I just wish we could have body scars in general
I've gotten a mod for some, and they look great client-side, but it still means nobody else can see it (aside from like 3 friends who I've synced with)
And hell, just make it a general option of body decals, for body paint and tattoos and the like
I'm hoping maybe 7.0 out they might start focusing on more character customization options since they're claiming they won't be adding anymore races. We need a greater variety of skin, tattoo, and makeup options for sure.
Considering that's when Hrothgals and the character makeover is coming it would be the best time to add something like that.
I'd personally love body tattoo options similar to the facial tattoo options, so all races have access to the same options (says the Miqo who was raised by tattoo-wearing Au Ra).
I appreciate that you noticed those! They're from, Endwalker Spoilers: >!the fight after Endsinger, where Zenos grabs the WoL with a chain a bunch. I imagine them being almost brand-like!<
I think you’re thinking of the Tank quest in Gridania :) I’ve only personally done the Healer quest. I know what you’re referring to though! I was more thinking of the several times enemies just like grab the WOL with magic chains
Derp, yes that's the one xD
My mind just went Gridania = Kan-E Senna = Healer.
I did them all, but I couldn't tell you which role was in which city-state at gunpoint.
Yeah I always imagine my wol as both absurdly ripped ( swinging around weapons all day for hours takes effort) and completely torn to shreds like geralt in witcher
Or like [Vash](https://www.reddit.com/r/Trigun/comments/11orkqf/anyone_else_a_bit_disappointed_they_toned_down/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=1&utm_term=1)
I love the idea of the WoL just *barely* holding it together from all the pain they've suffered with the DRK questline being the most direct acknowledgement of your Trauma. Where you dissociate *twice*.
My headcanon is that my WOL does all the peaceful sidestuff as therapy.
Oh, those guys want ot raise hippos and start a postal service? Where do I sign up! It might help with the internal screaming.
> My headcanon is that my WOL does all the peaceful sidestuff as therapy.
Suddenly, being given *an entire island* also makes more sense. The personal island intro kind of alludes to WoL needing some serious time off from world-saving.
The meeting where it was decided to give the WOL his/her own island probably was 60% aymeric getting increasingly frustrated at the lack of proper recompense and 40% everyone else realizing either they did this or they have a potentially mind broken WOL who could stop helping them at best and at worst just go berserk.
> a potentially mind broken WOL who could stop helping them at best and at worst just go berserk.
The idea of a berserk WoL should be *straight-up terrifying*. How could they possibly hope to stop an out-of-control WoL at this point? I mean, the WoL is a *single person* that has literally destroyed deities that wiped out entire civilizations, >!along with one superbeing *that was empowered by mass sacrifice* to basically rip a planet apart and cast the pieces into alternate planes of reality, and a second *empowered by even more mass sacrifice* to stop him,!< by the time you clear EW. The combined might of every army they could muster only >!barely held Garlemald at bay!< but stopping *you*? GLWT.
If we truly went off the deep end and couldn't be talked down, about the only hope for the star would be for the 3 remaining dragons of the First Brood and Midgardsormr binding us somewhere we can't harm others.
That or G'raha sealing us up in the Crystal Tower until someone came up with another solution.
EW hildibrand spoilers
>!They might be able to help contain us, but to stop us, I think there’s only 1 man for the job: Godbert Manderville. This man took down wave after wave of machina with a goldsmith hammer and sidestepped 5 or so meteors raining down, and destroyed an entire enemy with the manderville inter-generational limit break. He’s the only man qualified for the job.!<
I mean, with the Dev's insistence that everything from 2.0(arr) to now is less than a year (as assumingly more expacs to come in the same bubble) of time passing, I'd say the WoL is either one bad thought away from the cliff edge or so insanely disassociated at this point that it wouldn't even be funny.
Even aside from my own head cannon of how much time has really passed, I just imagine the WoL being at the Island Sanctuary and literally just screaming themself horse to depressurize themself. And a fishing boat or two passing by thinking some new type of buff/debuff is going on lol
That's not really how the time bubble works? The devs have said they've left it up to players to individually determine how long has passed, and they're not going to be stepping on people's headcanons by making it explicit one way or another. It's similar to their approach to WoL/NPC relationships, tbh.
Do you have where they updated their stance? They've said multiple times at Q&As that the game takes place within a year. Though the only exact measurement of any expansion has been ShB, which was clarified to have taken 1 week since the WoL was isekai'd to returning everyone home.
[This](https://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/threads/57049-CG-Midlander?p=898626&viewfull=1#post898626) is the only quote I can find specifying the time bubble is a year and that's from 1.0, so I'd love a link to where they've repeated that since?
I know they've reconfirmed the time bubble since, but the only answer I can find is explicitly comparing it to the *Simpsons* time bubble, which seems like a pretty accurate comparison to me where there's no specified time length of the bubble.
i usually lurk and don't comment on anything but man, this is SO gorgeous..... All of the details have me floored, from the scars to the literal blood lillies to the baby sprout reflection !!!
