#day 23: on cloud nine

[starres-stuff]

Day 23: On Cloud Nine FFXIV Writes 2024

CW/TW: Difficult Childhood, Difficult relationship with parent

On Cloud Nine: to be extremely happy and excited

“It was difficult being around her at times. It felt like she could suck the happiness out of a room in one breath. I remember the summer I was accepted to train as a ballet dancer for one of the larger Ishgardian groups. I ran to her office with the letter in my hand, I was so excited to have the chance and all she did was pluck it out of my hands, ball up the invitation, and toss it in the garbage. All while looking right through me and simply saying no.” 

Viviane's nose crinkled profoundly as she finished telling Xixa the tale, the pair had been exchanging stories about their childhood and their parents as they baked cookies and iced cakes for the next day's business. The long hours they often spent together in the small bakery they have created a friendship between them that went beyond mentor and student as they had once been when Viviane first arrived in the Shroud. 

“Something I learned from my Mother that yours could have used. You can't take your issues out on your children. You are responsible for letting them live out their lives while gently nudging them forward to adulthood. I can't tell ya the number of times I pretended to be on Cloud Nine for one of my girls, all the while crying on the inside because I had a shitty day, even when my Liri came home pregnant at seventeen I hid all the things I wanted to say because she was happy.” 

Xixa lifted her arm, her hand dragging across her forehead to wipe away the tiny beads of sweat that had formed from having the four ovens going. The good thing was the Shroud was preparing for another autumn season and the temperatures were not as bad as they had been all summer, but the heat these ovens could pump out was enough to feel like you were in one of those sweat lodges she had seen at those new-fangled spa places she kept hearing about. What she did not realize was that she had left streaks of flour going up into her mostly jet-black hair, which made it look like her natural silver streaks had grown bigger. 

“You can't punish your children for your life, always remember that if you have your own. Hurts like the hells bit you when you realize what you missed out on but it is for the best.” 

Across the room at another oven, Vi was taking stacks of chocolate chip mint cookies from the oven and setting them on the rack before placing another full pan in and setting the timer for them to back. These conversations had always made her feel like she had found the Sister she wanted in Xixa, the Viera was older than she and had experienced many things that she was willing to share. “She was a very cold woman, colder than even me. Even when we reconnected after she arrived in Gridania, she was aloof at best. I would try to get her to talk about family history or the things that I needed to know about running the house or managing its assets. She would hand me books of instructions to read and she would wave me off like I was some staff member being shooed off to work so I stopped bothering her. The odd thing was, she was much kinder to everyone else than she was to me.” 

All Xixa could do was shake her head “Well anytime you have good news you want to share come see Vi if your husbands aren't home. I'll hoot and holler with you, dance around on cloud nine. I don't make light of how that woman treated you. Your Aunt Doshaine used to tell me the same about her Sister. Only met her once myself. She handed me her bag and coat like I was house staff. Doshaine apologized to me for that for turns. The thing is as we get older, I think we have to be our, own, parents if it makes sense. What happened, happened. It is behind you now, but the things that make you feel the worst, change them into things you like or ways you would have enjoyed. Used to tell one of my patients to talk to herself, adult to child when the memories hit her, you are safe now after all. That woman has no power here.” 

Outside there was a sudden clap of thunder and three cracks of lightning, then the rain came, the sound of it hitting the roof made Vi look up towards the ceiling. “It’s creepy how when you or Dimitri give advice there is a storm.” It was a change of topic, but Xixa understood it, some things were too hard to talk about. They took time to take seed and grow in a person’s mind. 

“Maybe it’s Shroud Magic, maybe it is a coincidence.” Xixa grinned and gave Vi a wink. “Don’t rattle your pan about it too much, girl, it will leave you confused and without answers.” 

[http-tokki]

~tags/cw: mature content, pregnancy, allusions to abortion, establish relationships, aged up characters (23-25) katsuki is not ready to be a 23 year old teenage parent, domesticity.

a/n: this is a draft dump. it’s not proofread or edited. idk the word count x

“ ‘Suki, I need you to come here” your voice shakes as you stare down into the bathroom sink. “Now, please”

You wait and listen and when there is a lack of footsteps coming your way, you call again. “Bakugou. Bathroom, please”

A groan comes from the living room, then the sound of the couch moving and then footsteps. “Bakugou? Am I in troub-woah, what’s going on?”

Katsuki stops in the doorway, brows furrowing as he takes in the sight of you leaning over the sink, eyes trained on the drain. He had seen you like this before and it was usually before you started heaving your guts up and you called him to hold your hair, but you were so still, he didn’t think you were about to puke.

“Can you look at these and tell me if I’m going crazy?” Your voice is small.

These?

Katsuki steps into the bathroom, fear creeping into his stomach at the unknown and when he peaks over your shoulder, his heart all but stops.

Sitting in the porcelain basin is three positive pregnancy tests. No faint lines or maybe yes’s. Three bright pink plus signs staring at him from what was once his peaceful baby free bathroom sink.

“Ahhh…” he starts, unsure of his ability to form a coherent sentence, and backs away from your shoulder. “You….ummm”

You sigh. “Yep that’s what I thought”

Bakugou watches as you turn to face him, as you sink to the floor and pull your knees to your chest, eyes starting to cloud with tears.

“What…. Do?” His mouth is opening and closing as if he is gasping for air. “Are we?”

“I don’t really know” you answer is unformed questions, shaking your head. “I just need to sit and think for a second”

He nods and joins you on the floor. Your breathing is heavy as you desperately try to stop the room from spinning, the fear rising in your stomach as the weight of reality sinks down on your shoulders. You can feel the weight, the heaviness on the situation pushing down, shoving you to the floor in a harsh jolt but you don’t hit the tiles. You sink through the concrete and down down down into the earth below. You’re not ready to be a mum, to carry a baby for nine months and then be it’s caregiver for the rest of your life. You’re barely an adult, how were you meant to be a parent?!

You hear Katsuki talking next to you but it’s as if you’re underwater. His voice is garbled and unintelligible. Katsuki. What did he want? You can’t ask him to give up his career for a baby. He’s barely a pro and now this. He-

“Hey, you need to breathe!” Hot hands on your shoulders pull you back to reality. “You’re going to pass out so take a breath, please”

You blink away the tears, eyes clearing as you return to the bathroom. Air rushes into your lungs as you open your mouth.

“Okay, and now out” he instructs.

Your body sags as the air leaves. You both repeat the steps of manual breathing until you’re back, chest moving in a natural rhythm and even then, he doesn’t let go of you.

“Katsuki, I don’t know what to do” you admit, defeat lacing your voice.

You know what you want to do but it’s not just you in this situation. It was every much Katsuki’s issues as it was yours.

