ayakamizu

[ayakamizu]

site that you can type in the definition of a word and get the word

site for when you can only remember part of a word/its definition 

site that gives you words that rhyme with a word

site that gives you synonyms and antonyms

#ref: writing

[ayakamizu]

Straight from the Shape of the Heart 🫶💕

#ffxiv #ffxiv gpose #ffxiv au ra #snapshots #wol: ayaka mizushima

[ayakamizu]

Do you have any advice and how to write a long fic?

I'll encourage long fic writers to add on in the notes, but as someone who tends to prefer short and medium-length fic, I'll tell you how I go about it.

Get a premise that you just absolutely love. You're going to be writing this thing for months, if not longer, so you want it to be something you're willing to spend a lot of time thinking about.

Embrace subplots. You'll have your main plotline that you want to see through from beginning to end, but you can also weave in some subplots here or there. The way I do this so that I don't get lost down a rabbit hole is that I always make sure that every chapter has at least 1 thing that moves the main plot forward and then if I want to spend 1-2K with some side characters doing something fun I can do that as well. Subplots can extend for the length of the full narrative, but they can also just last a chapter or three. If you're used to writing short fic, these might give you that familiar feeling of "completion"

A chapter is only as long as it needs to be. Don't get hung up on having a consistent chapter length. Don't get hung up on hitting some arbitrary number every time. Instead, figure out what the next part of your story needs to include and write however many words it takes to get that chunk across. Varying your chapter lengths is a normal thing to do and not something to stress about.

The next thing that I find important personally may or may not be relevant to you, but I find that I can't plot anything in much detail. If I get too into the nitty gritty with my plotting, it just feels like I've already written it. I need to keep it at the level of "And then A and B meet C and hijinks ensue." I can figure out the particular hijinks later. It's the characters meeting up that's the next important thing for me to figure out. Getting too far ahead of myself is a death knell for me in writing long fics, but there are other writers who swear by it. Test out different ways of approaching it and see what works for you.

As someone who tends to write more briefly, another feature that's common to longer fics is more extensive descriptions. People spend time painting visual pictures of the setting or the characters or the actions that are happening. Write the more bare-bones style that focuses more on dialogue (if you're like me) and then go back and read through what you've just written and see if there are opportunities to add in more detail. This can lead to some really interesting characterization choices and also help you out with worldbuilding.

When it comes to worldbuilding, you don't have to get it all on the page. You just need to share what's relevant for the reader in that moment and what is useful to lay out now so that it's already there in a future chapter. You can have an encyclopedic knowledge of how your world works in your head, but it's not actually necessary. No one is going to be quizzing you later - and if they do, you can always figure it out at that point.

Most important for me when I'm trying to get myself to the end of a longer fic, have a friend or a group of friends who are also into what you're writing - or at least willing to hear you get excited about it. Being able to get excited about your work is so important. It's like a bottle of water being handed to you on mile 10 of a marathon.

#ref: writing

[ayakamizu]

first kiss dialogue prompts *ੈ✩‧₊˚

@celestialwrites for more!

♡ “do that again.”

♡ “see! i knew you didn’t hate me.”

♡ “what was that?” “a kiss..?” “i know that, knucklehead!”

♡ “worth the wait.”

♡ “i still hate you by the way.” “sure you do.”

♡ “did you just kiss me to shut me up?” “no?”

♡ “wow. just wow.”

♡ “just because you’re beautiful and a good kisser does not mean i forgive you.” “you think i’m beautiful?”

♡ “i was expecting a written apology but this is much better.”

♡ “stop saying corny stuff or i’m going to kiss you again.”

♡ “that was earth shattering.”

♡ character A places a kiss on B’s cheek, “you missed.”

REBLOG TO SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL WRITERS<3

#ref: writing

[ayakamizu]

I Have Dreamed Of You So Much, Robert Desnos

#quotes #ship: shadow of them

[ayakamizu]

FFXIV Write 2023 Day 30 - Amity

Amity: Noun. Friendship; peaceful harmony. Characters: Ayaka Mizushima (WoL) Expansion: Endwalker Rating: G Notes: Endwalker spoilers for this one! Takes place right before the final battle. On another note, thank you to sea-wolf-coast-to-coast for organizing another year of FFXIV Write!

