#do no wol pieces count

[amoebaforce]

How would you think the scions react to learning that after the final fight against Zenos in EW, the WoL had brought him back aswell for them to keep him alive, then when they also find out the reasoning behind it being that the WoL and Zenos are dating?

anon, this was a juicy one! i was immediately intrigued, then i thought... "what if they all found out at the SAME TIME?"

so that's what i wrote! enjoy! :D

characters featured: Thancred Waters, Urianger Augerelt, Y'shtola Rhul, Estinien Wyrmblood, G'raha Tia, Alphinaud & Alisaie Leveilleur, Zenos yae Galvus tags: angst, secret relationship, mention of violence/grievous injury, Endwalker spoilers!!!, gn!WoL word count: 1408

They’d really done it. Their unhinged plan — flying to the edge of the universe, bringing hope to the wellspring of despair — actually worked. When the starship landed, the sky was blue again, the sun shining bright and hot over the white-washed walls of Sharlayan. The Scions were heroes. And as such, they should have been celebrating their triumph. Or sleeping for a week. But, of course, they were doing neither.

Instead, they were crammed seven-deep into an infirmary waiting room, staring at walls and fidgeting as they waited for the Warrior of Light to emerge from one of the sick rooms. A fairly regular occurrence for them, with one exception. It was not the Warrior convalescing; it was the disgraced prince of Garlemald himself, Zenos viator Galvus. The fact that he swallowed the Mothercrystal’s power and hunted the Warrior to the edge of the universe was dramatic enough as it was, but the fact that the Warrior brought him back afterward? 

Bizarre. That was the unspoken consensus between the Scions. Everyone seemed to be holding their breath, unwilling to assume but burning with curiosity all the same. As they pondered a day full of incomprehensible occurrences, the door to Room Two slid open, and the Warrior of Light emerged into the waiting room. Their comrade’s face was grimmer than befits a shard of Azem. The silence was a shell no one wished to break.

Finally, someone exhaled.

“Does he live?” Y’shtola asked, tone held taut. The Warrior merely nodded their head. “How severe are the injuries?”

“Fractured jaw,” the Warrior recited, eyes a little glazed. “One wrist and one leg are broken, and a few ribs, too. Internal bleeding. Bruises and cuts everywhere.”

“What happened out there?” Alphinaud exclaimed. He rose to his feet, and his sister followed, though her eyes were still cast to the floor. “I mean, we almost lost you, and then he teleported aboard, too, and–” 

“Zenos helped me,” the Warrior said suddenly. “We stopped the Song. Then we fought, and I… I couldn’t leave him there.”

Thancred and Urianger exchanged a look. The Warrior took another step into the room, not quite sure who to look at. A thousand emotions swirled through the Scions’ faces. 

“Listen,” Thancred said, “I trust your judgment. If you saw fit to bring him back, I can’t argue.”

“Neither can I,” G’raha interjected. He fidgeted slightly in his seat. “Though I admit I’m a little confused as to why.”

Alisaie crossed her arms. “Me, too,” she muttered. “He’s a real piece of work.”

“People can change,” the Warrior argued, tone verging on defensive. “Look at Yotsuyu. Look at Fordola.”

The Elezen girl twisted her lips, though she couldn’t argue the point. Her brother took a go at it, instead.

“But you just said he went up there to fight you again,” Alphinaud countered. “Clearly he has not grown out of his fascination with harming you.”

“He doesn’t want to harm me,” the Warrior said. “It… It wasn’t like that. He challenges me because I’m his only equal. The only person who could ever hope to be a match to him.”

“What are you saying, exactly?” G’raha asked, ears twitching. 

The Warrior hesitated. Cast their eyes around the room. A sea of faces stared back, all in various stages of bafflement. All faces the Warrior had come to know, love, and respect. They hung their head.

“I’m sorry,” they told the Scions. “I’ve been keeping a secret.” 

In an instant, the room went airless. 

“I beg your pardon?” Y’shtola demanded.

“What does that mean?” Alisaie shouted.

“Now, now,” Urianger said, stepping closer. “None of us have ever presumed to be privy to every facet of our comrade’s personal life. I am sure all of us have some intimate business we’d prefer not to air among ourselves. I cannot fault the Warrior for keeping their conversations with us work-related.”

“This is work-related,” Y’shtola shot back. “Zenos has been a thorn in our side for ages!”

“I know, and I’m sorry,” the Warrior said again. “But after that day in Garlemald, after Alisaie told him off, things changed. We talked. Came to understand each other.”

Thancred frowned. “Well, I guess if anyone could understand a guy like that, it might as well be you…” He trailed off, rubbing his chin.

“So you’ve been meeting with him in secret?” Alphinaud asked. The Warrior nodded.

“And what do you do on these rendezvous with the enemy?” Y’shtola pressed, even as Urianger lifted a brow at her tone.

The Warrior sighed. Memories flooded their mind. Soft nights in Ilsabard, splitting a loaf of rationed bread around the coals of a dying fire. Whispering into the crook of his neck as the sky turned pale.

“We just talked. Not about ‘work’ or anything like that — about life, and the past, and the future. He’s lonely. He wants to move on.”

“Tell that to the people left behind in the snow,” Alisaie snapped, and the Warrior winced, because she was right. 

His freedom wasn’t fair. For acts like his, there had to be consequences. They’d told Zenos as much the first time he showed up at their door. But he showed up again, and again, and the Warrior realized he had nowhere to go. No one to cling to. 

“He’ll atone,” the Warrior said, holding their chin high. “Just like the other architects of the war. I’ll make sure he does.”

“You speak as if you are his shepherd,” Y’shtola said.

When the Warrior did not deny it, the Scions went a little stiller. Another pause.

“Do you… care for him?” G’raha ventured. 

The Warrior’s composed facade cracked. 

“I do,” they confessed. Tears sprung to their eyes. “And I know Zenos has done a lot of bad, but so have I. I put down hordes of the tempered before there was treatment. They were innocent people. Victims. I held the dying in my arms as they told me their lives were less worthy than mine, like it was just that they died and I did not. And all of us who freed Doma and Ala Migho have Garlean blood on our hands. 

“Yes, our righteous cause prevailed, and we saved the star, but I find no peace in that knowledge. I find it only with him. Zenos was groomed for the purpose of destruction, just like I was. We merely served different masters. And now, we both find ourselves at the end of our tasks, with no instructions for our next move. Equally lost. Yes, he is impulsive, and aggressive, and arrogant, but the world isn’t ending anymore — there’s a tomorrow again. One where a man like him might grow and evolve. I have to give him the chance to see it.”

A stunned silence settled over the Scions. Alisaie’s brow knitted with astonishment; Y’shtola’s mouth fell into an ‘O’. The Warrior gritted their teeth, waiting for a wave of scolding, but it never came. Everyone’s faces softened, eyes glazed as if ruminating — everyone but Estinien. He hadn’t said a word in hours, but now the dragoon let out a low chuckle. A smirk graced his lips.

“Didn’t realize you had a thing for blondes,” Estinien said.

Thancred snorted, and with a series of eye rolls and giggles, the tension between the Scions loosened into something breathable. Somewhere deep in the Warrior’s chest, a knot came untied.

“Me, neither,” they replied, allowing themselves a half-smile.

Urianger stepped forward to lay a hand on their shoulder. “Tis plain to me that you have made up your mind,” he said gently. “And just as plain that you hold the prince dear to your heart.”

“Aye,” Y’shtola murmured. “I do not pretend to understand you, my friend, but… I can’t tell you who to love.”

The Warrior wiped their eyes with their sleeve, uttering a teary laugh. G’raha offered a handkerchief, then pulled them into an embrace.

“Whatever makes you happy,” he said, so honest that it made the Warrior cry harder.

Alphinaud smiled to himself, already making a mental checklist of all the ways he could coordinate the prince’s reparation efforts with the Ilsabard Contingent’s. If utilized correctly and led by the Warrior, he thought, Zenos might well be a boon to the reconstruction. In fairness, he didn’t have very many fans left in the area… but that was a bridge to cross later. Right now, all the Warrior should worry about was recovery. Theirs, and their love’s, too.

