]]> https://spotofmummery.com/ask/ask14.html Thu, 01 Sep 2022 15:26:03 -0500
A fan limerick written about Scylla.

]]> https://spotofmummery.com/art-showcase/writing/scyllapoem.html Tue, 23 Aug 2022 14:21:05 -0500
It was four years ago today that I chose Amon as my FFXIV role play character and launched the creative project that would become Spot of Mummery. While it originally started out on the Tumblr platform, the content is now in the process of being hosted on my own personal website – a project I began undertaking last year.

]]> https://spotofmummery.com/blog/FFXIV/posts/2022-07-27-Four-Years-of-Mummery.html Tue, 28 Jun 2022 01:36:49 -0500
“I don’t believe it,” the words whooshed out of Amon as he stared. “We’re inside the Tower!”

“Of course,” Tad helped to right him completely, then made an act at brushing off Amon’s shoulder. “I told you I could get you here, aye?”

“Yes but…” he took a wobbly step forward, his gaze taking in everything he never thought he’d see again. His heart was full to bursting – he was home.

]]> https://spotofmummery.com/tales/forgeahead/first-2.html Thu, 23 Jun 2022 19:13:37 -0500
Amon shot the oddest looks at his cousin as Tad led them into a deep trench. This had never existed at the base of Syrcus Tower during Amon’s time. In fact, what he remembered was the miles of sprawling city-settlement as far as the eye could see. Time and calamities had taken their toll on those memories.

]]> https://spotofmummery.com/tales/forgeahead/first-1.html Wed, 22 Jun 2022 16:52:14 -0500
“Amon?” she called to him. “Are you going somewhere?”

“Oh,” the Elezen turned on his heel, quickly pasting a friendly smile over the wince. “Oh, aye. Tad and I were just going for a roundabout.”

Koh eyed his bag suspiciously. “Roundabout? That seems like a pretty hefty bag.”

]]> https://spotofmummery.com/tales/forgeahead/orchestration-3.html Fri, 06 May 2022 17:40:29 -0500
Amon’s head jerked up, staring in shock at how nonchalantly his cousin had just spoken those words. He felt a pressure growing in his chest, and knew instantly what it meant. He’d felt this too many times before not to know. He was about to do something that he might later regret.

]]> https://spotofmummery.com/tales/forgeahead/orchestration-2.html Thu, 05 May 2022 18:17:43 -0500
Tad was partway through lunch when Amon came upon him, the elder of the two cousins inviting himself to sit at the table most promptly. The younger opened his mouth to protest the intrusion – all in good fun – but stopped the moment he saw the grim look upon the bard’s face.

]]> https://spotofmummery.com/tales/forgeahead/orchestration-1.html Wed, 04 May 2022 15:51:15 -0500
It was Zuri’s turn to look worried. Though Amon pitied her position at the moment, he sensed that she had knowledge that he needed – maybe even the missing piece that troubled him.

]]> https://spotofmummery.com/tales/forgeahead/truthtelling-3.html Sat, 12 Feb 2022 16:58:31 -0500
Though the story was told with the aplomb of a bard, it was fully accurate with very little concealed. Amon’s words were smooth but his body was tense as he ended, finally telling of the newest discovery – that he was the clone of the Technologist Amon, created for reasons unknown, and had taken the original’s place during the fall of Allag.

]]> https://spotofmummery.com/tales/forgeahead/truthtelling-2.html Fri, 11 Feb 2022 17:41:01 -0500
Amon was reclining next to the babbling stream that ran through Gridania when Zuri found him. Though the town was bustling, especially at this time of day, there were still plenty of quiet places to sit and reflect if you knew where to find them.

]]> https://spotofmummery.com/tales/forgeahead/truthtelling-1.html Thu, 10 Feb 2022 18:27:17 -0500
Scylla and I took a trip to a lovely, sun-kissed beach whereup I found a bottle washed up on shore. When I noticed something inside, Scylla got super excited to see what it was!

]]> https://spotofmummery.com/miitopia/mii-8.html Thu, 03 Feb 2022 18:22:32 -0500
I’m afraid to wear my own hat in public now.

All the things that Tad spoke of have come to pass, though I don’t fully understand why. All I know is that I’m hearing the name “Amon” being tossed around in hushed conversation amongst the people of Gridania.

