#ffxiv writer

[capriccio-ffxiv]

Suddenly very upset that Lyse never got to go visit Old Sharlayan with us.

That's as much her childhood home as Ala Mhigo -- much moreso, even. Yda took her to the Sharlayan Colony and then much like Thancred, they were basically "adopted" by Louisoix and taken to the mainland to study. I figure Lyse probably *did* go to school alongside Yda, but being much younger than Yda never got her Archon Marks. Possibly she was working on it when Yda died, but then in her grief and depression couldn't finish it (extremely relatable; I know so many people who never finished university because of circumstances like that).

And I just.

Lyse is done so dirty by the narrative. The Yda reveal is poorly handled and means nothing to us (and apparently didn't mean much even to 1.0 players, which was baffling to me when I found out.) At the same time, when you actually read the short stories and her backstory, it really is a powerful story about grief, about impostor syndrome... but the game just. Fumbles the ball on that.

I just... can you imagine? Now-adult Lyse, having liberated Ala Mhigo, finally returning to Old Sharlayan. Lyse meeting Papalymo's father. Lyse, meeting Moenbryda's parents (Yda and Moen had been close, iirc, and Moen knew about Lyse's deception just like the rest of the Scions).

I know why the larger fanbase isn't super into her, Stormblood is the black sheep of the expansions (I liked it, but it's followed by freakin Shadowbringers, y'know?), but I just wish the game devs would give her another chance. Maybe during or after Dawntrail (maybe she can show up in the New World at some point initially as an ambassador from Ala Mhigo or whatever)

#lyse hext #yda hext #ffxiv #ffxiv stormblood #ffxiv a realm reborn #she's in the same narrative jail as poor Aymeric only worse because the fandom *loves* Aymeric so they beg for him to come back #while Lyse gets kinda ignored because she's not a handsome elf man and seriously the writers flubbed her narrative arc real bad #the bones of a good story are there but the execution... oops

[smallest-turtle]

I think a lot that's wrong with Emmanellain can be explained by the fact that he's the one conceived in the aftermath of an affair. He's the apology child and there is no thing alive that can fix the holes in his parent's sinking ship and there is no thing he could ever do to be good enough to make up for what Edmont did.

#emmanellain de fortemps #edmont de fortemps #ffxiv #ffxiv heavensward #ffxiv 3.0 #my post #writers room #text

[mimble-sparklepudding]

In Praise of Prose.

Just a quick appreciation post for all the talented prose writers in the FFXIV Tumblr Community.

Writing prose is hard work, like seriously hard work. Poetry is a walk in the park by comparison - just find a word that sounds vaguely like another couple of words and you're done (or if you're more serious-minded, write a few lines saying why things are a bit like other things, then go and put the kettle on).

I'm very grateful for the support and encouragement I've received from various Tumblr mutuals to try writing more prose, but blimey it's tough to do at all, let alone well.

So thank you to all the highly talented prose writers out there! I am in awe of your creativity and skill. Please keep on writing!

If you're looking for a (by no means exhaustive) list of some excellent FFXIV prose writers then check below the cut.

@miqomischief

@sasslett

@irisopranta

@scholarlostintime

@spotofmummery

@ainyan

@captainkurosolaire

@cadrenebula

@starrysnowdrop

@the-littlest-kojin

@blucifer08

@healersadjust

@furys-mercy

@avettabendrot

@aroseyetbloomedwrites

@loldragoon-ffxiv

@kskellington

@pumpkinmagekupo

@houserosaire

@tallbluelady

@calico-heart

@meepsthemiqo

@plenary-indulgence

@scales-claws-and-thorns

@elfie-kitten

@humblemooncat

@pinxli

@paintedscales

And many more! Apologies if I have neglected to mention your blog, this is not a complete list even of the blogs that I follow, let alone all the amazing one's on Tumblr!

#writers on tumblr #ffxiv community #ffxiv writers #ffxiv prose #ffxiv blogs #ffxiv tumblr #hooray so many talented people!