“What do you want to do?” His voice is uncharacteristically small.

“I don’t- I can’t” You shake your head. “What do you want?”

Katsuki shakes his head. “Nope. It’s your body. You decide. What do you want?”

You take in a deep breath. “I can’t do this. I don’t want this.” you admit.

“Are you sure? You’re not just saying that cause of me?”

“I’m sure. I can’t even feed myself most days I’m not going to be a mother” your voice cracking as your sentence comes to an end.

You watch as Bakugou’s body slumps in relief. “Oh,thank god.” his reprieve is short as he grabs your hands and frantically scrambles to patch up any blows he had made to your ego. “of course i want to have kids with you but one day, i just don’t think i’m, were, ready right now but one day we can have a baby, a million babies if you want but i don’t think that-“

“ ‘suki, you need to breathe” it’s your turn to offer comfort, gripping his hand in yours so hard you worry you might hurt him. “we’re not having this baby but that doesn’t mean that maybe one day, we won’t but right now, it’s not happening.”

Katsuki nods, breathing still frantic but it was slowing, becoming deeper and more even.

“not today.”

“not today. one day, but not today.”

[beemochi-art]

20, 23, and 38 for Oplita, please?

HURRAH!! OPLITA!!!

20) Optimus brought some kittens he found at the side of the road back to base. Now there are a bunch of cats that come and go.

23) Elita for sure. She’s all over him. Optimus is a bit awkward when asking for affection. Or when doing anything affectionate for that matter. But once she picks up on it boom, she pounces.

Op loves it, he just lays back and relaxes…Eventually

38) Elita has had babies (haha milf), so she has experience. Matter a fact she probably has or down to a formula. She’s not perfect, no one is, but she’s pretty damn good. Elita has absolute unconditional love for them. She’s on cloud nine and can see herself having more in the future with Optimus.

Optimus has always retained a level of wisdom and been kinda a fatherly figure to most of the younger bots. But to have kids of his own, he doesn’t know what to think, he’s so overjoyed but also terrified. Op has never really had a good example of how to be, his sire was emotionally distant and very abusive. Op has vowed to be better then him.. but where do you begin?? He’s probably really struggling to keep his emotions in check. His anxiety gets kind of bad sometimes.

He loves them a lot. So much so he confused where I takes his role in all this. Op is fiercely protective of them, staying up most of the night and if he does sleep he get awoken by the smallest sounds, then can’t go back to bed.

He doesn’t know what to do sometimes and doesn’t want to get anything wrong or hurt them. So for a little bit he’s been just doing whatever Elita asks of him and keeping a distance. Waiting on her hand and foot, she can see he’s distressed and not acting right. Luckily Elita is very patient with him, not only that Ironhide has been a surrogate sire for plenty of sparklings. So he’s going to have plenty of help.

Once he gets past all of his emotions and gets out of his own head. He really takes to it well. Elita finally gets some well deserved breaks. (He’s going to feel stupid for getting all worked up over little things.) Elita wasn’t worried, she knew he’d be fine. Optimus can’t stop himself from purring all day everyday.

When they get older op probably has a better understanding of what to do.

[plooto]

⋆˙✧⋆｡ kinkmas day 3 — lingerie + stockings ｡⋆✧˙⋆

warnings ❆. inter-species ! established ! relationship , reader is scientist , pet names ( doll , little colonel , princess , darlin’ , pumpkin ) , cursing , using the ‘lord’s name in vain’ , daddy kink , marking , size kink , lingerie , stockings , fingering , p i v , soft quaritch , pwp .

now playing : baby it’s cold outside ; idina menzel ft michael dublé

1:23 ────|───── 1:23

volume : ▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▯

you couldn’t ignore how frustrated your nine-foot tall boyfriend has been these past few weeks..his shoulders were more tense than normal and you were sure his boss was doing her favorite thing - talking his ear off. you had the night off tonight, working real hard around the freezing bridgehead city, to give your boyfriend some much needed tlc.

except, that was the last thing on your mind - tender loving care. you wanted to make his troubles wash away, and not with deep muscle back rubs.

you’d been hiding a pretty white lace outfit, one you managed to get your hands on after miles mentioned something about seeing you in something different.

“ y’always talkin’ ‘bout lookin’ pretty, right doll? ” you sat up on his stomach, palms pressing against his chest as you looked at him with his favorite pair of eyes - doe like and sinfully innocent. nodding your head, you waited for his response.

“ o‘course, i prefer you with nothing at all, ” he gives you a smirk, tilting his head as big golden eyes raked down your form, drinking in the sight of you. he taps your thigh gently, “ but, somethin’ sheer, the lacey one that cover yer body, what- what’s that called again- ” you look up to the ceiling, eyebrows pulling together as you thought.

“ lingerie? ” you asked with a tilt of your head. he sucked his teeth, flashing you a devious smile as his mind filled with possibilities.

“ that’s the thing..lingerie. ”

and tonight was the night that you would use it - to make his mind numb. you were nervous as you walked from your room to his, praying to the deity the na’vi believed in that no one would look in your direction to notice your legs donned a prettier set of stockings. with pounding heart and shaky hands, you tugged the lab coat tighter as you tried not to listen to how loud your little mary janes were tapping against the grippy floor tile. as you got closer to his room, you moved a bit faster.

“ hey, little colonel. ” your blood went cold as you froze, you were so close. you slowly turned to see corporal lyle.

“ oh, hi lyle. ” your voice cracked, praying he ignored it and the riding heat to your face. he places his hands on his hips and didn’t bother to kneel down to your height,

“ the colonel isn’t in there yet, ” your eyebrows raised to feign surprise. you knew he wasn’t back yet, you were supposed to be the surprise. pulling your head out of the clouds you shuffled uncomfortably on your feet, partially from friction of the lab coat through the lace, partially from the freezing temperatures of the building. lyle took a heavy breath through his respirator, waiting for your response as if fell against his chest.

“ oh! um.. could you tell him i’ll be in here? i- i need to talk to him..about something.. ” the recom before you nodded, eyebrow raising as he committed your request to memory,

“ sure, i’ll pass along the message. ” you thanked him, waiting for him to leave before pressing your thumb to the keypad, tip toeing to reach it. the hiss from the door mimicked the sigh that left your lips. you slipped inside immediately and waited for the door to close. your shoulders dropped with relief as you looked around the room, walking around to decide where you should wait for him. you looked around, your brain moving thousands of miles an hour trying to come up with a plan that would have him weak at the knees. you didn’t hear the door open, but you did hear the thud of his boots against the ground as they got louder and louder.

“ darlin’? lyle said you wanted to talk t’me. ” you turned your head to him, but not turning fully.

