#can I hug the chocobo?

[drabblesandimagines]

Happy birthday! Can I request some Vincent Valentine, perhaps a list or short of him slowly becoming more open to affection, little touches, more talkative etc. Thank you and have a good one!

Anon, I think I've gone waaay off ask with this, but I tried and this is where we've ended up. I dunno how best to describe this - head canons/weird short story bullet list? Anyway, please lemme know if you like it/hate it and thank you so much for your birthday wishes! xx

Fat Chocobo Vincent Valentine x female reader, fluffy nonsense as per

It would be a lie if you didn’t admit you were a little nervous at first in the company of the newest member of your party.

No-one could blame you either - the way the first meeting had ended with one Vincent Valentine in the basement of the Shinra Mansion…

He was silent, stoic and you could never quite tell what he was thinking, features obscured behind his red cowl, tight-lipped as the leathers he was clothed in.

He was, however, a gentleman with impeccable manners. If he was sat whenever you or Aerith, Tifa or Yuffie stood, he’d stand immediately, waiting for them to sit again or leave the room before he’d resumed a cross-legged position once more.

And always the first to offer a steadying hand when you’d hesitated at a jump or large step.

Not to mention all the times he’d darted in front of you, shielding you when a fiend attacked… even the times you weren’t on the front line and really in any danger.

Aerith and Tifa would share knowing looks – ones that caused you to roll your eyes and Yuffie stomp her foot at being “left out”.  

You’d had a nightmare, woken up heart pounding, in a cold sweat – being pursued by fiends, Shinra troops, Turks, Sephiroth - but managed to catch yourself before you screamed, clamping a hand over your mouth in fear of waking your companions in your shared room in the Haunted Hotel.

No wonder you were having bad dreams. You’d take numerous nights in the drafty rooms at Johnny’s Seaside Inn over this.

You’d got to your feet after an hour of trying to settle. Dawn wasn’t so far off now, you reasoned, sneaking past a snoring Yuffie and made it out to the hall.

At least the Golden Saucer was the place that never slept…

You decided to go watch the chocobo races, but soon found yourself at the souvenir stall, eyeing up a stuffed fat chocobo.

It would be nice to cuddle.

Entirely impractical in the lifestyle you now find yourselves in, though.

A cold weight on your shoulder causes you to jerk back in fright, nearly losing your footing when it moves to your waist instead, keeping you steady.

“Apologies.” Vincent has to raise his voice over the blaring music in the background. “I did not intend to startle you so – I called your name but I don’t think you heard.”

“Oh.” The pounding in your chest begins to settle. “No… I was miles away.”

“You cannot sleep?” His gauntlet leaves your waist.

“Something like that.” You clench your fists, unconsciously, in memory of the unpleasant dream. “How about you?”

“I do not sleep much.”

“Do you like the chocobo races?” Your eyes flit to the screens behind, another race about to begin.

He gives a half-hearted shrug. “I do not mind them. Perhaps one of the more tolerable activities to observe around here.”

“I was gonna sit and watch some… if you wanted to join?”

A curt nod follows as he steps aside, waiting for you to lead the way to one of the benches and the two of you sit in companionable silence. It’s nice – not having to make forced conversation, his presence feeling reassuring by your side.

“Happy birthday!” Aerith throws her arms around you in a hug as the two of you return to the hotel lobby an hour or so later. You swear you feel Vincent’s eyes burn on you at her comment.

“Where did you go?” The flower girl pulls back with a smile as she looks between you and Vincent. “I wanted to give you your present as soon as you woke up!”

“Wait, present?” You shake your head in disbelief. “You didn’t need to get me anything, it’s-”

“Uh-uh. Come on.” She grabs your hand and tugs you in the direction of the stairs. “The rest of the boys aren’t awake yet. Could you check on them, Vincent?”

“Hmph.”

Vincent watches as Aerith drags you up the stairs towards the elevator, the girl mercifully waiting for the doors to slide close before she assaulted you with questions.

“Were you two on a date? Did he take you out for your birthday?”

“What? No, Aerith! I couldn’t sleep so I went for a walk and bumped into him.”

“Suuuure,” she nods, bouncing on her heels.

Everyone is too sweet – receiving a number of thoughtful and practical gifts, given your current situation.

Cloud gifts you a new booster pack of Queen’s Blood, mumbling something about how it’s a duplicate he had, but Yuffie loudly declares she saw him deliberately buy two at the Card Carnival in Costa del Sol, causing Barret to laugh heartedly and slap the ex-SOLDIER on the back.

You don’t see Vincent again until the evening, everyone bidding one another goodnight when he emerges from the shadows.

“Could you…?” He pauses to clear his throat, his eyes cast down. “I’d be grateful if you would wait a moment.”

“Erm… sure. Aerith, I’ll see you up there.

Aerith giggles as she heads off, waving at you over her shoulder.

Vincent pulls out a chair from one of nearby tables, gesturing for you to take a seat. You sit down and watch as the raven-haired man strides over to the reception desk in, soon talking to the concierge who pops down from the ceiling in his usual manner.

You drum your fingers on the table – a nervous habit.

Why would Vincent want you to wait?

He appears in your peripheral vision soon after – an odd shape tucked under his cloak.

“If you’d close your eyes.”

You do.

Something is placed in your lap.

Something… soft?

You open your eyes, finding one of the fat chocobo plushies.

“Happy birthday.”

 “You… you bought me this?”

“I was under the impression you wanted one – given how long you stared at it last night.”

“Vincent, I…” You stare up at him, a little in disbelief, clutching the soft toy to your chest. “Thank you. But how did you…? Wait, what game did you play?”

Vincent taps his nose, keeping his secrets. He offers you his hand, pulling you up to your feet. “Come – you need to sleep.”

You’re escorted up the stairs in the blink of an eye, the elevator door soon sliding open again.

“Thank you. Really.” You step in, expecting him to follow but he stays in place. “I don’t know what else to say.”

“It was my pleasure.” The corners of his eyes crinkle – you hope it means he’s smiling – one to match the dumb one on your own lips. “Sweet dreams.”

The elevator doors slide shut.

And, with the fat chocobo squished in your arms, smelling a little like Vincent from its brief time in his cloak, your dreams are certainly sweet.

--

Masterlist . Requests welcome . Ko-fi

[dollcieee]

Finding Fluffy

Platonic! Kid! Cloud Strife x fem! reader <3 Your big sister Tifa recently got a cat!

Tifa and Y/n have been begging for their father to get them a cat for a long time now. When Tifa's twelfth birthday came up, Zander, one of the village elders, decided to give Tifa the white and mischievous kitten Fluffy.

Y/n was so ecstatic to see Tifa carrying a small kitten that she instantly took the cat and ran outside to find it a collar.

She got Fluffy a red bandana, but the kitten jumped out of Y/n's arms and ran off, leaving for Y/n to chase after it.

'Kitty, come back!'

Fluffy was much faster than her. In the end, she couldn't find her. She walked back to their house but stopped when she imagined an image of an angry Tifa scolding her for losing Fluffy.

Y/n started crying heavily and crouched, the ends of her pink sundress touching the ground, covering her face with both of her hands still holding the bandana. 

▬▬ι═══════ﺤ

In the peaceful village of Nibelheim, a now 12-year-old Tifa wanders around the house in search of Y/n, her younger sister. Going out of their house, she finally finds her sister, her back facing Tifa.

"O-oh no.. Fluffy.." Y/n continues to sob while holding the red bandana she was supposed to make Fluffy wear.

"Y/n what's wrong?" Tifa pats her sister's back, concern written onto her face, but Y/n continues to cry, "Hey you can tell me what's wrong, you know" this time Tifa embraces her in a comforting hug.

"Fluffy.." Y/n whispers, trying not to cry anymore, Tifa now notices the absence of their new kitten and looks around and asked "Y/n, Where's Fluffy?" upon asking her that Y/n cries again, holding the bandana tightly this time "I lost her and I d-don't know where she is now *hic an-and I tried lo-looking for her b-but *hic I can't find her Tifa!".

"It's okay, we'll find her together, okay?" Tifa says as she lets go of her and urges Y/n to follow her, "Let's start looking at the village square".

"Wait- Tifa!" Tifa turns around towards her sister, tilting her head in a questioning manner.

"Hold hand" Y/n in a much better mood grabs Tifa's hand and they both go to the village square.

▬▬ι═══════ﺤ

"You see anything there Y/n?"

"no..."

The Lockhart sisters moved to another place near a trailhead leading to a gate. It's been almost an hour now, but the sisters were determined to find their cat.

"Y/n! I'll go to the other side" Tifa shouted, running to the opposite direction Y/n is currently in.

"Okay!" Y/n shouted back and continued on looking at the bushes.

Y/n flinched when she saw movement in the bigger bushes in front of her. Thinking it might be Fluffy, she sneaked inside the bush to take a peek. She saw nothing except a top of someone's head.

'This one has a very sharp hair' she thought as she called out to whoever this mysterious blond person was, "Hey!" the boy stood up and looked around him surprised by the sudden voice.

"Hey Chocobo head!" She shouted again.

▬▬ι═══════ﺤ

Okay, that actually irked Cloud a little bit. Whoever was calling him should just show themselves to him. He was so close to catching the white cat he's been following.

