#FF14 again sighs BUT

[ryuucae]

Bygone days

[neokatt]

sssIIGHs chat ive once again been hit with Bird Brain™️ and this time its fucking final fantasy of all things, been watching my aunt play the Endwalker expansion in FF14 an i immedietly latcged onto Meteion sighs if i had a nickle-

[awkwardgtace]

In The Crystarium

Ok here is my ff14 fanfic. There is a nonzero chance I write more of this one day I just lost myself to endwalker pretty much after I finished this. Honestly I did have more ideas for ff14 gt fanfic after this soo who knows.

Do Not Read This If You Have Not Completed Shadowbringer and intend to play the game

Taglist: @giant-tinygoodtimes

In The Crystarium

I don’t remember when I fell asleep or how, but I woke up and the big beings were gone. I was able to get to my tunnels without a problem, so much of the design in this weird tower helped me. I started off looking for home, it was exactly how I left it. Something about that felt strange, the only thing gone were my food stores. I gripped the strap of my bag and heaved a sigh.

I started looking for the beings that were always here working. It was quiet, I never liked the quiet. That was how I wound up here, following the noisy beings. I couldn’t hear a single sound. There wasn’t even the hum of technology. I went straight to the center of the tower.

I poked my head out by their weird image display. The room was mostly empty except for a new statue. It was sitting in the corner with an arm made of crystal. I made my way close to the statue. It seemed too alive, parts of it were modeled to look eerily close to skin. As I neared the feet of it I realized it was wearing clothing. It wasn’t part of the model. I grabbed a bit of the fabric in awe.

“This is softer than they usually wear,” I murmured. I reached into my bag and pulled out the only sharp tool I owned. I started to cut some free from below the visible portion. “They won’t notice this is gone.”

I finished cutting out the portions I knew wouldn’t be noticed. I had grown used to talking to myself living here. The beings were always noisy enough that I could. I stuffed the soft cloth in my bag and started towards the strange crystal hand. It looked too real, like something those beings would have made me make if they found me. I shuddered at the thought, a number of my friends had been found by them.

I touched one of the crystal fingers, it felt warm. I looked up at the face that had a hood covering it. It had a bunch of golden decorations on the hood, it was tempting to climb up and grab some. The warmth left me reluctant. I closed my eyes and leaned on the hand, it was nice. I hadn’t been near anyone else since I started living here.

I knew I shouldn’t, but I climbed onto the palm. It was warm and reminded me of people I would never see again. I closed my eyes. It was the safest I’d felt in a long time. The silence made sure I’d hear if any of those beings came into the room. My eyes felt heavier than I expected after just waking up. I started to fall asleep in the palm of the statue.

A loud noise made me wake up. I heard footsteps clacking on the floor nearby. I rushed out of the palm, shivering once away from the heat. As the door opened I made my way into the walls. A person with bunny ears ran in, I’d never seen someone like that before. 

“My lord?” the bunny person asked. I ran through my tunnels to get away. It’s better not to stick around when those beings are around. “There you are.”

It was a few weeks before I made my way back to that central room. There were more strange beings that had shown up. Ones with more features of tigers than just cats. I heard a voice a few times, people calling them my lord, but never saw a single person. The strange statue was still there, a bit of a relief. I made my way to it again.

“Guess those new beings don’t care enough to move you,” I smiled. I patted the hand I was near. The weird warmth was still there. I climbed in the palm and relaxed. “Hope you don’t mind. I’m just going to rest here for a bit.”

I pressed my back against the curled up fingers. I thought I felt them tense, but I knew this was a statue. It felt nice though, like a hug. I had snuck out of the building one day, but the world was filled with a bright light I didn’t recognize. I wasn’t sure there was anyone else like me around. A few tears started to slip out. I didn’t catch them before they landed on the crystal palm. I froze when I thought I heard a gasp.

After a few hours I climbed off the palm. I didn’t hear anything similar to a giant again. It was nice to feel like someone was close to me again. I ran my hands over the fingers near me. I never got to see the fingers of giants closely and safely. It was similar to mine in so many ways, just made out of crystal. It was pretty amazing how real the parts that weren’t crystal felt.

“Hope you don’t mind if I grab some more fabric, it was really useful the last time,” I whispered. I made some new pillows out of it. I just needed some for clothes now. I hadn’t made any in a long time. I cut some free, the spots from last time were still there. I shoved more in my bag than the last time. “Thanks for all of this.”

I ran off once I was done cutting fabric. Over the next few weeks I would slip back in once people were gone to visit the statue. It was always in the same spot and pose, I knew it wasn’t alive. A part of me almost wanted it to be. I heard them talking sometimes now, about the ancient people who made this tower. The Crystal Tower they called it. It seemed like I was asleep for a long time somehow. 

One night I had nightmares of those old giants. They were hunting me down, breaking through the walls. I needed to get away, to be safe. Suddenly one of those hands was around me and I woke up screaming. I ran through the tunnels, desperate for a feeling of safety. The statue was where it always was. I tripped over my own feet as I ran.

I was panting as I reached the warm crystal hand. Tears streamed down my face, the fear of being found brought too far forward. I kept thinking of the times I’d lost people. The times I was almost captured from one wrong choice. I ran to the edge of the clothes, laughing when I found the same missing sections. I fell to my knees.

“You’re just a statue, I don’t have to be scared,” I said. I climbed to my feet shakily and made my way to the palm I’d been visiting. I climbed up, curling into a ball in the shadow of the massive fingers. “I thought the giants found me. The creatures from when I was living here before. They were awful… I don’t know why I keep talking to you, you aren’t even real. They made you, I shouldn’t trust you. It’s just… Your hand is so warm it feels like you’re alive.”

I curled up as much as I could. Pressing my back against those still fingers my body shook as I breathed in and out. I started sobbing again. I hadn’t felt this scared when there was noise all the time. It was probably because I was able to pretend back then. I could act like I was safe and if I was found I knew what was in store for me. I don’t know how long I cried until I finally started to feel tired again.

“It was easier when I knew what would happen, but these giants are different. I haven’t even found that lord they keep talking about. Crystal Exarch or something,” I sobbed.

A part of me wanted the fingers to curl over me. A bit of comfort in this new place. I knew I wouldn’t ever have that. If a giant’s fingers found me I would be dead or used like the others. I let my heavy eyes close with those thoughts plaguing my mind. After some rest I wouldn’t think like this anymore. I would be able to go back to the life I usually live.

I woke up when something behind me moved. My eyes snapped open once I remembered where I had fallen asleep. All my fears were realized as those crystal fingers curled over me. I was trapped in darkness as they clinked on the palm in front of me. I started to push against them, but nothing was working. A new wave of tears burned in my eyes.

“No, no, no,” I whispered. The hand holding me began to move. It was all some trap this whole time. A statue to grab my kind and it finally triggered. I was shaking as I banged against the fingers.

“Quiet, my friend,” a voice said. I froze, it sounded familiar. It almost seemed like the Exarch person.

“My lord,” the rabbit person said. I was almost positive her name was Lyna. “I’ve asked you before to use your bed. If anyone in the Crystarium saw you like this they would worry.”

“Pray forgive me Lyna. I had been distracted watching how events were unfolding elsewhere. I will avoid the floor next time.” 

The laugh and voice were too close to me. My mind blanked when the statue holding me moved again. I felt my stomach drop as I was lifted with the statue as it stood. I was begging for a malfunction before it handed me over. Instead I was moved lower, the fingers tightened slightly. I could just barely see the floor through a little bit of space in between the crystal fingers.

“Of course my lord. The guard took out a few sin eaters nearby again, but nothing to worry about yet. There were a few more arrivals from Ahm Aerang today,” Lyna said. The hand holding me loosened a bit, I almost screamed as the space increased.

“Very good, help them get settled then. I’m sure they’ll be helpful with crafters. They were miners, yes?” the lord asked. It had to be the Crystal Exarch. The statue had to stay silent until both of them left.

“Yes, I’ll make sure they check there.”

I heard the clacking of footsteps on the crystal floor. I waited for another set to follow, but they didn’t. Instead the hand holding me tightened its grip again. It moved as my stomach dropped and brought itself to a stop. I started to shake again as the palm flattened beneath me. Slowly the fingers around me uncurled until I was looking up to the hooded face I’d started to feel solace around. I couldn’t stop shaking.

“I apologize for the deception my friend, I assumed you wouldn’t like Lyna to find you. I admit I had hoped you’d stay asleep until I’d returned to my usual spot,” the statue said. The statue wasn’t a statue, it was the Exarch. The title he lived with made sense now as I sat in his warm crystal hand. I was captured and it was my own fault. So many years and I’m finally in a giant’s palm.

I knew the giant was playing with me. I wasn’t going to talk anymore, or offer anything else about myself. I had made my mistakes and this was enough. I wanted to go back to when I first saw this giant and assumed he was a statue. The crystal fingers around me curled over, but I wouldn’t give him the pleasure of my reactions. He started to move his hand again, I hated it. He brought me right up to his face.

“Pray tell me how you arrived here. I don’t believe I’ve met anyone else like you in the Crystarium,” he said. 

I heard wonder in his voice and it made me shiver. Slowly I climbed to my feet, the crystal made it easy to stand. I stared up at the hooded giant’s face, I couldn’t see his eyes. I took a deep breath and dashed to the side, jumping from his hand. I wouldn’t be used like the others had been. I wouldn’t become some part of an experiment or tool. I closed my eyes as I accepted my fate.

My body froze in the air. I snapped my eyes open and stared at the ground that was so close to me. Slowly turning my head, I saw the light from the staff I hadn’t realized was on the Exarch’s back. He wasn’t just a giant, he was a mage of some kind. I struggled in the invisible hold, I had to get away. I hadn’t met mages myself, but I’d been told they were some of the most dangerous. Too studious to truly consider us equal. I had to shake away the images of their experiments.

I heard the shifting of fabric before I saw the giant move. I stared in fear as the massive being kneeled next to me. He brought the hand that wasn’t crystal below me. I saw bits of my tears hit the fingers as they approached. He froze, but it didn’t matter. I knew he could find me. The hand started to move again and wrapped his fingers around me. I didn’t bother fighting this time.

“Be at peace friend, you’re in no danger from me. Usually I wouldn’t permit someone to live within the tower walls, but I won’t force you from your home,” he murmured. I closed my eyes and curled up in a ball.

“I’m no fool. You’ll just let someone else use me. All of you giants are like that, even back when the tower hummed,” I spat the words. The normal fingers around me tensed before I was brought up to the man’s chest. I struggled for a moment before going limp again.

I listened as his footsteps clicked against the floor. I heard the sound of a door unlocking and the creak of it opening. I moved my hands to cover my eyes, I didn’t want to let him see me like this. A part of me still wanted that kindness I dreamt up when I spent my days with the statue. That hand was always so warm, maybe this was better. If he hadn’t seen anyone like me there may not be anyone left.

The door creaked as it closed. I flinched when it slammed. I felt a finger rub my back, it was probably meant to be calming. I just pulled away as best I could. There was less clicking of footsteps in this room. When he finally stopped I wasn’t sure what to expect. The hand started to move again, it was slower this time. It came to a stop and I sighed. I opened my own eyes slowly.