Ayaka loves her friends.

It didn’t start out that way. Back when the relationship was more professional, Ayaka wouldn’t say she felt the same way about the Scions that she did now. She cared about them, but she could only name a few Scions she felt close to at the time.

Then the massacre at the Waking Sands happened and Ayaka realized just how much she cared. The sheer terror that had gripped her had been like nothing she experienced before that.

Ayaka thinks that was the turning point in their relationship—at least for her. It wasn’t until they moved to the Rising Stones that, perhaps, the feeling had become mutual.

Even when they had been scattered to the winds, Ayaka thought about her friends everyday. She had been grateful for Alphinaud and Tataru’s presence by her side—she doesn’t know what she would’ve done had they not been there.

(She would’ve quit this place, followed the voice that whispered in the back of her mind and offered their hand out to her at the docks—a sincere promise made between them.)

After everything they’ve been through, Ayaka considered the Scions her family as much as her friends. A family that was ridiculous and just as self-sacrificing as she was—even if they would never say it.

“Ayaka!” Alisaie cried out, reaching out for her as she and the other Scions were sent flying into the air. She took in all of their faces—varying degrees of shock and worry meeting her own calm one. “Ayaka wait—!”

“I’ll see you on the other side,” she promised, giving her friend—her sister in all but blood—one last reassuring smile as the Scions disappeared through the portal.

“That was foolhardy,” Meteion—the Endsinger—said plainly, staring down at Ayaka with emotionless eyes.

“Maybe,” she agreed, sword and shield drawn as she approached her opponent. “But, you see, I have a friend to save and I didn’t want to risk them any further.”

She made a promise to Venat—to herself—that she would quiet this song of despair. She couldn’t save Hermes from his ultimate fate, but she’d do what she could to save Meteion from drowning any further.

A heartfelt, innocent question: “May we please be friends?”

‘Always,’ Ayaka thought, strengthening her resolve. Her friend would not suffer any longer.

#ffxivwrite2023 #ffxiv #ffxiv writing #expac: endwalker #wol: ayaka mizushima #aya: writing

[ayakamizu]

FFXIV Write 2023 Day 29 - Contravention

Contravene: Verb. To dispute or contradict (a statement, proposition, etc). Characters: Ayaka Mizushima (WoL), Estinien Wyrmblood, Alphinaud Leveilleur, Alisaie Leveilleur Expansion: Shadowbringers Rating: G Notes: Follow-up of my entry for yesterday, Blunt! Same spoiler (or really lack of) warnings apply!

It took until sunset for one of their friends to notice their absence.

“There they are!” Alisaie yelled and Ayaka closed her eyes. Oh, they were so screwed.

“I think I would’ve taken Krile,” Estinien murmured. He had a resigned look on his face though, like he saw this coming. Ayaka did as well, but it still somehow didn’t prepare her for the lecture coming their way.

“Alisaie!” Alphinaud called out next, sounding a tad bit further from his sister. “W-Wait up!”

“No, Alphinaud, I will not! Do these two have any idea how long they’ve been gone for— Don’t roll your eyes at me, Ser Estinien!”

Said man groaned at getting caught and Ayaka resisted the urge to laugh at him.

From her left, she heard Alphinaud’s cautious footsteps as he walked over her lance and knelt down beside her. “Are you quite alright?” he asked, peering over her. He was taking in her appearance—probably looking for anything in need of immediate care.

“Aside from my legs hurting, I’m fine,” she answered, flashing Alphinaud a reassuring smile. “Tis nothing to worry about. I’m just out of practice with my jumps and overtaxed the muscles…”

From her right, she heard Alisaie and Estinien speaking, followed by a pained hiss from the elder Elezen. She assumed Alisaie must’ve done something because she told him to hold still. A difficult endeavor—the man was the worst patient any cleric had the pleasure of trying to help.

“That’s still something to worry about, you know,” Alphinaud disputed. He still sounded fond though, if not a bit exasperated, by her. “Here, allow me.” He held out his hand and the familiar flow of healing magic appeared, entering her system. She groaned in discomfort before she started to feel her muscles relax.

