#at least i finally wrote something

[theconstantfangirl]

why is it that i can have an idea for a fanfic and plan for days, and then the fanfic i have the spoons to write is the one that popped into my head several hours ago

[wickmitz]

— THE ELECTRIC-FEVER REMEDY.

[mxmarsbars]

mars writes sometimes yada yada wl!alienkeep hurt/comfort be upon ye

[whispers-of-masser]

Dragon's Tongue

✧ Nebarra x human!LDB, ft. Xelzaz & Khash ✧ Fluff, minor angst; 1300+ words ♫ "You And I (Stripped)" - PVRIS ✒ Something short n sweet today, I'm feeling soft

Nebarra was loath to admit it to himself, and he'd die before ever saying it aloud, but the Rift really was beautiful. Nothing compared to Alinor, to be sure, but... all the gold reminded him of home. And when he passed by a small, isolated farm, he could almost see himself on its porch, see his brother leaning against the door.

The illusions were younger, happier versions of themselves. So much more innocent, faces bright with naivety, eyes shining with plans for the future.

And then he'd gone to war.

He'd lost... so much of himself, in the deserts of Hammerfell. They had scorched and burned him inside and out, slowly bleeding him dry with every comrade he saw fall. And all that, for what? For all the Altmer's supposed superiority, the campaign had failed on all fronts – Hammerfell's walls and people defied them, and Cyrodiil remained in power, weakened but still unbroken.

How could the Thalmor still strut about, arrogant to Aetherius and back, when they had failed so miserably? How could they look at the faces of the families whose children and lovers they'd sent to die and only tell them they'd "served their purpose"?

Nebarra couldn't.

He couldn't face them at all. Not even through pen and paper, leagues away from ever having to look them in the eyes, ever having to see the pain and loss in their gaze.

Where the Thalmor were heartless, he was a coward.

And he didn't know which was worse.

~~~

Night fell, and you called the group to halt, to make camp until dawn. Nebarra set up the tent as you argued with Xelzaz, trying to convince him that no, he shouldn't summon a flame atronach and then kill it for its fire salts, no matter how good it would make dinner taste. Khash merely looked on, muching on some clover she'd picked up somewhere.

At last though, you got Xelzaz to relent, though he asked you to gather some herbs in exchange, listing off the plants he wanted you to find.

"Ah... and take Nebarra with you."

The elf froze. Turned slowly towards the lizard. Demanded, "What? Why?"

"Two eyes are better than one," he shrugged, "and that much safer, as well. We don't know what's out there, and I'm pretty sure we passed a necromantic altar on our way here."

At that, you groaned, head rolling back like a teenager who'd just been told to do their chores. "Gods, not another one. Why do we always seem to run into those?"

"Luck of the Dragonborn? Anyway, off with you now – I have to get set up. Let's see, in whose pack did I leave my cooking pot...? Khash! Come help me with this!"

And just like that he walked off, leaving you and Nebarra alone by the campfire. A chuckle escaped you, and he glanced over to see you shaking your head. "I'm surprised he didn't tell us to hold hands, too, so we don't lose each other in the dark."

"Yeah, I'm not holding your hand," Nebarra snarked. And it was true. Absolutely true. Totally, one-hundred percent true.

"Oh wow, Nebs, that one almost hurt." Your soft laugh seemed to echo in his ears, his mind. "Come on, let's go – I don't suppose you heard any of the plants he wants?"

Blue and yellow mountain flowers, to restore and fortify. Purple for rejuvenation, and to give to Khash. Scaly pholiota for fiber and strengthening. Wild gourds and dragon's togue for flavour.

He snorted from behind his helm. "That would require paying attention to him."

"Should have known," you sighed. "Alright, listen up before I forget: blue, yellow, and purple mountain flowers, scaly pholiota, and dragon's tongue. And be careful with the purple mountain flowers, they're gifts for Khash. Oh, he also wants some wild gourds. Got it?"

"...Yeah, yeah. Let's just get going."

He definitely hadn't feigned ignorance just to hear your voice some more. Definitely not.

~~~

"Ah, back at last! Perfect," Xelzaz said, stirring something in a pot over the fire. "Now I can get the real meal started."

"Then what's this?" Nebarra demanded as Xelzaz handed him a bowl, in exchange for the plants the Altmer carried. Even through his gauntlets he could feel its warmth, and a rich, savory scent drifted up through the slits of his helmet.

"Something amazing, from the smell," you sighed, and Nebarra didn't have to look to know you were drooling.

"Just a little sometime to hold you over," the Argonian demurred, handing you a bowl as well. "Thought I'd experiment with some of the flora I've gathered thus far."

That gave Nebarra pause. "Wait – experiment? That's settled, I'm not eating this."

"If you don't want it–"

Your words were drowned out by Khash's eager shout of, "I'll eat it! I'll take your bowl!" She rushed over to him, red eyes trained on the food.