I watched curled fingers pull away. I was left on a flat palm in the open air. I didn’t expect that much trust again, but he could stop me. I didn’t get to try and stand, his hand tilted sliding me off. I fell onto a table that seemed to be up to his chest. He crouched so I was staring directly into the darkness of his hood.

“My friend… Perhaps I shouldn’t be calling you that. It seems I am the only one who feels that way. Were you alive during the time of Allag?” he asked. Honestly I had no idea, I shrugged my shoulders. His mouth thinned to a line and I tensed again. “Pray tell me how you arrived at the tower.”

“I…” I sighed, hiding didn’t matter anymore. “I was running, someone had almost found me. The merchant I hid with came here. It was loud with tons of people, I had the easiest time to hide… until now.”

“You were here while the tower was active?” I watched as he raised his hands up. I knew it, I was just going to become a living tool now. I looked away, but the hands passed by me. He grabbed the edges of his hood. Slowly he pulled it back until I saw ruby eyes staring at me. I remembered the ones with those eyes, the leaders that ordered for them to hunt us.

I screamed and backed away. He was going to keep me, he was going to do the worst things. The twitch of ears on his head, cat ears that the others didn’t have, didn’t help. I scrambled to my feet and tried to run. His hands surrounded me before I made much progress. I just wanted to live my life, I never should have stayed here after I woke up.

His hands covered me, but I reached in my bag for my knife. The only thing I could use to escape. I veered towards the hand with skin and slashed with all my might. He hissed just like a cat, it sent my heart racing. He didn’t move his hand though, he still blocked me. I fell to my knees all the fight leaving me. His crystal hand closed in and I waited for the pain. Instead I just felt one of those fingers on my back.

“Calm my friend, you’re safe here. I am a descendant of Allag yes, but I mean you no harm. I won’t be keeping you here. My name is G’raha Tia. I am afraid we’re both very far from home, a world away really. Come to me if there’s anything you need, but outside of this room I implore you to refer to me as Exarch. I pray you will see me as a friend one day,”  he smiled. 

The way he spoke sounded sad. I looked at him a bit differently. His hands were pulled away from me and I was left on my own. He stood back to his full height and started to walk away. I saw now the clicking of footsteps stopped because of a rug in the room. He stopped near the door and pulled his hood back up. He stopped with a hand on it, the crystal one holding his staff.

“Before I forget, I am the only one allowed in this room. Use it as you will,” he smiled and left.

I watched him leave. I was sitting alone, he didn’t even complain about my stealing some fabric from his clothes. I grabbed my knife and set it back in my bag before running to the edge of the table. I found a way down just as he came back in.

“My friend,” his voice was quiet. “I realized I left you rather high, can you get down on your own safely?”

I was out of sight, I knew I was. A part of me knew I should keep going. I didn’t need to do this, I didn’t need to let him know about me. I heard the door shut and poked my head around the thing hiding me. He stood in the room, I couldn’t tell if he was searching for me. I knew about those cat people, but not enough. I barely knew the names of any of the giant races.

I stepped out in the open. The hood made it hard to know if he found me. I heard a small gasp and saw a bit of shock on what I could see of his face. He switched to a soft smile and walked towards me. He left his hood up, but I couldn’t blame him. There was no reason to take it off around me. He stopped more than one of his arm’s lengths away and reached up to his hood. He pulled it off and crouched a bit.

“I suppose I hadn’t thought my leaving through all the way, shall I help you?” he asked. There was that strange sound of hope in his voice again.

“I… I can normally get down on my own, but I didn’t take more than my bag when I ran out earlier… Safest would be getting help,” I said. It wasn’t entirely a lie. I would be safer having someone help me down. His face lit up and my heart raced. I didn’t expect him to look so excited at me accepting help. He came close quickly and started to wrap his fingers around me. I closed my eyes and tensed, but the feeling of warmth around me disappeared. I opened my eyes to the crystal palm set at the edge of the table.

“I don’t suppose you enjoy being grabbed. I apologize for that. Pray climb on my palm and I’ll help you down.”

I nodded and started a stiff walk forward. I just had to think of his palm as a statue still. The red eyes, moving red ears, and red hair that ended in white were not important. I was a bit curious about his tail, they always had one with those ears. I set one foot on the palm, it was still hard like crystal and warm. I took a few steps and then stood staring up at those eyes. I nodded to signal I was ready, his face lit up again. Slowly he lowered his hand, just slow enough I could stay standing.

Almost at the ground I hopped off and bolted. He didn’t reach out for me, didn’t even call out. Once I was hidden I turned back to watch him. He continued to move slowly, standing up and pulling his hood over his head again. He walked out and the door slammed again. I knew he didn’t make it slam, all the doors here did. I made my way home and just collapsed. 

I stayed hidden for a few days, but there was a commotion. Someone snuck in and there was some kind of an attack. The wall with my home suffered damage, things I’d had were lost. I was lost once I saw the aftermath. If I hadn’t gone to see where the Exarch was I would have been there. He was the only one to survey the damages. I didn’t stay to watch him wave it all away. I had seen him fix other things, my home was gone for good. I found a secluded area and started working on a new one.

I heard the clacking of footsteps back and forth while working. I had to stop each time they came through. It was getting annoying. I was almost tempted to go to that chamber the Exarch showed me. I knew I couldn’t do that, if he found out my home was gone I’d be trapped. He’d keep me trapped for my ‘safety’.

“My friend,” the Exarch called. I shivered, there was no way he knew I was here. “Are you here? Pray give me a sign.”

I set my things down and snuck down to an opening on the floor. The building was smooth in most places, but the larger beings rarely checked this low. I saw the Exarch without his hood looking around frantically. I stepped out to watch him, he looked worn out. His gaze flew past me, but he quickly realized I was there. His ruby eyes locked on me and made me shiver.

I watched the flick of his ears as he realized I wasn’t running. He stepped forward, knocking me off my feet. He frowned, but stepped closer again. He kneeled down in front of me. I hadn’t been on the ground this close to one of the giants before. It felt like he’d become my entire world. He brought his hands down to surround me. He stopped just before his fingers touched me.

“My friend, I am filled with relief to see you again,” he whispered. I started shaking, the way he looked at me felt wrong. It felt like he was relieved to find a possession. He didn’t move his hands any closer, but did hang his head. I jumped at the tears that fell from him. “I apologize, this is quite unbecoming of me. I had feared you died when I found what I assume to be your home destroyed. We had yet to truly become acquainted, but I had hoped to be able to protect you while myself and the tower remain.”

“Why…” I mumbled. I couldn’t even understand the idea behind his words. Protecting me didn’t matter. He sighed, the gust of wind reminding me of our differences.

“Pray accompany me to the Umbilicus where we can talk more freely.” I stared at his hands, the way to accompany him would be in those. I had spent so much time in the crystal one. He’d never bothered to hurt me, there wasn’t anyone I was protecting by hiding anymore.

“...I will.” His ears perked up once I answered. He set his crystal hand down beside me. I knew I was still shaking, but the fact he decided against grabbing me gave me a little hope.

“Pray, take your time. I have no trouble waiting for you to accompany me comfortably. Would you rather make your way on your own? I assume you have a way to traverse the Crystal Tower.”

“You trust I’d show up?” I knew how stupid it was to ask that question. It opened his mind to the fact I might not. The red ears on his head drooped.

“I… am aware that you have little reason to trust me. I did deceive you for quite some time. I merely hope to give you aid however I can. The things you would most likely wish to hear I unfortunately must say in a place of complete privacy. Should you choose not to return with me then I shall only hope to protect you as I am able while you remain out of sight.”

I nodded, I wished I believed him. I took a deep breath before climbing into the crystal palm. It had felt so comforting, now it was foreboding. I just wanted to survive this. Nothing was how I knew it to be. There were races that didn’t make sense and words I’d never heard. At least this would be normal, a giant keeping me captive because I made a mistake.

I sat on the palm just waiting for it to move. Slowly I curled up into a ball. The crystal fingers I once wished would cover me slowly did just that. I thought he mumbled something, but I didn’t care. One day I’d come to accept all of this. My life how this giant would make it. Some of them sounded nice, maybe it would just be that I'm a pet. I heard from others that it was a better option out of the ones available. Especially with mages.

“Don’t cry my friend, I promise you will remain free as long as I am in this tower,” he whispered. I listened to the footsteps clacking on the floor. I wished I could believe him. I heard another one running somewhere nearby. I started to shake, it had probably been a trick that he was searching alone.

“My lord, this is where you’ve been,” Lyna said. I panicked as the crystal hand moved. This is where the lies fell apart. “Did you find something concerning the attacker? I can alert the guard.”

“Do not worry Lyna. I didn’t find anything worth worrying over. Merely a piece of the tower I must take care of. Was there something you needed?” I heard her sigh, stiffening at the suspicion in her voice.

“I know better than to question your secrets. I had come to report no one had seen the intruder around the Crystarium. It was as if they appeared from thin air.”

“I see. Thank you for the report Lyna. I will continue looking into this. Please ensure everyone that I’m fine as is the tower. There is nothing to fret over.”

“Understood, my lord.”

The footsteps ran off before the hand moved again. The crystal fingers continued to hold me firmly. When the hand stopped I wasn’t sure what to expect. Tilting and holding me against soft fabric certainly wasn’t it. The warmth below the fabric mixed with the warmth of the hand felt nice. I almost wanted to accept this, if I’d get this nice feeling. At least he kept me hidden.

I didn’t know how long I was left in his hold. It felt like hours, but I wasn’t particularly bothered. Now and then he’d stop and I felt something strange come over me. I heard giants talking when he did this, but they didn’t stop to speak with him. When I heard a door open I was a little upset, the daydream that I was safe was about to end. The doors closed, but nothing else changed. 

“My friend, are you awake?” Exarch asked. I fidgeted, the idea of falling asleep in this hand while I knew it was alive sounded insane. I felt him chuckle around me. “I fear I had hoped for too much then. I believe we have much to discuss, if you would do me the honor of trusting me.”

“I’m here,” I murmured. 

Exarch made a noise of agreement. His hand was pulled from against the soft cloth at his chest. I was kept wrapped in crystal fingers, unable to see the world around me. I resigned myself to the cage I’d be dropped in. Slowly the hand lowered until my feet reached a solid surface. The fingers around me uncurled letting me see my surroundings. The giant hand was pulled away, but I couldn’t stop from looking around.

“This isn’t a cage,” I said. The exarch made a shocked noise that drew my attention to him. He had his hands up to pull down his hood, but the part of his face I could see looked pained.

“My small friend, I would never trap you. Had I known that was a fear of yours I would have tried to assuage that the best I am able,” he said. I looked up at him, he slowly pulled his hood off. I couldn’t remember the last time someone looked at me like that.

“What did you want me here for?” I couldn’t just trust him blindly, even with eyes that seemed to see me like an equal. He looked older than I first thought as he settled into a chair in front of me. He pulled some things from somewhere I hadn’t noticed, food that he was sharing with me.