[ardberts]

i am irrationally annoyed by the results of that poll about which scion could get closest to defeating the wol because we've canonically kicked estinien's ass multiple times, once while he was possessed by one of the most powerful dragons in existence, but the masses voted for him over g'raha tia, who not only has the power to transcend time and space, but who could also go toe-to-toe with emet-selch in terms of both power and wits

#ffxiv #ci.txt #this is just more to my point that the writers have been doing a BAD JOB with g'raha since the shadowbringers patch quests #they've boiled his entire character down to uwu cat boy which is cute and all but it kinda takes all that development and #throws it out the window which makes me really sad. #also i say this all as a person whose list of faves ranks estinien above g'raha #for the record i'm not mad at the voters i'm mad at the writers i think this is bringing up endwalker resentment for me #also if it's a question of estinien winning because g'raha would be hesitant #are you saying that estinien's loyalty to the wol at this point wouldn't cause him to hesitate as well? #come on. #i'm sorry my dog just woke me up from a nap and i'm grouchy pls don't hold it against me

[nights-at-crystarium]

Vivi and his poking stick, as he expertly refers to it himself.

It appears in the episode 13 and apparently makes people see a job stone. Job stones only contain things intangible, like skill and memory, iirc there’s also no official explanation of the gear sets/storage despite their appearance in trailers (e.g. ShB trailer), so I had to improvise.

The spear itself’s custom, both ooc, designed by me because I’m yet to see an ingame weapon I like, and ic, a unique thing, perhaps first of its kind, that Vivi received as a gift.

Forgive me for rambling but look how shaped Vivi is. I pushed his angular shapes here and I’m still staring contentedly.

#sometimes se's hands off approach to lore is a blessing sometimes a curse #as an artist/writer i would've loved some less blurry definitions but all i get is *creative freedom* #ffxiv #vivien rell #own: next lvl

[elliewiltarwyn]

Send 💎 for a screenshot associated with glamour or wealth.

"You really think all your riches, your wealth, your piles of gil, will save you from my blade?"

"Of course not, silly girl. What they would do is ripple out and trigger a sea of upheaval and chaos in this fair city that would tear it to pieces. But if you truly think removing my head would solve Ul'dah's problems, and not plunge it into torments capable of destroying the very poor you think you're saving and our dear sultana both... you are welcome to try."

"...Who said I'm here for some sort of noble purpose regarding the poor? Or what you did to Nanamo? What if I'm just really pissed about what you did to me at the banquet?"

"If Elilgeim Wiltarwyn, Warrior of Light, is truly so blinkered, then the realm is already lost. I do not believe she is. Do you...Ellie?"

tbh i had a lot of difficulty coming up with an idea for this until I remembered the one person Ellie's met in her career that so emphasizes a glamourous lifestyle made possible by his wealth, and how she would grind him into a fine paste if she could get away with it. it's extremely upsetting for her to learn that she, in fact, cannot just cut the head off of capitalism. :')

thanks for the prompt, @viiioca!!

#ffxiv #final fantasy xiv #ffxiv screenshots #ffxiv gpose #femroe #take with a grain of salt but i heard that the writers were actually told “i'm sorry we can't make a change to the game world this large” #“and we do still have to have some sort of status quo. this was very bold but we can't have it stick” #or maybe i'm just inventing justifications for why it feels like that whole plot point just peters out :') #this would take place just after HW probably. if it's canon at all. by present day ellie's probably begrudgingly accepted things. #especially with how nanamo proves capable of wrangling the syndicate. #but me personally i feel like that meme of the dude waiting at the door with a pie in hand for a target that never comes lmao #also eee i figured out/got crimes for posing gear pieces and such my power is growing lmao

[sealrock]

>corporate needs you to find the difference between this picture and this picture >they're the same picture