"Khash, you had your share," Xelzaz chided. "Any more and you won't have room for the rest of dinner."

"Yes, I will! I have room for anything you make."

"She's got a point," you laughed, and Nebarra slowly, wordlessly handed her the bowl.

"I'll go keep watch," he grumbled, turning away.

"Oh, don't be like that! Nebarra!" When he didn't respond, you sighed, calling after him, "Alright, go sulk! I'll make sure Xelzaz doesn't poison your share, though you kind of deserve it!"

His back still towards you, Nebarra raised his hand in a rude gesture, and your laughter rang through the night.

Some thirty minutes later, he heard footsteps approaching; he didn't need to turn to know it was you. Your tread was distinct from the others, weighted with determination and confidence, whereas Xelzaz's was soft and steady, and Khash's light and hesitant.

"Here. Eat." Despite the short words, your tone was gentle, and Nebarra looked over to see you holding a plate out towards him, laden with a slab of meat and wild berries to the side. "It's delicious, and unpoisoned."

"How would you know?" he sniffed, catching a whiff of the food in the process. It... did smell amazing. "Did you try it?"

"I did, actually. Stole some of your steak when Xelzaz wasn't looking. And since I'm still standing here pestering you, I guess that means it's clean."

Nebarra paused, eyes training on your face. Half of it was wreathed in shadow, only the gleam of your eyes visible; the other half was illuminated by the campfire, revealing the soft smile you wore.

You... had a nice smile.

And before he could stop himself, he mumbled, "You're not... pestering me."

Surprise flickered in your gaze – surprise, and something else. Something he told himself he didn't recognise, refused to recognise.

After a moment, you said softly, "That's... good to hear, then. Because I have something else for you, too." Reaching down with your free hand, you pulled something from your belt and held it out before him. "I saved one, 'cause it reminded me of you."

Nebarra stared. There, held gently between your fingers, was a dragon's tongue flower, petals open wide and colours vibrant in full bloom. "This... reminded you of me?"

"It's gold. Just like you."

"...You really do have trouble with your eyesight, don't you? These are orange."

"Eh, close enough." You shrugged, the smile never leaving your face.

Slowly, Nebarra reached out and, ignoring the plate of food, took the flower carefully, delicately from your grasp, cradling it in his palm. "...Am I supposed to say thank you?"

"You just did." As he raised a brow from the shadows of his helm, you set the plate on a nearby rock and tapped the gauntlet that held the flower. "You accepted it."

He couldn't deny it. "Think you got me all figured out then, huh?"

Something in your smile shifted, your gaze flickering. "No. Not yet, anyways. But... I think I'd like to." And with that, you turned on your heel and walked away, leaving him alone in the dark, stunned.

And that night, as he sat in the shadows of the campfire, he stared at the flower for a long, long time.

[avirael]

How to hold a grudge (on behalf of someone else)

“Oh! Hello Rael!”

The audacity of this man!, was all Rael thought as they opened the door to their house and found Thancred standing on the other side. They felt horribly tempted to just slam the door right back shut into his stupidly grinning face.

Certainly they could say that it had just been one of these intrusive Lalafell who tried to sell their useless and overpriced goods to gullible people (like A’viloh) or one of their neighbours asking to borrow sugar again. Anyone who was not Thancred Waters.

What did he even want here? Had all of the women in Revenant’s Toll finally realised how much of a fraud he was and fled town? Or maybe they had chased him away with brooms and pitchforks. Yes, the later was absolutely Rael’s preferred explanation for his unwelcome presence here.

They still glowered at the man, trying really hard not to greet him with an insult, when A’vi returned from the kitchen. “Who’s there?”, he asked gloomily on his way back to the couch. Just as Thancred appeared in his field of view, the Hyur raised an arm and waved lightly. “Hello to you too, A’viloh.”

“Oh!”, the Miqo’te exclaimed surprised and almost dropped the bowl of ice cream he held in his hands. And there was that expression again, Rael noted in frustration. The same one he had made the last time they had visited the Rising Stones. It was a strange mix of feelings and Rael thought it difficult to find a fitting word for it. He looked like he had mistaken some dangerous animal for a harmless pet and was now horrified by the bloodshed it caused but still couldn’t stop himself from liking that creature anyway despite its nature. Maybe the comparison was unnecessarily gruesome but Rael just hoped that A’viloh was at least clever enough not to get himself torn to pieces by the metaphorical sharp teeth.

***

It wasn’t all that difficult to understand how the Viera got this rather extreme opinion about Thancred Waters. He had always had a certain reputation around Vesper Bay and Ul’dah, Rael had quickly learned as they had asked around about the Scions before choosing to work with them. On top of that the man hadn’t exactly left a good first impression when they had met in person for the first time. Maybe he had honestly just been curious about meeting a Viera for the first time but Rael had already heard a few pretty stupid pick-up lines during their journey and this man had seemed right in line with that. A raised eyebrow and disgusted look on their face at least had quickly disheartened him to try any further.