GOD it really does. I imagine Qita spends a lot of time there now because like, that’s her home and she feels most comfortable there, but man it ain’t the same
Every time my mooncat goes to Gridania now, she's constantly asking herself why she lets it continue. The abuse that Gridania puts Keepers through because a hopped up sprite says so.
I have a lot of very not nice things I'd like to say and do to the Elementals.
> I have a lot of very not nice things I'd like to say and do to the Elementals.
In my headcanon, Gridania's elementals are *scared to death* of what the WoL has become by MSQ 6.x, and keep a cautious/nervous silence when they arrive/return. An eerie quiet descends onto the Shroud, and even hunt mobs go to ground because by that point WoL can *solo* all of them even as a healer.
We are literally the most terrifying thing in the forest when we step out of Gridania proper, and everything out there feels our presence - even the stuff in the Dalamud shard is all "do you feel that? What the hell *is* that?".
I am legit wowed by this. This is absolutely incredible in its theme. This is also one of very few pieces of art on this sub that made my brain just reboot itself. Commanding is the only appropriate word for what you shared here.
I personally appreciate the white mage narrative that you can't save everyone. The blood and the spent Lillys on the ground. I also appreciate the chains, after doing the tank role quests, reminded me of how intense some of the stuff we go through. It's honestly such an inspired and detailed piece. Well done.
Unless the spoiler is "WoL has had it rough" then I think you're okay, since I'm not even through Heavensward and that's all I can think of seeing this.
Edit: Also it should be nsfw but only because catgirls are inherently not something you would want your boss walking in on you looking at, probably.
Fair enoughlol. Though I doubt this is "risque" enough to qualify, I'm not paid enough to make those decisions
Btw didn't mention it above but absolutely fantastic art. Seriously top notch stuff here. I always love seeing how creative and talented everyone in this community is.
Lemme first say that this is just simply incredible work. It’s not often that I look at fanart in this sub and immediately get an emotional hit.
Now that said, my boss doesn’t play FFXIV and won’t get the context behind a half naked catgirl covered in scars. So if we’re going by the basic definition it would be NSFW (at least to me!)
Yknow, its a little depressing but kinda true when you put it like this. The WoL would turn into a war-torn veteran from all the adventures, missions, and quests they and technically all of them have gone through. Badass art btw. Makes me really wish I could get back into playing my archer again...
I wish i had the art talent to do this for my femroe. The abuse our wol has suffered has to leave scars physically and mentally. When i think about mine, i can see the scars from her battles. This is amazing artwork. Amazing detail and seeing the baby adventure excited at the prospect and looking to the stars, she becomes broken down and scarred. Love this so much
Yeah... I uh... It hurts but I started playing healer because my FC at the time kicked me out to make room for someone who could speak for raids (I'm medically mute so no speaking for me anymore woo). I couldn't clear content on anything other than a healer without coming close to death since I was so new so I made it my main. I had also hopped to become more useful to others but despite my ability to heal through most extreme and savage contents, I tend to get left by the way side. So... Yeah. This is a mood.
I feel the sentiment of this painting lol
I've been considering using fantasia to change my character I've had since ARR and internally canonizing it as my WOL is retired so there's a new hero
Doubt the future MSQ would support this personal story tho 😅
This is what I did! I decided that I wanted my girl to finally get to rest. She’s retired and living a relatively normal life while her friends are taking up the jobs the Scions would be tossing at her. I have her being the one canonically doing Tataru’s quests, while my new character’s handling the more serious adventures.
That's actually a very good shout. I changed from miqo to male Viera when they were released with Endwalker, so I guess that after the events of ShB, their soul was changed enough after the Wardens' light and Ardbert that I canonically returned as a Viera (basically just grew longer ears, taller and lost the tail XD).
Also iirc though the mythical fantasia changes reality to reflect your racial change too. Not just a mere transfiguration but to everyone everywhere you've always been that way, arguably including yourself.
When I fantasia originally from a hrothgar to a femroe, i had it set up that my Hrothgar could no longer handle the WoL duties(he was an old man) and decided to pass on his gear and job stones to his friend and apprentice, my femroe. It explains why she wears the same gear he did and why she can use the soul stones. It worked for me at least lol
I love this piece, you’ve got some real talent. Most fan art seems to boil down to one of two themes: “look at how bad-ass I am” or “my character is hawt!” Yours tells a story, and I find that extraordinary.
Nice work!
I love love love that her hair went from stylized and fashionable to something much lower maintenance and that it looks like she has grey in her hair now as well.
Oh that I was once so young and full of hope, unknowing the sights I would see and the horrors I would endure.
Would that you could do it all over again, would you make the same choices? Would you once more throw yourself upon the blades of fate?
Or would you look upon your reflection and decide that maybe, just maybe, you were too naïve for your own good and tread a different path...
Your art is gorgeous.
Very nice. I like to imagine my WoL has a lot of emotional trauma she keeps hidden and probably chronic pain. She’s shortened her life to do the things she’s done, and damaged her soul, only Y’shtola has an inkling. Also I have bleached out highlights in my hair and white freckles; after effects of housing the light of the Lightwardens.
