#and then he became a scion and... well... when you have a little bit more time and a little bit less fear for your life

[swiftcast-selene]

Day 13: Color

"for someone who likes to blend in, you sure are wearing a lot of colours." "ah, but i didn't tell you what i'm blending in with!"

[sentient-cloud]

The magic that seeks to create a worthy scion in Stallion Quartermane’s image is woven deeply into the world of Lemuria, creating countless ‘heroes’ in its history. Of course, all were failures, in a technical sense. No great heroes of the past managed to harness The Old One’s secrets and rise to become his ideal scion, despite the world’s best efforts. Not all even accomplished great feats and notoriety, such as the legendary He Mander. Some simply ran headfirst into danger until they couldn’t anymore.

Eileen Patrick was one of those heroes. Born and raised amidst the upper crusts of Heap, she spent her days living the life of a socialite, dressing up pretty and talking nice to her father’s friends. He was the only family she had, and in her eyes he was an admirable, hardworking man, a man who’s secretive work must surely be of great importance, importance that would one day be passed down to Eileen, hopefully. Of course, in Heap such wealth rarely comes cleanly. Eileen only found out about her father’s workings with the cities mobs and mana smuggling when it got him killed. Bitter at her father for his secretive dealings and even more bitter at the crime lords for taking him from her, she coped the only way a girl could, becoming a masked vigilante known as The Dalmino Lady.

The Dalmino Lady’s run of Heap lasted all of four years, but it was the only time Eileen Patrick felt fully alive. Running across rooftops in heels with a reckless abandon, seducing her way into criminals homes, and stealing evidence of their crimes (and perhaps a few extra things as well, certainly this necklace would be better off in the hands of that pretty waitress at the diner on the corner.) It’s also when she met Darla Blake, her closest friend and a woman she fell deeply, helplessly in love with. A hero in her own right, going my the moniker Miss Purry, the two wagered themselves a fierce duo. They were unstoppable, they could make a real difference in lives of Heap’s citizens, they were certain of it. Then a new face showed up in Heap, a man they called a Lion, and the scales tipped. Of course, Dal couldn’t have known this, and her confidence was only growing. Confidence that led to arrogance, which led to rushing in fights without a second thought to one’s lack of combat abilities, which led to bleeding out in a dark alley at the age of 24. The Dalmino lady’s Demise and Eileen’s secret identity would be spread around in newspapers and as a topic of conversation amongst gatherings of socialites, before eventually, it was forgotten. Darla retired from the hero business, and that was that for Heaps grand heroes.

Eileen’s biggest talent is her charisma, she’s, a talker, first and foremost. And seduction, well, she can charm her away around any man she pleases. Women… she stumbles her way around, it’s a lot harder when you actually care. Of course it all became a matter of business when she met Darla. Following after anyone else would be utterly unthinkable.

She enjoys a good drink, though she’ll more often than not exaggerate just how much she’s had, it makes people let their guard down, and works as a good excuse for a quick exit. While her identity as the Dalmino Lady is a close kept secret, she craves notoriety, to be known for her actions rather than just her pretty face. She’s crafted calling cards, little taunts to slip in the place of the items she steals - it’s no fun if people aren’t talking about you.

——

Eileen! My token Lemuria hero oc, she’s similarly based on a classic pulp hero, her inspiration is The Domino Lady. Miss Purry credit to @kindcolors, everyone go clap for her too, she kind of won the nonhuman w101 oc bracket a bit back.

[elliewiltarwyn]

FFXIV Write 2024 | #9: Lend an Ear

Word Count: 867

Third Umbral Moon, 22nd Sun

So much has happened, yet there’s only one little touch that has overtaken my mind.

Zenos lies dead by his own hand, even after channeling the might of Ilberd’s primal, Shinryu. The Empire has been driven from Gyr Abania by the combined forces of the Resistance and the Alliance. Ala Mhigo, at last, is a free nation once more.

But there are multiple things that haunt me even as the dust settles. First… Zenos. Even as we came face-to-face and crossed swords, the look in his eyes was hungry in a way I have never seen in my enemies before, continuing this strange yearning sensation that I had begun to pick up on when he defeated me in Yanxia. He spoke of the connection he and I shared even as he held Shinryu’s yoke…and he even invited me to join him. To partake in our shared interests together.

I rejected him, of course. But even so…at the end, as he held his own sword to his throat, he met my eyes…and he bade me, “my first friend. My enemy,” farewell.

I can’t untangle what that means - how his definition of friend somehow became so entwined with that of enemy. What sorts of horrors within me that he saw and empathized with.

Because it’s not quite the horror displayed by Aulus mal Asina, whom we confronted mere minutes before Zenos himself. The engineer who kidnapped and tortured Lily and Krile, who put both Fordola and Zenos under the knife to experiment with an artificial Echo.

Mia’s father.

She showed no hesitation, only grim determination and…maybe even a bit of the darkness that Zenos purported to see in me. She brutally, efficiently dismantled him, saving us from his soul-jacking maneuver and completely wrecking his mobile weapons platform. She bore down upon him as he scrambled back against the wall with a hardness in her face I’ve never seen before. And when he tried to lash out, when he blasted Lyse with some secret gadget as she tried to cuff him…

Mia stabbed him through the heart without even flinching.

None of us asked her to - but she still took it upon herself to bear the burden of patricide.

For all my messy feelings about Zenos, can they even begin to compare to what she must have felt as she looked upon the horrified face of her own father, impaled on her own blade?

I didn’t think she’d want to speak with anyone, disquieted by those feelings as much as I am with Zenos. But at the celebration that night, in the shadow of Rhalgr’s frame carved into the cliffside of his Reach, she sought me out, more soused than I’ve ever seen her and grumbling about how she definitely didn’t want to think about it, that she specifically looked for me to spend the party with because I am, to quote, “a good nonthinking buddy - I know you won’t ask me a bunch of annoying questions. Nothing about my absolute… fucker of a dad…”

So, knowing full well how much we’re both wrestling with ignominious, complex thoughts, I told her “I won’t ask, but if you need to talk… I can lend an ear.”

…and she did. I learned a lot about her past. About how little she saw her parents, how she sort of filled the void with the next-door neighbor Jullus and his family. How she didn’t realize what she was missing until she escaped Garlemald. How she had never known how starved for touch and affection and care she was until right now, right here - when she’s nestling herself into my embrace.

If you had told me when I first joined the Scions that I’d ever end up holding Mia Longhart in a caring embrace as she drunkenly unburdened her troubles, I would’ve laughed you out of the room or accused you of spinning wild faerie tales. Fuck, you can see in this very journal, in my entries from years ago, how annoyed I had been at her self-righteousness, her weird moral superiority. Yet here she was in my arms tonight, now one of my closest friends, breaking into a flood of tears as she cursed the monstrous father she had, lamenting that he couldn’t have been like mine, or Lyse’s…

And when she had worn herself out… she thanked me for being here, for listening… for showing her what she was missing. And then she kissed my cheek. And then passed out on my shoulder.

It’s been, I don’t know, maybe two hours since then; I carried her to bed and left her there to write this while watching people celebrate outside. And even with all this tumult inside me, over Zenos’s words and Lyse’s departure from the Scions and everything else… I can still feel the touch of her lips on my cheek, and I am very conscious of how tightly I’m holding on to that sensation like a port in a storm.

…Funny that I did get to comfort her about her father after all. That flame of jealousy isn’t nearly as strong anymore, at least.

Like that’s really the important issue here. Ugh.

[gold-rhine]

For the bodypart canons askgame can we get Neuvillette? If you don't have much about him yet then I wanna be the first one to ask for Kaeya

I already did for Neuvi! In fact its easier for him bc he just came out, so i have a lot of things to extrapolate from, but I was writing long ass essays for kaeya for more than a year, so its harder to come up with anything new to say asdfghj. like i don't to repeat same headcanons i already wrote, like that he's related to candace

Headcanon: I can muster a cogent argument for why it would make more sense or make for a better story if this were the case

i've gotta say, i'm a bit peeved when i see ppl portraying child kaeya as like. a dickensian beggar boy who was let to the fireplace and cried bc he tried a cube of sugar for the first time in his life. like, alberichs are nobility and we know khaenriah took their nobility *very* seriously. and if they knew they are sending their scion to mond's nobility, they'd make damn sure he can keep up their dignity. kaeya canonically could read and write before he got to mond and game makes sure to highlight that his handwriting is beautiful.

i think kaeya was very well educated, very well schooled and mannered and prepared for like high society politics, and it was kind of a cultural shock for him how uncivilized ragnyvdirs are in comparison to his own upbringing. like he's a bit confused when he doesn't see 10 different forks at the dinner table, but he's keeping a brave face, but then he sees diluc wipe his mouth with a sleeve and like snatch a piece of meat from the dish and is just completely stunned. and diluc is like oh don't be shy, you can have more too if you want!, but kaeya is in fact seeing a heart attack his own father would have at this scene. this is why he comes off as very quiet and polite to all adults at the estate

Heartcanon: I don’t have a particular rationale for why this ought to be the case, I just like to imagine it’s true because it gives me the warm fuzzies

my conspiracy theory headcanon is that he does still have his horse, but doesn't use her for work. like when he just became a knight as a teen, he saw a horse that no one wanted or ever chose bc she had horrible temper, and slowly gained her trust with treats and attention until they've became friends like a true horsegirl would. that horse was left in mond bc she doesn't let anyone else ride her, so the expedition just left her to kaeya, but he just treats her like a luxury pet and spoils her to death

Gutcanon: it’s not that I actively want this to be the case – it just unaccountably feels like it should be

the first ability from his vision that ever activated was his C4 shield when diluc cleaved him on the head and this is what saved his life. this shield is v useful, but kaeya hates it as a reminder. he also has pretty big burnscar on his eye, bc like. he took a flaming claymore to the eye, no way he has a dainty little white line from a hit like that

Junkcanon: I like to imagine it’s true because it gives me the other kind of warm fuzzies

has a collection of corsets and elaborate lingerie sets. like, you open the corset on his default outfit and there is another, even sexier corset underneath

Spleencanon: I insist that this is the case specifically to spite the author, because, like, fuck you, sir or madam

every time hoyo tries to gaslight us into pretending diluc was right and in fact normal about kaeya and the knights the whole time, i'm sending psychic spiders to them on the astral plane

[keicordelle]

The Daily Inconveniences of an Au Ra: Mixed Race Housing

Living in the Scion's dorms was... hard. Keshet had never felt his otherness quite as much as when he moved in with his comrades. They were all understanding, and they certainly did their best, but Keshet could never quite shake the knowledge that he was different. Both in terms of upbringing, and of anatomy.