“Did you warm up?” Alisaie asked next, coming over to Ayaka’s side next. “Before you and that fool started whatever ridiculous jumping contest you pulled yourselves into?”

The “fool” in question grumbled something. Ayaka wasn’t quite sure what it was, but a part of her agreed anyway. “Yes we did. As I told Alphinaud, I’m just out of practice.”

“Then you’d ought to be more careful!” Alisaie started, crossing her arms over her chest. “Maybe starting with something smaller before working your way up to whatever fancy Dragoon tricks you both have.”

Ayaka would concede that she had a point. The two of them, mainly Ayaka, got too caught up in having someone on their skill level to practice with again. As far as she could tell, the First had no equivalent to the Ishgardian Dragoons, so it made finding someone to practice with difficult. Likewise, Estinien had few people he felt like he could go all-out against in a sparring match.

So maybe they both were a bit too excited.

“Sorry,” Ayaka apologized, shifting her gaze between both twins. “We’ll try to be more careful?”

“Somehow I have a hard time believing that,” Alisaie drawled. Alphinaud hummed in agreement, which Ayaka felt like was a great betrayal. Surely they weren’t that bad! “I wish you both would understand that it’s not a good idea to keep pushing yourselves like this…” 

That part had been said quieter, but from behind Alisaie, she saw Estinien stiffen for a moment. His body gradually relaxed and his expression mirrored Ayaka’s own—twin looks of guilt.

“Alisaie…” Ayaka started, unsure of how to reassure the young woman.

“We’ll try,” Estinien interrupted gruffly, leaving hardly any room for argument. “We can’t promise much, but we’ll try. Aye, Ayaka?”

“Yes,” Ayaka agreed, hoping the smile on her face helped soothe Alisaie’s nerves.

“Well you’d better!” She pouted, looking over her shoulder at Estinien. “Or you’ll never hear the end of it from me!”

“Isn’t that already the case?” Estinien grumbled. That set Alisaie off, who spun around to face him completely and start their particular brand of bantering.

“Three jokes in one day,” Ayaka sing-songed, sharing a smile with Alphinaud. “The world is definitely ending.”

“Don’t jinx us,” Alphinaud chided playfully, laughing at his sister and Estinien’s antics.

#ffxivwrite2023 #ffxiv #ffxiv writing #expac: shadowbringers #wol: ayaka mizushima #c: estinien wrymblood #c: alphinaud leveilleur #c: alisaie leveilleur #aya: writing

[ayakamizu]

Aerith’s 89th letter to Zack

#gif set #inspo #aerith gainsborough #zack fair #ffvii #ship: the knight and mage

[ayakamizu]

source: someday__s

#fashion

[ayakamizu]

White Mage 🌸🌿🌷

#ffxiv #ffxiv gpose #ffxiv au ra #snapshots #wol: ayaka mizushima

[ayakamizu]

FFXIV Write 2023 Day 28 - Blunt

Blunt: Verb. To become blunt or dull. Characters: Ayaka Mizushima (WoL), Estinien Wyrmblood Expansion: Shadowbringers Rating: G Notes: Just a nice little moment between these two during the Shadowbringers patches (post-5.3 essentially)! No spoilers are mentioned.

“I think my legs are going to fall off,” Ayaka complained, lying across the ground. Her lance was discarded somewhere on the ground nearby. “They feel like they’re on fire.”

“Is that not… your speciality…?” Estinien questioned, not even looking her way as he continued with his pushups. She could tell he was sweating from the excursion and wondered how long his particular brand of stubbornness would last.

“You’re hilarious,” she drawled, staring up at the clouds lazily floating overhead. Some of them looked disturbed from her and Estinien’s jumping attempts. The clearing they found on the outskirts of Mor Dhona was free of any wanderers or monsters, which made it the perfect place to practice their jumping. Unfortunately, that meant they had free reign to goad each other as much as they pleased.

Which is how Ayaka found herself wondering if her legs were going to buckle under her if she tried standing up. She was definitely out of practice with her skills as a Dragoon.