#mypost. #ffxiv gpose #ffxiv screenshots #ffxiv oc #🍃 #we interrupt the tarot gpose series for a silly 5-minute meme remake #yea i did this before but i'm doing it AGAIN #andi after finding hector's doppelganger on the first: i won't mess things up this time #me the writer: lol. lmao even #i haven't properly introduced her yet but this is chryseis: paris' half-sister from the first #their relationship wasn't so meme worthy in the beginning mind you. it was very much like cain and abel #andi figured she could start over anew on the first and chryseis was paris' replacement #but it's ok now chrys lives on the source after endwalker because interdimensional travel was achieved because I SAID SO #'but cid how would this even work-' ssshhhhhhhhh #i wanted to give paris a baby sibling for the longest time let me have this

[mmorpg-escapism]

OK! Now that my impromptu hiatus feels like it's over properly, allow me to (re)introduce myself and my blorbos! Signal boosts and follows appreciated! I get the sense that about half of my mutuals have disappeared like I did, so I'm looking for other people's blorbos to enjoy :) Me: Hobby writer, gamer, FFXIV and Star Wars fan (this blog is for the former. I don't plan to make a sideblog for the latter as of yet). bundle of social anxiety that makes it hard to interact even over the internet behind the anonymity. Genderfluid, but I generally don't care what pronouns you use for me 💖

Blorbos:

My current focus is the WoL Besany (GNB)! Character post here. My current major writing project is centered on her and dealing with hidden disability alongside the pressures from home and current land. There's a proper table of contents as my pinned post if you want to read more.

I've also started a side character that I might do stuff with? Petra's just there to look pretty in the moonlight for now, though, and has no real backstory

#a realm rewritten: writer rambles #ffxiv

[cosmodynes]

now that i can actually post this without the bloodborne au flair: some relevant outfit designs for Emet and Hyth

#cosmodynes art #sketch #ffxiv #ff14 #ffxivbb #wip #;; heart & home #hythlodaeus #emet-selch #hades ffxiv #regency era adjacent fantasy au #aka where the clothes are made up #and the historical accuracy doesnt matter #azem's outfits are coming later cuz i have to fix some things #writer: ruriri

[wildstar25]

G'raha looked so serious while he pleaded his case to venture into the World of Darkness with the Warrior of Light. The sudden conviction in his tone had Arsay at a loss for words. Still, she did not hesitate to meet his request with an accepting nod. He was an important friend and in the passing moons that they'd come to know each other, a strong fondness for him had taken hold of her. The prospect of helping G'raha find the truth behind his mysterious inheritance made Arsay's heart pound. It was the perfect venture for them to embark on. The first of many, she hoped. The two turned towards the impossibly tall spire that dared to pierce the heavens above. Arsay's resolve strengthened in its presence. When they next find themselves gazing at the tower -with their quest completed and the world no longer under threat of total destruction- she'll properly ask G'raha to be a companion in her travels. A grin crept its way onto her face as her gaze shifted to him. If Arsay could find it within herself to bare her heart to others so readily just as he does… perhaps their future adventures will find them together, hand in hand.

#ffxiv #wolgraha #WOL posting #G'raha tia #Arsay Nun #graharsay #idk just a random passage in my head that I needed to get out #im not a writer and im not pretending to be one but it was in my brain so sorry if its not as readable as I think it is #anyways imagine you are the loneliest catgirl in the world #and you meet a guy who is so swagless and cringe but in a charming way and he connects with you on a fundamental level #and you become really good friends and every time you show up he smiles in a way that makes your heart do somersaults #and you start thinking that maybe people actually like having you around not just when they need you to kill and destroy things #you let yourself open up a little and you're met with kindness and you realize you are very in love actually #but because you're still figuring out how to talk about your feelings you wait a little too long #and that guy seals himself up in a tower and tells you he'll think about your heroism in the future #and you are very sad and angry about this but thats not allowed so instead you put that energy to being the hero of all time #and every day you go to work you see the structure that reminds you of him and you cant let go of those what if feelings n ur cursed 5ever #would that be fucked up or what

[butchvashwood]

Presenting my TRIGUN x Final Fantasy XIV crossover fanfic, "Report Trianta-Tria", in which one of the Meteia travels to a desert planet and joins Vash the Stampede on his journey. A tale of love and peace and hope.

