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Noctis Lucis Caelum ([personal profile] carbungle) wrote2025-09-05 12:18 pm
astralera: (Default)

I should get her mandragora royal fam seeds someday......

[personal profile] astralera 2020-08-18 03:06 pm (UTC)(link)
It is certainly easier to hide behind something big and tall. There is safety in that, especially when you're small. Are there many creatures on Eos that are tame even when wild? In Eorzea everything will try to kill you, but stags and bulls are much more aggressive in general.

Considering what Bahamut has already done to ensure the prophecy fulfilled, do you think he would have allowed you to have blood siblings?


That is not the feeling from my Echo. It was how I felt after Ardbert's soul was Rejoined to mine. I still feel that way on occasion.

There are many folk tales and stories that treat immortality as a curse; a punishment. I think they are accurate.

Maybe the swamp came after his tomb was built? I can't imagine building in one on purpose. What if there was a leak, and suddenly your tomb is entombed by swamp goo? Or if his sword was not that good anyway, maybe it was meant as a joke lol

Marquis Morbol didn't even have the traditional Bad Breath! It had bile vomit, which was bad breath but grosser because it lingered. It was over twice as big, as it had seven or more heads of smaller sizes growing atop its base head. There were lovely flowers growing on each head though. I believe the upper heads had roses, as those tentacles were covered in thorns as well... It also had hands.

I think the Halmaruts' research may have led to the creation of other sapient plantlife, as the Words of Halmarut seemed to have the mandragora royal family there. That is a thing in Eorzea, though botanists have yet to 'confirm' it as there isn't enough concrete evidence.

There is Mandragora Queen, Tomato King, Onion Prince, Eggplant Knight, Pumpkin Jester, and the Leek Maid.

Their story is all very dramatic. Like a 'soap opera'. Perhaps I shall tell it someday. The Mandragora Queen and her loveless marriage to the Tomato King, finding forbidden love with the Eggplant Knight.

They roam around Eorzea seeking to rescue their non-sentient kin. I have heard tell that every now and then one may find a piece of their produce go missing when it was there a moment before, or the vegetable they're about to peel suddenly screams.

I can believe it — enough conscious, caterwauling Mandragora Kids have popped out from my gardens over the years. I'm almost surprised one hasn't sprung out of my gardens here yet.


Esteem (and Fray and Myste) are unique to me. Sidurgu doesn't know what to make of it, as manifesting one's Darkside in such a way has never been documented before. So it is just another of those 'weird Warrior of Light' things. I am so very special. 🙄

Gilgamesh... Eos has Greg??? Is Enkidu with him? It usually maintains the form of a bright green chicken in Eorzea.


And yes! What Sidurgu is wearing is the standard armour and weapon of a Dark Knight. Full plate armour and a sword with a blade nearly as tall as you are. We can use the flat of it as a shield in a pinch if need be, but Dark Knights carry no shields. After Haurchefant... I have always enjoyed the concept of my 'shield' only faltering if I falter.

Though we've a bad reputation, as you might guess. 'Dark Knight' doesn't conjure up images of a protector. It is primarily because the Holy See did not want them viewed as champions or heroes — they wanted their people to continue trusting and fearing the church.


[ CW: for strongly insinuated mistreatment of a child. The Holy See sucked pass it on ]

The first Dark Knight lived in the the latter half of the Sixth Astral Era, if I remember correctly, which would be near 700 years ago now.

He was a young commoner named Tyrphaniel the Unshod, who was granted knighthood by the Holy See of Ishgard for his acts of valour upon the battlefield. He had an unwavering sense of justice, and his desire to champion the cause of the lowborn was not changed by his entrance into the privileged world of the nobility.

It was this same moral fortitude that bid him trail after the robed figure of a priest dragging a squirming waif from the alleys of the Brume. Having already held suspicions, Tyrphaniel went to the clergyman's home.

The 'holy' man attempted to explain away his actions, but the incensed Tryphaniel drew his sword without hesitation, and answered the babbled excuses with a single, fatal blow.

Rather than praise his heroism, however, the knight’s peers condemned him for slaying a holy member of the church. He was forced to defend his life in a trial by combat. He survived, but was stripped of his knighthood. Unflinching in the face of accusations that he had fallen to darkness, Tryphaniel roared that he would gladly surrender a title that required him to turn a blind eye to a child’s suffering.

He cast aside his crested shield — the symbol of his station — and continued his crusade for the commonfolk with no thought or fear for what others held taboo.

His righteous deeds inspired some courageous few to embrace the path of the forbidden, and thus the legacy of the Dark Knight was born.


[ /CW ]

And so we Dark Knights swear fealty to none but justice herself. We do not turn a blind eye to the suffering of others no matter who is enacting it. Be they clergymen, royalty, beggars, thieves... Their status affords them no protection from our blades.