]]> https://spotofmummery.com/tales/forgeahead/eavesdropper-4.html Sun, 30 Jan 2022 17:31:04 -0500
“And if you have truly avoided telling him this, why would you tell him now?” Scylla added, crossing her arms. “What would precipitate you bringing this revelation to Amon’s attention?”

]]> https://spotofmummery.com/tales/forgeahead/eavesdropper-3.html Mon, 24 Jan 2022 19:05:22 -0500
Amon’s mind was so clouded by confusion and a heavy weight of despair that at first, he didn’t react to Scylla’s appearance at the doorway. It wasn’t lost upon him the implications that she’d heard everything - part of him was relieved that he wouldn’t need to recount the story to her. He wasn’t even sure he could.

]]> https://spotofmummery.com/tales/forgeahead/eavesdropper-2.html Sun, 23 Jan 2022 17:35:36 -0500
It was the usual morning routine. Scylla would pick up muffins over at the bakery stall, perhaps stop to heckle Amon’s out-of-tune fiddle over in the corner, and then they would walk to the shop and share a morning meal over debate, and even sometimes, over laughter. At first, she would explain their time as a healer’s duty; while the bard had made excellent progress in his healing, he still had a while to go. But their conversations would drag on through the morning, spirited debates going on until lunch.

]]> https://spotofmummery.com/tales/forgeahead/eavesdropper-1.html Sat, 22 Jan 2022 17:52:11 -0500
The tired parents phase doesn't last too very long, thankfully, because before soon, baby Amon becomes a toddler! Time for trouble to begin!

]]> https://spotofmummery.com/simmery/spot-of-simmery-14.html Thu, 13 Jan 2022 19:59:51 -0500
Today, Tad and I went to catch a movie! There, we discovered it starred an unexpected member of the cast!

]]> https://spotofmummery.com/miitopia/mii-7.html Tue, 11 Jan 2022 19:00:30 -0500
It wasn’t long until we started to discover something very important – new fashion… namely, better hairstyles! Scylla was the first to get a makeover.

]]> https://spotofmummery.com/miitopia/mii-6.html Wed, 05 Jan 2022 18:02:21 -0500
It had been a conflicting end of the year for Amon. After everything he thought he’d known got turned on its head, he felt a deep and unfamiliar sense of exhaustion. Something in him just wanted to stop thinking. Stop analyzing. Stop rolling all these things through his mind.

]]> https://spotofmummery.com/tales/forgeahead/worrier-6.html Sun, 02 Jan 2022 06:35:32 -0500
Last we left off, Dark Lord Stan was trying to intimidate me and was doing a pretty good job of it, I have to admit. That’s when a stranger stepped in!

]]> https://spotofmummery.com/miitopia/mii-5.html Thu, 30 Dec 2021 21:38:36 -0500
Tomorrow is my Nameday.

Or rather, Amon’s Nameday.

Normally, ‘twould be a day I’d celebrate – mayhaps with a few friends or just going out to enjoy a show or somesuch. I’ve always looked forward to my Nameday, which interestingly falls on the final day of the calendar.

But now ‘tisn’t normal. Now I grapple with the questions of a made thing.

Do clones have a Nameday?

]]> https://spotofmummery.com/tales/forgeahead/worrier-5.html Thu, 30 Dec 2021 18:02:19 -0500
After a few days of travel, we were resting at the inn when a knock came at the door. Now who could that be?

]]> https://spotofmummery.com/miitopia/mii-4.html Tue, 28 Dec 2021 21:57:57 -0500
Since Scylla and I were now on an adventure together, I figured the best thing I could do was to try to be nice. She could be stubborn and headstrong sometimes, but 'twas nice to have company when things started to get dangerous.

]]> https://spotofmummery.com/miitopia/mii-3.html Mon, 27 Dec 2021 21:48:50 -0500
My journeys continued across the land, and I was doing perfectly fine on my own… until I was waylaid by more than one monster at a time! Look at these bullies! What was I to do?

]]> https://spotofmummery.com/miitopia/mii-2.html Sun, 26 Dec 2021 18:16:46 -0500
Once upon a time, 'twas a normal (but rather handsome) adventurer named Amon. 'Tis I! You can say I'm a bit on the energetic side, but that never hurt anyone, now did it?