[anneapocalypse]

One thing I find so frustrating about Thancred's whole arc in Shadowbringers being about Minfilia (besides the fact that she doesn't even get to have feelings about her own death) is that even for all the angst and the flashbacks their relationship is so told and not shown. I know how they met, I know he was in and out of her life when she was a teenager, I know he gave her a knife. But like what is their relationship, to one another, on a personal level? If Thancred and Minfilia were in a room alone together, what would they talk about that isn't Scion business? If they were going to hang out for an afternoon outside of work, what would they do? If they had a personal argument, what would it be about? What would they laugh about together? Do they have any inside jokes?

I see a lot of people lament how little time we had with Moenbryda, and fairly so, but in the brief time we had her, she and Urianger have a dynamic. They have a vibe. You can count the number of scenes they have together on one hand I think, and yet I don't find it difficult to envision pieces of their history, what a private conversation between them would sound like, what they might have argued over, what they would laugh about. They have chemistry onscreen together (and I don't mean romantic chemistry though you could argue that they have that too, I simply mean the kind of chemistry where you can feel the connection between two characters). And it's not like Urianger is any better at expressing emotion than Thancred at that point; he pretty demonstrably isn't. Yet we can still feel that connection, feel that history.

Where is that for Thancred and Minfilia in all of ARR? I'm still looking, wondering if I've missed something, wondering if there was some really significant moment that just went over my head at the time. I can think of one moment: that time when we walk in on Thancred talking to Minfilia after Ifrit, where he's berating himself for letting the WoL down by arriving late, and puts up the cheerful facade again as soon as he realizes they're listening. Clearly then, she was someone he could talk to more earnestly. But it's just so thin, what we see of that connection.

And I think the way Thancred acts in Shadowbringer would be easier for me to swallow on some level if I just had a stronger sense of what he's lost, what he's still holding out hope of getting back, on a tangible level. A sister, he says. Okay. But what did that look like really? It's a lot easier to understand a character's grief when you have a strong frame of reference for what they lost.

[andrewhq]

(i wanted to write a conversation g'raha would have with my wol that i might turn into a comic someday)

- G'raha enters Ziero's cabin in Tuliyollal, after some idle chatter, he pauses before speaking again. -

G'raha: You know, I realized after our conversation on the gondola, that I do not know much about... you. The current you. Most of what I know about you, I gathered from various pieces of your legacy. I don't think I've ever sat down with you and gotten to know you.

Ziero: Hah! Aw, it's very sweet that you're asking, but truly there isn't really that much to me than my legacy. Most of my life was... this.

G'raha: What do you... mean?

Ziero: Well, before I became the Warrior of Light, I was just a simple tailor, like one of my fathers also is for my tribe. And on top of that... I was a child. Even when I began adventuring. I just so happened to be in Thanalan when I ended up helping Brendt fend off his camp, and he suggested I should talk to the Adventurer's Guild because he just had this strong feeling I'd be able to help.

G'raha: Wait, wait. You were a child?

Ziero: Yes, I only turned eighteen less than two months before my tribe arrived in Thanalan!

G'raha: Like... Viera years' eighteen?

Ziero: There's no such thing! We mature about the same Hyurs, so...

G'raha: So that means you're...

Ziero: Twenty-one, now? Yeah!

G'raha: I thought you were so much older...

Ziero: I suppose constantly being at war and saving people ages you. I suppose if we're being technical about it, I'm twenty-three, given that I was close to turning twenty-one when you called me to the first, and I spent about a year there.

G'raha: That's still so... young.

Ziero: I suppose it is!

G'raha: Does it bother you? That you never really got to live your childhood until the end?

Ziero: Not really, no. Maybe if I was forced to do it, I'd mourn what I never got the chance to live, but instead I see it as living as the folklore hero people tell to impress children!

G'raha: I cannot fathom how you can stay positive so easily... Did nothing ever break you?

Ziero: Ah...

- He instinctively reaches for the eye under his eyepatch. -

Ziero: I... ought to be thankful for my parents being positive beacons in my life as well. I know it hurt them to know I was risking my life out there, and my mother never did hide the fact that she was worried for me, and neither of my fathers would let me go back adventuring until they were as certain as possible I wasn't hurt. But the three of them loved me so much, and cared for me so deeply, so I could always go to them when things were too much. But there was, ah... two times when I was completely inconsolable, I suppose.

G'raha: I do not intend to pry, so you do not have to answer, but I must ask what got you to that point?

- Ziero pauses for a long time, clenching his fists. -

Ziero: It... it was Zenos.

- G'raha's ears perk up. -

G'raha: Zenos? Did he—

Ziero: I loved him in a way that words could not describe.

- G'raha goes quiet. -

Ziero: I cannot deny the fact that we were always meant to be mirrors of each other. I always wanted to understand him, and I struggled with it for a bit, when someone just so happened to tell me his age... And I quickly realized just how similar we are. We were both children when we got roped into the war. Our differences were also our similarities. I grew up in a peaceful, loving family that was always there for me when I needed them, he grew up in a family that was disgusted with his very existence and only saw him as a weapon of war. And yet... we were both outsiders, fighting for causes that weren't our own, but we had enough motives to push through them.

G'raha: I had heard he was a cruel man...

Ziero: Funny how people say that, yet I could count on my fingers how many people Zenos actually harmed, because he never fought or killed anyone that couldn't stand a chance against him. Meanwhile, the blood on my hands is endless, from people who were much weaker than I. Is that not ironic?

G'raha: I... I suppose, when you put it that way... And yet the calamity—

Ziero: Was Fandaniel's plan. And I do not blame Zenos for following him. After being only seen as a beast, a dog that should be beat and put in a cage, do you truly think he would not resent the world? He truly thought he was being merciful, just like Meteion.

G'raha: I never thought of Meteion and Zenos as similar, and yet, based on what you told me in the past, it all makes so much sense... It's like we were being foreshadowed of her existence.

Ziero: Hah, pretty much. Still, I've made my point, so to actually answer your question: When Zenos killed himself, it ruined me. Not only did I feel like I failed him, but I felt like I failed myself as well. We had secretly spent a lot together, because I so desperately wanted to get to know him, to understand him. And he'd always let me in, sometimes with the promise of a spar, sometimes... because we were both lonely. I was such a mess in love, and there was that air of forbidden romance like in stories I'd hear around Kugane. Since my tribe decided to follow me to Othard, I'd never miss a chance to go speak with my parents and tell them all about this wild romance I was having. Truly, I felt the most like a hero back then. And yet when I lost Zenos, it crushed me beyond words. I cried for days in my mother's lap and did not speak to anyone else. I had to keep strong and let the Ala Mihgans celebrate their victories. I almost began to resent Lyse for being so... content with his death, but it was just misplaced grief.

G'raha: I can certainly empathize with that... Then, was the second time still Zenos, I assume?

Ziero: Yup. Though the second time was... a little bit different. I realize now, in retrospect, that I could have just denied him that fight, and he'd have to keep living. Yet I was so... selfish. I held on to that last bit of grief for him and ended up taking it out on the exact person I was grieving. I was angry when I found out he was still alive, it felt like everything he did was to mock me, but... No, it never was.

G'raha: I'm sorry... You must miss him greatly, then.

Ziero: Well, about that— I didn't actually... let him go... I hold his soul, you see. And I can always channel him as my avatar.

G'raha: You what?!

Ziero: Hahah, oops!

G'raha: Why didn't you tell anyone!

Ziero: I didn't want to put anyone in a panic, given how many people despise him. Plus, it'd be insane to explain either way. Zero knows, though. It was because of her that I managed to figure out how to make him my avatar, and she certainly got some enjoyment knowing how he would feel being bound to someone like that. And now you know too.

G'raha: I'm starting to become less surprised that you are as young as you claim to be.

Ziero: I'm not lying! I never even learned how to read!

G'raha: YOU NEVER LEARNED WHAT?!?!

[candycryptids]

58. How many hobbies have they attempted to have over their lifetime? Is there a common theme?

For whomever you please! Multiples of 'em if you like! Give us the hobby lore!