"Pssst... helloooo over here!" Cloud finally found the voice who's been calling to him, when he looked to where she was his eyes widened when he recognized the face of the girl, it's Tifa's younger sister, Y/n Lockhart.

"What are you doing here?" He started to walk towards Y/n, looking down at her as she tried to stand up properly.

"Your Cloud right?" She asked, patting her dress to remove whatever dirt particle landed in it.

"Yeah, that's me, what do you want?" He asked back, arms crossed to his chest "Well um.. I was hoping that.. By any chance, you saw a white kitty around here?" She looked at the ground and back to Clouds piercing blue eyes.

"I did, I would've caught it by now if it weren't for your shouting" He nonchalantly answered.

"Oh, sorry..hehe" She apologized, a sheepish grin forming on her face, Cloud sighed and started walking away from her.

"Where are you going?" She asked, following him from behind, "To find the cat"

They both walked to the darker part of the forest.

"I hope Fluffys nearby" she whispers to herself, but Cloud hears her.

"Fluffy is the name of the cat?" Cloud asks.

"Yeah.. me and Tifa just got her today, but she just had to run away and I lost her. Now we have to look for her in the middle of the woods" she ranted to Cloud even doing hand motions to prove her statement.  

Cloud just nodded to whatever she said and looked around while walking deeper to the forest, Y/n started to close her distance with Cloud, the dark forest was starting to scare her.

"Stay close, don't worry I know my way here" Cloud exclaims eyes not looking away at the front. Y/n felt a little sense of relief from what he said.

"Do you go here a lot?" She asked, wanting to get to know the loner boy, "Yeah, I find it peaceful here"

Y/n nodded looking at him for a minute, "Why don't you hangout with us next time? I'm sure everyone would've loved to play with you" she continued but before Cloud could even reply a meowing noise can be heard close to them.

"That could be Fluffy-!" Y/n ran, leaving Cloud behind "Wait-" he sighed in frustration but went after her anyway.

▬▬ι═══════ﺤ

"Y/n you there?" Tifa came back to where she had last seen Y/n, looking around, she doesn't see her little sister. She looked up at the sky, the suns about to go down and they're not close to home.

'Dad must be worried' Tifa thought, looking at the place she had last seen Y/n, she thought about it for a moment and walked into the forest to see if she could spot her sister there.

"Y/n you better be safe.." she whispered to herself.

▬▬ι═══════ﺤ

"Fluffy! You silly-silly cat!" Y/n carried Fluffy in her arms, hugging the kitten while swaying side by side.

"Meow"

"Don't you 'meow' me, you made me worried.."

"Don't just run *pant* off like that you could've been *pant* hurt.." Cloud scolded while trying to regain his steady breath back, Y/n didn't seem to care as she finally found her sister's cat. In a moment of silence they hear the shouts of Tifa nearby.

"Y/n? Y/n you there? Let's just look for Fluffy tomorrow. It's almost night-time"

"Tifa! We're here! Cloud's here too!" Y/n shouted back, looking at a now stiff postured Cloud, "Cloud, you'kay there?" She asked, leaning close to his face "-yeah I'm fine..".

"Hmm, okay then tomorrow we should-" "I gotta go now, don't tell Tifa anything!" Cloud who's about to sprint stops for a moment and faces Y/n "about earlier I'd like to hangout with you" he runs off to another direction leaving a confused Y/n "Whatta weird kid..".

"Y/n there you are! We should- you found Fluffy!" Tifa said excitedly, grabbing Fluffy from Y/n's grasp "Also where's Cloud? I thought he was here as well" she looked around, no spiky-haired boy in sight.

"He went away I think I dunno" Y/n answered, tying the red bandana around Fluffy's neck.

"Well let's go home, dad's gonna get worried" Tifa holds Y/n's little hand

"Yeah! I'm hungry!"

The Lockhart sisters got home safe and sound, and ate dinner happily with their dad and new kitty Fluffy.

Edited: 08/07/2024

[autumnslance]

FFXIV Write 2024: 6 Halcyon

(2,480ish words taking place about 20ish years before ARR...)

“Papa! The caravan’s here!”

Rashae stood at the front of their stall, leaning over the counter to see farther down the street. Beyond her, he could indeed see the first of the wagons rolling in.

“Gather your siblings and cousins,” he said. “They’ll be weary from the trade routes and we’ll do our part to lighten their load as we welcome them in.”

Rashae nodded and dashed off. Tanzel joined the other men and women of their Cooperative in leaving his store to ensure the warehouse doors were open and the stables ready to accept the chocobos and their cargo. Friends and relatives greeted one another, separated by weeks or months since they had all left Davarresh for this trade season, plying the wares around the island, with some like Tanzel’s family coming straight to the capital.

He grinned as he saw one of the wagons belonging to the Ranaz family. “Jin!” he called, catching a glimpse of his oldest friend.

Jinrahn turned, smiling broadly to return the quick hug Tanzel gave him. “Good to see you, brother!” Jinrahn said. “It’s good to be home.”

“Until we go home to Davarresh when the wind cools. How was the road?”

“Dusty and hot, as always,” Jinrahn said. “But we’re a little lighter than normal for finishing out the season.”

“That good, eh?”

“Well, I had more charming help than usual.” Jin’s smile faltered slightly, a sympathetic tinge to it that Tanzel did not understand, until he followed his friend’s gaze to the two women wrangling the Ranaz children into some semblance of order. He knew Jinrahn’s wife, but the other woman took him a moment to recognize.

“Is that Emelia?”

“It is,” Jinrahn said. “She and her children arrived just before we left the village. That never ending war the Coerthans somehow have with their dragons—imagine!—claimed her husband.”

“I thought she’d married a farmer?”

“Aye. Something about giving succor to a soldier, some hero I guess, and got caught in the conflict. Lost their house and all. So she came home finally. She can still charm the stingiest Arkasodara grandfather into buying more than he meant, too.”

Tanzel nodded. It had been a shock to everyone when Emelia Ranaz had remained in Coerthas, having fallen in love there, after scorning the attentions of every local boy and even a few girls who had looked her way as she had blossomed from Jinrahn’s skinny little sister into a lovely maiden trained in bardsong.

Well, she was still Jinrahn’s little sister, that they had by turns teased and avoided as boys. At least until she turned and saw Tanzel, taking a moment to recognize him, and then smiling, offering a small wave.

He knew too well that particular sadness swimming in her dark blue eyes, the exact sort of tension in her shoulders.

Tanzel saw the same in his mirror every day.

-

The trade season kept the Cooperative families happily busy, another successful year passing by. Tanzel was now familiar with Emelia’s son, an energetic ten year old called Zaine, playing with the other children when not performing daily chores and light work. A helper, that one, willing to lend a hand as needed.

If he kept busy enough, he wouldn’t have to dwell on his pain, Tanzel knew, from watching his own boys.

Emelia’s daughter was a helper too, but she was quiet, and rarely left her mother’s side, unless she was with the old teacher, Shovanna. Still, Aeryn seemed like a good, hard-working child, who otherwise played or read silently, only rarely joining the other children’s games. Some folks whispered about the girl not being quite right in the head—what unhindered child made such little sound?—but everything Tanzel saw showed a bright, helpful girl, sometimes frustrated by her own silence.

He recognized the hurt in her, too. He saw it in his own daughters.

It was their last night in Radz-at-Han. In the morning—late, after tonight’s merrymaking with their neighbors and those of the Cooperative who would stay through the rainy season—most of them would make the trek up the coast to their little village, and the cycle would begin anew. Tanzel was eager to return to the quiet of Davarresh, after months in the city.

He was not so eager to join in the drinking, feasting, and dancing going on in the square outside the Cooperative’s compound. He put in a brief appearance for propriety’s sake, nursing a single drink while smiling politely and speaking to a few business partners and good friends. He soon slipped away, as had been his wont for the last few years. He just didn’t have the heart for it anymore.

As he found his excuse to return to the storehouse, he saw he wasn’t the only one.

Emelia was in one of the stalls belonging to her family, leaning on a stack of chocobo feedbags. Her hands gripped the canvas, her hunched shoulders stiff. Her long, dark hair hid her face, but he heard her sniffle. He made certain his boots made noise and she straightened, quickly swiping her face before turning with her usual dazzling smile.

“Oh. Hello, Tanzel.”

He smiled in return, but didn’t bother with his own mask. “Hello, Emelia. Not feeling up to the party?”

Her smile faltered. “I...no,” she said, letting the mask drop now. “Not really.”

Tanzel nodded. “Me neither.” He pretended to think for a moment. “Come on.”

She raised a brow. “To where?”

“Somewhere we won’t have to deal with well-meaning friends and their platitudes,” he said bluntly, but gently, heading away from the entrance and the festivities outside.

After a brief moment, he heard her light step follow after him.

He paused in his family stall long enough to grab a couple small, brown bottles from under the counter, that he had not yet packed on purpose. Then he led her to the stairs, and the winding climb up past the third story, taking her hand to help her up onto the roof.

The city glittered and gleamed around them, color and lights rioting under the starry heavens. It was a sight he could never tire of, and from the way Emelia sucked in a breath, it was one she had nearly forgotten, and had not yet taken the time to reacquaint herself with since returning home.

Tanzel and Emelia sat on the edge of the roof, opposite of the party up front, looking out over the city. He popped open one of the bottles and handed it to her, then took the other for himself. Emelia wrinkled her nose as she took a swig.