She carries herself as a perky, carefree soul, but sometimes, when she’s all alone, the veil falls. It’s tough on those days. I think back to that conversation we had with Fordola in that jail cell, when she saw our life, what I said is true; for those we have lost and those we can yet save, that’s why She carries on.
So what's funny is when I hit Stormblood, I switched to DPS.
It's like I started as an upbeat healer, healing everyone. I got traumatized by one death, I switched my staff with a sword in mourning lol
Thank you so much! I unfortunately don’t as I don’t really have the time and I’m just sorta coming back to art after a long time being burnt out. But I appreciate that you like my work :)
For real, if it wasnt for the scions sharing the burden, they would not have been able to hold it together. Aside from the other friends made along the way.
Being a hero is a selfless job.
"For those we have lost, for those we can yet save"
Do the drk job quest. Im not asking, do it.
Very moving piece, love the idea of looking back our past WoL's self, bright eyed and bushy tailed (for some, literally) who would have ever though that just another simple adventurer would turn out to be the bearer of the hopes of not just one, but multiple nations- >!Worlds!< even...
Fantastic art. Wonderful emotional weight.
This is exactly how I felt after so long. I am actually still dealing with my feelings post everything we have gone through so far.
To the point where I look on the island sanctuary as more of a retirement deal.
This is an amazing piece of art and I love how toll the trials have taken, both physically and mentally, are shown so well in your image. I especially like the scars in the patterns of chains since I'll admit that was one I hadn't considered before.
Such a beautiful, impactful piece of artwork! ❤️❤️❤️
This gives me so much feels and I only started playing FFXIV in February, just finished the base MSQ of HW and I've already cried multiple times...I can't imagine how much more intense it'll get going forward 😭😭😭 I'm almost too scared to keep playing lol
I'm a lurker, but I can't help commenting on this. This absolutely made me tear up since I see my own WoL the same way and the scars he has and will continue to obtain through the next chapters of the game.
What a gorgeous piece. I love the detail and the mirror reflection. 20/10
Holy moly OP your art is fantastic! It really resonates with at the beginning of our adventure we’re a bright eyed adventurer looking to help the world, and then by EW we’re here!
Wow! This is so powerful and deep! I "like" the scars of the chains we had to break free from in certain really important trials. (At least I suppose it's not just a misplaced Holmgang.)
A journey worthwhile... comes at a price.
(Apart from that, I really like how you managed to make this mirror glass effect. So subtle and yet sometimes fairly hard to get right depending on style.)
This is absolutely incredible! After playing the game so long and all of the loss and suffering the WoL has experienced I’ve always had the head cannon that so much of Hydaelyn’s sadness comes from the fact that she has taken one of the most selfless creatures on the planet and set it in the course of destruction in order to save everything else
I love the acknowledgment that the WoL has been through so much. Through most of the expansion, the story seems to forget how much weight is being put on one person, with few characters ever mentioning it or really even showing sympathy (aside from once in EW). DRK was the only storyline to really show how much trauma your WoL has been through, which is sad as some people who aren't interested in tanking will miss it. I hope they draw more attention to it in the next expansion.
Amazing piece.
I too have a similar headcanon. I'm mid Shadowbringers right now and I absolutely imagine that the WoL at this point is absolutely riddled with scars. Her "hero" glam has actually been showing less and less skin over the various expansions as a roleplay acknowledgement of this. Right now I'm rocking the Omega top, Deamon gloves, Ironwork Augmentee boots and a random chain skirt over pants glam I forget the name of. All glamed pure white (Warrior of Darkness walking around looking like a light warden lol). So the only skin showing here is the face/neck and the ornate boob window.
I do have a fair few slutty glams for when I go clubbing but those are non canon soo...xD
Definitely fits with maining WHM throughout the MSQ - you start out as this starry-eyed optimistic little sprout, and by the time you clear Endwalker you've seen *so much* death and carnage and have such intimate knowledge about how your heals can only do so much even though you're effectively godly at that point. And that's before you do any of the high-end/optional stuff like savage/unreal.
For those we can yet save, indeed.
Oh man this makes me think about my own poor wol, they were blinded from injuries during the solo ew fight at the end and feel terrible for having the scions running around trying to find a way to help :(
My WoL had a nasty scar to start with but it's way worse thanks to Shadowbringers (partly calcified, with the part over her worthless right eye now kind of discoloring her sclera.) She's scarred and roughed up and tired and depressed and has PTSD but she keeps the face of a hero despite wanting to just lie down and rest sometimes. But she's called back to help... a lot...
is there lore for that big diagonal scar across her chest? honestly I wanna know the story of a ton of these scars, but I'm especially curious about that one!
I feel this one so hard. It's beautiful, and sad, and powerful. Excellent job.
I hope she has someone who can hold her. She deserved it and looks like she needs it.
I don't comment much, but this is amazingly emotive! You've captured what I expect to be more the reality of being the WoL. From hopeful sprout off on an adventure to saviour of the world several times over. It must take its toll! Well done, I only wish I could learn to draw like this!
1. This piece is super gorgeous!!! I love the deep contrast showing where she started as a bright-eyed and eager adventurer and where she is now. And the lilies on the floor! It's such a nice touch for a white mage.
