Masks & Glitter

FFXIV character blog of a certain RP-fascinated artist

[masksandglitter]

Elegant Knight Captain

We're back with the new updates woo! Meia is canonically a Flame Captain whose rank was gained through contribution of monetary and intelligence to the Sultanate and the Flames. Being a more decorated rather than martial figure she'd find a fit more of cloth than it is of armor

Now available on Eorzea Collection

[masksandglitter]

A gentle breeze by the coast

[diadoescomics]

I actually figured out how to read Takeshi's Castle in the time it took me to finish this.

What's your favourite mech custom name?

Ft. my FC friends

All my comics are made possible with the support of my patrons so if you'd like to support me and get early access and bts of my work consider subscribbling for just a euro and a half. Link in my pinned post!

[masksandglitter]

My characters' evolution throughout expansions (DT)

Meia Ly

Lian To

[verodynamix]

Things that happen in Dawntrail that sound like shitposts:

You are invited to meddle in the affairs of a major political power. These events with extremely serious ramifications for global politics include gardening, animal herding, mountain climbing, and a bake-off.

Night City travels diagonally through time and fuses with a small town in Arizona.

An uplifting Hollywood movie pop-gospel song about unity plays over a montage of you and your friends building a bomb.

You down a suspiciously beaver-themed energy drink and briefly go super saiyan.

The temporally anomalous catboy dad deepthroats two scoops of nothing-flavored ice cream in an attempt to ease the tension at his work friend's family reunion. Somehow, this actually achieves the desired effect.

An AI-generated ghost attempts to burn all of the world's people and resources to extend the life of their metaverse Disneyland for other AI-generated ghosts. In response, you proceed to fight a robotic biblically-accurate angel inside their mind palace.

Dead baby cave.

[dapperpea]

Per my archaeologist friend, dead baby cave is really not so unusual, though usually it's wells, not caves. Though the fact that dead baby cave is a portal to Narnia isn't usually part of the archeological digs.

[twitter-sakuranokaze]

FF14 Battle Portrait Tutorial

For the past few weeks I was trying to find a way to recreate the battle portrait from FF14 as there was a few characters that I want to see in that style but don't officially have one yet. I think I got it down more or less (see image below) so I thought it's a good time to share what I did.

First of all, I made a few files that would help make life a little easier. They can be grabbed here .

Note: I did use Reshade to do a bit of work at the screenshot stage to help speed up the process but the same effect can be recreated in Photoshop with a vanilla screenshot. There are a lot of tutorials on how to do comic/cartoon effect in photoshop and those would make good bases to work off of.

Step 1: Take the screenshot with the PortraitBase Shader on. I usually take two screenshots. One with "Comic" on and one with it turned off. This is so that I have more to work with if needed.

Step 2: Drag all the screenshots into photoshop and remove the background. In photoshop, arrange the layer so that the screenshot with the Comic lines visible is on top of the one with the effect off.

Step 3: Duplicate the the layer with the "comic" effect and apply Blur->Gaussian blur (radius 0.5)

Step 4: Take a look at the hair. In Eric's case, It still doesn't look blur enough to me so I used the blur tool and blurred it a bit more

Step 5: Create a new layer above the layer in the previous step and use the brush tool to start outlining the edges. Where to outline is up to you but the idea is to make edges defined so that it looks more like a drawing.

Step 6: Duplicate the outline layer and then hide that layer. Step 7: Merge everything under the outline layer. Step 8: Drag and drop the "Texture.png" into the project and Clip it to your character layer. Set the blending of the texture to "soft light". Step 9: Drag and drop the "stroke Texture.png" into the project and Clip it to your character layer. Adjust the size till you are happy then set the blending to "overlay". Step 10: Adjust the opacity settings of both texture layers until it looks good to you.

Step 11: Click on your character layer and go to image->Adjustments->Hue/Saturation (note: you will see I dragged in the official Hades portrait as a point of reference to work off of). Adjust the saturation till you are happy.