But then there was A’viloh! Kind, yet so self-sabotaging A’viloh! Rael had long stopped wondering what it was that he found interesting about Thancred and instead decided to just blame it on a severe case of mental confusion. They had warned him about Thancred back when A'viloh had told them about the invitation but it really wasn’t their place to tell A’vi what to do or, in this case, not to do. So at first the Viera had simply intended for him to either be clever (which seemed unlikely) or learn that lesson on his own and the hard way if necessary. But this had been many months ago and in the meantime a lot had happened. By now the idea that the poor Miqo’te could get his feelings hurt by that vile man was giving Rael a headache.

Sure, Rael occasionally liked to tease him about the way he acted around Thancred and at first all of his infatuation had almost seemed to Rael like a good sign, but that assessment had changed shortly after. Finally Rael had managed to convince A’viloh that it would be a good idea to return to the Rising Stones and speak to Thancred about how the Miqo’te felt responsible for what had happened to him (and only about that, mind you!) but in the meantime Thancred had seemingly recovered very well and immediately reverted back to his old ways. Just worse. Both, concerning the quantity of alcohol and women.

In a surprisingly short span of time Thancred had managed to be seen with more women than Rael could count on their fingers, some of them just shamelessly flirting with but enough of them in more or less obvious situations. And that were just the ones he had no qualms to be seen with, Rael assumed. It was unnecessary to mention that A’viloh’s resolution to speak to him had died down abruptly.

Rael had observed this tragedy for as long and as peacefully as they could tolerate. They hadn’t wanted to interfere in something that actually wasn’t any of their business, so they had hoped that A’vi would soon get angry enough to stop moping. But they should have known that anger wasn’t exactly one of A’vi’s standard solutions for his problem and so of course it only seemed to get worse over time. Rael on the other hand had quickly developed a habit of getting angry on his behalf, to their own frustration.

One day Rael was speaking with Papalymo and Y'shtola about a book they were studying, when they noticed A'viloh gloomily staring down the counter of F‘lhaminn’s bar. After a moment F‘lhaminn, like the good barkeep she was, put a glass of liquor in front of him, raised an eyebrow and expected him to talk.

“What’s up with you?” she asked but A’viloh just grimaced and nodded to the glass in front of him. “That’s not a good idea. Alcohol and me don’t seem to go so well together.”

F‘lhlaminn had chuckled and made a peculiar face. “Oh, just like Thancred I guess…”, she said leaving it up to his interpretation if she meant alcohol and Thancred or him and Thancred, while she eyed him for a reaction.

A desperate sigh was all she got for an answer, but that was more than enough.

“Ha! So I rightfully thought this was about him. You know, I saw you eyeing him and Higiri…”

Avi snapped to attention, ears going up, face turning red. “What?! That ain’t true! Why would I??”

“If you say so…”, F’lhaminn chuckled again and returned her attention to the glass she was cleaning.

Seemingly unaware of the fact that he was proving her right, A’vi turned his head the other way and kept on sadly watching Thancred flirt with one of the doman girls from afar.

At that point Rael had decided to do something and stepped closer. “If you don't stop looking like this, I will go over there and I will punch him in his stupid face.”, they annouced sitting down beside A'vi.

Startled the Miqo’te turned around. “What?”

“It’s excuse me!”, Rael corrected and then repeated their words. “I said I am going to punch him in the face if you don’t!”

A’viloh was either truly unaware about his lovesick staring or had decided to play very very dumb. “Who?”

“Please! Don’t pretend to be more stupid than you actually are. Thancred of course!”, the Viera grumbled.

A’viloh still pretended to be oblivious. “Why should you do that??”

“You know why!”, sternly Rael glowered at him and finally the Miqo’te gave up this charade. “Alright! Fine! But how is he supposed to know that it bothers me?”, he retorted and Rael seriously wondered if he was this oblivious about how he was behaving.

“By the Twelve, A’vi!”, they exclaimed, a saying they had quickly picked up along with another few curses. “He can’t have that much brain damage to not notice that! Everybody in this building must by now have noticed that you are in love with him. I wouldn’t even be surprised if everybody in this whole town knows!”

A’viloh wanted to object at first but quickly gave up.. “I am not-... No… Please! Don’t tell me it is really that obvious?”

Rael rolled their eyes and slightly shook their head. “No, don’t worry! You just longingly stare at him every chance you get and sigh sadly every time he talks to someone. I guess your secret is safe!”

“That’s not funny…”, he muttered quietly with drooping ears. Rael just shrugged. It was only the truth.

Then A’vi added: “The idea that someone like Rowena knows something like that is kinda scary…”

“Careful! She’ll find a way to make money out of that. Blackmail or something…”, Rael couldn’t help but tease. At least the Miqo’te spent the rest of the day brooding over something that wasn’t Thancred Waters.

