This is my truest form, so to speak! I play a lot of games, and I have a lot of fun talking about them and sharing my thoughts and experiences with others. I love finding new ways to express myself too, like learning art and technical skills as I go. I’m most often on Twitch and Bluesky, though I’ll often find other places to yap as well!
Inspiration
The “Timpani” part is easy, I just love the instrument! I grew up playing percussion all throughout school, and they were by far my favorite parts to get for concert bands. So fun and bombastic, with their own level of technical knowledge when it comes to learning the best ways to tune them throughout performances. So why not keep that name with me in life?
“Umbra” is newer, but it has a few meanings. Similar to the ideas of games like Shadowbringers, it’s a reminder of how Darkness is just as important and valid as Light. It’s sort of a final way to walk away from my past, which was filled with religious guilt and people who really wanted me to feel bad for being true to myself. So why not use this chance to actually embrace the Darkness?
I also just like nighttime and darkness, they’re comfy and pretty!
Isn’t your persona just your FFXIV Character?
Short Answer: Not anymore!
When I started streaming, I did intend to make FFXIV a major pillar of my channel, including streaming my raid nights. As I did this, I decided to use my character as a streamer persona as well, and my earliest models were specifically based off of her.
As I continued, though, I changed course. I stopped streaming raids, and then began realizing how unsynced I was with the greater FFXIV streamer community (I call it “tired of the egos” but you can call it whatever you want). And I began wanting to separate a little more. BUT, I loved my character design and didn’t want to leave it!
So simply put, I made her fat.
IRL I was getting over some… very bad eating habits as I’d become a little too obsessed with being thinner. As I began to figure myself out in terms of gender, it also came with being more comfortable in my own skin even if I was a little plus-sized (and staying active, of course!). To mark this, I decided to experiment with making my streaming persona chubby, and after a successful first commission I realized this was the path I wanted to take with it.
So yes, the base model does come from FFXIV. However, I’ve been making updates to my lore and appearance to separate from that, and just be me!