“I wanted to tell you how we’ve come to this world. One far from home for both of us, and the tragedy that befell our world.”

I sat down, grabbing a bit of food and motioned for him to talk. He went into a long story about wars and death. His role to try and save the world we came from. He called our world the source and the one we were in the first. He told me about the flood, a horrible event of destruction. He told me about black rose and the disarray of the world. It was horrifying.

“I am here to prevent that. I can not guarantee you will stay here once I have changed the past. I do know I have no intent to leave the tower behind. Would you allow me to aid you in finding a new home?” he finished. I just sat there and tried to take it all in. Our world was a mess, we were in the past, and good chance I’d disappear once we saved this place. He didn’t push me, just let me think.

“Can I help?” I asked. The giant face above me went from shock to awe to excitement. The glimmer in the ruby eyes made me blush.

“I would welcome any aid you would provide. It has been admittedly lonely on this journey. You are the only one who I have been able to reveal my goals to since I arrived.” I stood up and held out a hand, his ears twitched before a giant hand came forward. He pinched my hand between two fingers and moved it up and down. I smiled at him, maybe this giant wasn’t so bad.

I spent the next few years helping him. I would make my way into parts of the tower that seemed locked, finding secret ways to open it. I learned I had some skill with magicks as well. It seemed the tower knew me, my kind at least. It was amazing to experience not having to hide. He continued to protect me, never once mentioning my existence to the other giants. He told me the names of each kind too, although he said they were different in the first.

It wasn’t long before the Exarch said it was time to summon the hero. It was what we’d been preparing for, finding all the solutions possible. I wasn’t quite ready to lose my freedom here, but I had agreed to this. I started to remove my things from the Umbilicus, most of my things stayed there while we worked on preparing for the warrior of light. The Exarch had been busy recently, I would miss the time we spent together. I didn’t want to bother him as I returned to the walls. It was best to stay hidden when more people would start wandering the tower.

I was in the middle of moving my things from a shelf the Exarch had cleared out for me when the doors opened. I dove behind some books stacked on the desk. I heard a sigh that I had grown used to, the Exarch was back. I nodded to myself as I started back out in the open. He was probably just checking a book, one to make sure he grabs the hero from the right time.

“Oh no…” he whispered. I tensed, that couldn’t be good. I felt his steps through the desk as he rushed over to me. I had almost forgotten the way he could feel to me when he didn’t care. I heard the crash of things, the proximity meant it was my things. I covered my mouth to hide a yelp when the heavy things were moved with ease. “My friend, pray reveal yourself. Were you hurt? Did something happen?”

I didn’t move, I was terrified to see what he’d do if he found me. He sounded almost angry. It was years where I proved how useful I was here. He could easily have decided to keep me now. I jumped as a new tremor came through the desk. I snuck forward, looking out from my hiding place. If he wanted to find me he could look.

“I suppose I deserve this, I’ve been too distracted. I pray you have gone to safety my friend, I’d hoped to see this through with you,” he mumbled. I watched as a single tear fell from him. I felt foolish, rushing out to see the Exarch as he turned away. His hood had fallen off as he moved, his ears were pressed against his head.

“I was moving my things!” I called out. His ears perked up before he turned. The glimmer in his eyes gave me that feeling of being seen again. He was in front of me, crouching so I was even with his eyes. I almost felt guilty for hiding. “I… I thought it best I had my things gone before you summoned the hero. So you wouldn’t have to keep them from this room.”

His hands came around me, a silent question. I nodded and they surrounded me until I fell into his palm. He always kept me in his crystal palm. He stared at me in a way I almost wanted to run from. He brought me close to his face, pressing his nose into me. The ruby eyes went cross to stare at me. I laughed, the strange face managed to make me laugh each time.

“My friend, I had hoped we could see this through. We have wandered the Crystarium together, the summoning should be no different. The warrior of light will not be entering here unless I have failed in my duties. At that point I hope you would aid them where I failed.” He pulled me away to smile down at me.

“How could I help one of you giants? Besides, trusting you is hard enough.” 

“Then at least trust me my friend. This is your home, as long as I’m alive you shall be free. Your home here in the Umbilicus or the walls shall remain your own. You shall be free.”

“How long until you summon them…”

“A few days.”

“We’ll see once you’re prepared to start then…”

He nodded, it was a solemn movement. Over the next few days I went back and forth a lot still. I stayed out of sight, focusing on my own work. I would leave my mark if this went south. I fixed all my tunnels that had gone out of use. I worked on leaving warnings and notes for others of my kind. If I truly joined him in this, I would have no choice. I wouldn’t be returning to a quiet life and I wouldn’t be able to remove the tower like he planned.

It was finally time, he’d been staring at that weird portal for hours. I slipped out of the walls and started towards him. I haven’t been on the ground near him since that day he told me of the past I didn’t know. The Exarch sighed and started to turn. I expected to stay undetected. He saw me, he always seemed to be looking for me. Without a pause he crouched offering a hand to me. I ran up climbing on it, it was the crystal palm like always. 

He curled those fingers up around me. The motion was always stiff on this palm. One day I’d see what his other hand felt like, but I wasn’t ready for that. Even after years with him. He held me up to his face, a smile played on his lips. One of hope. I saw the question he wanted to ask. I held up a hand to stop him. I stood on the palm and pointed towards his shoulder. The smile grew.

He moved his hand to his shoulder. I jumped off and climbed under the hood. He’d let me add a spot to hide in a long time ago. I climbed in, making sure I could still see out. I could feel him relax with me there. I was happy he felt calm with me.

“Are you ready my friend?”  he asked. I ran down my mental checklist. I’d done everything, there was no one waiting for me other than Exarch. I was happy to be here, to be part of something important.

“As I’ll ever be,” I answered.

[chaoticstrata]

Duskstar Chapter 6 WIP

I got tagged in the WIP chain again. XD By @teacakes1799 this time. Decided to go with one of my FF14 WIP instead, since I haven't started anything new for SWTOR yet. lol I have it under the cut, I saw someone somewhere asking that writers put their stuff under a cut--I can understand why.

The prince glanced over at the Xaela in question, finding him already settled in bed. 

Kaishan was fidgeting with the small lamb plushie Maral had returned to him. Hien watched as Kaishan continued to look the toy over. A small frown formed on the Xaela’s pale lips as his fingers ran over the soft wool.  “Kai,” Hien said gently, moving over to the mattress and settling down next to his lover. He smiled when lavender eyes looked up at him. “Do you want to talk about what is bothering you?” Kaishan opened his mouth to say something—probably to protest—but closed it soon after. Indecision brewed in his luminous eyes as he looked back at the lamb. “You do not have to, if you do not want to,” Hien added, pushing himself up on one elbow, resting his head on his hand. He reached out and gently brushed the backs of his fingers down Kaishan’s cheek, simpering when the Xaela nuzzled into them. “I…I am frustrated,” Kaishan finally said, “I know I have no control over what I can and cannot remember , but…” “You are disappointed that you can remember a toy but not your family,” Hien finished. The bard nodded before letting a soft sigh escape his lips. He set the small stuffed animal down at the head of the mattress and turned on his side to face Hien, carefully adjusting the pillow to allow himself to do so with his horn. “Aye,” the bard murmured, reaching out to fidget with the necklace around Hien’s neck. “Of all the things to remember, ‘tis a plush toy,” he sighed, “I can only hope that one day I will recall the rest.” Hien gave him a soft smile. He took the bard’s fidgeting hand and kissed the knuckles gently. Kaishan took in a soft stuttered breath, fingers curling around his own.  “Even if you do not end up remembering,” the prince said, kissing Kaishan’s knuckles again, pulling a shiver from the Xaela, “You will cherish the new memories you gain with them, as will they.” “True,” Kaishan murmured, licking his lips as he glanced down at Hien’s.  Clearly the prince was having an effect on his lover that he had not intended, and that observation had Hien’s smile turn into a smug grin. “Am I distracting you, my duskstar?” he teased playfully, kissing Kaishan’s hand again. This time his lips lingered to allow his teeth to lightly nip at the Xaela’s skin. The deep rumbling purr he received caused his smug smirk to grow even wider. The bard’s cheeks went crimson, causing Hien to let out a soft laugh. “I take it that is a yes?” Kaishan let out a low groan and rolled onto his back. Placing the heels of his palms against his eyes, he replied, “Yes and no…’Tis you and Nhaama’s Kiss.” “Nhaama’s Kiss?” Hien asked as an eyebrow cocked upwards. “What is…wait, is this the Kiss you had mentioned the other day?” His lover nodded, hands still over his eyes as his blush spread further. “I will assume ‘tis not an actual kiss from the Goddess,” Hien chuckled, poking Kaishan in the side when the man groaned again. “Care to explain?” Kaishan sighed and let his hands fall away, though he did not meet Hien’s gaze. He squirmed on the fur mattress, fingers picking at it as his blush grew darker. “‘The Kiss is a remnant of our au ra ancestors. They went through breeding cycles back then, and while ‘tis nowhere near as intense as it once was, those cycles still affect all au ra of age once every few months—” “And those under its effects have some heightened senses as well as sex drives?” Hien finished. The Xaela startled and looked at Hien in surprise before a wide grin broke across his features. He laughed softly. “You know about Moon Lust. Gods, how did I forget you’ve been with raen before? Aye, Nhaama’s Kiss is what we call Moon Lust here.”

[englass]

WIP DAY

Tagged by: @derelictheretic & @fadedjacket -- thank you lovelies! 💖

Tagging (although completely optional as always): @starsandskies @chyrstis @chazz-anova @words-and-seeds @weekend-writer @deputyash @deputy-rice-pudding​ and anyone else that wants to do this! I truly have no idea who to tag anymore on these things...

A/N: Um... hi! It’s been awhile 😅 To be honest, I have been working on stuff on-and-off. Just at my own leisurely pace. Finally feel like I have something worthwhile to share though, but we’ll see. It’s a bit longer than I’d like to post for a WIP Day, but who knows when I’ll actually get it done so 🤷‍♀️

Before we get into it, I suppose I should mention the fandom it’s for at this point? It’s FF14 -- so, uh, be aware of Shadowbringers’ spoilers for this, I guess?

- - -

Fatigue tugs at you. The familiarity of this place plucking at ancient memories, the emotions ringing on the vibration, the echoes a faint afterimage; unrefined, barely a silhouette in the dark, but there all the same. They leave you dizzy, unfocused, feeling inebriated over this queer battle of wills; the invasive merging of memories not your own but– but they… they are– were?

You climb on the bench, spitting an exhausted sigh as you settle, harshly pressing your hands into your eyes. A tremble wracks your frame, the heavy taste of Light clogging up your throat. Even the feeble defence of your hands can not hide you from the intrusive memories, outlines clearer upon the pitch backdrop. Overlapping, intertwining, converging. Are you swaying? It feels like you are swaying. The Light writhing, agitated beneath your skin. It is all starting to make you feel sick.

Swallowing down the urge to gag you cautiously manoeuvre yourself. Lay down with your arms at your side, leeching the coolness of the stone through your clammy skin. You feel so warm, so grossly uncomfortable in your own body. Like it is no longer yours, as if there is not enough room. Never have you felt so small.

