Reach, where a pottage of greens was the usual fare from the communal cookpot. Ulfric's cooking typically circumvents this objection, but "having a bowl of delicious something placed in front of you" and "having to get there yourself from raw ingredients" are two very different propositions!

—

Apparently the perfectionism-busting exercise for me this year is being gentle about artificial deadlines. I started trying to write this soon after prompt 6 came out on Wednesday (i.e., right on schedule for my modified challenge), but I was struggling so much with my usual nonsense that I kept having to go rest. Maybe 2-3 prompt fills a week is too ambitious? (When I ask myself this, my immediate internal response is "well, yeah, that sounds like a lot?") I'm having fun, though! >:(

As an aside, the intended end point for all of those ingredients was pumpkin soup with leeks and white beans. I've never made this particular recipe, but I think it sounds delicious. (I have made this one, beans omitted, and it is.)

[renofmanyalts]

Retainer Relationships

Apparently a lot of my characters have Zhah'ra as a retainer. Go figure.

My first response when I saw this tweet was "oh god! too many to list!"

...but then I listed them anyway. 😅

One of Zhah'ra's retainers is Iris, his coworker/friend from when he was working at a bathhouse in Ul'dah (also an alt)

Renan's retainers are their component selves (back before they got chimera'd together) and also their old colleagues and comrades from the Nymian armed forces.

Silver Sage's retainers are all (very vaguely) members of his village back home, including his protege.

One of Maati's is her black sheep cousin (also an alt)

Ryoku's retainers are the lord he serves, his little sister Aiko, and a few of his fellow retainer-soldiers.

Danyell has his older sister Danicka and a few other members of the heretic band he was part of for a while in Coerthas.

Raranen's retainers include his mother Fafala and several people who work for his chocobo breeding stable, including his jockey, Marshall.

Iris has Zhah'ra (former coworker and friend) and Dee (reluctant acquaintance) in retainer form.

Mama Dee's retainers include Zhah'ra, who used to be in her dance troupe; Daisy, the dancer who took over the troupe when Dee retired; her husband, T'arik; and Amande and Lumien, her husband's two IC retainers.

Maparhi has her Hearer mentor, her mother Aynur, Zhah'ra (her cousin), and a few acquaintances from the Shroud as her retainers.

Surprisingly, only 10 out of 18 alts with retainers have story-significant ones - fewer than I expected!

I actually have a habit of generating retainers kind of in a hurry and then accidentally making them into NPCs - or sometimes full alts! - a long time after the fact, lol, but sometimes it goes the other way around, where a "failed" alt will be repurposed as a retainer.

[renofmanyalts]

∞ (2/3 ! :D)

Put a “∞” in my ask box and I’ll shuffle my music player combined character/RP playlists and give you my favorite lyric from the song that comes up.

Many are the days I've wanted to cease Lay myself down and find some relief Heavy is the head that gets no sleep We carry our lives around in our memories So take away this apathy And bury it before it buries me

— Cold Is the Night by The Oh Hellos (full lyrics)

This song made it onto a playlist because I connect it with Cain Locke (played by @ever-searching) and particularly a recent arc about the companionship between him and Zhah'ra.

However, these specific lyrics are my favorite because they resonate with me on a personal level. Sleep struggles are a perennial issue for me, and the quality and length of my sleep directly affect both my mood and my emotional resilience. When I am sleep-deprived, I grow fragile and self-isolating, and that can go to some pretty dark places if it goes on long enough.

In spite of its melancholy tone, I find this song deeply calming and reassuring because it is about reaching out for connection. (A pretty big theme for Cain and Zhah'ra, I think!)

Thank you for the ask, @thevoilinauttheory!

(⬇ Video embed below ⬇)

[renofmanyalts]

∞ (and the third! :) I wanna know what you find in your playlist(s) lol)

Put a “∞” in my ask box and I���ll shuffle my music player combined character/RP playlists and give you my favorite lyric from the song that comes up.

