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shalpilot · 22 days

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Hello! It's been a while since I asked you something

So, i'm not really into ffxiv stuff (like, plot, game itself, etc) but I'm extremely curious about your oc Kiril. Due to this i came up with some questions (they're so basic, because i need to know at least something to ask a proper question)

1. Can we get a lil' bit of Kiril's backstory (other than running away from home). As far as i understood, he ran away with his sister/friend Yesui and something bad happened to her. So, maybe now you can give some extra details on their runaway and her death (if it was death, obviously)?

2. What about Kiril's parents? I didn't get the thing about forehead scales (maybe, it's described in ffxiv wiki or smth, idk) and who were they? Some sort of a ruler? Just soldiers?

3. Not really important but how do you pronounce Kiril and Yesui's names (full, of course)?

So, I'm glad to write again and being eager to wait for your new answers

Probably, if it doesn't bother you, i'd ask more questions in future about Kiril

edit: question one ain’t canon anymore LOLOLOL. yesui still dies in coerthas but it’s related 2 the herectics now. idk how bc I like. just stared heavensward but. we will see.

1) I actually rolled Kiril’s last name and ended up getting one of the tribes with canon lore which is GREAT for me bc it helped me mold his backstory more. I’m not at the part where I actually get to learn about ‘em in-game cuz i only started playing like a month ago but to boil down what I know, the Dotharl tribe believes in reincarnation & as a whole the Xaela- pausing. Kiril is an Au Ra (race), a Xaela Au Ra (black scales; nomadic), and a Dotharl (tribe). hope that makes sense lol. anyways as a whole the Xaela are pretty unwelcoming to outsiders and even Xaela from other tribes. Every year they have a Naadam which is battle where the victor “claims dominion” over the Azim Steppe (homeland) for the year. The Dotharl emphasize not fearing death and not being a fucking pussy

all of that is setup LOL. Anyways, Kiril was born shortly after the death of a notable warrior (also named Kiriltugh) and so he was set on the path of becoming a warrior since essentially day one. thing is, he a.) hated it and b.) was shit at it. he struggled to pick up even the most basic parts of fighting and suffered a lot of berating due to it. at the same time, an older girl in the tribe was making strides and becoming a veritable golden child in the eyes of the adults. that was Yesui! she was incredibly strong for her age and seemed to have a natural gift for battle. but very importantly, she was also understanding of Kiril’s struggles & helped train him even after plenty of other people had declared him a lost cause. eventually though, despite her best efforts (and Kiril’s improvements! turns out a mentor who doesn’t yell at you is a lot more effective) Kiril made up his mind to just. leave. when he told Yesui about his plan, she insisted on coming with him. even with Kiril protesting (you’re doing fine here; don’t ruin your life by coming along!) she wasn’t going to let a 10 year-old leave on his own.

They travel together for an undecided amount of time- left vague so I can update it when i get to later expansions (heehee) until they eventually end up in Coerthas, a snowy region. To my understanding this is pretty fucking far away so I think they must’ve argued their way into an adventuring party or several to make it all that way. they didn’t exactly have a plan; it was just “keep going until we feel like it.”

(a realm reborn spoilers until the next question.)

in Coerthas, things take a pretty sharp nosedive for the two of them and they end up alone and very, very lost. their adventuring party was attacked by a beast tribe and the materials they were carrying were ran off with. They manage to find a cave which offers them a small amount of shelter. Yesui leaves Kiril there while she goes to look for any kind of settlement they might be able to hole up in. she’s gone for ages. and when she comes back, excitedly promising Kiril she’s found someplace safe, she seems… off. she’s holding his hand a little too tight, moving a little too fast. she assures Kiril that where they’re going is safe, warm, and “beautiful”, but the storm raging around them only seems to be getting worse.

…i’m gonna get a little more technical from here because i want to make the rest of this into a comic rather than writing it out.

what’s happened to Yesui is she’s become enthralled by a primal god. Garuda, the resident primal of the region, is in the process of being summoned by the same beast tribe that attacked them, with the items they were transporting (large quantities of crystals). the more followers a primal accrues, the more powerful they become, and something in the region has caught her attention.

Kiril.

so, using Yesui as means to draw him to her, she means to take control of him as well. unbeknownst to either of them, Kiril is under the protection of Hydaelyn, a different (benevolent) goddess who grants Kiril immunity to the thrall of primals. in shielding him, She also ends up shattering the crystals being used in the ritual, causing it to fail. in the ensuing chaos, Kiril escapes with Yesui and manages to find an actual settlement. he begs for help for him and his closest friend- who has remained enthralled even after the disruption of the ritual.

the thing about those who become enthralled is that there is no helping them. what’s more, every follower is another source of strength for a primal.

she cannot be allowed to live.

despite his desperate pleas, despite his promises that she’ll never hurt anyone, Yesui is put to death.

he is far, far from home, and he’s never been more alone in his life.

….then some stuff happens and he becomes an adventurer. i don’t wanna fill in everything just yet, haha.

2.) His mom is a goldsmith and his dad’s a hunter! His mom’s forehead scales are just a trait female Au Ra have. men don’t tend to have as many/any scales there.

3.) Key-rill-too (full name is Kiriltugh) and Yesui is like. yeh-sooey. kinda :?

Kiril doesn’t tend to go by his full name because he feels he hasn’t earned it. this is more so a thing before he saved the entire realm; now it’s more of an affectionate nickname from friends.

#ask shal #ffxiv #ffxiv wol #ocs #oc: kiriltugh #oc: yesui

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graha-stan-account · 2 years

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FFXIV Write Day 15: Row

Row: informal n. 1. a noisy acrimonious quarrel.

2. a serious dispute.

3. a loud noise or uproar.

Emet-Selch has been summoned - or dragged along - to assist Azem in one of her many schemes as a thrifty do-gooder. Why draw territorial lines when you have the means to multiply precious natural resources? Instead, Emet-Selch would rather fight about it.

---

Emet-Selch stood at Azem's elbow at the summit of a great cliff. The wind spun errant leaves into whorls at their feet. Emet-Selch looked up from the valley below to glimpse her expression, but he was distracted by the tempest which had become of her hair. It seemed to roil and crest with the breeze and gusts, and at its center, as she turned her head to meet his gaze, two nebulae which burned bright against the dark clouds.

"This is a fool's errand, a waste of time." He groaned.

"Now is the perfect time, Hades. The wind is in our favor, the skies are ready."

"You cannot hope to bring Amaurot's strength to bear each time some tribal quarrel reaches your ears."

"I don't. And I am yet listening for a better idea from Amaurot's finest. This, as far as I can tell, is the most expedient solution."

"Fertile soil is your big plan? Why did you need me again?"

"I want to channel the ambient aether to the ground. Having taken the calculations, they're roughly correct, what's required to rebalance the acidity here is a dose of Astral-aspected aether, and lightning should do the trick."

"Should?"

She cleared her throat. "Will."

"'Roughly correct'?"

"My calculations are correct, Emet-Selch. Now will you assist me with the conduit or are you here only as the Convocation's spy?"

"You wound me, Astrea."

"I know well you're expected to handle me. 'Civilize' me." A smile crept across her face. "As though you could. The Great Barbarian from Without."

"Well that is a fresh turn of phrase."

"Barbarism is what your lot practice each day. Preserve the star, to hell with those on it. Is that it?" A growl was boiling in Emet-Selch's throat. He would not tolerate another jab.

"Take heed of which you speak. Your own recklessness has not only put precious many lives at stake, but imperil the good of all Amauroti--"

"Amaroutines. There it is again. There is always space for Amaurotines in the Convocation's plans, nary else." She turned away, taking in the valley below. "Amaurotines may not take notice of those outside the city proper, apart from your facilities which blot out the sun and disturb the soil, but those small beings are the soul of this star. They don't scheme or plot to secure some great future scores alive now will never see. The powerful and the gifted live a long time, yes. We choose when our work is at its end. But it is not so for all and everywhere. Our long lives breed hubris. If we truly are so powerful, if it is within our purview to create and shape reality, should we not shape it to be kinder? Should we not do all we can not only to preserve the star, but all those lives on it? Lives and deaths we sterilize with words like 'unmake,' 'concepts,' and the like."

"You lecture endlessly. You talk of preserving culture and fauna and yet in our city you offend us. You face censure time and time again because your greatest skill is your inability to learn! Once more you demonstrate that you do not belong!"

"Perhaps I don't!" but the wrinkle in her brow betrayed how his words wounded her. "You are a tiresome fool, indolent, mired in a smoothed-over reality! Haughtiness and exceptionalism disguised as stewardship. I'll have none of it! Such beliefs I would offend a thousand times and more!"

"You speak like a child! You do not understand- you're unwilling to understand- the sacrifice needed to guide civilizations. To nurture the best of what the star has and can offer! You would instead invite chaos, a life ruled by folly and selfish desire!" Emet-Selch face blazed with the sigil of his office, with wild eyes still behind.

"Is this it?" Her voice was small, calm and tucked behind a wry smile. "Such words loose the fetters of restraint which bind the mighty Emet-Selch? You'll transform here, hm? To prove a point? That I am the affected, broken one?" She scoffed, a sound somehow thick with melancholy. "May you never know the pain of loss, Hades, for I fear you could not bear it."

The glow ebbed away.

They were silent a long while, seething long enough for the wind to build to a raucous howl. Finally, Emet-Selch drew his hand above his head, as though ready to away. Azem's shouting broke his focus, her eyes remaining on the tiny huts spread across the arid land.

"You were among the few who stood for me at my confirmation hearing. Why?"

"Why what?" Emet-Selch's fingers relaxed, surprise overtaking him.

"Why did you stand for me?"

"Venat was set on retiring. She was a thorn in my side. Why would I not be glad of it?"

"From the day I met you, you had taken your measure of me. So again: Why, Emet-Selch?"

"Because of all, you have a right to the mantle, Astrea. If this star requires its most capable hold these fourteen seats, for precious few could I get to my feet."

At last she turned to face him. "Then trust me when I say this will work."

He sighed. "Give me the conduit."

#and then they went home to bed :p #emet-selch #azem #ffxivwrite2022 #ffxiv fanfic #late post sorry not sorry

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guerilla935 · 4 years

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My Favorite Fishing in Video Games Where Fishing is Not Core Game Play

A really awesome surprise for me is always to boot up a game that is full of action and suspense to be introduced to a fishing side activity. I have toiled away at fishing in games for hundreds of hours at least. It has gotten so bad in some instances that my friends have asked me why I haven’t just taken the plunge into real fishing. It’s definitely because that is a lot of work and in real life I don’t catch a fish every 30 seconds. They have also wondered why I don’t just play a fishing simulator like Planet Fishing (Shout out to Planet Fishing that’s a great game). And that’s where I have to think for a while. Fishing while you have better things to do like save the world is very special. You aren’t fishing because it’s the objective of the game or because that’s why you are there, you are fishing because it’s fun and maybe you need a break to swing a fishing rod instead of a sword. And then you can stop, and get back to fighting or whatever the rest of the game entails. Below are games that have fishing in them for mostly no reason at all. I have shamelessly spent way to long with my bait in these waters and absolutely loved every second of it and I hope that you (the reader) can find a lot of relaxation in these waters as well.

Pokemon Series

Since the very first Pokemon game there has been fishing. You get the old rod from some guy and then you are free to fish up as many goldfishes that you want hoping that one of them will grow up to be a 21 foot tall dragon. Pokemon has combined their fishing with their main game play and makes you at least start a battle with the fish you drag onto shore. Now fishing in Pokemon is pretty subpar mainly because a single Pokemon game hasn’t really been known to have more than a handful of Pokemon that you can fish for. Also if you are looking for a strong water type Pokemon you could do a lot better than fishing for it. Typically a Pokemon player will fish about 5-10 times total. And although fishing for Pokemon isn’t all that great it has been in every game for over 20 years and that is pretty impressive. It’s a small detail that makes the world of Pokemon feel like a real world of wild creatures.

Sonic Adventure DX

In Sonic Adventure DX you are given the choice to play as a lot of different characters, one of which is named Big the Cat. Most of the characters are combat characters that rely on speed and attacks to get through levels, some even wielding rocket launchers and extremely oversized hammers. However when you start the story of Big the Cat you are thrown in a completely opposite direction. Big the Cat is a giant purple cat who lives in the jungle with his best friend Froggy. Froggy accidentally swallows one of the most powerful objects in the Sonic universe and Big the Cat must chase him all over the world trying to fish him out of where he is hiding so that he can eject the Chaos Emerald out of him and they can return to their life in the jungle. The fishing mechanics in this game actually are really good and this is probably because Sega had just put out a series of mildly successful Bass fishing games before releasing this game. Either way its absolutely hilarious that Big the Cat gets to defeat Chaos 6 right before Super Sonic has his showdown with Chaos Perfect.

Final Fantasy XV

In Final Fantasy XV you play as Noctis and his favorite hobby is fishing. When I first played this game I sped through it and never fished once and reached the end of the game never indulging Noctis in his hobby. When I replayed Final Fantasy XV I fished for 50 hours and then ejected the disc from my console. The fishing in Final Fantasy XV is surprisingly deep with a lot of the vendors supporting what you could call a fishing road trip. In the game it is extremely dangerous to be out at night so I would plan day trips to lakes to maximize the amount of fishing I would get to do. I would prepare days in advance to make sure I could afford the trip and that I had enough supplies to both protect myself at the lake and have enough supplies to last the whole day. Final Fantasy XV really is a game about getting really distracted and fishing is probably its best distraction. My days on the lake were the perfect balance of peaceful and rewarding, this game offers an awesome reward of well planned trips and a good haul of fish.

Final Fantasy XIV Online

Final Fantasy XIV is the only game I have ever played where the fishing played exactly like its combat. When you are fighting enemies in a dungeon in FFXIV you are constantly adding buffs, landing hits, using consumables, and managing resource bars. When you are fishing in FFXIV you are constantly adding buffs, landing hits, using consumables, and managing resource bars. Note you are doing so at a much more leisurely and less life threatening pace but you are still doing it. I never maxed out the fisher class but I got it into the expansion content which was a really long and relaxing experience. Yet another Final Fantasy title where the real meat of the game is in getting distracted. When you fish you also sell on a player market that fluctuates based on market price just like real fish. You get the relaxing fishing side of the game and also an aggressive economic number crunching side as well. I spent way too long with a real pen and paper deciding how much I should sell for on any particular day and bossing around my two cat girl employees.The MMO aspect of the game adds so much to what you would expect to be a very solitary experience.