Most people, when they bunked with roommates or in communal lodging, had to worry about things like their housemates snoring or eating their food. Keshet... well, the accommodations to his living space were a little bit more drastic than those of your average hyur.

The low ceilings he had learned to live with, for the most part. He still sometimes smacked his head when entering a doorway, but most buildings across Eorzea were not built for someone of his height, and he'd grown more or less accustomed to ducking. He shared plenty of long-suffering looks with the Boulder brothers, but ultimately, there was relatively little he could do to keep from whacking his head besides just remembering to stoop. Though the brain cells he lost every time he forgot made it harder and harder with each passing day, or so he liked to claim.

And he did like being able to help out the others. Sometimes, when Tataru was baking, he'd sit in the kitchen with her and fetch whatever she needed from the upper cupboards, because the only person who struggled more with the geography of the Rising Stones was her. She'd feed him all the best of her creations in exchange, and he always got first dibs at mealtime - though by then he was often so stuffed full of stolen mouthfuls that he could barely eat the meal he'd helped prepare.

The biggest issue, though, came when it was time to bed down. The snoring he could live with - he was used to sleeping in a camp full of people, with only thin fabric walls to divide them (if that). And he’d grown sufficiently used to sleeping indoors that the inability to see the sky didn't bother him as much as it used to, though he still preferred to sleep outside whenever he could get away with it. The problem was that he slept with a bunch of people from frigid Sharlayan, and that meant he froze his damned tail off every time he lay down to sleep.

Back on the Steppe, he was used to dozing in the blazing sun, sprawled out on a hot rock and basking in the heat, just like a real lizard. Trying to sleep here, with only the blankets of his self-made nest to warm him, was like trying to sleep half-submerged in a river: not bloody comfortable. But it was a shared space and he was keenly aware that he was the odd man out in that regard, so he kept his complaints to himself and tried to soak up as much sun as he could during the day.

He should have known his friends better than that.

"What's this?" The glowing red lamp towering beside his nest of blankets commanded Keshet's attention as soon as he stepped foot into the dorm, scattering all thoughts of the day's training exercises to the wind. Tataru beamed at him from across the room, hands on her hips and that cunning glint in her eyes that always made him just a little bit nervous. It seemed that this time, though, it had been turned in his favor.

Thancred bumped him jovially with his shoulder, urging him forwards. "You don't think we didn't notice how uncomfortable you are sleeping here, did you? Friends pay attention to that sort of thing."

The heat that radiated from the lamp became obvious as Keshet stepped towards it, nervousness turning to incredulity as he drew near. "Is this..."

"A heat lamp," Urianger supplied for him, scratching bashfully at his head. "We thought it might provide thee some comfort."

"He means that we asked around in the Firmament to find out what the dragons use to keep warm, and Marcelloix suggested this," Alisaie said. "A lizard's a lizard, no matter its scales, right?"

Keshet was too distracted by the warmth that radiated from the lamp to offer more than a half-hearted, "Right," in response. Nhaama, it was so warm. The heat soaked into his scales and eased the tension in his muscles. Gods, he just wanted to... well, that was the point, wasn't it?

He curled up in front of it, uncaring for the half-hidden smirks of his audience as he curled his tail over his thigh and turned his face towards the glow. Less than a minute later, the quiet sound of snoring drifted from the contented Au Ra. Tataru grinned, waving the others away. "Looks like it was worth the effort."

(By the time she returned to head to bed herself, she found G'raha and Y'shtola curled up in front of the heater as well, the three of them cuddled into a comfortable pile before it. Maybe they'd have to get a few more heaters to go around.)

-

Read the rest of the series on Ao3!

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[minweber]

Musings on Custodes: Nobilitas Terra

Ah, the now famous “all Custodians begin their lives as the infant sons of the noble houses of Terra” line from the 8th edition codex (not reproduced in the 9th one, btw). It has now experienced the kind meteoric rise in quotation previously enjoyed only by biblical verses in times of major church schisms. Let’s talk about the part of it that’s actually interesting though.

So Custodians are drawn from the children of Terra’s nobility. It is apparently not exclusive and other sources are allowed on Custodes’ own discretion, but this is both the traditional and the main one. It seems that originally the Emperor was doing something of a mamluk/janissaries thing with them, taking infant children from the families of his potential rivals as both hostages and soldiers that could be raised loyal only to him. Later, when his power grew to so far outstrip that of Terra’s aristocracy as to make any internal challenge of it inconceivable, it instead became prestigious to submit a child of a family to this service - not conscription, but an offering to the golden idol of humanity instead.

So surely, in 42nd millennium, with the Emperor’s eclipsing presence… changed, if not gone, there must be some sort of interesting dynamic between the Custodians and the bloodlines that spawned them? Well, the codex seems to dismiss the idea out of hand, stating that there is no real way for nobles of Terra to recognize their scions once they become Custodians - which presumably means that there is no grounds for interaction? And sure, I can recognize why the official lore in its current state isn't interested in that: Custodians are fixated on the Emperor to the exclusion of everything else, and the Terran nobility itself is a fairly faceless thing in the lore, one of which we don't really know enough about to build any kind of investment from their perspective.

But here we are all about the things that could yet be, rather than the things that just are! And I honestly think a bit of lore expansion in this direction could be pretty interesting!

Between the origins of the Rogue Traders and the Custodians themselves it seems that, much like the priesthood of Mars, some clans on Terra were indeed once powerful enough to make the newly ascendant Emperor deal with them in terms other than total subjugation or destruction. Would the meteoric rise of the Imperium during the Great Crusade grow or diminish their powers? On one hand - the previously mentioned growth of the Emperor's power in relation to them and the whole new "breed" of imperial elite he was literally creating (I know that in modern lore there is some speculation about what were actually his plans for the Astartes and the primarchs post-Crusade, but however things would have turned out for them, had he his way, I doubt it would have resulted in even a modicum of power returning to the hands of his once-rivals)... But on the other - during times of obscene growth and expansion rich and powerful tend to grow even more so, and I doubt that grimdark future avoids this tendency. So I will go out on a limb a little and say that while during the rise of the Imperium the power of Terran nobility may have waned in relative terms, it probably grew in the absolute ones.

And the following ten thousand years of sitting at the top of a stupidly expansive feudal confederacy probably did not hurt them either!

In the days of the Era Indomitus, then, these vague "noble houses of Terra" must be some sort of force to be reckoned with - politically, culturally, and probably even militarily. Likely on a galactic scale. And the personal guard of the Emperor, the supposedly most advanced beings in the entire Imperium, the living symbol of his power - are staffed almost exclusively by the scions of those houses. Do you see my vision? Do you agree that something simply must be there?!

Custodians are the Emperor's representatives and envoys, the single most powerful military force on Terra and the organization in full undisputed control of access to the most holy site in the entire Imperium, a place from which, technically, ALL authority within its borders is derived. Even without the bloodline connection there should be some kind of a relationship between them and the other powers of the throneworld! Even if we look at the pre-codex, fully palace-bound version of Custodes that care for absolutely nothing other than the Emperor's corpse physical safety - they still recognized that the events on larger Terra influence this safety and need to be at least reacted upon. And in the modern version they have never even been that shut-off. Even before the lifting of the Edict of Restraint, Solar Watch patrolled the Sol system entire, Aquilan Shield departed on their mysterious protector missions and the Emissaries Imperatus were busy being a diplomatic corps, for fuck's sake. I find it hard to believe that they would simply ignore Terra's political players, leaving them to do whatever unless someone rolled up armed to the Imperial Palace. So there definitely would be interactions - and once that hook is in, the fun begins.

Are custodians willing to "stoop down" and play nobility's games with them? Do they even have aversion to doing so? Surely, with all the talk about their talents beyond head-chopping, they are capable of scheming with the best of them? And if doing so is the most efficient way to get the job done - why would they object? And if they are no strangers to political manipulation and the noble families desperately want the prestige that comes with having produced a Custodian - why wouldn't the demigods indulge them and use it as a tool? Especially since they - if we keep the codex idea of it being impossible to recognize surrendered infants as the Custodians they become - hold all the cards and can basically present any of their number as a scion of this or that family? And while we are at it - do they themselves actually know? I imagine it must be not that important to them, but are there any records kept? Could you be a 200 hundred year old Custodian fresh out of training (a random example - like so many things, it is not known how long the creation and training of a Custodian takes) and be suddenly told that the aging matron of a noble house with whom you have to go and negotiate is actually your biological mother? Would that stir something? Curiosity, at least? Or is the Emperor’s light so absolute that it can blind one to even the most deep-nested human impulses?

