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binart · 2 years

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BINA WHAT??? YOU HAVE OCS?????? TELL ME MORE I LOVE OC CONTENT (Klance will forever feed me BUT-) THEY LOOK SO CUTE WHO. ARE. THEY.

😳😳😳

.....YOU WOULD KNOW MORE OF MY BOY.......?? TRULY????

OH!!!!!!!!!!!!! OH HAPPY DAYS YES!!!!!!!! I TOO SUBSIST ALMOST ENTIRELY OFF OF KLANCE, BUT OCs HAVE PROVEN TO BE QUITE A DELIGHT ALSO!!

FOR REFERENCE, HERE IS THE PATHETIC LITTLE MAN IN QUESTION:

wait i have too much to say, i have to put this under a readmore

OK!!!!!! THANK YOU!!!! i love him so much and i don't have many opportunities to talk about him, SO YOUR ASK IS APPRECIATED!!!

his name is E'li Leam (pronounced EE-lie Leem) and he's a Miqo'te from that MMO i really like FFXIV 🤩

Miqo'te are basically cat people (WHICH I MEAN. I GUESS I'M A FURRY NOW?? OK), and he's what's called a Seeker, AKA SUN CAT!! There's moon cat people too but don't worry about it.

Seekers have names that start with their tribe letter (26 in total, each one representing one letter of the alphabet), so for example Raha of the G tribe would be called G'raha. Only close friends and family can drop the tribe letter and call them their given name! Male seekers will also have either Tia or Nuhn after their names, with most being Tias! This is because Nuhns fuck like crazy and are the only ones who are allowed to LMFAO

LISTEN DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT

anyway E'li is your typical 32 year old shonen protagonist who woke up ~7 years ago with Retrograde Amnesia and was found in a giant forest by its resident magic rats

THESE FUCKIN THINGS. they're called moogles. if you've ever played a final fantasy game, you know these guys. ANYWAY they saw this random grown ass man with a GIANT SCABBED OVER HEAD WOUND who wouldn't respond to anything they said and were like "hey let's take care of him kupo, lol"

AND FOR MONTHS THEY LOOKED AFTER HIM. ate together. snoozed in cuddle puddles together. got fucked up on Kupo Nuts together. it was wild. they found him with a big ol explorer's backpack, and alongside a White Mage Soul Crytal (RARE AND PRICELESS ARTIFACT ALLOWING ITS OWNER TO ADEPTLY WIELD CURATIVE MAGICKS!!), they found a shitty harp inside with A NAME CARVED ON THE SIDE.........

THE NAME...?!? "Eli". there was a notch in the wood that MIGHT have been an apostrophe?? they're moogles though they don't really give a shit. SO THEY JUST START CALLING HIM E'LI.

Pronounced EE-Lie.

The correct pronunciation of E'li by Seeker standards is EH-Lie.

This incorrect pronunciation of his own name would routinely cause him significant embarrassment down the line.

anyway. They're fond of their weird little man, but after a few months the moogles are like, "hey if he's really good at healing magicks and we can't teach him how to read or write, maybe let's give him to the people in the Quarrymill. They'll take care of him." and so they deposited their Weird Son into the care of the people of the Quarrymill, who essentially hired him on as the resident healer in exchange for food/shelter/education because HOLY SHIT,

THIS GUY CAN HEAL!!!

you wander near him with an injury? BOOM he's there and suddenly ALL THAT AILS YE BE NO MORE!!

whatever life he lead prior to his severe head injury clearly included healing people. he also took to reading and writing extremely quickly, so it was assumed he was some kind of scholar?? Though he wasn't particularly fond of speaking, and learned Eorzean Sign Language because VOCALIZATIONS WERE WEIRD AND BAD.

so this guy spends like half a year there. DEVOURING BOOKS. Learning of the World At Large. Starts longing to see the rest of it.. the Quarrymill residents are hesitant to let their Weird Little Man go, but accept it & tell him he must call himself E'li Tia to all who ask.

(In his mind Tia and Nuhn both sound incredibly stupid, so he decides his surname will be Leam A.K.A LEAF ---> BUT ONE LETTER CHANGED. ((he was looking at a tree when he decided this, and it would ALSO cause him no end of embarrassment down the line)))

SUDDENLY, GOD (A SENTIENT CRYSTAL IN THE CENTER OF THE PLANET) REACHES OUT TO HIM AND IS LIKE HI. LISTEN GO OUT THERE AND SAVE THE WORLD.

E'li is like o..k... and starts his journey to become an Adventurer.....

and then gets to a place called Limsa Lominsa which SCARES THE SHIT OUT OF HIM, THEN IMMEDIATELY GOES BACK TO THE GIANT FOREST PLACE AND DOESN'T LEAVE.

GOD CRYSTAL actually told a DIFFERENT set of people to go save the world like FIVE YEARS AGO, and a bunch of stuff happened but TLDR; GOD CRYSTAL'S GROUP OF CHOSEN HEROS WHO ONCE TRIED TO SAVE THE REALM BUT WERE SPIRITED AWAY...!!!

find the strange little healing cat man one day during their adventures. their leader, Meteor (!!!!!! YES MR MAIN CHARACTER GUY HIMSELF), looks at him and this is how their meeting went:

and SO BEGAN THE JOURNEY OF THESE FIVE WARRIORS OF LIGHT, WHO WOULD GO ON TO SAVE THE REALM FROM MANY DIRE THREATS...

THEN METEOR DIES, E'LI THREATENS TO KILL THE OTHERS ON SIGHT FOR LETTING THEIR LEADER DIE, BANISHES THEM FROM THE SCIONS OF THE SEVENTH DAWN (a group of characters who like.. do good stuff For The Realm and all that), AND PROCEEDS TO SPEEDRUN PTSD AS THE NOW SOLE WARRIOR OF LIGHT

buncha stuff happens... E'li goes to War, does PTSD: The Again, GETS ISEKAI'D and does Saving the World: 2 but THIS time his best friend he made just before the God Crystal Group disbanded shows up and is like "I'M GOING TO DIE FOR YOU!" and he's like "???? I'M LITERALLY INSANE CAN YOU PLEASE NOT MAKE IT WORSE"

buncha OTHER stuff happens...

and currently him and his Best Friend (he didn't actually die) are now life partners who just want to go on adventures and take naps together.

BY THE WAY, HE DOESN'T ACTUALLY HAVE RETROGRADE AMNESIA IN THE CONVENTIONAL SENSE. GOD CRYSTAL ACTUALLY JUST YOINKED A 1500 YEAR OLD SOUL FROM THE AETHERIAL SEA (THE AFTERLIFE BUT IT'S REAL, AND IS INSIDE THE PLANET), MADE A COPY OF METEOR'S BODY, MADE IT A CAT MAN, SHOVED THE SOUL IN IT, THEN SHUNTED IT BACK UNTO THE MORTAL COIL TO GO FIGHT FOR HER. HE LANDED HEAD FIRST ONTO A FUCKIN ROCK AND SHE WAS LIKE "OOF, MY B. ANYWAY I'LL BE IN TOUCH"

when he realizes this, E'li decides he is not fond of god crystal.

AND SO THAT IS THE GIST OF MY LITTLE BLORBO. my pathetic little man. my sweet cheese, my rotten soldier etc etc. HE'S KIND OF A FREAK and i absolutely adore him.

i will continue to chronicle all the little problems i give him, desperate for anyone who will look my way and be like "oh yeah, pretty cool"........... and i thank you for reading LMFAO

#FFXIV SPOILERS #LMAO #E'li Leam #OC #there is wolgraha here if you understand my ramblings #FFXIV #WOL #also his first word was obviously kupo

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brineffxiv · 1 year

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We have been invited to a meeting of representatives of all the Alliance nations and the beast tribes.

(Wow, I wish the game would give me a better word to use, feels like a slur to call them "beasts". Also, though I realize them being 3d models would make this difficult, they should really be offered a seat at the table - literally - to make this feel like we actually respect them as equals. Having them stand at one end feels... not right.)

