chasing daybreak

Lands that stretch on forever. Skies one could drown in. The heartbeat of nature, silent yet strong.

🎉Happy Nameday to @stardrinker! 🎉

quick mockup but like. Alphinaud was smug and egotistical and Alisaie was harboring a lot of anger at the time -> both go through their respective character development -> sweetie pies with more problems to come

why they have That Unfocused Weird Stare in the ARR version is bc it’s an attempt on my part to communicate how they’re not really focused on anything in their actual environment— but on their personal goals. There’s a disconnect. It’s like even the light around them doesn’t properly interact with their gaze because they simply don’t see it.

Gullah & Early AAVE

Gumbo – From Bantu kingombo (okra), brought by enslaved Africans and became the name of the Creole stew thickened with okra.

Goober – From Kikongo nguba, the Bantu word for peanut that entered American English via enslaved Africans.

Yam – From West African languages (e.g., Wolof nyami, "to eat"), brought over during the slave trade and adopted into Southern cuisine.

Banjo – From a Bantu root (mbanza), the instrument was crafted by enslaved Africans based on West African string instruments.

Bogus – Likely from Hausa boko-boko (deceitful, fraudulent), entering American English through African American speech in the 19th century.

Juke (box/joint) – From Gullah juke (rowdy, disorderly), derived from Wolof dzug (to live wickedly), later attached to roadside bars.

Tote (to carry) – From West African languages (e.g., Kikongo tota, "to pick up"), recorded in Gullah before spreading to mainstream English.

Dig (to understand) – From Wolof degg (to understand), popularized by jazz musicians in the 1930s after entering English through AAVE.

Jazz – Possibly from West African or Creole slang for energy/sex, first documented in AAVE in Chicago around 1912.

Okay (OK) – Though its origin is debated, strong evidence traces it to West African languages (e.g., Wolof waw kay) via enslaved Gullah speakers.

Hip/Hep – From Wolof hipi (to open one's eyes, to be aware), entering jazz slang in the early 1900s before going mainstream.

Hepcat – A compound of "hep" + "cat" (jazz slang for a person), literally meaning "one who has his eyes open" in West African-influenced jazz culture.

Jazz, Blues & 1940s–60s Era

Cool (as in fashionable/calm) – Originated in jazz circles, likely from saxophonist Lester Young, and entered mainstream via West African aesthetic concepts of composure.

Cat – A jazz-era term for a skilled musician or cool person, derived from West African-influenced jive talk.

Crib – Jazz slang for a house or apartment, popularized in the 1940s before becoming mainstream in the 1990s.

Hokum – AAVE slang for nonsense or BS, used in blues and jazz before being adopted more widely.

Diss – Short for "disrespect," coined in AAVE and popularized through hip-hop in the 1980s and 1990s.

Bad (meaning good) – From AAVE, where inversion of meaning creates emphasis (something so "bad" it's actually good), used since early jazz era.

Jive – AAVE slang for deceptive talk or a style of jazz dancing, used by Cab Calloway in his 1930s Hepster Dictionary.

1970s–90s (Hip-Hop & Pre-Internet Era)

Homeboy/Homegirl – AAVE for a close friend from one's neighborhood, popularized in hip-hop and later shortened to "homes" in casual speech.

Dope (meaning great) – Shifted from "stupid" in standard English to "excellent" in AAVE during the 1980s hip-hop era.

Props – Short for "proper respects" in AAVE, used in hip-hop to acknowledge skill or achievement before entering mainstream slang.

Word (as in "I agree") – AAVE interjection ("Word!" or "Word is bond") meaning "I'm telling the truth," derived from Nation of Islam teachings.

Phat (meaning cool/great) – AAVE acronym believed to stand for "Pretty Hot And Tempting," though likely an invented backronym; popularized in 90s hip-hop.

The Bomb – AAVE phrase for something excellent or top-quality, widely used in hip-hop lyrics before mainstream adoption.

Def – AAVE slang for "excellent," popularized by Run-DMC's "King of Rock" and 80s hip-hop culture.

Fresh – AAVE for stylish or excellent, used in early hip-hop and 80s pop culture before spreading globally.

Wack – AAVE for "bad, inferior, uncool," popularized in hip-hop and later mainstream youth speech as the opposite of "cool."

Hella – AAVE intensifier meaning "very" or "a lot of," originating in Oakland/Bay Area AAVE in the 1970s-80s.

Cap / No Cap – AAVE meaning "lie" and "no lie," popularized by Bay Area rap in the 2010s, derived from "capping" (exaggerating).

1990s–2000s (Internet Adoption & Ballroom Culture)

Slay – From AAVE and Black ballroom culture (Paris is Burning, 1990), meaning to do something extremely well, now mainstream via social media.

Spill the Tea – From AAVE (originally "spill the T," with "T" meaning truth), popularized by drag culture and Black queer communities.

Shade (as in insult) – From Black ballroom culture (documented in Paris is Burning), meaning a subtle insult, now used broadly in pop culture.

Reading (as in insulting) – From ballroom culture ("reading" someone), meaning to publicly insult with wit, immortalized in Paris is Burning.