She turned her head and looked towards her companion. Ayaka noted the way his arms were starting to quiver and raised a brow in Estinien’s direction. “Are you not tired?”

“I’m fine,” he grunted, although his shaking voice gave him away. “I'm used to pushing through the pain.”

Ayaka refrained from mentioning that wasn’t something one should get used to, mostly because it would be hypocritical coming from her. Alphinaud—and now Alisaie, too—chided her enough on it. Instead, she took in the various scars that littered Estinien’s body. Most of them looked like they belonged to dragon claws and, while her time fighting against Nidhogg’s brood had been short, she felt herself wince in sympathy at a few of them.

“I suppose the rush of the battlefield does that,” Ayaka murmured, thinking of her own moments. The memory of that fight in Ghimlyt came to mind, her desperation overpowering the pain she felt from Elidibus puppetting Zenos’ body. She hardly remembered the fact that she collapsed on the battlefield.

She heard him grunt, this time with a bit more pain, and sighed. Ayaka tried sitting up—and immediately regretting it—and grabbed her lance. She twirled it around and used the pole to poke Estinien in the side, causing the man to give a tiny shriek (that neither of them were going to talk about ever) and lose his balance. He flopped on his side like an unimpressed cat before rolling over onto his back, arms spread out.

He looked over in her direction, a horribly displeased look on his face. “Are you mad?” he asked, glaring.

Ayaka shrugged, throwing her lance a little bit further away and flopping on her back as well. “Maybe.”

“That would explain a lot.”

“Twice now you’ve made a joke today! Is the world ending?”

Estinien groaned, a pained look on his face for a split second. “Knowing our luck? Yes.”

That got a laugh out of Ayaka, with Estinien soon joining in. True, they both were probably in much more pain than they realized at the moment, but for now she’d enjoy cloud watching to pass the time. Either the pain would dull more considerably or one of their friends would notice their absence went on longer than planned—whichever came first.

#ffxivwrite2023 #ffxiv #ffxiv writing #expac: shadowbringers #wol: ayaka mizushima #c: estinien wrymblood #aya: writing #when you're both idiots that like to goad each other #that's ayaka and estinien's dynamic for me

[ayakamizu]

#ffxiv

[ayakamizu]

#music

[ayakamizu]

FFXIV Write 2023 Day 26 - Last

Last: Noun. A final appearance or mention; the end or conclusion. Characters: Ayaka Mizushima (WoL), Haurchefant Greystone Expansion: Heavensward Rating: G Notes: Takes place after the end of the main Heavensward MSQ. References to That Moment! So incoming angst is to be expected. I think listening to One Last Kiss while writing this was either the best idea ever (because it set the mood) or a mistake (because now I'm sad).

No matter the time of day, that final moment haunts Ayaka’s dreams.

For brief moments during the day, she can almost ignore the ache in her heart—the way it feels like it’s being cut down the middle. She’s reminded though when she steps through the threshold of the Fortemps Manor, or when she stares up at the spirling towers of Ishgard, or when she walks through Camp Dragonhead without him greeting her—

(Once, overcome with emotions, Ayaka found a corner of Camp Dragonhead and stifled her sobs. None of the soldiers stationed at the camp mentioned anything, despite Ayaka knowing a few of them saw her, and for that she was thankful.

It was bad enough in Ishgard when nobles gave their condolences—as if they ever cared a wick about Haurchefant. The concern from the people in the Brumes felt more genuine.)

She cannot escape it in her sleep either. That moment, replayed over and over again. No exaggerations were ever needed. Haurchefant’s bloodied smile begging Ayaka for one last smile always made her wake up in a cold sweat, a sob bubbling up. She would hide her face in her pillow those nights and let the tears flow, curling her arms around her body and desperately wishing they were replaced by larger, more muscular ones.

Haurchefant wanted one last smile. A reassurance that she would be fine—that the last thing he saw wouldn’t be her crying over his dying body. She gave him that and, as the light faded from those beautiful blue eyes, she placed one last kiss on his forehead.