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

Have you ever gone fishing for hours to receive an empty bottle? That is exactly what kick started my addiction to fishing in Twilight Princess. An empty bottle in Twilight Princess means another way to heal yourself, another way to add oil to a lantern, another way to carry useless water around. The only way to get the 4th bottle in the game is to go to a dedicated fishing spot and fish until you pulled it out of the pond. The actual fishing is pretty weird, it involves motion controls which I still am not entirely sure what they do or how to properly use them but it is really fun to hold the pole in gyroscope and set the lure in the water waiting for fish to come get a nibble. Although the physics with the water make it difficult to see if you have actually gotten a bite or not it still is enjoyable the other 85% of the time it works.

Stardew Valley

So this one is at the top of every other “fishing in games” list and there is a big reason for that. It’s really good. I think in my first Stardew Valley farm I gave up farming entirely and fished all day every day and stopped to buy food to replenish my energy and go back at it. I really didn’t care about getting rich or making enough money to expand the farm or get to know everyone I actually spent about 50 hours just fishing. The fishing takes some skill and a pretty keen eye but the random jerks of the fish and the rhythm of the game play are so fun to try to master. It’s a part of Stardew Valley that I felt like I was continuously improving on as time went on and it was really fun. I mean I don’t recommend it because you’ll end up moderately poor but it was really fun.

Fantasy Life

Fantasy Life offers you 12 potential jobs, you could be a brilliant blacksmith or a devious potions maker, a lumberjack or a knight, a hunter or a seamstress. However your inner dad is calling and you decide you want to play through a fantasy RPG as a fisherman, hell yeah. the story is relatively short so you can quickly unlock a lot of locales to fish at and there is a manageable economy system that lets you deal in fish in advantageous ways. You can even pick up cooking on the side and make fancy dinners and sell the fish for higher you can do that as well. Fantasy Life is like a clever mix between Animal Crossing and Final Fantasy XIV and it kind of succeeds and falls short of it. The fishing also takes a good amount of skill and rhythmic approach to master so it doesn’t get boring almost at all until you have cleared the game.

Maple Story 2

Maple Story 2 is one of the most expressive and cutest games that I have ever played. And the fishing is no different, its all about style. The fishing in Maple Story 2 is monotonous and can get old but you do it for the chibi clout. Because much like the rest of the game you can look however you want and do whatever you want and sometimes you just feel like kicking back and throwing lure in the water at the beach. I never got super into the fishing in this game but it won me over with its adorable design and stylish atmosphere.

Animal Crossing Series

Of course I had to include the most popular game right now. Animal Crossing has become something of a connection between people when we can’t leave the house. A thing we all have in common on social media and with our friends. My first experience with Animal Crossing really starts with New Horizons and I was completely blown away. The fishing isn’t super complex or difficult but the range of what you can pull out of the water and what you can do with it is absolutely breathtaking. For a game about cartoon people living with humanoid cartoon animals the fish looking photo realistic. And the museum where they can be kept is stunning. The museum looks like it was designed to capture the feel of being in a museum and matches the design of all the great real life aquariums and observatories. Although it is a bit frustrating when your rod breaks it is easy enough to make one (or worst case buy one) to get your bait back in the water.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

Tell me I’m wrong, you can’t. Isabelle getting added to Smash brought a very powerful fishing move that isn’t practical all the time but is really funny. Wouldn’t recommend this game if you are looking to relax and fish but I do recommend hooking your friend with a fish hook and send them flying off screen if you had to.

Minecraft

I have a very special role in Minecraft when I join a friends server. A role that I assign to myself. While everyone is off getting awesome swords, spelunking for diamonds, and exploring the infinite landscape, I build a small wooden shack and I set up a farm with an irrigation canal and start fishing. A steady supply of food is necessary and while I’m hanging out with my friends in a server I’m happy to be the one to provide it. The fishing in this game is probably the slowest of all the ones on this list but is the most useful. just throwing the fish in the oven creates food that can help keep you and your companions alive for a long time. I think I definitely have my limits with Minecraft fishing and I couldn’t do it for hours on end it is rewarding to set up shop and find a nice place to settle down for a few hours to fish.

Fire Emblem: Three Houses

This is the only Tactical RPG in this post. Fire Emblem: Three Houses has sections between combat where you can go and talk to your students and do other activities. We aren’t here to discuss other activities though we are here for the fishing. The fishing allows you to catch fish for some reason that I’m sure is good but never intrigued me enough to learn. All I know about the fishing in Fire Emblem: Three Houses is that it’s fun. I started to bust through combat just so that I could get back to fishing. The funniest part about this one is that the fish has a health bar. Pressing the A button at the exact moment finds a way to become easier and still find ways to mess you up. Either way, I’m not that interested in tactical RPGs but I heard there was fishing in this game so I had to play it and it was worth it.

Jak & Daxter: The Precursor Legacy

In Jak & Daxter, Daxter gets turned into a small animal by dark eco while exploring a dangerous island off the shore of his home with his best friend Jak. To get back to the island to investigate, the pair have to borrow a boat owned by a fisherman who is troubled by an invasive species of poisonous eel that is ruining his haul. He asks Jak to catch fish for him without catching any eels. This fishing mini game can only be done once but it is going to either be something you think is very unique or a huge waste of time. All I’ll say is that the sound that the fish makes when it goes into the net is absolutely a reward in itself it is so satisfying. But anyways, more intense than some other options here but get it done so you can get back to absorbing eco powers and jumping on stuff.

Shovel Knight

Shovel Knight is a 2D action platformer but you can also fish. And you fish for the best kind of fish, money. You can get some other stuff too like health pickups and magic replenishers but we know what you want. You see that little glint and you pop out the fishing rod and pull out those money bags. If you are devoted enough you can even get a surprise from the Troupple King (long live his highness) if you fish out the right stuff. I don’t even know if I fished all that much when I played Shovel Knight but it’s hilarious that you can.

NieR: Automata

I did not play a lot of NieR and that’s because I was fishing. I don’t know why all I did was fish but you throw your little robot in the pond and you lean on a magical stool so honestly it was good enough for me.

Club Penguin

If you know then you know. In hind sight there really wasn’t a whole lot to do in Club Penguin but this mini game really messed me up. You basically get to move up and down, catching fish and avoiding trash and other hazards. Basically trying to do this and catch as much fish as possible to avoid having to ask your parents for real money to pay for snacks to feed a virtual ball of fluff with eyeballs. I don’t really remember how challenging it really was but I remember getting decently high scores to about like 100 fish per round so I guess it was pretty easy if I could do that at age 10.

Rune Factory 4

I’m gonna be very honest about this one and say that the fishing in Rune Factory 4 is basically just Animal Crossing fishing but more anime. The fish react to the pole the same, the fish almost look the same, and the buttons to respond are the same. What makes this one special is where you can take it. You can fish in the little moat in town, in the lake, in a dungeon full of monsters, in a lake that is eternally the season fall, anywhere. You are constricted by the boundaries of Stardew Valley and that is how much energy you have and how much time you have in the day. It’s still fun to fish but I wish that they had used their fun fantasy setting to give the ability to fish up some cool made up fish instead of strictly things that exist in real life.

Xenoblade Chronicles 2

Ok, diving, fishing, same thing. Diving in Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is just fishing with your whole body. It works a lot in the same way as Pokemon where you fish up monsters to fight and get the rewards from them. It is a completely optional activity however if you decide to undertake the grind of scavenging in Xenoblade Chronicles 2 then you will never hurt for money ever again. It makes my wonder why Rex stopped being a salvager to do odd jobs because this was PROFITABLE. The main incentive is that there are spots that spawn a certain enemy that drop cores. Cores are like gacha or loot boxes that contain new anime girl partners that deal huge damage in fights. They even have their own side quests and story lines. I spent maybe 30 hours grinding before giving up on this game and while it does become tiresome I really enjoyed the random rewards of possibly getting a new companion or a really cool weapon.

It’s been tossed around that every great RPG has fishing in it. I won’t argue that point but a lot of great RPGs certainly do have fishing in them. Everyone needs a break sometimes and fishing is the perfect activity to remind us to stop and take that break. Even games can get long and without these distractions it might be so much harder to complete these harrowing tasks. Don’t forget to take breaks and just enjoy the sound of the water every once in a while because there’s no rush playing video games.

Honorable Mentions:

Kingdom Hearts: Sora fishing with his bare hands on Destiny Island

Persona 4: Weird aqueduct fishing

Persona 5: Marina fishing life

Sea of Thieves: A pirates life for me

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adeat · 3 years

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16 - Crane

Word Count: 1,948

((I didn’t intend to do FFXIV Write this year. Then this prompt came along. Crane is the patron animal of one of my more recent characters, Kaito Yugureno, and I had to do something for him! I did this in a hurry, but it’s something.))

A long line-up and an equally large crowd gathered at the end of Pier #2 caught Kaito’s attention. Not every day people gathered there. A housing special perhaps? Or announcement by the hunting guild? The miqo’te hopped onto the roof of a worn, wooden building and peered down at the shoreline. At the front of the line stood a small, portable shrine - or at least Kaito gathered from the shape of the roof. The other hint came from the hyur dressed in long, ornate robes fitting of a shrine guardian. Kaito perked his ears down to hear the priest’s words.

“Welcome! Today is an auspicious day, for it is the anniversary of the kojin who once dwelt in this area,” said the shrine guardian. “He has done much to protect the shores here, and now it’s time for us to give back to him. It is said that he was once a dancer who sensed the patron animal spirit of one’s being. Would you like to see this for yourself? Pray to him and offer your tributes, then dance on the water’s surface. If you dance with conviction and purity, then perhaps your essence will be brought to light.”

After the shrine guardian’s speech, the crowd murmured to each other. Dance on water? As in walk on water? Was such a feat even possible? Kaito wondered the same thing.

“Only those with absolute conviction in themselves are able to do so. If you are willing to give this a try, you may walk over on the pier here. We have help on hand in case you fall in… and are unable to swim! Perhaps pray to the kojin for their blessings on this as well!” the shrine guardian laughed at his own joke.

Kaito’s tail twirled in interest, betraying his otherwise stoic expression. He glanced down at the shrine to see people praying indeed. How earnestly though? Even from his farther vantage point he saw raised eyebrows and a brief tenure that couldn’t have carried the thoughts of more than three words at most. The shrine guardian’s speech repeated itself to waves of people. Nothing more to see there. How about those continued splashes of water?

By the pier, people lined up individually - a line made short thanks to perhaps nervousness. Absolute conviction in oneself indeed. One by one, people stepped on the water, only to squeak or cry out as they fell down, accompanied by splashes of varying degrees and heights. Those who did succeed in walking on water, Kaito counted on one hand. And then took that golden opportunity to dance tried, tested and true staples such as the Manderville, its sibling the Manderville Mambo, and even the Yol Dance. Kaito squinted in hopes of seeing a guardian animal spirit or whatever show up - how did such a thing appear, anyway? But found nothing. Perhaps due to a lack of spiritual eyes. Or perhaps such conviction came from themselves that their sense of self was all that needed to be displayed. Their adoring fans certainly thought so, coming from the applause and loud cheers of their fans.

‘I admire their conviction,’ Kaito thought. ‘I certainly don’t have that kind of gall.’

Yet, despite everything Kaito witnessed, he felt an urge to pay tribute himself. He wasn’t sure why - perhaps his curiosity was once again getting the better of him. Most likely, if he tried, knowing him, he’d no sooner fall in the water the second his toe touched the sea’s surface.

Still, curiosity. He still wanted to give it a try. If nothing else, Kaito felt sorry for the kojin spirit. As dumb awestruck Kaito was at the worthy’s strong sense of self, he had to admit a point as well.

Were these people dancing for the kojin spirit, themselves, or their captive audience?

Still, pity.

‘At the very least, I could… try to do something for the kojin spirit. Anything is better than nothing.’

Kaito cut himself off in mid thought.

‘Wait—wait a minute! That’s like saying I can dance!’ Kaito’s eyes widened. ‘Kaiken’s the dancer, not me! Sure he dragged me off to practice all those years, and I keep up with it every day, but it’s for training benefits! I don’t really have that extra spark that he does. That’s fine by me though. Ballet is his thing.’ He sighed. ‘But still, doesn’t change the fact that I can dance… somewhat…’

Still, people.

People won out over his curiosity.

Kaito hopped off the roof to the back of the building. ‘Later! After everyone vacates. Hopefully the shrine will still be there.’

As a matter of fact, the shrine still perched on the pier by the time the moon rose into the sky. A large, full moon. An uncommon sight and perhaps coincidental. Or perhaps fate in celebration of the kojin’s big day. A beautiful gift that only nature could bring.

Now free to take his time without the added pressure of other people, Kaito stood in front of the shrine. The miqo’te sensed powerful, yet gentle waves of spiritual energy, and easily imagined the kojin spirit enjoying the view. Closing his eyes, Kaito clasped his hands in prayer.

“Kojin spirit, I’m certain you’ve had a long day today. I promise I won’t obstruct the view of the moon for too long,” Kaito said softly. “Although I’ve only heard of you today, as one guardian of Kugane to another, I wish to say thank you for all your hard work. You’ve dedicated your life to others, and now, I wish to give you a little tribute. This dance is one Kaiken—ah, sorry—my twin brother choreographed, and it’s intended to be a solo. Still, I hope you’ll dance with me in the moonlight. I hope to meet your expectations.”

After he opened his eyes, Kaito sighed. ‘As if my dancing is even worthy of a tribute.’ He sighed again. ‘What a speech. I ended up speaking more about myself than the guardian, didn’t I. I’m no better than all those other self-centered people. Well, if I fall in, at least the kojin spirit will have a good laugh.’

Kaito looked around. Once he felt secure that he was truly alone, he disrobed except for his undergarments - form-fitting, yet comfortable shorts he often wore during ballet practice. He quickly and neatly folded his clothes and placed them in a safe place. His calloused feet walked across the well-worn planks until he reached the edge of the pier. He heaved a deep breath and took the first step into the water.

And continued walking.

The water felt cold, like walking on a smooth surface, yet provided no slip. As he walked, he felt trails of energy brush against him and the presence of someone walking beside him, although he saw no one. Only the light of the moon and its reflection upon the sea’s still surface.

Once sufficiently far enough, Kaito turned around and faced the shrine—his sole captive audience. Imagining Kaiken walking through the stage curtains, arms spread to greet everyone, Kaito did the same, his hands slowly and gracefully moving in front of him to perform a bow.