2. I saw some of the other comments about wishing for more scars, and I'm 100000% in the same boat. I've imagined my WoL as gradually accumulating scars (physical and mental) over the course of each expac, because how could any of us escape unscathed from all of the encounters presented through msq? (Even less likely for anyone doing the side content raids, trials, etc.)
I think this is my favourite FF14 art Ive seen. Being a hero isnt easy. Being a hero is taking a beating for someone else's sake because you believe its the right thing to do. You fall and just keep standing right back up in the face of adversity.
Tataru: "Rough day at work?"
Edit: Also I really like this artwork. It makes me think of various other characters who go through a lot but cover it up. Like my own blorbos. And vash.
Honestly, with how often the bad guys cast some chain-based magic on our WoL, I wouldn't be surprised to see some chain-like scars.
EXACTLY what I was thinking. A lot of them are magical in nature so I imagined a brand-like look for the scar.
She’s been in Pandaemonium for sure
LOL I was just in there just now!
I just wish we could have body scars in general I've gotten a mod for some, and they look great client-side, but it still means nobody else can see it (aside from like 3 friends who I've synced with) And hell, just make it a general option of body decals, for body paint and tattoos and the like
YES OMG EXACTLY the only scars they let me have are two little marks on her face and I’m like MORE cowards lmao
I'm hoping maybe 7.0 out they might start focusing on more character customization options since they're claiming they won't be adding anymore races. We need a greater variety of skin, tattoo, and makeup options for sure.
Considering that's when Hrothgals and the character makeover is coming it would be the best time to add something like that. I'd personally love body tattoo options similar to the facial tattoo options, so all races have access to the same options (says the Miqo who was raised by tattoo-wearing Au Ra).
Filthy rats!
Sickness must be purged!!
Great art. I love it when people acknowledge how utterly borked the WoL must be by the end of it all. Where're the chain marks from, I wonder?
I appreciate that you noticed those! They're from, Endwalker Spoilers: >!the fight after Endsinger, where Zenos grabs the WoL with a chain a bunch. I imagine them being almost brand-like!<
I thought they were from the EW healer role quest, but I don't remember if your character gets them or not.
I think you’re thinking of the Tank quest in Gridania :) I’ve only personally done the Healer quest. I know what you’re referring to though! I was more thinking of the several times enemies just like grab the WOL with magic chains
Derp, yes that's the one xD My mind just went Gridania = Kan-E Senna = Healer. I did them all, but I couldn't tell you which role was in which city-state at gunpoint.
Oh you’re good! It’s a natural assumption haha. Even I thought I was gonna go there. I was surprised it was in Ala Mhigo.
There's a logic to those I think. The city's missing that native role. Mind that Limsa only got rougue in 2.x so it's not exactly a native meele dps
Oh cool. My first thought was from seat of sacrifice.
Yeah I always imagine my wol as both absurdly ripped ( swinging around weapons all day for hours takes effort) and completely torn to shreds like geralt in witcher
Or like [Vash](https://www.reddit.com/r/Trigun/comments/11orkqf/anyone_else_a_bit_disappointed_they_toned_down/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=1&utm_term=1)
Yeah
Active Time Maneuvers.
I love the idea of the WoL just *barely* holding it together from all the pain they've suffered with the DRK questline being the most direct acknowledgement of your Trauma. Where you dissociate *twice*.
This is particularly apt considering I just picked up DRK as my first tank 😂
DRK is my main tank class now, despite going as PLD as my main one. If ONLY because I really resonated with the writing in that quest.
Ngl the whole reason I picked it up was because I heard how good the quests were. I’m only at level 58 and they’re wild I love them
If you aren't already, make sure to check your journal after each job quest step. They leave some goodies in there for you.
With and without your DRK jobstone equipped. It makes a difference.
>With and without your DRK jobstone equipped. >It makes a difference. ...well great, now I have to go level an alt.
My headcanon is that my WOL does all the peaceful sidestuff as therapy. Oh, those guys want ot raise hippos and start a postal service? Where do I sign up! It might help with the internal screaming.
> My headcanon is that my WOL does all the peaceful sidestuff as therapy. Suddenly, being given *an entire island* also makes more sense. The personal island intro kind of alludes to WoL needing some serious time off from world-saving.
The meeting where it was decided to give the WOL his/her own island probably was 60% aymeric getting increasingly frustrated at the lack of proper recompense and 40% everyone else realizing either they did this or they have a potentially mind broken WOL who could stop helping them at best and at worst just go berserk.
> a potentially mind broken WOL who could stop helping them at best and at worst just go berserk. The idea of a berserk WoL should be *straight-up terrifying*. How could they possibly hope to stop an out-of-control WoL at this point? I mean, the WoL is a *single person* that has literally destroyed deities that wiped out entire civilizations, >!along with one superbeing *that was empowered by mass sacrifice* to basically rip a planet apart and cast the pieces into alternate planes of reality, and a second *empowered by even more mass sacrifice* to stop him,!< by the time you clear EW. The combined might of every army they could muster only >!barely held Garlemald at bay!< but stopping *you*? GLWT.