>:3!!!!!! Rolling this ask around my enclosure like a pumpkin full of ground beef! So I actually covered Mochiie’s hobbies earlier today- [Here] so I’ll cover some others ùwú! (Full of mischief)

Ishi’li’s hobbies are messy because of his origins: they enjoyed solving Sudoku’s, and playing games, which I’d count as hobbies, but in Eorzea his old hobbies don’t hold up, cos…. Nobody makes Sudoku puzzles… and Games straight up don’t exist, to my knowledge. But he DOES learn to haggle and trade and help run business numbers. He actually genuinely enjoys math (it’s why he picks up Arcanist XD) ….. hm.. He picks up painting, after visiting the First, and subsequently Elpis, and possibly photography (Me and Zombiesock are toying with creation magic making essentially a Sheikah Slate, because due to how we shook out events Ishi is the only one of the cadre of WoL’s to actually be able to go to Elpis and they get frustrated at an inability to show it to everyone else, lmao.) … There’s not much of a common theme, they just like Learning stuff, especially if it can be applied to helping the team, (like Astrology, which is picked up, but kind of as a side gig to everything else that’s going on.) … and honestly it leans heavily into Magic, because it’s unique and interesting even if there’s a constant battle to keep up enough Mana to use it lmfao.

Tuesday likes reading (History, Cookbooks, Travel Guides, YA Short Story Romance), and cooking, even if he can’t like… taste the food he makes for some time (not sure when he gets taste but ah! He shall someday :) ) which means he’s always in need of taste testers- but not Chuu. Who is a walking nightmare for food. (If it’s not easily eaten one handed in some fashion she’s not eating it. She’s been TRYING to care more about what her food tastes like but mostly the fact that she’s gaining weight and eating 3x a day + snacks is an improvement. She LIKES archon loaf. Anyways-) he likes experimenting with textures and smells and spices, so finding people that will eat it and provide feedback is. Nice. He also finds lots of joy in little repeating tasks like, spinning/weaving, and learning to make his own fabrics and garments opens up a whole other world. He’s already out gathering stuff, or shopping, so. Making clothes is it’s own sort of rewarding (and it makes Keathan. So excited, actually. That Tuesday is creating something. For himself???) … I think most of his hobbies stem from a desire to. Find? He’s grasping for what it means to be an Individual and trying stuff and customizing himself in little ways.

🤔 Hobby lore… I’m tryna think if I got anything else interesting knocking around up here. Oh!

Tangy used to have a hobby doing whittling, nothing too crazy, cos she was v small, but it was practice using a knife so she could be more confident later in life when she’d need to skin+ clean game, y’know. …. aaaand then it got lost in the haze of everything Pre 1.0, so she hasn’t done it since, but I like to think if she picked up a little knife in NOT kitchen settings she’d feel some muscle memory kick in for it. Nowadays she likes bird watching, and sooometimes fishing, though there’s not much to catch outside the waking sands that’s suuuper worth eating, she catches lots of small fry… and sometimes a sunburn. Right across the bridge of her snout. Dreadful. I like to think sometime between ARR and Heavensward she starts making little woven jewelry pieces- bracelets and hair ties mostly, but, it keeps her hands occupied and she can always unravel them again and do it over later. So long as she doesn’t give it to someone- if she catches someone leaving she’ll tie a woven bracelet around their wrist and very seriously tell them to come back in one piece. (🤔 Training in hand-to-hand doesn’t really feel like a hobby in Eorzea, where it can be your whole job…. And sorta IS, her job… it’s her main class anyways ahaha. So I’m gonna leave that one off.) …. I don’t think there’s a common theme here aside from being time-fillers that a person can do anywhere without a lot of stuff to do it with 🤔

[Oddly Specific ?’s for if you wanna take a crack at it!]

[astralartefact]

Placeholder Name for Atarase's Media Diary

Extra Entry 00a - Final Fantasy 14 Endwalker 6.X Patch Series

Synopsis

The Gang Solves a Demon Crusade

The Gang Learns of the Messiest Divorce in the Multiverse

The Gang Ruins their Academic Reputation by Absolutely Botching the Only Interview Humanity Will Ever Have With Their Gods (Gone Wrong) (Gone Blasphemous)

The Gang Does Side Quests at the Other End of the Universe

i wrote this ages ago before dawntrail came out and forgot to post it but i still agree with what i wrote so have fun experiencing some hindsight <3

How much did I know before playing?

I'm playing this game since the end of Heavensward.

Did I like it more than I expected?

As seemingly one of 5 people with healthy expectations in this community I actually did.

Except for---

Since I liked it, here's what I hated about it

Eulogia. Fuck Eulogia. Way to ruin, like, everything.

Who wrote this. I just have some questions. I want to know if you ever once thought, like at all. For your own sake, dear writer responsible for this shlock, I hope YoshiP never reveals your name to the public for you already have a spiritual nemesis that will badmouth you to his absolutely non-sizeable internet audience.

Also, I guess searching for a Pictomancer glam in preparation for Dawntrail also has made me once again aware that the designs for magic armor in this game suck ass, you know I enjoy the subdued but still magical vibe of the art design but to be quite honest I thoroughly dislike most of the armor aesthetic. How are you guys, especially male characters, maining magic jobs with only like 3 glams that aren't long, ugly and/or feminine robes, I knew it was a meme but it's really that bad.

The worst part really is that there's several dozen good outfits where you can literally see the line where the top should have ended - only for them to still extend the cape all the way to the ground for no good reason making the entire piece look like shit. pls yoshi p just loosen the glam restrictions so you just have to have the class unlocked at that level to glam it onto every other class q_q that would take a minimal amount of effort and it would solve world hunger i swear it would q_q

What did this game make me think about?

The place of Redemption, Accountability and Forgiveness in our current age and its relation to our relationship to Religion.

And just so you're aware it's not the fucking God Exodus Story Line that made me think about any of that, no, that shitty story line has not thought a singular second about any of those points.

Specific Impressions that will stick with me

As much as I hate the story of Myths of the Realm the presentation slaps as always, the raids are gorgeous and Soken does what Soken do. (I'm value neutral on the Raid's difficulty or whatever the community decides to care about these days)

The Left Ending of Sil'dih with the tea table surrounded by flowers (i think it's the left one?) that place is so fckin pretty q_q and i love nanamooo

Outstanding Audio

Basically all of Myths of the Realm except for the Final Boss theme which I hate on principle because Fuck Eulogia

hurts bc dawn of a new era is was my favorite ff14 theme q_q

Troian Beauty in D Minor i don't think it's d minor

Favorite Character

KRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIILE does she count she's barely in it

Nophica with a Gun (the Nophica that wasn't ruined by Myths of a Realm)

Paper Menphina

My Hrothgar Barbariccia OC I wrote to be my wol's shard of the void

And I did like Zero!

Favorite Arc/Story Line

I liked the Void Arc, I know People are big mad about it but I think it's fine! I only think it should have been optional, basically exactly like Stormblood's Four Lords, a Trial Series with a few Dungeons in between - then it wouldn't have had the burden of leading right into Dawntrail (a contrast so stark they couldn't even have tried to smoothen the transition) and people wouldn't have expected Zero to stay immediately relevant too.

Also some of the minor-ish quest lines were cute :)

Favorite Set Piece

I love Lymllaen's arena, it's kind of simple but so effective.

The final trash mobs in Thaleia :)))

Really cool Area with interesting mob design :)))))

A glimpse of what could have been :)))))))))) HOW IS THE FINAL TRASH MOB AREA PRETTIER THAN THE FINAL BOSS ROOM

Favorite Scene

Zero giving Golbez the chance to repent.

Best Performance (I played with JP voices)

AEGISU OBU HARUONE!!!!!!!!!

every single one of the gods was great, but not all of them, if you catch my drift (get it, fuck eulogia)

German Localization Notes

If you know me you know that I think the German FFXIV Localization is better than the English one and it still is and it will continue to be. I gladly pass on meme-y item descriptions if it means that I can expect the translation to not just write whatever it feels like at any given moment. (also, as I have expressed before I can't stand english olden speech writing, thank god the german tl doesn't do all that)

--- ENTERING THE PRETENTIOUS SECTION OF THIS ENTRY ---

What about this game gives me Hope for the future of gaming?

I have nothing really to say, I'm just so excited for Pictomancer you guys, every time I think about it I'm flushed with immense joy. I didn't think they would do it, but it's real. It's actually happening.

I guess what gives me Hope about that is that Yoshi P didn't get too lost in FF16's Fantasy Realism, because drab fantasy aesthetics is truly the worst outcome of lore culture.

What about this game makes me scared for the future of gaming?