Contains full spoilers for FFXIV Endwalker and Trigun Maximum (the manga). You can read this without prior knowledge of FFXIV, but you will be spoiled on Meteion and her story.

Read here: AO3 LINK

#trigun #ffxiv #meteion #vash the stampede #final fantasy xiv #endwalker #trigun maximum #fanfiction #ao3 writer #my first fanfic! #my art

[jalopeura]

*guy who has recently replayed 3.x and the start of stormblood voice* i still think one of the most underrated ffxiv friendships is urianger and alisaie actually. the way he calls her my lady is cute and she clearly thinks of him as like maybe an older cousin or uncle and they clearly both hold much affection for one another. i love them

#once again i am begging ffxiv fic writers to write alphinaud and alisaie as kids interacting with louisoix's students. pplease #ffxiv #urianger augurelt #alisaie leveilleur #ffxiv*

[trans-estinien]

heyyyyyyyy so i never noticed this till my playthrough of shadowbringers with eleutherios but! look! they knew what they were doing with the 12 long before they revealed it in endwalker :) the watcher is shown later on in this cutscene too but i feel like that one is more obvious, idk how many people paused to count every single one of the ancients here lmao

#gooood i love how much detail the ffxiv writers put in #endwalker spoilers #shadowbringers spoilers #ffxiv

[mimble-sparklepudding]

Nomin Tal Kheeriin

At ten Nomin was tied to a tree,

Then left there to work herself free,

But she harboured ambition,

That outweighed tradition,

And inspired the young escapee.

Unexpectedly there appears yet more poetical nonsense! The second Lalafellin Limerick of 2024 is a celebration of the heroic and well-travelled Nomin Tal Kheeriin of @paintedscales.

Believe it or not this is the second time I have written poetry about Nomin, as I was lucky enough to be allocated @paintedscales for the first FFXIVswap event. I really enjoyed researching her backstory (as referenced in the silly limerick above), which is one of the most creative and intriguing that I've ever had the pleasure to read.

With excellent and evocative writing, beautiful gposes and even animations, this is definitely one of the most inspiring FFXIV blogs on Tumblr. I definitely recommend you give @paintedscales a follow if you haven't already done so!

#lalafellin limericks #silly poetry #nomin tal kheeriin #au ra oc #ffxiv wol #ffxiv tumblr #writers on tumblr #ffxiv gpose #ffxiv oc #final fantasy xiv #ff14 ffxiv #ffxiv #final fantasy 14 #ff14

[popotobun]

WIP Wednesday!

Lately I've been working most on my SVSSS fic that's basically a "What if Shen Yuan was a little older and a little more competant". That's it, that's the fic. I have zero idea where it's going to end up, but I've got two chapters worth scribbled down, so that's something! I've also got an outline for a Tangled-inspired Liushen AU that I don't want to start because once I do, I think I'll keep going until it's done and I want to get more done on the longer fic first xD

I've still got plans for the post-MLC fic I'm working on! I really should finish that, since it doesn't have anywhere to go and should just be the one chapter... Who knows. I let words get away from all the time.

I've still got a couple of FF14 WIPs too, though the MSQ follow-along will always be slow going... I do want to finish the Dark Knight fic, but my WoL was in a Not Good headspace when he started that, so it's on a back burner too.

Feel free to Ask me to work on any of these and I'll post a new paragraph~ but either way, enjoy the snippet!

The entire night passed while he read, the morning only making itself known to Shen Yuan when a knock sounded at the entrance to his room and Ming Fan’s voice announced, “Shizun, I left breakfast at the table for you. Please let this disciple know if there is anything further needed.”

“Nothing but privacy, Ming Fan. I am only to be disturbed by meals for the next three days.” While he recovers is not spoken aloud, but carried in the silence that he lets linger a moment longer than it needs to. “Unless another Peak Lord requires my presence.”

Ming Fan bowed and started to leave after confirming the instructions, but was stopped by Shen Qingqiu’s voice adding, “Perhaps I will meditate in the gardens today. If I am not here, let it be known that I am unavailable for company.”