He heaved one last breath. Even with an audience of one, Kaito still felt his heart race and waves of fear threatening to seize him. But he was here now and he felt absolute in exactly what he wanted to do. Instead, he smiled, imagining the kojin beside him and crouched down with his arms spread out and one leg crossed in front of the other—crouching stance as taught to him by his martial arts training. The starting point of the routine. Kaito imagined the music playing in his head as he leaned back, one arm raised, and tumbled out of position.

The dance had begun.

The solo choreography came from the ending of a larger performance as a whole. Various dancers of Kaiken’s troupe sorted into groups performed a recital meant to show the changing of the seasons, starting with spring. Summer. Fall. Winter. Then Kaiken’s solo last to show the coming of spring. The solo Kaiken choreographed on his own. The solo danced to much applause. And also the solo that Kaiken had taught Kaito for the sole purpose of practicing together.

To dance a solo was an honor and a privilege given to only the troupe’s best dancers. Although Kaito practiced this routine often, this was on his own. Not in front of an audience. Kaito just hoped he wouldn’t make a mockery of his brother or his routine. But this wasn’t about Kaito. This was about paying tribute to the Kojin spirit.

To represent flowers arising from winter’s end, Kaito remained on the ground, tumbling. Reaching. Like the stem growing from its roots. He felt the tips of his fingers cold as though someone held his hand.

To represent said flowers blossoming, Kaito gracefully rose to an upright position on one leg, his torso held sturdy to the side, one leg bent and his arms in fourth position.

Now standing upright, spring had begun. And so did the routine.

Effortless turns that seemingly never ended.

Leaps that defied gravity.

Flexibility that his muscular build didn’t look capable of performing.

All with controlled strength and grace, yet delicate sensibility of an old, gentle soul.

The more more he turned, the more he jumped, the more he moved, Kaito slowly allowed the rest of him to become taken away by the joy of dance alone. As he moved, he felt himself bathe in that same spiritual energy, now warm, as though someone danced beside him. Now completely in his own world, he danced, completely unaware of the wisps of spiritual energy trailing upwards from him.

Meanwhile, back on land, the shrine guardian yawned as he neared his charge. He intended to just take the portable shrine and go, another year wasted. When he saw shadows in the sea’s horizon, he looked up.

He froze.

His eyes locked onto Kaito in awe—half at the miqo’te’s beautiful, graceful movements.

The other half at the spirit that hovered over the miqo’te’s head.

A large, red-crowned crane.

The bird overhead emulated the miqo’te’s movements. Beside the fowl danced the spirit of the kojin, smiling.

“A crane spirit,” said the shrine guardian softly. “A sign of good fortune and long life. This is a truly auspicious year after all.”

Some night denizens or otherwise insomniacs came to the pier. Upon seeing the miqo’te dance, they stopped to watch. Gradually, more and more people came and soon, a large crown formed… both in awe of the dancing and the crane spirit that hovered overhead.

Finally, the solo routine came to a close, as Kaito came out of a spin and slowly crouched back down into sitting stance. Unlike his two arms spread out from before, he reached out with his left hand, as though reaching to someone. When he turned to the side, he saw the kojin spirit in a mirrored pose, smiling at him. The spirit’s cold hand clasped Kaito’s hand. Kaito couldn’t help but return the smile. His stamina fairly spent from the routine, Kaito breathed heavily as his heart slowly begin its descent into a more natural rhythm.

Loud applause and cheers filled the miqo’te’s ears.

Kaito’s eyes widened and his ears and tail shot straight up as his head darted to the pier. Not only did he see the kojin spirit float back to the shore, turn around and applaud, he saw a sizeable group of people cheering him on.

People. People watching him.

His concentration broke. Kaito dropped into the water.

#FFxivWrite2021 #FFxivWrite #ffxiv

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shera-dnd · 3 years

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Love for a Dark Heart

Adding now to the list of things I can’t fucking believe I got paid to write: My FFXIV character falling in love with herself.

Honestly I could have kept writing this for another 5k words more, but I set the rules so I’m gonna stick to them

As usual you can follow this link right here to read it on AO3 if you’d prefer that. If you’d like to have a fic written by me you should feel free to donate to my ko-fi (rules for donations over here) and let’s get going with the fic

You are a rational woman.

You try to deal with the facts and not let emotion rule over your decisions. That doesn’t mean you’re cold hearted or any such thing, but when it comes to wielding aether you really cannot let your emotions get in the way, lest your magic escape your control entirely.

It’s why you joined the Arcanists Guild so long ago, their approach to spell craft was exactly what you needed, and after many long months of training you had even mastered the lost art of summoning. It had been your calculated and well crafted spells that had felled the Primals and even bested Gaius and his Ultima Weapon.

But what did that amount to?

You’ve been betrayed, the Sultana is dead, your friends are lost, and the nations you fought to defend probably have a price on your head by now. All your possessions now fit neatly into the tiny backpack you brought along in your journey to Ishgard, and the only people left to console you are Alphinaud and Tataru, but in all honesty you’re usually the one consoling them now.

But Ishgard still welcomes you and still needs you. House Fortemps has embraced you and the least you can do is fight to protect them as well. Just keep fighting and saving people until everything gets solved, it definitely worked just fine the first time you tried that, so why not try it again?

You don’t want to be bitter, you don’t want to be angry, you genuinely feel sorry whenever you snap at Alphinaud or Haurchefant, you know they’re having a hard time too. Still it is so hard not to just let that frustration fester in your heart.

One day you’re walking the streets of Ishgard, trying to work the anger out of your system, when you hear a man muttering something. It was a story about a man who fought like a beast, who wielded the Darkness like other men would wield a blade. Something about this story sparks your curiosity and next thing you know you’re pressing the man for details.

It seemed your mystery man had died in battle with the holy knights of Ishgard and his corpse had been dumped in the Brume. It was unfortunate, but mayhaps you could still find his corpse, maybe even his soulstone.

You weren’t thinking of wielding the darkness, were you? No, it was simply academic curiosity. You just couldn’t leave such a thing unstudied, right? Of course. Now to make your way to the Brume.

No pulse, no breathing, skin as cold as the snow around you, that man was a corpse. At least he was a corpse with a soulstone, maybe you could study that. You just have to take it and-

A voice calls for you in the dark.

You wake up confused, but still intact. Better yet, the man you thought dead was now alive and well in front of you. His name is Fray and he was a Dark Knight. Apparently so were you now.

Perhaps embracing the dark should have been difficult, it should have been the kind of decision you pondered over and considered all the pros and cons. It wasn’t supposed to be something you did on a whim, but in reality it was the easiest thing you’ve ever done.

You were stronger now. How else could you wield a weapon so massive? How else could those knights strike you with their blades and barely make you flinch? How else could you take all that anger, and frustration that you had repressed for so long, and give it such a beautiful shape as it cut down those hallowed bastards?

It felt good.

It felt too good.

Perhaps the life of a Dark Knight was exactly what you needed.

In the weeks that passed no one questioned why you disappeared every night or where you went. You had gone through a lot, and they just wanted to give you space to heal. Besides, who would question what the Warrior of Light did with her spare time? It almost made you feel bad for what you were doing.

Almost.

It was hard feeling bad now that you have started studying the Darkness. No, studying would imply a lot more research and controlled tests. What you were doing was more like exercising it, working out a muscle you didn’t know you had until now. If that meant killing your fair share of monsters then so be it.

Especially when working that metaphorical muscle also seemed to improve your physical ones. Even your eye sight seemed to have improved somehow. With time your tunic had been replaced by plate armor, your glasses by a full helmet, your book of spells by the biggest sword you could carry.

There were still hiccups when adapting to this new life as a Dark Knight. No matter how many times you attuned yourself to the Darkness you could only ever hear whispers of that voice in the dark that had once called your name. It worried you, and frustrated Fray to no end.

Frustration seemed to be Fray’s default state. Always furious at the people around you who insist on asking you to fix all their problems, ready to throw threats and insults any time someone so much as thought of interrupting you. You try to be nice, you try to de-escalate, to help those people anyway, but you know deep down that you agree with her.

Her? Wasn’t Fray a man?

Doesn’t matter, Fray can use whatever pronouns she wants. You just can’t remember her ever telling you she changed those.

Wait did she just mention fighting Leviathan? Had she been there with you on that ship? Surely you’d remember that.

Why hadn’t she mentioned that before?

Maybe if you still saw the world through your old scholarly lens, maybe if you still distanced yourself, studied the situation, maybe then you would have realized what was happening. You really can’t help but feel a little stupid when the truth finally reveals itself.

When Fray takes off her helmet it is your face that you see, your eyes that stare into yours, your voice that challenges you. She was your Darkness, your repressed rage against those who used you again, and again to suit their needs; your frustrations with this world that would exhaust you to the bone before finding any solution that didn’t involve you, your need for someone to just step up and care for you even once.

If only she hadn’t hurt those people, if only her first answer wasn’t to just draw her sword on those she saw as a threat to you, maybe then you’d let her go.

Your swords clash and ultimately she’s the one to fall. Your Darkness, your heart, your…

...Esteem, lies defeated before you and you don’t know how to feel. She was a monster formed from the deepest abyss, yet when you hear her declare that she will always be there for you, if only you were to call her, you can’t help but feel hope.

It was only after you exposed yourself to just about every guard, and soldier at Dragon Head that you decided that it’s about time you came clean to your friends.

Alphinaud and Haurchefant didn’t understand why you had made the decisions you had, but they couldn’t think of anyone better to wield such a power. Tataru trusted you with her life and just a bit of Darkness wouldn’t get in the way of that. Estinien claimed that he understood, that he too struggled against the evil that granted him his powers. In the end it all felt too easy, too unearned.

Still, there was a nation to save and a war to stop. Your little existential crisis would have to wait. You could almost hear Esteem screaming at you for ever forming that thought.

Soon it wouldn’t be just almost.

Weeks passed as you traversed Dravania, searching for a way to stop this war. For a moment you had hoped that by exposing the lies of Ishgardian nobility you would finally put an end to this, but of course that just led the holy men of Halone to do what they thought was right, which just happened to be capturing and torturing an innocent man.

You went in to try to save a man, to make those self appointed saints pay. You didn’t go there to lose a friend, yet that’s what you did.

You kept your composure long enough to reach your private chambers in the Fortemps manor, but as soon as the door closed behind you, you collapsed. You could have saved him, you could have prevented this, you could have jumped out of the way, or pushed him away, or just done anything.

But you didn’t, and now he paid the price for it.

What a pathetic excuse for a Warrior of Light you are.

“You’re no such thing!” A familiar voice calls. You don’t know when or how you summoned her back, but there she was.

Esteem lifted you from the ground and laid you in your bed. You noticed now that instead of the black armor she had favored in your fight, now she wore one of your old robes and your old glasses. It was almost funny thinking of a being of pure aether deigning to wear glasses for some reason.

With a gentleness you didn’t know either of you had, she caressed and soothed you as she repeated those same words over and over again, “it wasn’t your fault.”

It felt pathetic to only have a shadow of yourself to care for you, but for now it didn’t matter. All you could do in that moment was cling, cling to the kind words and the soft touch of the only person who cared enough to offer, and try as hard as you can to believe in what she’s saying.

“Rest now, you fool,” she asked, her voice just as gentle as before.

“Please stay,” you pleaded, unsure if she would disappear the moment you closed your eyes.

It was a selfish thing to ask, to force her to stay in the material world simply for your own comfort, but Esteem wanted nothing more than for you to be selfish, so there was never any doubt that she would oblige.

The next morning she was still there, asleep somehow, still holding you in her arms. It shamed you to admit that this was the closest you’ve ever been to another person. No one had held you this close, no one had ever let you fall asleep in their arms - or fallen asleep in yours for what that matters - had she been more than just a piece of your own heart, perhaps you would have found reason for embarrassment.

There was certainly some strangeness to it, of course. Waking up in your own arms and seeing your own face in the morning was as surreal an experience as you could imagine right now. Though it did allow you some interesting introspection. You shifted in bed a little, trying to get a good look at your own face, wondering if you had ever looked this peaceful before.

“If you even consider rising from this bed I promise you the Archbishop will be the least of your worries,” she grumbles without even opening her eyes.

“I did not know you could sleep,” you comment.

“Neither did I,” she replies. She pushes herself into a sitting position, having completely given up on the idea of returning to your shared slumber, “if I must be honest, I don’t even know how I was granted physical form once more.”

“Yet your first response to sudden corporealization was not to question it, but to attend to the sobbing mess on the floor,” you are by no means attempting to mock her, it simply sounds odd to you.

“What am I to say?” She jested, “I’m quite fond of that sobbing mess.”

At that you averted your gaze. It felt embarrassing somehow, to have someone declare their fondness so bluntly, even if that someone wasn’t an actual person.

“Have we truly grown so alienated from affection?” She sighs, her voice a mix of worry and disappointment.

You motion to protest, but a knock on the door interrupts you both. With a gesture, she requests you stay in bed while she handles this. That may be the worst idea you have ever heard, but you’re far too tired to protest.

“I’m glad to see you’re awake and well,” Alphinaud greets her cheerfully, “If you’re disposed, I’d like to ask-”

“I’m not,” She interrupts, “now, you may be on your way.”

The poor boy is too stunned to reply, and does nothing to stop her from slamming the door on his face. A smug smirk forms on her face as she strides back to you.

“Must you be so rude to all my friends?” You say as you glare at her.

“Must you put the needs of every last soul above your own well being?” She shot back, matching your stare.

You’re the one to break the stare first, “I’ll try not to.”

She nods and gives you a satisfied smile as she sits next to you, “now do try to rest. Wouldn’t want me to be rude to poor Alphinaud for naught.”

In the weeks that followed she had been ever by your side. Like your old summons she could effortlessly appear and disappear from thin air, combined with her nature as a being of pure aether it made you suspect you had somehow called upon an egi of Esteem’s former self. This was promptly disproven by the fact that her response to any direct commands was a simple and direct, “sod off!”

By all accounts she should simply be darkness aspected aether, given shape and purpose by your needs and desires, as unreal as Ysayle’s false Shiva. Yet here she was, talking when she wanted to, sleeping when she wanted to, eating when she wanted to--seven hells she even has different tastes than you. There was no other way around it, Esteem had become her own person somehow.

Part of you worried that you had somehow created a Primal of your own heart. That had now been buried under the far more substantial worry that you have been utterly mistreating an actual person with thoughts and feelings, who had done nothing but help you and care for you for weeks. This in turn had been buried under the mess of feelings that struck your heart at the fact that this woman had held you in your sleep for weeks now. Mayhaps you should just focus on hitting things with big swords for now.