But then a few days later Rael had reached the point where they had enough.

One late afternoon they had found A’vi picking at his food while once again staring across the room, where Thancred sat at the bar with one arm around the shoulders of an annoyingly giggling Miqo’te girl. It was painful to watch, both Thancred and his conquest being so obliviously obnoxious as well as A’viloh’s reaction to it, but apart from this it was mostly infuriating. Rael wasn’t even sure who they wanted to yell at the most. So after wordlessly watching for a minute or another they lost their temper and growled at A’viloh.

“Are you mad!? You can’t seriously tell me that this -“, they hissed, silently enough not to catch any attention, gesturing towards the bar. “THIS is what you want? To be stupid! And replaceable! And forgotten before morning!?”

Slightly shocked A’viloh had stared at them for a moment, like he just realised it was the truth, before he wordlessly shook his head and sighed. It wasn’t fair that Rael had lashed out at him, they knew that, but seemingly he needed someone to tell him how ridiculous all of this was. Nonetheless he still looked sad of course, so this time it had been Rael, who had decided to take A’viloh and flee as far away as possible, seeking refuge in their house near Limsa again.

Of course this wouldn’t solve anything and they couldn’t avoid that bastard forever, but there was nothing else Rael could do about it. (Unless you counted maiming or murder a reasonable approach of course.) They simply hoped that A’viloh would soon come to his senses and realise how stupid it was to care about someone as ruthless as Thancred Waters.

***

And now this impossible man had the nerve to show up at their door! Obliviously grinning at that! They really wanted to strangle him. “What are you doing here, Thancred?”, they asked with a way too sweet tone and a strained smile, that somehow looked threatening.

“Ah! Very good question!”, he answered and laughed obliviously. “The two of you haven’t shown me your house yet! So I thought I‘d visit and see for myself!”

The carefully put together smile on Rael’s face faded as quickly as it had appeared. There was no way they would be able to remain friendly towards him even one second longer. “Well, now that you‘ve seen it, why don’t you go and—”

A’viloh, who until then was silently observing the contents of his ice cream bowl in concentration, at once snapped to attention. Alarmed he stared at the Viera while loudly proclaiming. “That’s so nice of you! Why don’t you come in first and we‘ll get you something to drink?”

He left it to Thancred to let himself in and instead grabbed Rael‘s arm to pull them into the kitchen.

“You can’t say something like this, Rael!”, he argued quietly.

“I can’t say what?”, they raised their eyebrows and didn’t bother very much to speak quietly. What bothered them though, was that A‘viloh still was so disgustingly friendly to him. Rael had thought he had understood by now, that on this man all kindness was wasted. “That, for all I care about, he can go and fuck himself?”

“Rael!”, A’viloh hissed and nervously eyed the door.

“Why?”, they simply retorted angrily, while picking up the bowl A’vi had put down on the counter and putting a light ice spell on it. They would rather have put that spell elsewhere.

“Because it‘s rude!”, the Miqo’te exclaimed. „Also, I don‘t think that would be very accurate to say considering… you know…”

“Please!”, Rael interrupted. “It’s very appalling how much thought you seem to have spared to that topic!”

A’viloh gasped. “What?! You started this! I didn’t!”

So much for gratitude!, Rael thought as they opened their mouth to retort something maybe a little bit too snarky. But just in that moment Thancred’s voice echoed from the living rooms. “You two have such a wonderful house. I already thought the garden was beautiful but in here? What a pretty place!”, he said as he pranced into the kitchen and confidently leaned onto the counter like he owned the whole place. To Thancred’s luck and Rael’s disappointment the knife block was out of the Viera‘s reach.

“Thank you…”, A‘viloh answered while still keeping an eye on Rael. The Hyur looked at them innocently smiling as if he didn’t notice at all in what a dangerous situation he had put himself. Nonchalantly he looked around and crossed his arms in front of his chest. “But don’t you think something is missing?”

“Missing??”, Rael echoed and wondered if they should break his nose and see if some of his own blood on the kitchen tiles would suit his taste more. But no! That would just give A‘viloh an opportunity to get unnecessarily worried about him again…

“What do you mean, missing?”, A‘vi asked confused and let his gaze wander through the room as well.

Thancred shrugged. “I don’t know, just a feeling… Are you already completely done with the house or is there anything left you wanted to do?”

“We are more or less done.”, replied the Miqo’te and then added. “Well, Rael still wanted a proper work desk but we didn’t have time for that yet. And maybe something to sit down in the garden or an orchestrion but that would be too much work I‘m afraid…”

Thancred nodded. “Mh, that’s a shame! I think some music would make this place even more cozy…”

(If by cozy he meant the untidy chaos A’viloh had turned their house into these last few days…)

“Right?”, the Miqo’te agreed excitedly. It was disgusting.

