#gisenne flameheart | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

gisenne-flameheart · 1 year

Text

Introduction and Summary of Brainstorm

Name: Gisenne Flameheart

Race: Duskwight Elezen

Sex and gender: Female

Age: 32 y.o.

Alignment: Order of the Twin Adder

Classe/job: Reaper

NPC ship: Rubicante

GENERAL

Born into a proud family of Duskwight seeking out a life of peace and seclusion in the depths of Eorzea's caves and caverns, Gisenne used to dwell in the Black Shroud. Her mother is a well-taught archer, a renowned hunter, while her father is excellent at cooking, from whom she somewhat inherited her own skills - a subtle, positive influence. Her parents are both esteemed in the clan, a branch that split from the main Wildwood during the founding of Gridania, living a unique, tranquil and unsociable cave life. Gisenne has a twin sister, a more cheerful personality than her, while she is rather composed.

The calm years passed by, the two sisters, young and determined, decided to explore a new world outside of the native forest, bid farewell to their parents and left their hometown. They loved their clan, but they embarked on the path of their own choice with full of thirst for adventures. They arrived in Gridania, the city-states built by Wildwood and Hyur. They had long heard that the Wildwood and the Duskwight called each other traitors. They struggled to understand why and how two different races, Elezen and Hyur, could co-exist in such harmony, but they recognized that it was not necessarily a bad thing to come into contact with them, at least to take the first step forward.

The twin sisters spoke with a unique accent. Sometimes they had difficulty catching on urban slang and jokes so they did give an impression of indifference - which was not very true, due to that thin language barrier. Their skin tone was quite rare in Gridania also, and they easily attracted attention of passersby on the road, but most of the pedestrians were just appreciating their distinctive characteristics and did not appear to be very xenophobic.

Slowly, the twins worked harder to adapt to the new environment, and everything seemed not as bad as they predicted. Both joined the Order of the Twin Adder. The elder sister hit off with the Serpent Squadron Sergeant and actively participated in the Grand Company assignments. Gisenne herself just kept her Serpent Captain rank, occasionally contributing seals, sometimes worrying about what to do with those Squadron members who appeared not very gifted. In fact, she never had any absolute sense of belonging to any party or organization. She prefers to read, explore, travel and immerse herself in strange knowledge that few people master, so her footprints have reached most places in Eorzea. She became knowledgeable, her vision increasingly broad, and her culinary skills more and more exquisite. As for her jobs, she first chose to be an archer like her mother, her keen eyesight aiding her in her course. Later, she successfully took on casting and healing jobs.

Gisenne is quiet and does not speak much. She loves her journey as a Warrior of Light. For her, everyone is a hero of their own life, just in different ways. She sometimes refuses to leave her name to the people she saved. And when she is off-duty, she rests and travels to enjoy some hard-earned leisure time. She is a very decent lady, polite, elegant, beautiful, and will not trespass your boundaries.

AS A REAPER

Speaking of the fate between Gisenne and Reaper, it has to be traced back to before she was called to the First. One ordinary day, by chance, after winning a lottery at the Gold Saucer, she came across Jijilyo and then met Drusilla, who asked her to visit the Lemures headquarters where she was persuaded to make a pact with a voidsent from the Thirteenth - she picked up her scythe and since then, she never put it down. With Drusilla, they formed a very familial bond and it became a habit when she got tired of the adventures, she loved to go back to her cool mentor in Ul'dah to drink a glass of strong liquor to warm her body, and then recount anecdotes of her long journey.

When she first became a Reaper, Gisenne was very confident to be soon qualified for this new job, just like other jobs she had mastered in the past. However, for some reasons, it seemed very painful for her to control the voidsent and properly employ its stygian power - much harder than she imagined. When she lifted the scythe and grabbed the job stone - a multi-aspect soul crystal whose surface had been carved by the myriad deeds of reapers from ages past - in her palm, she sensed an unspeakably powerful force oppressing and merging with her soul. Drusilla once taught that the Avatar was the manifestation of her pact with the voidsent on the other side, the embodiment of the close bond of their souls bearing the same wavelength. If she wanted to better control the voidsent, she needed to practice the Garlean techniques passed down by antecessor reapers, that was, training using different vessels, especially when the voidsent was strong.

Gisenne was certainly a talented and intelligent apprentice, but after a quite long time, she still felt powerless to grasp this job. Her body appeared unable to adapt to the erosion of darkness, but surprisingly, that voidsent seemed to know to pull away in time when she was about to collapse so as not to cause more damage to her aether and body. She learnt that if the contracted voidsent was a relatively powerful one, she would absolutely need to undergo more intensive practices to get used to it, and it was the case. She finally made it. She successfully partnered with her otherworldly contractor, and once again embarked on her adventures. This time, she was called to the First, the nearly dead world trapped in the Flood of Light.