“ w- wait! ” you fumbled out, hearing his footsteps halt immediately, you chewed on your bottom lip, deepening it’s color as you thought. cursing under your breath, you removed the lab coat, letting it fall to the ground. you heard his breath hitch, not knowing what to expect, you screwed your eyes shut.

“ y- fuck, turn around f’me. ” swallowing the rising lump in your throat, you did as you were told, not lifting your head from the imaginary dot on the ground.

“ look at me, princess. ” the masses of butterflies in your stomach took flight, yet you couldn’t bring yourself to look up at him. you heard the taps of his boots on the ground, the next moment, you saw his dark camo of his pants bend in front of you, a warm hand cupping under your chin. miles turned your face to force your eyes to look at his,

“ y’did all this f’me? ” you nod shyly. his ears pin back, a gentle smile, one that was exclusively for your eyes only, spreading across his face. “ turn around, lemme take a look at ya. ” when your eyes widen ever so slightly miles places a kiss to your lips, calming your nerves as if he could smell them. your hands went to his wrists, an attempt to keep him there, the need for him to drink away all your frets in the front of your mind.

as miles pulls away from the kiss, his hands move to your waist, giving you a gentle push backwards so he can take a proper look at you. one hand down at his side, the other rests on his knee as he watches you turn with dilated eyes.

“ slower. ” he stretched the o sound, drawing his bottom lip between his teeth - admiring how the hem and how it sunk into the supple flesh of your ass nicely. he resisted giving your plump cheeks a pinch, but he couldn’t help wrapping his fingers around your waist, pulling you to sit on his raised knee. you yelped, not expecting your feet to leave the ground. miles was excited, eyes burning with lust - a feeling he hasn’t felt since his teen years. a feeling only you could provoke.

“ y’don’t know what y’re doin’ to me darlin- ” the hardness in his pants throbbed as you squirmed in his lap, your arousal seeping through the lacy material and the aroma reaching his nose.

“ do y’like it? ” using his speech pattern you inquired. his smirk grew, miles pulled your wrist in his hand, leading you to feel the bulge in his pants - the problem you created. he watched as your face warmed when you felt how hard he was, how hard you made him.

propping you on his bicep, he slipped out of his shoes, sauntering over to the bed before unceremoniously dropping you on it.

“ oomph! mil- ” he silenced you with a hard kiss to your lips. miles quaritch wasn’t a patient man thoroughly displayed when he tore the bottom half of the pretty lace.

“ i’ll find you new ones. ” he reasoned as he sucked harsh kisses into your neck, textured tongue dancing over the dark splotches. large fingers found their way between your thighs, teasing your slicked entrance. you cursed, fingers finding the elastic of the stocking to pull them off.

“ ah-ah.. ” in a swift motion, your hands were pinned above your head, miles sitting up higher to peer at your pouted lips.

“ so pretty. ” he murmured to himself. your lips parted, dead set on scolding him for teasing you, instead a moan tumbled from them.

he pushed a finger into you, groaning as he felt your warmth invite him. his finger was big, you felt full, yet not nearly as full as you should be.

“ ah! mi- ” you started, whimpering when you felt his finger leave leave your core,

“ y’know better than that w’did i teach you? ” you whined, hips grinding against nothing,

“ daddy please~ ” you pleaded, with a smirk he tugged the lace down off your chest, exposing your chest, nipples growing taut from the cold air. you gasped - you should have known this wasn’t going to make it past this night.

“ good girl. ” he growled, head dipping to latch onto your nipple, two fingers plunging inside you to curl at the spongy spot inside your velvety walls.

“ fuck me- ” you cried, head falling back against the pillow as your back arched into his chest. you clenched around him, the stretch being just enough to force your eyes shut with pleasure. you couldn’t contain the moans that fell from your pretty lips as he thrusts his fingers uncoordinatedly inside you, tongue swirling around your nipple.

miles pushed another finger inside you, lips departing from your nipple to watch your eyes screw shut. fuck his hands were so large- you held familiar heat flood your stomach, not giving you a heads up as you made a mess of his hand.

“ fuck- d- daddy ‘m sorry! ” you tried to reason, feeling his fingers leave you immediately.

“ ‘nd you were doing so good pumpkin. so good. ” he tasked, his left hands holding your wrists releasing you before manhandling you onto your stomach. you couldn’t see what he was doing, but you when you heard the clink of his belt and weight shifting behind you. you turned your head to the side, desperate to catch a glimpse of the pretty appendage he donned.

“ ah fuck- m- daddy! ” you cried as the thick head of his cock breached your entrance, miles’ hips working in inch by thick inch. a growl left him as he watched your lips spread around his cock, eyes narrowing at he white ring you left as he pulled his hips back, the head teasing departure. you wanted to whine, to wiggle - to disobey, but a large hand pushed your shoulders, relishing in the feel of the lace beneath his fingers as he pushed you deeper into the sheets. he sunk inside you fully, your belly bulging with nothing but him.

“ christ fuck yer drippin’. ” your eyes rolled back in your head as a choked moan left our lips, bruised from your feeble attempts to muffle your cries. he set a brutal pace, not giving you a second longer to adjust to his size, not like you wanted to. you fisted at the sheets beneath you, desperate to hold onto something as you tried to form coherent sentences, thoughts.

he knew your brain was fried, your pussy told him so. the way you were sucking him in told it all. so he gave you what you wanted, unhindered, unrestrained, his hips snapped with rough thrusts. you wailed, taping against the bed uncoordinatedly.

“ y’gonna cum princess? ” you nodded - tried to. “ use yer words. ” he slowed his hips only a fraction to allow you room to think, to ask for permission just the way he liked it.

“ close- da- fuck! daddy please! can i? ” you pleaded with him, you weren’t near coherent, he wouldn’t be fucking you right if you were. his other hand gripped your hip, imprinting his hand into your skin.

“ hold it. ” he growled, pulling your hips down to meet his with unwavering force, hips stuttering as he felt his balls grow tight.

“ fuck- now princess. c’mon give it t’me. ” he snarled as your body responded immediately, shaking with white hot pleasure as you reached your peak, pulling your dreamwalker boyfriend down with you. a string of curses left his lips as he emptied himself inside you, his stomach tensing with the force of his orgasm.

“ christ. look at the mess y’made. ” he panted, pulling out slowly as he watched his seed slip out of your abused hole. you shivered as you were filled with emptiness, knees sliding out from under you as your hips flattened against the bed. you didn’t notice miles leave the bed, the memories replaying in your mind as your ass throbbed. he kneeled beside you, lips brushing against your ear as he whispered.