So, here I am, minding my own business when I suddenly get caught up in a mess that wasn't of my own making for once.

]]> https://spotofmummery.com/miitopia/mii-1.html Sat, 25 Dec 2021 20:05:58 -0500
Amon had to admit that he felt a lump in his throat at Tad’s quiet declaration. It had been a bitter pill to believe his own cousin had been among those who set in motion the things that lead to his death in the Tower that day. As much as he’d tried to stray away from that part of the story, and struggled to keep at bay the pang of pain he felt thinking his own kin would betray him – though for good reason – the idea had bubbled up in the back of his mind several times throughout their conversation.

But now…

]]> https://spotofmummery.com/tales/forgeahead/worrier-4.html Thu, 23 Dec 2021 19:14:28 -0500
“So, you are the Warrior of Light from the Allagan age,” Amon recapped quickly, like pulling off a painful band aid all in one go. Then he inquired, “But that still doesn’t explain how you’ve come to be here in the current age.”

“Aye… aye… I was getting to that,” Tad gave a mock-huff at the question. “’Tisn’t all that easy to work out, even for me.”

“Let us try, then.”

]]> https://spotofmummery.com/tales/forgeahead/worrier-3.html Wed, 22 Dec 2021 18:07:21 -0500
Tad peered around the Tea and Tomes shop, not even trying to hide his amusement. Whether he was impressed by the facade of a pleasant café that hid the technology required to decrypt and read Tomestones that clients brought to the shop, it was hard to tell.

No matter his cousin’s opinion of the place, it had served Amon well in bringing in some much needed gil while assisting adventurers with resources for better options than just to trade their Tomes to Roweena’s business. He also found it rewarding and fun to see what curiosities his clients brought in.

]]> https://spotofmummery.com/tales/forgeahead/worrier-2.html Tue, 14 Dec 2021 14:53:39 -0500
Amon’s day began like any other.

A spot of tea and a muffin in the morning. Busking in his favorite spot, near the weather-teller in Gridania.

The songs he played were all upbeat and cheerful. The mood everywhere he looked was such that no one wanted to hear something sad or overly thoughtful. Being an entertainer looking to please, and the fact that his tips depended on it, he was only obliged to give the crowd what they needed.

]]> https://spotofmummery.com/tales/forgeahead/worrier-1.html Sat, 11 Dec 2021 18:28:26 -0500
I’ve always been plagued by nightmares.

Skies of fire, visions unheeded and unspoken to others. The voice of Xande, telling me that I would spiral into the same insane nihilistic darkness as he did.

‘Tis why I avoid sleep when I can.

]]> https://spotofmummery.com/tales/forgeahead/journal-5.html Wed, 08 Dec 2021 22:18:01 -0500
I’m going to write about something today that I’ve been hesitating to approach. But I figured seeing this is my personal Tome journal, locked down with the highest encryption programs of Allagan times, I should be the only one who ever reads this. ‘Tis safe enough to write this here.

How to start this…

]]> https://spotofmummery.com/tales/forgeahead/journal-4.html Wed, 17 Nov 2021 16:01:53 -0500
Strange things have been happening around Eorzea as of late. Things that are not being well-broadcasted amongst the population. I’m quite familiar to this means of controlling information in order to prevent uprisings or panic… but I think at this point, ‘tis out of the hands of whomever thought to control such things...

]]> https://spotofmummery.com/tales/forgeahead/journal-3.html Thu, 11 Nov 2021 17:59:35 -0500
I’ve finished putting together the final art display - an Inktober Gallery! Here you can see my attempt at traditional media art - for 2019 and 2020 - and then this year, when I went fully digital. This year, I made a start but only got through ten days, sadly (too much to do this year), but all of that is now archived for you to view.

]]> https://spotofmummery.com/art-showcase/inktober.html Fri, 05 Nov 2021 18:08:17 -0500
A year ago, if you’d told me that I’d be stumbling my way through learning how the arts of conjury worked, I’d have laughed. Long and hard.

The magics I devised in my previous lifetime were meant for self-preservation and, in the case of attack, to ward off the enemy. And aye, I did come up with Curtain Call myself. I’m fairly proud of it, too! The workings of these magics had much to do with pooling a large and unnatural amount of self-aether, and sometimes using something else (such as Syrcus Tower) as a focus or a means of dispersing a spell.

