SapphireArtemis

A drawing of Hien and Calantha. Hien is bent over with his hands on his knees. His neck is between Calantha's thighs. He looks slightly trapped. Calantha is on her back looking up at him, holding his shins and grinning. He looks at the viewer with a flustered smile. Hien: "Ah. a moment, if you would." Calantha: "Need some help?"

pov you deliver a message to lord hien but he's in the middle of a very interesting sparring match 🤭
#ffxiv #calien #wolhien

This is exactly what I say when people ask about my favorite T-shirt :)

(The shirt has an image of a fountain pen and reads

"writ-er:
n. pen and suffering")

hien is siting on a rock with the sun behind him. he has one knee pulled up to his chest, and his arm is resting on it, holding his sword so it dangles towards the ground.

turns a pose study into him
#ffxiv #hansart #hienrijin

As a former not-quite-Starbucks barista (BN Cafe, to be specific) who *does not* like coffee, chai was my hot caffeinated drink of choice. I would use coconut milk and drop the water and it was really good on a Midwest winter night. If I was feeling fun I'd add hazelnut syrup :)

fanart of hien rijin in the middle of delivering a strike, wings spreading behind his back

🦅
[ 01.25 ] #ffxiv #hc:hien

Haurchy as Scion! I did one for Ysayle/Esty a long time ago. Always wanted to make one for him ✨
Sorry there isn't much armor lol, I feel like most of Scion's fits revolve around a 'travel light' and 'modern' vibe.

#Shinjyuart #Haurchefant #FFXIV

I think if I had never picked up Guild Wars 2, I would never have left my toxic marriage, met my now partner of 9 and a half years, met my best friend, moved States, found XIV, and gotten back into writing.
Maybe I should introduce my Pact Commander sometime?

Elja is about 67 at the time of 7.3 - still pretty young by Viera standards and yet still the oldest one in the group. Thankfully he's able to split the "old man" jokes with G'raha.

Elja and a merchant converse over a gunblade laid on a table between them. Hien watches, head down and hood drawn.

Brilliant Conviction, ch. 4

A Guard's Bargain

Elja makes a difficult decision about how to go about getting supplies.

archiveofourown.org/works/475682...

Milo the kitten sits very much in the way of Sapphire's writing.

Sat down in my new chair to write because I thought it was a good idea to change PoV on a chapter that was already a quarter of the way written.

Milo: Can't have that!

A kitten sitting in front of the screen, blocking some of the view.

Never GPosing in peace again

First Flush by TalesOfTheFox Summary: The Warrior of Light gets an education in more than just the local tea customs when he finds himself at loose ends on a rainy day in Kugane. B'alith's taste in lovers had historically run towards men, but as he studied the angles of Koharu's face and the way those astute gold eyes studied him in return, the curve of her hip and the occasional brush of her hands against his, he found the idea of becoming more intimately acquainted with her did indeed make his pulse beat a little harder and spark a different sort of heat decidedly lower than his face.

First Flush
• WoL/Fem OC • ~5.7k words • Explicit

B'alith gets an education in more than just the local tea customs during a rainy visit to Kugane.

Or, "local catboy finally figures out he likes women."

#FFXIVWriters #FFXIVFanfic

The Entanglement of Rival Wizards

I found this book while scrolling last night and it sounded good so I bought an audiobook. I'm just now barely into ch2 and I *need* to share it.

share.google/y2WPMRTbyPFe...

He can feel his whole body relaxing as they emerge from the cave that served as the only direct connection between Yanxia and the Azim steppe. It's still relatively early in the night and pale moonlight bathes the landscape in silver. The way it reflects off the White sands of the Nhamha to the West creates strange shadows around the desert's Many ruins, drawing his eye almost instinctively. One shadow in particular stands out - the Dusk Throne, on the very edge of the pale desert. Hidden comfortably in it is Sadu and her people, the Dotharl. He lightly brushes Hien's arm and indicates the shadow, "There. We get there and we can rest."

Managed to get a little something done during kitten naps!

More #FFXIVFinishItFall prog: naughty lizard edition

We are 2,800 words into the draft and they're finally kissinggggg

Looking forward to sinking my teeth into this when it's ready! (Maybe I can sneak a minute while I'm not keeping one eye constantly on a certain floofy *someone*)

"Any luck so far?" Asks G'raha with a bright grin. "Not much." He chuckles. "Cooking seems to be the best bet so far, though I'm nothing compared to the fine people of the Ten Thousand Stalls." "Oh? I'm sure your cooking is just delightful. I should like to try it at some point." Is it just Hien's imagination, or does G'raha lean a little closer as he speaks? "Provided you can pull yourself away from Sharlayan again, I am sure you will have the chance. I cannot say it will be as spectacular as tonight's meal, however." "Don't believe a word he says, G'raha Tia." Calls a third voice, one that warms Hien's heart instantly.