You see, there is this thing that has happened since the common consciousness has deemed that Shadowbringers is indeed that good and it's that people kind of immediately turned around to say, that actually, FF14 - WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE BAD BAD STORMBLOOD WHICH IS BAD!!!! - has always been good.

After all Heavensward had that one quest line we all liked, remember, and the one dude died and we all really cared about him, right right right???

And while you are allowed to picture me dismissively pointing at your copy of Heavensward while I'm saying this I don't actually have that big of a take over Heavensward, mainly because I'm not particularly interested in reexamining it since I'm still not over how wildly that writer fumbled FF16's entire narrative point for 'emotional storytelling' or whatever that ending was about, the only thing I will say is that People always bring up the death as this big meaningful thing that's so impactful and how dare you not care about it as if Heavensward hasn't had two other pretty essential characters die for absolutely no good reason apart from conveniently getting rid of a character that would be a hassle to keep up with or setting up character development for another.

Anyways, the problem I actually have was that middle bit, the text in bold where people feel this insistent need to point out that they do indeed know that Stormblood's story is "bad."

But we all know that. It's one of those opinions everyone already shares with each other, because it's pretty obvious. Literally everyone, even and especially the ones who still like it, know that the story leaves at least a little bit to be desired - because different from what certain people online try to make you believe most people are indeed critical of the things they like. A lot of people just don't feel like loudly critizising every little thing they have a problem with, especially when overall they're still enjoying themselves. Some people call it being fun at a party. And if you're constantly nagging, you're not fun at a party - it's not a safe space full of snowflakes, you're just a complainer and that's why nobody wants to talk to you.

It's not that insightful to see that Stormblood didn't quite do it. If you were alone with him in a room even Yoshi-P would admit that Stormblood 'wasn't optimal' or whatever he would say, he's not that stupid, he's just professional enough not to throw his writers under the bus just to bad mouth his own product. And yet there's this certain subset of people that really really needs you to know that the expansion where they cried because that one guy they shipped their oc with died is really really good and yet the other one that's split in half for no reason is really really bad - as if it's something that's needed to be said. As if it's Insightful Commentary we all needed to hear.

I will make this sound more dramatic than I think it really is, but I think the critical reception of Shadowbringers has emboldened the FFXIV community to take their personal (emotional) reaction to a piece of media as proof that a thing is good. I think some link between "I liked it" and "It is good" has been strengthened in some people's minds and some of those people have started to use that for bad by using it as a weapon upgrade in the usual endless complaining about things everyone agrees is bad.

Basically, This thing is Bad has become This thing is Bad, unlike the thing which is clearly Good because I liked it (and look, everyone agrees with me)

Except of course you can like bad things. The Game Awards nominated FF16 for Best Narrative.

And that just makes for repeated situations where people will say shit like "but it's so good because it's bittersweet" about Myths of the Realm - which, great, happy you had an emotional response to all of that - but that's also kind of the bare minimum you should achieve when you decide to kill off characters that are so important to the setting you choose a diety for your character before you choose a name. The Twelve Leaving being sad is Basic Empathy, to me that's not some kind of writing success.

Sadly whoever mangled this sad excuse for a storyline also decided to make sure the exodus of the Twelve somehow left less impact on the game world than fucking YoRHa:Dark Apocalypse and there you people keep complaining about it despite it being a cross-over storyline where something like that shouldn't be expected.

What I want to make clear by pointing this out is that the problem with that isn't that people like something that's bad actually - you can like Myths of the Realm, it's fine - and it's not even something more profound sounding like 'people become "too attached" to a piece of media to the point of being personally insulted when it's critizised.'

Because to that point I say a) of course people feel weird when a thing they like is being bad mouthed that's just a normal human reaction (you know, one of the things art is about, you generally create something to be reacted to) and I don't like how that continually crops up as a rebuttal to people becoming "defensive" over "something meaningless" (nice way to refer to art btw) as if growing attached to a piece of art is something to be ashamed of - and also b): people on the internet overstate the value and necessity of public critique. (not saying it's not important but some people seem to think only their critique alone is the sole way a creator can grow which... i regret to inform you that unsolicited advice is rarely as helpful as you would like it to be, even if it is "correct".)

I think the problem is that these 'criticisms' don't come out of a genuine "empathy" for the thing they like - unlike some people seem to have convinced themselves - because if that was the case maybe we would actually get not necessarily a productive discussion - none of us is working on this game after all (and honestly it's okay to stop pretending that somebody who does listens) - but it would be a more interesting one for sure. I can't tell you what to like (as much as I would love to), but I can encourage you to have more meaningful introspections into what you love than to blindly accept those tired talking points everyone is repeating at nauseam.

And with more meaningful I don't actually mean 'deep' it just means being honest to yourself and your feelings, even and especially if it is something completely mundane.

Because I think a lot of this is the opposite - this is people parroting common points about the thing that is popular to be part of the in-group with as little personal stake as possible - and by punching down on the out-group you can strengthen your place in the crowd, your social capital. It's bullying masquerading as 'valid criticisms', or maybe even Nerd Populism. if only we had an alliance raid series about that.

The Ramble Section where I get to actually talk about what I thought about

I would love nothing more than to 'valid criticism' all over Myths of the Realm - but that would take 15 pages of a Google Doc and I think down here is really not the place.

It's just sad to see the Twelve, Aglaia, Euphrosyne and 3/4ths of Thaleia be absolutely wasted for a shitty resolution that spits in the face not only of our beloved made-up history facts known as Lore but also the entire premise of ARR to Stormblood. But hey, at least it's bittersweet am i right

Anyways, let's Ramble about Ancient Greek Pronounciation.

I haven't had Ancient Greek in School (I could have, but Latin was already old and boring enough for me, thanks) so I had to scrape together how to pronounce Euphrosyne just so I can be annoying about it and as much as I want to say Oi-pro-sü-neh (I think English Speakers don't have the german ü sound, it's basically the same as in the french word rue) because it's much easier to pronounce, Ancient Greek makes a difference between Eu and Oi and I fail to understand how the Eu sounds no matter how many times I listen to it.

By which I mean, you can pretend it's You-froze-a-knee as much as you want, it's wrong and you sound foolish.

[inkedinfantasy]

FFXIVWrite #10: Stable

Aymeric/Estinien/WOL

Following the final battle with Nidhogg, N'mhaya waits at Estinien's bedside.

Read on AO3 here.

Her hand rested just at his wrist, counting steady heartbeats.

N’mhaya and Aymeric had both been called away in the aftermath, her to get her own injuries treated, him to organizing the immediate response to the dragons’ clash. It was all the better that they were otherwise occupied; no chance of getting in the way of the chirurgeons tending to him. For now, though, Estinien merely rested.

It would likely be some time yet before he properly woke. Nidhogg’s possession had taken its toll, his face gaunt and haggard, livid pockmarks where the eyes had fused with his flesh now cleaned and bandaged. She wondered how long it might take for him to recover his strength. If it would even still be needed, even. With everything else, she hadn’t even considered what might become of them following the end of the war. There would be no need for Azure Dragoons in the absence of an ancient, draconic threat to face.

We were the last, without even knowing it. The thought was sobering.

The door creaked open behind her. She didn’t bother to turn, recognizing Aymeric’s measured stride, the sound of his boots on the wooden floor.

“How is he?” came his quiet murmur as he approached.

“Still not awake. But he’s holding steady. They say he just needs rest now.”

Aymeric sighed, pure relief in the sound. “As do we all, I’m sure.” He took a seat beside her, hand coming to rest on her shoulder. “And you? How are you feeling?”

She brushed her thumb delicately across Estinien’s pulse point. “Tired. Sore. Like I might be out of a job now.”

Aymeric laughed at that. “Azure Dragoon or not, there will always be a place for you in Ishgard. And if there is not, I will make one.”

Warm gratitude filled her, and she sat up straighter, leaning back into his touch and turning to face him properly. He looked back at her, before his gaze darted to Estinien.

“We…ought to talk about this. The three of us. With him, when he wakes,” Aymeric said, sounding suddenly so uncertain, so hesitant.