And the meeting is fine and dandy, and we agree to form The Grand Company of Eorzea, and Kan-E-Senna asks Alphinaud to write up a report covering his experiences with the Crystal Braves and and and none of that matters because THIS BASTARD showed up!!

I have slain gods who had committed lesser crimes than the words you just said to your children.

I don't care about the Final Days anymore; Zenos and Fandaniel can go bring about the end of the world and dance in the ashes for all I care. THIS bastard is my new target. I will make you eat those words Fourchenault Leveilleur. You should be ashamed of yourself, and as Hydaelyn is my witness I will make sure you are.

*mutters darkly*

You have a clearer head than I, G'raha, I don't remember what he said besides his being an insufferable git. If the Forum wanted to distract me, that was a masterful way to do it. I'm still fuming.

Oh dear. Looks like Fandaniel is leading a force to Carteneau. I wonder if Zenos will be accompanying him?

But before we can leave on the airship, Fordola meets us and insists we must come with her.

Oh Arenvald, I am so sorry. Is it your legs or your back? I'm sorry. How rude of me. I am glad to see you alive.

Arenvald can fight no longer, so he looks to Alphinaud to carry on where he cannot. Alphinaud doesn't feel like much of a hero, nor is he sure that he is the right person for the job, but Arenvald gives him a pep-talk and we go.

Arenvald is obviously feeling very depressed about the loss he's suffered, but I am glad he has Fordola there for support (Ship it? Ship it). And I am glad it seems that, while he might no longer be able to wield a sword, he's not out of the fight just yet. I am... potentially hopeful we might see some good disability representation through him? It's already refreshing to see the idea that being disabled makes you useless so clearly and strongly rebutted.

Aaaaaaa! Who are you making me fight as this time!?

Okay but I want those little figures. Please. Let me buy the whole set and put them on my desk.

We gotta defend the aetheric confluence. This was painful. I am unskilled with these fights. Especially the one where I had to be Urianger. PAIN.

(Fuck yes Ravana. My favorite primal!)

Please no, Fandaniel. I don't need another homoerotic violence friendship. There is only room in my heart for one muderboyfriend.

We won the day, and, while we could not save them all, we saved some. And that will have to be enough.

I think this is hope.

Yesss thank you game for appreciating my desire to make that man pay.

Omg omg is that a scythe!? Is Zenos a Reaper now? Haha sweet.

Um. What's that spiky edifice behind you there? Also, I just noticed there appear to be ruins of buildings everywhere?

Oh yeah. That's gotta be the main tower that Thancred and Urianger espied in Garlemald. Or the final boss' lair. Possibly both. Spooky fucking thing, regardless.

Opposite of hope?

Ooooo!

I kinda adore you, Zenos. You crazy bastard. I think you've fallen for me and don't know what to do with that, so express it the way you express everything else: violence!

We have assessed the aetheric currents, and determined that the towers are being fueled by drawing upon the lands' aether directly. We must inform our allies of this.

But then...

Hydaelyn?

Hydaelyn!?!? After all this time, what brings you to speak with me? To send an avatar of yourself here?

Oh shit. That's not good. Can you be a little more specific?

Oh dear.

Aaand nobody else saw the glowing lady.

Oooh and now the spooky moon is over us too.

And with that. I believe I have reached the end of Shadowbringers. The greatest expansion so far. I don't feel prepared to sum up an experience as profound as this was. Fantastic game. I am eager to get playing Endwalker.

#ffxiv liveblog #rhesh'a tag #kan-e-senna #alphinaud leveilleur #fourchenault leveilleur #g'raha tia #fandaniel #fordola rem lupis #arenvald lentinus #zenos yae galvus #zenos my friend my enemy #hydaelyn #baseless speculation

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thescions · 4 months

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We came up with these headcanons when we were first setting up the blog a year ago, so let's post a handful of muses' shower habits/quirks!

Tataru is the type to use all of the hot water, but since she pays for it she doesn't see any problem. She has a waterproof notepad for taking down designs, has no problem belting if she decides to sing, and talks at full volume/shouts at people outside the door if she thinks of something.

Estinien takes a minimalist, efficient approach to bathing -- essentially, what would have been taught in the Ishgardian military. Warm water, if any at all, is a luxury not often afforded. It's in and out with only a focus on combatting what could lead to infection or illness.

Y'shtola doesn't have any showering-related quirks, but she'll sit in a bath for an hour and zone out. If she gets a song stuck in her head enough, she'll likely hum it -- and be annoyed that she did.

Thancred does the 80's hand-on-the-wall shower because he is exhausted (or maybe hung over). Likely won't sing, either, unless someone is in there with him.

Urianger is an active thinker in the shower, often mumbling to himself as he ponders whatever is on his mind. He doesn't really think of his body while washing it.

Alphinaud is a singing-in-the-shower type! So long as he is in a good mood. He prefers his showers be heated, thank you; he will take one if it is not but he will be miserable. Also, Alisaie knows he sings in the shower, so he won't if he thinks she's in earshot and will make fun of him.

Alisaie sings in the shower, too, but not loud enough that anyone could actuallt hear her. She isn't too bothered by showers that lack hot water, so long as she gets clean. She always washes her hair (that's her rich girl thing) and has her own shampoo bar in her travel pack from home.

Krile would sing in the shower on occasion. She takes showers to feel clean and relax, but not overstay longer than necessary. She takes her time with the process and enjoys it.

Lyse is full-on tone deaf, happy singing in the shower. She acts out things and dances if there's room, and has full on arguments with herself in the shower out loud. Cleaning herself has to also be accompanied by an activity. She wouldn't mind communal bathing and isn't too hard-pressed about being nude in front of others (now that she's no longer disguised as Yda).

Ryne sings in the shower, but usually forgets the lyrics. While she can be efficient, she takes more time to herself post-Shadowbringers. She will quietly do the thing where one piles their hair high with shampoo against the wall and giggle to herself. Now that she has her own appearance, she has more interest in styling herself.

G'raha, as a young man, would commit himself to efficency. He's an adventurer (historian), so that means he would cold water showers in camp! It's part of the lifestyle! As the Exarch, especially as he gets older, he would take this private time to reflect and find himself partial to nice-smelling soap. As a Scion, he would continue these habits, and likely add in singing the latest song he heard while Probably in the Seventh Heaven bar outside the Rising Stones. His locs require a special rinse, so sometimes he'll have his head/ears wrapped in a scarf, which makes him sing really loud unintentionally. Alisaie hasn't picked on him for it...yet.

Ysayle does not sing in the shower, but she does stand under the water and relax. In her role as Lady Iceheart, she did the efficient-camp-shower situation, but takes her time now. She thinks ten minutes in the shower is being excessive. She does not shave.

#tataru hc;#krile hc;#thancred hc;#yshtola hc;#urianger hc;#estinien hc;#alphinaud hc;#alisaie hc;#lyse hc;#ysayle hc;#graha hc;#ryne hc;#// casual reminder our graha is black thus his hair note;#// lyse is brown but that didn't come up in this hc

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cozyhatchling · 5 months

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Little G'raha Headcanons!

I loooove FFXIV and Raha is just adorable~

Caution: this post contains spoilers!

Raha didn't start regressing till after he got back from the First

All that responsibility from his time as Exarch coupled by the relief of finally being able to do what he's always wanted (adventure) just popped his brain into lil kitten mode one day

Raha is the sweetest, most excited thing when he's regressed! He's full of happy energy and loves to learn

He usually regresses to 5-6 years old

Scritching behind his ears makes him feel so small, he loves it~

His ears and tail are super animated when he's regressed! You can always tell his mood immediately

Raha retains most of his knowledge, plus reading and learning abilities, so he loves going to the nearest library when he small and reading voraciously

He will then ramble excitedly about everything he's learned, and though his explanations don't always make sense to anyone but him, he's so cute that you just have to sit and listen

Though regressing is usually a happy thing for him, sometimes he does slip when he's having a hard time with anxiety

In this case, he just wants to be cuddled and petted (mostly by the WoL, who was definitely the first to know about his regression)

Raha didn't even notice when he started regressing. It was the WoL who just naturally started babying him and pointed out that he was acting like a kitten again

Raha was initially embarrassed; he didn't want the WoL to think less of him or think he was weak, but the WoL would have None of that. They love that Raha felt safe enough to enter than mindset around them (and also little Raha is absolutely precious~)

Little Raha has me 🥹🥹🥹, he's so cute... I have tons of FFXIV agere headcanons, I can't wait to get them all in writing!