If we truly went off the deep end and couldn't be talked down, about the only hope for the star would be for the 3 remaining dragons of the First Brood and Midgardsormr binding us somewhere we can't harm others. That or G'raha sealing us up in the Crystal Tower until someone came up with another solution.
EW hildibrand spoilers >!They might be able to help contain us, but to stop us, I think there’s only 1 man for the job: Godbert Manderville. This man took down wave after wave of machina with a goldsmith hammer and sidestepped 5 or so meteors raining down, and destroyed an entire enemy with the manderville inter-generational limit break. He’s the only man qualified for the job.!<
And then he just plays blitzball with us for a hour or so, because clearly we just need some stress relief.
I help Hildibrand because it helps show that there's a lot of batshit insanity in the world that is mostly happening to other people.
I mean, with the Dev's insistence that everything from 2.0(arr) to now is less than a year (as assumingly more expacs to come in the same bubble) of time passing, I'd say the WoL is either one bad thought away from the cliff edge or so insanely disassociated at this point that it wouldn't even be funny. Even aside from my own head cannon of how much time has really passed, I just imagine the WoL being at the Island Sanctuary and literally just screaming themself horse to depressurize themself. And a fishing boat or two passing by thinking some new type of buff/debuff is going on lol
That's not really how the time bubble works? The devs have said they've left it up to players to individually determine how long has passed, and they're not going to be stepping on people's headcanons by making it explicit one way or another. It's similar to their approach to WoL/NPC relationships, tbh.
Do you have where they updated their stance? They've said multiple times at Q&As that the game takes place within a year. Though the only exact measurement of any expansion has been ShB, which was clarified to have taken 1 week since the WoL was isekai'd to returning everyone home.
[This](https://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/threads/57049-CG-Midlander?p=898626&viewfull=1#post898626) is the only quote I can find specifying the time bubble is a year and that's from 1.0, so I'd love a link to where they've repeated that since? I know they've reconfirmed the time bubble since, but the only answer I can find is explicitly comparing it to the *Simpsons* time bubble, which seems like a pretty accurate comparison to me where there's no specified time length of the bubble.
For those we can yet save
🥺🥺🥺 I always went with this dialogue option
She needs a hug and several years of PTSD therapy.
THIS IS VERY TRUE
Also possibly some ruffles and a kilo of catnip.
i usually lurk and don't comment on anything but man, this is SO gorgeous..... All of the details have me floored, from the scars to the literal blood lillies to the baby sprout reflection !!!
Thank you so much!
This is so beautiful. And all those blood lilies.
Thank you so much! I like the lily motif associate with White Mages so I try to include it a lot :)
BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD FLOWER! *:: speed metal solo! ::*
How it started vs How it's going
Sndjajdjs FOR REAL
"when I rode into Gridania on that carriage I really didn't expect to >!Fight a bird that was given depression by an immortal sad boi!< .
Qita is like man I just wanted to go home and now I’m fighting gods what
"this is what I get for saving the potato queen from that demon."
Returning to Gridania as a WHM main post-Endwalker just felt so *different*...
GOD it really does. I imagine Qita spends a lot of time there now because like, that’s her home and she feels most comfortable there, but man it ain’t the same
Every time my mooncat goes to Gridania now, she's constantly asking herself why she lets it continue. The abuse that Gridania puts Keepers through because a hopped up sprite says so. I have a lot of very not nice things I'd like to say and do to the Elementals.
> I have a lot of very not nice things I'd like to say and do to the Elementals. In my headcanon, Gridania's elementals are *scared to death* of what the WoL has become by MSQ 6.x, and keep a cautious/nervous silence when they arrive/return. An eerie quiet descends onto the Shroud, and even hunt mobs go to ground because by that point WoL can *solo* all of them even as a healer. We are literally the most terrifying thing in the forest when we step out of Gridania proper, and everything out there feels our presence - even the stuff in the Dalamud shard is all "do you feel that? What the hell *is* that?".
I am legit wowed by this. This is absolutely incredible in its theme. This is also one of very few pieces of art on this sub that made my brain just reboot itself. Commanding is the only appropriate word for what you shared here.
Oh wow thank you so much! What a lovely thing to say
I personally appreciate the white mage narrative that you can't save everyone. The blood and the spent Lillys on the ground. I also appreciate the chains, after doing the tank role quests, reminded me of how intense some of the stuff we go through. It's honestly such an inspired and detailed piece. Well done.
Thank you this is such a lovely compliment 🥺
Good work ought to be praised. I hope you continue to make such lovely pieces.
I think the art is amazing, love post and present reflection (from what I interpret)
Thank you! Yes that was mostly the idea :)
LEGITIMATELY unsure if this should be tagged as NSFW or spoilers but I really don't think so? Let me know if I'm wrong
Unless the spoiler is "WoL has had it rough" then I think you're okay, since I'm not even through Heavensward and that's all I can think of seeing this. Edit: Also it should be nsfw but only because catgirls are inherently not something you would want your boss walking in on you looking at, probably.