She merely nodded, placing her other hand atop his and squeezing lightly. She and Aymeric had grown close, in their search for Estinien, the plans to free him from Nidhogg. And he and Estinien…well, there was history there, as she well knew. There was no jealousy in the knowledge. From the moment Nidhogg’s eye had awakened for the both of them, Estinien had been her partner, her Azure Dragoon, another piece of her soul linked to her by the wyrm’s magic. They had argued, disagreed, fought, even, over the years, but at the heart of it all, his happiness was her happiness, and if Aymeric offered him that she wouldn’t dream of begrudging him that.

Still, Aymeric had the right of it. It warranted a discussion.

“When he wakes,” she agreed.

Aymeric’s arm hand slid a little further, wrapping around her shoulders and pulling her closer.

In the silence, N’mhaya counted heartbeats.

[yamisnuffles]

twenty questions for fic writers

Tagged by my best gal @feralkwe

1. How many works do you have on AO3? 46. I have a lot of fic that just lives on Tumblr or that was on older fic sites, so that's not really indicative of my total fic amount lol.

2. What’s your total AO3 word count? 338,924. Again, A LOT of one shots and stuff elsewhere.

3. What fandoms do you write for? On AO3, Dragon Age, Mass Effect, FFXIV, Skyrim, Good Omens, One Piece, and Star Wars

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

Blitzed (GO 1941 smut and my first smut ever lol), The Altus Inquisitor (DAI AU, pretty much as it says on the tin), Get Closer To Me (GO S1 night at Crowley's place fic), Heartbeats (a series of one shots for a One Piece Corazon lives AU), and The Ecstasy of Anthony J Crowley (GO divinity kink smut fic)

5. Do you respond to comments? I try to! I didn't always but I'm trying to get better about that because I really appreciate each and every comment.

6. What’s the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? Uuuuuh, might be For Want of Words? It's GO post S2 and not fix it so it is not happy lol. Possibly Wicked White, which ends as Shadowbringers ends and thus isn't the happiest place for a WoL/Emet fic lol. Otherwise, they're series and neither finished but my Law as the new Corazon AU series was just bummers all the way down and, ironically, Too Much of a Good Thing gets progressively less... optimistic. Lots of sad smut and series I guess.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? If I resist making a smut joke, Just For Two is one of the fluffiest things I've ever written. Pure GO S1 fluff fic written for the fun of it.

8. Do you get hate on fics? Not really? I got an... indirectly cruel comment one time on something but people are generally very nice on the fics themselves.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind? Yes. The Good Omens kind lmao. I mean, I've branched out but it was the first fandom I wrote smut for and continues to be the one that gets the most. It hovers between that M and E rating for good reason. Very feelsy and in the case of GO, I love some religious symbolism lol. I like to weave it into longer works but I also happily write one shots (or try, sometimes it takes a few chapters to get to my one shot plans).

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written? I don't think I've ever written a crossover. I've done crossover art but I tend to stay within a fandom for fic.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? Not that I'm aware of.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? Again... I don't think so?

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? Yes! I used to write with my best friend a lot in high school and I adored it. It's one of the things I miss most about that friendship and, in general, something I miss doing.

14. What’s your all-time favorite ship? Do I even have to say? Aziraphale/Crowley own my soul. That said, I do have the softest of soft spots for my Trev/Dorian and Shakarian. Also, Justice/Anders/Hawke because it burns with the added power of spite.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will? Ahahaha... *sweats nervously.* So many. I am determined to finish the Altus Inquisitor but it's hard to get my heart back into DA with good reason. I'd love to continue my various OP series but I doubt I ever will for a few reasons.

16. What are your writing strengths? Characterization. I work really hard on it. I obsess over it. There is nothing I think of more in any fandom than characterization lol. I'd also like to think I'm good with emotion and description.

17. What are your writing weaknesses? Finishing anything ever. I'm a whimsical creature and if I'm not into something at the moment, it's really hard to get myself to focus on things. I also feel like a monkey with a typewriter any time I'm trying to write smut, but I think that's just the nature of the beast.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic? I am really bad with languages so I try to just avoid it.

19. First fandom you wrote for? Jurassic Park! As a wee bab I wrote about a raptor ripping someone open and eating them lmao.

20. Favorite fic you’ve ever written? Oh man, oh man, this is actually really hard for me. There are a lot of things I've written that I'm fond of for different reasons. I adore my AUs because I put so much of my soul into them to make them feel authentic. Various fics for various fandoms hit hard for different reasons. If I absolutely HAD TO choose, I'd say either The Altus Inquisitor, because Lucien is my baby and I genuinely enjoy rereading it, or Dig Down from my GO AU, which I feel like is just a strong short fic and best sums up that whole series. Both are hard to recommend though because one is chronically unfinished (I am trying!) and the other is smack dab in the middle of a series.

I tag anyone who wants to do this because I am too tired to think rn. Go forth with my blessing

[keicordelle]

The Sacrament of a Sinner

FFXIV | WoLianger | Explicit | 9706 apologies, injury recover, angst & feels, pining, hurt/comfort

The Warrior of Light blames Urianger for Minfilia's death — and how could he not, when Urianger had played such a grave role in her fate? When he would do it again for the sake of the world? Was doing it again, here on the First, keeping secrets and sacrificing friends for what he deemed was the greater good. But it eats at him: Minfilia's death, and the frigid hatred in Klein's eyes when he looks at him. There is nothing he would not do to make amends, if Klein would but stop and listen to him. Alas, Klein seems determined to evade him, and fate conspires in the Warrior's favor. Until fate leaves him at death's doorstep in the wake of their final battle. Until Klein spends weeks feigning unconsciousness while Urianger pours his all into healing his wounds — and pours his heart out to the supposedly unconscious figure of his former beloved. Maybe Klein was being to harsh on him after all? Maybe this had gone on long enough? And maybe, just maybe, he can find it in his heart, not to forgive and forget, but at least to try?

A commission for @catoust-777 for their WoL and Urianger. Klein and Urianger certainly have a long road ahead of them yet, but at least now they can begin to walk it together <3

My ficlet commissions are open through kofi, and if you're interested in a longer piece like this, send me a message and we can talk!

-

The Warrior of Light was a man of many talents. Felling primals and Ascians without batting an eye. Summoning great storms of magic to heal or to harm as the situation demanded. And, it seemed, knowing exactly how to avoid Urianger every time he sought him out.

Admittedly, sometimes it seemed more as though fortune did not favor him than that Klein actively sought to avoid him, but Urianger had spent too many years divining under a starless sky to trust it was something so mundane as coincidence that kept Klein out of his reach. He also happened to know a pattern when he saw one, and after moons — years, by his counting — of narrowly avoided conversations and barely concealed hostility, it was safe to say there was something greater than coincidence that kept them apart, no matter how accidental his avoidance might seem.

He had hoped (vainly, desperately) when Klein appeared on his doorstep in Il Mheg, having braved the furor of the fairies and the ceaseless tides of sin eaters to meet with him, that things might be different between them. That perhaps the years had tempered the sharp edge of his grief. That perhaps at least he might grace Urianger with a smile of welcome, with even the faintest hint of that half-forgotten warmth that had once filled his gaze when they met. That he would see anything at all in his eyes beyond the cold contempt he had grown to expect.

But it had not been years for Klein. The long moons Urianger had passed on the First were but the blink of an eye upon the Source, and time provided no more a buffer for his emotions now than it had mere weeks ago. Klein's grief was as fresh as ever — and his enmity along with it.

[Read the rest on Ao3!]

[faelune-home]

FFXIVWrite 2023 #30: Amity

(A/n: And after hoping yesterday that the final prompt could let me kinda cap off Yuri's saga with her meeting the twins, it was indeed a perfect prompt. Admittedly this piece starts more heavily on Fhara's pov just so I could showcase their longstanding and close friendship as a trio, but it sort of transitions back into Yuri's pov and thoughts on them both by the end.

So she finally got to meet most of the Scions, even if not all opinions have been made clear (especially on Estinien, for all he was featured here too), but it gives me more to work with another day, a lot of possible set up for Dawntrail where she could maybe join them. I'm glad I got to give Yuri's story as much focus as I did, especially when I thought I'd probably only do a few pieces for her.

Thank you to everyone that read this month, I hope you all enjoyed. Many pieces more npc focused than wol focused but I've given Fhara a lot of love in previous years, this year could be her break. I'll hopefully be getting these works on Ao3 soon, especially after I didn't manage with last year's stuff. But those will go up as well.