Kiki – AAVE from ballroom culture meaning a casual gathering for gossip or chatting, later mainstreamed through pop music (e.g., Kesha).

Fierce – AAVE and ballroom term meaning exceptionally good or intense, applied to fashion, performance, or attitude.

Woke – From AAVE meaning socially and politically aware, first used in 1940s Black activism before resurging with Black Lives Matter.

Shook – AAVE meaning startled or upset, used in 1990s New York hip-hop (e.g., Mobb Deep) before mainstream adoption in the 2010s.

On Fleek – AAVE phrase meaning perfectly executed, coined in a 2014 Vine by Peaches Monroee, one of the last pre-AI viral AAVE innovations.

Finna – From AAVE contraction of "fixing to" (preparing to), documented in Southern AAVE for decades before wider use and dictionary recognition.

Chile – A phonetic spelling of "child" in Southern AAVE, used as a term of endearment or exclamation since at least the 1970s (The Wiz, 1978).

2010s–Present (Social Media & Gen Z Slang Pipeline)

Lit – AAVE meaning exciting or excellent (originally "intoxicated" or "on fire"), popularized in hip-hop before becoming a Gen Z staple.

Bae – AAVE term of endearment meaning "before anyone else" or just a shortened form of "babe/baby," mainstreamed in the 2010s.

Ratchet – AAVE originally meaning a rowdy, aggressive woman (from "wretched"), later used to describe anything wild or out of control.

Turnt – AAVE meaning excited or intoxicated, from "turned up" in hip-hop lyrics, mainstreamed in early 2010s party slang.

Clap Back – AAVE for a sharp, witty comeback or retaliation, popularized in hip-hop (e.g., Ja Rule's 2003 song "Clap Back") before internet slang.

Bussin' – AAVE meaning delicious or excellent, applied to food or anything great, popularized on TikTok in the 2020s.

Sus – AAVE shortening of "suspicious" or "shady," used for decades before Among Us made it a global meme in 2020.

Snatched – AAVE originally describing flawless hair/makeup or a tight waist, now used to praise anything perfectly executed.

Periodt – AAVE emphatic form of "period" (meaning "end of discussion"), with a hard "t" for emphasis, popularized on Black Twitter before global use.

I'll be there when the world stops turning In the end I want to be standing at the beginning with you

Reasoning:

Not being able to manipulate aether is an incredibly unusual trait for any creature on Hydaelyn considering that like fish can do it.

There is no mention of a Garlean equivalent on the First. (This can be explained away by the Flood but we are noting this as part of the larger picture here, ok?)

The origin of the people who would become the Garleans is said to be Goug, a Clockwork City. The Allagans were well known for their clockwork soldiers. (Note: The Gougians "abandoned" their clockwork city.)

The Gougians/Garleans eventually settled as peaceful farmers in Corvos and were forced off the land by the magic wielding races of the area. This information is obviously suspect given that only the Garleans seem to corroborate it and this is their basis for their imperialism, for now, note that the only other race known to be active in the area for certain is the G tribe of Miqo'te.

The Garleans have no problem using Allagan technology. This can also be explained by Emet-Selch but given how into bloodlines and bioengineering the Allagans are I think it's worth keeping in mind.

In the Bozja storyline, Gabranth is both said to have been researching Garlean ancestory and to have found "lost knowledge" about the Allagan Empire. Adding in the fact that he wants to establish a new nation in Goug....

Thus I propose:

The Goug were a product of Allagan bioengineering that were to serve as a labor/slave race (like with the Ixal.) Their inability to manipulate aether would have made them reliant on technology and thus ideal to have doing maintenance on machina.

The Gougians got run of the Clockwork City after the Allagan Empire collapsed. Being an island in the post-apocalypse, they lacked the resources (and possibly the magical prowess) to maintain it and are forced to abandon it for the greener pastures of Corvos.

The G Tribe, having been entrusted with the Allagan Royal Blood and a load of Allagan artifacts seem like the ideal people to get the Clockwork City up and running again. The G Tribe, who do not want Allag 2.0, refuse to help them.

Therefore the conflict that emerges is based around the Gougians wanting the Allagan artifacts and the G Tribe not wanting to give them over to the wrong hands.

The Gougians obviously lose this conflict and are forced north to the region that would later become Garlemald.

They are then easily found and manipulated by Emet-Selch, who probably knew of their origins from the get-go meaning that he is able to twist the truth into the story the Garleans are spouting now.

Hello hello! ✨

It's my birthday next month! To celebrate I am hosting a small themed day on JUNE 24.

In honour of my WoL Aureia, the theme is 🔥Fire & Ice ❄️

Show me your best elemental action shots or black mage glam, your favourite snowy locale or a character so hot they might as well be on fire. 😎 All creative forms are welcome—if you want to write, draw, or gpose, go for it!!

The hashtag is #myreiabday + please tag me so I don't miss it!

Have fun! 😘💕

EDIT: No Dawntrail content/spoilers please! This includes: NPCs, locations, dungeons, raids etc. I am planning on playing the expac later this year and I am trying to keep it as fresh as possible! ty for understanding! 💕💕

The Sun

ffxiv・Fiona Blackthorne・フィオナ・ブラックソーン — (Custom WoL Card)