That should cover most possibilities. He was sure Mu Qingfang wouldn’t be back by so soon, but he couldn’t say the same for anyone else. With the worry from Yue Qingyuan that Mu-shidi had mentioned or potential curiosity as to his recent visitors, anyone could come by! And he didn’t want them seeing him practicing basic sword forms like someone who’d never held a sword before.

Since that was exactly what he planned to be doing.

After breakfast of course.

#wip wedenesday #svsss #mysterious lotus casebook #ffxiv #here i am falling into one of the two types of svsss writers #“just the book but slightly different” #the au should be really fun though!! #I've got 2.5 pages of outline that's going over who the villain is and why #and how the politics work considering I'm making the kingdom Cang Qiong #it'll be shen twins and liushen because i love both of these #the MLC fic is 100% “fighting is foreplay” but i'm not writing anything detailed #mostly just to not take over the whole fic since it's more focused on LLH recovering and finding joy in swordplay (of the not naked kind) #and that's more important than the swordplay of the naked variety ;D #ANYWAY #enjoy the teaser #and feel free to ask for me to work on any of these <3 #even the tangled au #though i know i'm not gonna sleep if I start that one XD

[kicktwine]

writers block BEGONE wol eats fruit

Ch’ari is awoken to a muffled curse coming from what counts as Dragonhead’s kitchen. 

Well, “awoken” implies he was sleeping beforehand — which he was not. He was, instead, counting every grey fur the past weeks had given him, metaphorically, and sitting in bed counting the stones that make up the walls literally. Two hundred and thirty-odd, he’d lost count due to the “—! …swiving insect…!“ that interrupted him. 

There are only about three voices Ch’ari cares about hearing — the fourth optional voice being the Coerthan scout on Ul’dah’s front — and the string of curses came from the youngest one. Statistically the most likely between his companions, but that doesn’t mean it’s a common occurrence. Especially not at bloody 2:45 in the morning. 

Ch’ari rolls off the bed sideways, wincing as his paws touch the cold stone and shuffling into the slippers he’s fairly certain Haurchefant made himself for the outpost’s overnight visitors, and he makes his way in near-darkness and near-silence towards the kitchen. 

The kitchen itself is much like a dorm room; functional and simplistic and decorated here and there with furs and cloths and left-behind baubles to make the whole thing seem any measure more homey. Anything to ward off the biting cold nothingness of outside, measures for which Ch’ari is incredibly grateful. It makes his thoughts calm. Like how trees do for wind. 

He finds exactly — or almost exactly — what he thought to find in the little side room. Alphinaud stands at the counter wielding a small string of something, the lamp he brought to illuminate his workspace making him look almost comically gaunt. His tail is completely puffed out in shock, shivering as if he’s about to launch himself at the wall. With little ability to see in the dark, but good enough hearing that his copious blanket shuffling should have alerted him to his presence, Ch’ari somehow manages to sneak up on the kid.

“I didn’t think you were one to swear more’n once at a time,” Ch’ari says, as quiet as he can be to mute the echoes that plague Dragonhead in the silence. 

Alphinaud startles — again, if Ch’ari had to guess — and nearly knocks the lamplight off the counter turning to face him. “W- Master Tia! I didn’t mean to wake you!”

“You didn’t, I wasn’t asleep. What’s with the yelp?”

Alphinaud shakes himself and puts his composure back on as best he can. “I— I was merely fetching some of the provisions we were given, and that thing fell directly in front of me,” he huffs, gesturing forcefully (with a knife! He has some dried fruit on a cutting board. Ch’ari is struck with the sudden and very real possibility that Alphinaud does not know how to use a knife) at the wall. Ch’ari squints. A creature that looks a bit like an egg-sized grey yarzon is slowly creeping its way back up to the altogether too-tall ceiling. 

“Eugh. Do you want me to get it?”