Do Custodians remember sins and glories forgotten by the tapestries of gold and jewels? Do they watch some relatively minor and unimportant house with baffling prejudice - all because someone from it almost outdid the Emperor in something more than ten thousand years ago? Do some bloodlines enjoy unseen protection due to secret deals that have passed out of all human memory?

What about the internal politics of the organization? Millenia of drafting from a relatively closed pool of families means that some Custodians are related to each other - does that matter to them in any way? Even if the golden demigods are completely free of prejudice and superstition - which their history of paranoia kinda tells me they are not - genetics do play an objectively huge part in their existence. Is more expected of those drafted from families that produce more Custodians than others, or have spawned some especially renowned heroes? Once again - is it even public knowledge amidst the Custodes?

And what about the nobles themselves? Do they seek favor of the Adeptus Custodes? Is such a thing even possible? Do they view them as another player in their political games, or are they more of a force of nature, a condition that everyone has to deal with and adapt to? How does the process of submitting children even work nowadays? Is it compulsory? How many are taken from each family/genertaion? Do any struggle against this harvest, or has the honor of the thing completely overshadowed any resentment that they might have had?

Basically what I am saying is that, for the purposes of worldbuilding, interaction between systems is always better than the lack of thereof. And if one were looking for the ways to expand Custodes' lore - this one feels like a great source of characterization for them.

[b-lizi]

After reading @99corentine 49th chapter, I thought about a lot of references about Chry's past. There will be spoilers about KFP2, Blue Eye Samurai and the fic GOL HAH DOV, but mind you : if a piece of media isn't enjoyable because you got spoiled, then maybe it isn't well made (unless it's an Agatha Christie but the whole point of her novels was the mystery) so bear with me.

In chapter 49, Chry wants to know about his past after a strange and stressful encounter with Elenwen. He tries to return to the place where he first awoke, one year before the events of this chapter, but without any success. He upset for several things, for his loss of memory of course but also the fact that he might have a family and even a spouse (with his ring at the marriage finger) that didn't go after him.

Firstly, there's the feeling of emptiness and shame about his worthlessness, how he compares himself to Miraak, someone who was important even as a pawn of Hermaeus Mora, when he was just good enough to be left behind by his supposed relatives and be used as a thrall by a cruel man in a foreign country. Chry feels like that all the glory he had in one year, even after killing Alduin, was nothing, like a fraud, that he's just worthless (these thoughts happens just when he has the post prophecy blues, like Teldryn said, so yeah Chry might feel depressed). That his past is was he is at core. Which isn't true but he believes it and that's something a lot of us can relate to (golden child syndrome, school failure, broken dreams, childhood trauma, etc.).

Fortunately, Miraak reminds him that Chry was the one who believed he could be a better version of himself, going to tyrant to leader (even though he still is at the head of a cult lmao), that his actions helped and saved so many people and that he's a great hypocrite for telling others they can be better when he tell himself the contrary.

It reminds us ofc of Paarthunax's iconic wise words "What is better ? To be born good or to overcome your evil nature though great efforts?" But I feel it echoes better to Miraak's case because he was in fact evil and became a bit more grayer thought the story, whereas Chry has forgotten his past and was just lost and miserable. In this case I was reminded of this sentence in Kung Fu Panda 2 : when Po discovers the calcined remains of his childhood village (that he forgot about because of PTSD), he's feeling sad and ashamed that his birth was in bloodshed and suffering, but the soothsayer who saved him says to him "Your story may have not such a happy beginning, but it doesn't make you who you are. It is the rest of your story. Who you choose to be." And that's pretty much Chry's case : he awoke in a place of suffering and when he left, he wanted to have a life of his own and to be greater than what he was before, to be in control. Man the parallels between him and Miraak are even greater ksjsjsks

Then let's return to the family problem. Even better (or worse idk), the spouse problem. If Chry had any family left in the Summerset Isles, they didn't care to go after him when he was gone missing.

There are several theories about why Chry wasn't found, if he ever had relatives : the first thing is that he's of mixed heritage because he has a greater physical strength than all the other altmer altogether and most importantly striking blue eyes ; altmer people don't have blue eyes* and it's a great deal for almost every Alinor citizens to be of pure lineage, so imagine having in your family a very unusual child with characteristics a little bit too close to Nords'. You just want to get rid of it to avoid shame on your family.

(*nota bene : in Skyrim game, altmer people only can have amber, golden or emerald eyes, whereas in ESO you can have them have blue eyes, but we're following Skyrim's logic here)

So if we follow this theory, Chry's supposed family wanted to get rid of this problematic scion, either by banishment... or marriage. A marriage that didn't go well at some point. And that's when I got reminded of Blue Eye Samurai (incredible series on Netflix, go watch it). Some context : in the Edo period (17th century in Japan), we follow the revenge journey of Mizu, a lonely samurai with mixed heritage (a Japanese mother and an unknown white father) with striking blue eyes. These eyes disgraced them because it was considered demonic at this time in Japan (like in ancient Greece, blue eyes were either vulgar or bad omens).

At some point in their story, Mizu finds their mother who they thought died years ago in a fire. She wants them to marry an old samurai who, like them, is a castaway, so they can in some way redeem themselves for their shameful life and at least be a good bride. They get married and although Mizu is a bit reluctant at first (because of how are viewed their eyes), them and the samurai fall in love with each other and have lovely years together as an odd couple. But it falls apart when Mizu wants to show their incredible battle skills to their husband, who gets scared and angry, calling them a monster, because deep down he still had this bias that blue eyes are demonic and bringer of destruction (an onryo). That he only loved Mizu because they were behaving despite their mixed heritage.

He betrays them, bringing mercenaries to kill them and Mizu, deeply hurt and enraged, kills everyone and run away to pursue their revenge of getting rid of the four white men who lives secretly in Japan. But I digress

Maybe something similar happened to Chry, that when he discovered his thu'um, he got shamed by his family/spouse and he went (or ran away) to Skyrim to search for answers or got abandoned here. Maybe we'll know and maybe we won't because there's still almost two chapters left for the fic to be finished and I am not well.

Anyway I had fun doing these parallels! Theories and psychanalyses my beloved.

Mizu my beloved

[got-into-worm-by-mistake]

So, here's the thing.

There is a ton of information about the Wormverse that is packed into the last 5 or so arcs. Like, central elements of the entire physics of the universe, as it were, core details about the backstory that - to an extent - fill it all out and make things kinda sorta finally back sense.

Everything comes together - powers, triggers, Endbringers, Cauldron, Scion, the whole kit and kaboodle.

But for all that it's packed in, sometimes it's also diffused out in the weirdest ways, and packed into the middle of the weirdest scenes to have these sorts of revelations come out. We don't want it all to be infodumped (well, I mean, I do, because I love a good infodump but I'm not normal) but I so feel like some of these details might have been provided to the reader a little sooner. Because there is so much being packed in.

On the other hand... the story probably doesn't actually work as well if it wasn't being so packed in. The story probably wouldn't have worked as well if some of these deep truths about the physics of it all were revealed sooner. The bam, bam, BAM of revelations is probably necessary to get the intended tone.

But it does get in the way of readers and worldbuilding nerds especially being able to process all this information. To be fair though, I don't actually think Wildbow wrote for the detail nerds, and the nitpickers.

He wasn't writing to give information to the fanfic writers who are trying to tease out every little setting detail to try and grasp what things are like so they can play around with it.

It's frustrating, as someone who has fanfics to write, when the canon, whatever it is, leaves a lot of shit buried deep in obscure scenes, and scattered across a million distinct bits.

That's one of the reasons why Wildbow's WoGs became such a big part of the fandom ecosystem - yes, the sheer availability of the man and his willingness to answer sometimes the most inane questions ever (though you can tell that eventually he got tired of them - his answer to the Bear Summoner vs Jack Slash just feels like he's so goddamn tired of this crap, at least to me) was a factor, but parsing through all of the lore he buries in things is not easy.

Also a ton of answers are just never even in the text because of the limits of the POV and framing that people want to know, both out of curiosity and of course, the fanfiction.

But he wasn't writing with all that in mind.

But I can't help but wish things were sometimes spelled out more singly, clearly, all at once, in the text.

[jigschosai]

Chapter 2 - Tour

[Special thanks to @thefreelanceangel for posting something not too long ago that got me to start this moving again. And to @irisopranta for letting me mention her to add a bit extra to the story.]

Jigs woke up early, with far too little sleep.  He could never sleep late, no matter when he went to bed, he always woke up about the same time, a few hours before sunrise.  Late night dinners with friends were a bit painful as it meant he may only get a few hours sleep as compared to when he was left to his own devices and could get to bed early.

He cleaned himself up and approached his wardrobe.  There is a lot more to you than you’ve been telling me, Nashmeira’s words having him wonder if he may have offended her in some regard, though her manners during the dinner didn’t indicate he did.  Still, he couldn’t shake the feeling he may have misled her a bit about who he was.  After a few moments of indecision, he picked the armor which he wore most of the time he served with the Scions.  The blues and golds were definitely ostentatious for day to day around Ishgard, but if nothing else the armor was comfortable, and brought some credibility to what he would tell her.

As was his custom, he made his way to the Jeweled Crozier and a small stove off to the southern side at the end of the vendor stalls.  Eliasse was already sipping on what Jigs suspected was her first cup of coffee as he walked up.

“It’s strong today,” she said,” I figured you might appreciate that after last night.”

“Thank you,” he said pouring himself a cup.

He had known Eliasse far too long to think anything would escape her notice in this city.  She had eyes and ears everywhere.  The younger ones bought off with treats and trinkets; or toys if the information was especially useful.  The older ones were paid in coin, information, or favors.  While not obvious on the surface, she did a lot to keep the city running smoothly.  Jigs had worked for her himself for a time when he was young as she would give him his favorite cookies for any job well done.  After his return to Ishgard, with Alphinaud and Tataru in tow, he made it a habit to chat with her early in the mornings before the rest of the city woke up.  Initially it was to help ensure their survival, as many forces were aligned against them; but as the Dragonsong War ended, it became a pleasant ritual which he and Eliasse decided to continue.