On that angle things have been a lot simpler. Your preparations for the journey to Azys Lla were now almost concluded, and as you waited for Master Cid to finish his work you took your time to aid a fellow Dark Knight by the name of Sidurgu.

That man quite proudly embodied the mass of hate and anger you expected from a Dark Knight, a trait that seemed to invoke Esteem’s disdain and earn him quite a share of her unkindly remarks. Neither his emotional state nor her opinion of him were ever aided by the fact that you surpassed him with ease.

You may have stumbled onto this power like a blind fool, but it had somehow suited you with a natural ease that eluded your companion. It was in the pursuit of more power - under the guise of aiding a young girl that Sidurgu had taken under his wing - that you found yourself once more doing menial tasks for moogles. At least today you’d have the catharsis of beating them within an ilm of their lives for it.

What you did not expect was for them to burst into song and dance afterwards.

“‘Tis love! ‘Tis love!” They profess with their tiny voices, “all-powerful, shining love!”

Suffice to say that the both of you were completely befuddled by the performance - Esteem loudly laughing in the corner she carved for herself in your mind - had Rielle, your shared charge, not appeared in that moment you were sure you’d both sit like that for an hour.

It was only as you made your way back to Ishgard that Sidurgu took you aside to talk about what had unfolded. He mocked the idea that love could be the true power of Darkness, but you could see that sharp edge on his voice begin to dull ever so slightly.

A year ago you would have been just as dismissive of such an idea, to properly channel aether you require coldly calculated theorems, not something as nebulous as love.

Yet here you are. You’ve wielded anger and frustration like weapons for months now, why can’t you wear love like an armor?

You loved your friends and that gave you strength.

You loved Eorzea and that gave you strength.

You loved yourself and that…

...Well, did you really love yourself that much? Not as much as you should if Esteem were to be believed, but she does. She loves you, and that gives you strength.

It’s with this context that you begin to notice the little things she does, even when she’s not around. The gentle touches, the kind words, the worry in her eyes after a rough fight. It had been her love that helped you strike down with your blade, it had been her love that held you up when an enemy would fell you. It made you oh so keenly aware of her heartbeat - surprisingly human and comforting - next to yours as she held you both together.

Had you loved her too this whole time?

Perhaps you should have questioned this before the worries of facing Garleans, Ascians, and the Archbishop, loomed this close in the horizon. Perhaps you should have questioned that Esteem’s love didn’t come just from some magically ordained purpose. Perhaps you should have questioned what it meant about you that you so willingly accepted and reciprocated that love.

By the time you arrive at the Fortemps manor that night, you have already made your decision and you find her in your room, reading a spicy romance novel from Emmanellain’s secret stash. Steeling yourself in a way you hadn’t done since facing Ultima, you approach her and bring your lips to hers. It was a fleeting touch, but it had the whole of you buzzing with nervous energy.

With the most detestably smug smile, she brings you close again so she may kiss you back and, as if she hadn’t just shaken your very soul with that act, returned to her reading.

You stare at her, utterly confounded by her lack of any real reaction. It takes her a moment to realize you are still staring and the words that escaped her mouth would infuriate and haunt you for the rest of your existence.

“Was I wrong to assume we’d been lovers for at least a month now?”

Perhaps you really should have just stuck to hitting people with big swords.

#final fantasy xiv #ffxiv #dark knight #ffxiv dark knight #drk #warrior of light #esteem #warrior of light x esteem

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faelune-home · 3 years

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FFXIV Write #13: Oneirophrenia

(a/n: For all this prompt was a doozy to work with, I did have a few ideas instantly jump to mind. But in the end, I went with a more personal WoL focused take on it.

Fhara didn’t take too well to the Scions’ callings :’) She might have some mild abandonment issues now after that, she’d rather keep her friends close so she knows they’re safe now, rather than risk losing them when she can’t see them.

Post-Il Mheg, no spoilers in the fic itself. If anything my own A/Ns here have a spoiler the story doesn’t have XD

Word count: 692)

She stumbled in a cold sweat, wandering through the fog. Where was the camp, where were the Scions- her friends? She could’ve sworn they were right next to her, she’d only turned around for a second. Was it the pixies? A cruel trick?

But the grass underfoot wasn’t the bright flowering meadows of Il Mheg. If anything, the ground beneath her was featureless, a blank grey stone, unfamiliar to her memory of any place on the First. The fog didn’t give at all, not even offering her any clue or landmark as to where she was or where anyone else could be.

“Is anyone here?” she called. Her voice echoed around her.

“Someone!” No answer. She found her breath start to quicken, her tail flicking back and forth in a panic. She could only turn blindly on the spot, marching to and fro searching endlessly for some sign of another person or a place to call for help.

“Alphinaud? Alisaie?” she yelled, hoping for a familiar flash of blue or red in the smog. But there was no-one.

“Thancred! Minfilia?” Again, turning wildly, for some sign of a friend. But there was no-one.

Urianger,” she called, much more weakly, losing hope. She just wanted to find someone. Anyone.

But there was no-one.

There was no-one.

She turned once more, readying to make for another patrol to find any signs of life, when her foot twisted, and she stumbled and fell, collapsing onto rubble--

…

Fhara awoke with a start, gasping and panting, rubbing the sweat from her forehead. Pushing herself up from where she lay on the grass, she shook her head wildly, trying to remove the awful dream from her mind.

“Are you alright? It sounded like you were having a fit in your sleep.”

She looked up. She was still in Il Mheg, near the boundary toward Lakeland. And it was night.

The Scions were still with her as well; the twins were asleep propped against trees - much like Fhara herself must’ve been, she now realised, until her tossing made her slip to the ground - while Minfilia lay closer to the small fire that had been set up to stave off the chill of the night, although even then, Thancred’s coat had been laid over the top of the girl.

The man in question was sitting watching the larger horizon for danger, with Urianger beside him, although both of them had turned to eye the miqo’te woman, concern evident in their expressions.

“I...I was keeping watch for the night,” Fhara clumsily started. With a bemused shrug, Thancred pointed out, “And you appear to have dozed off. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, I can take over if you need the rest.”

“No,” she exclaimed, wincing as her louder than expected yell made Minfilia stir. However the girl simply rolled over and kept sleeping.

“No,” Fhara repeated, softer, “I can stay up. I just haven’t been sleeping well since I got here. It’s been hard to tell when it’s night.” Neither of the men looked too convinced.

“Twould be in thy own interests to take rest now,” Urianger suggested, “As valiant as thy efforts are to act as protectorate for us all, it has been a long day for thyself. Many more trials remain in these coming days, I’m sure, thou wouldst surely be best served preserving thy strength.”

“I...I suppose so,” Fhara frowned.

“I’ll wake you if any trouble comes up, alright?” Thancred offered, “It’d be best if you slept now, we’ll be making for the Crystarium as soon as dawn comes.”

“We will not leave without thee,” Urianger assured her. At last, with their encouragement, exhaustion seemed to take her. She made a final attempt to fight back a yawn, but her eyes were already drooping. Fhara could only share a brief, grateful smile, before she curled up next to the base of the tree, and slipped back into sleep.

It was a long and peaceful night. Not another stir was heard. And not a word was said the next morning about her mumbling dreams, despite unspoken worries passing between the night guards about their friend.

#ffxivwrite #ffxivwrite2021 #my writing #keeper of the moon miqo'te #my wol #fhara laali #Scions of the Seventh Dawn #Shadowbringers #thancred waters #Urianger Augurelt #FFXIV #Final Fantasy XIV

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the-dragons-knight · 3 years

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FFXIV Write 2021

Prompt #18 - Perspectives

Devil’s Advocate - ‘a person who advocates an opposing or unpopular cause for the sake of argument’

————————————————————

“Katsum, you must remember. These men have lived far longer in a world where every dragon they crossed tried to kill them and everyone around them,” Aymeric chided, gently setting down the cup of tea on the table in front of her, “I too came from the same outlook though not as long as most of these men have lived, and we simply did not have the same upbringing with the truths and stories as you did.”

Katsum sighed, shaking her head as she lifted her tea cup and looked down with a scowl at the dark drink that had a little heat still steaming off of it, “I know that, I do…or I try to,” She meet Aymeric’s gaze as he sat in the chair beside her, “It’s just after all that’s happened since the end of the war…and even during like Vidolnir saving Maelie and Raihogg threatening Nidhogg’s shade when he attacked the peace conference! Surely they should be able to see. You do!”

Aymeric sighed gently, “You must look at it from their perspective, Kat. To you, you could see their intentions. You could understand their motives. To the others gathered, it was a beast they were taught to fear being far closer than they believed they ever should be.”

“Then why not just hear what I have to say and try and see through my eyes as well?”

“Because they are old men stuck in their ways and incredibly stubborn.”

“I am stubborn as well—”

“Yes, my love, trust me I know,” She frowned at this and he quickly retracted, “I-I mean that in the best way, kat. You know that right?”

“I think so…,” She looked down at her hands again, “Sorry, yes, I’m just…frustrated.”

Her ears perked as she watched his hand move to rest on hers, softly caressing it with his thumb, “If only it were that easy, Kat, yet you yourself have seen how they are. Indeed, those actions helped them see that the dragons were not of the mind to fight, yes, they still needed time to see the full truth within their hearts. While many have come to see it, others still need time to. And while I agree that yes they should just listen to us, especially with your loving heart only hoping for peace and the harmony you’ve heard of all your life, they are just far more headstrong and unwilling to compromise than you could ever be.”

The miqo'te blinked before she huffed and shrugged, “I don’t know about all of that but…I’ll try to not be so quick to snap, ok?” She saw him nod out of the corner of her eye as she took a long sip of her tea. She knew he was right, yet her patience was always tested when one of said stuffy nobles tried to talk down to her about her dragons and the ‘blight it brought their proud history’. How she wished she could freely control and share the echo so that she could show them the real truth, just to silence their petty rambling.

Aymeric’s chuckle broke her from her trance as she looked up at him, blushing slightly at the intensity of his smiling eyes.

“What?”

“Nothing really. Just admiring you,” He lifted his own tea cup to his lips without taking his eyes off of her as he grinned and added, “And whether you believe it or not, your kind and caring heart is beautiful, and a shining ray of hope.”

Her blush darkened as her ears fell again, “T-Thank you, Aymeric.”

“Of course, my Kat.”

She smiled sweetly at him and they took another sip of tea together, soon finishing their first cups. Aymeric moved to pour himself another and filled Katsum’s again as well as she set it on the table.

Katsum chuckled pitifully as she dropped another cube of sugar in her cup, “If only I was better at politics and speaking with them lik you are.”

“By the Fury, do not wish for that,” Aymeric laughed tiredly as he sitrred his tea, “It is utterly draining, always speaking with them about the same matters every few days, and they are hardly ever up lifting their decisions. Oftentimes, we do not settle a matter, but rather postpone it before it comes to blows. It was worse in our first few discussions, but the slight issue of it is still present,” He raised his cup to her, “Thank the heavens I have your loving arms to come home to and rest my soul within.”

The knightess smiled, “Happy to be of service, my lord.” She raised her cup to tae another happy sip of the delicious tea.

“You’ll still accompany me on this last meeting, yes?” He asked softly, an apologetic tone to his voice and a pleading look in his eyes.

Katsum nearly spit out her tea, “Another meeting? I thought we just finished the last one!”

“We did, yes…and there is one more.”

Katsum groaned, “Aymeric, I cannot handle another meeting today…I don’t know how you can stand so many!”

“I can because I give myself something to look forward to after it is over. For example, I often just remind myself I shall be home and spend time with you as soon as it is over. So, I offer this,” He leaned close to her and whispered in her ear, “We will spend the rest of the day laying in bed and cuddling. What say you to that?”

She grinned and looked up at him, “We would have done that anyway, Aymeric.”

“Yes, but now you are looking forward to that more, yes?”

“…Touche.”

“So?”

“Alright, very well, you have convinced,” She leaned her head on his shoulder, “Can’t have my knight suffering alone after all.”

He smiled warmly and leaned in to peck her lips sweetly, “You have my deepest gratitude, my love.”

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autumnslance · 4 years

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FFXIV Write 2020 #17: Fade

Ciuna woke in the early morning hours, a moment of disorientation giving way to a relieved smile.

It was dark.

She rose from her hammock slowly, joints creaking in protest. But she would not skip her vigil. She made her way through Fanow, so much larger and busier than in her long ago youth. Still, there were platforms under open spaces in the canopy where an old woman could sit and watch the dawn.

One of those places was where her current qitari scribe found her as the darkness began to fade, pink edging up into the sky as the stars slowly winked out. “Good morning, Master Ciuna,” the girl said brightly, nose snuffling. “The gods have blessed us with a beautiful day, and the Matoya will be arriving from Slitherbough not long after breakfast.”

Ciuna smiled, watching the vanishing stars. “I knew her, you know. The first Master Matoya--well, our first Master Matoya; she had called herself that after her own mentor, on that other world the Warriors of Darkness came from.”

“I remember, Master Ciuna,” the scribe replied patiently.

Ciuna fixed her gaze on the young qitari, pleased by the girl’s slight fidget before she stopped, squared her small shoulders, and gazed back with her big, bright eyes. She wasn’t more than what, five? A young woman in the vibrancy of life, the men of her tribe vying for her attention--but she would rather tend to the ramblings of an old woman, dutifully writing down all Ciuna could tell her.

So much like her ancestor, dear Chaqurl; he had lived to be nearly thirty, a truly venerable age for the qitari. In the centuries since, Ciuna had decades ago stopped trying to remember her scribes’ names. A handful of years ago, she had stopped feeling guilty about it.

“Yes, you qitari never forget, do you?” Ciuna said, trying to sound harsh, but she couldn’t help her fondness for the ratlike girl. “This new Matoya had best be more reasonable than the last,” she continued, looking back to the brightening sky. The stars were almost gone now, and the deep indigo was fading into a lighter blue.

She still sometimes expected the Light to return, especially on cloudy mornings when the sun struggled to reflect through them, making bright, billowy pink-gold highlights too reminiscent of her distant childhood memories. Today, however, was blessedly clear.

It would be a good day.

“Let us get you your breakfast, and soon enough we’ll find out, Master,” the scribe said patiently, offering her tiny hand.

Ciuna sighed and took it, getting up--still stiff, gods bless, she was going to have to deal with that--as the sun finally rose and the forest came awake.

The new Matoya reminded Ciuna a great deal of the first to bear the title as they made their way into the Ravel. She hadn’t known the woman so well as the old chief Almet and her sisters--Ciuna and her sister had been but Master Lanille’s apprentices in those days, after all--but the mystel’s sheer force of presence and will had been hard to ignore as they had all worked with her to learn many of Ronka’s secrets.