“ now y’can take tha stockings off. ”

tags -> @luvv4j4ybe11

[autumnslance]

FFXIV Write 2024: 23 On Cloud Nine

(730ish words of Shadowbringers and a Good Girl)

The stables in their stone home were very comfortable. The stablehands were friendly, there were plenty of adventurers and their mounts to meet—not always chocobos, but no accounting for taste. Great care was taken with the food and water, and there was no shortage of gysahl greens, krakka, or curiel roots. There were toys of all kinds, and a nice little meadow cleared out and reclaimed from the Gloomy Place’s blasted grounds for playtime.

Snowlight was at least content for the moment.

Some of the Scions would come to visit. The small ladies when they could, though they were Very Important And Busy. But the Bow Lady took Snowlight on rides around the lake, or up into the foothills leading toward the Frozen Place. She would let Snowlight gallop as fast as she could while the Bow Lady practiced firing from Snowlight’s back, and that was a lot of fun! They even tried flying a little when she did it, and Snowlight was very careful to not drop her person’s comrade.

Her person had asked Snowlight to wait patiently and be helpful to her friends. She had called Snowlight a good girl and kissed her beak and promised she wouldn’t be long, but wouldn’t be able to call to Snowlight where she had to go.

Snowlight had kweh’d and cuddled her person, who was worried about her friends, sleeping too still. Especially the Sneaky Man; her person liked him the most. And that was all right; he knew how to give proper scritches and what treats were best, and made her person happy. So Snowlight wanted him to wake up, along with the rest of the sleepers. They were all very nice and friends with Snowlight, too.

Her person had left some time ago, and the days turned to weeks turned to moons. Snowlight would have been more concerned, except for the pixie that visited her dreams, crooning about what a pretty bird she was and that her person was just fine.

It had been awhile since the pixie's last visit, though.

The day was like any other; gloomy aether filling the air and obscuring the sun. The stablehands stumbled in early regardless, yawning and joking, making sure everyone had breakfast and water. They took turns letting out some of the long term residents to muck out their stalls, a few adventurers coming to claim their companions. The small friend with the cat-ear hood came to visit Snowlight. She seemed very tired, and Snowlight wished she would get more rest. But she offered treats, and helped the stablehands lead Snowlight out with some others to the meadow to play. She had to leave after that, but that was fine, Snowlight was busy asserting her dominance at kickball against some sprout adventuring birds.

She had almost won when she stopped still on the field, the other chocobos cheering and fluttering as they scored. But the familiar pressure had suddenly returned, like one’s ears popping during a change in altitude.

She trembled, talons flexing into the dirt. Could it be…?

The whistle called to her, and she kweh’d joyously, using its signal and bit of crystal, joined to her own aether, to teleport.

Snowlight was hardly in the River at all when she popped back into the world, in the shadow of the Tower on the other side of the lake. Her person smiled brightly—and then oofed as Snowlight headbutt her in excitement, wings flapping wildly.

“I missed you, too!” her person laughed, burying her face in Snowlight’s feathery neck. There were strange scents and sensations from her person, indicating Things Had Happened. It was very odd that there was a whiff of the Sneaky Man among the new smells, when Snowlight was certain he still slept in the stone house, but she could figure that out later, what mattered now was that Snowlight’s person had returned!

Not like last time. This person had kept her promise.

“Let’s go, Snowlight. I’ve much to tell the others,” her person said, swinging up onto Snowlight’s back, even without a saddle or bridle. She scritched Snowlight’s neck in just the perfect way.

Snowlight kweh’d an agreement and took off—carefully!—for the stone home on the other shore. Her person hugged onto her back and it was the best thing ever, this was the best day ever.

Her person was home!

[myreia]

Sketches of Times Lost

ao3 | tumblr tag | my writing

short stories include spoilers from a realm reborn to endwalker. all stories are set in aureia malathar's canon. [❤] = fave entry/fic that I am proud of [g] = general (all audiences), [t] = teen (some language, more difficult themes), [m] = mature (implied sex, sensuality, strong language, and/or violence), [e] = explicit (mature themes, explicit sex scenes)

Week I

— 01. Steer | [G] Ryne x Gaia | 943 words — 02. Horizon | [G] Alisaie x Tesleen | 2298 words [❤] — 03. Tempest | [M] Sadu x Y'shtola | 1489 words — 04. Reticent | [G] Minfilia x Aureia | 964 words — 05. Stamp | [T] Fordola x Aureia | 1945 words [❤] — 06. Halcyon | [E] Igeyorhm x Iphigeneia (Azem) | 5424 words — 07. Morsel | [G] Alisaie x Tesleen | 967 words

Week II

— 08. Collapse [FREE DAY] | [T] Thancred POV | 1561 words — 09. Lend an Ear | [T] Aymeric x Aureia | 1617 words — 10. Stable | [T] Sidurgu x Aureia, Rielle | 2086 words [❤] — 11. Surrogate | [E] Thancred x Hilda | 2306 words [❤] — 12. Quarry | [G] Thancred & Ryne | 1408 words [❤] — 13. Butte | [T] Aureia & Avi'li | 820 words — 14. Telling | [T] Aymeric & Artoirel | 1600 words

Week III

— 15. Replacement [FREE DAY] | [G] Emet-Selch POV | 973 words — 16. Third-rate | [G] Lyse & Fordola | 1864 words [❤] — 17. Sally | [T] Rielle POV | 2200 words [❤] — 18. Hackneyed | [G] Thancred x Aureia | 1868 words — 19. Taken | [G] Thancred x Aureia | 1219 words — 20. Duel | [G] Alisaie & Aureia | 2189 words — 21. Shade | [M] Sidurgu x Aureia | 2015 words [❤]

Week IV

— 22. Threshold [FREE DAY] | [M] Aymeric x Aureia | 1273 words [❤] — 23. On Cloud Nine | [E] Aymeric x Aureia | 2504 words — 24. Bar | [E] Fordola x Aureia | 1522 words [❤] — 25. Perpetuity | [T] Hythlodaeus & Iphigeneia (Azem) | 1589 words — 26. Zip | [G] Thancred POV | 1294 words — 27. Memory | [T] Meteion & Aureia | 2135 words [❤] — 28. Deleterious | [G] Venat & Iphigeneia (Azem) | 1409 words — 29. Evaporate | [E] Thancred x Aureia | 2010 words — 30. Two Heads Are Better Than One | [M] Sidurgu x Aureia | 2795 words

[thecreaturecodex]

Xiangliu

Image © deviantArt user YunaXD, accessed at her gallery here

[Sponsored by @coldbloodassassin. The xiangliu appears in Guideways through Mountains and Seas as an individual, Xiangliu, who is the minister of the malevolent water god Gonggong. I did consider making it a native or even extraplanar outsider because of that, but ended up going with aberration to stress its connection to nagas. Not that nagas are very aberrant as far as aberrations go...]