There is a long moment where Alphinaud seriously considers the beast’s demise. He eventually looks away from it, his ears drooping. “No,” he sighs. “It was probably an accident. He didn’t mean to fall.” He fixes the lamp and the cutting board, thankfully putting the knife down as well. The mini yarzon continues its slow crawl up into the darkness. “Asides. Those creatures eat buzzard gnats, and I would much rather deal with the occasional fright if it means I do not have to deal with those pests.”

“What a lovely name for a bug,” Ch’ari grimaces. He carefully pads forward a few more inches and watches Alphinaud set the string of fruit (persimmon) back on the cutting board, a bit too hard and a bit too white-knuckled.

He pauses, looking up at Ch’ari’s lingering intrusion. “I am not in danger, or anything. Pray return to bed. I apologize for disturbing you.”

“Would you like me to cut it?” Ch’ari asks, completely ignoring him. 

“I am perfectly capable of cutting fruit.” 

“You are still shaking,” Ch’ari points out. He’s very aware every second word he says further bruises the boy’s pride when the thing has already been battered to shreds, but he’s not about to let some lordling cut himself holding a knife wrong when he clearly hasn’t slept and isn’t holding himself together. 

“I am — I’m just tired. And was not expecting the spider,” Alphinaud protests weakly. 

“You sit,” Ch’ari decides, snatching the fruit and untying the blasted things. “It doesn’t need to be cut anyways.”

Obediently — a new occurrence — Alphinaud turns to sit, and finding no chair, simply sits against the wall on a fur blanket. 

Ch’ari cuts the cold persimmon into pieces. He has a feeling that the lordling won’t take to ripping it apart with his teeth like an animal, like you’re supposed to do.

Probably two of them will do? He chances a look at Alphinaud, who looks like he’s about to become a part of the furs with his same-color cloak. He has darker circles than is strictly necessary, and a dangerous wobble in his eyes that bespeaks having too many other things on his mind at once. Mayhap three, then. 

Ch’ari slides down the wall next to him and offers him his handful of fruit. “Odd time in the morning to get a snack. Couldn’t sleep?”

“No,” Alphinaud whispers. He takes a piece of fruit and stuffs it in his mouth, and rather un-lordly-like keeps talking around it. “I’ve not been able to. It isn’t that it’s cold or, or uncomfortable, I swear, House Fortemps’ hospitality is more than gracious.” The more he speaks, the more he works himself up. “I try and then I just — awaken! With an awful pit in my stomach, and I can’t help but think of — and, not knowing what happened to the Scions or to the Braves who were unaware, if— if any were, if they were all—“ 

His breath hitches. “Oh, Twelve forbid,” he whines, and buries his head completely in his knees. 

“Head up, you’ll dirty the coat, I think.”

Alphinaud’s head slowly pulls out of the fabric, resolutely facing away from him and hiding his face beneath his hair. “I cannot help but perpetuate these thoughts over and over. That it was mine own folly that ruined everything I naively tried to build. And I cannot help but feel-- feel as if, I don’t know. Not sleeping is perhaps punishment for the way I acted, and now they’re…” He breathes shakily, and Ch’ari can see a damp spot forming on his knees that he quickly hides with one hand. 

Ch’ari puts a slice of fruit on it. Alphinaud doesn’t turn to it, but accepts the slice and miserably puts it in his mouth.

“Now I’ve nothing to do but wait and think. I do not know what to make of it. And, and this,” he sniffles, quickly rubbing his face with the heel of his palm. “I know you don’t like me much, so why do you do such things for me now? Is it out of pity?”

Mildly offended, Ch’ari quickly remembers that at one point (out of misplaced frustration, he swears,) he did call the kid pompous and irritating and “a bratling’s role model”, so that’s probably why Alphinaud believes he still doesn’t care for him. He was irritating. But Ch’ari was irritating right back, and then worried and persistent to the point of projecting, so… He taps his claws, then eats another piece of fruit, then adjusts the way he’s sitting, then lets out a big overdramatic sigh. He throws his arms up. “Come here.”

Alphinaud instead makes himself a smaller ball and angles the tips of his ears away in displeasure. Ch’ari, having none of it, scoots directly next to him and drops his chin onto Alphinaud’s head and begins purring as loud as his raspy throat can manage it. 