Word count: 2219)

“Cease your pacing, you know they’ll arrive soon and in good health. There hasn’t been any other word to say they’d be held up or require assistance,” Estinien scoffed, shaking his head as he watched Fhara pace back and forth by the aetheryte, ears pinned back and tail swishing.

“I know, but I’m just-” She paused her march, biting her lip, “It’s been so long and I know they’ve been busy, and I didn’t want to show up while they were working, and you know if I did and just offered to help, Alisaie would insist against it–”

“I’m not surprised. As helpful as the extra hands would no doubt be with their work, you already overwork yourself to degrees I didn’t even see in the Temple Knights,” Estinien said, cutting her off from her clearly nervous chattering. She pouted at this, cheeks puffed.

“Well…! I just want to see them again, it's been so long!” she repeated, unable to counter his argument. Her ear suddenly perked up at the sound of teleportation behind her, spinning sharp on her heel back to the aetheryte. They weren’t in front of them, but teleportation could drop someone anywhere around the crystal so…

Alisaie came into view from the other side first, looking around as though to find them. And as soon as her eye caught them, her face broke out into a grin, only bested by Fhara’s own, her tail curling.

“It’s been too long!” Alisaie exclaimed, grunting with the effort as Fhara raced over and grabbed her into a hug with enough force to lift the smaller girl from the ground.

“So we keep hearing,” Estinien mumbled, though it wasn’t picked up by the others, nor was there any frustration in his words as he joined them, Alphinaud already in the middle of another exuberant embrace as well.

“You can’t have missed us that badly, it’s only been a few months,” Alphinaud said, heaving slightly as he was replaced on the ground again. Fhara looked noticeably sheepish even as she insisted, “Only a little, but we weren’t waiting here long.”

“She was near forming a trench by your aetheryte with her pacing, even after you sent us word that you were on the way,” Estinien said, the corner of his lips curling into a smirk as Fhara whipped around to face her, eyes wide with mock betrayal. Both twins were biting back giggles, making her turn her pouting face to them again.

“Well, the concern is appreciated,” Alisaie smiled, “I still wouldn’t want you coming to visit, knowing your bad habit to help anyone that so much as asks for it. We’ve been handling matters just fine.”

“If anything, things seem to be winding down lately,” Alphinaud added, “We’ve been able to pass over social and political matters to the Garleans, most necessary measures have been taken care of, resources and tradelines are in order, re-construction is at a steady pace. Lucia and Maxima wish to stay and watch matters further before returning to their own posts, but they’ll most likely be independent within the next moon or so.”

“Jullus keeps insisting we’re free to visit even once everything has settled and the contingent has moved out. I’m beginning to think he might miss us, though never as strongly as a certain someone,” Alisaie said, chuckling slightly as Fhara huffed and folded her arms, tail lashing at the teasing jab.

“What do you plan to do once matters are resolved then?” Estinien asked. The twins shared a look.

“Truthfully, we aren’t certain yet. We haven’t heard anything that would require assistance, but no doubt something would come up soon enough,” Alphinaud said, “I was thinking of checking in on Krile and seeing if the Students needed any extra hands myself.”

“You don’t need to rush right into something else,” Fhara insisted, concerned, “Feel free to rest up for a spell, maybe check in on your parents.”

“Oh you’re one to talk about resting up and not rushing!” Alisaie griped, hands on hips. Fhara at least had to good graces to look flustered about the hypocrisy callout, ears flattening. Estinien thankfully came to her rescue, speaking up as he picked up the twins' packs.

“Come now, we can move this elsewhere and save taking up space by the aetheryte,” he said.

“Aye. Let’s move to the Annex, check on Krile and G’raha. From my last letter with Krile, they actually have a new member assisting them lately.”

“Oh, so your spot might already be taken then,” Alisaie hummed at her brother, making him roll his eyes. He didn’t respond, leading the way down the side path to their location.

“Oh, I’ve met her. She’s a little quiet but she’s a good worker! Helps them get through a lot of the paperwork built up in the office,” Fhara said, bouncing ahead. “I took her down to Labyrinthos to see if any researchers needed any extra hands, and we had to help clear out a morbal outbreak. She was pretty good, though a bit untrained in real combat. The worst that happened was a bit of bad timing and she left covered with a bit of morbal breath.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t wish that on anyone,” Alisaie grimaced, “Has she picked up any more training?”

“Not as far as I know. I can’t really help her with the training, it's all arcanima and I’m no good with that. And I don’t know if Krile was going to get her in touch with a teacher for it.” Fhara’s eye was already trained on Alphinaud, who looked like he was contemplating over the tale.

“Far be it from me to impose when I’ve never met her, but mayhap I could offer some advice or watch her as she trains? I’m not sure what her original training is, but many of the basic principles of arcanima are the same even with the differences of schools and styles.”

“Maybe I could be a sparring partner for her?” Alisaie also offered, “Practical experience can help, and at least with another person you’re not like to end up smelling like a stagnant swamp.” Fhara’s back pressed against the door of the Annex, pushing it open for the others the step in after her.

“I think that’d be great! I think she’s trying to act all independent and not asking other people, but maybe if Krile or G’raha offer it as a suggestion as well, she’ll be open to trying it?”

“What about us?” The group - other than Estinien, not caught up in the conversation and thus aware of who was standing in the lobby as they entered - jumped, surprised to see G’raha standing, evidently paused mid conversation with the raen woman next to him, holding a bundle of papers.

“Ah, well, we were talking about Yuri actually. I was telling them she was your new recruit,” Fhara said, gesturing to the woman for the newcomers’ benefit. Yuri seemed to shuffle awkwardly under the attention, dropping into a deep bow as her greeting rather than verbalise it.

“I was also saying you have experience with arcane magicks, and I was asking Alphinaud if he wanted to offer any help to give you some more experience in combat. And Alisaie offered to be a sparring partner as well,” Fhara continued, each twin nodding at her mention. Yuri’s eyes narrowed, wariness already showing in her tense shoulders. She glanced between Fhara and the pair, and then to Estinien, who seemed more keen to be on his way to the quarters than make introductions. He was already pushing through the door, disappearing with the bags.

“Of course, it would only be if you were open to the idea. Far be it for me to impose, especially when I don’t know your own skillset or training,” Alphinaud assured.

“And we don’t know how busy the Students keep you with your work, and we’re only here for a brief respite,” Alisaie added, “Only a week or so, catching up with friends and family.”

“Well, we could ease her work to give her the time while you’re here,” G’raha said, already giving Yuri an encouraging look against her guarded expression. “I think it’d be a wonderful experience. Alphinaud and Alisaie would be excellent teachers, and better suited for your field than Fhara. No offence, of course,” he added toward the woman.

“No no, I agree. Magic and enchantments have never been my strong suit other than a few healing spells,” she agreed with a wry smile and a flicked ear.

“Dare I say you could start now even? If you two don’t have any plans already?” G’raha asked the twins. He also added to Yuri, “I can take over your work for now. We were going to the same place anyway.”

“We could very much start now, our first order of business was just checking in on yourself and Krile, and we didn’t have anything else except dinner later tonight at home,” Alphinaud said, with Alisaie jumping in, “Mother insists you all join us by the way, if no-one’s busy by the 8th bell. I’m sure father would like it to be a family affair, but mother wishes to catch up with everyone.”

“Krile should be back by then,” he nodded, once again turning to Yuri with a supportive smile.

“Go on. Consider it a break as well, you’ve been busy all morning,” he insisted. Reluctantly, Yuri finally handed over the papers, and G’raha was off in a flash, disappearing through the door to the main hall. Alisaie was already beginning some small stretches with her arms, warming up for a possible bout.

“I could go and fetch Estinien as well if we want,” she asked, “Give me someone to warm up with while you two go over theory or some such.”

“Nah, you stretch here, I’ll go get him,” Fhara offered, already disappearing before any protest could be said. The two shared a look Yuri couldn’t decipher, then made her the door, Alisaie pushed out into the brisk air, while Alphinaud gestured for Yuri to take the lead.

The sun had broken through the clouds, a pleasant warmth against the chill breeze. Alisaie was continuing her warm up on the grass patch while Alphinaud had moved to the side of the building to collect a pair of training dummies, dragging them into place. Yuri stood watching them both, uncertain of what to say. Only one thing seemed to come to mind.