Xiangliu CR 14 NE Aberration This creature is an oversized serpent with nine heads and slime coating its scales. Its heads are disturbingly humanoid, but still bear fangs and forked tongues.

Xianglius are sadistic water serpents that delight in spreading disease and stagnant water. They are native to swampy lands, and fight violently against any attempt to drain such swamps or make them suitable for cultivation. Nearby fields are likely to be subject to their attacks, including flooded crops, summoned clouds of malarial mosquitoes and fouling wells and springs. Xianglius sometimes find allegiances with evil druids, daemons of pestilence and famine, or even gods of water who are hostile to civilization.

A xiangliu rarely hesitates to fight. Their bites are not fully venomous, but carry a foul slime that renders creatures bitten weak and queasy. They can spit jets of water with lethal force, and often split their attacks, biting creatures up close while barraging enemies that are more distant. Fighting a xiangliu is often quite frustrating, as the monsters create moats of mud and water to slow anyone approaching on foot, and can manipulate water to isolate and capsize boats. Wise adventurers approach a xiangliu’s lair from the air.

Despite their nine heads, a xiangliu has only one personality; peevish, cruel and sadistic. They are notorious gluttons; one legend is that they have nine heads in order to eat nine different meals at the same time. A xiangliu grows to about twenty feet long. Their lifespans are measured in centuries.

Xiangliu              CR 14 XP 38,400 NE Large aberration (aquatic) Init +6; Senses all around vision,darkvision 60 ft., Perception +22, scent

Defense AC 29, touch 15, flat-footed 23 (-1 size, +6 Dex, +14 natural) hp 190 (20d8+100) Fort +13, Ref +15, Will +16 DR 10/magic; Immune acid, disease, poison, sickness and nausea effects; SR 25

Offense Speed 30 ft., swim 40 ft. Melee 9 bites +20 (1d6+4 plus sickening slime) Ranged 9 water jets +20 (1d8 bludgeoning plus push) Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft. Special Attacks combined arms, mud wave, push (5 ft.) Spell-like Abilities CL 15th, concentration +20 (+24 casting defensively) At will—contagion (DC 18), putrefy food and drink 3/day—control water, insect plague 1/day—plague storm (DC 21), transmute rock to mud

Statistics Str 19, Dex 23, Con 20, Int 18, Wis 19, Cha 20 Base Atk +15; CMB +20; CMD 36 (cannot be tripped) Feats Blind Fight,Combat Casting, Combat Reflexes (B),Deadly Aim, Great Fortitude, Improved Critical (bite), Lightning Reflexes, Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Skill Focus (Stealth), Weapon Finesse Skills Acrobatics +22, Climb +20, Heal +18, Intimidate +21, Knowledge (arcana, geography) +18, Knowledge (nature) +20, Perception +22, Sense Motive +17, Spellcraft +20, Stealth +24, Swim +28; Racial Modifiers +2 Perception Languages Aquan, Common, Draconic SQ amphibious, improved swamp stride, multiheaded reflexes

Ecology Environment any swamps and aquatic Organization solitary Treasure standard

Special Abilities Combined Arms (Ex) When using a full attack action, a xiangliu can divide its nine attacks up between bites and water jets. Improved Swamp Stride (Su) A xiangliu can move without penalty through natural or magically manipulated mud, water, or vegetation native to swamp environments. Insect Plague (Sp) When a xiangliu uses its insect plague spell-like ability, it summons mosquito swarms instead of wasp swarms. Mud Wave (Su) As a standard action, a xiangliu can create a burst of mud and water in a twenty foot radius centered on itself. All creatures in the area take 14d6 points of bludgeoning damage and are knocked prone. A DC 25 Reflex save halves the damage and negates the prone effect. The area affected by the mud wave becomes difficult terrain for the next minute. A xiangliu can use this ability three times per day, but must wait 1d4 rounds between uses. The save DC is Charisma based. Multiheaded Reflexes (Ex) A xiangliu gains Combat Reflexes as a bonus feat. It can make as many attacks of opportunity in a round as it has heads. Sickening Slime (Ex) A creature bitten by a xiangliu must succeed a DC 25 Fortitude save or be sickened for 1 round. Failing additional saves increases the duration of the sickened effect by 1 round per save failed. The save DC is Constitution based. Water Jet (Su) A xiangliu can spit water from one of its mouths as a standard action, and up to all nine as a full attack. Treat each water jet as a ranged attack from a projectile weapon with a range increment of 20 feet. Attacks with water jets do not provoke attacks of opportunity. A creature struck by a water jet takes 1d8 points of bludgeoning damage and is exposed to the xiangliu’s push attack.

[yzeltia]

FFXIVwrite 2024 Master Post

Total Word Count: 37,168 Longest Story: Devastation/Windmill/Curse @ 3,248 Top Posts of 2024 (Sept 30)Tumblr: Halycon AO3: Telling Top Posts of All FFXIV Writes (Sept 30 2024) Tumblr: Missed the Boat AO3: Nuzzle

*Indicates that the story takes place during that Expansion's timeline but otherwise spoiler free.

Day 1 (Shb): Steer Day 2 (DT): Horizon Day 3 (DT): Tempest Day 4 (DT): Reticent Day 5 (EW): Stamp Day 6: (DT): Halcyon Day 7: (EW): Morsel Day 8: (EW)*: Wedding Vows Day 9: (DT) Lend an Ear Day 10: (EW) Stable Day 11: (DT) Surrogate Day 12: (EW) Quarry Day 13: (EW) Butte Day 14: (EW) Telling Day 15: (EW) Misdirection Day 16: (EW) Third-Rate Day 17: (EW)* Sally Day 18: (EW)* Hackneyed Day 19: (EW) Taken Day 20: (EW)* Duel Day 21: (DT) Shade Day 22: (DT) Convergence Day 23: (DT) On Cloud Nine Day 24: (DT)* Bar Day 25: (EW) Perpetuity Day 26: (EW)* Zip Day 27: (EW)* Memory Day 28: (DT) Deleterious Day 29: (EW)* Devastation/Windmill/Curse Day 30: (DT) Two Heads Are Better Than One

Below is my calendar of blorbos! My goal this year was to not let the blorobs touch to ensure I spread my attention around! Archon symbol is for vignettes. Azem symbol is for my WOL Trio.