At least the leaves above you are pretty, somewhat distracting in their gentle sway against a phantom wind. Glimpsing past to the murky green beyond, you trace the rays of light that filter down from the ocean’s surface. Watch with absent interest as sea-life leisurely glides above the heavens, like birds on the wind. Find yourself mentally mapping out the sky, the stars that typically populate its canvas. The next time you leave the city you should take a spare journal with you, start compiling all the constellations you come across in your travels. That way, when you return you can give them to your friends; and when you ultimately have to leave again you can all–

…

… …

You curse, aggressively shove the ball of your hands into your eyes. A weak sound cracking loose in your throat, frustrated tears burning as they escape down the side of your face.  

That didn’t– that’s not your memory. It is not yours… and that hurts more than words can ever articulate.

It is not even the fact that you can’t remember them, or that they don’t truly belong to you. It’s how they make you feel that kills you.

You have always felt adrift in the world, always felt like something was missing. Only ever found in dreams and those painful moments of unwarranted nostalgia. It is why you originally set out on your travels. Vainly searching for clues in foreign tomes, collapsing ruins and distant lands. Looking for that mystical place that has ever resonated within you, the dual silhouettes that have ever compelled you back to them; that have ever urged for your morose soul to come home.

Those memories, painful as they are, they…

You scrub at your eyes. Cringing as you raise them above your head and see the liquid Light smeared across them. Shakily exhaling you drop them, uneasily wiping the oily remnants off against your attire. Try not to think too hard at the fact that you are crying Light, so contaminated that you are literally leaking the stuff. It is only because of Ryne and sheer willpower that you have yet not succumbed. Holding on because you must, because there is no one else. But…

Emet-Selch was right: you are all but a Sineater, at this point.

The temptation to surrender is there. In this hidden nook, within this skeleton of glorious Amaurot and amongst the ghosts of a resurrected memory you wonder if it would be so bad to give up. To finally rest. Or, at the least, to indulge. To not have your potential final moments be wrought with non-stop strife and conflict, but to be softened by the hollow comforts of a life never lived. Of memories never made. Of a love never shared, yet depthless and timeless; eternal.

[pyrrhesia]

FF14 - Dream Duel

Part 2. Again, Tumblr's moronic textblock ruling makes for a couple of awkward line breaks.

Violet eyes flicker open. And as vision returns to Ysabet, the first thing she can make out is her hands. One curled up close to her chest, the other sprawling, spread to its fullest reach, around where a woman could be, arguably should be, but is not. She closes her eyes once again, lets out a sigh. She never quite knows what company she'll have the pleasure of keeping. In her younger days, she coiled a hand around every breast worth squeezing, but now… she finds, increasingly, a domestic streak. She does not have the partner that a domestic streak suits. Hlessi Inle has not lost her wanderlust. Some nights, she vanishes before the dawn; other times, she slips into Ysabet's arms overnight, without the sorceress so much as noticing. It is worth it, a thousand times worth it. They share conversations and moments and understandings nobody else could come close to. But it comes at a cost. Hlessi wanders and, Ysabet knows, there have been times she has thrown herself into her work, dead to the people around her. It is simply the way of things. But a yearning is only natural. Up, then, up. Up. She drags herself from her bed, sits back on it, groans. Often, apprentices hoping to curry favour with her will bring her coffee. And there was an understanding reached with Idyllshire's finest baker, so good bread, at least, is always close to hand. She hauls herself up, curses an aching knee that never quite healed right - after, granted, being smashed in by a raging dragon, a fairly good excuse - examines herself in the mirror with a faux-critical eye before concluding there is nothing to complain about, no, nothing at all… "Master Sable!" Ysabet tears herself from her preening. It would be some sport for some supplicant to burst in on her like this, probably in some way add to her mystique. Perhaps make him fawn all the more… "What?" Any spell is broken by her cracked voice. She needs coffee, above all else. Something, anything, to drag her from her stupor… "Another viera's come to the Grove." "It has been known to happen. She can wait for--" "She demands to see you, Master!" A hesitation. "She… demands?" Ysabet parrots back, incredulous. "Who presumes to demand anything of me, in this place?" "She said she was… she was your master, Ysabet. That she was Ljda Camoa." The apprentice heard a sharp gasp behind the door, and then silence. But just as he began to fear, the voice came back, commanding, resolute. "Watch her, but do not lay a hand on her. I shall take care of this." Perhaps that ironclad certainty could pass for armour. The apprentice certainly hoped so, as he scurried down to raise the alarm.

Some minutes prior, a tall, spindly figure shambles into the Grove's outskirts. She was being watched, she knew. To any human eye, Tulque seemed unguarded, but to a viera… even in this unnatural parody of natural order, Ljda could sense where the sentries lay in wait, feel their eyes boring into her. Some were of people familiar to her, others not. A couple were males. She chuckles, softly. Of course Mrdja felt she knew better than millennia of tradition. Of course. Never quite as intelligent as she thought herself, that girl… And she curses herself for the thousandth time. For choosing her as an apprentice, letting Mrdja's aptitude blind her to her shortcomings. Most of all, for encouraging her dreams to leave the grove. It had seemed like a kindness, and the damnable thing was, on her own initiative, Mrdja had been determined to grit through her wanderlust and stay, for the good of Camoa!

It had been Ljda who had done the kindest thing, and told her to move on. She could never have expected Mrdja to return, dripping with the glistering corruption of a world far, far removed from anything Ljda had ever seen, crashing guilelessly through the old paths and begging to return. How could she have forgotten that that could never be? Even for her? This would be a mercy. This wounded stag needed to be put down. It took some time for the first challenger to appear, an unthreatening, pale sliver of a man, smiling encouragingly. Ljda raises a brow. "So little fear," she says, through a thick accent. "Do you approach all strangers with such guileless faith?" The man does not quite know what to do with this. Not afraid, but now, off-balance. "You are not the first viera to arrive here, not by any stretch." Ljda smiles. "I know. I can sense the others watching me. Perhaps that is the source of your confidence, knowing that if I so much as flick an ear in your direction, I shall be shot from two dozen directions in a flash, yes? Never knowing more than the faint whisper of released fletching… were I a petty bandit, or one of the unclean men of Idyllshire." The man decides he should at last speak. "I had only thought to welcome you to Tulque, the Great Library." "Tulque." She tastes the word on her tongue. It is not to her liking. Two syllables interlaced with hidden meaning in the Rava tongue that no doubt Ysabet thought clever. "Hm." "May I ask why you have come?" "I have business with your master." The man studies her more carefully. In the distance, Ljda can hear arrows nocked to bowstrings. "What manner of business? I was not told to expect visitors, and your face is not known to me." "You are not of importance. She will know, unless she truly has forgotten everything of her people." "Uh." "Tell her, pawn. Tell her Ljda Camoa, her master, awaits." The man swallows. An anxious, telling look up at the sentries, though he betrays no evidence he can see them, nesting in the overgrowth of the stronghold. He must simply trust that they are there, as he turns his back… "I'll have to ask you to stay here." An ironic chuckle. "Fear not. I shall not take any step closer to that impostor tree." Until she has dealt with Mrdja. Then, she shall deal with it, and anyone else in her way. The man scurries away, and she waits, and waits, and more eyes pop out from the fringes. More viera, some armed, some not. Many pilgrims, a couple of children. Ljda begins to feel a slight twitch of discomfort, and subtly gathers some power to her, ready to escape should their loyalty to 'Ysabet' prove too strong. But she has to trust. Trust that Mrdja would command she be unharmed. Whether through residual fondness or, perhaps more realistic, arrogance. And then…

… she is there. Flattering gasps follow her trail. She wears silk robes of teal, a slate-grey cloak sweeping behind, tight, efficient long gloves. A golden circlet with a single jade inset keeps her billowing, waist-length hair from her eyes. Yet her feet are bare, and every step causes the bloom of flowers in the wake of her tread. In her hand she bears the greatmace Læraðr, gnarled umber bark spiralling up the shaft before twisting around a great jade, glowing softly. Most pilgrims have never seen it, and of those who have, few have seen it brought to bear. Ljda chuckles. "You misjudge your audience, Mrdja. Am I meant to tremble at this show of vanity? Or is it for the benefit of your fawning supplicants?" Ysabet smiles, with little humour. "It is good to see you again, Ljda. The years have been kind." "For one of us, perhaps. You've grown fat," she spits out, meaning so much more than that. Decadent, slow, corrupted by ways not her own. "And you have grown old," responds Ysabet coolly, just as layered. Outmoded. Complacent. Unnecessary. But it hurts her to speak this way. A great respect lies beneath the surface, barely suppressed; but suppress it, she does. She cannot afford to give ground, here of all places. "The natural twilight of a life lived well." "Lived?" Ysabet barks out a laugh. "Within the narrow confines of a single grove? Yes, I once thought that was 'living', too…" "Yet you sought to return." Ysabet snorts, but has no response. "And, once spurned, to build your own pale imitation." Ljda looks around, disgust writ plain on her face. " "It takes time," says Ysabet, softly. "The work will outlive me. You taught me that much, Ljda. You taught me well." "Not well enough, Mrdja. Else you would not have considered this folly." "Mm. Perhaps not so much as the land. Was that not another of your lessons, master?" The word startles all around. Said with as much bitterness as could be mustered, yes; but a show of deference, all the same. "Country is its own teacher. And I have strode nations, Ljda, continents, worlds… taken all that they sought to teach me." "I have read your mad ravings," says Ljda. "Were they supposed to impress me?" "I saw the truth, committed it to paper. Make of it what you will, but do not doubt that." Ljda snorts. "You would say or do anything, Mrdja, if it was for approval. For respect. That was always your flaw, and I curse myself for never seeing it. Little wonder I find you in an edifice to your own glory, surrounded by fawning apprentices." Ysabet takes half a step back, the words leaving a mark, but Ljda steps forward-- "Call it whatever you will, Mrdja, but never claim this bastard offshoot is a true reflection of home! To say as much betrays you, either to be deluded and ignorant enough to believe it, or as a charlatan, determined to pass it off as truth to those too foolish to know better!" "It will grow," says Ysabet, hand shaking around Læraðr. "I will torch it. After I destroy you. My student." She spits the word. Gasps all around, and a few more likely apprentices go for their weapons, renegade viera reaching for their weapons-- "No!" Ysabet barks, holding up a hand, but she can think of nothing more to say. "She… I will handle this." "Will you, now." "No, Ljda, you… you cannot mean to kill me." Ysabet laughs, a sudden shock of disbelief. Another long stride forward. "I must. I sensed the corruption in you when you tried to return to Camoa. An incident," she adds drily, "one cannot help but notice you omitted from your precious Annals. Are some truths too hard for you to bear?" "To be loathed, feared… for whatever reason, outcast by my own people?" She laughs, bitterly. "How could they not be? And now, my own teacher exiles herself to murder me. So deluded, she thinks she does it for love." And Ljda lies. "There can be no room for love." "You thought it was mercy. I have no doubt, you would put me down tenderly, master, but I am not ready for the axe, yet." Her grip tightens white around Læraðr. "You shall not destroy what I have built. And you shall not claim me."