“-You are vibrating,” Alphinaud says thickly, surprise overriding his distaste at being hugged sideways. 

“It’s purring. Do not call it vibrating.”

“How?”

“I don’t know. Ask Azeyma. Now hush, I am to tell you a story. It’s important and also strictly not to be revealed to the public, got that?” Ch’ari feels Alphinaud nod under his chin. “Good. Eat more persimmon.”

Ch’ari gathers himself, adjusting his position so that the embrace is not so awkward. Alphinaud quietly lets himself be moved, having wholly given up on being embarrassed. He simply nibbles on the fruit, sniffing occasionally. 

“When I was much younger,” Ch’ari starts, hesitantly, “my mother called me her little prince. I do not think she called me this full knowing how I would take it to heart.”

He pauses. “To make a long and rather grating story short, I realize now that I was set up to fail. Not to absolve myself of responsibility, but I… was sheltered. I guess.” He shakes his head, interrupting his purr before plopping right back down. “I was the only male kitten in our tribe. My first nunh loved me enough to spoil me, and I liked him well enough. He made me think I was king, and none of them stopped him. My second thought me to be a threat, and it was then that I was old enough to hate back.

“It was also then that we were old enough to bully each other, as kittens. I’m sure it’s not surprising that no one liked being bossed around much. By a child, no less, while they were already being ordered to tasks with no relief. So my orders were suddenly ignored, while his were obeyed. I saw him. I saw what the family thought of him. No one liked him, but they respected him. And so I, a shirked prince, tried to copy his behavior. 

“The more I vied for attention, the worse it got. And the worse it got, the more I hated. My intentions were not good, not like yours. I wanted respect, and power, and to be the most important, most competent hunter anyone knew, and I wanted this all without working a day for it,” Ch’ari growls. “I wanted love, and I reached for it through arrogance.”

“To be loved is not an ignoble intention to have,” Alphinaud mumbles, still nibbling on persimmon. 

“Kind of you to say, but I believe it was less to be loved and more to be lauded. Or maybe I wasn’t sure at the time what love felt like. Ch’leure — my nunh, Goddess let him burn — I doubt he knew either, and I doubt he’ll ever know, no matter how much he takes advantage of his filched status. 

“Is the purring helping?” Ch’ari interrupts. 

“W— What is it supposed to be doing?”

“I’m unsure. I’ve heard it’s relaxing.”

“It’s.. rumbling, for certain.” Alphinaud has sort of un-balled himself, so Ch’ari counts that as it’s helping. 

“Anyroad. I was ‘encouraged’ to leave the tribe at fourteen. I wouldn’t have stayed longer even if I weren’t threatened by nearly every girl my age, to be honest with you. I was determined to find somewhere I would be respected. So obviously I took to scammers and piracy,” Ch’ari snorts. “The most respected of professions. But I was coveted there! I was small and novel, and great at pinching pockets, and very easy to control by my ego. As long as I followed the leader, I would be welcome, and it was closer to princedom than I ever was before.”

He nabs one of the last persimmon slices and pops it in his mouth, thinking. “I don’t remember too much of why it happened. But one of the companies I was with hatched a plot to plunder hundreds of thousands of Gil, and all we needed to do was murder some four Dunesfolk merchants. I had slain innocent men before. I’m not sure what compelled me to stop. But I couldn’t do it.”

Ch’ari can feel his tail twitching in distress behind him, without his consent. He puts a hand over it. The Scions know -- knew, in the past-present sense, of his track record. He’s certain Alphinaud was either informed or investigated, but killing does tend to put most sensible people off, and he’s taken care not to mention it much. 

“I don’t know. I probably thought that maybe if I spoke up the company would see my reasoning, would apply the faux respect they had for my skills to my character. But, no, I was a disposable seventeen-year-old who ruined their plot and deprived them of their coffers, and I learned that pirates don’t forgive so much as they beat what irks them to the ground.” Ch’ari clears his already-tired throat. “S’where this happened,” he says. “Believe it or not, I used to be a bit of a singer. Not a good one, but I could carry a tune well enough.”