[rush-the-stars]

cielo is bullying my brain: day 23

mechanic wolfwood is such a sweetie. sooooo 98 wolfwood coded. you know if you come to him with car issues, ones that other places tried to rip you off with, he'll scold you that you almost fell for it. he'll do it for half price. is that bad for his business- yes. but it's okay, he'll just charge livio extra next time. if you have any small handyman things you need help with, pop in to ask him, wolfwood will happily help. him leaning against the hood of a car or on the counter, just bantering with you and smitten during his lunch break.

we haven't even gotten to his looks, god...GODDDDD. the image of him wiping oil off his hands with a dirty rag, talking to himself about how his hands are always a mess. (don't even get me started on wolfwood talking to himself, i have so many thoughts about it. both sickingly sweet and foul ones.) call me disgusting but sweat stains on his jumpsuit are kinda- it's a little- FINE FINE I'LL LEAVE. I'LL GET OUT. LET ME HAVE FUN.

DAY 23 JKDLSJKFS

OH HES SUCH A SUCKER I CAAAAANT. livio gets so fed up w him!!!! sees you bring your car in and sees wolfwood be the one to hustle over to you. ask you whats going on all sweet. livio is shaking his damn head. everyone is!!! they already know you're gonna get half off. atp they have what they call a 'sweetheart discount' or something just for you.

feel like mechanic wolfwood is weirdly respectful in a way too like livio always asks "why don't you just ask her out already?" and he's like, you think she needs me barking up her tree? i just fix her car. thats inappropriate. but you ask for his number sometime and hes OVER THE MOON! he's on cloud nine!!!

HIS LOOKS..,.,ANON...,.,i fear this may be one of the most stupidly hot versions of him. i just can't get over the idea of him in some of those mechanic jumpers but of course he's got it unzipped to show off his chest. or the top half off to show off his chest and arms. OUGH.

also CRYINNGGG at the sweat stains. unfortunately he looks way too good. unfortunately this is doing something heinous to me.

[avampyone]

FFXIVWrite 2024 Master list

I held off on creating a master list initially since I wasn't 100% certain I would be able to finish these. I was going through stressful RL situations last year and wasn't able to complete it then- I'm glad to be in a better place to do so this year!

------------

Prompt #1: Steer - A New Path

Prompt #2: Horizon - In His Snare

Prompt #3: Tempest - Of Love and Duty

Prompt #4: Reticent - The Wingman

Prompt #5: Stamp - Letter from the Lost Days

Prompt #6: Halcyon - A Visitor at Dusk

Prompt #7: Morsel - Serendipity

Prompt #8: Brain rest day

Prompt #9: Lend an Ear - The Outsider

Prompt #10: Stable - Synthesis Failed

Prompt #11: Surrogate - Never Forgotten

Prompt #12: Quarry - Promise

Prompt #13: Butte - The Prime Suspect

Prompt #14: Telling - Haunted

Prompt #15: Brain rest day

Prompt #16: Third-rate - Wayward Son

Prompt #17: Sally - The Night's Embrace

Prompt #18: Hackneyed - Unexpected Meeting

Prompt #19: Taken - A Little Warmth

Prompt #20: Duel - The Dreamers

Prompt #21: Shade - A Long-awaited Reunion

Prompt #22: Brain rest day

Prompt #23: On Cloud Nine: The Last Waltz

Prompt #24: Bar: More Mezcal

Prompt #25: Perpetuity: Aesthete

Prompt #26: Zip - Camouflage

Prompt #27: Memory - Beguiling Dark

Prompt #28: Deleterious - Rendezvous

Prompt #29: Brain rest day

Prompt #30: Two Heads Are Better Than One: Serenity

[sparrowsong-7]

Sparrow's FFXIV Write 2024 Masterpost

Finally compiling all of my fics together into one master list for ease of reading.

Day 1: Steer Day 2: Horizon Day 3: Tempest Day 4: Reticent Day 5: Stamp Day 6: Halcyon Day 7: Morsel Day 9: Lend an Ear Day 10: Stable Day 11: Surrogate Day 12: Quarry Day 13: Butte Day 14: Telling Day 15: Together (Free Day) Day 16: Third-Rate Day 17: Sally Day 18: Hackneyed Day 19: Taken Day 20: Duel Day 21: Shade Day 22: Time (Free Day) Day 23: On Cloud Nine Day 24: Bar Day 25: Perpetuity Day 26: Zip Day 27: Memory Day 28: Deleterious Day 29: Here (Free Day) Day 30: Two Heads Are Better Than One

[kootiepatra]

#FFxivWrite2024 - Day 23: On Cloud Nine

The Crystal Exarch was a patient man. He had grown to be. He had no other choice. 

Yet even still, he felt himself becoming restless. He rocked back and forth on his heels. He drummed his fingers against his staff. He could not pull his eyes away from the towering crystalline mirror before him—even though at present, all that was displayed upon it was a dim, gray circle, flickering in and out of focus. It was a tenuous connection, but it was something.

It had been days since he had finally made contact with the Warrior of Light. 

While of course there was no “day” or “night” as such to judge it by, the Crystal Tower had its own devices for marking the passage of time. And the Exarch had watched every single hour elapse as they happened. He could do naught else.

Lyna was doing a fine job of limiting which visitors were allowed to call upon him, but, of course, some business was too urgent to ignore. With what scant few meetings were unavoidable, he found himself barely present, glancing back at the mirror frequently, probing the rift with his aetheric senses between every exchanged word. When business concluded, he resumed his post, keeping vigilant watch at the nothingness.

Surely, she should have found the beacon by now, yes?

He reminded himself that she would require time. 

Cringing to himself, he considered that she probably even required time to wake up. After his numerous near-misses had summoned her companions, his latest attempt had succeeded in finding her… but only her consciousness. Thank the gods, he had been able to return her to her own body, but he could only guess at what her recovery from such an ordeal might require.

In the moment of that encounter, he had been forced to improvise. He needed to both figure out how to more precisely find her, and to convince her to stop resisting his call. He could not risk bringing her to the First in an incomplete state—what he planned to ask of her would require her whole being. And besides… Norvrandt was running out of time. 

He could not keep failing like this.

He concocted the idea of the beacon mid-conversation with her. While traversing the rift was unimaginably complex, and rife with risk besides, sending something—something small, something inanimate—should be within his means to achieve. It would give him a simple target, one he knew intimately. The beacon would be easy for him to find. And thus, so would anyone who took hold of it.

And if the Warrior of Light went and sought it out, then it would mean she was agreeing to meet him. Something in her will would be reaching out to his. That should be enough to bridge the gap he himself had been unable to surmount thus far. 

But since he had come up with the idea in the very short time he had with her, he could only offer to her the vague concept of “a beacon” and a location. It was up to him, after he had already sent her back, to determine what that should be. After scouring his quarters in the tower for something, anything, that would look like “a beacon” and not “a random Allagan artifact”, he had settled on the medallion of the Ironworks. He figured it would look immediately recognizable, but clearly out of place, hopefully warranting closer inspection.

He could only pray it was obvious enough. 