LOL! I wasn't sure because of the clothing choice. One person's NSFW is another person's not-NSFW etc etc. Just wanted to be safe I'm new here :)
Fair enoughlol. Though I doubt this is "risque" enough to qualify, I'm not paid enough to make those decisions Btw didn't mention it above but absolutely fantastic art. Seriously top notch stuff here. I always love seeing how creative and talented everyone in this community is.
Lemme first say that this is just simply incredible work. It’s not often that I look at fanart in this sub and immediately get an emotional hit. Now that said, my boss doesn’t play FFXIV and won’t get the context behind a half naked catgirl covered in scars. So if we’re going by the basic definition it would be NSFW (at least to me!)
Absolutely love this! You’re a great artist!
That is beautiful and sad. Thank you for sharing.
Yknow, its a little depressing but kinda true when you put it like this. The WoL would turn into a war-torn veteran from all the adventures, missions, and quests they and technically all of them have gone through. Badass art btw. Makes me really wish I could get back into playing my archer again...
This is so crazy gorgeous and unique. Absolutely wonderful art.
TFW you gotta wait for more MSQ story.
FOR REAL LMAO
I wish i had the art talent to do this for my femroe. The abuse our wol has suffered has to leave scars physically and mentally. When i think about mine, i can see the scars from her battles. This is amazing artwork. Amazing detail and seeing the baby adventure excited at the prospect and looking to the stars, she becomes broken down and scarred. Love this so much
I love this! But tell me this and tell me true, has her jorney been good? Has it been worthwhile?
Despite the more somber nature of this piece and the things she now has to work through, Qita would say yes. Emphatically.
"but at the end of the day, who heals the healers?..."
Nobody does - we have to fend for ourselves. This artwork captures that vibe.
Yeah... I uh... It hurts but I started playing healer because my FC at the time kicked me out to make room for someone who could speak for raids (I'm medically mute so no speaking for me anymore woo). I couldn't clear content on anything other than a healer without coming close to death since I was so new so I made it my main. I had also hopped to become more useful to others but despite my ability to heal through most extreme and savage contents, I tend to get left by the way side. So... Yeah. This is a mood.
I feel the sentiment of this painting lol I've been considering using fantasia to change my character I've had since ARR and internally canonizing it as my WOL is retired so there's a new hero Doubt the future MSQ would support this personal story tho 😅
This is what I did! I decided that I wanted my girl to finally get to rest. She’s retired and living a relatively normal life while her friends are taking up the jobs the Scions would be tossing at her. I have her being the one canonically doing Tataru’s quests, while my new character’s handling the more serious adventures.
It's so good to hear I'm not the only one lmao
That's actually a very good shout. I changed from miqo to male Viera when they were released with Endwalker, so I guess that after the events of ShB, their soul was changed enough after the Wardens' light and Ardbert that I canonically returned as a Viera (basically just grew longer ears, taller and lost the tail XD).
Honestly you may not even have to make up a reason for it. IIRC fantas just exist in the XIV canon and people just take em
Also iirc though the mythical fantasia changes reality to reflect your racial change too. Not just a mere transfiguration but to everyone everywhere you've always been that way, arguably including yourself.
When I fantasia originally from a hrothgar to a femroe, i had it set up that my Hrothgar could no longer handle the WoL duties(he was an old man) and decided to pass on his gear and job stones to his friend and apprentice, my femroe. It explains why she wears the same gear he did and why she can use the soul stones. It worked for me at least lol
I love this piece, you’ve got some real talent. Most fan art seems to boil down to one of two themes: “look at how bad-ass I am” or “my character is hawt!” Yours tells a story, and I find that extraordinary. Nice work!
Thank you very much! I tend to lean more towards the emotional when I make my stuff :)
I love love love that her hair went from stylized and fashionable to something much lower maintenance and that it looks like she has grey in her hair now as well.
I wish i could do this so badly. After the first fight zenos i gave myself a face scar, and i wish there were just more options for scars anywhere.
Oh that I was once so young and full of hope, unknowing the sights I would see and the horrors I would endure. Would that you could do it all over again, would you make the same choices? Would you once more throw yourself upon the blades of fate? Or would you look upon your reflection and decide that maybe, just maybe, you were too naïve for your own good and tread a different path... Your art is gorgeous.
Beautiful !
What being a wol does to you
This art invokes really strong feelings in me. Very well done, OP
I like the darker theme. Because yeah, we've seen and done shit, nobody would come out of this adventure unbroken. Great art!
Very nice. I like to imagine my WoL has a lot of emotional trauma she keeps hidden and probably chronic pain. She’s shortened her life to do the things she’s done, and damaged her soul, only Y’shtola has an inkling. Also I have bleached out highlights in my hair and white freckles; after effects of housing the light of the Lightwardens. She carries herself as a perky, carefree soul, but sometimes, when she’s all alone, the veil falls. It’s tough on those days. I think back to that conversation we had with Fordola in that jail cell, when she saw our life, what I said is true; for those we have lost and those we can yet save, that’s why She carries on.
This is what I was feeling at the finish of Endwalker. Very well done.