Rael had enough of this nonsense. They knew that it would get ugly if they had to hear only a single more word of this conversation. But just as they were about to leave with an inappropriate remark, telling themselves not to care about Thancred being a horrible person and A’viloh being an idiot, all of their linkpearls started to chime at once.

Surprised they stared at each other and then answered the call more or less simultaneously. Minfilia was on the other end of the connection asking if they all could come to the Rising Stones. Then she shortly explained that there had been new information and that all of them were to meet as soon as possible to plan their next move.

Her tone had been serious and all of them knew that this could only either mean one threat or another. While Rael went to the living room table to pick up their grimoire from beneath a heap of papers, Thancred excused himself saying that he would check a few of his own sources before meeting them later.

Rael threw a few things into a bag and went upstairs to change clothes. When they returned some minutes later A’viloh was wandering through the living room with a puzzled expression on his face, ice cream bowl in one hand (of course he wouldn’t let that go to waste!) and lifting the sofa cushions one by one with the other.

Rael sighed. “What are you doing??”

“Please tell me you’ve seen any of my weapons somewhere…”

[lamentinghouses]

“This isn’t funny. Answer your damn phone. What the hell is keeping you so busy that you can’t answer your own sister’s calls? Huh?” Or, Valerie has the worst twelve hours of her life.

Gen oneshot, 2731 words. Angst with a happy ending. Valerie POV of chapter 1, told through voice mails left on Limbo's answering machine.

[elliewiltarwyn]

I! posted fanfic of my WoLs!! for the first time!!!

i really do have @sasslett and @ainyan (for organizing #FFXIVSwap) and @set2zero (for the adorable fic they wrote for Ellie and Minfilia for the swap) to thank for breaking the anxiety block in me that was keeping me from posting hehe. hopefully this is the first of a lot more!! ahhhhhhhhh

please take a look if you enjoy big girls being soft, panicked "OH SHIT I FORGOT MY PARTNER'S BIRTHDAY" moments, and domestic fluff! also here are the gposes I took when I had the initial realization that it was Mia's nameday.

[kazz-brekker]

somewhat annoyed by a post that keeps crossing my path about how deadpool and wolverine is a really queer movie because there are so many other places to seek out meaningful queer representation other than the mcu, particularly a film where the marketing seemed to boil down to "lol isn't it funny to market this movie starring two guys like a rom-com" and also as as an x-men comic connoisseur i am fully aware that, despite what i would wish, the 616 wolverine is not canonically queer and neither is gambit

[lamaenthel]

torn between glee at finally getting an action episode and exasperation, because besides what I'm calling the asked-and-answered trope (aka the trope where the writers want something to happen even if it causes a giant plot hole and they "resolve" the conflict by having one character ask the other why X happened and they answer it with a single sentence and never revisit it ["why did i never see you on kamino?" "I was needed elsewhere" {what the fuck}]) my second least favorite trope is "well, that's not exactly true" followed by a character admitting they kept information vital to the plot secret for flimsy ass reasons. Because ykw, even if Cross was deadset about never going back to Tantiss to help the clones still being mercilessly tortured and experimented on by Dr Demagol Space Mengele (and I thought we resolved the reg prejudice during the Mayday arc?? but what do I know I guess) there's no reason to not pass that information onto Rex and Echo??? Bro you want to retire with your baby daughtersis in Space Hawaii then do it, you don't need to hold this information close to your chest. Literally just don't tell Omega if you're worried about her involving herself. She's like 14 it's fine you can lie to teenagers

[cherry-treelane]

Three boys, jeering, examining all four of us girls. They look at me. They grin and say that without a doubt, I "rank the highest"— as if I am an object, a shiny car, a celluloid aphrodisical, designed to be judged. They say that I am the best-looking. My father's voice interrupts the stream of my self-critical inner monologue to cackle in opposition. I open my mouth to defend my girlfriends, yet all of them nod in agreement and chime in, saying that they completely agree. None of them contradict the boys. None of them seem offended. The shock tears into my insides. You're all blind, I want to say, blind and foolish.

Wake up, I scream

You don't see what lies beneath these clothes of mine,

What swims beneath my skin (The beating yet broken heart, the dysfunctional organs, the to-hell-and-back-and-hell-again spine, the either too full or too empty stomach)

You don't know me.

you don't know that im not beautiful at all. not really.

I whisper to my friend, claim that they wouldn't say that if they saw my body. She insists that my body is beautiful and slim and enviable, and all I can think is that, my mother said the same thing when I wasn't eating so do you want me sadder? My father wants me happier— regardless of whether its real or not. He doesn't care either way. I think he'd prefer if it was fake.

A plate of food in front of me.

Eat it, my father says

Spit it out, my mother says

They disagree. They turn on eachother. They fight. The cacophony clouds my ears.

When it is over, when they're done, I tuck them both into their separate beds and listen to their troubles regarding the other. When I tell them about my own grievances, both of them fall asleep. I leave and clean the broken glass on the floor with my bare hands, ignoring the blood that protests at this, and tuck myself into bed with tears down my face, staining my pillow and mixing with the red.