He caught her eyes as she looked him up and down, recognizing the armor he was in.  After taking another sip of her coffee she gave a flat, “well, tell me about her.”

Between sips of coffee, Jigs recounted the trip up for Eliasse.  He unknowingly dwelled on his conversations with Nashmeira, where she was from, how it was her first time in Ishgard; very nearly recounting the conversation on the trip up word for word.  This went on for nearly 5 minutes before Eliasse interrupted him, with a smile on her face.

“Jigs dear,” she interjected,” you have yet to tell me why she came here in the first place.”

“I, uh,” Jigs felt like he was 10 years old again, “I was getting to that. She’s here to start a dance school.  She had run one down near Limsa Lominsa but felt it was time to move to other areas.”

“And you’re wearing that armor to impress her?”

“I may not have been completely open with who I was on the trip up,” Jigs looked away as he nearly whispered this,” I’m a bit worried she may feel I misled her.  I’ll likely be giving her a tour of the city today and felt I should be a bit more honest.  It’s too much isn’t it?”

Eliasse chuckled,” You’ve saved the star multiple times and here you are smitten with someone and acting just as you were when you had that crush on, oh what was her name?” she paused,” Heurriette!”

“By the gods please do not bring that up, I still can’t look her in the eye.”

“It was adorable!”  She refilled her cup,” Though I can see how it made things awkward between you two.  I had thought Ul’dah had driven any idea of romance out of you, you never seemed to glance at anyone after your return.  It’s refreshing to see you smitten with someone again.”

They stood in silence for a bit, Eliasse giving the blush from Jigs cheeks time to fade.

“Keep the armor on,” she said,” it looks good on you.  And as for this tour, bring her here last, I’ll want some time with her.”

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Jigs was walking around the city when the page from house Fortemps tracked him down; Nashmeira was ready for her tour.  Jigs accompanied the page back to the manor and met Nashmeira at the door.

“Are you expecting trouble today Sir Chosai?” she said smirking.  Jigs was about to stammer out a response when she moved up to his side,” so where to first?”

I am overdressed; I’m making a fool of myself again, he thought.  “It’s probably best if we start there,” Jigs replied gesturing to the Vault a bit awkwardly. “The church is largely the cornerstone of Isghard, though less so recently,” worried he may sour the mood at the start of the tour he quickly added,” it’s quite the spectacle if nothing else.” They began their walk up to the doors of the Vault.

He was overthinking things.  He knew he was overthinking things; but like a cart barreling down a hill he couldn’t stop himself.  He missed the easy conversation they had yesterday.  Eliasse was right, he was smitten with Nashmeira.  Perhaps if he had spent more time with Thancred he’d have learned some things to give him more confidence in a situation like this.  Conversation was easy when it didn’t matter, but now that he felt it did; he’d rather be fighting another primal, or even an Ascian.

“Jigs?” the sound of his name tugged him back to reality,” Is everything ok?” Nashmeira asked,” you seem distracted.”

“Sorry, I guess I didn’t get enough sleep last night.”

“The armor is very nice, I just didn’t expect you to dress up for this. I was trying to be playful but I guess it came across differently.”

“I … it..,” he was trying to say three things at once and they created a logjam,”…can we sit down for a moment?” 

As they walked to a nearby bench he tried to gather himself, he let the cool morning air fill his lungs, and felt the warmth of the sun on his skin as it inched over the rooftops.  After they were seated he looked to her face, she had an expression of both concern and expectation.

“Yesterday…” the word was difficult to get out, but the others began to flow more easily, more evenly,” I feel I may have misled you.  I may have underplayed my importance in the city a bit too much.”  He paused, how to tell someone you’re the Warrior of Light without sounding like either a braggart or a liar. “I..”

Nashmeira had a knowing but comfortable smile, “the Warrior of Light, I know.”

Jigs was stunned,” but …”

“The Fortemps and I spoke long after you left, Emmanellain couldn’t keep quiet about it, and once he started Edmont and Artoriel joined in singing your praises.”

He sighed,” I should have figured that out…” as he looked toward the ground, avoiding her gaze briefly.  When he looked back to her face she was smiling.

“It may have been for the best, I’m not sure I would have believed you had you told me yesterday, or even if F’lhaminn had mentioned it.  F’lhaminn and I have played some tricks on each other before; but I had no doubts you were a capable adventurer, and paladin besides,” she paused,” does she know?”

“I think so, but we’ve never really discussed it.  She knows I’ve fought primals, it’s not difficult to draw conclusions from that.” He paused briefly, looking up to the sky,” I don’t think she cares about that though, to her I’m an adventurer who’s tried to be there for her if she’s needed me.”  He felt the weight of all the doubts he had earlier slip away, his shoulders and back straightening a bit in response. 

They were quiet for a short time, a comfortable silence.  Jigs broke it first, “I’m sorry about all this, would you like to continue the tour?”

“Of course!”

Jigs brought her back to the entrance of the Vault and explained the church’s importance in Ishgard, how they largely worshiped Halone, and how the end of the Dragonsong war had changed how so many saw it.  Nashmeira took a keen interest in how the people’s faith had been shaken.  He initially thought he had misjudged her, but Nashmeira explained that at its core, it’s why she was opening a dance school, as it was that kind of hopelessness that gave rise to the forces her style of dancing was meant to combat.

They made their way to The Tribunal to the Athenaeum Astrologicum and Jigs showed Nashmeira inside.  Jannequinard greeted them and provided a brief history of the Astrologians in Ishgard, as well as a brief demonstration.  Afterwards, they made their way down to the Saint Valeroyant Forum.

Nashmeira looked off to The Forgotten Knight,” is that the inn?”

“It is,” Jigs responded flatly, clearly not wanting to entertain a trip there.  Despite this she gently tugged at his arm in that direction, intent on seeing the fate she was spared.

They entered the dark inn and made their way down the stairs as the cloying scent of ale wafted around them.  As they reached the bottom of the stairs an adventurer landed in front of the innkeeper having leapt off the balcony onto the floor.  The innkeeper was non-plussed and handed him a key to his room.  Nashmeira was shocked by the whole spectacle and kept a lookout for more falling adventurers as she approached the innkeeper.

She explained she wanted to see a room, and the innkeeper begrudgingly acquiesced.  She disappeared into the hallway as Jigs waited for her at the bar.  Only a moment later she returned, thanked the innkeeper and handed the key back to him, then far more forcibly than before, tugged Jigs to the door leading toward the Brume.

“Thank you,” she said to Jigs as they exited.  Jigs just smiled in response.

They made their way to The Firmament for lunch, a brief tour, and an introduction to Ehll Tou who was happy to meet another one of Jigs friends.  Upon the return to the Brume and Jigs began to escort Nashmeira through the alley.  She slowed down, slowing Jigs with her.   When he looked at her he noted how she was taking it all in.

“I don’t understand,” she nearly stammered,” how could they have a place as splendid as the Firmament and have this right beside it.”

“It’s an embarrassment,” Jigs responded.  “It’s been this way for a long time, even when I lived here as a child.  Unfortunately, the nobles see no financial benefit to restoring it, so very little progress has been made because of that.”  Jigs was about to go on when someone yelling interrupted.

“They got you play’n tour guide now?” Hilda yelled from down the alley.  Jigs brought Nashmeira over and made the introductions.  After Nashmeira explained the purpose of her trip Hilda responded, “you honestly think movin’ your feet around a bit is going to give people hope in a place like this?” Jigs moved to calm things down, but Nashmeira responded before he could.

“And that clunky firearm on your back has?”  The words escalated from there and before Jigs knew it bottles were being setup on a pile of stone blocks at the end of the alley.  A small crowd was forming around them excited by the spectacle.

“Twelve bottles, so we get six each,” Hilda chided,” unless of course you miss one dancer girl.”

Nashmeira said nothing, just removed her coat and handed it to Jigs.  She grabbed the chakrams at her hips and let them rest in her hand; the holds showed signs of a lot of wear, but the blades appeared to be razor sharp.  She starting bouncing on her toes in a rhythm to a song only she could hear.

Hilda ripped off 6 shots in succession, 6 of the bottles exploded in showers of glass at the far end of the alley nearly simultaneously, the crowd cheered.  “Your turn dancer girl.”

Nashmeira smiled, Jigs saw the aether gathering around her in different designs as her dance became more elaborate; simple bounces replaced with twirls and pirouettes.  He nearly missed the chakrams leaving her fingers.  The tops of the 6 remaining bottles popped off as the chakrams returned to Nashmeira’s hands with a grace that could only be gained through a lifetime of practice.

“Well, I guess you hit them,” Hilda said, still a smug sense of superiority in her tone.  As she finished the top halves of each of the bottles began to slide off the bottoms, nearly in unison, then crashed to the ground.  The crowd let out a cheer.  It wasn’t everyday they saw someone best Hilda at her own game.  “Alright alright, what do you need to make this class of yours happen dancer girl?” 

With her coat returned Nashmeira and Hilda worked out the details of what would be needed to have the classes in the Brume.  Space to work, some training dummy’s, and most importantly for Ishgard, a fire to keep people warm enough that they wouldn’t be forced to wear heavy clothing.  Hilde said she would set her Hounds to work on what needed to be done and that classes could start the following day.