Ljda's cloak slips from her shoulders as she steps forward, in the traditional garb befitting her station, the green veil and drapes, the ochre body-paint, and the staff, that staff, the symbol of office Ysabet had so often eyed with envy, the one she had crafted, the one she would be buried with, lashing out, now, commanding wisps and spirits to strike out-- -- a sweeping gesture, Ysabet slaps them aside. Another assault, rebel vines snaking down from above, and Ysabet kills them with a thought, and sweeps aside the next burst of pure energy, angles herself back from a shard of concentrated air aimed squarely at her heart, and above, she can hear the anxious chittering of her charges, why is she not fighting back? Is she so pinned down? Well, of course she must step up her efforts for the audience. She would hate to be upstaged on home turf, and when the fury of the Sun itself is turned on her, she stares into it, steals it for herself, and hears the faintest catch of Ljda's breath -- at last, she has exhibited a power beyond what Ljda thought her capable of -- and lashes out with it. Her master steps back, repels and ripostes, counterthrust caught in a following strike from Ysabet, and for a moment the two are clashed in a battle of wills as their minds intertwine. And what Ljda sees--

horrors from lands far beyond, echoes of the dead from civilisations passed, a marble heart, thick white blood dripping from the corner of her mouth, the death rattle of gods, the debt of dragons, eyes closed in the void and the decision made, to die that the rest may live, but even then, she lingers on as others winnow away, destined to be all but alone with her thoughts

-- throws her back, and Ysabet hesitates for a fraction of a second. Near-fatal, as a giant slab of marble hurtles towards her, but she focuses her energy and shatters it with a blow of her mace as it comes to claim her. Ljda regathers herself, but Ysabet tires of holding herself back -- and, to a mix of emotions, realises Ljda has held nothing back. With seething hate and, yes, the embers of disappointed love, Ljda comes at Ysabet again and again, but each time her mastery of the elements is swept away, each of her blows finds itself outmuscled and outthought, her endurance waning, her speed lacking, as Ysabet steps, inexorably, forward, coming closer and closer to casting her out from the grove. And Ljda realises, with dawning horror, what Mrdja meant by country being her teacher. Perhaps in Camoa, it would be different. Perhaps not even there. For while the wind may be at Ysabet's back in this land, the fledgling Green Whisper in her service, it is not Tulque that empowers her, but the scars of her travels. Ysabet steps forward again, and all she has seen in her travels steps with her, distilled and channelled into an extension of her will and a gentle word, and Ljda's guard, desperately thrown up as the tides begin to turn, is shattered by a blow with a form no witness to the duel can perceive, yet leaves Ljda screaming in frustration and agony nonetheless. It has spilled no blood, left no scar, yet as Ljda sinks to her knees, it seems as clear as day that the duel is won. Ysabet rests the butt of her mace against the soil, dazed by her own success, and tries to piece together what happened. No, she knows, everything she did… even if the words do not quite describe the weaving of spells, even if there is no coherent order to events like the swings of a blade, her power does not come as a surprise to her. Yet… … she looks back on Ljda, and tries not to feel pity. Ljda is worth better than pity. She was Ysabet's master. She taught Ysabet all she knew. She seemed, within the confines of Camoa, at the very bounds of mortal power.

But she is no god, not even a primal. Those, and the few fellow mortals strong enough to contend with them, Ysabet has slain. By the dozen, at this point. The revelation makes her giddy, for a fraction of a second, before sadness takes hold. That feels more appropriate. A moment of inattention, and Ljda takes advantage; in her reverie, Ysabet only realises by the gasps of the others. A sentry slips down from a vantage point. "Shall we pursue?" The thought makes Ysabet sick. "I shall handle this myself, Krjn. Here." She hands her the mace, before sweeping off into the wilds. "I shan't need a killing tool any longer, that deed is done," she mutters with disgust, just loud enough for the pilgrims to pick up, and to worry.

[yzeltia]

I posted 1,226 times in 2022

That's 1,226 more posts than 2021!

163 posts created (13%)

1,063 posts reblogged (87%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@yzeltia

@driftward

@autumnslance

@scrollsfromarebornrealm

@saesama

I tagged 816 of my posts in 2022

Only 33% of my posts had no tags

#final fantasy xiv - 452 posts

#ffxiv - 341 posts

#final fantasy 14 - 257 posts

#ffxiv oc - 204 posts

#ff14 - 192 posts

#ffxivwrite2022 - 185 posts

#ffxiv miqo'te - 182 posts

#g'raha tia - 108 posts

#zoissette vauban - 92 posts

#ffxiv endwalker - 80 posts

Longest Tag: 123 characters

#cousin's guilty pleasure is listening to the bard sing of glorious legal battles eloquently fought by certain shieldmaidens

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

The Unbearable Kweh of Being

You're a chocobo. The most beautiful bird you've ever seen is put in your pen. You preen, gotta look your best. You approach then the whistle. Master calls. You vanish and find yourself on the coldest part of Eorzea. You must fly over a blizzard. Your master doesn't seem to be paying attention so you smack through trees and rock until you arrive. They dismiss you unphased. You return and your new friend already has already wandered off with another.

You're a chocobo. You and your mate have been tending an egg for awhile now and it shakes. Cracks are appeaing on the shell. You and your partner kweh with joy and then you hear it...that dreaded whistle....just as you are about to greet your chick into the world you are pulled away to your master. People are screaming. The sky is falling. Nightmarish beings ravage the Earth and you are made to guide your warrior through it a few malms to safety. You arrive. You're dismissed. You return home and find you chick looking to you confused, having already imprinted on your partner. You nestle in and put your wing over them.

You're a chocobo. Your chick has matured and is ready to be sadled. You are relieved that they're going to pull carriages for the Grand companies. Still, them wearing the barding will be the happiest day of your life. The commander arrives, they lift the barding...that damned whistle again. You're parted from the happiest moment of your life to a land of waste. There's a song in the air and your master can't get ahold of themselves to move on. You roll your eyes then peck at them until they feel better. Eventually they dismiss you to walk on. You return, the ceremony is over. Your chick has gone to work. ...you pray the great sad bird wins

25 notes - Posted September 27, 2022

#4

FFXIV Write 12: Missed the Boat

Characters: U'rahn Nuhn, Thancred Waters, Y'shtola Rhul

Rating: Older Teen

Summary: U'rahn misses a coveted opportunity Notes: Sexual Humor, I need to stop dragging the poor boy.

 The world rested heavily upon U’rahn. Laid back in his bed, arms behind him as he gazed up at the marble ceiling of the annex. Only a light snore broke the silence, Thancred rolled over on a bed on the other side of the room. He envied the man’s ability to sleep, The End of Days looming before them. He sighed softly to himself, thinking of his family and friends in the Sagoli, in Ul’Dah, in the Amalj’aa tribes, Gyr Abania, the First…Face after face flashed through his mind until a slight scratch ran down the door. A special scratch, a polite Miqo’te gesture to see if someone was awake without intruding or knocking.

            With a yawn, he rolled out of bed and stumbled towards the door, scratching at his belly as he hiked up his carbuncle pajama bottoms. “I’m coming G’raha,” he grumbled before sleepily opening the door.

            Rather than the usual set of red nervous eyes, he found the amused gaze of the hazy light teal eyes of the other Seeker Scion. He immediately perked up, tail rising with his ears, chest puffed out. Leaning in the doorway, he flexed lightly and smiled. “Ah, sorry. I didn’t expect you to come calling this late.”

            Y’shtola pursed her lips and motioned to leave. “Well, if you were expecting someone, I’ll let you be.”

            “No no no,” he breathed out, giving a quick shake of his head, “I just didn’t expect you to come scratching along at this hour is all. Was there something wrong? Did you need me to wake Thancred?”

            “I would have simply knocked if I wanted to wake the rogue. I just came to check-in. You were not yourself this evening.”

            U’rahn flicked his tail a bit, swallowing a bit before looking up and then past the other. “Ah, well. Just got a lot on my mind is all, with another apocalypse looming and all. I’m not much of a deep-thinking kind of guy like everyone else, but I still worry and stuff, y’know?”

            “I suppose that’s fair. I too, find my nerves a bit shaken with everything going on. I thought I might come and see if you could put my mind at ease.”

            “Me? Really,” he asked in disbelief.

            “No one is more surprised than myself; however, under your bravado and try-hard charm,  I feel that you have an earnest heart and are well-intentioned. At the very least you can give me a good laugh and if you’re well behaved, perhaps a smile on my face.

            “Ah, thanks. I think?”

            Y’shtola’s cheeks flushed lightly as she crossed her arms to hold herself. “I do find myself rather chilly this evening. Perhaps-“

            “I could get you a blanket! I run hot myself so I’m more or less laying over the top sheets.”

            “Well, that would very well warm me; however, I thought I might share a bed with something-“

            “Oh! I’ve got just the thing,” U’rahn laughed, tail flipping about as he slipped back into his room then returned with an old worn bomb plush, “Here. Ah, my mom sewed Boomer here for me when I was little. He’s kinda worn out, but he’s a good bedfellow and filled with sands from the Sagoli to make him heavy and warm.”

            Y’shtola’s ears flattened a bit as she held the toy out in front of her, palming her hand over the patchwork face before handing it back to the warrior looking expectantly at her. “…I think perhaps I’ll make do with what I have. Goodnight little lion.”

            With a sigh, she left U’rahn in the doorway. His ears drooped as he stuffed Boomer back under his arm and shut the door behind him before finding Thancred up on his elbows shaking his head at him. “By The Twelve, did she need to draw you a damned picture?”

            “Huh? What do you mean?”

            Thancred stared then simply rolled over and tried to get back to sleep, leaving U’rahn to crawl into bed and turn things over in his mind. It was many hours later that the Miqo’te woke the rogue with a rather loud “THAL’S BALLS” that it finally hit the poor boy.

27 notes - Posted September 12, 2022

#3

39 notes - Posted August 11, 2022

#2

A friend wanted to see Urianger comforting Thancred so I ran with it

45 notes - Posted August 18, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Y'zel Tia's Happiest Starlight Challenge 2022

Hello Dearest Ones, I am Y'zel Tia, one of Saint's Little Helpers, here to offer a challenge for the most wonderful time of the year! A little challenge to brighten the season for the twelve days leading up to Starlight! I'll be posting some familiar songs (tweaked a little bit to fit our realm) starting the 14th of Sixth Umbral Moon (that's December 14th according to a calendar made by some Greg guy). And then, from there, you can use those to create however it moves you whether it be a Gpose or writing! Prompts will come the day before at 12 PST. I'm going to use #YTHappiestStarlight2022 for the tags. My first created challenge! I hope it's fun! May the Spinner Smile Upon You, -Y'zel Tia

70 notes - Posted December 4, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[ever-winter]

Ahhhh sorry I will take another stab at things tomorrow - my healths just being a disaster and I'm just failing at getting to things cause of aura headaches. Managed to get through some ff14 but heads hurting again *sighs* Okay I'll stop whinning now. If people wish to catch me on discord just ask me for the details <3 Okay... back tomorrow...hopefully...