“I love you,” she whispered into the dead of night, clenching at the ring he gave her. “I miss you. Why? Why did you have to—”

She wanted to spend more time with him. They had plans for after everything was over—to have him meet her family properly and not through letters. She would show him Kugane and he would show her parts of Coerthas that she hadn’t seen yet. They wanted to wake up to each other in the morning, basking in the dawning light together. 

But now they couldn’t have that. It was cruelly taken away from them. When the righteous anger burned out of her, she was left feeling hollow. Maybe some part of her died with him at that moment—the last fleeting innocence that came with the rush of your first love.

#ffxivwrite2023 #ffxiv writing #ffxiv #wolchefant #expac: heavensward #aya: writing #wol: ayaka mizushima #c: haurchefant greystone #ship: the knight and mage

[ayakamizu]

FFXIV Write 2023 Day 25 - Call It a Day

Call It a Day: Phrase. End a period of activity, especially resting content that enough has been done. Characters: The Crystal Exarch, Lyna Expansion: Stormblood Rating: G Notes: Technically takes place during the Stormblood patches, some time between 4.5 and the start of Shadowbringers. Beware of spoilers for the end of 4.5 and anything beyond that point!

The Exarch had been in the middle of dozing off when a gentle tap to the head had startled him awake. He fought the urge to grab his cane and blast the person with a powerful spell. There wasn’t any sort of way an enemy of the Crystarium would be able to sneak in.

“You’re still here, my lord?” a familiar voice asked, making his shoulders relax and slump further into his seat. Perhaps an undignified look for him—and surely the owner of said voice would have a disapproving scowl on her face—but Lyna was one of the few people the Exarch felt wholly comfortable around.

“Ah Captain… It seems I lost track of time,” he answered. The Exarch gestured to the large pile of books in front of him and sighed. “As you can see, the pile grows.”

“And you have not yet arrived at a conclusion?” she asked, peeking over his shoulder to look at the page he was reading before the tiredness began to set in.

“Unfortunately not,” he answered. Guiltily, he didn’t realize that in his attempts to bring her over that he would end up snatching her companions instead. They had adapted to the situation well, but he didn’t want to face young Alisaie’s wrath once again. “I am close though—”

“Then this can wait another day, my lord,” Lyna interrupted, tearing a strip from the notepad next to him and using that as a temporary bookmark. She slammed the book in front of him shut and pushed it towards the growing pile before him. He met her stern look with his own surprised one, feeling briefly shocked by her boldness. “You need your rest. You’ve been cooped up in here for far too long!”

“Captain, it’s quite alright—”

“Now, you’re going to retire to your quarters and get some proper rest while I let Master Moren know to leave these books until tomorrow,” Lyna said—demanded really. She was giving him a look that brokered no arguments, crossing her arms over her chest as she stared down at him. For a moment, the Exarch was struck with the knowledge that she was much taller than him now.

“I don’t have the time though,” he whispered, head bowed low. The First was running out of time and he didn’t know how many more attempts it could be before she made it here. The Light was slowly encroaching on the surrounding land and Eulmore’s help against the Sin Eaters had been declining in the last decade or so—

“I understand that you carry a heavy burden,” Lyna started, interrupting his thoughts. “You have carried this burden for as long as I’ve known you—perhaps even longer. That being said…” She paused, voice lowering into a whisper. “You should not neglect your health, grandfather. It worries me.”

“Lyna…” he started, voice trailing off at the earnest concern. He sighed, realizing that she was right. “I understand. I apologize for worrying you.”

“As you should,” she teased. “Wait a moment while I let Master Moren know and then I can escort you to your quarters, my lord.”

“I assure you I can make my way there just fine—”

“I won’t risk you getting sidetracked as you do in your study,” Lyna argued, flashing him a knowing smile. Truthfully, the Exarch wasn’t going to try and sneak in more reading, but he couldn’t fault her for not believing him. It seemed that Lyna knew him far too well.

#ffxivwrite2023 #ffxiv #ffxiv writing #expac: stormblood #c: crystal exarch #c: lyna

[ayakamizu]

#inspo #gif set

[ayakamizu]

Today's aesthetic is light academia

#inspo