We tread the path that others fear with no regard to how society may view us. We do what need be done in the protection of others. We walk the path of darkness, empowering ourselves with our own fear and wrath and pain and rage and love.

We carry no shields, for we are the shield. Our blood and pain further fuel our arts. Every blow makes us stronger. We would throw ourselves upon our blades if need be to keep our charges safe.

We risk it all to stand up for others who are afraid. To stand up against those who others fear. There is no limit to what we will do in defense of the weak.

That is what the Dark Knight does, and that is why we are feared.
astralera: (Default)

they'd prob like noct bc he doesn't eat their people lmao

[personal profile] astralera 2020-08-18 11:59 pm (UTC)(link)
There are very few creatures like that in Eorzea. Even the flora is deadly.

The first time I went to the Black Shroud I tried to pick a mushroom and then it stood up and tried to kill me 😱 I joined the botanist's guild shortly thereafter. So many of the Seedkin look the same as their non-sentient cousins.

It's why I found 'vegetarianism' very confusing when I first learned of it. Ardyn dislikes eating things that were once alive, but in Eorzea even vegetables can be alive. If not for the food here is not 'real', I would have had difficulty cooking for his birthday!

Immortals do not hold the same values as mortals. 'Good' and 'evil' are very human concepts. I doubt Bahamut has done anything with malicious intent — all actions or interference (or lack thereof) would be done with the prophecy in mind. And if the Astrals are at all like the Primals of my world, their personalities and beliefs will all differ a great deal from one another.

Shiva is cool and collected, with great love and affection for her people. Garuda, on the other hand, is incredibly violent and legitimately insane. Ifrit is an arse with a temper, Titan is focused and protective. Ramuh is very judgemental, but calm and reasonable. Leviathan is territorial (he and Titan are my least favourites to fight).

Some of them care for mortals, others loathe them or see them only as energy, while others are indifferent. It's interesting. They all vary depending on the race that worships them, and the cause they were summoned for.

The fact that your Astrals apparently existed before humanity is difficult for me to comprehend. In my worlds, deities cannot exist without the faithful to shape them. The contrast is odd, when there are so many other similarities.

For me, I would say the benefits of being 'special' outweigh the negatives. If not for Mother's guidance I would have been long dead. I wouldn't have had the courage to tread a path that allowed me to realize my strength. I would have remained weak and, being the small woman I am, I would have been a easy prey for one of the many human traffickers. I would have had a short, miserable life.

But as things are, I am able to help people. I free the enslaved and oppressed. I protect and heal those in need. I inspire others to do better. I roam the world making new friends and alliances, experiencing things I could never have dreamed of. I have a family I love, and who loves me.

And in return I will never be 'normal'. I will always be bound to my duty. I will continue to suffer a great deal. I will likely never be able to be a mother. I will never belong to myself — always others.

To me, this is a balanced trade. I do not consider myself special as much as I consider myself blessed.

But for you... it would likely be different. You were born in a different world, in a different era. What are blessings to me may simply be the standard in your home. Reliable access to food, water, shelter, and medicine. People who love and protect you.

In your situation I would hate it. I would just want to be normal, like everyone else.


There is corruption everywhere, but it was more prevalent in the Holy See. Elsewhere such atrocious acts are openly outlawed and occasionally persecuted. Fortunately this means that when repulsive criminals tread in the shadows I am free to dispose of them. 🖤

Anyone who doesn't like a big sword is lying to themselves. 🤭 ⚔️ Should he ever arrive and I have a greatsword again, I will gladly show it off. Though for someone of Gladio's height it would be more akin to a broadsword.
astralera: (Default)

I love those gifs you just describe and everyone knows what it is

[personal profile] astralera 2020-08-19 04:27 am (UTC)(link)
It gives me more reason. You think you can eat me? No! I'll kill you and feast on your flesh instead, arsehole. If it's edible, I'll eat it. Sometimes even if it isn't edible. Except avocado.

He ate lamb stew with me on my name day! I found out afterward that he's vegetarian. He doesn't mind replicated meat since it isn't really killing anything.

You don't even like vegetables in stew? If you dump a bunch in a pot and simmer it with good, fatty meat for hours and hours the meat flavour soaks into everything. When you add some cream and herbs and spices it's so delicious. Everything tastes like succulent meat accented with rich, savory undertones. It tastes even better if the meat comes from something you kill yourself. The best lamb stew comes from karakuls who leave the biggest bruises behind.

Your Garuda named herself after my Garuda? I suppose I can only hope she doesn't end up taking after her namesake in the future.