Step 12: Go to image->Adjustments->Color Balance and adjust the color till you are happy. In this example, since Eric is also wearing the Sophist robe, I tried to match that color to Hades' Sophist robe color.

Step 13: Once you are happy, drag the "Template.png" into the project and scale that to the size you want. Make sure it is completely covering the character. If it's not, you can just use paint more of it with the brush tool to extend it till it covers everything.

Step 14: Hide the "template.png" layer and select your character layer. Use the magic wand tool to select the outside of the character.

Step 15: With the selection still selected, click on the "Template.png" layer and press delete on your keyboard. You should now be left with a blank in the shape of your character.

Step 16: Drag the"Template.png" layer to be below your character layer. Then click on your character layer and clip it.

Step 17: Click on the "Template.png" layer and add a 2px stroke and shadow to it.

Step 18: Drag "Back_Deco.png" into the project and place it behind your character. Scale it till you are happy with it.

And that's it! Now you can recreate portraits for any NPCs that you want (in theory). A lot of it is also fine tuning to what you want but this should at least give you a decent base to work off of :)

[anneapocalypse]

What is "the occult" in FFXIV?

Ever since I first laid eyes on the EE3 bit about Urianger's parents I have been noodling on one thing in particular. Encyclopedia Eorzea volume 3 refers to "the occult" as Urianger's parents' field of study (and the reason they were so absent from his life). Every since that discovery, I have been curious what that actually means. What is "the occult" in a universe where magic is real, measurable, and a highly legitimate and prestigious field of study?

So, where else is "the occult" referenced in the game?

Thanks to this invaluable searchable transcript, I've found a few other references in MSQ.

The first use of the term "occult" in MSQ that I've found is way back in the Gridania starter quests when some Ixali "Occultists" are trying to summon Garuda at the Guardian Tree. In isolation I'd take this one with a grain of salt since it's very early in ARR, but I think it's consistent with other usages. The description for Whorleater Extreme also uses the term, referencing "the occult knowledge of the Ascians," so from the start there is an association of the occult with Ascian magicks and specifically with summoning.

The only other mention in MSQ comes from Alphinaud in Endwalker, where he and Krile are giving us the tour of Sharlayan, and specifically Phenomenon:

Alphinaud: As the center of what would later become the Studium, it was established to promote the study of aetherological phenomena, hence the name. Alphinaud: Though with aether being a fundamental aspect of nature, its scope expanded to include every conceivable facet of life and even the universe itself. Alphinaud: And then, in the four hundred and thirty-second year of the Sixth Astral Era, Phenomenon was decreed complete and the Studium officially opened as a place of learning. Alphinaud: With a long and storied history, it is without question the world's leading authority in aetherology, the arcane, the occult, astromancy, and countless other fields, standing proud as─ Alisaie and Krile: ...Sharlayan's foremost educational institute!

Okay, so "the occult" clearly falls within the general field of aetherological phenomena and magic, though that we could have guessed already. Something that catches my eye is how in more than one place, "occult" is contrasted with or referenced as distinct from "arcane." This is the case in Alphinaud's speech above, as well as in the Blue Mage quest "Everybody Was Fukumen Fighting," wherein Bluehood says, "No occult tricks or arcane incantations can contend with the all-surpassing might of blue wizardry!"

In the Loporrit Allied Society quests, we also get this odd little quest "Hare-Raising Thrills," in which we're asked to make "Occult Paraphernalia" for a Loporrit called Thrillingway. Depending on crafting job, dialogue with Keepingway will elaborate thus:

"It seems he requires a pair of shears─but not just any pair. No, he desires blades sharp enough to carve fur clean off!"

"He wants a sturdy coil of rope suitable for binding all four limbs of…a 'friend,' allegedly."

"Seems he wants a highly acidic gel for some dubious purpose I did not have the heart to inquire about. Honestly, I think it's best if we don't know."

Which. I mean. Okay. lol. Do what you will with that.

But probably most illuminating is the use of the word "occult" in a couple of Red Mage quests, and in the Sky Pirate raid quests.