Her business concluded she took Jigs arm and they resumed the tour.  As they approached the Skysteel Manufactory Jigs stopped and fished around in his pouches.  Satisfied he had found what he was looking for he extended a fist to Nashmeira indicating she should open her hand.  He dropped 2 cotton balls into it.  “You’ll probably want to stick those in your ears for our next stop.”

While the noise of the manufactory was deafening, Stephanvien greeted them warmly.  Jigs made the introductions and Stephanvien turned to Nashmeira and started showing off his latest creations as he brought her around the manufactory.  Nashmeira nodded anytime he paused.

A short time later they were making their way to the Jeweled Crozier, Nashmeira removed the cotton from her ears,” Did I agree to anything with that man?”

“What? No, not at all, why do you ask?”

A chuckle entered her voice,” I couldn’t hear a thing he said.”

It was Jigs turn to laugh,” I’m hoping that’s because the cotton worked.” Nashmeira nodded. “I don’t know how he and his wife Iris get on sometimes.  It seems she’d have to yell at him constantly just to be heard.” Jigs paused,” Actually, it may be beneficial to introduce you to Iris.  She’s one of the best seamstresses in the city and may be able to outfit your students.  I can look into that if you’d like.”

“Perhaps, I’d like to see where things stand with the first couple of classes before winding up with any more obligations.  I’m worried what Hilda may ask for in return for her assistance as time goes on.”

“It will almost certainly be just enough to cover costs,” Jigs tried to reassure her,” she’s not the type looking for a profit.  She’s just looking to get the Brume caught up to the rest of the city.”

As they made their way through the Jeweled Crozier, Jigs guided Nashmeira directly to Eliasse. “I believe Eliasse will want to take you on a tour of the Crozier herself.”  As they approached the little stove Jigs noted a scent that was familiar, but he couldn’t quite place.

“Is that Thavnarian Chai?” Nashmeira asked excitedly.

“It is dear, why don’t you join me for a cup,” Elliasse responded.  Nashmeira trotted over to the stove with a childlike bounce in her step.  “Jigs, I will take care of our guest.  I’ll send someone when we need you.”

Nashmeira turned and smiled at him,” thank you for the tour today.  I appreciate it.”   Jigs returned the smile, and nodded, then made his way back toward the Foundation.

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A couple hours later Jigs was still out and about the city.  A young elezen ran up to him, nearly out of breath.

“Master Chosai,” he got out in between breaths,” I was told to give this to you.”  He handed Jigs with Eliasse’s seal emblazoned on it.  The child was sprinting back towards the Crozier before Jigs could ask if he needed to catch his breath.  Whatever treat Eliasse had offered apparently had him very motivated.

Jigs opened the letter,

Jigs,

I’ve escorted Nashmeira back to Fortemps manor.  You are to pick her up at sundown and escort her to this address for dinner.  Wear something nice that is NOT ARMOR!!!

E.

The address written below was one he did not recognize, though definitely within the city.

When was the last time he wore something that wasn’t armor?

[reassambled-dragoon]

5: Stamp

   The most frustrating thing about learning a new language has to be when people assume you’re simple…which is a polite way of saying you’re mentally-deficient. Stasia glowered at a stack of children’s primers that a human–Hyur, Hyur, they’re called Hyur here–named Thancred had brought to her a few days ago, with large block lettering stamped on the covers and spines. The white-haired man had raised an eyebrow and smirked before walking away, leaving the sin’dorei mentally seething.

   Yes, it was true that she had blindly teleported from her world to this one, and yes, it was true that naturally, she had no prior knowledge of any of the peoples or languages on this Eitherys, but hell, it galled her to be reduced to accepting aid. Why were so many of these Scions bloody scholarly geniuses?

   The sounds of a scuffle took Stasia’s attention away from the primers. She looked up just in time to watch Storm physically carry Thancred and a slip of a boy named Alphinaud over to Stasia’s table, the Roegadyn unceremoniously dumping her burdens into chairs and shoving them close to the table itself. “I beg your–”

   “We’re settlin’ this mess here an’ now, an’ if any of you try t’leave before the air is cleared, I’m goin’ t’start shatterin’ kneecaps,” Storm growled, levelling a fierce glare on Hyur, Elezen, and blood elf in turn. Alphinaud started to open his mouth, took one glance at Mama Storm in full form, blanched, and fell silent. Thancred said nothing, though he looked more than a bit ruffled. “Now. Sunrunner, Star has noticed y’have been more than a bit agitated, especially where letters are concerned, is that right?”

   “...yes.” Her confirmation wasn’t quite a growl, but it wasn’t far from one.

   Storm nodded, her hands resting on the backs of the men’s chairs. “Can you please explain, so that we can begin untanglin’ this translation mess?”

   “Why don’t we begin with the fact that I am not a damned child,” Stasia snapped, stabbing a finger at the books. “One, I am over a century old. Two, I’m short, but so are Tataru and Krile, yet no one treats them like children. Three, I am perfectly capable of interacting in the greater world without needing to be coddled!”

   Alphinaud’s eyes widened. “Oh dear…I apologize, Stasia. I assumed you were like myself and had not reached puberty yet. That…was my error.”

   Thancred sighed and rubbed the back of his neck, meeting Stasia’s frustrated glare. “I should have spoken to you first, my lady. When I realized you had absolutely no knowledge of Eorzean, written or spoken, I thought that perhaps children’s primers would be a good place to start, especially as they are intended to teach the basics. I should have approached you, adult to adult, and for that, I sincerely apologize.”

   “Or, if for whatever reason y’were unable t’find Stasia, you could have asked Star or myself. Especially me, as Stasia has been stayin’ at my house for awhile.” Storm shook her head ruefully. “Miscommunication an’ misunderstandin’. Well, Stasia, how would you like t’resolve this?”

   Stasia reached under her chair and set a novel on the table, baring her fangs in a smile. “‘A Romance of Light’. Shall I read the first chapter aloud?”

   “A what?” Alphinaud squawked, red creeping up past his collar.

   Thancred slowly looked over his shoulder at Storm, who had a positively predatory grin on her face. “...no. Storm, you did not give her that.” When Storm’s grin only became wider, he actually blanched a little before eyeing Stasia. “How much of that have you read?”

   The sin’dorei’s response was to angle the book so the others could see a red ribbon tucked into the pages, approximately at the halfway mark. Storm positively cackled, Alphinaud buried his head in his arms and groaned, and Thancred covered his face with his hands. Stasia, thoroughly enjoying the men’s discomfort, opened the novel to the first page and began reading out loud.

[xiakha]

FFXIVWrite 2024 Prompt #4 - Reticent

A full moon and a half had passed since the Warrior of Light and her two Scion allies had come to reside at Camp Dragonhead as refugees, as guests. If the hail and snow and freezing temperatures did not deter the inquiries of the Crystal Braves, the frosty demeanor of the Ishgardians surely did. And surely they were not paid handsomely enough to weather all of that.

As for Xiao and Haurchefant, they were quietly settling into a domesticity neither quite expected.

Those coals let cool to a dull red in Haurchefant’s heart, to say less about his loins, were stoked back to a burning inferno, and Xiao seemed to have limitless enthusiasm to match his own, and perhaps more. His knights were just pleased that he was… more discretionary, now that his attentions were focused exclusively with the Miqo’te as opposed to every third adventurer that was passing through for but a night. Oh, he welcomed all with open arms and the same generosity as always, but no longer with the same… enthusiasm for private meetings in his study. Or in his private quarters. Or in the baths. His retainers felt less of a need to, well, retain their lord. Oh, rumors were rumors, there would always be rumors, but rumors of the Commander of Camp Dragonhead’s… indiscretions had largely quelled because Xiao did not stir the pot with anything new. Really, the two other foundlings she had arrived with were of more interest: the princeling had a tragic air about him despite his youth, and the Lalafel was dangerously affable and competent both. No one cared to gossip about the outsider who served admirably as an unofficial Azure Dragoon; there really wasn’t much to be said about her, and she had very little to say. 

It didn’t bother Haurchefant until he started recognizing that Xiao did sometimes wish to speak. There were little tells, Xiao would purse her lips, but not as if she wished to kiss. Sometimes she would open and close her mouth repeatedly, or she would run her tongue over her teeth. Often when someone else spoke up before she could, she would momentarily look down, then compose herself again, and simply smile and nod instead.

Alphinaud and Tataru were both quite sure that Xiao was simply the strong and silent type, emphasis on both. Though when Haurchefant brought it up, Tataru did give pause.

“Truth be told, with Alphinaud and the other Scions around, Xiao had little reason to speak. And if she ever wanted anything from me, a few gestures often got the point across quicker than loosening her tongue.”

Haurchefant was familiar with that tongue, it was quite a nice tongue. There was a roughness to it that took a bit of getting used to, but she knew how to use it expertly. 

So he became determined to have her use it for speaking as well.

Alphinaud entered Haurchefant’s study promptly after knocking. As this meeting had been scheduled the night before, the knocking was merely a formality. There was a certain clarity to the air this morning that he wasn’t used to.

“You wished to see me, Commander?”

Haurchefant gestured for Alphinaud to shut the door and sit across from him in a chair. Alphinaud was never directed to the chaise, only the chair, though the chaise seemed ever more comfortable.

Alphinaud was not socially inept enough to miss the connotations, after all he had fashioned himself as quite a ladies’ man in the Studium, but his otherwise innocence led him to misguided conclusions. He knew enough that Haurchefant and Xiao had become romantically involved. He had seen Xiao lounging casually, perhaps too casually, on the chaise sometimes in the afternoon when he had need to interrupt Haurchefant’s meetings. Xiao’s hair did have the unfortunate tendency to shed, and she so often seemed to be preening in the chaise. Perhaps it was a matter of needing to brush the plush furniture of Xiao’s hair.