Hydaelyn awoken my Echo, but my powers were not given to me. My strength is my own. She simply directed me upon the correct path. I still tried to help others before I found my strength, though there was little I could do.

A majority of the dangers I face as the Warrior of Light are ones I face willingly. I have the skills and experience to face them without fear, knowing I will make it through.

Without Mother's guidance I would never have joined the adventurer's guild. I never would have met Thancred, then joined the Scions of the Seventh Dawn.

I would have been alone, without family, starving in the streets of Ul'dah. I would have been captured and used by men. If I was lucky I would have been murdered. Most likely I would have been sold to the highest bidder, as Au Ra were rarely seen in those days. I would have fetched a pretty price on the market.

I would rather face endless deities in combat than to have ever lived that life. I'm fortunate to know just how fortunate I truly am. It makes the hardest days more bearable. In those moments I resent my life for what it could be, I quickly remind myself what it could have been. To have a life at all is a gift.


Hildebrand always calls him Greg, and they are friends... of a sort. Greg doesn't seem to like the nickname, but he also turned me into a toad once during a fight and then summoned a swarm of chickens to eat me. So he is Greg.

I'll have to inquire about your Gilgamesh. That is one similarity I would never have imagined.

Enkidu... Actually, I believe Greg summoned his companion as a Primal of sorts for the battle we had. Winged, humanoid demon with green armour, pointed horns like a stag, and a fiery red mane.

I recall hearing a story of the chicken Enkidu. Greg first found Enkidu while searching for a meal. Without the means to make a fire, he attempted to eat the fowl raw, only to find himself the victim of a furious counterattack. He was impressed by the bird's tenacity and he promptly made him his pet.

Eventually he named it Enkidu because he missed his companion so much.

In retrospect I think he may have been a traveller from between worlds.
astralera: (Default)

[personal profile] astralera 2020-08-19 06:11 am (UTC)(link)
The texture can be odd sometimes, but if you cook it right it just soaks up all the flavour of the other foods.

What is it about vegetables you dislike?

Eorzea Garuda was the psychotic kind of insane. She had this shrill, shrieking laughter 'HEEHEE haha HEEE' and it felt awful in my horns.

I think that it's the same for everyone: life could be worse, or it could be better. But your life is what it is and what you make of it until it's over.

If Gladio did it and Cor did it, does that mean it is something the royal protectors did as a test of skill? Your Greg must be more formidable than mine. Mine was very...

Well, actually, what you described sounds exactly like something he would do. He is the kind of opponent who would dramatically feign defeat then say 'lol jk', and then turn you into a toad to assault you with chickens while laughing.
astralera: (Default)

[personal profile] astralera 2020-08-20 02:45 am (UTC)(link)
Tomatoes are fruit, Noct. 🍅

Have you ever tried candied sweet popotoes? They don't taste at all like any vegetables. They're so very sweet and delicious. Especially when candied.

Garuda is the deity of the Ixal, who are a race with avian features yet are incapable of flight. They yearn to fly above the clouds from whence they came, and so Garuda is the Lady of the Vortex, who is territorial about the sky.

She is so very annoying. I've defeated her at least three times now. I wish they would stop summoning her. Her wind pressure catches on my horns if my head is turned the wrong way. ☆⌒ʕ(>。<)ʔ

I find such rites of passage are less about testing one's raw strength, but their mettle. It would not surprise me if it helped him find his resolve, and better understand himself. It's unfortunate neither took photographs. It would have been interesting to see.

It's annoying! He is annoying! If you want to fight me, fight me proper! Don't turn me into an toad and then other things do the work for you! 😡 At least turn me in to a flame toad. Then I could still do something.
astralera: (Default)

[personal profile] astralera 2020-08-22 08:10 pm (UTC)(link)
。・゚・(ノД`)ヽ( ̄ω ̄ ) It's okay, Noct.

I have learned to like tomatoes, but the first time I tried one I was expecting it to be an apple. It was very disappointing, as apples are my favourite. With my memory loss I had no idea what anything was, so I just had to taste everything. It took a while for my friends to break me of the habit of licking everything I pick up for the first time. Now I only lick most things.

The easiest method of distinguishing fruits from vegetables is this:

Does it contain seeds?

Yes? Then it's a fruit.
No? Then it's a vegetable.

Instead of labeling all produce you find gross as being vegetables, perhaps give each fruit and vegetable a try (properly prepared, to minimize gross factor!) and then have a comprehensive list of preferences! It sounds like fun. I may try that myself. 🤔 With how odd the replicated food can be it would be useful.