“Ugh, you and Jin still have terrible taste in booze,” she said, taking another sip.

“A man’s gotta have at least one vice,” Tanzel replied.

“Your grandfather’s favorite saying,” she said. “But he had better taste for proper liquor.” Her soft smile was genuine now, recalling those happy days of their youth.

“We can blame my uncles for being poor influences. Or your uncles. I forget.”

She laughed. Not as freely as she once might have, but genuinely, and that was good enough. “Remember when Uncle Fahr convinced you and Jin that a wish-granting djinn lived in a cave in the cliffs south of Yedlihmad?”

Tanzel chuckled. “I do, and the punishment we got for investigating—and stumbling on a nest of efts instead. You’d think that’d be punishment in itself!”

“Perhaps had something to do with leading them back to town.”

“Oh, perhaps. But you weren’t exactly a saint, either, as I recall.”

“I don’t know what you could mean.”

“That incident with the silk merchant and the fish comes to mind.”

“It was a crab, and that was a perfectly formulated plan for revenge.”

“My mistake. I do have to question your definition of ‘perfectly formulated’ though.”

“My plan was fine,” Emelia insisted with an exaggerated pout. “It was the crab and my target who were uncooperative.”

Tanzel laughed. They continued talking, recalling childhood and adolescent adventures and achievements, bright days when their futures had yet seemed limitless in possibility.

“And I remember,” Emelia said, as the contents of their respective bottles were low. “At your wedding, my brothers were so—” She stopped suddenly, looking away. “I’m sorry.”

“What for? If it was about the pranks they pulled on me just before we were to give our vows, I have it on good authority you had nothing to do with that.”

“I just,” she hesitated. “I heard what happened. And I haven’t taken the time yet…”

He leaned over and bumped her shoulder—not quite like when they were children, but in a similarly familiar manner. “It’s fine. I’ve heard the words often enough. Just like you have by now.”

She peered at him, absently batting him away, as she had done when a girl and he and her brother had pestered her like that. “Doesn’t it still...Are you…”

“Yes, it hurts,” Tanzel replied quietly. He looked out over the city again. “I’m not sure it will ever stop hurting. I might have lost myself in a pile of these bottles, if not for my children.” He smiled. “Rashae’s so much like her mother. Looks like her more and more, too.”

“Zaine looks like his father,” Emelia whispered. “And they both have his eyes.”

“Blessed reminders,” Tanzel said. “At least, that’s what everyone tells me. And on good days, I agree with them.”

“And on bad ones?” She didn’t quite look at him.

“I curse the gods for such a constant cruelty. Then I continue on, trying not to feel guilty, because what else can I do?”

He saw her bite her lip and nod ever so slightly.

“Still,” Tanzel continued, finishing his drink. “It doesn’t hurt to think of our wedding—not anymore. It’s still one of the best days of my life. Then our children were born, and those were blessed times too. At least until the little monsters started keeping us up all night,” he joked.

She chuckled, and he again took it as a victory. “At least you had family with you.”

“That did help.” He frowned. “Did he not?”

She shook her head. “His mother disapproved of me. So we settled in a village where he had friends, and...we did have good neighbors, who helped.”

“Fool woman, to not know what a gem of a daughter-in-law she had,” Tanzel sniffed.

“Thought I was Jin’s bratty little sister.”

“I never said you weren’t still that, too.” He bumped her again. She smiled wanly and shook her head. “You were happy though, weren’t you, Emelia?”

Her face crumpled. “Mostly. I loved him enough to stay in that cold, colorless land—I wanted to come home for years, but he didn’t want to leave, and now...” She leaned forward, face in her hands.

Tanzel rubbed her back for a time, letting her crying, saying nothing. Eventually she calmed, taking a shaky breath, and accepting his handkerchief to wipe her eyes and nose.

“Tell me about Coerthas,” he finally said. “It can’t have been all terrible, if you stayed for so long.”

“It’s all...tangled up in memories of him.”

“Of course it is. But the good outweighs the bad, doesn’t it?” As she considered that, he continued. “That wretched moment cannot overshadow all the time proceeding it. It’s a disservice to them and the joy they brought us. The children they left with us. The only thing that comes close to helping is remembering the times we laughed and loved. That one terrible day can’t take away the rest.”

They were silent for a long while.

“It had its own beauty,” Emelia finally said, voice hushed. “More stark, the mountains swooping over the vales. In Springtime suddenly the fields would go from gray and brown to a lush green and the flowers would bloom like rainbows fallen from the sky. We’d walk along the sheep paths and deer tracks…”

He listened, as she described the idyllic life of a Coerthan farm family—not that they hadn’t known hardship, and he understood her sighing about little Aeryn going through clothes and shoes like water, his Rashae was too similar—but what began in fits and starts soon fell into familiar bardic story rhythms as she told stories until they were both laughing over her children’s antics, her neighbors’ strange foreign actions, and her happier memories of her husband.

The bells chimed thrice, startling them both. The sounds of the party up front had long since faded, though there were still a few revelers wearily talking and stumbling themselves and others to bed. Tanzel stood and stretched, offering Emelia a hand up. She took it, and continued in to give him a tight hug. He returned it, and they stood like that for a long moment.

“Thank you, Tan,” she said, still leaning on him. “I wish...I wish you didn’t understand. But I’m,” she hesitated again.

“But I do. And I’m here, when you need to talk. Or just get away from others who say things, without knowing it how we do.”

She nodded against his chest, then, with a deep exhale, stepped away. “Shovanna said she’d stay with the children, and they should all three be asleep, but I ought to check on them.”

“Mine were probably up too late and getting into mischief until their grandmothers caught them,” Tanzel said. “I’ll get an earful in the morning.”

“So you’ll do as when we were children, and you and Jin used to blame me to try to keep out of trouble.”

“Ah, you’ve caught on to my dastardly plan.”

“Next time, consult someone whose plans are perfect,” she said, affecting a haughty sniff.

“If I find someone like that, I’ll let you know,” he replied, laughing as she bapped his arm.

He helped her off the roof and into the stairwell, and they made their way down in the dark, still joking. They parted at the base, he heading to his family quarters, Emelia to her family’s. He glanced back before stepping inside. She had also stopped, and waved to him.

Tanzel returned the wave before Emelia vanished behind the door. He felt better than he had in awhile. If this pain he carried, and how he was learning to live with it, could help his childhood friend...well, it was far from worth it, but it was something useful, at least. Maybe.

He wished it hadn’t taken this sort of wretched circumstance to reunite them. To make her more than Jin’s bratty little sister, but someone who understood, and needed to be understood herself.

Tanzel shook his head, disposed of the bottles, and continued on to bed. Morning would come too soon and a lot of work with it.

He dreamed of his favorite days with his wife, and then of youthful days playfully teasing his friend’s little sister.

[icycoldninja]

Fluffcember #4 Cloud x Reader

Chocobo farm

"Cloud, can I open my eyes now?"

"Not yet."

"Please?"

"I said, not yet."

You blew out a long, pouty exhale as Cloud led you down what you thought was a path. He'd told you to cover your eyes so you didn't spoil the surprise, but you were SO curious, it was everything you could do to keep from opening your eyes then and there. "Watch your step," He warned, guiding you by the shoulders as you almost tripped over a particularly large rock. It was then when you realized that he was leading you somewhere into the countryside--Midgar streets were paved and clean, none had stray rocks just lying around. "Where are we going?" You asked again, impatiently. You heard Cloud sigh. "I can't tell you, remember? It's a surprise." He continued leading you down the road for a few moments, the only sounds either of you heard were your own footsteps. After a while, Cloud stopped walking. He grabbed your arms to signal you to stop as well. "Can I open my eyes NOW?" Cloud exhaled softly beside you. "Not yet. Wait here." Judging by the sounds of metal clinking and leather scraping along the ground, Cloud was walking away. You huffed, your eyes still closed, and wrapped your arms around yourself. Several minutes passed with you just standing out on the road, alone. You began to wonder if this was a joke. Several more minutes passed before Cloud returned, his arrival announced by the sound of metal jingling as he walked. "This way." He said, taking your arm and leading you down another path. After a few more minutes of walking, you reached your destination. A series of loud chirps filled your ears, as did the sounds of many pairs of feet stomping around. Cloud took your hand and guided it to something in front of you; you soon felt the soft touch of fluffy feathers under your fingers. "Surprise." Cloud said, a hint of quiet laughter in his voice. You opened your eyes in amazement, only to find the cutest, fluffiest, fattest chocobo you'd ever seen standing before you, chirping happily as you petted it's head. "What do ya think?" Cloud asked, arms akimbo. You turned to him and flung your arms around his shoulders. "Ahhhh, they're so cuuuuuteeee!" You squealed, strangling him with a hug. "Thank you so much!" Cloud nodded, then reached out to give the fat chocobo a few headpats. "They are cute, aren't they?" You nodded excitedly, watching as the chocobo shook it's head happily, similar to the way a dog wagged its tail. "They're adorable!" You peered past the fat chocobo to see several baby chococbos running around, chirping at each other. "Aww, look at the babies!" You cooed, grabbing Cloud by the hand and dragging him along the fence to see the little balls of fluff run around each other. A few minutes later, the mother chocobo came out, fluffy golden feathers shining in the sunlight. She turned to peck lovingly at her babies, then herded them back inside their pen. As she turned around, you pointed at the animal's posterior. "Look, it's just like your hair!" You joked. Cloud scoffed, shook his head, but said nothing. The two of you admired the chocobos for a while, soon losing track of time because of their cuteness. Eventually, the sun began to set, something Cloud noticed. "It's getting late." He remarked, nodding. "We should head back." "Yeah," You agreed, ruffling the feathers on the fat chocobo's head one last time. "Thank you for bringing me here. I had so much fun!" Cloud nodded, "You're welcome. I'll...uhh...bring you again sometime." You grinned, then reached up and ruffled his hair the way you did with the chocobo. "I'd like that, Chocobo-head." With a scoff and a deep (poorly hidden) blush, Cloud took your hand in his and walked you down the path.