[ofdarklands]

i am begging people to stop becoming primals or pieces thereof

[verdandir]

Ne minuial tôl lû Ir tirich er-'îl gelair awarthannen Ir in-elenath gwennin. I 'îl thinna, i amar ú-dhartha.                                             Am man darthon a linnon                                             Nu galad hen fireb?

-Naergon an Thinnuel (a Tinw) by J.R.R. Tolkien

[headcanons-n-shit]

Can I get the ffxiv boys and pining for their s/o?

aw im so weak for pining.....

pining for a not-yet s/o (ff14 boissss)

Thancred

Oh how his heart aches for you. Thancred has always loved easily and deeply, but something about you makes him pause. Makes him look at you, and look at himself, and look at the two of you together, and he yearns for that, but. Hes scared. You live dangerous lives, how could he ask this of you.

Outwardly nothing seems to change. Maybe he touches you a bit more, and his touches linger a little longer. Maybe he laughs a little too loud. Maybe he jumps a little too quickly at any opportunity to go on missions with you, or room with you, or just to spend time with you. But he's a good friend, and he'll keep being a good friend even with his bleeding heart.

Urianger

The chronic sighing type. He likes to watch you, though he'll feel a little like a creep whenever he catches himself. But he likes to watch your hands, your mouth, your eyes. The way you move, especially when youre relaxed. Sometimes Y'shtola will catch him with his chin in his hand, watching you and sighing. She doesnt even need to say anything-- just a single Look and urianger is blushing and stammering excuses.

Ultimately its grief and fear that keep him from seriously contemplating his feelings for you. To lose the great love of his life, and then to watch you throw yourself at danger after danger, at increasingly impossible odds. And you come back every time, but his poor heart just cant handle it.

G'raha

Raha raha raha. All that time locked in solitude with only his thoughts of you to keep him afloat, and now that youre here with him he doesnt know what to do with himself. He wants to spend every moment with you. He doesnt want to overwhelm you. He wants to give you everything you ever could have wanted in the world. He feels like he barely knows you anymore-- and hes falling in love with you all over again.

Outwardly, he spends intense stretches of time with you, and then no matter how hard you look you cant find hide or tail of him. His retreat is the library and its walls of books, and his notebooks where he pours out his feels inbetween pages of actual research. (There are even little doodles. Its adorable.)

Estinien

One of those angy piners. He’s attracted to you and he’s so mad about it. Always glaring at you from across the room-- you wonder what you’ve done to tick him off this time, but in truth your hair just looks cute today or he likes that color top on you. He tries to compliment you, he really does, but it always seems to come out gruff and awkward. The only one who knows the truth of his feelings for a long time is Aymeric, and he has promised never to tell.

The source of his hesitation when it comes to his feelings for you is, ultimately, fear. Of himself. Of his feelings: they’re this thick tangle in his chest, this overwhelming wave that borders on sacrilegious. He loves you, totally and completely, with all his heart and all his devotion, the way he has loved no one but Aymeric and the Fury. He loves you more than Aymeric and the Fury. He loves you as Hraesvelgr loved Shiva, and that? that scares him. but at the same time, who other than the other Azure Dragoon could bear the full flame of his love?

Aymeric

A hopeless romantic, through and through. He wants to buy you flowers and gifts and take you on dates, he wants to gaze longingly into your eyes and maybe even *gasp* hold your hand. But he is also a man married to his work, chained to his station and limited by the perceptions of those around him. Even with him as the the Lord Commander and you as the Warrior of Light, he can’t risk showing you even a fourth of the favoritism he so desires.

But that doesn’t mean he shows you no favoritism. Despite Ishgard’s snowy climate, he always finds a way to make sure there is a vase of flowers in your room when you come to visit. He has the cooks learn all of your favorite foods. He calls you into his office whenever you’re in Ishgard to listen to whatever adventure you’ve last gone on or project you’ve found yourself invested in. By the Fury, the dopey, lovestruck look on his face: it’s a good thing that these meetings are private. And when you’re not in Ishgard, expect to receive many a letter asking about your whereabouts and health.

Haurchefant

Wait are you telling me Haurchefant DOESN’T simp for the WoL in canon?

Jkjk though honestly nothing about his behavior towards you really changes, at least not from your perspective. He falls for you hard and he falls for you fast. He longs to shower you with praise, even moreso than he already does. And gifts: the black de chocobo he gives you is a declaration of the highest order, a practically boastful show of dowry, and in public nonetheless! He’s embarrassed if the WoL isn’t a native Ishgardian and doesn’t realize what kind of display it is-- he’s even more embarrassed if you are, or if you recognize his affections in his actions.

He holds off on making any serious promises because there’s a war going on around you both. He loves you, he does, but duty must come first, his and yours. You’re going to see this through, together, and then maybe, maybe, at duty’s end...

Sidurgu

Oh this sweet boy. Sidurgu already has trouble processing his emotions, you can’t do this to him. Just looking at you makes him feel all warm and squishy. It’s like looking at Rielle or Myste, kinda, the same but different, somehow, worse. he looks at you and he feels all flushed and cool and calm and squirmy and he can’t makes heads or tails of the feeling so he tries to cram it down but he can’t, he just can’t. It keeps clawing its way back up his throat at the absolute worst times. “Love”, the moogles call it, and he hates it, he hates it, and he wants nothing more.

Expect a lot of snappy compliments that at first sound like insults. Maybe he’ll shove a shirt you were looking at in the market or your favorite food wrapped in parchment paper into your arms suddenly and with no explanation and then just flee with his usual panther stalk. He looks so angry when he goes, and you wonder if you’ve done something to tic him off, but the gift is so heartfelt, you’re just as confused as he is.

(Rielle rests her face in her hands. You’re both so stupid and she loves you both so much.)

BONUS

Drillemont

He honestly thought himself too old for this kind of thing, but trust the Warrior of Light to reignite flames where once there had only been ashes. His love for you sparks from a candle flame to a raging inferno, and he is helpless before the blaze. 

He might be too old for pining, but he isn’t too old for courtship, as limited as it is in a place like Whitebrim. Whether you visit rarely or as often as you can, he will always make time for you. To check over you and your equipment and ensure your safety and health, at least. To dine with you and talk, if you’ll allow him. To grant you safety and succor-- in his bed even, if that’s what you desire. He knows you are both bound by duty, that his will hold him rooted here and yours will carry you far, far away. But for you that flame will still burn, and it will warm him even on the darkest, coldest of nights.

[adenial-a]

🔥

      listen . square enix ? has a problem . it has a huge problem with taking things from judaism , and making villians out of it . i mean , the whole world does let's be honest , anti-semitism isn't dead it's still pretty prevalent and on the rise in my country , but i just wanna focus on squeenix's bullshit right now .      i preface this by stating that this is of course a westerner's opinion , and i understand that , but it's also an ashkenazi's opinion so ... bare with me .      the most blatant and obvious one to me , at least , has to deal with ff7 , so i'll use that as an example first before once again talking about ff14 .      a lot of ff7 is based off judaism . not all of it is just villians , which is interesting , like for example the ancient's are a peoples that believed in a holy land that would be delivered to them , i think they even called it a land of milk and honey ( which alludes to jerusalum ) . often times if you see an ancient race , that was displaced from their home , and are treated terribly , it's either about indigenous peoples or it's about jewish people .       and then there's the villian , the most famous ff villian i'd say , sephiroth , who is literally based off the sefirot , the 10 emanations of god from jewish mysticism . the sefirot , to simplify it from what i remember , is how god will make himself manifest to his people . which , is kinda semi cool when you think about how sephiroth is the child and a next evolutionary step for jenova , who ... is jehova , one of the names of the abrahamic god .      one of the ways god makes his will manifest is through his messengers , angels . it all comes together in a nice bow .      that would be cool ! if it wasn't as though we were killed ! a lot ! for our varying beliefs . not just looking at the holocaust , not just the spanish inquisition , but like . i can't even begin to describe the history the jewish people have had to endure of persecution . you get what i'm saying ? dkhjbgfdjhf      anyways , back to ffxiv , i'm gunna once again talk about emet . did you know that emet is tied to judaism ? golems are part of jewish mythology , and they're created in times of great need to protect the people by a rabbi . emet , אמת , means truth . a rabbi will carve that into the golem , and it will bring it to life . emet is also where we learn the truth about amaurot .      after the golem's purpose has been fulfilled , interestingly enough , the rabbi will cross out a part of אמת carved onto the golem's head and turn it into met ,  מת , which means death . which , the seat of emet - selch is a role dedicated to someone who can look into the aetherial sea , into death , and ... hades .      so , it's , very easy to see with that information why i think that emet is really jewish coded ? which , like the use of the information once again is pretty cool , if . it wasn't for the history of making jewish coded characters into villians .      it's very conflicting feelings for me , because i love these connections , but i also hate them . becuase square enix has a huge problem when it comes to this stuff , and . sigh . i'm tired .

[drkineildwicks]

Temtem – 11/18/2022 – Happy Scarvi Day

And what better way to spend it than to play Temtem instead and make Game Freak suffer! :D

Oh gosh I haven’t played this since December of last year it’s been so long that they actually have gotten out of beta OTL

I love this game but good night adult life doesn’t give me a lot of time to play it

Also I love how when I write articles about this game the Pokémon shills get mad XD

Real talk if Temtem had released with the level of jank Scarvi has y’all would have massacred it where it stood

“But game freak is so smol be nice to them!” *looks at all the other indie companies that do better* Yeah sorry no excuse

Anywho, on to Temtem!

Boy I hope the jump to full release didn’t eat my save….

Huh the “this is a beta game” window got replaced with a “terms of use” page

Does anyone ever read through this stuff?...

I can’t help but sigh at some of this because yes it’s important to say no to discriminatory language but people are so sensitive anymore that saying “hi” could tick them off

“No class action lawsuits”—uh hi Crema wtf?

Do all TOS have this bs or have I just started paying attention to the darn things?

Oh cool they’re showing livestreamers in a little bar there

STILL ALIVE!

Oh there’s an achievement system

What are these feathers?....

I do love this tho increases the playability and encourages the player to keep playing take notes game freak where is our post-game?

Oh luma

Okay so now the exp gain is kinda sped up so I can’t see the numbers how do I reset this….

So water is weak to poison….

Ooh Snuggie has synergy with Perry :D

YES!  YES!  NESSLA!

Now to catch it….

Granted it doesn’t have the ability I’m looking for but STILL

OH COME ON

Nessa was weak to Turtlinni I’m never catching this stupid thing

Oh?

This is new 

 Stickers ovo

Of course I’m being helpful

Success another reason to keep playing :D

Krazy Kamikaze, congressional agent XD

So this is my tax dollars at work

Oh my first sticker!

So that’s fun

Okay heading to town to swap out some guys maybe level up some dudes and NOT kill the next Nessla

OH THAT’S PRETTY

Bro’s Company nice

Okay swapped out Lowkey and Turtlinni

I…do not really have low-leveled guys anymore X’D

Mighty Machine like the name

Okay so it was the electric that was weak to the glass

Oh new move for Perry!