The tradition of a leader of the Night’s Blessed taking on the title of Matoya had begun when a young drahn had come of age and declared that her name in the light would be in honor of the woman who had guided them through the final years of the Flood and stood alongside the Warrior of Darkness. Since then, one of the Blessed’s council of priests had taken on the name; mostly women, two men, once someone who was neither. They had been of the various races of Norvrandt. This woman was a mystel, the first in a while. Her hair was black and eyes deep violet, but her willful bearing and intelligent, sharp wit were much like the Matoya of eld.

Still, as Ciuna led the way, she noted this one had none of the arrogance of her most recent predecessor--that woman had been nigh insufferable, and only the patience of centuries had seen Ciuna through her tenure. Instead the new Matoya was respectful, and almost giddy with excitement.

“Here we are,” Ciuna said as they finally reached the murals in the heart of the ruins. Matoya’s breath drew in sharply as her dark eyes drank in the sight.

The ancient murals were faded, though there was some discussion among Ciuna’s students of cleaning and repainting, attempting to revitalize the tale of the star’s destruction and rebirth. The newer murals, however, had been painstakingly completed in the decades after the Flood’s end in a similar, yet decidedly modern, style.

Ciuna’s gaze lingered, as it often did, on the shadowy figure of the Warrior.

Her friend. Not many left on this old world who could say that anymore.

“They say you knew her,” Matoya said, voice hushed in reverence. She knew she stood in an old place, a sacred place. One no longer haunted by Ronkan traps and sin eaters.

Ciuna couldn’t remember the last time anyone had seen a sin eater.

She nodded to the young woman. “I did. The books speak of great deeds and feats of wonder. And they’re all...mostly true. But she was so much more than that indomitable hero of the tales. She was helpful. Funny. Tired. Haunted. Kind.” Ciuna smiled, remembering. They had all been so young back then, when the Light filled the sky. “She came to find her lost friends, scattered across the realm--your namesake among them. Together, they ended the Flood of Light and saved our world, though it was not their own.” She chuckled. “Sometimes in the forest, I begin to remember the old times, and I think I still see them. See her. But it is a trick of an old woman’s lonely mind.”

Matoya frowned and looked away. “You have guided many of us through the years, Master Ciuna. My predecessor spoke highly of you, and your stories of those days.”

“Did she?” Ciuna asked, amused. “I can’t think of a time we didn’t argue.”

“She was...a handful,” Matoya laughed, tail lashing in bittersweet amusement. “I hope to benefit from your wisdom for as long as she did.”

“Hmph. ‘Tis more like you will be the last Matoya I meet,” Ciuna said softly. She smiled gently at the girl’s stricken face. “Do not despair, child; ‘tis the natural way of the world, after all. Besides; my sister and the others await me in the Sunless Sea. I cannot keep them waiting forever. And, mayhap, on those distant shores, I shall see my old friend again as well.” She looked back up at the mural.

“Before I took this name, I traveled across Norvrandt, and even the New Reaches,” Matoya said. She spoke of the places that used to be called the Empty--another miracle the Warrior, the Oracles, and their friends had begun. “I believe that no other mortal lives who remembers the days of the Flood of Light. The fair folk...well, much of what they know, they do not tell.”

“Not without games and compensation,” Ciuna said, laughing. “And many among them do remember, even if eventually they too fade into slumber. There may come a day when none even among them ever met the Warriors who saved this world.” She gestured to the ancient murals. “As there are none now who recall the birth of the star. All we have left are their memories.”

“But memories fade,” Matoya said. “Without those alive to remember them.”

“History is learned, not lived,” Ciuna reminded her. “I can describe to you every detail of my youth, and while you might comprehend much, you still would not understand it as I do. Yet that memory of my telling, and your retelling, ensure those stories live on, changed though they may be. Your own name is a testament to the recording of history, is it not? So long as one among the Blessed takes the name Matoya, a part of that brilliant woman will continue to wander in the shadows of this forest.”

Matoya considered that for a long moment, ears and tail slowly flicking, fingers carefully tracing the owl symbol of Ronka on the medallion she wore, denoting her role as Ally and Keeper of Histories. Finally she lifted her head. “I want to know everything.”

Ciuna looked up at the murals again. The Warriors of Light. The Ancients. The Oracles of Light and Dark. The Crystal Exarch. The Scions. The Warrior of Darkness. In her mind’s eye she saw them all, young and vibrant and oh so determined.

Like the young woman looking to her now, with that same fire and determination in her own unwavering gaze. So very familiar, somehow.

“Then listen well, Matoya of the Night’s Blessed, for there is much to tell, and together, we shall preserve a little longer the memories of the world they gave us.”

#FFXIVWrite2020 #Final Fantasy XIV #Shadowbringers #Future Fic #Ciuna #Lyn Writing

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ffxiv-angora · 3 years

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Things I like RP Partners to Know

Tagged by @caspianking again LOL

I like to be called: Lavi/Angora/Ango etc. I don’t mind either! I get called both on a regular basis depending on where folks met me first. I also go by she/her pronouns!

One thing (or several) you should know about me: I’ve actively been in the FFXIV RP community since...late 2014? I joined the game in mid 2014 and transferred to Balmung (back in the day where you had to wait and do it at like 3am) for RP purposes later that same year (I think). So I’ve been around for a while. I did take a step back from RP for a while due to some IRL stuff, but I returned a little over a year ago to try and get back into things (though I was still active in-game when I wasn’t RPing).

My RP style is very casual. I never expect folks to write huge paragraphs or anything like that. My own writing ranges from just a sentence or two to paragraphs depending on what’s going on. I consider my writing skills to be fairly mediocre LOL But I like to think I at least get my points across in a way that’s not too boring or repetitive.

I am a huge introvert so I am horrible at approaching new folks or going to big RP events. Despite that, I do try my best to stay active and hope to start branching out again. Though you likely won’t find me at any events if I am alone lmao I love brainstorming and coming up with fun new situations to throw my characters into with folks. It always makes me happy when new people approach me for RP stuff ;v;

IRL has been pretty dicey for me lately since I’ve had a LOT going on the last few months. I try my best to be active when I can. Replies can be on the slower side at time depending on what’s going on. I also never push for replies from others either! Take your time~

You can usually always get ahold of me via Discord! I am also pretty active on my Twitter and try my best to check Tumblr.

One thing (Or several) you should know about my muses: Angora is my main and the character I am most comfortable with, but all 4 of my characters are fair game lol The other three are a bit more restricted in terms of where they’d be at any given time. Angora is always traveling for work so I can throw her just about anywhere. She was even sneaking around in Garlemald recently. If your character is healer....Angora will probably seek them out at some point. She tends to get into trouble and there is a reason she has befriended so many healers lmao

That being said, Angora would be very suspicious and closed off to anyone new who might approach her out of the blue. You have to earn her trust first before she’ll open up more. Angora can still be social if she needs to be, though. It just comes with the territory of some of the work she does. She keeps all sorts of professional relationships should she work with someone or they offer a service she needs. Just know that if your character tries to be a little too friendly or pushy, and Angora takes it the wrong way, they may end up with a knife to the throat. Angora is also not above being bribed with something depending on what the situation is.

Gaining her trust is the main way you’ll actually see her actual personality come out. Or if you happen to be around her if she’s with someone like Caspian. She can’t help but be a gremlin whenever the redhead is involved. She’d also likely be more relaxed if she has Li’yera (or really anyone from the company) with her.

Wyra’to, Shria, and Altani are all not nearly as paranoid as Angora is lmao So if you are interested in meeting them, let me know! I’d love to use them more.

First language: English

HIGHLIGHT: Carrds - Angora | Wyra’to | Shria | Altani

Age range: 22 | 23–25 | 26–29 | 30+ | 70+ (I do ask that any RP partners are 18+)

Am I okay with NSFW?: yes | no | some nsfw (Would for sure have to be talked about ahead of time and I’ll have to be comfortable with you first. I’m so rusty at nsfw things lmao I also prefer for it to happen naturally via development if it does happen.)

Darker themes?: yes | no | depends (would need to be talked about first)

Canon OC friendly?: yes | no | depends

RP blog: does contain ooc posts | doesn’t contain ooc posts | occasionally contains ooc | aesthetic

Final Thoughts: All in all, I’d love to meet some new people and branch out RP wise with any of my characters ;0; I can be pretty shy but I also love to go on and on about character stuff if given the chance. My main goal is just to have fun with our fictional idiots lol

#ooc things #ffxiv rp #mun meme

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katalinhunter · 4 years

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FFXIV Write 2020 - Prompt 30

Splinter

Katalin was sitting in the room, the dancer's crystal in the palm of her hand. It was their second-to-last night before the event and the bloody spectacle they hoped to make of it. They had met with Kudo the day prior and he continued to seem overly pleased with himself and how things were going. All for the better, let him move blindly while pieces settled into their final places.

Today had been quiet although the servants had been bustling about in preparation which Katalin had assumed to be for the upcoming 'wedding'. She and Radasa had kept to themselves mostly - no more training, the time was nearly up and raising the miqo'te's spirits in even the slightest bit was more important now. Also, there was some other preparation she needed to do.

She was cross-legged on the bed, eyes closed as she sent that familiar pulse of aether to her crystal. There was a glimmer of a response but nothing more. Okay, that's fine. To be honest, she was still keeping herself guarded from it after the earlier events in Limsa. Relax into it, open herself up, push aside any doubts, then resend the pulse. She felt the connection spark into life, she heard a knock on their door.

Wait, what?

Katalin fumbled the crystal back into its pouch and looked over to Radasa to make sure she was ready for whatever this was. A swipe at the door wedge with her foot knocked it away and she opened the door. One of the servants stood on the other side of the door and told them they were to appear at the pre-wedding celebration in five minutes. Shite, shite, shite. They rushed, preparing as best they could before heading out - Katalin with the swish of cloth and click of heels, Radasa moving in a subdued manner behind her.

The crystal rested in its place at Katalin's hip.

(more under the cut)

Mistress Eva joined the celebration with the latest bride for Kado Vatke at her side. Thirty-third? What the hells would anyone want so many for? She blinked at the mention of a possible thirty-fourth and offered a cool smile to the man as his eyes lingered on her for a moment. Hells with that bastard, you'll be dead in 48 bells. One hand snatched a drink from a passing tray and raised it to him.

A quick word then with Radasa. "Okay, so we are going to have to do this. It should be safe, just make pleasant and scream if you need me to come and be assertive. I do not think 'have fun' is appropriate, but do what you can. Everything is almost ready."

The miqo'te went her own way and was almost instantly swarmed by the the man's wives. Each of them made a pretense of happiness, hiding their misery with a social vapidness. Katalin wondered if there was enough left in them to be worth saving, but shrugged it off and moved away to find another drink.

She drifted from conversation to conversation, gathering names and mentally tagging each of them. Slave, slaver, buyer, monetarist, bodyguard, vulture, scum, cat toy. The last was the Hrothgar she had been talking with on and off again, occasionally flirtatious. He seemed harmless, but judging by the company he chose? She put him on the low-priority kill list.

The music started then and he claimed the first dance. His lead was hesitant and eventually the roles reversed and she was wheeling the oversized miqo'te across the floor to his enjoyment. She twirled him away, then abandoned him as she stole someone else's partner. One of the wives it seems, that's fine. She gave the woman a smile and then danced in a new direction, thinking: unknown bystander, to be either saved, killed, or ignored.

So the night went as she moved amongst them, targeting and quickly mentally labeling them. On rare occasions she would update her first impressions of people, usually moving them onto the kill list. They were all pleasant for the most part, despite their business. Broken people on both sides, those who kept themselves willfully blind to the lives they were living or the jobs they were doing.

One of the wives who tried to put herself in charge of the others, cruelly fighting for position to be the top slave. Kill.

The husband of one of the dealers who hated the business but was here to support his spouse. Reluctantly kill.

A midlander who was quite handsome and a skilled dancer, but who had let his hands wander freely with a leering smile on his face up until her heel slammed down on his toes. Kill.

Another spouse who had been beaten before coming, hiding the injuries with their dress and cosmetics and now putting on a smile for all the rest. Another beating and crueler things were expected later tonight. Save.

And so it went, bells passing as the party found its own rhythm. Katalin had lost sight of Radasa for a moment, but finally saw that she had escaped to the side-garden and was in conversation with some Elezen. Everything seemed fine so she focused on her next dance partner.

Through it all, the crystal at her hip hummed to her. There was no overwhelming this time, just a background interweaving of tunes. She slid among the others, her own tune weaving in and out, a dance independent of the others but playing along the edges. Some warmth was spared for those few on the save list and their mood would lighten for at least a bit.

Eventually the dancing stopped except for some drunken lurchers. Small talk was made, mostly Katalin listening and nodding, before she could make her way to that garden. It had been exhilarating in a way, but draining and she had felt herself... She didn't have the words, but each of them that she had interacted with, that she had thought worthy of saving, she could almost still feel them in a vague way. It was different from that Limsan night, that splintering of her self. She was distinct, they were distinct, and she could almost hear a chorus that stood strong against the noise of the others.

Okay, that was too much fanciful thinking. She pulled back from it and studied Radasa through the glass, pondering. If she hadn't diminished the connection or been hiding behind the role, maybe she would've caught the discordant note from the miqo'te.

#ffxivwrite2020 #prompt 30 splinter #ffxiv #ffxiv rp

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eldritchsurveys · 3 years

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1090.

Can you say you are fully happy right now? >> Some surveys have such standard and generic questions that I can’t rightly tell if I’ve already taken it. This is one of those, and because it’s so long I’m hoping to god I don’t get to the middle of it and be like “oh. I did this literally last week” lmao. Fingers crossed. I don’t know what “fully happy” means. I took my walk like I promised myself, and I made an offering and am now drinking it (it’s delicious, a dessert stout called Big Luscious), so I’m on track for how I wanted my day to go. And I’m not triggered or having any kind of episode, so I’m okay there. Which means I am currently stable, which is a great place to be (considering the alternatives).

Do you think someone is thinking about you right now? >> It’s possible, I guess.

Is there someone who stopped talking to you for no reason? >> I mean, probably, at some point. Ghosting is a common thing these days, for some reason.

Did you ever get called horrible names like (whore, skank, bitch)? >> Sure.

Where did you sleep last night? >> In my bed.