“Fhara’s spoken about you both. You come up the most in her stories actually,” she said, hoping it’d be an icebreaker. Both of them wore knowing smiles, maybe even some warmth mixed in those similar expressions.

“Only good things I should hope?” Alisaie asked, curling her legs up against her chest. She seemed to already know the answer.

“She has the highest praise for you both,” Yuri replied. Fhara’s fondness for them shone through in many of their discussions, even if it came at the expense of the other Scions getting minimal mention.

“I can only hope we live up to such lofty expectations then,” Alphinaud said. He continued to shift the dummy into position, checking it over, while Alisaie pulled out her weapon, looking it over and testing it with a few small sparks of a spell cast with the focus.

In a way, they were already living up to Fhara’s descriptions with this whole affair by Yuri’s estimate; compassionate and willing to help, though it wasn’t at her own request. She wouldn’t deny the aid was helpful though, and she was curious to know what these young ones had by way of experience to teach. Tales of one’s efforts were one thing, practical evidence was another.

“We haven’t started yet?” Yuri turned, noting Fhara’s arrival with the other elezen man.

“Still setting up and warming up,” Alisaie grunted through a leg stretch, pressing down on her knee low to the ground, “And waiting for Estinien to be dragged out to join us.”

“I was hardly avoiding you, unless you wished for your bags to be left unattended,” he said, already unsheathing the large jagged lance from his back and giving it a swing. The whoosh cut through the air and made Yuri take an involuntary step back, keeping her distance.

“The gesture is appreciated, Estinien, really. And I’ll take it you’re ready to begin?” Alphinaud asked, while Alisaie turned her weapon on the man.

“You and me together while Alphinaud takes up teaching duty with Yuri?” she smirked, “And don’t go easy on me.”

“Aye, if it’ll keep you appeased.” Fhara had already taken up the mediator’s spot, arms already waving to begin, and the two set off, the clash of steel ringing against the walls.

“Hopefully they’ll have the good sense to mind their step and we won’t have to worry about them encroaching.” Alphinaud nodded at Yuri’s tome, a serious look crossing his expression and a studious tone to his word as he stated, “Let us begin then. I would like to know how you’ve trained and your education if it’s alright, to evaluate how we move forward on this.”

Aye, they were every bit as reckless and dedicated as Fhara had said. Yuri still wasn’t certain where she would stand with them, but for now, she could handle this much.

[autumnslance]

This is a very silly ask (and feel free to ignore it completely), but do you think any of your OCs would be friends with characters from other franchises? (Fun fact, this was inspired by a piece of fanart that made me believe that Thancred and Leon Kennedy of Resident Evil fame would absolutely be friends. Or at least drinking buddies.)

Hrm, I don't often think in terms of crossovers and mashups anymore--which is funny, as one of my earliest online RP experiences was a multiverse setting where OCs from any and all settings--franchise, gaming, original, etc--could co-exist. Normal mortals teaming up with demigods from novel series and mega-damage users from RIFTS and an array of fantasy and sci-fi and horror characters in between.

I sometimes think about how my OCs in various settings would interact together; how my WoW OCs would get along, or not, with the FF14 crew, or the FF14 OCs with my D&D characters. I tend to lean into certain archetypes (bards and paladins/clerics/priests are favorites), so there'd be some overlap and things in common, and also some frustrations at similarities that grate and clash.

So I don't think too much about how they'd interact with canon figures from other settings, but any OCs I'd have in that realm instead.

Well, the adventuring parties of Actual Play shows like Critical Role (and its animated series spinoffs) is pretty easy; Vox Machina, the Mighty Nein, and Bells Hells are all as chaotic and as helpful as adventurers tend to be, for good or bad. So there'd be eye rolling and irritation, but also understanding and diving in alongside, forming friendships with the weirdos cuz well, adventurers are Like That. They're RP characters too though so might be cheating, or at least easier to figure out for me.

Vax has that sort of noble rogue energy that'd make Aeryn fond of him, while Vex would initially drive her up a wall until they reached an understanding. Scanlan's annoy the heck out of her until they got to sit down and talk for real and she saw under the vulgar exterior. Percy'd be tolerated as Insufferable Noble Trying Too Hard. She'd be patient with Grog and enjoy his overlarge childish glee at everything. And who doesn't love Pike? Literal angel with a chaotic bent herself, she adds a bit of calm when not engaging in sibling shenanigans with Grog. I think Aeryn'd relate most to Keyleth, funnily, and they'd get along decently. Tary, too, would get a lot of sympathy concerning expectations, and also nerding around with his crafts, and may make dealing with Percy a tad easier.

Of the Nein, Caduceus is a spot of calm, aroace energy. Not as right as he thinks he is about many things, but he means well and tries, and that counts for a lot. Aeryn'd have tea with him any day. She'd also be drawn to Beau's bravado and brashness and they'd get into trouble together. Same with Fjord and Caleb, really; there's a level of familiarity in how they approach things with 'let's poke it and see what happens' but also the care they have for others in general. Same with Yasha. Jester's a bright light ball of energy and oh gods her and C'oretta in the same space would be exhausting. Nott/Veth is a bit more complicated; probably depends on when in the campaign, is it before or after Veth's reunited with her family, as she undergoes a shift emotionally once she has her original self back as well as her husband and son. Molly would aggravate and charm Aeryn by turns; Kingsley she'd be sympathetic to and understand too well that living in another's shadow aspect. Essek is fine; he's a wizard to talk shop with, learn from, mess around with spellwork. Luc is a brat also in the shadow of his accomplished mom and adventuring family, and needs mentoring and guidance and a lot of patience oh gosh.

A lot of the Hells would honestly be irritating, especially Imogen's propensity to just use telepathy intrusively; girl needs a lesson in why you don't want to poke around uninvited or casually to get your answers, and a WoL's head is wilder than most. FCG needs mentoring and guidance like whoa. Fearne's also an agent of energetic chaos; fun in doses. Laudna's not so scary, very sweet and fun and sad and likely needs help she doesn't know how to ask for. Ashton's grating in his arrogance and rebelliousness for rebellion's sake (though that may shift given recent things...). Chetney's surface attitude would be annoying, but soon enough he'd be a safe and calming point, given his perceptions. Orym's also just calming and reasonable; maybe a little too much sometimes, and needs to be reminded to cut loose now and then, it's good for you (and your friends).

Dark rolls with it all; she's very easy to get along with. Iyna wouldn't be able to stand most of them. C'oretta would get along well with most everyone but lord her and Jester and/or Fearne in the same place...Terrifying!

That's one off the top of my head, after a long holiday weekend thinking about it off and on, anyway!

[amyisherenowitsokay]

claps hands together. hi hope you've been well, sorry i haven't asked much. buuuut. I forgot you wrote a thing until lately. :}

War On Love. How would it have continued/ended, what plot beats where there supposed to be if you remember any, etc?

also this'll sound weird, mainly because I can't really explain it and I'm still working thru it, but I wanted to say thanks for writing it? Finding it again and reading through it reminded me of things I had forgotten about myself for a while. Which has really helped from then to now. So, yeah, as silly as it sounds, thank you. :}

Lmao you're never obligated to interact with me homie, dw. Feel free to send me whatever when you're vibing, but don't also feel pressured to engage. You're too kind.

Long answer under the cut

I go back and forth on whether I'll ever update WoL. It just has so many bad connotations and memories for me about the headspace I was in while writing it, and where I was at emotionally, etc. On the other hand, I'm also incredibly proud of some of the insights I wrote about Gaz's perspective, and the overall plot twists and where it was going. I also still have a TON of writing for it still in bits and pieces, both important chunks and unimportant, AND like 4 chapters of the sequel written.

Sometimes I'm like, well, I could sort of finish it in the same style that like That Thing on Your Wrist and What We Become, which are more written in sort of continuous blurbs with gentle transitions and takes occasions to focus on really important scenes. I think with what I have written, it'd be feasible, but that'd also mean taking time away from my more important projects like Dead Weight and Re:MHNY2, so I hesitate to really commit to anything. You are not the first person to ask though, so that may be something I end up doing in the long term. A quick add up of the chunks of the story I have written says I have roughly 53k words of unpublished story for WoL. On the one hand, a shame to go to waste, on the other hand, I'm not really sure how I'd feel emotionally about trying to dig it back. Like I said, I go back and forth. Just for bonus trivia, since I gave the unpublished word count for WoL, it's sequel, which had a pending title of War on Finality, has 25k words written, and about a 2k words worth of ideas that I wrote, but wasn't sold on including.