I take HC requests for FFXIV and many, many more! Click here for more info~

Thanks for reading!

#fandom agere #sfw agere #age regression #agere headcanons #agere hcs #system little #syskid #ffxiv #writing #hcs #my hcs #little dragon talks

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thebumblebeesystem · 10 months

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Pinned post, introducing myself

(Edit 11/22/2023: This post is outdated and I have plans to make a new one when I have the spoons. But I'm leaving it for now since I'm too tired to do otherwise.)

I've been waiting to make a pinned post until I knew what to say, but I've finally realized I can make a pinned post in which I can say that I don't know what to say yet. 😅 I'll babble about myself and hope I say something of interest.

Edit: My non-ffxiv posts can be found at @bumblebeesystem, and a list of all of our system's sideblogs can be found at @bumblebeesystem-hub.

Hi, my name's B'Elarra. I'm tentatively trying out Bee as a nickname, but I don't know yet if it'll stick or not. I'm a DID (dissociative identity disorder) system. I'll find a link to put here explaining it for people who don't know what that is when I have the spoons to.

I'm non-binary. My pronouns are they/them both to be gender neutral and, as a system, plural. I'll sometimes talk in I-language, sometimes we-language, depending on what feels natural that day. I don't mind being spoken to in singular (i.e. "you"), but it always feels good if people refer to me as plural (i.e. "you all"). No worries if you don't, though.

I'm a Twitter refugee, but I haven't been on Twitter all that long. I joined it in September 2022 because I wanted to be a part of the ffxiv community there. It never really did feel like a good fit for me. Twitter is for talking short and I tend to talk long. I found it hard to condense my thoughts enough to fit there, even with doing threads. So while I'm not glad the platform has blown up for the thousandth time, and I'm not glad to see all the broken friendships as a result... I'm very glad to end up here, and to find so many others here as well.

I'm autistic and an introvert who likes being around people (with breaks to recharge) but doesn't know how to people myself. I flail and get all awkward when someone talks to me and I don't know what I'm supposed to do back. So, thank you to the emotional support extroverts that have adopted me. You're much appreciated.

I'm in my 30's. I live with my husband (he/him) and partner (they/them). We're polyamorous, but not a triad. The two of them are good friends with each other. We have three cats, a bunch of snakes, and a whole lot of isopods. (The reaction I usually get to that is "you mean those roly poly bugs? You can keep them as pets?" Yes, you can keep them as pets!)

As far as ffxiv goes, the characters and ships you'll see here will be varied. As a system, many of us have our own characters and ships, and who we'll post will depend on who is around. Here's some of who you'll see. I'll take different screenshots for this post eventually, but for now, I'm just re-using what I've already got. The pronouns I'll list are for the characters. The player is always they/them, though.

B'Elarra (she/her): Her polycule is B'Elarra/Aymeric, B'Elarra/Haurchefant, B'Elarra/Estinien, and Aymeric/Estinien. B'Elarra has two daughters that she adopted as a single mother. Haurchefant lives.

B'Elano (he/him): His polycule is B'Elano/Erenville and B'Elano/G'raha

Baylen (they/them)/Merlwyb

B'ayana(they/them)/Lucia/Maxima (triad, and Maxima is genderfluid)

Mireya (she/her)/Barthovieu, with his son Philipallais (Heavensward carpenter quest npcs)

Lyse/Hien

Luna (she/her and they/them)

Adria (they/them)

Merri (she/her)

I also like taking screenshots of locations sometimes.

Anyway. I plan for this blog to be primarily ffxiv, but other things will probably creep in as well. I'll get a feel for what tags are here and how to use them and such. Questions are welcome, but I ask that they be specific. Vague questions make me freeze.

Thank you for being here!

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uldahstreetrat · 3 months

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Top 5 Relationships (romantic, familial, canon, HC, whatever!)

Top 5 Minions

There's two for you! :D

FINAL FANTASY XIV TOP 5 ASKS!

I did minions over here!

Anais Bell and Gaius Baelsar please dont ask my husband about how often I talk about these two cause it is SIGNIFICANTLY more than I post about them and I already post about them a LOT. I love a sad pathetic dilf, they have a history, she's such a mom - the vibes are just there in a way that is so ideal to me specifically and I cant get enough

Thancred and Minfilia/Ryne tragic sibling relationships fuck me up Im constantly writing them already myself and getting to ShB and seeing the sort of "my sister died and Im looking after her kid" vibe Thancred and Ryne had going and how Ryne's relationship to Minfilia also REALLY felt to me like the kid who's mom died giving birth/when she was young and she only grew up hearing about her from everyone else I just-- damn that's some good dynamics

Q'ihnn Tia and G'raha Tia this was a joke initially, it was a "hey wouldnt it be funny if they were ex boyfriends" when I was running the raids and then I got to ShB and got hit over the head with THAT and well now they're getting married aha they're just really sweet and they deserve the happiness of being together

Zana and Alphinaud Leveilleur these two stupid teenagers are in love and they're adorable. I would die for them. I'd kill for them without hesitation. he immediately had a crush on her and she immediately threatened to kill him and then their character arcs just lined up in a way where they're inseparable now and I love em a lot, they're real cuties. also they're like a mini Q'ihnn and G'raha too which I always think is funny to have like father like daughter shit with Q'ihnn and Zana lmao

Kerrich Drachman and Ophianne Vilauclaire I actually hadn't thought about these two much until recently but the dynamic is deeply compelling to me now - Kerrich and his adoptive kids as a whole vibe was always only ever something I really thought about with Estinien and Q'ihnn, with all three of them being dragoons, but Ophianne is the kid MOST like him and also the one he just... kinda ignored. didn't worry about. he wasn't training her and she could handle herself, he didn't feel like he needed to worry about it, but now she's grown and she just... doesn't want anything to do with him. she never did, she never wanted a father figure even as a kid, but she certainly doesnt want one now. and Kerrich is my canon's 1.0 WoL so his entire dynamic with Bahamut is, well, complicated... and Ophianne is a summoner. in fact she's more closely tied to the actual dragon that was Bahamut than the primal. the symbolism alone in that in their relationship is driving me insane and im really gonna hammer into it going forward as much as I get the chance

also received this ask from @jdtrashman, so thanks to you both!

#thank you very much for asking this was so fun to answer #plus ya know any excuse to ramble about my ocs right

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sharlayandropout · 10 months

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New Adventure

5.3, the return from the Tower.

Fic excerpt below!

'Behold: my riding bird, and my battle bird'. As if on cue, the huge green chocobo pawed the ground with a massive talon, puffing out his chest proudly. As Zefiris moved to hand G'raha the reins of the smaller black bird, she hesitated, an uncertain look shadowing her eyes; but she shook her head, dispelling whatever thought had troubled her. 'No, you should take Kuro. He'll take care of you. This monster will be pissed off enough at having to carry anyone at all, never mind someone who isn't me.'

'What became of the chocobo you had before, if it's not too sad a tale? It seemed a dependable sort, any time I saw you riding.'

'This is him,' she laughed, giving the green bird an affectionate clap on the neck.

G'raha frowned, sudden uneasiness rising in the pit of his stomach. 'Is…is my memory at fault? I'm sure I recall your chocobo being the common sandy-coloured palfrey.' If his memories were awry–if the blending was incomplete, or had…altered him somehow…

‘Raha.’ Zefiris grasped his shoulder gently. 'Your memory is just fine,' she reassured him. 'We've got a well meaning idiot of an Ishgardian noble to thank for his change in plumage. Thought he could get back on my good side after wasting my time across half the Sea of Clouds by feeding my bird up with some expensive fodder while I had him stabled at Fortemps Manor. It changed his colour, turned him bloodthirsty as all hells and now the bugger won't eat anything else. It costs a fortune to import, too.' For all her words, it was a fond smile that chased across her lips at the memory.