You tell me I'm the most beautiful you've seen and when I oppose you beg me to tell you why

I shrug my shoulders, I don't know what to say (I'll give away too much if I do)

You should meet my father, he'll tell you if you give him all day and all night

After all, I was raised to be this way. Raised to believe every other girl was more pleasing to the eye than I. Raised to believe I should always look to them for inspiration, that I'd never be the inspiration myself.

[astonmartingf]

what race? there's a race? for me it was a research defended and edited win!!! our defense took approx 30 minutes and the edit was like 6 hours, brighter news we're getting that wchagt update and all the wips in the world because i'm free (hopefully) i'm still waiting on my grades but honestly i could care less, i'm so freaking tired idksjfksbdksn

[our-lady-of-mcr]

everytime i think im done ranting i remember something else LMFAO this one is extra long i hit tag limit god mf damn

[lordsardine]

.

[avirael]

FFxivWrite 2023

Day 19 - Weal

It had been the fourteenth summer of Rael‘s life when one morning they woke up, looked at themself in the mirror and realised that something needed to change or they would end up unhappy for the rest of their very long life.

It had been almost a year now since two of their best childhood friends had been taken away. Taken away sounded crueler than it had been, they had left willingly and in anticipation of the new life as Wood-Warders that awaited them, but from Rael’s perspective they had been ripped out of their life from one day to the other.

A long time Rael had spent wishing that they could join their friends but they knew that their role was meant to be a different one. A role they started to fear more with every moon that passed.

It‘s not like Rael hated the Rava‘s way of life or their village. They loved the Golmore Jungle and their home town but sometimes it all felt like it was going to suffocate them. Rael dreamt about what may lie beneath the borders of the forest and the adventures that waited there, while the days in their hometown were mostly uneventful, one like the other. But the idea of leaving all of this behind scared them all the same.

When their friends had left there hadn’t been much difference between them and Rael yet, but slowly Rael‘s body was starting to change, and they began to feel like none of this was right.

They did certainly not dream of being a boy, that idea seemed equally repulsive as the imagination of what Rael’s body would look like in a few years. Rael didn’t know what to want or how to feel, but wanting nothing at all couldn’t be an option, right?

Rael had tried to talk to their mother about how they felt and to their closest remaining friends too, but while most of them had been kind and patient, Rael was afraid that none of them really understood. Slowly Rael had started to turn away from the other Rava children and instead found peace in the forest and company in the creatures that lived there.

That particular morning though as they looked into the mirror while tying a cloth tightly around their chest, hoping desperately that it would keep their breasts from growing, Rael made a decision.

Just as they had finished putting on their clothes a raven landed on their windowsill and announced it’s presence by loudly pecking at the wood. For the first time it had appeared a few months ago as Rael had once again spent the afternoon in the forest and since then it returned quite frequently to keep Rael company on their walks through the forest or watched them from a nearby roof while they went through their tasks and training at the village. It had become a dear companion for Rael by now and they had named it Frelsi - Freedom - because the bird was free to fly where it wanted to while Rael themselves was sentenced to remain in this village for the rest of their life and grow into a person, into a duty, they hadn’t chosen for themself.

As Rael greeted the bird it fluttered over to the dresser and cawed at them before looking into the mirror. It blinked and turned its black feathery head this way and that. Rael wondered what it was thinking. Then it looked at Rael, cawed again and took flight back out of the window and into the forest. As they watched Frelsi vanish into endless green of the trees Rael suddenly knew what they had to do.

Usually every morning they trained with the other young Rava girls. The women taught them in the use of all kinds of different weapons and also how to hunt. But Rael’s main talent had always been magic, a trait they had learned from their mother. From an early age Rael had been naturally gifted in the manipulation of aether and sometimes even thought they could hear whispers in the rustling of the leaves or words in the chirping of the birds.

That morning Rael skipped the weapon training and went straight to the little clinic where their mother was tending to the wounded and sick. She had been surprised to see her child and scolded them for skipping their lessons but Rael ignored her words.

Instead they announced with unwavering determination in their voice: "I want to go to the Forest Sanctuary and learn from the Green Oracle."

It was said that in the middle of Golmore Jungle, where the forest was so thick that sometimes even the light of the sun couldn’t reach the earth, lay an ancient holy place with roofs of leaves and halls carved into giant trunks and stairs that reached up to highest treetops of the jungle. Only the strongest of the Rava woman were allowed to guard this sanctuary and apart from them people only visited it in the most dire emergencies.

Rael had heard rumours of the place and it‘s extraordinary mages, above all of them a person that was called the Green Oracle. It was said that the Green Oracle was a Rava much older than any woman in Rael’s village but with the appearance of a young child and their magic was so powerful that they could hear the will of the forest itself and sometimes even predict the future.