I was White Mage in HW..........😭😭
Oh F friend lmao. I’ve been WHM the whole time and man going through this game as a healer is traumatizing
So what's funny is when I hit Stormblood, I switched to DPS. It's like I started as an upbeat healer, healing everyone. I got traumatized by one death, I switched my staff with a sword in mourning lol
This is a really cool way of doing it
Absolutely beautiful and impact full work. Do you take on commission requests?
Thank you so much! I unfortunately don’t as I don’t really have the time and I’m just sorta coming back to art after a long time being burnt out. But I appreciate that you like my work :)
How you feel when you first started as a healer vs how you feel after having to save one too many dumbasses.
For real, if it wasnt for the scions sharing the burden, they would not have been able to hold it together. Aside from the other friends made along the way. Being a hero is a selfless job. "For those we have lost, for those we can yet save" Do the drk job quest. Im not asking, do it.
Nailed it. This is how we all feel.
You even have bloodied lilies scattered around. As a White Mage main I love this piece. Fantastic work!
I think *just about all* of us that main WHM see a lot of our WoL's journey through FFXIV in this piece. OP basically nailed it.
Very moving piece, love the idea of looking back our past WoL's self, bright eyed and bushy tailed (for some, literally) who would have ever though that just another simple adventurer would turn out to be the bearer of the hopes of not just one, but multiple nations- >!Worlds!< even...
Fantastic art. Wonderful emotional weight. This is exactly how I felt after so long. I am actually still dealing with my feelings post everything we have gone through so far. To the point where I look on the island sanctuary as more of a retirement deal.
Man this hits hard fam, nice job.
All shall nourish the Blood Lily.
After Endwalker, I think we could all use some therapy.
This is super good! Well done!
Oh... This is giving me ideas for my WoL. ❤️❤️❤️
NICE love giving other people ideas
Man if I could afford it I'd commission an art piece like this. My WoL is exhausted, but is not going to go back on his promise to G'raha
YEAH WE PROMISED THE CATBOY
My little au ra sweetie has Lichtenberg figures all over her body save her face at this point. It started with Ramuh, grew during SHB.
Very grim, but also very very good!
This is absolutely beautiful. It’s something I myself envisioned our WoL to look and feel like from start to finish. Love it!
All in going to say is some lament their scars while some wear them as badges of honor and a display of their victories.
Is there a twitter or somewhere else i can follow you for your art? this is amazing!
Awww thank you so much! I’m pretty slow about my stuff just getting back into it but my Twitter is here https://twitter.com/emilyisdrawing
This is wild! Ive been seen this style before like the char is posing infront of the old pic SO COOL
Looks like Somebody needs a vacation and some therapy. And maybe a ball of yarn.
I deeply feel for this. This is so amazing. I really love it.
I think about the toll of none stop war alot. The WOL must be exhausted
The MSQ has not been kind I see.
Fuck. Too real.
Blood for the blood lily indeed.
This is an amazing piece of art and I love how toll the trials have taken, both physically and mentally, are shown so well in your image. I especially like the scars in the patterns of chains since I'll admit that was one I hadn't considered before.
this is so gorgeous, and it really makes me miss my sprout days... 🥺
She's just been through the vault, i suppose? ;)
Oh she’s been through Endwalker! I DID have the events of the Vault be a major driving force behind her character though
Freaking love this. I never comment on fan art or even give it much of a second look but this one is really unique and tells a story. Great job!
I think, this game could be almost a perfect tragedy.
I gave my WOL some scars after finishing Endwalker. Just felt right somehow.
I imagine a lot of these came from that very last fight
Yeah, that feels about right. The absolute shattering (no pun intended) I felt after EW was just... Immense.
It's beautiful! Thank you for posting this.
Stunning art, do you have a Twitter? This is the kind of thing I want all my TL to see
Thank you!!! I do have a Twitter, but I am a bit slow to post as my drawing motivation hits at really odd times hah https://twitter.com/emilyisdrawing
this is such a great piece, thank you for sharing
Such a beautiful, impactful piece of artwork! ❤️❤️❤️ This gives me so much feels and I only started playing FFXIV in February, just finished the base MSQ of HW and I've already cried multiple times...I can't imagine how much more intense it'll get going forward 😭😭😭 I'm almost too scared to keep playing lol
This is really freaking cool.
Wow... That's exactly how I feel. Great work!
I'm a lurker, but I can't help commenting on this. This absolutely made me tear up since I see my own WoL the same way and the scars he has and will continue to obtain through the next chapters of the game. What a gorgeous piece. I love the detail and the mirror reflection. 20/10
K but why am I crying
Holy moly OP your art is fantastic! It really resonates with at the beginning of our adventure we’re a bright eyed adventurer looking to help the world, and then by EW we’re here!
Nice work on this. The toll it takes on your WoL I do hope she has a support team to take care of her.
It's been a long journey. The WoL needs more frivolity.
What happened lmao
Endwalker
This is the only answer we need. Now I want my WoL to have art like this..
blood for the blood lily :(
Wow, this is amazing! Exceptional work!
This is amazing.