The smaller, dantier black bird was nosing at G'raha curiously, keen for attention, and he reached up to scratch the pinfeathers on its cheek, murmuring soft nonsense to it as Zefiris continued her tale.

'He was completely unrideable for a while, but luckily this one came along at just the right time.' The black bird was leaning into his ministrations and creeling quietly, so G'raha raised his free hand and began working on the other side of its head, behind its ear. 'Kuro was a gift, and I've ridden him instead, since…since I was given him.' She fell silent, and he turned back to look at her. She was smiling at them both, softly, a little sadly. 'He likes you.'

'He's a fine bird,' G'raha grinned, not bothering to hide his delight at the obvious favour the chocobo was showing him. Remembering his manners - and the fact he was well within talonsreach - he glanced over his shoulder and added pointedly: 'You are both very fine birds.' It came too late, it seemed, and he flinched under the baleful gaze of the green beast behind him, who had raised his crest in an unimpressed display.

'Shall we, then?' The nervousness in G'raha's smile held nothing to the excitement in his eyes, afire and eager. Kuro stood patiently for him, head bowed, but G'raha's swing into the saddle was surprisingly effortless, for all his limbs must still have ached. The bird craned his neck around, as if checking his passenger was secure, and was rewarded with another pat on the beak. Zefiris swore that if a chocobo could blush, he'd be red as his rider's hair.

She followed suit. Kokapetl snorted and stamped, making his usual overdramatic fuss, but Zefiris cautioned him with a low 'Oiiiii,' and he grudgingly subsided. Settling herself, she looked out over the broken, shimmering landscape of Mor Dhona. Towards the peaks; towards Coerthas. 'I'm going to take this as a sign that you approve,' she murmured quietly into the empty air.

G'raha had moved off, turning Kuro in a wide circle, getting a feel for his gait. She observed the easy way he sat the saddle; his relaxed, one-handed grip on the reins; noted the spring in the bird's step, responsive under a considerate rider. 'You would have loved him, too,' she whispered with a smile, and with a last look back at the snow-covered hills on the horizon, she urged her own bird down to meet him.

'Are you ready?' she asked, heart swelling.

G'raha paused a moment - but when he looked up at her, he showed no trace of hesitation, and his voice was low and bold as he declared: 'I am.'

Zefiris nodded. 'Then let's go home.'

#wol x g'raha tia #wolgraha #g'raha tia #elezen #gpose fics #ffxiv gpose #final fantasy xiv #shadowbringers spoilers #shb spoilers #chocobo #duskwight

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disciple-of-frost · 7 months

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Holy Shit, Oh My God, This Is a Long Ass Lore Post

Alrighty then. Thank you to @hikari-ni-naritai for the absolute plethora of questions. To be honest a lot of these are questions I never really considered before, so I gotta do a bit of digging around in my brain meat.

2.) How did they acquire their Echo?

I never thought of this before, but I now want Ishi to have acquired it after going on her investigation in Kugane to find her parents. She looked/asked around for an Auri couple for what felt like an enternity and one night as she went to sleep after a particularly fruitless day of questioning she had an incredibly vivid dream. A woman's voice, stars raining down from the sky, etc. The next day after walking through the Ijin District she witnessed a Garlean accosting some random passerby and she experienced her first Echo vision. She saw the same Garlean accusing her parents of espionage and took them into custody. The only lead she had after that was that they were taken somewhere called Castrum Abania.

---

3.) Does their Echo function like it does in the MSQ? Or is there a twist to it?

I think Ishi's Echo would function like the one we have in game for the most part. But, I LOVE the idea that the Echo allows the character to see the different battle mechanics that we, the player, are able to see and that is why our WoL is so hard to beat in combat.

---

5.) Where are they from? What was their childhood like?

Ishi grew up in The Tail Mountains, the home of the Angura tribe, with her mother (Veda), father (Ashish), and step sister (Willow). She was a bit of a know it all and super arrogant when she was little because all of the adults in her life would heap praise on her and call her a child prodigy because of her natural aptitude for magic. After her parents found Willow abandoned and took her in she mellowed out a bit, but was still a bit prideful. She didn't have many friends because of her attitude, but the one friend she did have, Varun, saw the good in her and he was the only person she could be completely vulnerable around.

---

7.) How did they deal with Haurchefant’s death?

.:Stars Align:. Ishi didn't personally know him that well. The only frame of reference she had for his character was through U'tala and how his death impacted her.

.:Diamond Aegis:. Ishi thought of him like another brother, very similar to Varun, both men being very bubbly and their strong willingness to defend the innocent. When he died she was devastated, but she didn't have time to mourn him properly so she was fairly cold and distant, she cut herself off from her emotions to an extant in order to continue on with the pursuit of Thordan.

---

11.) Were they more sympathetic to the dragons, Ishgardians, neither or both?

100% sympathetic to the dragons. In my .:Stars Align:. timeline she straight up joined the heretics because Ysayle showed her the truth to the Holy See's transgressions. Though she did come to the conclusion that it was wrong that the innocents of Ishgard were going to be the ones to pay for the consequences of their ancestors deeds and that the Church was content with that if it meant Thordan stayed the Arch Bishop.

---

13.) Are they close with any of the other Scions? Who do they get along with the best?

Ishi get's along with basically all of the Scions, but she is closest to Y'shtola, G'raha, and Alisaie. Y'shtola she sees as an academic rival and love's having intellectual conversation with her. G'raha is her platonic soulmate, they bring out best in each other. Alisaie is her pupil, in my canon Ishi was the one to teach her Red Magic, with X'rhun's help of course, put Ishi was her primary teacher.

---

17.) Who is their favorite Alliance leader? Who do they get along with the best out of them?

I'm just gonna say that anytime I see Aymeric pop up on screen I act like a giddy school girl and leave it at that.

---

19.) What do they think of the Heaven’s Ward?

Bastards, the lot of them. Thordan's perosnal goon squad and nothing more.

---

23.) Are there any side quest storylines that you’re particularly fond of or think of as being canon to your WoL’s experiences?

The Hildebrand Quests are all canon for Ishi. I used to be of the opinion that the quests were too silly, but my partner and I did them all together and I was able to see the heart in them and have fun with the silliness.

---

29.) Did your WoL suspect anything was amiss with Urianger or the Crystal Exarch? Did they feel betrayed? Upset? When the truth finally emerged?

She believed Urianger up until she overheard the argument between him and Y'shtola, if Y'shtola was able to tell something was off then it warranted concern. She even opened the door and joined in on the conversation too, if this concerned her safety and the safety of the group then she felt she should be privy to any information Urianger had.

The Exarch was a little more complicated, though Ishi did have her suspicions that he was in fact G'raha Tia she didn't push him on the matter. Hells, the last time they interacted she didn't even know if G'raha saw her as anything more than a work colleague or that he cared enough about her to keep secrets from her. So her initial interactions with him were very professional, but through his actions she could see that The Exarch was a genuinely good person. When she saw that she was right about The Exarch and G'raha being the same person it initially hurt, this person she cared about lied about who he was so she wouldn't try to stop him from killing himself to save everyone, to save people he would never get the chance to know.

---

31.) What were their first impressions of Hien?

Ishi thought Hien was going to be another super serious noble who only cared about his royal duty, but seeing his warmth, kindness, and playful banter with Yugiri and Gosetsu made her reconsider that stance.