"Don‘t be silly, Rael.", their mother had said. "The way to the sanctuary is very long and they would turn you away anyway. Your magic is strong, I agree, but you’re too young and inexperienced to be chosen as a guardian of the sanctuary."

"I don’t want to be a guardian.", Rael had answered before finally revealing the truth. "I can hear the voice of the forest and it is calling for me."

The bowl Rael‘s mother held in her hands had landed clattering on the floor. For a moment she just stared at her child with wide eyes before slowly nodding. "I see… The way you sometimes look at the trees and the creek and the birds, like you understand them better than you do the other children. I feared it might come to this…"

"Feared? Why?", Rael asked surprised.

Their mother sighed. "The Green Oracle is the only one of their kind and it is said that they live at least twice as long as a normal Rava would. Only once or twice every millennium a child with their gifts is born to take the place of the former oracle. I don’t want such a lonely, long life for you."

Rael had just tilted their head and said: "But alone is not the same as lonely and I don’t mind being alone."

For a moment she stared at Rael but then their mother sighed and went to speak with the oldest and wisest of the other women. The rest of the day their village had been in turmoil. No matter where Rael went suddenly everybody seemed to eye them and whisper in hushed voices when they walked by. But in the evening their mother returned to their home and announced that they would leave together at dawn.

She hugged her child and handed Rael a small backpack. „I thought that maybe those will suit you more.“ Rael peaked inside and found the clothes they usually gave to the boys leaving town to become Wood-Warders. Rael wondered if their mother had misunderstood who they wanted to be but the gift made them inexplicably happy nonetheless.

The journey to the Forest Sanctuary took several days and for a while the forest was so thick Rael couldn’t tell anymore if it was day or night. Without their mother’s guidance they would have been hopelessly lost. But at some point the jungle started to feel different, more ancient and more powerful. From there onwards it was like something called Rael, guiding them into the right direction, and only an hour or two later they stepped into a glade filled with flowers more beautiful than Rael had ever seen.

On the other side of the glade the trees curled into impossible shapes and formed a gateway leading into the heart of the forest. On silent wing Frelsi emerged from the trees, flew a little curve and landed on Rael’s left shoulder. Suddenly a strong gust rolled through the wood and seemed to urge Rael to keep going.

As they stepped across the glade towards the entry to the sanctuary, two awe-inspiring Viera women stepped out of the shadows. They had without doubt been there the whole time but had remained impossible to be seen until then.

"We awaited you, Rael Hyskaris.", one of them said. "Please follow us.", the other added and led them through the wooden gateway.

The sanctuary unmistakably belonged to the Golmore Jungle, or maybe the Jungle to it? They looked similar but at the same time the sanctuary felt like a mystical dream version of reality. Nature and architecture went hand in hand here and it seemed impossible to tell where one stopped and the other started. Rael could feel the air sizzle with magic and ancient secrets.

For a while they followed a leafy hallway to both sides framed by identical trees like the pillars of a temple. Their branches formed a roof of deep green leaves through which the light filtered in warm beams. At the end of this hallway was a small creek, that meandered through a handful of tall willow trees and all kinds of forest creatures eyed them curiously. Sturdy roots grew out of the forest floor and were artistically woven together to small bridges leading into various directions.

Finally they reached the entrance to a cave veiled by vines with blue and white flowers. The entrance was pitch black but the further they stepped into the cave more and more luminous plants and fungi started to grow and illuminated the tunnels.

After a few minutes a bright light appeared ahead of them and as they came closer Rael realised that they had reached an exit leading onto another glade. The meadow was perfectly circular and surrounded by ancient looking, broad trees with snow-white bark and leaves in every color one could imagine.

In the middle of the meadow, placed in a small pond, stood a delicate pavilion elaborately crafted out of the same white wood and under this pavilion sat a small Viera. They had long white hair, sun-tanned skin and were dressed in a dark green robe streaked with white and golden patterns. It seemed impossible to tell wether they were male or female, they looked about Rael’s age but at the same time something about their posture and the gaze of their milky white eyes seemed ancient and omniscient.

"Are you the one the wind told me about? Are you Rael Hyskaris?", the Green Oracle asked with a voice that sounded very young and incredibly old at the same time.

Rael nodded firmly. "I am."

"And you think you can hear the voice of the wood?", the Viera questioned further.

"I do.", Rael confirmed.

The oracle smiled serenely. "Step closer, my child, and we will see about that."

Rael looked at their mother who stood beside them. She nodded encouragingly. Slowly Rael climbed up the three stairs leading onto the pavilion and the raven on their shoulder hopped down to the floorboards with a small caw. For a moment Frelsi looked at the viera sitting on the floor and the viera looked back at it. Then the bird almost seemed to make a little bow before it fluttered away and sat down on a colorful branch at the side of the glade.

“Sit.”, the oracle spoke quietly and made a gesture towards a light green cushion beside them. Rael did as commanded, their gaze reverently lowered.