He glanced at the tower’s internal chronometer again. Another hour had gone by. With the Source’s timeline in near-equivalence to his own, the waiting felt that much more agonizing. He wondered if this was going to work. He wondered how long he could afford to give her before he had to try to summon her again, with the aid of the beacon or without it. He wondered if he had accidentally teleported the blasted thing into a wall.

What would he even do if she…

Hold on a moment.

The image on the mirror flickered. Of course it did; it had been for days. But something seemed different. Distant as it was, the beacon only allowed him the smallest and dimmest glance into the Source, but he thought he saw—was that motion?

He poured all of his concentration into the mirror, straining for anything to tell him more. Had someone found it? Was it who he hoped it was? He heard voices, distant and muffled. He could not make out words. But it struck a bell of recognition from something far, far in his past. Come on, come on…

And then he heard her.

She was there.

He began a quiet, frantic spell, trying to grasp the beacon itself, trying to sense its surroundings more thoroughly. He detected a warmth. Then he detected a presence. Sigils and arcane formulae spun into visibility before him in the Ocular, patterns of light floating in space, describing the beacon’s surrounds. Most of it was an indistinct, muddied mess, too far outside of his recent efforts to clearly register anything legible. But there. Bright and in the center. That was what he had been trying to lock onto through the rift these five years.

“Now… now I have you,” he gasped, as he reached out to that aetheric signature. He grabbed hold of it. A surge of power rushed through him as the magic connected.

Gods, but her will was strong. He tugged, but was unable to pull. He felt her wresting herself away from his grasp—on instinct, he had to assume. She would not have the beacon if she was not willing to answer him. Those muffled voices he had heard all began speaking at once, sounding concerned. 

Talk her through it, G’raha. Help her not to panic.

“Stay with me,” he begged her. “Focus on my voice!”

He had no idea how long this window of opportunity would last. He felt the resistance tentatively relaxing. He had no time to lose. He went straight to the incantation.

Let expanse contract, eon become instant… throw wide the gates, that we may pass!

He cried aloud as he pulled with all of his strength, trying to achieve what he had yet been unable to do: bring an entire person through the unrelenting barrier of the rift.

The interior of the Ocular flashed. A rush of aether.

Then it was quiet.

Panting for breath, he drew the arcane sigils back into the air, and reached out to the Source once more. He found the beacon there… but not the Warrior of Light’s aetheric signature. He dismissed the spell, and began anew, casting his senses into the rift. Please be there, please be… THERE. She was on her way.

“YES!!” he shouted aloud, quite against his better judgment. He briefly thanked the gods that the Crystal Tower walls were so thick. He could scarcely see straight—partly from the exertion, but mostly from the relieved joy. It had worked! After so much waiting, and the sacrifices of so many people, it was happening. He barely knew what to do with himself. He paced eager circles in front of the mirror. He allowed himself another shout of triumph, which echoed around the circular crystal of the Ocular as he shook his fists in the air.

“We have done it, my friends,” he whispered to a generation far in the future and on a different world. “There is hope yet.”

Dear gods. It had worked!

He pulled his cowl low over his face and fought to catch his breath—a difficult task, given how his heart was racing. The thrill of success mingled with a boyish joy for soon being reunited with his long-time hero. He had imagined that starstruck part of him to have long since gone dormant, but no, here it was, giving him butterflies and causing him nearly to forget himself. 

This is not a reunion; it is a first meeting. You are not G’raha Tia; you are the Crystal Exarch. She is not your hero; she is THE hero, the hero of the Source, and that is why you have summoned her. You must stay calm. You must reveal nothing. Pull yourself together.

He exhaled several slow, deep breaths, readied his staff, and assumed the posture of a dignitary. He was grateful that the journey through the rift took some time. It gave him a moment to collect himself. This was good. He was ready. He waited for her to appear before him.

…And waited for her.

…And waited, with increasing concern.

He searched the rift with his magic once more, and did not find her. He reached out to the beacon, and only found that gray nothingness once more. Trying not to panic, he spun around to the mirror and began searching his own plane. THANK THE GODS. There she was, clearly displayed, slowly peeling herself off the ground, looking as if she was shaking off a massive headache—and surrounded entirely by lavender trees.

Oh no.

Still coasting on the adrenaline, the Crystal Exarch spun on his heels, and sprinted for the door.

[thewritersaddictions]

Day Seventeen: Steddie x Y/n

“So pretty like this baby.” Steve whispers into your ear. His voice is smooth like butter and his hands are the same as they take up your frame.

Sitter in Steve Lapp Eddie between your wide open legs. He takes advantage of your open stance. “So fuckin, wet for us.” Eddie’s rough and deep voice gets you going almost every time he speaks. Rough voice paired with calloused hands that keep rubbing up and down your inner thighs.

Top discarded long ago as Steve plays with your budding nipples. Bare for the both of them to play with. Eddie kisses up your inner thighs. Scratchy bread on both your thighs and your neck.

You are the ultimate play thing.

The touch from the both of them is intoxicating. Your moans and groans don’t fall on deaf ears instead the pair encourage you to be vocal even on the couch in Steve’s living room.

“Come doll face I know you’ve got more than just those pitiful moans.” Eddie teases you. Kisses on your shoulder blade and soft grazes of fingers on your breasts cause you to cry out for more.

“There she is, always such a shy girl until she’s being touched.” Eddie teases more. Steve breath causing ripples of shivers down your spine as he whispers soft and encouraging things into your ears.

Such a contrast you think to yourself. As your moans become wanton due to the subtle touches that keep happening all over your strained and tense body.

“We haven’t even touched you yet baby.” Steve says sweetly into your ear. The feeling of wet kitten licks on your clit make your scream. Screams that bounce off the walls. Screams that cause police to be called because people think that someone being murdered at the Harrington household.

Steve and Eddie love those wanton moans, those screams that make you not even realize that you’ve reached your climax. Climbed over the hill of high.

All while you’re on cloud nine. Steve and Eddie sit there watching as their play thing, that they’ve barely touched cums hard. Hard erections pressing into the material of their jeans and sweats. It’s hard not to ignore, but tonight was about you.

They own you. Mind, body and soul. They’re little slut of a plaything.

Completed on: 07/21/23

Posted on: 10/17/23

Kinktober 23- @lanad3lreyscokewhor3 @homelanderscumdump @hummusxx@chvnsdimple @vvitzvafflezvv @lokisivy @claud-blood0703 @iliketoreads-stuff @all-that-glitters-is-treasure@clearscissorsbonkgiant-blog @lxonix--ac @piecesofx @mortallyswimmingpainter @playwithfire99 @fucak @everythingneytiri @lovetheos @xxxxxoseungxoooo @durazopato @hotpead42069 @oddseabiscuit @capoda @witching-hour @viviwows @lover103 @alexlovesfiction @katiecat10 @electricfans @jianasmind @max-505 @powerbun21o @the-horny-simp @missy420-0 @jaq-dav @arescosplays

Stranger Things Master List // The Adults Master List // Kinktober '23

[irisopranta]

FFXIV Write Day 23 - On Cloud Nine

Stephanivien couldn’t believe that he was holding his daughter. The months were tiring for his wife but he could tell that she was on cloud nine. Excited for them to have their first child. Both mother and child were resting after their ordeal. Stephanivien couldn’t help but gaze at them both.