#ffxiv #final fantasy xiv #final fantasy #ff14 #final fantsy 14 #spoilers #ffxiv spoilers #ishita maryam #my wol #ishi lore #inbox answered #au ra wol #ishita angura #character info #oc lore #au ra

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cinnabun-faerie · 1 year

Note

Thank you so much for answering my previous ask ☺️ if possible could I please have some cute headcanons for Alphinaud G'raha Tia Thancred Y'shtola Aymeric Emet-Selch Jullus Zenos Hermes and Urianger with a WoL that turns into a blanket burrito when it gets cold outside? (It's actually cold where i live 😅 so it made me think of this ask idea) thank you and please keep up the good work

A/N: It's quite cold where I am as well! I hope you keep warm!

Note: Established relationships, fluffy

Warning: Spoilers if you haven't made it to Endwalker!

Alphinaud

"Do you have room in there for me?"

"Maybe."

he thinks that you're so adorable when you're wrapped up like that

perhaps before joining you, he could go put a few more sticks on the fire

he'd rather not have you nor him freeze to death

actually he would ask if you want to go and sit together in front of the fire for a while

you'd grudgingly agree

it's much warmer with the fire and you're cuddled up with him in a chair, head resting on his shoulder

Aymeric

Seeing as Ishgard is always cold, he understands why you'd be so bundled up

honestly you look so cute like that

but how was he supposed to hold you and get warm?

you had all of the blankets

perhaps you'd rather some body heat to help

"Sweetheart, can I hold you in the blankets?"

"Please!"

He would chuckle at your eagerness to engulf him into the blankets

"We can stay like this til morning if you'd like."

"I'd hope so or you'll end up a Knight-cicle."

Emet-Selch

Rolls Eyes

It wasn't that cold

but if you were that cold, then he could just go get you another blanket

the things he does for the love of his existence

"If you keep rolling your eyes, Emet-Selch, you'll never be granted access to the blanket."

"You're not going to share with me? After I get you two more blankets? I can't believe you."

"Two? Maybe we can call a truce."

when he finally joins you under the blankets, you realize that he's just as cold as you are

you lay on top of him and tuck the blankets around both of you

"Don't worry, I'll get us nice and warm."

G'raha Tia

G'raha was your blanket burrito buddy

he got a bit cold as well and the best thing to do was to cuddle up together

at least then he could pull you close to him

he was so cute for this as you were so fond of the way he nuzzled against you

"Shall I get more blankets?"

"No. I'm warm just like this. And I don't want you to move."

"Thank goodness. I didn't want to stop holding you, even for a moment.

Hermes

When he'd see you in your little blanket burrito, he would chuckle to himself

he should have known that you would be in here if he couldn't find you elsewhere

he would not try to wake you, but he would go to his side of the bed and cover himself with an extra blanket that you had not stolen for your burrito

his back was to you when you woke up to see him laying beside

"Hermes?"

you had moved closer to wrap your arm around him, your hand finding his

"Hm?"

"Missed you."

"Missed you too, love."

Jullus

Whether you were used to the cold or not, you were constantly cold

and being with him in Garlemald didn't help

but he had a solution for that

he had the fluffiest blankets reserved just for you and him

and when he sees you all bundled up like a burrito, he would have the cutest smile on his face

he adored you so much no matter what you did

he would join you in bed and pull you close so he could kiss your forehead, nose, cheeks and finally your lips

his heart would melt when you snuggle up next to him

Thancred

He loved teasing you whenever you were wrapped up like a burrito

you just looked so cute

and you had the best reactions of course

"Cold are we?"

"Yes."

"And what if I am too?"

"Get your own blanket."

"I'm wounded, Y/N. My own partner doesn't want to share with me."

You would tug Thancred on the bed before wrapping him and you up in the blankets, earning a laugh from him

"Shut up."

"You know, if you want to get warm, I know a good way."

"Thancred!"

Urianger

Whenever you got cold, you had this habit of wrapping yourself up in a blanket burrito and waddling out to wherever Urianger

there you would simply throw yourself at him

and he'd always catch you and set you in his lap

he knew that you preferred the blanket and his body heat

at least then he could read to you and you could warm him up

Y'shtola

"Is it burrito season?"

"It is. Will you be joining?"

"When have I ever refused."

Whenever you got cold, she always joined you

sometimes you formed her own burrito or other times she would just join yours

and whenever either of you were cuddled together in one big burrito, it wouldn't be long before you both would be fast asleep

Zenos

How could you be cold when he always pulled you close, providing you lots of heat?

regardless, he found you wrapped up in the blankets to be rather endearing

his heart might even skip a beat when you start wrapping him up in the same big blanket with you

"Are you satisfied?"

"Yes."

#ffxiv #ffxiv headcanons #alphinaud x reader #aymeric x reader #emet selch x reader #g'raha tia x reader #hermes x reader #jullus x reader #thancred x reader #urianger x reader #y'shtola x reader #zenos x reader

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mmorpg-escapism · 17 days

Text

I have just enough energy in me tonight for my favorite solo duty. This one's a doozy, and the final thing that stands between us and Endwalker! ...which I'll start tomorrow. There are also some Thoughts on the expansion as a whole at the end under the cut.

For those of you who have been keeping an eye on this journey, thank you ❤ It's not over yet and is most definitely going to loop back to stuff I did before starting here: there will eventually be another run through ARR to current sometime after the graphics update hits every expansion, so likely late next year. I've got a hrothgal waiting in the wings for that one... and do plan to do this to Dawntrail on my main with appropriate spoilers tagged as well as the usual one. We shall see how that goes.

Now, into the duty!

Alphinaud's character growth is so very visible to us after Arenvald's pep talk. The kid is a natural-born leader, and despite his mistakes he has enough confidence to really use his gifts... after a little push from his friends and family.

And now, we fight! The Scions take the field in full force - first as a group, and then splitting up across the field to take charge of several enemies. Our first stop is us clearing the field of a LOT of tempered Imperials... then splitting up to find and deal with Lunar Primals wherever we can while G'raha holds the fort.

And now, the real fun: We get to cosplay as a few of the Scions! Starting with Alisaie! RDM is my favorite caster, and this simplified take on it is very much faithful to my experience with it itself. Lots of little enemies, one big one, and a very fun slice-n-dice playground.

Development: "Random" magical glyphs that are pointed at the heart of a massive "aetheric confluence" - which is just a fancy way of describing a spot where several aetheric currents meet - and Y'shtola's guess is that they're there to enable some seriously nasty disasters should one of the Grape-flavored Primals reach and destroy one. Cool, the stakes have risen.

Split #2 has us afield as Urianger's Astro, facing Lunar Odin - which I did NOT do in my original playthrough nor this one, so I had no idea what to expect. I'm not an Astro player, but after some experience with one of my static members being... particularly annoyed with it, this wasn't quite so bad. Odin down!

Split #3 is back to G'raha and Alisaie, but now we're playing as G'raha who is some combo of BLM and WHM, facing off with Lunar Ravana. Big stabby sword bug. Woo. He's just as cool as the original fight, if a little toned down for story and "2-man" reasons. Big stabby stuff, and even an excuse to use G'raha's Break spell! Bugman down!

Now, back to the WoL with Estinien and Alphinaud facing down the monster that crippled Arenvald: Grape Ifrit. This one's personal. And boy howdy wthat one was the most intense of the three. Fire everywhere, a big LB3-like thing out of Estinien, the works. But it's the last of the primals, and we're all still alive.

I love this duty so very much. Not only because we get to spend some time as our Scion friends. Not only because we get to fight primals in a more one-on-one style that helps me imagine how to write it when I get there. It's also because there are stakes going in - stop the crazy person with lots of power who's trying to end the world - that become more specific during the fight, and then when the evil plan is thwarted, they don't just gloss over the aftermath.

We get to see our friends being VERY human. Alisaie is exhausted and berating herself for not doing enough. Alphinaud cannot stand losing anyone, and we have to watch him fight that when his healing isn't enough to save the man in front of him. We see the Grand Company of Eorzea at work - city-state leaders and beastmen tribes alike working together to cure the tempered. We cannot save everyone, an Amalj'aa warrior reminds the Scions, but those we have saved would not have been if not for you.