Ever slow danced with anyone? >> Yes, outworld and Inworld. Inworld is obviously the best, though. ~

Ever cried in public? >> Yes. Privacy and solitude was a rarity and a luxury for most of my life, so I had no real choice.

Ever feel safe in someone’s arms? >> Inworld, yes. I don’t know what that’s like outworld.

What would you do if you were pregnant? >> Die.

Are you afraid of letting anyone in? >> So, I have disordered attachment, am a product of CEN and CSA, and have resultant CPTSD. You do the math. (*makes some kind of joke about how it’s probably gonna be algebra because of all the acronyms--*)

Do you like cuddling? >> I love it Inworld. It basically gets me through everything. I would basically remain glued to Can Calah at all times if I could (and on some bad days, I do). Outworld is a completely different story because of the things mentioned just above.

Ever cry in school? >> I’m sure I have.

Who is the last person to send you a message on facebook? >> Probably Casey, like a month and a half ago.

Do you look decent when you wake up? >> Why am I paying attention to how I look when I wake up? I’m in bed. Who the fuck am I performing for? -___-’

Have you ever been given roses? >> No.

Had a long distance relationship? >> Yes.

Does it bother you when people never answer their cell phones? >> Why would that bother me? I am also one of those people. Oh, I guess you mean, like... I call a person, they never answer... hah, as if I would ever call a person. This is totally outside my experience.

Do you care what happens in politics/your government? >> I mean... here’s the thing. I care in the sense that I’m not totally disconnected from the effects of politics on people like me. But the realm of politics, specifically, is so alien to me that I have no idea what to do about it except halfheartedly vote and hope for the best? I don’t know how much more I’m supposed to care. I hate the political system, period, I want nothing to do with it. People assume that anyone that feels that way must be privileged and unaffected by politics, but I guess their shortsightedness about how different people can experience and feel about things is not my problem.

Ever been called babe/baby? >> Sparrow says “babe”.

Have you ever witnessed someone else engaging in a sexual act (not necessarily sex)? >> Yes.

Where did you get drunk last? >> I don’t remember. I don’t get drunk anymore, I just like to drink a beverage and enjoy the taste and slight buzz. Like right now, it’ll probably take me the next hour or two to finish this stout, but that’s the way I like to drink. Slowly and comfortably.

What’s your relationship with the last person you texted? >> I’m married to her.

If someone went through your pictures, would they find a dirty one? >> Nope. The only time I ever took nudes was just for the fun of it, not to be sexual or anything. Just enjoying having a human body (god, I wish that were me now...). But that was a long time ago and none of those photos are available anywhere anymore.

Do you want to see anyone right now? >> No.

Have you ever fell asleep in someone’s arms? >> Inworld, yes. Outworld, no.

How long does it take for you to fall asleep at night? >> About a half-hour after laying down, usually. Some nights a little longer, but then I just catch up on my reading.

How many pillows are on your bed >> Two.

When’s the last time you cried? >> Yesterday.

Is it cute when a guy buys you flowers? >> I mean, I’d require more context than that. If I’m friends with a guy and he’s like “I saw these flowers and thought of you!” that’d be adorable. I do love flowers, thanks for thinking of me! Also, I’ll probably use them as an offering, so double win. If some random guy sent me flowers, I’d be a bit disturbed and put-off.

Will things change in the next month? >> I mean, yes. That’s how it works.

How did you do on the last test you took? >> ---

Have you ever wanted to tell someone something but didn’t? >> I mean, yeah. Are you afraid to grow up? >> ---

Are you busy tomorrow? >> Probably not, unless something really unpredictable and abnormal happens. I might be plenty busy playing FFXIV, though, considering I can’t today because it’s patch day.

How long have you had the shirt you’re wearing? >> It’s an undershirt, idk how long I’ve had it.

Do you give out second chances way too easily? >> Er, I assume not? I’m not usually in this kind of situation.

Has anyone told you that you’re amazing? >> Yes.

How many black shirts do you own? >> Like 15. For reference, I own like 20 shirts total.

Do you think you will be in a relationship three months from now? >> I don’t see why I wouldn’t be. A lot of weird and sudden shit would have to happen to change that.

How come you’re not going out with the person you like? >> ---

When you feel cold does eating warm food help you feel warm? >> I don’t know. I do feel warmer after eating, just in general, probably because of the blood moving around to start digestion.

Do you want to diet? >> No. No I fucking do not. Don’t even suggest that to me.

Are you unsure about your feelings for someone? >> I’m not unsure about my feelings for anyone. I know how I feel about people. It’s other people whose feelings are a complete mystery to me.

Who did you last hang out with? >> Sparrow, because we live together.

Would you take $40,000 or a brand new car? >> I mean, obviously the money, since I can’t drive and don’t want to...

What song are you currently listening to? >> None.

Are you happy with your relationship? >> It’s fine.

Who was the last person to smoke something other than a cigarette or weed in front of you? >> Other than a cigarette or weed?? So, like... crack???? I really couldn’t say. It’d be years ago.

Does anything on your body hurt? >> Not right now.

If the last person you kissed were calling you right now, would you answer? >> I would, because if she’s calling me, then it must be a real ass emergency. Or probably like an EMT using her phone to find an emergency contact. So yeah, I’d answer. One of the very rare times I’d answer my phone.

In the run of a week, how many times do you straighten your hair? >> ---

Are you mad at someone right now? >> Nope.

Last thing someone gave you? >> I don’t remember.

Who woke you up this morning? >> Just me, naturally.

Who is your favorite family member on your mom’s side? >> ---

What do you do in your spare time? >> All my time is "spare” time, by other people’s standards, so, uh...

Who was the last person you were under a blanket with? >> Just Can Calah. :B

Where is the last person you kissed? >> Inworld.

What was the last thing you ate? >> Veggie burger and chips, breakfast. I’ll probably grab some lunch and queue up a movie after this.

Which of your friends is the most likely to get pregnant right now? >> ---

Do you remember the meanest thing the last person you kissed ever said to you? >> I don’t think she’s said anything particularly vicious to me. Just... kind of thoughtless things, I guess, earlier on.

What does your last outgoing text say? >> It was a link to a TikTok of a cute dog.

Have you ever been called prince/ princess? >> No.

Waiting for something? >> No. Well, the Dinnerly box, which is gonna get here eventually and which I’ll have to go downstairs to retrieve and then unpack.

Have you kissed anyone when you’re single? >> Yes.

What are you doing this weekend? >> I imagine the same things we do every other weekend in these COVID times.

Could you go the rest of your life without smoking a cigarette? >> I imagine so.

Have you ever kissed someone who was in a relationship? >> Yeah. Where is your biological father right now? >> ---

Where is the biggest scar on your body? >> Probably the one on my face. How late did you stay up last night? >> Not very. I think I went to sleep shortly after 11. Have you had your birthday this year yet? >> Yeah, in May. You had to kiss the last person you texted, would you? >> I mean, I have. What would you call your body type? >> I don’t want to call it anything. Are you a morning person? >> Yes. Have you ever been to Target? >> Yes, many times. Do you like iced coffee? >> It’s okay. When is the next time you’ll be at work? >> --- Has anyone ever hacked your accounts before? >> Not that I can recall. Could you ever be friends with someone that broke your heart? >> Probably not. I take that kind of shit super fucking hard. Ever made a prank phone call? >> No. Does your mom vacuum early in the morning, when you’re sleeping? >> --- Have you ever been in a car accident? >> No.

Have you ever been in a fist fight with someone? >> Yes.

Have you ever seriously hurt anyone by mistake? >> Physically? I assume not. Have you ever had stitches? >> Yes. Name a time when you had to be strong. >> Like... all the time? I don’t really know how to answer this. Have you ever dealt with a divorce or parents fighting or any kind of abuse at home? >> The first two, no, because my parents were not together. The third, yes. Have you ever lost someone close to death? if so, how many? >> Once. Have you ever had any volunteer jobs? >> No. Have you gone through a lot emotionally growing up? >> Obviously. Has a boy/girl ever cheated on their boyfriend/girlfriend for you? >> I really would not want anyone to do that. Anyone that can disrespect the rules of their current relationship so flagrantly is going to disrespect me next. Also, that’s a messed up thing to do to the third party, too. Do you want to see someone this very minute? >> Not especially. Unless it’s D. :)

Are you happy with the way things are going? >> Some things, sure. Are you a forgiving person? >> Sometimes, I guess. It’s not what I’d call a character trait of mine, though. Do you have to check in with your parents before you go someplace? >> --- Do you have a friend of the opposite sex you can talk to? >> --- Describe how you feel about your life in the past month using one word: >> I cannot do that. Would you like to go back and change any part of your life? >> I mean, I don’t know. I am who I am, and that’s because of what I’ve experienced. I don’t know who I’d be otherwise, and I do like myself and I want to continue being myself, so... I have to take the bitter with the... less bitter. When will your next kiss be? >> I don’t know, whenever I want it to be. Last person you saw other than your family? >> --- Will tomorrow be better than today? >> I mean, today was pretty okay, so if tomorrow’s even better than today, boy howdy. Are you feeling guilty about anything right now? >> No. What’s going through your mind right now? >> I’m just taking this survey, dude. That’s all I’m thinking about. When’s the last time you had fast food? >> Day before Thanksgiving. Do you believe that there’s good in everybody? >> I mean, I guess, if we have to put it that way. I just think that people are largely alike, and that if I can see the “shadow self” in me and everyone that is capable of many of the evils of the world, then I don’t see why I can’t also see the “higher self” in me and everyone that is capable of the beautiful things that people do for and with each other. These divisions always make me twitch a little because I think making it a dichotomy misses the real point a bit, but I haven’t run into better words for this yet so I’m doing my best with what I’ve got. Is it okay if you kiss people when you’re single? >> ... When was the last time you saw someone attractive? >> I mean, I can see Can Calah or King Crimson whenever I want. :B What was the first thing you did when you woke up? >> Probably reached for my phone to see what time it was. Think back eight months ago, were you single? >> No. What do you carry with you at all times? >> Myself :) Are you okay with the life you live? >> I’m okay with a lot of it. Way more okay with the lives I’ve had to lead before.

Do you have a Tattoo? >> Yes. What other piercings would you get other than the ones you already have? >> I’m not sure. I haven’t really thought about it because I’ve been so focused on tattoos in recent times. I’d just rather have ink. Did your last kiss take place on a bed? >> Probably. Have you ever been to Disney World? >> No. If so, how many times have you been? >> --- Does grammar and capitalization mean anything to you? >> Meh. Like, here’s the thing -- even if I don’t capitalise proper nouns or use dialect grammar as opposed to “proper” (don’t get me started on the connotations of that term) grammar, I can still be understood. And that’s the whole fucking point. I use the social standard for grammar and capitalisation when it’s necessary, and for some reason I’ve been taking surveys with the social standard of English for so long that it’s a habit by now, but I’m not obsessed with it. I love being able to code-switch and I love using vernacular and I love “Internet dialect/grammar” and all of that. Language in all its forms, unrestrained, is just so. fucking. cool. Are you good at wrapping gifts for others? >> Sure, I like the orderly origami-like process of wrapping. Do you have a dirty clothes hamper in your room? >> No, it’s in Sparrow’s (bigger) room. Do you enjoy big holiday dinners? >> I enjoy big dinners and small dinners. I assume by “big” you mean “lots of food”, not... “big” as in “lots of people”, because that I do not enjoy. Is your vision good? >> Yes. Is your present hair color, natural? >> Yes. What was the last thing you ordered online? >> A crystal. Fuck, that reminds me, I gotta poke around on Etsy for some stocking stuffer type gifts. Have you ever worn color contacts? >> Yes, quite often back in the day. If you have a significant other, how long have you been together? >> Almost nine years or something, idk. I’m bad at time math. Where are your parents as of now? >> --- Do you follow a certain religion? >> No. Do you have any family members who live out of town? >> --- Do you consider yourself short? >> Not really. What room are you in? >> Mine. Do you listen to any country music? >> Sure. Do you ever watch Lifetime? >> No. I don’t have cable, but I wouldn’t watch Lifetime even if I did. Would ever consider having children in the future? >> Probably not. Have you ever lived on a farm? >> No. Do both of your parents have jobs? >> --- If you had the chance to move to a completely different state, would you? >> Yes. What is something you’ve always wanted a boy to do for you? >> Clean my house. IDK, lol. What do you wish you had more knowledge about? >> Oh, stuff. What food are you craving right now? >> I’m not craving anything, even though it’s lunchtime. I have no idea what I want to eat. ...Hmm, egg, rice, and roasted veggies sounds really good but idk if I want to make eggs right now... How old were you when you stopped believing in Santa? >> I never was told about him. I kind of vaguely knew he existed from just... cultural saturation, or whatever, but yeah. How many times have you kissed the last person you kissed? >> A lot. Do you have a friend you can tell stuff to and you’re sure they won’t tell? >> --- Would you ever get someone’s name tattooed on you? >> You know, every time I see this question I totally fucking forget that I already have a person’s name tattooed on me. My X-Files tattoo that matches with Sparrow’s says “scully, it’s me”. Scully is a name lmaoooo So, yeah, I guess the answer is yes.

Does your family have family picnics? >> --- If your doctor said you were pregnant, what would you say? >> “That’s not a funny joke, so please stop”, I mean, what else would I say? That’s literally impossible so the doctor must be trying to pull a funny. A really fucking bad one, too.

#surveys #survey #random survey #not for reblogging *glare*

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ainarosewood · 4 years

Text

FFXIV Write2020 Writing Challenge Day 4

@sea-wolf-coast-to-coast @ffxiv-writers

Prompt-Clinch

Warning, Crystal Tower spoilers below cut mostly references to the story of it. Also Shb spoilers below cut mainly references to 5.0 specifically.

Memories

G'raha found himself watching the Warrior of Darkness move amidst the wounded from Holminster Switch. The tired Scholar not hesitating to help those who needed it.

Above them the sky was velvet black countless starts shining catching the eyes of all present. As it rightly should, for it was a sight Norvandt hadn't seen in over a hundred years.

He couldn't help but smile he had done it he had finally managed to bring their salvation to the First and she had already kindled the hope of its people.

As he watched her work the he found himself thinking of the past. Just when had it been he had fallen for her? When had Saii gone from hero he admired to woman he had lost his heart to?

A night not unlike this, he told himself as his mind drifted back to it.

******************************************************************************

The sky above them was crystal clear a rare occurrence for Mor Dhona since the fall of the Guardian of Silvertear Lake. A makeshift camp had been set up just outside the Labyrinth in front of the doors to the sealed Crystal Tower.