Why do I bring this up?

Because the art of conjury handles aether quite differently...

]]> https://spotofmummery.com/tales/forgeahead/journal-2.html Fri, 05 Nov 2021 15:42:05 -0500
If Amon wasn’t already absolutely frozen, he might have bolted up the stairs right that moment. His face reflected his fear with a deer-in-the-headlights stare. But his ears reflected his mortification, a deep red flush spreading from the tips inward.

Of course the robes had been trapped. Just as he suspected. He had let his guard down, not thinking Scylla would show her tail in front of her own father. But he had been so very wrong.

Amon didn’t know who all these people were, and if they were important people. While running about in his skivvies wasn’t a big deal where he’d come from, he was sure this was not the best first impression to make on anyone in the city.

]]> https://spotofmummery.com/tales/eld-2-3.html Thu, 04 Nov 2021 15:44:53 -0500
Scylla walked into the compound and wrinkled her nose. She saw him deep in thought. He was trying to hide it from her, but he was scared.

Servants went about their way, with little notice, preparing the evening meal. Something special was cooking tonight as the smell of meat and pungent herbs filled the air.

“Well.” Scylla shrugged, reaching up from the top shelf and handing Amon a robe. “You need to wear something a little more presentable before Allagan nobility. If you don’t believe me, you can ask your giiiiirlfriend on your tomephone.”

]]> https://spotofmummery.com/tales/eld-2-2.html Thu, 04 Nov 2021 15:44:53 -0500
Amon mused over Scylla’s story, the hum of the machine droning somewhere in the background. He took a long sip of his tea and leaned back casually in his chair with an unreadable expression on his face.

Had he really terrorized her that much in the first days of his arrival?

“I remember it quite differently, my dear,” the Allagan told her truthfully. “I always sensed that you’d gone back and ratted on me to your parents, and ‘twas why I was called to your father’s lab the first time.”

]]> https://spotofmummery.com/tales/eld-2-1.html Thu, 04 Nov 2021 15:44:53 -0500
Scylla was always scared of her father’s hounds.

The beasts never failed to stare her down as she walked into the Azys compound. Today, however, they had a particularly predatory look within their scarlet eyes. Her father promised they would never attack her, but there was something wicked and vile to them. They were meant for war and killing, enchanted with various aether enhancements and imbued with shadow energies.

War-creatures were something that Allag had not seen for more than a dozen generations during the Great Peace. Her father was recently asked to accelerate such projects by the Council to counteract the rebellions at the borders...

]]> https://spotofmummery.com/tales/eld-1.html Thu, 04 Nov 2021 15:44:53 -0500
If you asked Scylla, the construction on the machine was proceeding on pace with expectations. However, according to Amon, she was always working too slow… too cautious… no matter how many times she explained that his head would explode into flaming aether if they got the numbers off.

Of course, there had been a few setbacks, whether due to missing pieces, broken Allagan technology, or Amon’s bad handwriting, but for the most part, the build was proceeding well. But everything had to be tested. It had to be perfect, if the bard’s life was to be saved.

Scylla found herself on top of the machine, wiring up the power source for the main terminal. It wasn’t hard work, but Amon would often find his large hands (or ears) tangled up in the web of wires. Amon would run the test equipment, and they would make the needed adjustments and test again, often stretching for hours and days, only to make even finer adjustments...

]]> https://spotofmummery.com/tales/eld-intro.html Thu, 04 Nov 2021 15:44:53 -0500
I found this Tomestone in excellent condition and decided to put it to use. I haven’t been keeping a good record of my discoveries since I’ve come to Eorzea, but I’d like for that to change. Especially given the fact that the world itself seems to be bustling with uneasy activity as of late.

‘Tis been a little over a year now since I performed the risky procedure that was meant to reverse the damage done to my life aether. I somehow survived this – thanks to the unexpected support of Scylla and Ben – and since then, I’ve concentrated on rebuilding my stores of natural, unaltered, clean aether... ]]> https://spotofmummery.com/tales/forgeahead/journal-1.html Wed, 03 Nov 2021 13:20:49 -0500