"So please, hold your heads high." The entire bustling field stopped and listened. Every single country we have visited, from the Alliance to Doma, is represented here. Standing behind the Scions, who gave everything they had to win the day, despite the cost. The moon breaks through the clouds above, and one last time we hear the Shadowbringers main theme break through as everyone gathered stares up at it, and the credits roll.

================================================

As I sit and process this entire expansion one more time, it's clear... Shadowbringers fundamentally alters your brain chemistry. That's from one of the posts going around the week I wrapped this up, and it is extremely accurate. We started all the way back in ARR as an adventurer with a gift, but little else, and got used. We slowly turned into something else on our way into Heavensward ("What are you?" - Thordan VII after we beat him) and used the power we had to liberate two entire countries from the Garlean empire alongside our friends, then watched them get snatched away from us for some unknown reason.

And then we went to where they were and found ourselves embroiled in a world that flipped the script on everything we knew. Light was bad, Dark was good, and everything we thought we knew was wrong. Discoveries with ripple effects that will be felt through Endwalker and beyond were made, and two entire worlds were changed as a result.

I'm not that good at analyzing story, or at least I didn't think I was when I started. All I knew is that this expansion was The Best that FFXIV had to offer, and I wanted to find ways to articulate why I thought that. I think I've succeeded, at least a little. I'm very excited for Endwalker and Dawntrail and beyond. Maybe I'll even get some creative spark going and write more of ARW for your enjoyment and my own - I want to do more than think about my blorbo :)

One more Arenvald Appreciation post tomorrow, most likely, and then into Endwalker!

#ffxiv escapism: endwalker #ffxiv escapism: shadowbringers #so long Shadowbringers!

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yzeltia · 8 months

Text

FFXIVwrite2023 4.Off the Hook

Characters: Alphinaud Leveilleur, U'rahn Nuhn, Y'shtola Rhul Expansion: Shadowbringers Rating: G Notes: Thanks for @driftward for the continual shipping of U'rahn and their Nyx Blackmoon

"I have really done it now."

Alphinaud sighed heavily as he rested on his knees, Y'shtola's staff across his lap, the bottom tip of which had been splintered apart. A youthful moment of playfulness had seized him, seeing the unattended weapon. Emulating the Archon, he recreated her powerful stance, proudly standing before The Forum in his mind and with a powerful slam of cane to marble flooring, breaking the end off Nightseeker.

As footsteps echoed behind him, he tensed up. He did little to hide his crime, simply turning his head toward the coming person, unable to meet their gaze.

"Hey Hey! Whatcha got there Alphy," U'rahn asked, tail flicking as he squatted down beside the young Scion.

"I had the briefest moment of youthful indiscretion and broke Y'shtola's staff in the process. I am afraid of her reaction when I am forced to tell her the truth."

The Miqo'te nodded sagely, "Honesty is good. Very herrroic of you. Especially breaking the special replicated staff given to her by Runar. She will be extremely displeased but I am sure will appreciate your bravery and only punish you lightly."

"Punish me," Alphinaud repeated.

"Yeah Yeah. Like G'raha. She'll probably just get all punchy with her words and send you to do a bunch of chores. It'll be like old times."

The boy swallowed, remembering his early days doing odd jobs for the Antecedent and then how Y'shtola barely acknowledged G'raha through their years of being on the First well into their return home. The woman could hold a grudge.

As they sat there looking at the broken staff, the click of heels started to echo throughout the halls. Alphinaud felt his hair stand on end as they grew louder. He was too frozen to panic, instead turning slowly to face the door as Y'shtola pushed her way into the room. Head down, he raised Nightseeker up toward her.

"What happened," the woman asked, voice even and calm.

"I was..I had…,” Alphinaud started.

Beside him, U’rahn gulped, ears folding back. Though the Elezen boy could see the subtle traces of her anger, the Warrior of Light could pick up on the subtle hints of danger radiating off his fellow Miqo’te. The constricting of her already narrow pupils, the tip of her tail having the slightest of twitches, and her ears slowly folding back as she grew more and more impatient.

“Had seen Nyx break it. They just came in here and did it and left,” U’rahn piped up.

Y’shtola narrowed her eyes at U’rahn while Alphinaud turned to look at him in disbelief. The Archon tutted then knelt down to take the pieces from the boy, mending them back together with a simple cantrip.

“One does wonder what goes through their mind at times. Well, no need for tears. What was done has been undone,” Y’shtola shrugged before moving on, leaving Alphinaud dumbfounded and U’rahn relieved.

“That worked,” Alphinaud breathed out, “What about being heroic and honest though?” “Sometimes, the heroic thing is to live to see another day by cleverly scapegoating your quirky, yet forgiving girlfriend.”

“And what if she confronts Nyx?”

“Would you?”

“Good point.”

#final fantasy xiv #ffxiv #final fantasy 14 #ff14 #ffxiv oc #ff xiv #ffxiv miqo'te #u'rahn nuhn #alphinaud leveilleur #y'shtola rhul #ffxivwrite2023 #ffxiv write 2023 #off the hook

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brineffxiv · 1 year

Text

Catching up with the rest of our group, we find that-- Oh, it's this asshole again. Hi jerkface. You here to ruin our fun?Y'shtola, why can't you turn him into a toad?

That clerk at the Archeion snitched on us! Rat!

Thank you for openly confirming that.

It's okay Y'shtola, I've attuned to their aetherite; let them try and keep me out.

No! They've got G'raha!

You shouldn't even have a restricted section of your library. Information must be free!

And off we go. To be tried for our crimes of being subversive foreigners.

Haha, Y'shtola was in on G'raha's plan to infiltrate the restricted section.

Fight me Fourchenault! I'll show you a malcontent.

Huh, well, I mean... Yeah, I suppose that's true.

Y'shtola calls out the forum, and reveals how much we've gleaned in our investigations.

G'raha informs us that his research turned up similar evidence. What the two of them have concluded is that, around 270 years ago...

...Researchers of the aetherial sea in the Dravanian Hinterlands found something that gave rise to the duty they've been so cagey about.

...Hey, didn't Hydaelyn just tell me that Her influence is the strongest in the depths of the aetherial sea? Did they find Her?

And the forum basically admits that our suppositions are correct. They did find something that gave rise to their duty.

We debate the merits of fighting vs not fighting for a while.

Suddenly we are interrupted by a new player on the field; a mister Montichaigne. He points out that while we have chosen to fight, there is no evidence that we have attempted to incite the people of Sharlayan to do the same. Furthermore he points out that the forum has given us no reasons as to the whys of their decisions, and seeing as they don't intend to it's only reasonable that we're asking.

The assembly thus back on track it is proposed that the Students of Baldesion are to immediately cease all activities within Sharlayan and to stop investigating the forums activities. If we do not comply we will be expelled. Overall, a rather generous set of conditions - I would have expected we would be expelled immediately.

The proposal is put to a vote and passes by the narrowest of margins. I notice that Fourchenault voted against - he was probably hoping we'd be expelled.

Outside the rostra we are met by the twins' mother Ameliance! Who, unlike her husband, is quite please we were not expelled from Sharlayan. In fact, she seems quite delighted to see us all, especially her children (you know your hubby disowned your kids, right?), and invited me to join her and them at the family estate.

Lady, you seem so sweet. Why are you married to that dick??

Did their letters mention their souls spent a year in another world while their bodies laid in a coma? Just curious. I need to know what I can and cannot tell you while we're waiting for them to come back with their gifts.

Alisaie gets a new outfit!

And so does Alphinaud! Very snazzy you two.

But that's not all. Alphiaud also gets a Sage's tools. That once belonged to his father. I imagine that must be a little fraught for him, given how his father is currently treating him.

Ameliance sends her children off with good advice on how to deal with their father, and with lots of love. I can't say how wonderful it is to see a loving parental relationship.