[starswornoaths]

1. Steer

Serella wants to set sail. Her father doesn't have it in his heart to keep her focus ashore forever.

word count: 1,002

To hear her father tell it, Serella was born a Captain.

When her Da scooped her off the ground and set her in front of the wheel, her hands sought spokes they couldn’t yet wrap around like it was second nature. Her little arms made proper handling impossible but that was fine; their little mockup was attached to the playground built outside the Carpenter’s Guild, and wasn’t going anywhere anyroad. 

“Captain! What course are we to set?” her Da asked her.

“We sail for…adventure!” she decreed, pointing ahead of them.

“Course has been set! For adventure!” he declared, matching her enthusiasm and pointing in the same direction.

Even with no resistance but the simple cogwork of the wheel, it was hard for a child of three summers to twist and turn but that did not deter Serella, face scrunched in consternation and focused on imaginary waters with her whole being.

In her mind’s eye, the tide whorled around their grand galley, lapping at sides port and starboard alike. Storms blew all around, ignorant of the sun warming their backs in truth.

When she tried to turn the wheel to fight a particularly strong wave to the port side, Serella struggled against the wood, hearing the sanded off wooden gears protest the movement. “Hard to steer,” she huffed.

“The waters are choppy this night,” her Da said sagely when he saw her struggle. 

If she could stretch her arms out to even the next spokes over she might have enough leverage, but she’s so small… 

Despite her best efforts to cling to the imaginary and continue with play, all her dreams of sailing involved a boat her size, something she could reach and use and lead and, and, and—

“No, hard to steer.” she huffed again, letting go of the spokes and crossing her arms.

Frustration welled up in her and quickly overflowed her small frame, heating her face and threatening her eyes with the sting of tears. Embarrassed, she hid her face in her hands.

“Hey now, Little Acorn, what’s the long face for?” her Da said, immediately dropping their play titles.

How could she start to explain what was hurting her heart? Why did she not understand what she was feeling? Frustration mounted ever higher, and tears ran down her face.

“I’m too little!” she cried.

Serella’s had never known her Da to be a man possessed of alacrity—an injury from before she was born had given him a cane and a limp that she had always seen him with, and it took him a few moments to carefully ease himself down to her level.

“You’re a growing little acorn, love,” he reminded her, and when she opened her arms asking for comfort he wasted no time in scooping her into a big hug. “Every tree started out just like you, remember?”

Through sniffles and uncaring of the snot she wiped on his shirt, Serella nodded.

“You’re only little for a little while, you know,” he said, his voice growing strangely thick as she tried to get her tears to stop. “And ‘afore you know it, you’ll be taller than me!”

“Taller than you?!” she squeaked, pulling back enough to look up at him incredulously.

“Taller than me!” he confirmed with an affectionate rub of their noses together that never failed to send her into a fit of giggles. “But it takes time—plenty of time for you to learn how to be taller. Can’t have you wobbling around like you’ve got stilts for legs, now can we?”

“But I can’t steer now,” she whined.

“Mayhap you can’t steer that way, but there’s plenty of ways to steer all sorts of things—here, I’ll show you. It’s getting late anyroad, and your Ma will send a search party if we’re gone too long, eh?”

With a conspiratorial wink that got his daughter to giggle again and follow him back to their chocobo, content and grazing not far from the Carpenter’s Guild fence.

A pirate is always carries a bit of the sea with them, so it was only natural that her Da hoist her and himself onto the back of their chocobo.

Once they were situated in the saddle, her Da pointed toward the leather reigns and said, “See? Riders use this to steer their chocobo—and that’s how you’re going to get us home in time for supper.”

“Me?!” Serella squeaked. 

“That’s right! You’re a natural at steering, Ellie—you just have to practice. Like so,” he said as he began to reach for the reigns.

It took little and less encouragement and instruction before she had her hands where they needed to be.

“Good. Now, there’s more ways to guide a steed than even this—like I told you, lots of ways to steer. Watch, I’ll have her start moving for you.”

With a click of his tongue and nudge of his boot, Addie began to dutifully meander out of Gridania proper and back onto the Shroud. The sway of the bird’s massive body almost felt like what Serella imagined a ship felt like, all that rocking back and forth like her Da would tell her.

Under her Da’s tutelage, she carefully led Addie until they were out of the gate and down the walking path.

The reigns felt vastly different from the ship wheel and yet, it felt like she was beginning to understand how this was also meant to steer—the pull of the leather on either side to turn, both to stop, and a nudge to go faster. Sails and rudders, wheels and anchors. Anything could be a ship if she wanted to guide it, anything could steer that ship if she could make it listen to her.

When they were far enough away from civilization, her Da leaned down from behind her and whispered, “you know, the winds are fair this eve, Captain. What say you we open the sails and ride the wind home?”

Years later, Serella would remember looking up into his eyes in that moment, twinkling like stars guiding their ship home.

[weregreatatcrime]

I literally JUST posted the most recent add-on to forest Noctis au but the NEXT bit was already briefly in progress until I realized I didn't like this angle. But I liked the blurb and didn't wanna delete it. So here's 500 words of some good re-introductions after six years of Noctis missing WHOO

~~~~~

“Stand by my son, please. I do not know everything he has been through. And there is much he has yet to tell anyone. He lacks trust in the Crown. In… me. I cannot blame him. I only ask that you prove yourselves to be worthy of his trust, for he gives it sparingly. I cannot convince him to return to the city. I do not know exactly his goals or his ideals. But I do know from our letters that he cares for Lucis and its people. I do not wish him harmed, or alone. Be by his side. Walk tall.”

~~~~~~

Ignis drove the car, Gladiolus in the back. Cor sat in the passenger seat. The atmosphere was tense.

Wiz Chocobo Post was not exactly where Ignis expected to find Noctis after not seeing him for six years. But when they pulled up there he was. Standing stiffly near a picnic table with his hands hovering awkwardly at his sides like Ignis remembered he did when he didn't know what to do with them.

Gladiolus charged out of the car before it was even in park. Cor sighed heavily.

“I told him not to rush him.”

“I said so as well.” Ignis gritted out, stepping out as quickly as he could.

Gladio stopped in front of Noctis, the two of them staring at each other for a few seconds before Gladio swept the smaller man up in a bear hug.

“You ever leave me behind like that again, I will kick your ass.” Gladio threatened, voice thick.

“You can try.” Noctis didn't hug him back. But he did bury his face in Gladio's chest.

After a minute he was released and he turned to Ignis before looking down, refusing to meet his eyes.

“...your Highness.” Ignis breathed. He'd already had plenty of emotional moments back at the Citadel when he was told about Cor locating Noctis. He didn't need to be crying now.

“Don't- don't call me that.” Noctis crossed his arms, ducking his face behind the rat's nest of his hair. “I'm trying to keep a low profile?”

“Noct, then.” Ignis approached and, unsure of himself, opened his arms. Noctis leaned towards him enough that Ignis felt comfortable hugging him close. Gentler than Gladiolus did, just tight enough to convince himself that Noctis was there.

“Noct'll work.” Noctis mumbled shyly. “But everyone knows me as Megumi. So. There's that.”

“Oh. You guys are here already..? Ah. Uh- well, hi?”

Ignis released Noctis to turn and see a young blond man with a nervous smile and cheeks full of freckles.

“This is Prompto, my best friend.” Noctis threw an arm around his shoulders and leaned against him. “My boyfriend.”

Prompto turned a little red. “Hi?” He squeaked. “Gumi’s great.”

Gladiolus crossed his arms while he sized up the much smaller blond. Prompto eyed his biceps anxiously.

“Ignis Scientia.” Ignis stepped forward and held his hand out before the poor boy could be intimidated too much. “It's nice to meet you.”

“Um- Prompto Argentum?” Prompto shook his hand quickly and then let go. His left arm, in a sling, appeared to be shaking somewhat.