This is a reference, I can tell

YES ANOTHER NESSLA

Now that I’ve got my two poison guys up front X’D

YES AND IT’S GOT THE ABILITY I WANT

Now to catch it…

UGH

It kept breaking free of the cards IT WAS EXHAUSTED AND POISONED WHAT THE HECK

Do gotta say that I love the sticker book quest’s name XD

And Perry learned another move nice

And another Nessla OvO

At least they spawn more frequently now

Let’s see if this one stays in the card….

Nope they’re just physically incapable of staying in there apparently

And fond of killing themselves rather than being taken alive this is the squid all over again

Okay maybe I’m approaching this wrong do I have a guy that’d put it to sleep?...

I feel like Tay-toe might be able to idk

I don’t know what this is but it looks like a cross between a bull and a moose

Oh Snuggie’s tempedia entry finally registered! :D

Nope closest I got is Nightshade but that move puts them to sleep, not their opponent

Can’t wait until I do finally run into Max again I’m going to be so overleveled from hunting these darn Nessla

But gotta quit for now gotta do chickens and dinner

But anyway that was fun—need to start doing this sort of thing regularly, like Temtem Tuesday and FF14 Friday, stuff like that

I’ve got a ton of games I want to play but I never take the time for them I gotta start setting aside like an hour for them in the week so I don’t have another year gap between play sessions OTL

Also Mom saw me playing this and asked about it and I’m describing it to her

Mom: “Oh it reminds me of that other game you were playing!”

Me: “Which one?”

Mom: “That one with the lava and the water and all the weapons--”

Breath of the Wild

Mom thinks this game looks like Breath of the Wild and I can honestly see it with the color palette and some of the stylization

And honestly I would pay good money to see that crossover time to go kick Ganon’s tail with naught but a stick and my buddy Tateru \.o./

(that reminds me I want to play BotW again too)

[actress4him]

A’ninsi & Meli - Cry for Help

(Alt. Prompt 3 for Angstpril 2022)

This is a collab piece! Meli is my Kingdom Hearts OC, A’ninsi is @hopepetal ‘s FF14 OC. So why not throw them together and see what happens? We came up with all kinds of things that could happen to them in this AU, so it’s possible there will be a continuation in the future.

Warnings: referenced loss of limb, death mention

<><><><><><><><>

The Light burned.

A swirling, raging storm inside of them, that could not be quelled by any force... but it could be briefly suppressed, thanks to Ryne's magic. Although... it wouldn't matter in the end, would it? if A'ninsi kept the Light, they'd be turned into a lightwarden. If they let it break free, all their work would be undone.

Not to mention the very minor detail of their lost leg. It turned out to be incredibly difficult, finding their sense of balance on one leg and a crutch. They had gone back to their room to rest when suddenly...

...they were somewhere else.

A'ninsi's first thought was "The Echo?" but they quickly dismissed the thought as they practically collapsed against the nearest thing- a large boulder which they had been lucky enough to appear next to. Leaning on it for support, A'ninsi looked around. "By the twelve..." they murmured, "what...?"

A familiar voice- an irritating one at that- rang out in their mind. "Oh, do calm yourself. You should be used to traveling the rift now."

Their eyes narrowed. They would've snapped back at him, had it not been for the pain that shot through them. "Twelve-"

"I simply transported you to another world. And I was even kind enough to give you a friend." They could practically see the smirk on Emet-Selch's face as he continued. "You'll find she's in quite the opposite predicament to you. Have fun~"

A'ninsi gasped as heat built in their body, the Light straining to break free. A soft cry of agony made its way past their lips, and their grip on the boulder loosened. No- gods, not now! Keep it together, A'ninsi! Their vision went blurry, and they squeezed their eyes shut. After a moment, they slowly opened their eyes. It seemed the worst had passed... for the moment.

Once again, they looked around, now searching for the "friend" Emet-Selch had dragged into this. As if summoned by the thought, a purple-haired girl stumbled into view in the distance. One hand gripped what looked to be a strangely-shaped sword, while the other pressed up against her side. She didn’t seem to have noticed A’ninsi yet.

A'ninsi swallowed hard, steeling themselves. They didn't think they'd be able to fight if it came to it. After a moment, they called out.

"Hello?"

They looked down at their chakrams. There was no way they'd be able to fight as they were right now. Gods... Emet-Selch really had the worst timing, didn't he?

The girl spun around at the sound of their voice, sword held out towards them. A beat of silence passed before she called out, “Who’s there?”

A'ninsi's breath caught in their throat. "I'm not going to hurt you!" they called, "in all honesty, I doubt I could even if I wanted to." They were half hidden behind the rock, so they waved slightly. Their relaxed tone and movements didn't match the fear and apprehension shown by their ears flattening against their head, their tail flicking back and forth.

Hesitantly, the girl lowered the sword just a bit before starting to walk slowly toward them. She stopped before getting too close, but was still close enough that they could see the distrust in her narrowed eyes.

“Who are you?”

A'ninsi smiled wearily. "My name is A'ninsi. I was teleported here by someone- I have no idea what this place is or why you are here, before you ask." They took a deep breath, trying to calm themselves. "Who are you?"

After a moment, the girl lowered the sword to the ground. “Teleported, huh?” She shook her head, glancing around as she muttered to herself. “Just what I need, someone else yanking me around to do whatever they want…”

Sighing, she turned back to them. “I’m Meli.”

A'ninsi sighed, their eyes briefly flicking to the sword before returning to the girl- Meli. "I'm sorry about this, Meli." A pause. "He said you were struggling with a condition opposite of mine. Are you having trouble with Darkness?" they ventured. This was probably a sensitive question, but... they needed to know.

Meli stiffened, mouth dropping into a scowl. “I’m not struggling with Darkness,” she spat. “I chose the Darkness I have.” An aura of it rose from her body, swirling around her as she spoke.

The Light inside of A'ninsi flared to life, a burning anger. They cried out as it began to escape, desperately trying to pull it back. Their vision turned white at the edges, everything becoming blurry.

They lost their grip on the boulder, collapsing with a cry. The Light continued to rage inside them, pulsing out around them in small bursts. A'ninsi coughed up liquid Light, their whole body shaking. "No.... gods, please... help me," they begged, feeling tears well up in their eyes.

Meli stepped forward, arm outstretched as if to help, but hissed and quickly stepped back, a grimace on her face. “Ugh. S-sorry. Sorry, I…” She made a pained sound in the back of her throat and stumbled a few more steps backwards. “I didn’t mean to.”

A'ninsi gasped for air as tears began to fall. The pain spiked sharply, causing them to let out a warbling cry of panic. A moment later, the pain began to subside, leaving A'ninsi to fully collapse against the ground, panting heavily. They closed their eyes, pressing their face against the cool earth. "...sorry about that," they mumbled, barely able to keep conscious. "...the Light doesn't exactly... like Darkness." They opened their eyes and slowly pushed themselves up to sit against the rock.

“N-no kidding.” She was bent over, one hand on her knee while the other still held her side, panting. “Give me a second, I’m just gonna try to…”

She shut her eyes, breathing deeply through her nose, though pain kept flickering across her face with each inhale. After a moment, the navy and black bodysuit she’d been wearing dissipated into a dark mist, leaving behind a more normal outfit.

She straightened stiffly. “That should help, hopefully.”

A'ninsi sighed, feeling the tension leave their body. "Ugh..." They looked up at Meli, tilting their head slightly at the outfit change. An unspoken question. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend earlier. It's just..." They gestured vaguely at themselves. "...well, you saw what I was struggling with. When he said you were the same..." they trailed off, shaking their head.

“Yeah,” she huffed. “I’d definitely say you’re struggling a lot more than I am.” The words were undoubtedly sarcastic, but still, there was a concerned look in her eyes. “Who is this he, anyway?”

A'ninsi sighed. "Emet-Selch. The man who teleported us here. It's... a long story, not to mention a confusing one. He's the reason I'm like this... why I lost my leg... he's a real pain, certainly." They looked around. "I don't know why he brought us here, but I doubt it's for anything good."

“Yeah, okay, no.” Meli began digging in her jacket pocket, and pulled out a small mirror. “That settles it. I am so completely done with crazy psycho men dragging me into their plans. I’m getting out of here, feel free to join me if you want.”

She placed fingers from both hands on the mirror, closing her eyes. Nothing happened. Her eyebrows furrowed, and after a moment she opened her eyes with a frustrated growl. “Why isn’t it working?”

A'ninsi watched curiously, shrugging at Meli's question. "Well, if he summoned us here, I doubt he's going to let either one of us leave until we've done what he wants." They crossed their arms, leaning back against the boulder. "Good luck with that, Emet-Selch," they muttered.

They looked down at their leg. "Couldn't even be bothered to give me a crutch, could you." This was going to be a nightmare. Gods, the others must be so worried... "I'm sorry, Meli. You were dragged into this because of me."

Meli was staring down at the mirror still, hands trembling just enough to barely be noticeable. She finally clicked it shut harder than necessary, clutching it tightly in one fist while the other went back to the spot on her side. Her breaths were coming quickly, chest heaving.

But she squeezed her eyes shut again, jaw tight, and a moment later seemed to have calmed. The mirror returned to her pocket. She looked back over at A’ninsi, offering a small smile.

“Well…we might as well make the most of it, I guess. Probably should look around some, see if we can find anything useful. Um…I can help you walk? If I can…actually get near you now, that is.”

A'ninsi couldn't help but feel concerned at how upset Meli seemed to be. They didn't know how to help, so they just sat there, watching. Their eyes followed the mirror until it was put away, and their gaze returned to Meli's. "...yes, I think that would be best. You should be able to come near me as long as the Darkness doesn't... come out, I suppose?" They sighed. "Gods... any moment now I'm going to wake up and be back at home and everything will be all right..." Trying to convince themselves was a futile attempt, but an attempt they made all the same.

Meli laughed without humor. “Yeah, in my experience that doesn’t ever happen, unfortunately.” Slowly, tentatively, she walked closer to them, as if waiting for it to start hurting again at any moment. When she made it all the way to their side without incident, she breathed out a sigh, and crouched down.

“Here, put your arm over my shoulder.”

A'ninsi took a deep breath slowly reaching out and putting their arm over her shoulder. They winced slightly at the pain the movement brought- it seemed they had hurt themselves when they had fallen. No matter. "Ah... sorry, I may be a little heavy..." They let out a breathy laugh, unsure if it was because of shock or fear. "...I haven't had to be helped like this in a long time," they murmured.

“I doubt you’ll be that heavy, you’re actually smaller than me. I’m not used to that.” She adjusted her position, ready to stand. “Okay, here we go. One, two, three!” A pained whine left her as she pulled A’ninsi up to their feet.

A'ninsi gasped, their ears twitching at the whine. Concern flashed across their face, but they didn't press- wouldn't press- for now. They leaned against Meli as little as possible, trying to support most of their weight on their one leg. They became concerned once more when they saw the bandages on their stump bloodied, but didn't mention it. It could wait until later.