#ffxiv liveblog #rhesh'a tag #y'shtola rhul #fourchenault leveilleur #g'raha tia #montichaigne #ameliance leveilleur #krile baldesion

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allaganexarch · 2 months

Note

12 and 13 for gwagwa and 8 also if you're feeling spicy

THANK YOU FRIENDDDD

12. What's a headcanon you have for this character?

Idk if this is a headcanon so much as an explicit interpretation of implicit canon but I like to think he learned to be an all-rounder telling himself it was so he could be of the most use/because he didn't want to do anything that might give him away like still being an archer, but really it was to maximize his chances to get to come along on the adventure at some point--the more indispensable he made himself, the less likely he'd be left behind like before!

13. What's an emoji, an emoticon and/or any symbol that reminds you of this character or you think the character would use a lot?

G'raha gives major ^^ vibes I feel like he'd be one of those ppl who attaches that to nearly every message LOL! As for the emoji that I associate with him uhm 🐈 clearly.

8. What's something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you despise?

LOL! Uh I'll stick to the least spicy take which is the game made the mistake of associating him with not one not two but THREE food and now it's just absolutely inescapable LOL. All of those choices make perfect sense within the story, and even the first few times you see it out in the world it's kind of cute because....you know. he can haz cheezburger. But enough is Enough, and enough comes very quickly for me.

Character Ask Game!

#exciting tag for answered asks #ffxiv #g'raha tia

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sweetwhumpandhellacomf · 1 year

Text

Your Blood or His

G'raha Tia is kidnapped by pirates who use him as bait to lure in the Warrior of Light for a spot of revenge. Read on AO3 here!

CW: Broken bones, mentions of slavery, attempted killing (throat cutting)

---

G’raha Tia awoke to a pounding in his skull. He groaned and squeezed his eyes more tightly shut, as if to keep out the headache. He tried to bring his hand around to massage his temples but felt it catch behind his back, heard the clank of heavy chains. The fur on his tail immediately bristled and he forced his eyes open, pupils dilating in the darkness to catch any shred of light.

G’raha was alone in a large, empty room—the hold of a ship, if he was correct in hearing waves lapping at the hull outside. The only light he could catch was pale grey pinpricks from holes and knots in the deck above. He wrinkled his nose at the scent of rotting wood and salt and—fear, and desperation. He cast his eyes about the hold, trying not to move his aching head too much, and saw the shackles and hooks set into the walls. The hold of a slave ship, and not a new one.

He tried to remember what had lead him to be here. A missive, requesting any of the former Scions to aid in some matter of investigation in La Noscea. G’raha, eager to get some warm salty air after the cold of Sharlayan, jumped at the chance. A bit of adventure, even without the Warrior of Light, was always something he looked forward to.

He’d arrived at the spot on the southern stretch of the Bloodshore, and a grinning pirate had… had…

G’raha cursed his enthusiasm. The damn bastard tossed some sort of grenade, and the smoke had filled his lungs before he could even think to cover his face with his scarf. It wasn’t acrid, and he thanked the gods that his throat wasn’t burning now, but it must’ve knocked him out, leading him to awaken in this—this rotting old slave hold.

“You damned fool,” he muttered to nobody, forcing himself to focus on the present once again. He could just imagine everyone else chiding him for going off on his own. Except—well, Elodie wouldn’t be upset. She would come rushing to his aid, like she always did. G’raha smiled to himself and started trying to rise to his knees with his hands shackled behind him. Botanist first, hero second, Elodie always claimed, and yet she would drop her pruning shears and come to his rescue if she had so much as an inkling of peril.

As he awkwardly pushed himself to kneel, rather than lie prone with his cheek pressed into slightly damp wood, G’raha tried to take further stock of his situation. The shackles around his wrists seemed connected to a bolt in the floor, and twisting around not only confirmed this, but revealed the bolt and shackles both to be newer than anything that would’ve been in this ship for too long. The movement also alerted him to the presence of a heavy shackle around his neck, likely the same metal that kept his hands bound. His scarf and jacket were both missing, as were his bracers and jewelry, linkpearl included.

He could hear footsteps on the deck above him, muffled voices. At least three captors, from what he could pick up, though there very likely could be more. They didn’t seem to know he was conscious yet; that was good. He could use the extra time to his advantage. He shut his eyes once more, focusing his aether, thinking perhaps he could shatter the shackles with force—but the moment he managed to well up any significant amount, the shackle at his throat sparked fiercely and sent a bolt of pain through his whole body. He yelped in alarm and pain, hunching over and breathing hard once he lost his focus and the pain subsided.

The voices overhead stopped for a moment, and he heard heavy footsteps and low muttering, followed by coarse laughter. His fur bristled again. They certainly knew he was awake now, and he chided himself again for being a fool. Blocking his aether was an obvious move, and his gut knotted at the idea of any of his friends being caught in this trap instead.

The footsteps continued overhead, and G’raha watched intently, then squinted as a door against the wall opened to flood the dark hold with grey, piercing light. “Well, well,” a rough voice said, the massive silhouette of a roegadyn blocking the glare. “Our little guest is awake.”

“So I am,” G’raha replied, trying to adjust his posture to one with more dignity; but kneeling with his hands trapped behind him afforded him little of that. “Might I ask what you intend of me?”

The pirate chuckled, his heavy footsteps making the wood creak as he made his way over. As G’raha’s eyes adjusted to the new light, he craned his neck to look up. “Well, lad, your scholar friend did me a bad turn once,” the roegadyn said. G’raha imagined Elodie correcting him with ‘botanist’ and had to force down a chuckle. “Me crew and I were to be set up for life. Rollin’ in gil and jewels, soon as we dropped our cargo off. Retirin’ to Thavnair to live in luxury. But your bitch of a scholar--” He emphasized the word by grabbing the heavy steel club off a loop in his belt and pounding it into the floor. “--that bitch had to go sniffin’ and findin’ and reportin’.”

G’raha’s eyes widened. Elodie had told him this story. “Haerwaen Heavyhand,” he breathed. “What she did is free the innocents you intended to sell into slavery!”

Haerwaen scoffed and shook his head. “She liberated me damn cargo is what she did. And you—you’re going to help me get back at her.”

“You know this is foolish,” G’raha said, his tail lashing, stomach knotting from the insults and threats being slung at his dearest companion. “Elodie Valeroyant is the savior of this star, she’s one of the most powerful mages to ever have lived! What do you think will happen?”

The pirate leaned in close and rested the head of his club on G’raha’s knee. The cold steel pressed heavily against his skin. “What will happen,” he said lowly, leaning in close, “is that either she lets me get my revenge, or I kill you.”

G’raha flinched. “And then what?!” he demanded. “You get this revenge you seek, but the entire star will be against you. People will—” The club suddenly swung up, knocking the wind out of him and sending him sprawling onto his back. Haerwaen was over him in a second, pressing the club onto his ribcage, pressing down on a rib that had to already have fractured. G’raha gasped and squirmed under its weight.

“I really, truly don’t care what the world thinks of me after this,” he said. “Me life’s been a hell since our first meetin’ anyway. I’ll be happy to just die happy.”

G’raha looked up into the pirate’s eyes, and he saw a man who had long since given up any sense of honor. His ears pinned back against his head, and he cried out as the club pressed harder and he felt something snap and felt pain bloom in his chest.

Haerwaen chuckled darkly and pulled the club back, giving G’raha more room to breathe, though each breath brought sharp agony. “Well, so long as we have to wait, we may as well have a bit o’ fun,” the pirate said, dragging the club down to one of G’raha’s legs. He tried to curl them up against him, but one heavy booted foot trapped his left ankle, leaving it straight. “Plenty o’ buyers for a cute little thing like you, by the way. Matchin’ hair and eyes in such a color? That’s a rarity. We’d have to do somethin’ about that tongue of yours, ‘course. You’d talk too much.”

“What do—” G’raha didn’t have time to process what the pirate was implying before the club swung up, then down, into his knee. His leg exploded in pain, and he screamed, thrashing and kicking wildly with his free leg. The pressure let up on his ankle, and he instinctively tried to tuck his injured leg up, but the pain was white-hot at the least movement and he screamed once more.