[lunarianebula872]

[2nd image is older but it's cute still also yes I'm posting this at like 4:02am because I can't seem to get a good sleep schedule]

C!Cloud finding a more peaceful dimension of sorts where he meets a little Cloud with some interesting abilities, this little Cloud was rescued from his home when the reactor and home was destroyed by some very angry dragon males fighting for females which also caused a lot of casualties which one of them being Cloud's mother [no one in the town wanted Cloud and treat him like they do in many dimensions which is very poorly], Genesis sensed some strong magic within Cloud [that being strong materia abilities but also something that he can't put into words either but he knows something is strong within Cloud], Sephiroth and Angeal when the realize what Genesis is trying to figure out know that Hojo will without a doubt try to use the kid as a test subject and study the kid which causes Sephiroth, Angeal, Genesis, and later on since he was still in Midgar Zack adopt Cloud as their own, Zack is informed of the situation when Sephiroth, Angeal, and Genesis return which he has way more experience since he has babysat and cared for young ones in the past which is a big help, once they fully have adopted Cloud they make sure he has all he needs and Sephiroth [who ends up being stationed in Midgar most of the time] even gives Cloud one of the several chocobo plushies he owns [which Cloud adores and cuddles a lot], Angeal with enough time makes homemade baby food when Cloud was still young enough for it while Genesis and Zack came to a sort of agreement/truce on cute and practical clothes [especially onesies like Cloud is wearing], once Cloud manages to walk he tends to explore which was when Zack stayed at the tower to watch over him this is when Lazard and Veld meet Cloud and give the firsts support when needed [this causes them to become uncles to Cloud], Tseng meets Cloud after a meeting along with Rufus [when he starts to talk] where Cloud being curious and a big sweetheart he walks up to them to say hi which gets their attentions and they have a cute little interaction where Cloud shows them the cute stickers he's been given but he even gives Tseng and Rufus some of the stickers as little presents [which not showing it makes Tseng and Rufus think it's straight up adorable which they make sure Cloud can't get ahold of their guns since they're not toys for kids], overtime Tseng and Rufus encountering Cloud they get little hugs from him which brightens their moods [Cloud even gets to learn Wutaiian from Tseng when the turk isn't busy].

Now for C!Cloud to suddenly show up and get little Cloud whose in his teddy onesie's attention and ends up liking him [even giving C!Cloud snacks that little Cloud calls snackies], I can see C!Cloud trying not to go dad mode here lol, @aimeelouart how is C!Cloud going to fully react to a cute a friendly child version of him [and even a massive plus a lot of Angeal's home cooking not only just leftovers because C!Cloud is such a foodie like that]

[salternateunreality2]

People give Cloud candies and compliment his Chocobo hair.

Cloud is confused.

Hehehe HI SNOW!!!! ❤️❄️ Thanks for the ask! Good to see you!

This sounds like an "everyone is a time traveler...except Cloud" AU, so I'm going to roll with that.

Zack: SPIKY!!! *runs up and hugs Cloud, almost squishing him to death* SPIKY SPIKY SPIKY *ruffles his hair* Here, I brought you milk duds *dumps a handful of loose candies into Cloud's upturned helmet* SPIKYYYYYY AAAAA! Oh! I forgot the surprise! Be right back! *Runs off*

Cloud: What the actual fuck? Was that Lieutenant Fair???

Genesis: MY FRIEND YOU ARE THE BRINGER OF LIFE THE GIFT OF THE GODDESS *dumps a giant candied apple into the helmet* As the goddess once sa-

SPLAT

Sephiroth, shoving Genesis into a closet: Don't mind him, Cloud. *Kneels* Cloud, you are a treasure and a gift, please accept this offering: *drops a box of handcrafted chocolates into the helmet*. If you are willing, I would be honored to have you as my apprentice. Please reach out if you decide to work with me. I believe together we can do great things. *Gets up, pets the spikes, and walks off*

Cloud: Did anyone else see that? Was that SEPHIROTH?!?!

Lazard: Cadet Strife, you seem stressed, please accept these candies *drops a generous handful of mints into the helmet*. Fear not, I believe he is sane, and together, we have great plans for the future. I would also be honored if you would accept. Er, may I...?

Cloud: ??? *Nods, confused, but the director can do whatever he wants*

Lazard: Thank you *pats the spikes*. I must return to work, but please feel free to come by any time. *Leaves*

Cloud: *pinching himself to make sure this is real* Ouch.

Angeal: Oh my goodness! Cloud, are you alright?! Do you need a bandage? Do you need a snack? *Puts a granola bar in his hand* Do you need the infirmary?

Cloud: Commander Hewley?? Uh, no thanks, I'm fine.

Angeal: Very well, but remember, your honor is your most important virtue, and you must remember your dreams *while petting the floof*

Cloud: Uh, ok?

Kunsel: *shoves Angeal aside* FOUND YA! Hey chocobo *squishes him, rubs the hair, drops a bunch of smarties in the helmet* Ugh I missed you so much. Fuck, you're awesome, just remember to tell Zack how you feel this time, ok? Ok. *Runs off, taking Angeal with him*

Aerith: *appears out of nowhere and kisses Cloud on the cheek, ruffling the floof* Hey Cloudy! *Pours a fountain of lollipops into the now overflowing helmet* Bye Cloudy! *Puts a flower on his head and disappears*

Cloud: ...am...I on drugs?

[mosthuggableffxiv]

Round 1B: Ameliance Leveilleur vs The Warrior of Light's Chocobo

"her husband is Fourchenault and she is a cinnamon roll"

"They're a big bird who can charge fearlessly into battle beside you or soar with you into the clouds of strange lands, because they love you so much. They're a Big Bird and I think hugging one in real life would fix me."

[theoreticalconstruct]

A Different Life (FFVIIr)

(The setup contains character death, although it's in the past; the five of them are in the afterlife.)

So I have this fic idea I came up with ages ago, where Aerith can bring the people she loves into the "meadow" place where she apparently was watching over them (per Advent Children) when they died, and this would've happened at some point where she was able to have all five of them there (herself, Tifa, Cloud, Barret and Zack.)  So now they're all watching over the Planet and the people who are still alive, and trying to make sure that the Lifestream doesn't get damaged again.

I combined that with the weird timeline stuff that FFVIIr seems to be doing, and I got this.

A Different Life - Final Fantasy VII fanfiction, Barret/Cloud/Tifa/Aerith/Zack, for @romancingbarret.

Prompt: Vacation ---

They looked so happy, Barret thought, staring through the mako into the vision that he'd found. They were so happy that it made his heart hurt.

They were on a beach he didn't recognize, certainly not the tourist trap that was Costa Del Sol. The water was a clearer and brighter blue, and the sun glittered on the waves. He was resting on a chair, artificial arm resting on his chest; Zack was standing next to him, no umbrella and skin already slightly reddened in the heat, talking nonstop about something, and Barret was smiling. It was definitely him, he thought; if there was one thing he'd realized since he'd met Zack in that strange meadow, it was that he never, ever stopped talking.

From the water he saw the others, Tifa and Aerith and Cloud, making their way out of the surf. The girls were pulling Cloud out of the surf, looking like a wet chocobo; his hair was flat against his skull, for once, falling into his eyes. But he didn't look unhappy as the ladies led him up to their beach chairs. Tired, maybe, but satisfied.

He barely remembered Cloud looking tired and happy, back then; he'd always been so serious, Barret had spent some effort to learn how to read the man and see when he was joking or trying not to smile. And he didn't see Tifa laughing that way, her back straight, her eyes shining. Aerith was waving at them, and Zack and Barret were waving back as the three of them approached....

"A different timeline," he heard Aerith say behind him. "There are always timelines where things are better, because there are so many. It can make things tough sometimes, knowing that someone else got to be happy in your place. Even if it was you."

Barret looked back at her, saw a sort of longing in her eyes. "Aerith," he said gently, reaching for her hand.

"Hm?" She looked back up at him, and he could see her face smoothing over. "Sorry. I shouldn't be selfish," she admitted.

 "Nah... I get it." He looked back over at himself, at him smiling as he hugged the others. They loved each other, he could see that much. Like they did now, only... only without all the pain and the long separations, the lifetime of stumbling over each other in those difficult times. "Gotta wonder about one thing, though."

"Oh?" She tilted her head as she looked past him. "What?"

"Where's Marlene?" He pointed at the chairs - only five. And the little girl was nowhere to be found. "She would've been four, then... I can't imagine I'd leave her behind."

"I don't know," Aerith said softly. "I could look, I guess. Maybe this is a timeline where you didn't have to take her away from Corel. Maybe the others survived and you just left and met us some other way?"

They all loved each other, he could see that much - all of them hugging, kissing, laughing together. Maybe not the same way he loved them all now, but something like it. But... no Marlene? He couldn't imagine it. Couldn't imagine it was him.

Barret nodded and stood, and closed his eyes. "If none of that happened," he said, turning back to smile at Aerith, "then it's not really you, is it?"

"Barret -"

"I mean it," he interrupted her. "Think about it - if none of the things happened that made us who we are, then we're not the same people." He turned back - he was softer in that timeline, not the fighter he'd been back then when he'd been alive. He didn't judge anybody for it, least of all himself; it had meant he'd lived a more peaceful life. He just knew that he would've never let himself relax that much, not while there was a Planet to fight for. "Besides, how do we know what's gonna happen in a world like that, where we're not fighting for the Planet? Maybe she's still in pain, and we just didn't hear it. Maybe there wasn't anyone to help her."

She watched him as he turned away, her bright eyes narrowing. "We can't know without... well, finding some way to look. Would you want to?"

He shook his head. "Nah," he said, smiling at her and squeezing her hand before he let go, turning around to walk away. "Ain't no point in gettin' upset on what happened to somebody else, even if it was me, kinda. Besides, just because something's different doesn't mean it's better than what we have now."

She smiled. "That's... a good way of looking at it," she said softly. "It took me a long time not to feel jealous, you know?"