He took his daughter to the rocking chair to continue snuggling with her. He was pleased with how everything was going. Though he couldn’t help but worry about how she would navigate Ishgard life and one being a noble woman. Would she even want that life. But for now, he wants to enjoy having his baby girl in his arms.

[eikonoklast]

FFxivWrite2024 Masterpost

I may as well put these all together in one place for easier access! Now that it's over and all. I'll do the ones that are connected stories in blue - so those you would read in order of posting. The rest don't require this. It's more of an anthology.

Day 1: Steer - Day 2: Horizon - Day 3: Tempest - Day 4: Reticent - Day 5: Stamp - Day 6: Halcyon - Day 7: Morsel - Day 8: [Free Day]

Day 9: Lend an Ear - Day 10: Stable - Day 11: Surrogate - Day 12: Quarry - Day 13: Butte - Day 14: Telling - Day 15: [Free Day]

Day 16: Third-rate - Day 17: Sally - Day 18: Hackneyed - Day 19: Taken - Day 20: Duel - Day 21: Shade - Day 22: [Free Day]

Day 23: On Cloud Nine - Day 24: Bar - Day 25: Perpetuity - Day 26: Zip - Day 27: Memory - Day 28: Deleterious - Day 29: [Free Day]

Day 30: Two Heads are Better Than One

[autumnslance]

LynMars's FFXIV Write 2024 Master Post

We're back again! The list and links for all of my completed prompts for this year's FFXIV Write. Stats and ramblings about writing will go under the Read More cut. Eventually these will be revised in some manner and tossed onto Ao3.

Asterisks again mean there's wolship nonsense happening.

01. Steer - Vignettes of less sociable times over Aeryn's life. 02. Horizon - WoL at the end of Ultima Thule, EW 6.0. 03. Tempest - WoL returns to Amaurot to contemplate, EW 6.4. 04. Reticent - C'oretta & Dark Autumn have a chat. Sort of. 05. Stamp - Aeryn finds a memento while cleaning, post-EW 6.0 06. Halcyon - Tanzel, Emelia, & understanding grief. Backstory. 07. Morsel - Zenos heading to Camp Broken Glass, EW 6.0. 08. Free Day! 09. Lend an Ear - Emperor Varis is very much alone. StB patches. 10. Stable - Hydaelyn as the avatar of Light. Endwalker. 11. Surrogate - Weird West AU. Unexpected new roles for the Strikers. 12. Quarry* - Dominants AU. Thavnair comes to Tural's aid. DT 7.0. 13. Butte - Dark Autumn versus seedkin in Xak Tural. DT 7.0. 14. Telling - WoL reflects on Emet-Selch's expected reaction. EW 6.0. 15. Free Day! 16. Third-Rate - Aeryn's annoyed by the Unbound. DT Role Quests. 17. Sally - Dark pays a final visit to a traitor, post-StB 4.1. 18. Hackneyed* - Aeryn, Thancred, & terrible literature. 19. Taken - A young wood warder tries to save his sibling. Backstory. 20. Duel - Wuk Lamat's challenge does not go as expected. DT 7.0. 21. Shade - WoL ruminates on some of their ghosts. Thru DT 7.0. 22. Free Day! 23. On Cloud Nine - A chocobo & her Warrior of Light. End ShB 5.0. 24. Bar - 2 different adventurers starting out. Legacy & ARR. 25. Perpetuity - Aeryn, Deryk, & questions of faith. EW 24man raid. 26. Zip - C'oretta helping out Hamon at the Coliseum. Technically DT. 27. Memory - In a future, music makes Iyna remember. EW Patches. 28. Deleterious - Aeryn & Shale discuss regulators & history. DT 7.0. 29. (Free) Deleterious 2* - Thancred & self-recrimination. ShB 5.0. 30. Two Heads are Better than One - Gulool Ja Ja muses. DT 7.0.

Previous years: 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023

Ended up a touch Aeryn-heavy this year, though Generic WoL, various NPCs, the other OCs, forays in the FC's AUs, and some supporting family cast members make appearances. There's even a callback to a previous FFXIV Write entry. Lots of Endwalker and Dawntrail due to recency bias, but it manages to span the spectrum from backstories through various expansions.

I only did 1 Free Day, due to having 2 solid ideas I ended up writing for that prompt. It was right at the end of my annual birthday vacation week, so I was pretty rested (may also be why they're among the longer entries!). Unusually, the rest of that week's works are not any longer than the others.

I'm also still working on some original writing, though, so that did cut into fanfiction time.

Below 500 words: #2 Horizon (347), #3 Tempest (415), #7 Morsel (499), #10 Stable (400), #13 Butte (477), #14 Telling (355), #17 Sally (464), #20 Duel (499), #24 Bar (462).

500 - 1,000 words: #1 Steer (944), #4 Reticent (581), #5 Stamp (588), #11 Surrogate (964), #12 Quarry (844), #16 Third-Rate (564), #18 Hackneyed (577), #19 Taken (915), #21 Shade (764), #23 On Cloud Nine (728), #25 Perpetuity (958), #26 Zip (592), #27 Memory (810), #30 Two Heads are Better than One (500).

Over 1,000 words: #6 Halcyon (2,479), #9 Lend an Ear (1,326), #28 Deleterious (1,099), #29 Deleterious 2 (1,231).

Shortest: #2 Horizon Longest: #6 Halcyon

Total: 20,382 words. Not my shortest but far from my longest. Comparing with the previous years, I can see a clear improvement in my grasp of both NPC and OC voices, and more confidence in general.

Even so, "Butte", "Sally", "Bar", and "Zip" were the hardest for me this year, and I may need to warm up to them. I love "Halcyon" for a lot of reasons, and am also fond of the lighter offerings in "Duel" and "On Cloud Nine." I like a lot of the others, particularly when trying to get into NPC heads (even if they're really weird places to be ffs, Zenos).

Not too many shippy entries this year, one of them for one of the AUs, one mostly talking about it rather than seeing it, but I like "Hackneyed" a lot as it's been awhile since I've written about Aeryn & Thancred's literary tastes (and opposite ways of treating their books).

These will eventually be revised and added to Ao3, and then we await next year!