A tiny kitten snoozing his heart out on a fuzzy blanket. The kitten is rolled on his side with one paw up around his head.

Look, this would have been much easier if my writing session hadn't been constantly interrupted by vicious monster attacks 🤣
The vicious monster in question:

(2023 - Call It A Day)

Well, I think I'm not getting my writing done today...

"Welcome back, love.” The king smiles and Elja squints at him, then the desk he'd been hunched over. "Have you taken a break today? You look tired.” Elja pads quietly over and settles on the floor next to his kneeling lover, resting his head on Hien's shoulder after kissing his cheek in greeting. "A few. Food and water and so on. There's just … So much today.” Hien's smile is rueful. "Running an entire nation is busy work. Or so I hear from Aymeric. And G'raha. And all the other world leaders I've made friends with …” The light joke earns a laugh. “But you're no good to them if you don't rest. Let's get you away from work for a little bit, shall we?” He takes Hien's hand and draws it to his lips, pressing a soft kiss to ink-stained fingers. “I've been trudging through snow and ice all day and I'm freezing … you could help me warm up again …”

Today saw some progress on 2024's "Stamp".

Enjoy a snippet 😉

A tiny brown floofy kitten curled up in a carrying bag on a folded t-shirt.

Didn't end up getting anything done writing wise today, but I *was* able to finish setting up the new poofball's Safety Space for when he comes home on Sunday :) (Poofball tax below - the shirt he's snoozing on has our current cat's scent on it)

Thirteen is too young for this. the thought keeps returning every time he catches a glimpse of the young man he's taken into his care. Oh, the boy is competent in his basic knowledge, more so than is expected of a new Warder-in-training. He's also plenty diligent, applying himself to the first lessons and tasks Ivis had set him without complaint. Nor does he offer complaint about the basic meals Ivis prepares for them, or the rougher way of life the Wood provides outside of the safety of the village. He also doesn't offer commentary. Or really say anything at all. In another case, Ivis might find the quiet to be welcome. He knows all too well how rowdy teenagers can be. He'd been an especially annoying one himself, to hear his own mentor speak of their years together. Even the ones who were initially quiet showed more personality within the first week. It had now been more than two weeks with Elja, and still the boy had yet to say much more than "yes", " no", or "thank you". Perhaps...

Did some work on 2024's "Reticent". Not done, but have a snippet, anyway :)

".... can we at least get coffee with our supplies?" The corner of Elja's mouth twitches as if he's trying to smile. "I don't see why not. But we should get moving. The markets are open but not too crowded yet. We'll need to be in and out as fast as possible." Hien nods and stands carefully, while Elja returns to his earlier place beside the door. sitting against the wall is the singular weapon the viera has carried the entire time Hien has known him, cleaned and polished. A package of what must be ammunition sits nearby, like the gunblade has been recently loaded. As he picks it up and slides it into its sheath, Hien is convinced he sees brown ears droop further than they had been only hours earlier. Only then does he realize he's openly staring at the other man, and he scrambles to pretend he's getting ready to leave.

Its a Brilliant Conviction day, and while I didn't get much done between kitten prep and an actually *insane* workday (The day after 3-day weekends is always a nightmare). I did make some progress. And so I offer a snippet of ch.4 :)

So since XIV Writes is officially on Hiatus this year, I ended up making my own prompt using the master list that @/evacybele made.

I will probably attempt to make gposes to go with them again this year

And in some non-writing or gaming news: we're getting a poofball! He has no name yet (we want to get to know him!) But current front-runners are Stitch and Milo.

Elja offers Faeron support when they unexpectedly meet Gaius Baelsar and Allie. They are all standing in front of a fountain in Terncliff. Faeron seems frightened, Allie holds a cookie, and Gaius is offering a friendly wave, while Elja is placing a hand on Faeron's shoulder.

First up: 2023's Once Bitten, Twice Shy. Not done-done, but close enough.
write.ellipsus.com/edit/08b1f4a...

A younger version of Khri and Elja stand back to back in front of the Crystal Tower, both looking sad. Their older selves stand nearby, looking confident and hopeful.

So #XIVWrites is (deservedly!) on hiatus this year, and I am instead using September to work on my... very extensive... backlog of stuff, alternating between finishing older and working ahead on Brilliant Conviction.

I won't share everything, but i do want to post some snippets and drafts :) 🧵

"Elja watches Faeron with a warm, gently amused smile as their airship carries them into view of Terncliff."
:)

Yeah 😔

I have been spending lunch breaks and some weekend free time on getting some work done on this - trying to work ahead of myself a little (ch. 4 is done! Ch. 5 is... not). My current (And first!) Long-fic and slow burn WoL/Hien bodyguard AU, Brilliant Conviction!

archiveofourown.org/works/475682...

Currently down and out with sickness, but I managed to scrounge up enough energy today to do the event and grab a cute gpose of Khri.

It's too good not to share