"Yeah, I understand the jealousy," he admitted. "But I'm happy with what I've got now. No regrets. Now let's get back to the others."

She nodded and put one hand against his back as well, and the two of them went back through the mists, where the ones they loved were waiting for them.

[shadowreader23]

Final Fantasy Replay fanfic part 1

i currently have final fantasy brainrot and wrote this on my lunchbreak.

_____

He was sat on the throne. He could feel his life slipping away being claimed by the crystal. It wasnt fair first hed lost 10 years of his life and now it was going to end. Hed missed so much and was going to miss so much more. But at least they would be safe. Everyone would be safe turning to look at his friends he gave them a small smile and drew his last breath. ------------------- The chocobo song was playing. The alarm clock blaring at him that it was time to wake up. The sun shone through the windows. Anf he was in his bed? What was going on? Was this it? his aftrerlife was just a replica of his old room? At least it was comfortable. With a groan he turned off the alarm and stood up realising something. He was shorter than he had been when he died putting his hands to his face he coukd feel no stubble. Making his way to the bathroom attached to his bedroom he swore when he saw himself in the mirror. He looked just how he used to.... back at the begining before anything  was this the astrals cruel way of taunting him. Reminding him of the life he'd had?

"Noctis? are you awake?" A gentle voice called through the door. That voice. It was Iggy! Please dont let him have died as well Noctis begged the astrals as he approached the door and opend it. He did a double take. Iggy. He was like he was before. Young healthy happy and.... and he could see! Ignis could see again! Without realising what he was doing Noctis grabbed ignis and pulled him in for a tight hug.

"Im sorry Ignis.... im so so sorry its my fault" Noctis wept into his friends jacket.

Ignis wrapoed his arms around Noctis. He had no idea what had occured to cause the prince to act like this Noctis wasnt really one to wear his heart on his sleeve like this or seek out comfort. He was worried.

"Noctis whatever is troubling you, you can talk to me about i promise i will listen"

"Thank you Specs" Noctis sniffled

"Hurry up we are going to be late" Gladio walked into the room in all his former young glory Towering above Noctis even more now than when he had died.

"Gladio you're here too?" Noctis choked out. Astrals had they all died when he did? Was he the reason they died? Did it not work did his death mean nothing and the scrouge and the Deamons still plauged the planet? He hadnt realised he was shaking till Ignis gently guided him to sit on the floor. "Is he sick or something?" Gladio asked Ignis looking at Noctis concerned. He hadnt seen his prince like this before.

"I dont know he was like this when i arrived"

"Thats not good we need to get going we dont want to miss our boat it woukd be typical of Noctis to be late for his own wedding. Gladio frowned

Wait his wedding? Did Gladio not remember? Judging by the looks on their faces neithier of them did. What was going on? Pulling himself together he forced the tears to stop and weakly stood up walking out the door the other two close behind. He was met with daylight and a fully intact and busy Insomnia.

Thats when he blacked out.

Gladio lunged foward and caught Noctis before his head hit the ground.

"I'll fetch the car he needs to see a doctor" Ignis went to fetch the car as Gladio stood cradling the unconcious prince in his arms. Something definitley wasnt right here. Noctis was fine yesterday and for whatever this was to come on so suddenly.... had someond poisioned him?

Ignis parked the car and Gladio climbed in the back seat buckling Noctis into the middle seat so he could support him during the journey.

"You'll be ok Noctis" Gladio said placing a hand on the Princes forhead checkinf for a tempreture as Ignis put the car in Gear and drove towords the hospital. ___________________ "Awaken king of stone" Noctis knew that Voice. His eyes flew open and he stood up finding himself in a place that reminded him of inside the crystal. A blue glow appeared before him and Shiva appeared in all pf her glory.

"Shiva what's going on?" He asked her

I have decided to intervene Young king. Last time it took to long and though your sacrife cleansed most of the Scrouge it did not clear it completley. I have decides to grant you another chance to fufil you mission" The astral informed him

"Go through ot all again just for me to lose 10 years of my life and die once more? No way" Noctis decided he couldnt. He wouldnt go through all of that again. "You misunderstand me king of stone. This is an opporunity to do it right. Try reasoning woth Ardym he was a good man once maybe he is still in there" Shiva finished

"Ardyn a good man?" Noctis didnt believe it

With a wave of her hand Shiva showed him what had occured between Sommus and Ardyn and how Aera had paid the ultimate price. Noctis hadnt known that.

"This is what i offer young king. You get another oppurunity to make this right finish your mission quicker this time and if you can convince ardyn to aid you against the scourge the two of you may yet survive"

"What happens if i dont?" Noctos asked

"You will die young king"

Noctis took a deep breath. Another chance to do things rightn to save everyone he could orevent ignis from going blind he could save Luna!

"I acept"

"Good i will send you back now, you will remember this encounter and to save you some time i will grant you acess to the arminger you had in your final battle with ardyn. Save you from having to find all those royal tombs"

With a wave of her hand Noctis felt power flow into him then she was gone. ___________ The Doctor hadn't found anything wrong with Noctis he had no idea what could have caused this to happen in the young prince. It wasn't poision or anything physical. So maybe it was magical? Using a device to read magic levels he held it over Noctis. There was nothing. Looking at Gladio and Ignis who were just as suprised as he was the Doctor scanned again still nothing.

Had Noctis lost his magic? How was that even possible? What would they do now? Could Noctis even recover from this?

Deciding to scan one final time the device let out a shrill beep and shorted out as Noctis sat up with a gasp a wave of his magic shooting through the building.

The Doctor was dumbfounded havig no clue what may have occured.

You have to act like your old self. You can do this. Noctis thought to himself

"Hey Gladio, Ignis why are you looking at me like that?" He said woth false confusion in his voice.

"You had us worried there Noct can you tell us what happend to you?' Ignis was now sat on the edge of the hospital bed.

"What do you mean what happend i went to sleep last night then the next thing i know im waking uo to you and gladio looking at me like im crazy specs!"

"He doesnt remember" Gladio realised

"It is indeed odd however it looks like he's fine now. We'll continue to monior his condition the the way to Golden Quay" Ignis told the doctor as Noctis got out of the hospital bed and put his boots and jacket back on.

"Wheres prompto?" Noctis asked trying to sound casual. He needed to see prompto he needed to know his closest friend was ok

"We sent him on a quick supply run hes going to meet us at the gate this afternoon luckily we should still be able to leave on time"

Typical Ignis sticking to the shechduel. With a nod Noctis walked out the hospital room and down the stairs to where the Regallia was parked. He could do this. He was going to do this. He would get it right this time.

Sure enough just like last time the regallia broke down and they had to push it to hammerhead. Noctis was planning his next steps as they rested in the haven that night. He didnt need to get the royal arms thank shiva for that it would save a lot of time they didnt beed to go on a quest for thst reporter as he already knew what he needed to know so they would save some time there as well. Could he save gladios dad? Could he save his own? They were to late last time but what if thdybturned back forst thing in the morning. No that wouldnt work they werent strong enough to strand uo to the forces yet howrver... he could send a message. He pulled out a pen and paoer and wrote an urget letter one to Iris. One to gladios father and one to king regis. He sent them as soon as he woke up in the morning. They would reach insomnia in time. What they chose to do with his warning was up to them. Hopefully it would make enough of a difference. They rescued the person from the Shed and cindy repaired the regallia. They ate food in the crows nest and prompto took some photos. He and gladio sparred and they spent a night in the caravan. It was nice to be back here. He hadnt realised just how much he had missed the simpler days. --------- Something was off with noctis and ignis was worried after the whole incident which he and gladio had informed prompto about Noctis hadnt had anymore breakdowns or memory issues but there were other things. It was almost as if Noctis was not used to his body or couldnt feel it right. He stumbled bumped into things and was clumsy not to the point of severity but he bever was before. His magic felt different as well bigger more vast and powerful. Was there some issue with hia magic? Was it what was causing the problem. He thought back to the doctors scan and how Noctis hand no magic for a while there was this a side effect of that? Did his body need to adapt to his magic once more?

_____ End of part 1 i havent played the game for over a year so im rely on memory here. Hope you like it.

[fumikomiyasaki]

As in Part 1 here is part 2 of the Dreamscape workers... 10 left and then I have them all done, so let me introduce these hosts a little.

-Luna: is to many quite intimidating at first but he is a sucker for cute things.. loves flowers a ton and does have quite the cute motions at times... A Hrothgar with fondness of Plushies, affections and given he is one of the least popular to many he does appreciate each customer that does choose him a ton

-Aspen: is… a bit of a tough love kinda guy, he is quiet but sweet… he usually doesn't go to the quiet customers himself he is a good listener and advice giver… he is a more loving and carefull one, gives you assurance, asks a lot if you feel good… make sure to give him the patience and he makes it worth it

-Dandy: A Roe that is the main bartender and drink maker of the place, he is a country boy also taking care of Chocobos staying nearby and fond of just spending time with them... with Customers he does share good stories and often knows quite what to say in problems... is fond of Cowboy aesthetics

-Gold: A hyur that is quite materialistic... he only thinks himself he is a pretty face and only worth that so his view about himself is not the most healthy... Its hard to get him to be genuine romantic but he is more flirty active with customers... making sure they feel desired. He is a bit bold and fakes being the most expensive one here

-Cashmere: is surprisingly versitile… he is good at figuring out peoples interests and how to butter them up… he is also the main person to help the themes for events… bit of an organizer… he loves to read and plan a lot. So he might share some books recommends but also can talk a lot about stories

-Desire: The most seductive host in the club, he is straightforward about what he wants, hits hard with flirts but also has it hard to hold back if he wants you. His eye is blinded, only has one scar hence he wears the eyepatch but he also things it gives him a flair that draws even more people in

-Destiny: chaotic and messy... if he likes someone he is gonna tackle hug them as well as he is quick to jump to action and be a bit too much. Eager to get to know people and get them in his circle... also very touchy and clingy... so it takes a lot of energy to handle him.