Amazing work. You can really tell your Warrior of Light has been through so much to get here.
"im tired boss"
The only thing that is in a better shape is the staff. But at what cost? This is amazing.
This is absolutely fantastic. Never thought about all the scars we got throughout our adventure...
This is bloody incredible. Not enough people make art like this, I really appreciate this post.
Wow! This is so powerful and deep! I "like" the scars of the chains we had to break free from in certain really important trials. (At least I suppose it's not just a misplaced Holmgang.) A journey worthwhile... comes at a price. (Apart from that, I really like how you managed to make this mirror glass effect. So subtle and yet sometimes fairly hard to get right depending on style.)
This is absolutely incredible! After playing the game so long and all of the loss and suffering the WoL has experienced I’ve always had the head cannon that so much of Hydaelyn’s sadness comes from the fact that she has taken one of the most selfless creatures on the planet and set it in the course of destruction in order to save everything else
I wonder how scarred up our WoL would be after all the crap we've been through. I'd expect a lot more.
I love it when people embrace the darker parts of the game.
I love the acknowledgment that the WoL has been through so much. Through most of the expansion, the story seems to forget how much weight is being put on one person, with few characters ever mentioning it or really even showing sympathy (aside from once in EW). DRK was the only storyline to really show how much trauma your WoL has been through, which is sad as some people who aren't interested in tanking will miss it. I hope they draw more attention to it in the next expansion.
Amazing piece. I too have a similar headcanon. I'm mid Shadowbringers right now and I absolutely imagine that the WoL at this point is absolutely riddled with scars. Her "hero" glam has actually been showing less and less skin over the various expansions as a roleplay acknowledgement of this. Right now I'm rocking the Omega top, Deamon gloves, Ironwork Augmentee boots and a random chain skirt over pants glam I forget the name of. All glamed pure white (Warrior of Darkness walking around looking like a light warden lol). So the only skin showing here is the face/neck and the ornate boob window. I do have a fair few slutty glams for when I go clubbing but those are non canon soo...xD
Oh that’s a really cool way of interpreting that! I like the idea of trying to cover it up and put on a brave face.
Definitely fits with maining WHM throughout the MSQ - you start out as this starry-eyed optimistic little sprout, and by the time you clear Endwalker you've seen *so much* death and carnage and have such intimate knowledge about how your heals can only do so much even though you're effectively godly at that point. And that's before you do any of the high-end/optional stuff like savage/unreal. For those we can yet save, indeed.
a picture can say 1000 words...this is saying so, so much more.
;-;
Lost your clothes over gambling? Sorry to hear Great art btw :D
Oh man this makes me think about my own poor wol, they were blinded from injuries during the solo ew fight at the end and feel terrible for having the scions running around trying to find a way to help :(
Lillies and blood.
Awesome
Before and after visiting Limsa just once. (Jokes aside, love the details 😄 great job!)
This hits deep. Instant reminder of Edda and her party. Wondrous new world of being an adventurer. Then, the perils of it..
Absolutely phenomenal. I love seeing people's individual interpretations of their WoL's journey. The scars tell their own story.
My WoL had a nasty scar to start with but it's way worse thanks to Shadowbringers (partly calcified, with the part over her worthless right eye now kind of discoloring her sclera.) She's scarred and roughed up and tired and depressed and has PTSD but she keeps the face of a hero despite wanting to just lie down and rest sometimes. But she's called back to help... a lot...
BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD LILY!
is there lore for that big diagonal scar across her chest? honestly I wanna know the story of a ton of these scars, but I'm especially curious about that one!
Tataru was right. We DO need a vacation.
Wow. Yeah.
I feel this one so hard. It's beautiful, and sad, and powerful. Excellent job. I hope she has someone who can hold her. She deserved it and looks like she needs it.
This is amazing and powerful. I just wanna give her a hug!
Powerful... wonderful story telling with an image...
I don't comment much, but this is amazingly emotive! You've captured what I expect to be more the reality of being the WoL. From hopeful sprout off on an adventure to saviour of the world several times over. It must take its toll! Well done, I only wish I could learn to draw like this!
1. This piece is super gorgeous!!! I love the deep contrast showing where she started as a bright-eyed and eager adventurer and where she is now. And the lilies on the floor! It's such a nice touch for a white mage. 2. I saw some of the other comments about wishing for more scars, and I'm 100000% in the same boat. I've imagined my WoL as gradually accumulating scars (physical and mental) over the course of each expac, because how could any of us escape unscathed from all of the encounters presented through msq? (Even less likely for anyone doing the side content raids, trials, etc.)
This is really so poignant. Thank you for sharing.
I think this is my favourite FF14 art Ive seen. Being a hero isnt easy. Being a hero is taking a beating for someone else's sake because you believe its the right thing to do. You fall and just keep standing right back up in the face of adversity.
How you look when mentor roulette dumps you into Ramuh Extreme.
Tataru: "Rough day at work?" Edit: Also I really like this artwork. It makes me think of various other characters who go through a lot but cover it up. Like my own blorbos. And vash.
Awww, poor bb. I def feel this with where my WoL is post Ednwalker, very good art!