Looming above him, the pirate laughed louder. “Ahh, screamin’ like a song,” he said, though G’raha could barely hear him through the pain. “I have missed that sound, boy.” The club thumped against his knee again, and his vision went white for a moment, a choked squeak all the sound he could make. “We’ll have some more fun once your scholar bitch gets here, aye?”

Haerwaen turned and left G’raha lying on the cold, damp wood, shutting him in the darkness once again. He tried one more to curl up or lie on his side, but moving his leg at all sent pain shooting through him, and turning his torso put pressure on his injured rib and made it harder to breathe. He eventually settled for lying very still with his hands growing numb beneath him, taking the slowest, most careful breaths he could manage, wincing every time the pain spiked and he couldn’t stop himself from sobbing.

He felt very vulnerable and alone.

---

G’raha had no way to measure the time that passed but for the pinpricks of light through the rotting boards turning dark. He well and truly couldn’t see by this point, and he imagined how it must have felt for the poor souls the pirates had transported in the past, locked in the dark in this room with the overwhelming stink of fear. They, at least, had each other to hold, to brush against, to whisper to.

G’raha had nobody but himself. He tried to make the best of it.

It was difficult to focus on anything but the pain at first, but he found that as he lay still, he could send it to the back of his mind. He shut his eyes against the oppressive darkness and tried first to sleep, then when that failed to come, to recall a comforting textbook. One of Elodie’s, of course, her first botanical treatise. He smiled faintly to himself, recalling how she would jokingly complain that nobody ever wanted Elodie the botanist, only Elodie the healer or Elodie the hero.

“It’s not as if I don’t know how to use this for offensive purposes,” she had said once, hefting up the sharp woodcutter’s axe. “I’m perfectly capable of felling at least a morbol.” That had made G’raha laugh, and his laugh had made her smile.

He’d see that smile again, he was certain. His cherished Botanist of Light would rush in on her aetherchair, felling the pirates like invasive shrubs with a single swing of her axe. She would then free G’raha from his binds, heal his wounds, and they would go back to her home in the Lavender Beds to rest.

It was a comforting enough thought, sustaining him through his worsening pain and fatigue until he managed to lose consciousness.

---

Heavy footsteps overhead jolted G’raha awake, and he tried to sit up before his situation reminded him of itself. His broken rib came to the forefront, then his broken knee when he tried to shift, and his hands tingled angrily from where they were trapped beneath him. He groaned, squinting and trying to see. There were pinpricks of grey light again; morning had come, and he felt as if he hadn’t slept a wink.

The door to the hold was flung open, and Haerwaen approached with the same heavy walk as before, looming over his battered captive. “That scholar of yours is on her way,” he announced. G’raha’s ears perked up tentatively. “Don’t get excited now, boy. Remember what’s going to happen, aye?”

“She’ll beat you,” he rasped. His mouth was bone dry. “You won’t stand a chance.”

The pirate laughed and nudged G’raha’s knee, eliciting a hoarse, agonized cry. “Only two of us are comin’ out of this alive, boy,” he said. “And I guarantee one of ‘em’s gonna be me.” He left G’raha in the dark once more, leaving him to await what would come.

Some time passed, not long, before the door was opened again and Haerwaen lumbered in, followed this time by his crew—six, by G’raha’s counting, though there could well be more on deck. The roegadyn stopped by G’raha and grabbed a fistful of his hair, pulling it out of his braid as he pulled the miqo’te up to kneeling. He couldn’t help but struggle and cry out as his injured knee was forced to support him, but he quickly shifted his weight to the other one, breathing shallowly and shutting his eyes against the pain. For a mercy, Haerwaen released his hair, and he heard mocking laughter as he slumped against his captor’s tree-like leg.

“Here she comes!” someone shouted from the deck, and G’raha grew very still when he felt a sharp blade at his throat.

The whole hold waited with bated breath for the Warrior of Light’s arrival. When her silhouette filled the doorway, G’raha wanted to cry with relief and fear. Without her aetherchair, the elezen made for a more imposing figure, her coat blowing in the breeze and spectacles glinting in the dim light; but he could tell, and he worried that the pirates could as well, that her legs were trembling from the exertion. She’d walked up to the ship, he was sure.

“Mistress Valeroyant,” Haerwaen greeted, voice dripping with distaste. “I see you’ve received my message.”

“This doesn’t have to end in violence,” she said. Her steady voice was a reassurance to him, and he silently pleaded for her to look his way, lock eyes and assure him further. “Release him and you can all turn yourselves in peacefully.”

Haerwaen tutted and pressed the knife closer against G’raha’s throat, and he couldn’t help but let out a little gasp. Elodie’s eyes flickered to his, just for a moment, and that was what he needed. He trusted her. “Now, you don’t seem to get what I’m after,” the pirate said. “There will be blood shed this morning, scholar. Either yours or his. Now, set down your silly little book and let it happen quietly, or…”

The knife pressed tighter, and G’raha felt hot blood well up from a cut. He looked desperately up at Elodie, and she looked back.

“Do you trust me, Raha?”

“With my life,” he rasped, his last few tears slipping down his cheeks.

She slammed her hand towards the floor of the ship, and magic exploded around her, sending pirates sprawling. With a furious snarl, Haerwaen dug the blade into G’raha’s throat and sliced. He choked and gasped, lungs protesting as their air was suddenly replaced with an intake of blood. It was all he could do to stay consciousness as the pirate stepped away to let him fall on his side, swinging at Elodie with his massive club. G’raha watched, enraptured as he lay dying, as his Warrior drew in aether from her surroundings to first block the club, then grace the fallen miqo’te with a life-saving spell. His windpipe and skin knitted back together in an instant, and he coughed violently, expelling the blood he had nearly choked to death on.

His Warrior, as ever, was resplendent in combat, but G’raha could not focus for the pain and the loss of blood. He lay as still as possible on the rotting floor, blood on his lips and coating his mouth as his eyes blearily followed flashes of magic in blue and green and white. There was shouting, all from the pirates, for if she was fighting alone Elodie was all but silent and calculating. G’raha loved that about her. Loved everything about her. Loved her.

The last pirate finally swayed and fell, and Elodie dropped her tome as initially requested by Haerwaen and ran to G’raha’s side. “Raha,” she breathed, falling to her knees more heavily than could have been intentional. “Thank Nymeia, thank all the gods--”

He shook his head, leaning into her comforting touch as she cupped his face in her slender hands. He tried to speak, but he could only weakly hack up more blood. “Don’t speak,” she instructed, and he was happy to comply. “Your throat is going to be quite sensitive for a bit.” She shifted closer, letting the exhausted miqo’te lift his head to rest on her thigh. She kept one hand on his head and brought the other to her ear, and he heard the familiar tone of a linkpearl ring.

“Thancred, he’s safe. I need you to bring my chair onboard with you.”

It was mere moments before a new group came into the hold, Thancred in the lead pushing Elodie’s aetherchair ahead of him. “Good gods,” he said, spotting G’raha crumpled on the floor and almost tipping the chair over as it hit an unconscious pirate. “What did they do to you?”

Hearing this, Alisaie looked over to her friend as well, and G’raha was faintly amused to see the fury on her face. “We can get angry about it later,” Elodie said. “Alisaie, find the key to these shackles. Thancred, if you could clear a path..?”

Even given something to do, Alisaie was ranting to herself, muttering what she would do to these pirates if they tried anything funny. Thancred started dragging the pirates against a wall, leaving room for Elodie’s chair to turn and exit more easily. The key was soon found, and G’raha’s wrists and neck were freed. He groaned softly as Elodie gently pulled his arms around to his front, blood rushing back into his hands. Thancred helped Elodie up into her chair, and she shifted in there until he could safely deposit G’raha in her lap and her tome at her side.

G’raha closed his eyes and tucked himself up against his dear companion’s body, soothed by the familiar shape and scent of her. “Let’s go home,” she said, and he nodded in silent agreement before letting exhaustion drag him into a comfortable darkness.

#ffxiv #final fantasy xiv #g'raha tia #whump #kidnapping #beating #broken bones #rescue #comfort #elodie valeroyant #my writing

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