-Alizeh: Competitive Big Ego Au Ra, Tries to do better than any of the other workers and overdoes it with that... he often picks fights too and wants to prove he can win a lot, gets upset when he doesn't... many are just interested in him to see if they can melt him down but so far he has a good track record.

[little-birdseeker]

Growing Wings - Epilogue - Journey's End

[<- Chapter 11: Growing Wings]

What a wonderful day to be back in Limsa! Has there ever been a better one?! Certainly not in the few days she had been here lately, that was for sure! And Isabelle enjoyed every last bit of it, every ray of sunshine she could get!

Just a few moments later, Isabelle spotted her first target! “Fooorwin! Heeey!”, she shouted while waving at the old fisherman. He hadn’t changed a bit, as she saw it from the distance, except for some signs of the coming age.

“Oh that’s a surprise. Isabelle!”, he immediately responded before even turning around, as he knew only one girl with such an enthusiastic voice.

“And I thought you might have forgotten me, after Luca and Miara have told me that you have returned to them”, he laughed and stepped out of his boat at the pier.

“Whaaat? How could I eeever forget about you?! I could neeever forget about the saaails and the rooopes and the fiiish!”

“Right, right. Ah, don’t look so sulky, Isa, that was just me teasing you a bit. I- Really, it was a joke, okay? Got all your letters! Thank you, for all of them!”

Isabelle immediately stopped sulking and showed her beaming smile once again.

“You diiid? Yay! I did nooot know how to address them weeell enough, but the moooogles did a greeeat job, yes!”

“They sure do, even though nobody can see them… Anyway now, come here!”

He gave a big hug, to which she responded likewise. How many years had it been? About six years? A lot of time had passed since then, that was for sure.

“Looook! I stiiill got the peeendant you gave me!”, Isabelle said and very proudly showed off the little seashell that was decorating her neck.

“Ohh, yeah, you are right. Seems like it protected you well.” “It diiid!! And it wiiill protect me even longer!”, she responded with a happy grin.

“So, how have you been? Your parents haven’t told me yet, besides some major things. Like… magic? For real? And an own shop?”

“Mhm!! Looook!!” Proudly, Isabelle concentrated on her magic and formed a little ball of light, which rose slowly above them, just to explode in a warm shower of sparkles.

“Isn’t it greeeat?!”

“Uhm… sure, it looks great, but-” “It iiis great!”, Isabelle insisted - what else was magic good for if it did not look, like, magical and sparkly?! “And besiiides that I can mooove things and clean my hooouse and my dreeesses and fight eeenemies and-” “Okay okay, I got it, I was wrong”, Forwin laughed. “So you have become a great magician, I can see that. No need to show me all of it. But how? Tell me, how was your journey?”

“Oookay!” Her voice certainly carried some sort of disappointment with it - after all, showing of her magical skills was something she was very proud of - but she also knew that Forwin was right. She could also show off later, when the time was right.

“Sooo, wheeere to start…? Riiiight, Uuul’dah!”

And so, she started telling him about her journey.

The one year in Ul’dah. The people she met, like Nalama and Tion - even though she had no contact with him anymore, she might need to change that. The weavers guild. About Ricky, her very own (red!) Chocobo. And the thaumaturges, of course.

About Gridania. The druids and the leatherworkers. About all the trees, how it felt to be so far away from the ocean.

About her journey to Ishgard, her hatred for cold and snow which nearly got herself killed. The man that saved her life and became her first love, the man she married - Forwin was shocked by that one - and how much she despised him now. A despicable man that had only been interested in her body and in acquiring women!!

How Azura and Wickid met her in Ishgard and introduced her to the free company. All the adventures she lived through, how they ventured to the far far east where the free company resided now.

And of course, how she had started her own shop in Kugane, about two years ago. Oh, and all of the things she knew about the city. The harbor, the hot springs, the market, especially all of the clothes there, and how tasty all the meals were.

And how the meeting between her and Iana ended. She sniffed a bit while telling Forwin the story, calmed down by some strokes over her head. Forwin knew about Ianas death. Luca and Miara had already morned a lot while also being overjoyed by Isabelles return. It was a hard time for them, for sure. Scars would remain, but until then he would be there for them. And Isabelle as well, he was sure of it. Or else, she would have not returned, after all.

“What a journey”, the fisherman concluded as the barrage of words had finally come to end. “So I assume it had been a good one?”

“The beeest!”, the catgirl responded immediately.

“No regrets?”

“Hmmm… sooometimes. But I would stiiill do the same! Nooot change a thing!”, she answered truthfully. Lies were bad, after all! Most of them, at least.

“And now? Any new plans?”, Forwin laughed, expecting the most surprising things, just like it was usual with Isabelle.

“Uuuhm… for nooow I will take care of my shop! Aaand train and try new enchaaantmens!” “Oh, enchantments? Is there something you can’t do?” “Flyyy! For nooow!”, she chuckled together with Forwin.

“Well, that’s a matter of time, isn’t it.” “Mhm!! But for nooow…”

“The rogues?”

Nodding showed he was right.

“Well, great Namo from me! And your parents, if you visit them today.” “Wiiill do! And take caaare of you, Forfor! Bye bye!” “Oh Isa, don’t ca- there she goes. Whatever…”, he sighed and had to laugh. Some things never changed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Can’t let you in without the password, sorry.” “Oswin, you knooow me! Come ooon, how can I knooow it?!”

“How do I know you are not someone else?” “Looook at me! Hooow many girls do you know that have suuuch fluffy taaail, sooo beautiful red haaair, are sooo cute… and have suuuch a deep cleavage?!”

With the last words, Oswins eyes twitched for a moment, but he kept his mouth shut and stood still, which annoyed Isabelle even more.

"Oooswin! If you dooon't let me in, Namo will be sooo furious! You wiiill regret it, and she will nooot apologize!"

That was the last straw. He knew R’namo, and even though she had grown to be nicer to him - or anyone, on that matter - in the last… ten years? Well, he sure knew he did not want to be the one to tell her he did not let in her beloved pupil daughter. Who knew what she would do to him, and he wasn’t eager to find out.

“Fine. Here, go in. But if you are an imposter-”

“Thaaank you! I will tell her how niiice you were!”, Isabelle said as she darted in.

Honestly, it sounded like a threat. At least to Oswin. Probably his imagination. Isabelle wasn’t like this. Instead, she would tell the whole truth, which was bad enough for him.

Hopefully, R’namo had some mercy on him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tip Tap. Tip Tap.

She was wide open, and could have never been prepared for Isabelles assault. Well it wasn’t like nobody was watching - A'nissa was sitting in the corner and was overjoyed to see one of her missing friends being back. But she wanted to see the chaos unfold as Isabelle flung herself onto her victim. It was far too much fun to watch it!

“Goootcha!”, Isabelle shouted as she threw herself onto R’namos back, resulting in the most violent and soft hug the rogue has gotten for quite a while.

“WHA-?!”, she almost screamed as she felt the catgirl on her back. “ISA?! You damn- Where-?! How-?! OH COME HERE!”

In a matter of seconds, the one sided hug was changed into a consensual one.

“I am baaack!”, Isabelle laughed and smiled.

“Thanks, I have noticed”, R’namo tried to hiss, but just had to laugh as well.

“Damn, I thought you would never come back here. After your letters stopped and so on.” “I was buuusy Namo! I am sooorry!”

“Busy with what? Sewing new dresses?”

“Yeees! That takes some tiiime, you know?”

“So you were busy with dresses and distract boys and men alike with that cleavage you are sporting”, A'nissa darted in, still cackling from the assault she had witnessed.

“It’s a diiirndl, it haaas to be this way! And it looks greeeat, right?”

“Well if you say so…”

“R’namo please, look at her, it looks great! Especially on our Isa here, in contrast to you if you would wea-” “Oh shut up Nissa, as if anyone could challenge her on that!”, R’namo hissed at the laughing Miqo’te.

“Mhm!”, Isabelle agreed with a good deal of laughter from herself. “Told you I am going to become sooo big!” “That’s not what you mea- oh, whatever. You seem very confident about that now, so do you-” “Knooow why people liiike them?”, Isabelle interrupted her old mentor. “Well becaaause-”, she started to talk and somewhat demonstrate her gathered knowledge about this topic.

Which made A'nissa laugh, as she loved how confident Isabelle spoke, while it made R’namo blush ever so slightly - which in turn made A'nissa laugh even more. Isabelle, however, proudly grinned at her friends. She had learned a lot, after all, and every bit had to be shared - even such  things like this!

“Gods, okay, guess you know”, R’namo sighed. “Well, good that Jon wasn’t here…” “Oh i could get him, should be around somewhere.” “Oh should i tell him-” “NO!”, R’namo shouted at Isabelle, making both other girls laugh. “Oh you- You have grown into a fine yet mischievous woman, have you?”