Hold to this significance And lean into the process Rest and know, the love you hold It won't be taken back, no

How sweet, the taste of certainty The gift you gave is safe with me

(Moving deeper in a place of rest, seeking victory inside a death, speaking slowly when I'm out of breath, losing confidence between the steps

Finding center when I'm breaking left, wasting water in a desert bed, chasing wind outside the promised land... Know the story isn't over yet.)

— TrusT by half·alive (full lyrics)

This was a song you gave me for Zhah'ra, Max! And what a great fit it is, too -- I had a very hard time narrowing down which lyrics to include since so many of them resonate with me for him. (So much water imagery, and trees, too... it's really perfect.)

In addition to it being a more general character song, I tend to associate this one with Zhah'ra's relationship with Negevs Ha'dov (@negevshadov) -- particularly the refrain. Although Zhah'ra has many deep-running cracks in his ability to trust and be certain of others' feelings toward him, Negevs has been a steady, restful presence whose affection has been difficult to doubt.

I think my most-favorite part of the song, though, is the part in parentheses. These lines are sung beneath the main vocals toward the end of the song, almost in a murmur - difficult to hear through the singer's crescendoing pleas for understanding ("tell me why I feel this way"), but included in the official lyrics nonetheless. To me they speak of persistence and resilience, of moving through the difficult parts of a journey with the hope that this will not be all that there is. Zhah'ra is adaptable, pliable -- sometimes to the point of submerging himself -- but he is always finding ways to steady and re-center himself and to continue.

Thank you for the ask, @thevoilinauttheory!

(⬇ Video embed below ⬇)

[renofmanyalts]

⏳ for Zhah'ra!

For every “⏳” I receive, my muse will openly talk about a bit of their backstory.

Who: Zhah’ra Savaptha; Silvienne (NPC)

What: Silvienne has idle curiosities.

Where: The Stray Inn, The Black Shroud

When: Relatively recently.

Content: Warnings for implied child neglect, mild dissociation.

Written for MAHI prompt words: VILLAGE, LISTEN

Zhah'ra looked up from his book, his ears lifting in surprise. "Where I grew up?" 

"Yes!" Silvienne offered him a smile as she settled her spectacles back into place. "You're forestborn, aren't you?" Her pen scratched quietly as she looked from document to ledger to schedule. Of late she had taken to working in the back corner of the tavern, spread out over one of the banquet tables. Too stuffy in the cellarage, she had said. Zhah'ra wondered if she was just wanting for company.

"I -- yes. I guess so," he replied. "I'm not entirely sure where I was born."

Silvienne tilted her head. "Oh, did your mum never say?"

Zhah'ra shook his head, his ears folding back. "She -- we avoided settlements. The Calamity changed so many of the natural landmarks, the weather... it's hard to know for certain, just from memory."

Silvienne hummed. "Strange, ain't it, going back to a familiar place and finding it's... almost like it's somewhere else entirely." 

Zhah'ra's gaze fell back to the book in his lap, so new that the binding creaked when he turned a page, the ink of the illustrations bright against the paper.

His fingers brushed over the painted blossom with its layers on layers.

Clematis. Climbing habit. Large, showy blooms. With careful dosing, treats headache and nervous disposition. Causes stomach bleeding when consumed in large amounts. 

(The cool dark of the overhang, smell of wet stone and loam and greenery falling, curtain-like, across the opening - purple petals opening to the rain.) 

(Later, clearer: trailing vines draping from the edges of the outcropping near Hawthorne Hut, broad leaves and familiar flowers.)

"I think... it must have been in part of what is now the East Shroud, near Baelsar's Wall. But not on the other side of it. My mother's older sister lived out there - what's called the East End now, I think. When I was very little, she came to live with us for a while, because the wall being built destroyed the village she lived in." 

"Horrible!" Silvienne clucked. "Damnable Garleans...." But she did not look up from her ledgers. This was old news.