In "The Weeping City," Cait Sith says, "Thus did the Mhachi magi construct an occult device that would more securely bind the voidsent to their will..."

And in the Red Mage quests "With Heart and Steel" and "Traced in Blood" we have, respectively:

"The tomes with passages pertaining to the voidsent Lilith are all forbidden occult works..."

and

"...the secrets behind Lambard's occult transformation."

In both contexts, "occult" seems to be connected to voidsent, specifically to Lilith in the case of the Red Mage quests.

And this ties back to the references in ARR as well, since from the beginning Ascians have been connected with the Void, even before we knew what the Void actually was. So it's safe to say at this point, I think, that "occult" can refer to magicks connected to the Void and to Ascians.

There's just one more reference I found that flummoxed me a bit, and that's this description of the Arcanist class, which refers to arcanist weapons as "occult grimoires." I found it odd initially because in most other contexts "occult" seems to refer to magicks seen as illicit, as opposed to the socially acceptable "arcane." But it does make a kind of sense, given that it is from Arcanist that we get Summoner. If summoning of primals is occult, then by extension so is summoning in the arcanist sense, even if it's not truly the same thing. This would seem to be the exception to "arcane" and "occult" being distinct categories, which leads me to believe that the distinction is more cultural than ontological.

So I think from the above, we can consider "occult" to be a fairly broad term that may be used in several distinct but overlapping senses:

Magic related to the summoning of primals.

Magic related to the Void, voidsent, and Ascians.

Magic which is taboo, forbidden, or otherwise outside of that which is socially accepted.

As a footnote, I think this is particularly interesting in the context of Urianger being introduced as our resident expert on primals, despite the fact that that's... really not specifically his field of study but merely adjacent to it. Urianger's primary interest is prophecy, and certainly plenty of prophecy seems to reference primals and Ascians and that's where we see him doing a lot of his research, but it's not the same field, merely overlapping.

Without more information we can't know for certain what his parents were actually studying. Maybe they were interested in primals, or Ascians, or the Void. Maybe they were studying Void-related magics. It's also possibly they were simply arcanists particularly interested in the summoner side and we shouldn't read much more than that into the reference to "the occult." Who knows.

But nonetheless, several of these interpretations would mean that in a way, Urianger has followed in their footsteps despite their making apparently little effort to guide him that way, which I find to be an interesting angle to his character and also profoundly sad in its own way--not that he found his own interests in those areas, but that the Augurelts had a child so naturally inclined toward their own interests and still took so little interest in him.

[cayfoley]

My friend @hiskuren posted this answer and I really wanted to draw a peaceful Ren on the farm. It was such a nice picture in my head.

[worldformula]

if only for one more day. one more day…a joyous one, if i could choose.

[athena-ishnuala]

Scion version of Raha finally added XD

[ishgard]

p.s. it's been said a hundred times but apparently always needs to be said again: you're free to think ARR is bad (If You Actually Played It) but omg don't go around presenting it like it's the be-all, end-all, undisputed, unbiased, objective truth.

I'm forever glad I played when it came out and didn't have to deal with that shit because I can't imagine what it's like to be told over and over 'the game starts bad but just keep going'.

If people hadn't absolutely loved ARR we wouldn't be here now.

[siderealcity]

ARR is far from bad. ARR is doing a number of amazing things which I think fly under the radar for most people.

Long, rambling post, more under the cut.

First of all, ARR is trying to establish the setting, characters, and stakes for new players, while simultaneously presenting a story about an apocalypse that you narrowly averted to players who were present for 1.0. At first glance to a new player, the MSQ seems like a straightforward play on the generic fantasy adventurer trope. You arrive, new in town, and literally go to the tavern to get your quest. But if you're paying attention, there are numerous indications that you may have done this all before. It's kind of a huge risk for the developers, making the MSQ center around tying off the loose ends of the Dalamud story that relatively few people ever saw or ever will see. But they do it, and they manage to keep it from ever feeling as though you, the new player, are just secondary to a story about Louisoix, or the Alliance leaders, or the Archons. And it makes a very deliberate point of ending 2.0 on a cutscene of the world declaring that things have changed for the better because of what you've done.