Gisenne and the voidsent have already been able to fight very skillfully. They shared the same heartbeat and soul vibration, impeccable, safe and trustworthy. They rarely talked to each other. It was not that they haven't spoken, but very few. She has always been a taciturn person, and her contractor did not seem to talk much either. However, on many occasions, especially at critical moments in battles, the void partner always reminded her to be careful to avoid getting hurt, and it even, healed her wounds - much to her surprise. Every time she thanked the contractor, its response was the same: “You do not need to thank me. Our pact demands that I help you, and that you feed me further for it. I will honor my commitments, as always.” That strange voice sounded far away, but echoed clearly in her mind - deep, warm and resonant, like a summer breeze, and unmistakably male.

Although Gisenne was used to witness injuries, tragedies, death and displacement, and learnt to hide the most painful emotions in her heart without affecting others, her journey was smooth enough thanks to the help of her wise companions, and this, until she defeated Innocence - her body completely collapsed.

She was eroded by the blazing light, burning away her flesh and blood. She couldn't stand still and knelt on the ground, her scythe and her job stone falling to her feet. Using the last remaining force, she picked up the black crystal and squeezed it in her hand, tighter and tighter, as if grabbing the last straw, not knowing what exactly she was expecting from this gesture. In an instant, she felt the existence of that powerful dark force - her pact, her pact with that voidsent who had been with her for so long but had never met her face to face.

A voice sounded in her mind, the same voice, deep and warm: I am here.

She finally couldn't help crying from the agony, her, a tenacious woman, uncontrollably shedding tears of the glittering color of Light. She gasped, feeling her body mutate, disintegrate and crumble little by little. She sobbed and struggled to tell him about the tragic situation of the First, the adventures along the way, and now that something was wrong with her body - she was afraid of dying undignified, of turning into a mindless Sineater.

“You have suffered too much. Allow me to take care of this.”

She had no idea how he would help her, only feeling the soul crystal in her hand turning hot, with faintly glowing red and purple traces extending from the center to its periphery. Warm flames, red and black, bright and comfortable, so beautiful like the sunlight, intertwined and merged with the scorching white light in her body. Her blurred vision gradually recovered. She was still weak, but at least able to stand up.

She again thanked him, knowing that he was balancing her aether.

What he did could not completely restore her to normal. Later she used the excess of the light to defeat Hades. She knew that without him, she might have already turned into a Sineater. This incident strengthened the trust and the bond between her and the voidsent although she could only recognize him by the red purple traces flashed on the job stone, his voice, and the particular warmth that she has been able to associate with safety and comfort.

WITH RUBICANTE

She finally met his true self on the grandiose Khadga mountain where the decisive battle took place, his towering figure floating in the mid-air above the vibrantly colorful Thavnair. Wearing a wide brim hat and a long skirt, she raised her head and looked up at him, a thousand words only turned into a helpless, regretful whisper - they had even lost the right to exchange greetings. Cross-purposes and different standpoints, and they all understood those were the innate risks of the pact.

Gisenne recognized him by the voice she knew only too well. The one who destroyed the vault was her voidsent. She knew that in the end it was inevitable that their fates would end up differently - one shall stand, one shall fall. She reached under her robe, grabbing that job stone like she had done before every time when she needed him, the red purple traces on it brighter than ever.

“Do not worry, the pact is still valid, even if you have to turn your scythe on me with your anger and ambivalence, I will grant you the power you need. You did not betray me, nor did you betray the contract.”

They were both calm, too calm, a calmness that should not have existed.

After the battle, Gisenne asked Zero to preserve his existence before he completely dissipated. She knew that this might prevent him from dying normally, so she also asked his opinion, and finally he agreed on the grounds of keeping his sun burning - his sun, right before his eyes. She later took his crystal down the mountain to the alchemist Nidhana and made him a body, the same body as his voidsent one.

Gisenne is not a very emotional person, and neither is Rubicante, so facing their partner for the first time under such intense circumstances, their conversations still remained as rational as possible. After all, mortals and voidsents are more likely to end up on different paths.

When Gisenne asked Zero to crystallize Rubicante, she told him, sincere and honest, that she could very well form another pact if he left her, but she valued his help and his person more than anything else, and if he was determined to die in the Source, she would not force him against his strong will.

Then she left him the choice, she believed that he would make a smart decision himself. And he started to laugh in a self-mocking way.

In the end, he compromised. The idea of abandoning his sun was truly agonizing to him. He would not want to become that kind of miserable man, leaving her alone before her goals achieved and dreams fulfilled, before he could properly protect his flame and keep her burning like the world's brightest hero.

The reason why Rubicante came to the Source to "suicide" was that he could not die in the void, he could only go through endless resurrection and starvation again and again, he did not want to become a beast and continue living this eternal vicious cycle. But now he is in the Source, a lively world full of aether, and a faithful pact aiming to provide him with the food he needs. Moreover, the existence of the pact can prevent too much disturbance in the Source. For death, if he eventually dies, he will die normally in the Source. Aether, pact, normal death, all these, invalidate his suicidal motivation if we think this way.