“I’m sorry,” Alphinaud speaks up. He sounds unsure, but genuine, and Ch’ari ends up purring harder. 

“Wouldn’t trade it back. In any case, I hear Nanali — I didn’t introduce her earlier, I should have — Nanali Nali, a completely unrelated lalafell nearby at the time, thank the Twelve. I hear Nanali scared them all off herself on account of yelling real loud and firing a years-old magitek gun into the air. Not sure if I believe her, she’s strong, but not intimidating enough to scare off that many pirates. I also hear she dragged my sorry corpse back to her house on her own, but I don’t believe that either. Dudunobe says he helped, he loves to take credit where there isn’t any.”

“They are…?”

“Farmers. Out past the deserts of Thanalan where you can actually grow something. S’also where you can kill a half-grown cat without being seen by the Brass Blades. Not if Nanali has something to say about it, though, she’s a real nosy piece of work. And Duno’s her closest neighbor, he has a right loud laugh and won’t even let me look at his sheep sideways. He thinks I’ll chase ‘em, and I did once just to piss him off. Rough folks. Very blunt.”

Alphinaud considers his fingers very carefully. The fruit is gone, which leaves his hands to fiddle with themselves. “They sound very dear to you.”

“Aye. I'm certain I wouldn’t be alive without them.”

“… Why tell me this?”

“Because,” Ch’ari hums, feeling his purrs slow to a crawl. “The next few months were miserable. Everything I had thought about the world was wrong in a way that made me culpable, and the avenues through which I thought I had control were naught but fabrications to placate me. Nanali did not treat me like a prince, nor did she treat me like a wet rat, she treated me like the hurt, wretched child I was. And in return, I yelled at her to leave me alone. She was too stubborn to let me be, though, and while I was having a crisis in her home she just kept giving me food. And bed. And kindness, cloaked in anger to get it through my skull before I was able to see it for what it was. Imagine my horror when I realized what was happening,” Ch’ari snorts. “She watched me fall apart, and then helped put the pieces back in the right order just because she wanted to. You know I nearly cried myself to sleep when I got an inn for the first time? Momodi paid for me, because I helped her with the most menial task in the world.” He lets go of his tail, and leans back against the wall, his ears trembling. Alphinaud remains very stiff, attentive but carefully unmoving. 

“It’s not that I pity you. It’s that I don’t think I could bear going through those months again. It is different, yes, but Nanali is malms away, and we could not visit her besides. Tataru, I do not think, has ever experienced such betrayal, and I hope she never does. …And I think Lord Haurchefant is rather too sunshiney at all hours of the day,” Ch’ari muses. Alphinaud huffs a little laugh. 

“He is very enthusiastic.”

“And a morning person,” Ch’ari groans. “I know I’m a sun seeker, but I seek the sun when it has risen, not before it has. It’s East, it’s always East.”

Another half-laugh. Alphinaud smiles rather awkwardly, with his eyes first and then about three-fourths of his mouth, but at least it’s not a put-upon face in his presence.

“I am… new at being kind,” Ch’ari admits, looking back at the elezen. “And I am an old hand at learning things the hard way. But as much as I can prevent it, I would have you less of a horrible mess than I was. Which means cutting dried persimmons at balls in the morning, sure.” 

“...Oh,” Alphinaud says, and turns away again, conspicuously rubbing his nose on his knees in lieu of having a handkerchief. “Thank you.”

“It’ll never be a problem.” That sentence broke him when he heard it first. Alphinaud seems to be attempting to regain his posture, failing twice before shaking his head and whiskers. 

“Now. As I’m sure Lord Haurchefant will be awake and cheerful soon,” -- Alphinaud snorts -- “we should attempt to catch some sleep. Without waking Tataru, I should hope.”

#GRAAAHHH rough prose with No ending but i WILL break out of my writers block via ari and alphie eating fruit #if it kills me (pounds fist on table) #ffxiv #uh i guess. i suppose. #my writing #arr spoilers #but before heavensward