Haurchefant smiled in his usual warm manner, but then donned a look of concern, “Master Alphinaud, were you aware that Xiao cannot speak Eorzean Common Tongue?”

“Pardon?”

“Aye. Oh, she knows words and phrases here and there, and she of course understands the language through that Echo of hers, but she absolutely does not speak it. She can hardly formulate a sentence save when repeating the sounds she hears.”

Alphinaud sputtered but said nothing. In the year and a half that he acted as Xiao’s superior officer, he had long assumed that Xiao was mute because she did not wish to speak, not that she couldn’t. No, he made no such assumption. Xiao’s lack of feedback was in many ways something he relied on, that she would be willing to do anything and everything he ordered her to. He had mistaken the lack of feedback as good feedback, after all, what was stopping her from simply walking out on him and never returning? 

“But she worked on an Eorzean ship for another year and a half before she arrived in Limsa Lominsa, or at least as Minfilia reported!” This was not the way he wanted his rebuttal to go, but there was little that could be done to save face, “How is it that in over three years of exposure to the language in predominantly Eorzean speaking areas she didn’t pick it up at all?”

“That Echo of hers. It’s been translating Eorzean into her native languages.” Were it not for Haurchefant’s patience, warmth, and thoughtfulness, it was unlikely he could have coaxed that tidbit out of Xiao last night, even then she siply dipped her chin instead of waggling it. After all, for so many years, no one had asked anything that would require her personal opinion, only that she do this or that. And if she were asked her opinion, she found that nodding, shaking her head, or punching her palm in response often was enough. 

“Rest assured Master Alphinaud, I am not looking to assign blame or ask you to admit failure, I too assumed Xiao was simply a woman of few words. More taken to action than talking. I wanted to first confirm there was nothing amiss between you and her, and also I wish to look in the future.”

Alphinaud sat back on the chair, deflating. Despite Haurchefant’s words, he could not help but feel like a failure. Well, he knew he was a failure, he was a failure so many times over, and this was just more confirmation of his failure as a commander. 

But the Commander of Camp Dragonhead had the right of it as well, they could only change the future and work in the present.

Alphinaud laughed bitterly, “I thank you for not thinking that I was the worst sort of commander, taking advantage of my most loyal soldier.”

“To be frank, the thought had crossed my mind that perhaps you ordered Xiao to avoid speaking, but with the… independence she otherwise acted with, that she would adhere so adamantly to that particular order was quite the riddle.”

“So what do you have in mind?”

Haurchefant’s smile took more of a conciliatory air, “To speak plain, ‘tis a task of which I know not how to begin. Were she a babe of a few winters, we could use the set of tomes we keep in the nursery, but she is a lady grown, and the Azure Dragoon.”

“And you think she would reject outright tutelage out of such tomes?”

“She after all has a reputation to keep up. Soldiers can be… unkind about such things, especially given that, as an outsider, there is some talk of her being a sort of usurper of status and command, though Estinien recognizes her as well. I know full well that there are lines that can be overstepped, no matter how loyal the soldier, no matter how beloved the commander.”

Alphinaud looked at his fingers gripping his knees, thinking of the lines he had overstepped. No, now was not the time,  “I could tutor her privately on grammar and pronunciation, though I need a suitable Scholasticate textbook from which to reference.”

“And I can discreetly request such a copy from Ishgard.”

“But I believe you should take part,” Upon seeing the surprise on Hauchefant’s face, he continued, “You are her lover, are you not? Would you not want to know her thoughts and have her share her feelings through her own words?”

Haurchefant rubbed a sheepish hand on his neck, “So you’ve seen through me, alas I am no teacher of letters.”

It was Alphinaud’s turn to smile, “Leave the teaching to me, all you need is to convince her to avoid using her Echo and hold conversation with her.”

After an evening’s exertion, Haurchefant caught himself doing all the talking again. He looked down at the firebrand cuddled on his chest, her skin gently steaming in the cold evening air. He hardly needed the fire going or layers of blankets when he spent his nights with her. “But what of your day, Xiao? How was the patrol?”

Xiao looked up from where she had been enjoying the rumble of Haurchefant’s voice in his chest, eyes wide. Was that shock of surprise or sheer terror?

He held her tighter and kissed her forehead, “I hope you can accept my sincere apology, all this time I had thought you mute by choice. But I have no greater desire than to listen to your voice, share in your joys and woes, and understand your thoughts.”

The Miqo’te wiggled in the embrace and ran her fingers down Haurchefant’s thigh, her half lidded eyes seemed to ask, no greater desire?

Haurchefant sat up in bed, letting Xiao slip into his lap, pooling like the blankets around them, “I enjoy every moment we spend together, my love, but I cannot abide an uneven relationship. This may be a disparity you have grown accustomed to, but I shall not allow for it.”

He looked gently and sadly into Xiao’s eyes, “It pains me even now to know how experienced in love you know yourself to be, despite never speaking up. You have been in beautiful duets without singing.”

Xiao squirmed more, she opened her mouth and then closed it, she ran her tongue along her teeth. She looked up, an expression caught between desperation and hope, tears welling in her eyes.

He smiled back kindly, “Take your time, dear. I for one am willing to sit and listen until the coals grow cold and the sun has risen. And I shan’t interrupt unless you ask me a question.”

In all of his time having known Xiao, even in the earliest moments, back even before there was a single hitched breath shared between the two, Haurchefant had never seen Xiao vulnerable. Weakened, injured, surprised, caught in compromising positions, perhaps, but never vulnerable. The stoicism was as much as a shield as it was genuine nescience.

So it was that Haurchefant finally heard her voice, which he had heard much cry out in rage and passion and more, work quietly, softly, to fumble and babble about how her day went.

[therealgchu]

To the Shore - Chapter 10 An Interlude

keeping with my friday publishing schedule, go me!

fluffy, warm chapter incoming! no trauma, no angst, and a little bit of spice. and, i get to show off some of my cryptography knowledge, which is a minor hobby of mine.

Chapter 10 - An Interlude

If you want to read the whole fic from the beginning, it's up on ao3.

the sneak peek is from Cora's POV. a little different this time, but she was a lot of fun to write. thanks to the coemancer crew for help with getting the dialogue of a 12 year old right.

Everyone ready for a sneak peek?

 Through most of the lunch, she was silent and listened to the adults. Cora brought along a couple books, like she always did, and pretended to read at the table. She’d found out years ago that if she was quiet and acted like she was reading, the adults forgot that she was there and the conversations got much more interesting. Well, at least that applied to most adults, including her dad. Cora had long ago noticed that there was no difference in the way Hwa talked to her or any other person, which was nice.

“...first time you ran into Ranger Pryce?” Dad asked Hwa. Ranger Pryce was always nice to her the few times she’d met him, but he was really different when they were on Neon. She didn’t like how he talked to Dad. Her ears perked up.

Hwa sat back in her chair, thinking, “Let’s see, three, maybe five years ago, I think? One of the few times the Rangers made a move on the Syndicate.”

Syndicate? As in Seokguh Syndicate? The one Mom was taking down? Cora became as still and silent as the grave with her ears wide open. Dad would certainly not want her to hear this. She sunk deeper into her chair and hid behind her book.

“The Rangers raided the Ebbside warehouse,” Hwa explained. “I had just happened to be checking in when I walked in on the raid. You know what Pryce is like,“ and she made a dismissive snort, “he’s suspicious of everyone that’s not related to a Ryujin executive. Probably projecting his own incompetence on everyone else.”

Her dad nodded, “Nepotism do be like that,” he said.

“Anyway, he took me in, questioned me. Since it seemed like I was just a random person that walked in on the raid, they let me go.” She took a sip of her drink, shaking her head. “If he was half as clever as he thought, he’d have done a more thorough job. Everyone knows that’s Syndicate territory; civilians don’t just walk into that warehouse. But, well, he’s not.” Hwa reached across and grabbed one of Dad’s fries. “How did you meet him?”

“Pryce trained Lillian. I think he got the promotion to Neon about seven years ago?” her dad said. “He’s always hated me. He was there when Lillian and I met. He wanted to throw my ass in jail. It was Lillian that made the call to jettison the cargo.”

Cora held her breath and tried to make herself invisible. This was the most she’d ever heard about how her parents met. She’d heard off-hand comments her grandpa made about when her parents met, but never the whole story. Jettison cargo? she wondered.

“I got the distinct impression that he is jealous of you,” Hwa said.

“What tipped you off, the ‘pretty boy’ remark?” her dad asked snarkily.

“Amongst other things,” Hwa said.

“Yeah, Pryce always hated me. I think he was after Lillian even when we first met.” He sat back in his chair and rubbed his beard. “Come to think of it, he always gave me a hard time about being a Coe, and how the name wasn’t worth it. More projecting?”

Hwa nodded. “I’ve worked with a lot of the scions of Neon society. They say the Syndicate are monsters, but it’s those families that are controlling a lot of what goes on. If Ryujin or Bayu wanted the Syndicate gone, they could easily. They’d just have to starve them for money.”

“I’ve always wondered about that. How much of the Syndicate sucks at the teat of the corpos on Neon?”

“I haven’t studied the books in depth, but I know it’s a lot.”

It was just at that moment when Kay came up to check on them. “Would you like dessert?” Kay asked Cora specifically. Usually she loved dessert, but cursed its existence at the moment since it reminded her Dad that she was sitting there. He looked at her, and she could see the back of his neck getting red. She could tell he was trying to decide if he said anything too inappropriate. Dang it, he probably won’t say anything anymore today, she thought. She made a mental note to ask Grandpa about Dad meeting Mom.