So, after Rubicante gets his body, these two can happily live, fight and barbecue together! Gisenne will have him as long as she wants.

Rubicante is really suitable to be a contractor voidsent within Reaper's lore. I always have a soft spot for noble demons <3

Also, from the description of the Flamecloaked Archfiend Totem, he must be very popular and admired in the Thirteenth, but, his soul only resonates with the bravest hero, his sun <3

PS:

SPECIAL THANKS to @the-littlest-kojin for brainstorming together some great, logical and justifiable ideas, and to @cygnus-exul for the wonderful screens.

#ffxiv #warrior of light #gisenne flameheart #rubicante #voidsent

26 notes · View notes

gisenne-flameheart · 10 months

Text

Meals and Musings

Another piece from Shio @the-littlest-kojin after discussing survivor's guilt that Rubi might experience. From what I know of 7.0 so far I may have plenty of ideas for these two in a completely different context and setting - a more relaxed vibe which they all well deserve both <3

Standing over the pan, Gisenne hums quietly to herself, slowly turning the wooden spoon dextrously between her fingers. Turning the food to a high flame, she hears the vast, heavy footsteps of her love behind her. Leaning back into his touch, she smiles quietly as his arm wraps across her shoulders - warm and pleasant to the touch, as ever.

“It’s nearly done,” she murmurs, “And I hope you will like it.”

Gently taking the spoon from her hand - the implement seeming utterly miniscule in his larger hand - Rubicante dips it into the food, bringing it up to his face. Gently sniffing it and placing a small portion in his mouth, he starts in surprise.

“I was… Not expecting the sense of taste to be so potent. The Alchemists were… Surprisingly skilled at creating this body. What was this dish called?”

A low laugh escapes Gisenne’s lips as she turns in his embrace, looking up at his face. The surprise painted across his inhuman features is obvious, and brings a smile to her own visage. Gently kissing his jaw, the warmth radiating through the point of contact, she takes the spoon back, resuming stirring the pan. “It’s called paella. It’s one of my favourite foods.”

“I see. I am… Still adjusting to having a sense of taste at all. I think I would need to eat more foods before I could declare this one my favourite. However… I do enjoy you cooking for me.”

Humming again, Gisenne rests her shoulders against his chest. The smell of seafood permeates the small kitchen as she watches the crust slowly form, in the embrace of her lover.

“So voidsent do not have a sense of taste, then?”

“No. Absorbing aether does not have a taste - more of a feel. So culinary matters are… Novel, to me. Lots of things here are.”

Hearing the melancholy in his tone, the Elezen frowns. Turning in his grip again, she reaches up to gently cup his jaw with one hand. Stroking the warm flesh gently, she meets his gaze with hers.

“What’s on your mind, my Ruby?”

A sardonic laugh meets her ears as he shifts - carefully, in the kitchen he is much too large for - until he is seated. Gently pulling her into his lap, his large hands softly caressing her body, he shakes his head.

“This world of yours… Is a wonder. It is a shining jewel, after so many years in the Void. Your star is one of bounty and plenty, and a part of me keeps wondering - when will it all turn to ash, and dust, and smoke, as everything in the Void did for so many years?”

Shifting herself closer to him, cradled in his grip, Gisenne makes no response, giving him the space he needs. Gently, she strokes his jaw, silently trying to comfort him as he is vulnerable.

“And my brethren… I weep for them, my Sun. Golbez may have not been entirely honest with me - with all of us - but I do not know. I cannot know. And regardless of his honesty, or intentions… It is a cruel fate for my Voidsent brethren, to be trapped in such a cycle.”

Gently pulling his face down by the jaw, the Elezen presses a kiss to his jaw, unsure how to respond. Cradling the back of her head with one vast hand, he laughs again, the deep sound resonating through her body.

“Here I am bemoaning the state of the Void with my beautiful Sun in my grasp. What fool I, to sound so ungrateful-”

“Shh,” Gisenne interrupts him, her voice soft. “You are not ungrateful. You are speaking your heart - and you are always welcome to do so here.”

Dipping his head, he presses his lips to hers for a slow, lingering kiss. His hands caress her back as he holds her close, slowly breaking the kiss. Warm breath washes over her face as he smiles at her - a small, secret smile.

“I love you, my sun. But for now, shall you finish cooking? I would love to share this meal with you - and many more to come.”

“Of course, my Ruby,” she murmurs, gazing up at him beatifically. “And we will share those meals while working together for your goal - you are correct, and I want to aid you, now and forever.”

#ffxiv #gisenne flameheart #rubicante #ffxiv writing #shio's writing

6 notes · View notes