I feel like I owe everyone a bit of explanation of why I suddenly halted all of my roleplaying on Tumblr around November/December last year (2015). The TLDR explanation is that:
I had a lot of RL to deal with as is normal for the holidays plus,
How SE killed midcore groups with Alexander Gordias (this is especially noticeable on Midgardsormr) and,
My own Coil static breaking shortly after beating T13 for the first and last time soon after Heavensward’s release.
I intend to eventually roleplay again, but at the moment, it will have to be at a very, very, very slow pace. A more detailed explanation is under the read more.
Finally finished @taimproblem‘s commission of Livia and Gaius from Final Fantasy XIV. Again, the faces were drawn based on commission specifications. Thanks for being so patient!
There are several theories as to how a beastkin native to the mist-covered peaks of southeastern Ilsabard ended up thousands of leagues away from its home…and most involve an unhealthy infatuation with the furry creature by a certain Imperial Legatus
Lines for @taimproblem‘s commission–Livia and Gaius from Final Fantasy XIV–because this has taken me a really long time and I’m proud of how it looks. The faces were drawn based on commission specifications. Colors soon!
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Fandom: Final Fantasy XIV
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Gaius van Baelsar, Midas nan Garlond
Summary: There was always a war to fight.
Yes, I posted this earlier today. Yes, I deleted it. I received conflicting information on the timeline (as in, ‘getting the founding date of the empire wrong by 25 years’ kind of conflicting information, which is a reasonably big deal) so I panicked and took the fic down before more people could witness my disgrace. However, according to this I got it right the first time, and therefore I now get to repost the fic like a muppet.
Birth Name: Gaius Baelsar
Known Aliases: The Black Wolf
D.O.B: [CLASSIFIED]
Family: [CLASSIFIED]
Affiliation: The Garlean Empire
Status: [ALIVE] Imperial Viceroy of Eorzea. Competent in both war and government administration. Extremely proficient in both gunblades and magitek technology. Rumored to have replaced certain sections of his body with cybernetics for improved battle performance and durability.
Psst: Three things that I've always wanted to tell you. //Livia
#1 - “It would do you well to curb your propensity for cruelty. The scars left its wake do not fade easily.”
#2 - “Your infatuation with me is flattering, however, I am simply a man seeking to better himself through conquest. There are others more suitable to you if you would but open your eyes.”
#3 - “… I apologize, Livia. In my weakness, I had allowed myself to… use you in a way that has changed you irrevocably. Know that I still care for you, but not in the same manner you have hoped for.”
Habit #1: He tends to take in ‘strays’ and turns them into powerful assets.
People who were unwanted or were thought to never amount to anything somehow found a place in his Legion. Gaius was one of the few Legatus who cared about his men. To him, they weren’t disposable. Only those who valued death over joining him and his cause would be weeded out.
Habit #2: He works out and spars at least once every day.
He’s getting old, and knows he needs to maintain his physical strength as much as possible while he still has it. He has the tendency to workout in his Legatus gear as much as possible, to ensure he never feels encumbered by it.
Habit #3: He prefers to eat with his men.
Though his position sometimes makes this difficult to do so, he prefers to eat with his men rather than dine alone in his quarters or with nobility. He finds it an easy way to keep tabs on his troops.
Added bonus: It also nurtures loyalty within his Legion.
Gaius sits on a crate in Revenant's Toll, silently eating some soup and bread he managed to procure while observing the hustle and bustle of the newly established settlement. Clad in armor from the foes he recently defeated and a makeshift bandana to hide away his third eye, he blended in well with the rest of the adventurers. Well enough that no one gave him a second glance as he walked about, crates and stone still scattered around in obvious signs of construction.
As he ate, a group of adventurers, in what appeared to be some sort of spontaneous event, formed a circle around the Toll's aetheryte while seated upon some of the most obese chocobos he had ever laid eyes upon. An eyebrow goes up. These were the same adventurers that had defeated his Legion? What ridiculousness.
He arrived here to get answers, but it soon became obvious that there were none. Everyone assumed Gaius van Baelsar had perished, and had moved on. Recollections of the burning visage of his base to his arrival on the crystalline cliff gave no clues, no signs of who could have transported him from his death.
He finishes his meal, a glower visible on his face as he strode to an isolated spot for a nap. He couldn't shake the feeling that he was forgetting something important. Some key that would illuminate the how and why he was alive. It was slipping away from him as the days passed, and he had the distinct sense that he may never find out. It gnawed upon him, this mystery, and he was most unhappy about it.
He squats down, back to a stone wall before lowering himself to a sitting position, his sword close by in case some fool dared to disturb his rest. He had not seen his former ward yet. Admittedly, a part of him still wished to see Cid again even though Cid would likely recognize him and most likely have him arrested.
Or perhaps Cid would attempt to convince him to fight for Eorzea since returning to Garlemald was no longer an option. Not if he wanted to stay alive.
He scowls. Though he would like some time to recoup, it was too risky to stay in Revenant’s Toll due to Cid’s presence. He’d have to leave once he had the means to continue traveling. To where, he did not know, but it mattered little.
He closes eyes, welcoming the inky, black embrace of sleep.
He waits, biding his time for some fool to wander close to the resting ex-Legatus. Then, with an ease born from centuries of taking hosts, Lahabrea leaps from Gaius' resting form into his new body. The poor soul within didn't have a chance, and Lahabrea opened the eyes of his new host and grinned nastily.
He’d been too weak to flee properly after being forcibly exorcised from Thancred's body. So in a desperate bid of self-preservation, he had taken Gaius as a temporary host and teleported to the Rathefrost.
He could have stayed in Gaius, possibly tormenting his puppet with his failures, but no. Gaius was old, and Lahabrea had no intention of staying in an old man's body. Not when there were more youthful hosts to take. Not when Gaius had inadvertently destroyed his precious Ultima Weapon.
No. He needed a new host, and the one he'd just taken would do nicely. After the failure he has brought to me and mine, he is fortunate I deigned to salvage his aging husk of flesh. Yet... He crosses his arms, his hand briefly resting under his chin as he contemplated killing Gaius here and now. To rid the stain of his failure and close any loose ends.
No. He had his own injuries to tend to. Perhaps Gaius would waste away the remainder of his meager life, forever agonized over his losses. Lahabrea shrugs as he teleports away. One can only hope.
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