Oh! Yes. Potatoes. Ardbert and I know them as popotoes. I forget, sometimes. But one day I will make you candied sweet potatoes. They get crispy and caramelized on the outside, while the inside maintains its decadent texture. A lovely snack. 🥔

Yes, three! I fought Ifrit ... twice? Titan three times on the Source, and once on the First. I fought Leviathan twice on the Source, and only learned how to swim years after. Now that I can't drown I think I would like to fight him properly again! When I fought him on the First it wasn't even over water, and Ryne summoned him with two heads instead of one. It was very cool, but also very different.

The Ixal you encountered would have been of the aggressive group, in that case. The Beast Tribes are all divided, with a large portion who sought or seek to summon their deity, and the rest seeking to live peacefully without resorting to such drastic measures.

The ones that ended up in your world were Tempered the moment Garuda was summoned. It is for the best that they perished. They would have been forever enslaved by her and sought to re-summon her over and over again.

Perhaps Gladio's father was already secure in himself and his position. Under ordinary circumstances there is no benefit to accepting such a trial unless what you could gain was worth more than what you could lose.

If your father's shield knew who he was and where he stood, and was confident that he could be unwavering in his duties... To take the risk would have made him weaker, not stronger.

From what you've told me... If Gladio's father is Da's shield, he would have been raised to be yours. He would have grown up with expectations placed upon him, seen his father and yours, and it's likely he would have envisioned a different future.

You are not your father, Noct. You are you. Gladio is his own person, too. I think perhaps Gilgamesh's trial could have helped him understand that.

That is, of course, merely speculation, though I've seen it oft enough.

Transformations always wear off on their own. I believe this is due to one's corporeal aether eventually restoring itself to it's natural shape. The length of the transformation depends on the strength of the spell, or the method by which you were transfigured.

Forced transformations such as toad, flame toad, mummy, kappa, pig, otter, spriggan, and zangbeto can be anywhere from ten to thirty minutes.

If you ever wish to temporarily turn someone into a toad or an otter, I do know the geometries used for those particular traps. I haven't tested how much aether is needed to 'arm' them though, and thus cannot guarantee the efficacy or longevity.
astralera: (Default)

[personal profile] astralera 2020-08-23 03:18 am (UTC)(link)
Killer because it's poisonous? Sometimes the most unappetizing things are the most delicious, and vice versa. Do you have Flans and their subspecies on Eos?

That's what Esuna is for. ✨

If it sounds agreeable... If we've another dinner party at my house, if you willingly eat a small portion of vegetables I will bribe you with double the portion of dessert. If I am a guest and we are served vegetables, I will take half of yours.

If your Ifrit is similar to mine he will have broad, quick strikes. He will superheat the ground in patches that then erupt, and the ambient heat is stifling the more he attacks. If you've any wind magic you can use it to shield yourself from the flames.

Do you have any healing magicks? Perhaps set aside some healing elixirs to speed your body's recovery?

With Leviathan I was dragged out on a little barge being towed along behind a boat, drawing Leviathan's ire. I had never been out to sea before, nor did I know how to swim. No one had asked, though it wouldn't've mattered. I would like to fight him now that I haven't any fear of the ocean, to see how different it would be.

I'd never have thought I would view fighting Primals as a relaxing break compared to everything else lol Politics are godsawful.

When people of the Source die or fall unto the brink of death, all status effects wear off. The Petrification flakes off until the flesh is restored to the way it was.

I cannot, though in theory I suppose it would be possible for someone with more skill. I only know of Toad and Otter as I've dealt with those traps enough time to have memorized the runes.
astralera: (Default)

[personal profile] astralera 2020-08-23 05:47 am (UTC)(link)
Flan, Pudding, Gelato, Sorbet, Bavarois. I don't know who named them after desserts because they don't taste anything like their names would suggest. They are the only thing I've encountered so far that I would not eat even if I were starving. 0/10.

Esuna can rid the target of most status effects. Lowered defense or attack, Paralysis, Poison, Slow, Heavy, Bind, Silence, Blind, Frost, Burn, Windburn, Sludge, Slime, Sleep, Concussion, Confusion, Doom... It doesn't always work since it depends on the strength of the curse, but most times it does.

If I eat something and it makes me ill I just use Esuna, or get Lily to heal me.

Vegetables contain important nutrients! Are you picky about desserts too?

The Infernian is a daemon now? What the fuck


I think I still have difficulty really understanding how limited your world's magic is. Curative magicks are just an ingrained part of life for me. I would treat my injuries myself using magic... To do all that you've done with only the benefit of very limited potions is impressive, Noct.

I dislike Silence. It prevents me from using any of my magic. Without it I am very vulnerable. 〣( ºΔº )〣 It's why at home I always carry many Echo Drops.

I don't know. Why not an otter??? They are super cute. Odder Otters wear big leaf hats and carry little lanterns with them.
Edited 2020-08-23 05:48 (UTC)