Several of the Son's had been sifting through the Labyrinth looking for some clue as to how to open the hulking entrance. This had also led to some encounters with a lot of the Labyrinth's passive defenses.

The Ironworks crew was doing their best to find and disable them all before the researchers found them. Unfortunately luck had been against them and there were a myriad of injured, fortunately nothing life threatening.

Saii had been going from person to person healing them from the injuries they sustained. The Miqo'te was overtly tired from her battle through the Labyrinth however this was not stopping her from helping all she could.

As Raha watched her he began admiring not only the swiftness of her spell work and the skill which was helping so many. But, also the way she swished her tail as she focused on the spell and the wrinkle of her nose as she concentrated, how cute it made her face look.

It took a moment for those last thoughts to sink into the brash bard's brain and it felt like someone had just poured a bucket of icy water on him.

I....love her? he asked himself all but in shock. He had many dalliances over the years since he left his tribe. Usually earned by his silver voice and charming tongue. But those had been simple flights, nothing that ever tugged at his heart.

Saii, she was different, the lady Seeker had come into his life his childhood dreams made flesh. A brave hero willing to do all she could for the sake of those that needed it.

In the time since she had joined NOAH he'd also seen she was selfless and caring pushing herself to her limits to aid every one she could.

He had known that at first he had simply admired her for the hero that she was but now....now he was admiring the woman, not just the famous hero.

I...have to tell her, the told himself waiting until she was finished with the last of the injured before he strode up to her intent on confessing his love.

However as she turned to look at him a concerned look in those tired mismatched eyes, his courage failed him and he found he couldn't even squeak out a sound.

"Are you hurt G'raha? I think I can muster up enough energy to heal you." she stated softly

Speak you chocobo’s arse! a small part of his mind screamed as he shook his head, "No, I uh...just wanted to thank you for all of your help. Not just with clearing the way but......all of it healing the injured, assisting in the research...."

She gave him a tired smile then waved her hand replying, "I only did what needed to be done, no thanks are necessary."

Raha was about to protest when he watched her sway on her feet swiftly he stepped forward offering her a steading hand as she shook her head to clear it.

At her feet her Aquamarine carbuncle Tempest began chiming in worry and dancing in place.

"I can only infer by the tones that your little friend there is trying to get you to rest." the Seeker said worry in his tone, "Please do, I'll give you a hand to reach your tent."

Saii gave him a tired, but grateful smile and allowed the bard to guide her to the tent that had been set aside for her. Once there he let go of her arm and she flopped onto the cot asleep before she even properly landed. Behind her Tempest trotted in turning to him to give a grateful hum and rubbing his head on the Miqo’te’s ankles before he tugged the blanket up over his summoner and curled underneath.

"Your welcome," Raha murmured before seeing himself out. As he made his way to his own tent he saw Cid and Rammbroes exchange knowing looks merriment dancing in their eyes.

He shot them a look his mismatched red and blue eyes promising all sorts of pain and suffering should they think to voice what was on their minds. Both men just grinned at him but kept their peace.

Grumbling to himself Raha then made his way to his own tent wishing it had a door so he could slam it.

******************************************************************************** "Your not injured are you Exarch? I might have just enough energy to heal you if you are," Saii's voice interrupted his reprieve.

Resisting the urge to jump he faced her then shook his head saying, "Nay my friend, I have no more injuries than what you had already tended earlier. Pray get some rest, you've more than earned it."

She gave him a tired smile nodding and turned away making her way toward the Pendants. As he passed by Tempest gave him an odd look chiming questionably.

Looking down at the construct he gave a smile then said, "I wasn't lying to her if that's what your asking. I have no injuries that she hasn't already seen to."

The Carbuncle stared at him for a moment then shook its head. Then he sat down and appeared to look like it was thinking before chiming the same tone again.

Raha studied him for a moment then it dawned on him, "Ah what was I thinking about hmm?"

At the construct’s nod he gave a small laugh then a gentle smile replying, "Just an old memory little one. Watching her reminded me of it. Nothing to fret over, you should probably catch up to her."

The Carbuncle stood letting out a hum that could only be interpreted as doubtful before he trotted after his summoner.

Once the construct was out of sight Raha found himself letting loose the breath he hadn't realized he had been holding. By the Twelve he had forgotten how uncanny Tempest was, it was as if the little creature knew exactly what he had been remembering.

"My Lord," Lyna called as she strode up to him saluting, "Most of the wounded have been seen to and the displaced residents housed in either the Caternaries or the Pendants, is there aught else?"

The Seeker shook his head at the Viis, "Nay Captain, pray take your ease and enjoy the night. The first of many to come."

She simple smiled at him stating, "Aye," before trotting off.

Raha smiled himself then turned looking off in the direction he'd watched Saii and Tempest go.

No matter what you will succeed, he stated silently, I will make sure, my love. I just hope I can find my courage enough to tell you how I feel before all of this ends.

With that the silent promise made he then began to make his way to the Tower to take his own rest from the days exertions.

#FFXIV #OC Saii Sai #FFXIVWrite2020 #miqo'te #seeker of the sun #aether data center #midgardsormr #Wol/G'raha Tia #Wol/Crystal Exarch

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crystalsexarch · 4 years

Text

Ultracrepidarian - E

"What do you know about repression?"

"Plenty."

Explicit. Ambiguous second-person WoL and G'raha Tia. Late at night, when one touches on certain topics, one feels compelled to start touching other things, too.

Also on AO3.

Part of the 2020 FFXIV Writing Challenge

Night. The Find. The tent you share with G'raha Tia. You aren't sure why it's different, but it is. Blame the battle. Blame the boredom. Blame the built up tension he has been tiptoeing around since the first time you caught him staring at the back of your head. Now you're both staring at the gentle ripples in the roof and trying to name the sudden change in flavor, both pretending you have yet to taste it.

"Perhaps we should venture out," G'raha says. Like you, he's lying on his back with his hands clasped at his navel. Between his dinner and your arrival, he had time to trade his trousers for a dark pair of silky shorts. You've seen him sleep in them before. When he speaks, he cheats his head towards you. "Clearly we've yet to expend enough energy."

"I think not," you say. "The fact that I can carry a conversation belies my aching bones."

"Mm. Well I suppose I'll remain here as well, given that sparring is best done with a partner."

You roll onto your side and prop your head up. "Sparring? You?"

"What!"

"With your bow, I presume?"

He shifts his hands behind his head, laughing. Buying time. Unbeknownst to you, he’s daydreamed of taking you on many times, toying with steel and finding you hard in the bind, slipping under for a counterattack—a compelling argument for swordsmanship. The outcome of the skirmish doesn’t matter. It’s the intimacy that makes his head rush. "Make no mistake—I can be flexible."

You scoff in good humor. "Yes. A man of many talents."

"Many!"

"And going to bed on time is not one of them."

A calloused finger points. “This I will admit,” G'raha says, snapping up from his cot. “But I assure you I’m no stranger to combat.”

Your rise is slow and confident. No need to rush. You're the godsdamned Warrior of Light. “And I’m sure you have the scars to prove it?”

The finger curls back down in line with its neighbors. The corners of his lips curl up. “Well, as I’m sure you can imagine, Warrior, by the time you are ready to take blows that would scar you, you are practiced enough to weave away.” Driving home the point, he closes his eyes and points his chin to a high corner. “This is, of course, why all mercenaries and adventurers worth their salt have clear skin.”

You chuckle and lean back. “Like yours? You must be one of the finest.”

It’s a joke, but it still pulls his eyes, full of fondness, to the ground. G’raha knows he’s easy to read. Easy to please. Easy for you, which makes the strange night harder. When you speak by the campfire, the crackling wood harbors his secret purrs. Now, with camp quiet and no fire in sight, he works harder to mute it. Even as he tempers the swishing of his russet tail, he hopes you’ve accepted him as a friend at best, a fan at worst. Not a romantic admirer.

You aren’t sure what to think of him, but you don’t mind looking at his long eyelashes while his head is down. Time to take a chance. “Would you like to see mine?” you say.

Blinking, he lifts his gaze. “See your…?”

“My scar. The worst one.” You’re already itching at your collar.

Can you tell it’s driving him mad? Caught between two or ten answers, he stiffens like a man in a photograph. Tail reanimates first, body follows. “Beg pardon?”

“I’m happy to show you. There’s a story behind it, after all…”

He clears his throat. “If this is some manner of secret, there’s no need to spoil it on my behalf.”

“No secret. Just a story and a scar.” You stand and stretch long enough for him to chew on it. After a hearty sigh, you lock eyes again. “So what do you say?”

The scar is on your chest. G’raha gulps when he realizes you’re removing each layer that separates the jagged line from the elements. Once or twice he’s seen you bare, but not this close. Not this specifically.

He listens while you tell the story, but he looks just as carefully. Maybe, he hopes, you’ll recognize his expression as the same one he wears before Allagan relics. Not something hungrier. If you’re embarrassed to have him gawking at the history on your chest, your voice never falters. The night is warm enough that he’ll be forgiven for glowing. The dip in his gaze will be missed in the darkness. His open-mouthed attempts to taste you like a snake will be unfruitful, unnoticed.

He wishes he could touch you. He wishes it so badly that he cannot speak, not even when you’ve finished your story.

“That bad, huh?” Your leg bounces at a casual tempo. “Too much detail?”

“No,” he says, rocking back. “No. Forgive me, I...perhaps my jest was in poor taste.”

“Nah.” A lazy yawn. The day has taken its toll, finally. “You got any?”

His voice is soft and mossy. The heat must be pooling at the top of the tent. “I’m afraid my stories pale in comparison to yours.”

“And your scars?”

“Well…” He rubs his back. “Though its origin betrays my own humble, adventurous beginnings—”

“Show me.”

“...very well.” His smile can’t stand on its own legs. Rising, he turns his back to you and removes his shirt like it needs to stay sterile. You can’t see his face, and he’s thankful for that. He’s walking into an icy pool of water, testing it with his toes and holding his tail high. At least he can anchor himself in finding the scar. He fingers to the left of his spine before finding the ridges. “I fell out of a tree as a child.”

“I can’t see it.”

“Here.”

“Move your hand.”

He does, then startles when your finger replaces his own. The scar is about the length of your index finger, but it must’ve been deep. Stitch marks knitted the ghost of the wound together.

G’raha clears his throat. “It...may not have been as serious as I remember.”

“A scar’s a scar,” you say, taking one last look at the mark before turning your attention to his bare back. Freckles dot his shoulders. “Falling out of a tree isn’t half as embarrassing as the time I split my lip.” You lean back on your cot and smile at the muscled scholar before you. You wonder how he's put those muscles to use.

He turns over his shoulder at your withdrawal sits back down, bundling his shirt in his hands. “Have you come to terms with it?”

“Yes. I fell off a bed after a night of bad decisions.”

“Ah yes. The drink.”

“Nope. What comes after the drink and normally takes two.”

“Oh,” he says. Oh no, he thinks. Thankfully, you have busied yourself with blankets. It gives him enough time to wipe the dark curiosity from his face and recognize that perhaps he, too, should settle into bed. As he does, his imagination also settles— into a reality where he’s the bad decision that gets to press his lips to your scars, to kiss your collarbones and figure out how hard he has to pinch your nipples to make you gasp.

You don’t think twice about G’raha turning his back to you. He could be doing it for any reason.

You fill the air with a mighty yawn befitting the Warrior of Light. “In any case, that’s not the only reason I’ve tried to cut back on random nights of pleasure.”

Just a few fulms away, his voice is whisperous and hot. Delayed. A mysterious echo that filters from a forgotten cave. “I should hope that successful heroes not doom themselves to lives of repression.”

You laugh. "What do you know about repression?"

"Plenty." He’s tracing the outline of his cock, begging that by the time he raises his head, you have turned away. So much has leaked already. He’s embarrassed at how badly he wants to join the ranks of those privileged enough to say they’ve been inside of you.

“You’re not a virgin, are you?”

“No! No, no.” He twitches in his shorts, his fingers just beneath the band. “I had several...study partners at the Isle of Val.” None of them as bewitching as you. “One of my first went on to ‘study’ in Ul’dah. As it happens, the scholarly life was not for them.”

“Ah. Exploring a professional career in...studying?”

“Yes. Although personally I considered the experience a bit amateur.” Yes, he thinks. Focus on that instead of foolish fantasies. No point in imagining how tight your body would hold him, whether you would squeeze. Too bad you have already offered him fruit he cannot help but bite. “Your first time, then. Was it good?”

“It was fine. He was gentle.”

I could be gentle. “That's...good.”

“It wasn't good. It was fine.” The memory sparks no particular warmth or fondness. "Gentleness isn't necessarily what I look for anymore.”

“What is? Experience?”

“Trust. Trust that I can handle it. Trust that when I say I can't, I can't.”

He swallows. Thumb finds head, fingers find shaft. Tongue finds temptation. “That makes sense. So...you prefer something rougher?” Because I could be rough, too. He’s hardly moving his hand, but it feels so good he knows he’ll keep going even if you stand up and start watching.

“Depends on the partner. And you?”

He stops stroking, winces, holds himself tight. Don’t think, don’t think, don’t think about it. "I've done a little bit of this, a little bit of that."

"And what would you be doing if you had your way?"

You.

Clenched teeth keep the truth from spilling from his thick lips. What keeps him from spilling, he isn’t sure. Your presence, your scent, your voice—tugging his hand in both directions. It was supposed to be a gentle touch. Now he’s concentrating on keeping his cot stable. Can you smell him? Can you hear him? Do you know he’s imagining the texture of your scar beneath his palm? What good leverage it could offer. He could hold you there and fill you—first with his cock, then with his seed—rock you instead of his bed—sink inside and sing.

“G’raha?”

“Ah.” He opens his eyes and stretches his legs. Maybe it will disguise any strange motion you’ve noticed. “I’m sorry, I must have started drifting off.”

"I see..." You eye him once more before turning on your side. "Perhaps it's for the best. My mind is catching up with my body, I think..."

"Goodnight, my friend."

"Goodnight G'raha Tia."

He waits. He waits and waits and waits but does not soften. He spends what feels like half a bell trying to keep himself from imagining a world where he can mount you, slick you freely. Spends half a bell failing and reaching again for his erection. By the time he's holding his breath for release, he's pumping himself so madly he doesn't care if passersby can hear him from outside. He isn't thinking of the sleeping body at his side, but the heaving chest in his visions, the ebbing weight around his cock, and finally—finally, when he stops spurting into his open palm, he remembers where he is and what he is supposed to be doing.

Not. This.