Her words barely reached him. Gathering his legs against his chest, he tucked his chin behind his knees. His eyes stared, unseeing, at the floor. 

🙞⁕🙜

Voices murmuring, half-obscured by the crackle of the fire. Woolen blanket scratching at his nose, trapping his breath, keeping it silent; suffocating. Ears straining. 

"What do you think you're doing with the boy? The long hair, all of it. Are you so desperate?" 

"You lost your girl. You of all people should understand." 

A scoff. "I understand. I also understand - as you must, too - that he's not to be kept. Let him go, like the rest."

A long silence.

"Pray to the Lover, Zhah. Beg forgiveness. She may yet break this curse."

At the edge of the camp, lying in the dark: a small boy struggling to breathe.

🙞⁕🙜

"--h'ra. Zhah'ra?" 

He bolted upright. "I'm sorry!"

Silvienne was leaning forward across the table and wearing a puzzled expression. "What're you apologizin' for, Zhah'ra? It just seemed like we lost you for a moment. I wasn't sure if you had heard my question."

Zhah'ra felt himself freeze and cursed himself, knowing it was showing on his face. More and more, he was slipping.

Gently, Silvienne repeated: "I was just asking if you want some tea. I was going to make some."

Zhah'ra's stomach churned at the thought, but he summoned a smile. "That sounds lovely, thank you." 

"Alright. You sit tight, now." 

He sat.

------------

Image: Clematis botanical illustration by Vracovska, Shutterstock. Resized and color-adjusted.

[renofmanyalts]

Intimidation ratings:

Player - 4/10 (generally approachable, but there's a sense of steel hiding somewhere underneath; ergo, better not to provoke)

Zhah'ra - 2/10 (not intimidating and probably more likely to flee/fawn than fight - unless something very exceptional happens)

Amande - 3/10 (tallness and bow give one extra point, but it's very difficult to imagine him angry)

Maayan - 5/10 (not intimidating in the angry way, but intimidating in a way fashionable businesswomen can be; also gives off the vibes which makes one not want to disappoint her)

Rhenbraen - 8/10 (crackly levin and kind of exudes "don't mess with me" kind of aura, which can make people nervous around them; Storm probably ignores most of it :p)

Thank you for sharing your thoughts! \o/ (This shiny new ask box is some good shit, no?)

At the rating for me I laughed out loud and said “haha, alright!” This is actually similar to the way some people described my dad, so I’ll take that compliment, thank you.

re: Amande, I don’t think he can imagine himself angry, either. (This is... probably? not good??)

I’m surprised Maayan isn’t rated higher, tbh, but that’s exactly the vibe she is going for, yes!

Who else has opinions? :D

[renofmanyalts]

Zhah'ra Savaptha: A Cocktail

Muddle wheatgrass and chamomile. Add cold spring water to elderflower cordial. Finish with crème de violette and garnish with a purple flower.

Assemble your own with the 500 Cocktail Maker on Picrew: https://picrew.me/image_maker/658765

Tagged by: @donpom-loredex​ who requested two more :D

Tagging: Do this if it seems fun and tag me!

[renofmanyalts]

Why Do You Hurt? - Zhah’ra Savaptha

you swallow pain & fold around it

you have always hurt. 

you hold it carefully, twisted in such a way that other people don’t have to see it. you don’t choke on it. you don’t drown. you just have it, the way some people have freckles: this is a thing that lives in your bones. 

you fold instead of fighting because you know how to make yourself small: tuck away the places where they have clawed at you. swallow the bruises so you seem clean. 

nobody needs to see it. 

you will live through this on your own. you know what you need, and relief isn’t it. this doesn’t mean you cannot reach out - it means it is not in your nature to do so. you should. 

hiding does not mean you won’t be seen.

(WELL. That was. Accurate.)

---------

Tagged by: @elegant-etienne​ and shotgun-tagged by @mathemagiks​

Tagging: Once more sending this out into the ether. Please tag me if you do it!

Quiz here.