Cora watched a quick glance happen between her dad and Hwa, and saw him shake his head almost imperceptibly. He probably thought she was too young to hear about the crime on Neon, or how her parents met. She wanted to roll her eyes so badly at him, but stopped herself in the nick of time. He’d see that, because of course he’d see, and get annoyed at her. He didn’t see that she was TWELVE already, but he’d see her roll her eyes.

Instead, she consoled herself with some ice cream.

[woltourney]

ROUND 4 / SIDE A / POLL 2

Chuchu Chura (@spaceace144) v. Galvin Foixewesfv (@elizabethrobertajones)

Chuchu Chura:

q. What is your WoL name and pronouns? a. Chuchu Chura (she/they)

q. What is your WoL's species? a. Lalafell

q. What is your WoL's class? Or classes? a. PLD, WHM, RDM, DNC, and most importantly, FSH

q. What data centre/server are you on, if you want people to find you? a. Adamantoise

q. Tell us a bit about your WoL! a. This is Chuchu! She's a mute lala who became my reason for living when I started playing during covid. When I made her I want to make the least intimidating tank, so I made the smallest (yes she is min height), pinkest tank I could! She doesn't really have a lot of lore that I've come up with, but she's definitely lawful good, loves adventuring with her wolf pup, capybara, and Nigel her chocobo, and adores fishing.

q. Why should YOU win? (Answer IC!) a. :^) *waves* *lalafell dances* *dotes* *giggles*

q. Anything else you wanna add? a. She's just brought me so much joy over the past few years and if someone else can get a little joy from seeing her in this tournament, then that's enough for me. Of course I hope she still does well! I've spent hours in gpose getting pictures of her to be my wallpapers, I've gotten commissions of her, I'm even trying to crochet an amigurumi of her. I just love her so much! Good luck, Chuchu!!!

Galvin Foixewesfv:

q. What is your WoL name and pronouns? a. Galvin Foixewesfv

q. What is your WoL's species? a. viera

q. What is your WoL's class? Or classes? a. Black Mage, Summoner, Reaper

q. What data centre/server are you on, if you want people to find you? a. Goblin (have been in alliance roulette with other Galvins this is very important)

q. Tell us a bit about your WoL! a. A forest prince, eighth child with seven sisters, Galvin felt spare and at odds with his family as he became fascinated with dark magic after early encounters with voidsent that left him confused about their true monstrous nature. As he grew up and realised he was a rare son and due a life as a roaming forest warder and trophy husband, he felt too nerdy and bad at climbing trees for one and too gay for the other. After less than a year training with the other men of the forest and sensing they were growing sick of his poor aim with a bow and weedy lance arm, he slipped away in the night, travelled by boat to Limsa, and devoted himself to learning the forbidden maths of true magic. Drawn by the calling of the Echo, he joined the Scions on a whim despite having been warned by his eldest sister he was extremely susceptible to falling prey to a cult some day, and it was with much relief he realised they were not evil so his next letter home would not be met with a furious rescue party of dozens of furious armed viera storming the Waking Sands. He then picked up thaumaturgy and found one of his true loves. The other was teasing Urianger from across the Waking Sands, and flustering the shy elezen. Somehow, this has turned into a loving and stable relationship, mostly because they make up each other's deficits in a perfect puzzle piece joining and not because they are much alike, book learning aside. Though clumsy, brash and frequently knocked down, his determination to not be anything he once dreaded about his fate and to carve his idiosyncratic path, his raw stubborness got him through every trial thrown at the WoL. Barely. The only rules: always take them on as black mage and never give in and take the easy path (ooc: hit the 'very easy' button the trial is begging me to do by take 8) His witchcraft and void lore honed, he stumbled into the art of the reaper, and formed a pact with the voidsent he had felt himself bound to since youth, a keening sad creature that aimlessly wandered and wailed; these cries having once pierced his heart, he found it easy to reach out and make the connection once more, and binding the voidsent to his purpose, it found direction and he found a combat art that he excelled at - provided you allow that it's really the voidsent doing all the work lifting that heavy scythe, and Galvin is merely casting the spells. Having surmounted the main story, he retired immediately to the island farm, and spends his time pulling turnips and lazing about, often with Urianger at his side, and it is important to say, for Galvin, achieving doing nothing at all is in itself the most incredible achievement for a lifelong avoider of - well, everything - who crawled and moaned and complained and fussed so hard to get there.

q. Why should YOU win? (Answer IC!) a. I have never, ever won anything in my life, and I think I should be allowed just one. Please.

q. Anything else you wanna add? a. =:{)> moustache bnuuy

[bloodpotency]

Thoughts on dawntrail now that I've finished it (spoilers)

I have a lot of mixed feelings about this expansion cuz I had like, no expectations at all and I still ended up finding like... the first 45% of the story to be repetitive and contrived.... I kinda felt like the scion characters were being forced to behave more stupidly to engineer more drama to support wuk lamat's character arc? (I thought the whole kidnapping bit was super forced).

Up till the latter half of the story every character felt super flat, and they each had to explain their motivations several times to the camera (i.e. I counted at least THREE cutscenes where koana tells the audience that he thinks sharlayan innovation is the way to go and I was going insane reading it)

Basically I think the rite of succession arc was stupid and dumb and juvenile that didn't trust the players to pick up on the character arcs they were weaving and the whole thing felt pretty weak. It only started getting actually interesting and (slightly) less predictable when the Alexandria stuff started happening. And even then it all got tied in solely because of zoraal ja (who is a disappointing character to me who wasn't well established at all and only on his actual deathbed do the characters start speculating as to why he became like that?)

The dome was very successful psychological horror and i hated it (positive) and I'm grateful for how it interestingly picked up a lot of themes that the first half was trying to establish. Themes like... the burden of legacy, trauma, and the ethics of inflicting/experiencing suffering and how it affects everyone around you. It's cool and I liked it.

I still overall felt like the expansion was kind of a drag in practice and it's one of those stories that I'm gonna feel more fondly for as I look back on it since my brain will leave out all the annoying pacing of the characterization and busy work.

Visually and auditorally it's great, solid 9/10 at least I enjoyed the graphics and design of all the locations. Worldbuilding good

Gameplay wise 10/10 i enjoy the changes so far, the dungeons and trials are good, and I even like little immersive details like the mounts tilting while you turn.

Main story is like 6/10. Solid, good, but suffers from "it gets good after 10 hours" issues. Wuk Lamat is very likable despite it taking a dumb amount of time in the story for her to get to where she needed to be to be compelling. By the last set of quests she is a good protagonist.

So... pretty good. There's a lot of things i would have personally done differently here and there (such as humanizing bakool ja ja earlier, and inserting more zoraal ja character motivation in, maybe during one of the two unnecessary "koana explains how he likes sharlayan" scenes) but idk by the end I was like aw :) how nice.

Gulool ja is my son

[veilkeeper]

I HADN'T SEEN YOU REBLOGIGNG THAT ASK GAME!

ok so. one moment while i throw all of these at you, there will be two of these.

firstly for Roz (my beloved): 3 + 10 + 13 + 20 + 23 + 26 + 32 (im curious about the burn scars) and 48 <3

(consider the amount of questions payback, lov u <3)

oh... the quencies.... (im delighted) okay this one might take awhile

(questions from here)

3. What is your character’s moral alignment?

true neutral leaning to neutral good. they make most of their decisions from the "what benefits me/the people i care about the most" viewpoint with a little bit of the caveat "without needlessly fucking over random people"

10. If your Tav didn’t become an adventurer, what else would they be doing?

the last time they were in faerun they were making a living as a bounty hunter/contract killer in baldur's gate. they were good at it. so probably that!

13. How does your Tav fight in a combat situation?

in game mechanically a lot of their time is spent using ensnaring strike on an enemy and then shooting them until that guy is dead, rinse and repeat until the encounter ends. occasionally they'll also pop divine favour for some extra radiant damage, or cast shield of faith. in my mind palace where roz is allowed to be a powerful scion even before the tadpole, they do that but with a hefty dose of "also i can light you on fire with my mind <3"

(putting the rest under the cut)

20. If you’re romancing anyone, why did your Tav fall for them? And why did that character fall for your Tav?

ive talked about this a little bit before, but initially roz was not falling for astarion. it was like, "okay yeah we'll sleep together because you want to and i dont really care." but eventually, as roz got to start seeing a more genuine side of astarion and he started to really... mean the things he was saying to them, it became a lot more about "i think i can care about you, and maybe... just maybe... you could care about me?" and that's the sort of thing that shakes roz to their core. and coincidentally, astarion kind of goes through the same thing.

23. What is your Tav’s favorite moment they’ve had with their lover?

not you sending me questions that are making me go (*/ω＼*) in real life... okay with halsin i hc back in the shadow cursed lands that he would turn into his bear form and let roz sit up cozy against him because they are always cold (they are a toothpick) and i think that was just... really nice for them. with astarion.... i think the first time they end up in roz's tent together without any blood-drinking or sex. without even the suggestion of it. that's when it first hits for roz that this might actually be about more than a transaction, so that's their favourite moment.

26. What is the most prominent color in your Tav’s color scheme?

answered here!

32. How did your Tav get their scars, if they have any?

i promised id wait for this information to be ASKED for so here we go. basically i hc that roz was from a really small creche and when they were young-ish (10-12) a training raid drew a little too much attention and the creche was attacked. and well... you know how ive said before that they arent a very good githyanki? when their creche started to burn, instead of taking up arms, they hid. everyone in that creche had either told them they should be culled or had tried to cull them, so they didn't really care if the place fell apart. however, while they were hiding, a pile of burning debris fell on them, fucking up a lot of their right side. they managed to escape the creche and do-gooder types who had no idea what was happening saw a dying kid and dragged them to the nearest temple of lathander, and the rest is history.