Surprised he let himself take things so far, he rushes up in a frenzy and stares at the cot. Empty, he is. His brain is empty. For an instant the pain in his eye is completely silent. It's the memory of you—the real you, snoring lightly at his back—that sets him back on the ground where he has more than a few problems to address before the morning.

#g'raha tia #ff14 fanfic #ffxiv fanfic #ffxiv #ffxivwrite2020 #mywriting

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sybelleblue · 4 years

Text

FFXIV Write - #18: Panglossian

“You don’t get it, do you?”

Her voice was harsh, but he could read her body language well enough - she did not enjoy having to do this.

“You throw your lot with me, you’ll be painting a bullseye on your back. Don’t you understand? I am hunted, for what I am. If they catch me, I’m as good as dead. We’d be on the run forever.”

She stood there, strong and proud and harsh with herself, molded by a world that condemned the daughters for their mother’s sins. Little did she realize, even as she was doing her best to push him away ... that these were the things he loved about her.

So he moved to her side - long ears catching the breath of surprise hitched in her throat - as his hand moved to grip hers, calloused fingers of labor weaving with her slender ones.

“So we’ll run together. I’ll do my best to keep up.”

He flashed her a lopsided smile, which only drew an incredulous snort from her ... but the she-warrior tightened her hold, unwilling to let go. An acceptance, then - admitting that she did have feelings for him, after all.

“And since we’re running -” He’d begin, his smile blooming into a grin of mad hope against impossible odds. “Why not run someplace else? The north’s not too bad ... the winters might be quite cold, but I reckon I can cook us something - a chili to stave the chill.”

-----

Amidst the bubbling pots and sizzling pans, one long ear perked up - he heard her long before the sound cut through the air, and he hurried out of the hut to meet her.

“Papaaaaaa!!” The little Duskwight girl cried, tears in her eyes as she clutched to the side of her head. She was the very spitting image of her mother, albeit a miniature version ... save for the long, floppy ears that bounced with each skip and hop. Those were the only keepsake he had granted her, and the lone assurance that she was her father’s daughter.

“Belle! What happened?” He asked, kneeling down just in time to catch her in his arms.

“H-he threw rocks at me!” She sniffled and sobbed, rubbing at her head. “I was playing with the sprigs in my new hideout but he found me! He took my flowers and stomped on them! Then he laughed, a-and he got the rocks!” She explained with the diligence of an seven-year old, airing every single grievance that she had with great meticulousness. “Why is he so mean?!”

“Aw, Belle ...” He sighed, and hugged her close, his hand moving to pat at the top of her hair, rough hands raking through the soft locks of midnight hair. “He’s not mean ... he’s just hurting. He lost his mam a few moons ago, remember? He’s just missing her a lot ... and he doesn’t know how to deal with it.”

He’d hoist her up with a grunt and slowly walk inside, where the pots were threatening to froth over and the pans were sizzling out a black smoke. He hurried to take them off the fire one-handed, before focusing on the little bundle of hurt in his arms.

“Why’d he gotta throw rocks at people, though? He’s just being a buffalo-butt!” She murmured, the pain fading to give way to anger now.

“Now now - that’s not nice, Belle. Y’gotta remember that calling names makes everyone feel bad.” He set her down on the bed and sat alongside, sighing softly. “You don’t like it when the others been calling you names, do ya?”

“... no ...” She averted her gaze sheepishly, still rubbing her hand against the side of her head.

“Right, so! We don’t have to go down that way just ‘cause they did, dear heart. We gotta be kind, and we gotta be understanding - cause we’d also want others to be that way when we’re sad, don’t we?”

“.... yeah?”

“Yeah.” He flashed her a bright smile, and saw the way her ears began to perk back up. “Don’t worry, Belle ... the pain’ll go away - for you, and for him. Don’t ever let it make you do things you wouldn’t otherwise. Making others hurt won’t make you feel any better - it’s not nice being bad. Do you wanna be bad, or do you wanna be nice?”

“I wanna be nice!”

“That’s my girl. And you know what nice girls get?”

“What!”

“Apple pie.” He grinned from one long ear to another - he had the foresight to stop the oven half a bell earlier, and for that he was grateful.

-----

Another fit of coughing got ahold of him, making his body writhe and shake helplessly - he was running out of strength ... and the mold in his lungs was winning.

“Here.” Sybelle offered him a glass of water mixed with furymint - her voice was kind, but everything about her was full of sorrow: the dull violets, the droopy ears, the threadbare towel wrung out with worry than with work.

“What’s with the look?” He asked hoarsely, taking the cup to sip from it once - and promptly spill it over his lips with another cough. She promptly moved to wipe it, but he grabbed her hand firmly.

“What’s with the look, Belle?”

“... you’re sick, Papa. And you’re not getting better. I --” She stammered, and broke into a sob. “I don’t want you to leave me.”

“Aw, Belle ...” He whispered softly - it was the only loophole he found to avoid summoning the fits, and even then it only worked half the time. He took the rag and wiped at his mouth, each motion accompanied by a pained wheeze.

“... I can’t leave you, Belle.”

“You’re --” She wanted to snap back - to break aside that unflappable hope he always had around him, even as he laid in his deathbed ...

... but he didn’t let her. “I ain’t ever gonna leave you, Belle. I put all that’s good and bright I ever had - my love, my kindness, my life ... I put it in you, dear heart. Honestly, I --” He tried to laugh, but that was a mistake. He’d need a handful of moments to cough and to wheeze, beneath her watchful gaze of worry.

“... I might’ve put too much. Left none for myself.” He continued with a rasp. “... but that’s okay.” He closed his eyes, unable to keep them open for too long without the pain creeping in ... but his smile never faltered, bright and warm, from one long ear to another.

“Means you’ll be taking me with you wherever you go, ey?”

#FFxivWrite2020 #FFxivWrite #AHHH I HAVE AN EVENT IN 30 AND I WAS RUNNING OUT OF TIME #i just wanted to have this out before the day turned over #reeee #it's not perfect but that's probably the point

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umbralsound-xiv · 4 years

Text

Absence Makes The Heart...

One of the things that drove me most to get home, was... Well. To speak to Kuroko again. Not that i’d ever have told anyone, but... I missed him. The warm, comfortable nights spent reading a book together. He is always a rational and calm presence in my life--- However fleeting it might be.

So convinced i was that he’d be waiting for me, that... I couldn’t fathom it, when he wasn’t waiting for me upon my return.

Or that every possession of his had gone from my room.

Mistienne Aurloix frantically rips things out of the wardrobe, the doors of the furnishing flung open. "No--- NO!" Mist wails, the word in her throat cracking into a sob. Dresses and armor were scattered across the room, in a frantic search to find... Anything, that was his. The main room held a heap of newly-placed paperwork, amongst other things from her travels. She doesn't stop until her entire wardrobe was bare.

Kuroko Dairu entered the room slowly, setting his staff next to the door. He stretched a moment, smiling softly as he heard Mist rustling around in their room. He paced across towards where he could hear her, quietly approaching, and wrapping his arms about her waist as she stood up from rummaging in the wardrobe, planting a soft kiss atop her head.

Mistienne Aurloix freezes for just a heartbeat of a moment. And in that moment, the warmth of his presence was enough to defog the nigh-terror that had clouded her mind. Turning sharply in his arms to face him, Mist shows her affection in the only way she knows best...

Mistienne Aurloix: "DON'T--- DON'T YOU---" She sobs. "DON'T YOU EVER DO THAT TO ME AGAIN!"

You weep in sorrow before Kuroko Dairu.

...I immediately felt terrible for yelling. But from shock and relief, i couldn’t express it any other way. I hate crying. Especially over trivial things such as--- Ugh. Never mind.

Kuroko Dairu greeted Mist's turn with a warm smile and a hum, until her voice rose, his expression one of utter bewilderment as she yelled, changing to alarm as it cracked. He stood silent a good few moments, eyes frantically searching her face, arms still about her before offering a question in return. "L-...Laundry?"

Kuroko Dairu expresses his worry with you.

Mistienne Aurloix quivers her lips and forces them into a frown. "No." She barked, mournfully, before wrapping her arms around him and shoving her cheek against his chest. The embrace was a tight, needing one, as though she saught to permanently merge herself with him.

Kuroko Dairu drew her more tightly to himself, softly stroking her hair. "Shhh... it is well. Welcome home." He rubbed his horn gently against her. "...Was Ishgard so... terrible, for you? Or have I upset you myself?"

Mistienne Aurloix weeps, fighting not to spill more of her tears down his front. "It's fine now." She manages, smoothing a hand over his back, and rubbing a cheek to his chest. "...It doesn't matter. I'm sorry for yelling." She didn't explain, exactly, why she was upset - hoping that would be enough.

I didn’t want to tell him why i was so upset. It shouldn’t have mattered that much. It’s in his nature to travel.

Kuroko Dairu: "Did you.... want me home, when you arrived?" He looked to the pile of clothes strewn about the floor as he hummed deep in his chest, placing another kiss to her crown. "...have you lost something?"

Mistienne Aurloix: "No. I haven't." She doesn't let go, calming a little, now. She takes a breath, and stills her voice. "...It wasn't like you knew i was arriving. I... Was gone a little longer than intended. I'm sorry for that, too."

Kuroko Dairu: "You are well, Misuto, you are well." He ran a hand through her hair, gently scratching at her scalp. "You had... business, yes. Bexy said you were not ready to return, when I asked."

Mistienne Aurloix: "...No, i wasn't. Ishgardians and their bloody birdshite! I am surprised that i am not -hoarse- from all of the yelling i've done over the last three sennights!" The familiar knit of annoyance worms it's way into her brow. "Could you believe they wanted to contend it still, even if i had everything in paper? After i had painstakingly plucked every detail regarding the new laws out of every book i could find? That apparently the time it was written should be the time it was judged --- What a load of fucking birdshite! So i demanded an updated copy, i was almost held at bladepoint until they knew who i was and what i'd done, and that was all whilst keeping Tinngoix fed and watered in the back of a bloody storage cupboard!"

Mistienne Aurloix takes a breath.

Mistienne Aurloix: "---After i outright refused to give him up, and pleaded my case, and half of Ishgard's nobility protested his fate, only -then- was he released, without charge, and duly compensated for his misfortune! He need never write another book."

Mistienne Aurloix: "---Though he promises me he will."

Mistienne Aurloix: "---But anyway."

Mistienne Aurloix: "He is safe. And the case is closed. And fucking finally, i am home."

Kuroko Dairu looked down to meet Mist's gaze, a twitch of amusement at the corners of his mouth. "A promise you extracted from him, am I to think?" He broke into a more proper chuckle and pulled her close again. "It gladdens me, your return. Oh, yes, and... if you are looking for a particular book of his, other than the one we are reading, and can not find it on your shelf, a couple of them are on loan."

Mistienne Aurloix: "I've an exciting gift. A signed copy of the limited edition Valentiones story he wrote." Mist seems to light up at the words. "You... Loaned some in my absence?" She asks. Still, she was reluctant to let him go. "...I'm so glad to be home."

Kuroko Dairu: "Oh? That is a rare treat, that I look forward to reading with you. And yes, a very earnest Viera woman came knocking to ask." His hands wandered Mist's back a moment, before one settled comfortably on her rump. "...Bexy told her to come ask for your boyfriend, apparently." He smirked as he pulled his head gently away. "Is he someone I should know about?"

Mistienne Aurloix: "Ah, hm. I'm certain they'll be returned in time. I wonder who---" Her words cut short. "Oh, Bexy can go fuck herself." Still... Upon speaking those words, Mist averts her gaze from his and returns to smooshing her cheek against his chest. "I don't need tacky titles like 'boyfriend' or whatever bollocks she's going to throw up next."

Kuroko Dairu: "Mmm, yes, you prefer more... tactile relating, than words." His horn began to rub again against her hair. "...Do you wish for help hanging up your clothes?"

Mistienne Aurloix lingers in the sensation of horn against hair. "...I'd appreciate that. I probably shouldn't leave them all laying around." She sighs. "And i should probably do my own laundry soon. I should have taken more than three bloody outfits to Ishgard with me." Despite saying she needed to pick up her clothes, she doesn't... Actually release him, yet.

Kuroko Dairu: "Do not worry yourself, then, for your clothes. Rest." He still holds her as well, returning to scratching her scalp gently. "Do you need a bath, a rest? Something else?"

Mistienne Aurloix: "I need to---" Mist casts a glance over to her bed, neatly made for her return, which tugs a smile. A free hand moves down his arm, and... Slowly takes his hand, all while not looking at him. "...Rest. I... Think." She pauses, lacing his fingers with hers.

Kuroko Dairu: "Then ready yourself for rest, Yadorigi." He gave her hand a gentle squeeze, offering a smile. "And I will tidy, and ready myself to join you. It has been many nights now, we have not shared our bodies for sleep."

Mistienne Aurloix nods quietly. He spoke, and she had heard his words, but some fog had settled in her thoughts. Turning her gaze back up to Kuroko, she looks up to him, quietly. "...Kuroko?"

Kuroko Dairu paused, glancing down to meet Mist's eyes with his own, deeply intense gaze. His response was gentle as the waves against a becalmed inlet, but his voice, as always, held the depths of the ocean. "Yes, Misuto?"

Mistienne Aurloix: "...Thank you." Came her next words, simply. But even in their simplicity, the slight warmth and waver they held spoke volumes. She nears him, to approach his lips. "...For being here, still." Slowly, and softer than she ever had before, she presses her lips to his.

Kuroko Dairu reached up to tuck Mist's hair out of the way, stroking her cheek as he met her for the kiss. He pulled just far enough away to speak before letting the draw of her lips again claim his. "<If it is so that you wish for. I am more than glad to give.>"

Mistienne Aurloix sinks into the kiss again, fingers combing through his hair, as her gentle ebb and flow of her affection settled into something sweeter than the norm. When, and only when does she part, a blush covers her cheeks. "---Ah. Yes, anyway, i'm..." She sheepishly releases his hand. "---Should lay down. I'm... Very... Tired."

Kuroko Dairu stroked her cheek one last time before running his hand over the top of her head slowly. "You have been very busy, yes. Go, rest. I will be beside you soon, Yadorigi."

Mistienne Aurloix nods once, quietly. Slowly, she slips from her shoes, and makes way into bed, bundling herself underneath the covers and waiting for him to join her.

...I’m so glad to be home.

I can just never tell him how much.

@crimson-sunrise-ffxiv

#Muse: [Mist]#Duet: [Taken By The Tide]#Chapter: [The Trial Of Tinngoix]#FFXIV #IC #Screenshot #Writing #Snippet

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