Secondly, I think people don't grasp just how much more story-centered ARR is than pretty much any other MMO. Even having a singular main story is not the norm for the genre. But ARR takes it further: everything has a story. Class quests? When every other MMO out there has been removing them? Oh, we got class quests. Unlocking mounts? Little plot event with a cutscene, gated by the MSQ. You even name your chocobo. Crafting? Oh, every single type of crafting has a plot. Several. Several plots. And so do all the gathering activities. The glamour system? Has a quest, and an MSQ prerequisite. Hair stylist? Same deal. How do you use the auction house? Advance the MSQ. It's largely the genre convention at this point that after a while, those quest requirements are removed, so new players can "get to the real game" faster.

But this is the game. And that's why those speed bumps have been left in, even as they've made leveling faster and smoothed out the length of the 2.X MSQ. Because they need to retrain players familiar with how MMOs work to understand that the endgame is not the only game. Everything in FFXIV is the game. The old content remains valid. In most MMOs, the old dungeons just don't get run after an expansion launches. Old expansion areas die. Of course players rush to reach max level, that's the only point at which the game is still alive.

ARR is a weird and sometimes awkward adjustment for players because it is actively trying to teach you to stop playing the game in the way you've been trained to play MMOs.

And did I mention how much worldbuilding it's trying to do? Like, FFXIV is technically part of a franchise, but no two games in that franchise actually share... pretty much anything in terms of IP. There's chocobos, usually? And a guy named Cid. And everything else changes. It can't lean on players being familiar with anything. Not every FF game even has crystals in it. By the time you get to Heavensward, you have context. You've never been to Ishgard before, but you have met Ishgardians. You've fought dragons. You know what beast tribes are, and how they usually get treated. You know what primals and Ascians are. You've heard of Allag, and you know the kind of shit they got up to. You know what a Calamity is, and what the stakes might be if Thordan causes one. Nobody needs to explain to you why it's important that you get your blessing of light back, or why it might be a sign of something terrible that you can't hear Hydaelyn's voice anymore. Heavensward can afford to be laser-focused on a few characters and their personal struggles because we already set up everything else.

So, yeah, it doesn't have to be anybody's favorite part of the story by any stretch, but ARR is not bad. It is doing a lot of work, remarkably well, to make all the story that comes later feel that much better.

[autumnslance]

READ BELOW THE CUT!! EXCELLENT ANALYSIS AND POINTING OUT OF HOW FFXIV WORKS!

[masksandglitter]

Sandglass Spooktastic Sketchnight November 2023

Here's a last hurrah to the All Saints Wake event with a Spooktastic Sketchnight. Thank you to everyone who stopped by yesterday and it was a pleasure to draw your characters ✨

Here's link to the VOD while it's up on Twitch for those who'd wish to check out the shenanigans

[dawntrailing]

VIPER OFFICIAL JOB ART

[masksandglitter]

"Look above to the red moon, what kind of tale will it weave?" A glam made for patch 6.5 and wouldn't you know it... I put on the same top for Meia back in patch 5.5 too. As I slowly/progressively dye Meia's hair back to its original color, the greyish purple, black, and red work together. Now up on Eorzea Collection !

[masksandglitter]

"Well is it the sacred flame that you seek? Perhaps a duel is in order."

Blond Meia took a while to get used to but once I do I just itching to make her indigo again You can check out the Sacred Flame glamour in Eorzea Collection. It's usable for all level 90 casters with a Majestic Manderville weapon

[clarissadixonsart]

Silly version with dialogue for fun

I'm not exactly sure how this weird little glitch will behave, but I'm going to find out! 😂

[masksandglitter]

Sandglass Cafe October 2023 Sketchnight

Last night was quite a busy one at Sandglass Cafe whew (I don't think I've drawn this many people at once for awhile haha). Once again thank you to everyone who has shown up, it was a lot of fun meeting faces old and new.

Here's the Twitch VOD for those who'd like to see the shenanigans as long as Twitch allows it to stay!