A warm hand tilted up their chin and the milky white eyes of the oracle stared deeply into Rael‘s soul. "You came here for your own good.", they finally spoke and Rael felt caught by their words. "But as an oracle your focus will have to be the well-being of the entire forest and all the creatures living in it. Do you think you can do this?"

Rael shivered and answered honestly. "I hope I can learn how to fulfill this task."

The Green Oracle nodded. Slowly they turned around and then presented Rael with a small crystal bowl filled with an orange liquid.

"What is this?", Rael asked.

"It is the nectar of the blossoms of the most sacred tree in this forest.", they explained calmy. "If you drink from it and you truly are what you claim to be it will strengthen your gifts. But if you are not, it will drive you mad and my guardians will have to kill you for your own good."

Rael nervously glanced from the liquid to the oracle, who observed them and asked: "Does this scare you?"

"No.", Rael answered and shook their head. "I will drink it."

"But I have to warn you of one more thing.", the oracle explained. "The powers this nectar grants come at a prize. The moment you drink this, you will stop to age and never grow a single day older ever again for the rest of your life. You will never be able to have a normal life like any other Rava woman. Are you sure that this is what you want?"

For a last time Rael imagined themself - herself - as a grown woman of her mothers age, a fierce warrior defending her village or a healer just like her mother, maybe with a bunch of little Viera children and a lover she will only be allowed to see once a year.

Rael shuddered.

This was a possible future but they were certain that it wasn’t their future.

"You are the Green Oracle.", Rael said firmly. "Don‘t you already know the answer to this question?"

The oracle smiled. "I do. But I have to hear the words from your mouth and make sure that you know you had a choice."

Rael glanced back to their mother one last time and thought about the wishes she had for her child but their mother just smiled at Rael despite all of her worries. Rael nodded: "I am aware of my options and I choose the path of the oracle on my own free will."

"So be it.", the Green Oracle said and offered the crystal bowl to Rael, who carefully took it, raised it to their lips and then without hesitation swallowed the nectar in one go. It tastes almost like honey, just a little spicier, Rael thought, as the oracle carefully took the empty bowl from their hands.

Then suddenly a burning pain shot through their head and made Rael gasp for air. They convulsed and collapsed to the floorboards of the pavilion clawing at their head with both hands, their usual amber eyes glowing bright white.

For a moment Rael could hear their mothers voice screaming their name and the nervous caws of a raven mixed with the sound of fluttering wings. Then they heard nothing at all and every sound of the forest at once and dozens of images quickly flared up in front of their eyes before lingering on fire and flames raining down onto the Golmore Jungle.

After a moment Rael felt a hand on their forehead and suddenly everything stopped. They blinked and saw the Green Oracle leaning over them, Frelsi on their left shoulder curiously tilting it’s head. "What was that?!", Rael exclaimed and tried not to flinch away.

"I have to admit that I did not expect such a strong reaction.", the oracle stated thoughtfully. "What you saw was a vision."

Rael picked themself off of the floor, still shivering, and gasped: "I saw the forest burn!"

"Indeed.", the oracle nodded sadly. "I saw the same vision you did when I touched you. Just a little clearer than you I assume. It was a vision of the future. A future in which not only the Golmore Jungle, but all of this world will be destroyed."

"Wh-what?", Rael stammered fearfully. "What do we do now?"

"It was only a possible future.", the oracle explained trying to calm the young Viera down. "One that can still be prevented."

"But how?", Rael asked. "What can we do to stop such a catastrophe?!"

"All I can do is teach you the most important skills to control your powers." the Green Oracle answered. "Stopping your vision from becoming reality is something only you can do."

"Me??", Rael shrieked in panic.

"Yes, you, Rael.", the oracle put a hand on Rael shoulder and immediately Rael started to feel calmer again. "But to stop this fate, you will have to leave the forest."

"Leave!? But if I leave I won’t be allowed to ever return!", Rael said with another wave of panic flaring up inside them.

"Calm down, child. Fear is a bad advisor. It will only cloud your judgement and make you hesitate when you need to act.", the oracle took both of Rael’s hands in their own. "You are to become an oracle of the forest and the forest commands you to leave in order to save it. You will not be exiled. One day, if you can fulfill your task, you will be able to return and resume your training with me."

Rael let the information sink in and then slowly nodded. "I understand."

"You will have to learn as much as you can, so hopefully, when the time comes, you will know what to do. It will not be easy. There will be times of pain and sorrow and sacrifice, but you will have to endure them. For the well-being of all of us and to save every single living thing on this star."

"I will do my best.", Rael offered.

"May your best be enough... ", the Green Oracle said. "Say goodbye to your mother and then we will begin your training at once. There is no time to waste."

[bluebunnysart]

1400+ words of Umiyu kissing

[yappacadaver]

girl if raymond is a virgin after 20 something years of marriage that would be the true tragedy of The Mortuary Assistant