Now that they were standing again, they could get a better grasp of their surroundings. Their eyes scanned the field and the forest beyond it, searching for something- anything- that would provide shelter. "...it wouldn't do us much good to be caught out in the open," they muttered, half to themselves.

Meli shook her head. “No. If we’re gonna find anything…food, shelter, whatever…it’s probably gonna be in those woods over there. Think you can make it that far?”

A'ninsi nodded. "Yes, I believe so. I don't like the prospect of being possibly closed in by the forest, but it's better than out here." They shifted slightly. "I wonder... what kind of star is this?"

They started off together at a slow, painstaking pace. Meli glanced briefly upward at the sky, then back down at their path. “What do you mean, star?”

A'ninsi tilted their head slightly. "This place. This star. Where we are?" Maybe Meli used different terms than they did, like the people of the First. "I wonder if it's a shard..."

“Oh, right.” She looked around them, though there wasn’t much to be seen besides grass and distant trees. “Well, we’re definitely not in Kansas anymore.”

It was A'ninsi's turn to be confused. "Kansas? Is that a city-state?" they asked. "I haven't heard of it before."

“No, it’s…well, yeah, actually, it technically is a state, but…never mind. That’s just…a saying. Where I come from.”

A'ninsi nodded. "...ah. Alright." They went silent for a moment, thinking. "Sorry, I'm not really good at conversation."

“That’s okay,” Meli replied a bit breathlessly. “Let’s just focus on getting to the trees.”

A'ninsi was silent the rest of the way, doing their best to keep their focus off the pain in their leg as they searched for something that would offer shelter. As the two traveled deeper into the forest, they spotted something. "Over there. Is that a cave?" They pointed with their free arm.

Meli followed with her gaze. “Could be.” She turned them both in that direction, picking her way carefully over roots and uneven ground.

A'ninsi was careful not to trip, leaning carefully against Meli when they needed to. As they drew closer, they could see that it was a cave. "Well... this could work, for now at least. It's better than nothing." A'ninsi looked up towards the sky, which had been gradually darkening as day turned to night. "Well... at least this place has a night time," they muttered.

They made their way cautiously into the cave, and Meli helped A’ninsi to sit up against the wall. It didn’t seem to go back very far, so there was no need to worry about anything hiding further inside.

Looking around, Meli nodded. “Yeah, this should do okay. I’ll, uh…go back out and see if I can find us anything to eat or drink.”

A'ninsi groaned softly as they settled against the rock. "Thank you," they murmured. "Call for me if you need help, and I'll do the best I can." They closed their eyes, the cool stone feeling nice against their skin.

Echoing footsteps left the cave, followed by the shing of a weapon being summoned. Then everything fell silent except for the distant twittering of birds.

A'ninsi sighed, hating having to just... wait. To be useless and unable to do anything. It was the worst feeling. And there was nothing they could do about it.

It was probably a couple of hours before Meli returned. She looked a bit worn, feet dragging, but she managed a tired smile at them, holding up a couple of items in her hands.

“Okay. So. I officially hate wilderness survival. But I don’t think I did half bad at it.” She settled down in front of A’ninsi, grimacing as she did so. “I found a stream. It looked nice and clean. I drank some of the water and I’m not dead yet, so…” She shrugged. “I managed to find a huge leaf and scoop some up in it, but unless I can figure out a better way to hold water I’ll have to go back a lot.” She held out the strange leaf pouch to them so that they could drink themselves.

A'ninsi laughed slightly, looking quite tired themselves despite having not gone on any long trip. "...alright, but if I die I'm going to be very mad," they joked, taking the leaf pouch and drinking the water. They hadn't realized how parched they were until they had practically gulped down the whole thing.

“I also got some of this.” She set down a second leaf pouch and let it fall open, displaying a small pile of various berries and nuts. “I don’t know what they are, though, so…I was hoping you might recognize some of them…?”

A'ninsi laughed, shaking their head. "No, sorry. I'm sure we'll find out whether they're poisonous or not soon enough, though."

“Yay.” Meli sighed, picking up one of the berries and eyeing it critically. “Guess it’s better than starving?”

"If we do die," A'ninsi pointed out, "at least we won't be starving." They popped one of the berries into their mouth. "Tastes fine."

Meli followed suit, eating the berry she’d been holding and chewing carefully. “Yeah, pretty tasty. Not sure how well it’s gonna keep us going for…however long we’ll be here.”

"That's fine," A'ninsi shrugged, "I'm sure we'll find some sort of settlement... somewhere. Unless our dear Emet-Selch put us somewhere with no people." They crossed their arms, leaning back. "Right. We should probably set up shifts so we aren't completely unguarded."

“I’ll take first shift,” Meli offers immediately. “You could use the rest, and I don’t sleep much, anyway.”

A'ninsi nodded. "That's settled, then. Wake me if you need me." They got as comfortable as they could, closing their eyes as exhaustion dragged them down into sleep.

[emetkoto]

HI IT'S ME I'M THAT ANON! I only know bits and pieces of ff14 through you and my bff's ramblings, but I know enough to say emetkoto can also have a happy ending!! Tell me emet isn't the kind of dramatic ass bitch to let him THINK he won't be able to see him again just so he gets his moment of WELL SINCE YOU OBVIOUSLY GO TO PIECES WITHOUT ME I *SUPPOSE* WE'LL JUST HAVE TO LIVE HAPPILY EVER AFTER, SIGH. i dare u

OMG LEGEND HI the impact you had on me and my confidence in writing dumb ship aus.........truly amazing <3 and once again you are SO SO SOSOSOSOSOSO RIGHT.....mr 'ohhhhh yeah im passing on now goodbye we wont meet again maybe in the next life but i hope not bye for real' as if he isnt hanging out in the aetherial sea clinging to life just resting and keeping an eye on his stupid catboy soulmate and slowly realizing that hey...maybe that wouldnt be so bad...sure it isnt the past he loved but its possibly a shot at a new future...seeing zenos nearly kill him in ultima thule was a great excuse to come back like "alright clearly if i go away youre just gonna rush to an early grave to see me again so here i am dumbass (affectionate)" plus yknow he kinda felt bad about that. he really laid down to sleep like "ah yes i tied up all the loose threads hes safe now things are good." and forgot about his weird ass great grandson who wants to kill him so bad. we know exactly who prayed for that teleporter to land there

i can workshop the exact reason later but right now i just want them Happy i do not care how...hyth can come too and be a casual third (fifth? not really id say this half of the polycule doesnt mess with estinien and graha at all because its Awkward what with emet and grahas history and neither of them having any idea who the hell hythlodaeus is)

[pyrrhesia]

FF14 Write - ‘Silver Lining’

In which Cwenthryth Sadler finds her way back home.

Aislona = @catpella

Cwenthryth Sadler rested her head against her hands as she watched the stars. The skies were clear, here. She'd tried a few times to try and assemble the stars into the shapes they were supposed to form, but her imagination just couldn't stretch beyond identifying constellations like 'the Bunch of Stars', 'the Line' or 'the Smear'. She was far from home, but under the same sky, and there was something reassuring about that. The grass tickled her nape. She felt a long, lean presence unfold by her side, drawing a hand across her midriff and planting a kiss on her neck. "Hey." "Mm." Cwenthryth's eyes were fixed, but her body seemed to loosen a little more on the knoll. "Festival was good, aye?" "You thought so?" Aislona pressed closer, resting her head on Cwenthryth's chest. Absently, Cwenthryth swept a hand around and scratched at Aislona's scalp. "Hair's so soft," she murmured. "And. Yeah. It's... good to see people celebrate. That they've a reason to. Just got loud, and long, and... I didn't want to pass out on that rice-wine again. Needed a moment alone." "Should I leave?" "We are alone," said Cwenthryth firmly. "This is fine." They lay in silence for a time. Aislona pointed. "Hey, I see the Spire. Look there." "... That's just an envelope." "What." "Yeah, look, it's like a square but with a seal in the middle." "Yeah, but, look. Put it on its side, take on those two stars off to the side and you get--" "An envelope," said Cwenthryth patiently. "It's square with a dot in the middle. Being on its side doesn't change." Aislona shifted further onto Cwenthryth, until she was peering very seriously at her face, over her breasts. "Cwen. I've seen you pick out a bird on a tree from malms off. You're telling me you can't see a spire in that sky?" "Well." Cwenthryth gave a curious, rare half-smile. "Now I can't. Now I'm looking at you." They pressed in close, for a long kiss on warm lips still slick and tasting of rice-wine, and their hands began to wander until the air-burst of a firework startled them both. They rolled off each other, Aislona's laugh ringing rich and radiant through the countryside, and even Cwenthryth chuckled softly. For a time they lay. The grass was soft. "Aislona?" Cwenthryth said, at last. "Yeah?" "We've been away a long time." "I think they're having a good enough time without us--" "Not away from there. Our home." Aislona sighed. It had been... good, this past year. They'd trudged out of hard-won Ala Mhigo and at times Aislona had wondered if Cwenthryth could ever escape from the fighting there. Yet eventually, after much outrageous pampering, Aislona had managed to coax a smile from Cwenthryth again. They reliably slept through nights together. One morning, she'd even been woken by her singing outside. It wasn't as though there was no use for a hired arm in Doma. Mostly tracking down beasts too large for the hunters to handle safely, but sometimes the brigands who had flourished under the careless occupation needed rousting out. And there were... times, when the past seemed to catch up. In the heat of battle, Cwenthryth was always as cold as ice. ... But times were good. And they finally had each other. Still, these days she was starting to wake up alone again. Not to find Cwenthryth outside, staring into nothing, or that one time which lodged dreadfully in Aislona's memory, finding her on the floor, quaking with half-formed sobs. Now Cwenthryth returned caked in sweat, sometimes armed. Her body was growing taut, again. Ever since they'd had the news that, back home, their former companions in the Scions were dropping like flies... "You've grown restless." Cwenthryth didn't bother denying it. "I didn't say so. Didn't want to hurt you. It... was good, to come here. Do this. Without it, I'd..." With a grunt, she sat herself upright. "Still be broken, I think." There was something left unsaid, Aislona could feel. But while Cwenthryth was scrupulously, almost neurotically honest, no simile could quite capture how hard it was to squeeze words out of her. Sometimes, then, you had to guess. "You don't have anything left to prove," she soothed, easing back onto Cwenthryth's shoulder. "You have everyone's respect, you've done so much more than enough. Just because you weren't Called to this..." "I know." Cwenthryth turned and leaned her head on Aislona's, meeting foreheads and noses. Their warm breath brushed against each other. "But I want to be useful. With everyone that's left... Y'shtola and Thancred, Alisaie and," Cwenthryth sniffed, "the other one. Even that snob, Ysabet. I think we'll be needed back home. Or... I will. If you'd rather stay." Cwenthryth's fingers found Aislona's, interlacing them. "I know you fell in love with this place." "Perhaps." Aislona smiled with only the slightest trace of melancholy, bringing her spare hand up to stroke Cwenthryth's jawline. "Perhaps. But not nearly so much as with you." This time, nothing could interrupt their kiss.