48.  Where does your Tav feel most at home?

not to be so so so so so sappy, but whenever they get to cuddle astarion. dont tell him this, but he's kind of. everything to them.

[knithappens05]

FAQ / Cheat Sheet

Name: Moira Mercia-Ward (AKA: Mo-Mo, Sweater Girl)

Species: Human (w/ Alpha Gene)

Playbook: Scion

Alpha Ability: Thread-Kinesis

Pronouns: She/Her

Age: 15 (Currently 2021 in-game)

DOB: June 24, 2005 (Cancer Sun, Pisces Moon, Virgo Rising)

Height: 5'4"

Hair: Brown

Eyes: Brown / Black and gold on power-activation

Sexuality: Pansexual

Mother: Malena Mercia (Greek)

Father: Winston Ward (Black)

Other Relatives: Melita Mercia (Aunt)

Spotify Playlist

In-Character Playlist

Pinterest Board

Who is this character? This is Moira Mercia-Ward, a first year (sophomore) at Alpha King Academy! She was part of an accidental late admission group with her four best friends, Achara Singhaboon, Colt Arvidsson, Diarmuid O'Ceallaigh, and Will Smalls. Later they met Kid Condor, and the six of them were dragged into an intensely dangerous mystery revolving around a fellow student murdered in his dorm room.

FASCINATING, I WISH TO KNOW EVERYTHING! Oof. That's a tall ask. This game spanned nearly 2 years and a lot happened, most of our sessions were 12+ hours, weekend-long affairs. I'm happy to share specifics via the ask function, but I'm afraid a novelization is out of the question. |D

What is Moira's Alpha ability (power)? Mastermind and I call it "Thread Kinesis"--basically thread-movement. Moira often wears sweaters or clothing with laces, she can unravel/unlace these things and use them to constrict opponents, cushion blows, rappel and swing, grab objects, etc. as long as she's in physical contact with what she's controlling. More recently Will Smalls developed a set of twelve magnetic metal plates with holes, to allow Moira to weave her own shields and plate metal. Or create pretty vicious swinging-mace weaponry. Robots beware......

Dang that sounds wild. Can she only control yarn and laces? For the moment, that's what she can control most easily. During the endgame, she was able to control wires for a moment but it created great physical strain. Someday she may be on the same level as her mother (she's able to control wires as well as clothing without being in physical contact, making it unsettlingly easy for her to restrain and constrict anyone who happens to be, you know, dressed).

Why the hyphenated last name? I'm so glad you asked... Moira is the only daughter of Winston Ward and Malena Mercia. Malena happens to have the same power as Moira, in fact this power has passed itself along the female offspring for generations (Malena will say that they're descended from the Moirae, the Fates, themselves, though Moira is extremely skeptical for obvious reasons). Both of her parents being progressive, Moira's last name was hyphenated to "preserve" the Mercia name.

Moira's mom sounds a little intense... Is she okay? Absolutely not. Malena Mercia was an activist for a time, but her methods became more and more extreme until she was classified as a villain. She called herself "Filanesse" as a kind of bitter joke-- if she was going to be villainized for simply doing what had to be done to hold bad people responsible, she would gladly take up the mantle of a 'villainess' (Fil, filament, look I'm very symmetrical it's fine). Eventually when Moira was 10, Malena was defeated by Thunder Solomon (leader of The Vanguard, a prominent superhero team) and arrested for various vigilante-villain activity and killing a security guard. Malena was sent to Alpha Max-- maximum security for people with Alpha abilities-- for a long time. Moira visited for a few years when she still didn't quite understand the extent of what had happened, but eventually asked Winston if she could stay home when he visited Malena. Moira's confusion and grief turned into anger over being essentially abandoned because her mother killed someone using their power. Teenagers, right?

Dang! So has Moira seen her since she stopped visiting the prison? You think she managed to keep that bit of her traumatic history private for two years of gameplay? HA! The trail of the dead student led back to Malena, so Moira had to visit her in Alpha Max. The first time was an emotional disaster, Moira running out of the prison after the visit having a full-blown panic attack. The second time she went, there was a prison break and Malena escaped to join the Big Bad Evil Guy in their plot. Malena kept reappearing and trying to get Moira to come to her side, but Moira was still simultaneously furious and pleading with her mother to just take responsibility for what she'd done and go back to prison. It didn't go over well. At the end of the season, Malena nearly killed Moira and her sister Melita in a blind rage and disappeared when she realized how far she'd gone.

...She has a sister? A twin sister in fact! Melita Mercia, who helped raise Moira. Melita is the youngest and participated in the Filanesse-identity, using her power in tandem with Malena's to make the villain seem even more formidable and powerful. It also helped them evade capture by authorities for a time, Filanesse always seemed to be able to outmaneuver whoever was chasing her, be wherever she needed to be in a moment. The three of them, Melita, Malena, and Moira, spent most of Moira's childhood together, raising her to feel strong and proud in her femininity. They were their own 'coven', for lack of a better word, and when Malena was arrested Melita disappeared, leaving Moira without her support network.

What about Winston though? Winston is a great dad! He's a public defender and works hard to support Moira with his single income. Which means often he wasn't around when Moira got home from school and often came home to eat, sleep, and change his clothes. He's a very supportive parent and wants to protect Moira from everything-- sometimes even from her own and his own feelings. They didn't really discuss Malena's arrest, and so their house was fairly quiet, dark, and sad from the tension and forced-cheerleading on Winston's part. He absolutely did his best, but Moira's life had a huge crater in it where her support network used to be. It's a tall task to fill it when you're already burning the candle at both ends and in the middle to make ends meet.

What's Moira like at school? In the beginning, Moira was very guarded and reserved. The Alpha Identity Protection Act (AIPA) is supposed to seal names and records of active superheroes and villains so their families don't get caught up in their personas, however many heroes still have access to that information. Moira spent the first few months guarding the fact that her mother is a convicted villain with everything she had in her, and it made her seem quiet, awkward, constantly nervous, and blank. In reality so much of her was caught up in her parentage, in the fear that she would someday lose her sanity and kill someone with her power like her mother did, that she stopped moving forward and growing. Pain was comfortable and familiar, building a new self that was separate from Malena and Melita was new and scary--so she didn't do it until the events of the game more or less forced her to confront the realities of her situation and start developing again. She's highly artistically-minded (she has a tree on campus that she regularly yarn-bombs to work out her feelings), she's practical while still being subject to emotional swings and panic attacks, she's highly protective to the point where she's thrown herself in front of real physical harm to protect her friends thinking 'I guess I'm just going to get hurt, this is how it goes'. She gets a little sarcastic if she feels unheard, inconvenienced, or taken advantage of, lightly gives her friends shit when she senses buffoonery, is highly sensitive to how people might be feeling even if she doesn't always know what to say, and is absolutely not above tying the school bully's shoelaces together under the lunch table if he's picking on her friend. As a random, non-specific example......... 8D

(I'm sorry you guys, if you're here, you're going to have to deal with my dumb shipping-- Moira tied Hunter Solomon's shoelaces together when he started picking on Will. Yes, Hunter, the son of Thunder Solomon, the woman who brought Malena down. This shit just writes itself, it's not my fault.)

How does she feel about her friends? Well she very nearly died fighting alongside them, they've absolutely become her new support network. Not the same as what she had with Malena and Melita, but enough for her to feel loved and free to explore the person she's becoming. She's probably closest with Will and Diarmuid, who both really supported her through her identity and mental health journeys. She has great admiration for Kid Condor, and a massive crush on him (he was the first who found out who her mother was and opened up to her about his own less-than-stellar childhood parentage). Achara is her roommate, and while Moira is organizing her scrapbooking supplies Achara is staying up all night playing video games. They couldn't be more different and that initially gave Moira serious pause, but their relationship is growing. Moira and Colt still don't see eye-to-eye, the two of them seem to keep missing each other. However Moira would absolutely have his back in any situation, just because they aren't best buddies doesn't mean she doesn't want what's fair and good for him.

What about a special someone, eh ehhhh?? Currently Moira is building a potential relationship with a second year named Xiomara. She was asked to the Winter Formal by Xiomara and spent most of her time worrying and feeling like she was leading her on by not telling Xiomara who her mother was. She sees what her mother did to Winston's life and doesn't want to do that to a partner. Feelings that are actually reciprocated have been on a very far back burner while dealing with everything else in her life, but she's starting to unclench and give things an honest chance.

So Moira likes boys AND girls? She likes everybody if given half an excuse. She's a little stunted now, but I imagine when she gets to college she goes pretty partner-wild.

OTP? Moira's got two hands and a lot of thread she can use to hold onto many things. I'm just saying.

What are her major themes in-game? Mental health, the power in what's traditionally thought of as 'feminine', moving past childhood trauma, finding the artist in the pragmatist, embracing parts of yourself you initially want to reject, finding greater purpose and courage when it's easier to just hide, finding your own definition of heroism, nobody is inherently "good" or "bad"-- they make choices that shape them.

Can I draw her?? I would LOVE IT. I wouldn't like anything with any intense depictions of violence/torture/sex, she's a kid after all, but I'm guilty of aging her up to write post-AKA fics so just use some good judgment I guess? She's my precious baby after all, handle with care. <3 (I say, as someone who gave her villainous heritage, mental health issues, and an unstable power...)

I really wish this was a TV show! Hey same! But it's great that our anonymous animator is making our kids move and we've gotta be happy with that! <3 Especially since adapting a 2-year-long tabletop game that means so much to us personally into some 10-episode studio-sterilized thing would be stomach-turning. Maybe one of us should work on marrying a billionaire who mysteriously falls down the stairs.

I have a question that's not here and I'm absolutely dying to know-- You can totally hit the asks! I love chattering away about this to anybody who will listen~