“I leeearned from the best!”

That left R’namo speechless. Especially as Isabelle wasn’t completely wrong, after all. Plus the other girls had helped at that as well, to be fair, but still.

“Whatever”, R’namo sighed. “Don’t want it to be any other way. That’s our Isa.” “Hehe!”, Isabelle chuckled with a grin. “But I stiiill want to meet Jon again!”

“Well of course, let’s find him. Just keep those things for you, kay? Having both of you tease me like that is more than enough.” “Oookay!”, Isabelle chuckled. “Prooomised!”

“And I shall find Agness, I think she is somewhere on the market. Shouldn’t be hard to find her”, A’nissa threw in.

“And what about Leeena?!”, Isabelle asked, worried about the lalafell.

“Oh, uhm, she… is gone”, R’namo told Isabelle. For a moment, the red girl was shocked about this news, until A’nissa stepped in.

“She stopped being a rogue and now works in The Bismarck. Wanted to become a chef. Stabbing people wasn’t for her, so now she stabs fish I guess.”

Outraged, Isabelle stared at R’namo, who in turn grinned at her. “Ha, gotcha!” “Ruuude!”

“Could say the same about you!” “Pah!”

For a moment, everyone kept silent, but it didn’t last long until they burst out in laughter.

“I was wooorried, okaaay?”

“Yeah, sorry. Thanks for clearing that A’nissa. Oh, what about we meet up there, in The Bismarck? Yeah, let’s go there and eat together, and talk about the past years!” “Oh I would looove to! Let’s search for the others and gooo! Jooon, where aaare you?!”, Isabelle shouted and dashed through one of the doors.

“Isa, please, stay- you know where we meet, A’nissa. I’ll have to catch this whirlwind here. And have to ask her how she got through Oswin.”

“Right right! See ya later!”

“Yeah, bye!”

With that, they parted ways, just to be reunited later. An evening full of stories was about to start. And surely, she had made them proud. All of them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(To everyone who has read the whole thing: Thank you so much!! I hope you enjoyed the ride! <3 This has been on my mind for quite a while, and I am happy to be able to share something about my girl! So, every reader: You get the best hug Isabelle can give! You earned it! <3)

(If you are interested in some other stuff i wrote or want to know more about Isabelle, you may want to take a look at Isabelles story page!)

[kunselxsoldier]

"Oh, Kunsel." Ifalna half-greeted the teenager with a tired smile. It was early afternoon but if anyone asked her the time she would claim it must nearly be bedtime. The Lodbrok household had been through a rough week, when a seasonal flu trickled through, little Roran was first, then Glenn and finally Aerith.

Her poor little man had been hit the hardest. Roran had never been sick like that before, but being six-years-old this was his first year of proper school, and oh how children loved to share the good and the bad.

"I'd offer you a cup of tea, but I think I'm down to bowls. If you're visiting Aerith I'd appreciate a mug-rescue if you could grab a few, she has a drink and leaves the mug where it lands." Oh, but where were her manners? She was so tired, she forgot a proper welcome, her arms opened for a non-negotiable hug. She wasn't infected, and she hoped his treatment as a SOLDIER meant he would be alright for a quick visit.

There was always chores that needed to be done, even when there were no missions in progress; firewood for the hearth, laundry taken down from the line when dry, food to be foraged or prepared, chocobo stables to be mucked out. The list went on and on and he liked that; it was good to have a list of jobs that he could focus on and tick off.

Dropping the chopped wood into the big basket by the fire, the teenager offered a smile to Ifalna as she hugged him and made her plea for a kitchenware rescue; the kind woman had been run ragged all week. "Course I'll grab them, and Lucia said she'll bring over a pot of stew later, so you don't have to worry about cooking."

Poor little Roran was asleep on the small couch, all bad-humoured and fed up of being sick. Up the narrow stairs and he found two mugs on the window sill that overlooked the wooden lift in Cosmo Canyon, another plate on the table in the hallway and two glasses on the floor outside her room. Stacking those things together, Kunsel gave a knock on the door of Aerith's room and waited for her permission to come in.

"Hey stranger, just checking to see if you've skipped town." It was a tease, but a lighthearted one; he hadn't seen her on almost a week now and he missed his partner in crime. Aerith stuck her tongue out in retaliation and Kunsel chuckled as he dutifully went around the room and gathered the mugs and cups from the places of abandonment.

"I swung by the market earlier, thought you could use some cheering up." The teenager handed over two candy bars, a book he had seen her eying last week and a pink ribbon that Aerith had dallied over for a bit too. He had been so sure of the gift, but now that he handed it over, Kunsel felt his stomach drag down in doubt and went about gathering the last mug behind the flower vase, trying to hide the embarrassed colour in his cheeks. "- if you don't like it, I can get a different colour?"

@holyguardian

[candycryptids]

OC Smash Or Pass: Mochiie Kaisuri edition-

Rules: pretty self explanatory. include physical descriptions or pics, and propaganda. the “other” label can be used for “sexuality misalignment” (ie: oc is femme and you’re gay, vice versa or you aren’t into smashing but a specific thing you wanna do with them like perhaps hug or study them under a microscope idc).

Got tagged by @cindernet-explorer , @selnyam AND @gatheredfates and I know I did this once for Tangy but idr who got to take credit for that tag so 🙏 forgive me

If you wanna do this I’m tagging you. I’m so srs rn.

The Basics-

Height: [approximated] 179 cm or 5’9 (short for a m’ra!)

Age: 29

Gender: GNC Cis Man (He/Him)

Sexuality: Pansexual (gender does not play a role in his attraction)

The Good

Good with kids of all ages and animals of many sizes

He can cook! And will cook for you! Actually he’ll insist.

Willing to make the decisions if you’re uncertain, like where to eat or where to go.

He’s soft and warm :) (Fur AND body hair) and likes using nice smelling soaps and oils for his hair/skin

Will make you a lunch to go in the morning if you’re going to work/adventure! He worries about you. Packs you an extra potion.

Will always turn up to help you move or offer you a couch to crash on even if you’re not dating.

The Bad

Collects Chocobo hatchlings the same way Batman collects orphans or Ash Ketchum catches ‘em all. They all have names. He gets a little sad if you get them wrong.

Has a drinking problem, but won’t admit to it or acknowledge it. Doesn’t actually see it as a Problem. Drinks when stressed, and socially.

Forgets to take care of himself while rushing around taking care of others, and sometimes misplaces his glasses. Which he very much needs to see.

Can’t handle spicy food. Like, at all. He likes the taste of it, but it plays hell on his stomach.

Isn’t actually that much of a romantic in practice and can forget to pay extra attention to his partner, treating them the same as everyone else until you’re alone together again.

The Bonus Disc

Likes nature and hikes and casual walks, and stargazing

Believes in Fate and is always interested if someone offers to read his fortune in the cards- even if they have bad news. He’s grit-teeth optimism when regular optimism isn’t available.

Wants a big family, but isn’t super picky on how that works out? Like, if it’s adoption, if it’s his partner, or if it’s just him, his flock of Chocobo, his partner(s???) and a garden patch.

Should really write home more often but doesn’t.

Is a guy that usually Knows A Guy, if he can’t help you with whatever your problems are, he can likely point you to someone he personally knows that can.

He has ‘two of them’

ROMANTICALLY: when it’s just the two of you, he’s like a fairytale prince. Charming and sweet and doting. You might have trouble doing anything because he wants to do it for you. When he’s around others… hes not one to flaunt a relationship and overcompensates that by treating everybody the same.

SEXUALLY: He’s comfortable being in control and likes leather and bondage. Leaves plenty of hickeys and bruises while knowing if you asked he’d heal (most) of them for you. Is quietly into scarification as a show of devotion, but won’t bring it up with casual flings, or even most serious flings. He just likes the idea of leaving permanent marks on each other people can see as opposed to the invisible ones left on memory/soul/life

[altocat]

>:D

To Genesis and Angeal: Just because I’m the cheese anon, doesn’t mean I can’t be allergic to it. I’m the cheese anon brave I like seeing other people enjoy what I can’t.

To the boys™️: *Gently pats Zack’s hair, gives Cloud another Chocobo stuffed animal and hugs Sephiroth* My group of sons.

To Kunsel: *trying to find out what he’s not allergic to* Does this guy have anything be can safely eat :(

To Lazard: …. I’ll take that as a yes. *hands him four pieces of paper, with cat, chinchilla, dog and other on them* which one do you want. I suggest chinchilla because they are very fluffy and cute, but you choose.

I have made cheese biscuits tonight in your honor.

Genesis and Angeal have generously attempted to make special MAGIC CHEESE that does not trigger any reactions. The power of Materia! Or rather, the waste of Materia. But for a noble cause!

The boys™️ are being very good and very well behaved now that there are cats involved <333

Kunsel is not allergic to meat. *gives him tendies*

LAZARD WITH A CHINCHILLA IN HIS OFFICE WOULD BE SO CUTE SEDFGHFD HE'S GIVING ONE OF HIS SERIOUS PROTOCOL READINGS AND THERE'S A FRIGGIN CHINCHILLA IN ITS CUTE LITTLE HOUSE NEAR HIS DESK SDFGHJGFD