I super appreciate btw your note about "things I had forgotten about myself for awhile." That really resonated with me. WoL has is a bittersweet for me because while it was my attempt to push through the gross stuff happening during that time period that I hadn't processed yet, I'm still also really proud of the messages I was going to include, some of the plot points I'd come up with, plot parallels, the OC's character development and direction, and how incredibly different it was going to be from anything I'd written at that point. I think it'd probably have ended up being one of my most emotive fics, and definitely with the (initial) darkest ending.

That being said, the plot of WoL definitely is it's own whole ass post, so apologies for not being able to answer immediately, but I genuinely think I'd break the character limit of tumblr if I tried to go into it all here lmao. Also, since it comes up sometimes from other dm's I've gotten, I think the better idea for me to do is make a masterpost about WoL and where it was going, include some screenshot blurbs for context, etc. That might take a few days, but when that posts, I'll reblog this with the link to the masterpost.

[amoebaforce]

I just got a really cute idea for a prompt thingy. How about the WoL who uses their skills as a weaver to make Y'shtola a Runar plush? Or of you have other ideas for a similar thing with the rest of the scions, whoever you think they'd want a plush of most.

omg. anon. this is so cute, it's diabolical. enjoy!

tags: fluff, teeny tiny angst, Runar x Y'shtola shipping inbound, gn!WoL word count: 444 (unintentional but interesting)

It's waiting for her when she comes to bed: a little gift box wrapped in purple, tied with silver twine. A gift. Y'shtola closes the door behind her, stalks nearer with a slow caution, as if the thing might get up and bite her if she touches it too hard. She reads her name on the little card, and curiosity blooms like a night orchid in her chest.

The card isn't signed, but when she lifts the lid, Y'shtola finds a little note sitting in a bed of tissue paper. Looping handwriting lines the page:

Shtola, You remember a few weeks ago, when I told you I was working on my weaving? Well, with all the downtime we've had since then, I kinda got really good at it, and I wanted to make you something as a "thank you" for saving my butt a whole bunch of times. So, say hello to my newest creation. I hope it reminds you of some good times. Love, WoL.

Y'shtola practically tosses the letter aside, anticipation burning, and rips her way into the ruffled paper. Nestled within is a little doll -- but not just any doll. A silver-furred Hrothgar clad in sleeveless black robes, with pale-gold buttons for eyes and a mouth stitched into a permanent smile.

In a heartbeat, the mage's eyes fill with tears.

"Runar," she murmurs aloud, though no one will hear.

Curiosity shreds itself into lonely guilt; into the terrible, aching crush of grief. Water spills down her cheeks, and she dashes it away and sinks into her mattress, stroking a disbelieving finger across the plush's tiny face.

The Warrior made this? For her? Out of all the novelties and toys they could have chosen... Y'shtola doesn't know if she should laugh or weep. She closes her eyes and she's back beneath those purple boughs, wrapped in evercool shade and two thick arms, murmuring promises she hadn't been able to keep.

At least, not yet. She was getting closer -- she knew she was. She could feel it in her bones. Some day soon, Y'shtola would find that missing piece she'd been searching for, the key that would unlock the door back into the First, and they'd finally have their reunion. She crushes the plush to her chest and imagines it.

Heavy indigo shadow. Endless black sky. Names uttered soft and sweet in the quiet dark, unobserved and unobscured.

Y'shtola blows her held breath out her nose and wipes her eyes again. Until she had the real thing back in her grasp, she would just have to make do with this little imitation.

And she'd have to thank the Warrior in the morning, too.

[eorziapple]

(@driftward) Dirty Alphabet Meme! Oh, we should go easy on poor Apple, should we not? (I)ntimacy, (N)O [something they would NOT do, turn offs], (T)oy, (E)xperience, and (R)isk.

Well, not that easy, I suppose. Pip gets (P)ace and (I)ntimacy

Okay! For Apple (GA Apple to be speicific, WoL is a work in progress):

Intimacy- "Right, what was this study for again? Well far be it for me to stand in the way of scientific progress. Truth be told I struggle with this in general, and it seems to be a sore spot for the few partners i've had. I find myself rather distracted and out of the moment at times, to the point where I've been unsure if relationships are for me at all. I do know that I crave it at times though, I get lonely just like anyone else."

(N)O- "Oh I find myself perusing erotica with enough curiosity that I feel like I might be willing to try many things, I suppose the issue has always been the willingness to actually... do anything that I struggle with? A little odd that I rather enjoy all the fiction and aesthetics though. I suppose to answer your question, anything that is particularly messy would be out of the question."

(T)oy- "Ohohoho, well, in this regard I believe I have some degree of experience in. It's nice to have something at hand to help get focused, not to mention a very efficient and pleasurable way of getting to sleep faster, which I struggle with from time to time. There's actually quite a lot i've unearthed from the Sons of Saint Coinach's delves, though they tended to miscategorize them as lab equipment. Some of them are -quite- elaborate contraptions, which makes sense, given the society's end being brought about by sheer boredom in part. I've cobbled together a few recreations... and taken a few of the pieces from the Free Company's showroom... I dont think Erick would want some poor client or employee pushing one of -those- red buttons. Oh uhh.. yeah, I have many and use them.

(E)xperience: She sighs "I.... have had two partners, and not for very long. It's been a bit of an issue and usually tied to me having trouble with attraction in the moment. I often feel vulnerable or... perhaps I let my mind wander, which caused some degree of awkwardness. It can be frustrating, as I daydream from time to time, and the mood strikes me often enough that I seek out art and fiction, or the recesses of my imagination. I've mostly accepted that i'm a bit outside the norm, I suppose."

(R)isk: "I'm a little more likely to take risks in my profession that in intimacy. It's easy to dive into something dangerous and exciting when you can predict a positive end state. I have trouble picturing that with sex. I suppose I have gotten a little... well lets just say a knock on the door while i'm using said devices has led to some rather enticing daydreams? I suppose that might count as risk, getting caught?"

For Pip!:

(P)ace: "Ummm well shit, I guess it's not hard to tell I do everything to the max! I mean, what's not to love, you get a good cardio in, feels -amazing- and that post-destroyed-or-destroying bask feels better than winning a good fight. Finding a good sparring partner for horizontal bouts can be rough though, not everyone can handle my special moves!

(I)ntimacy: "Ehhhhhhhhhh it's kinda annoying, not gonna lie? I mean yeah yeah yeah I'm the best and who'd want to leave a dynamo like me but.... girl this talented can't be shackled down, it would be unfair to all the realms to keep me for yourself, so really in the end expecting such is quite cruel to the world, and hasn't the world suffered enough? Just be glad you got to tangle with a hurricane, it's the experience of a lifetime, after all" *she flexes at the interviewer and kisses her biceps*

For @biot08 celebrating my tumblr comeback with a megaprompt

[triscribeaucollection]

 The young warrior, moving slower due to his injuries, nonetheless took three steps to put himself in-between his companion and their fearsome opponent. Sneering, the elf warlock lifted a hand, dark energies swirling over her palm as an unknown spell began to form.

“So, you can brace for impact for whatever’s coming,” Yamada explained, leaning over the table to prod at Tenko’s character sheet. “Or you could try to dodge, but that kinda defeats the purpose of getting in-between the warlock and Tamachi-kun. And attacking’s out, since you’re too far to reach the baddie in one turn.”

Tenko frowned, glancing at the list of abilities his character still retained. “...I’ve got a Divine Call left. I can use that, right?”

“Sure! Which of the wolfen gods do you want to appeal to?”

“Uh...” Another check of his character’s racial attributes led Tenko to squinting at the two options. “Calu’s the warrior, but Wol is the weaver - he made the world's first armor, so I should get a better Defense Bonus from calling on him, right?”

“Yep! Alright, Divine Call means we need a d4; that’s the pyramid-shaped one, Izuku-chan.”

“Here it is!” Tenko accepted the offered die from his beaming baby cousin, who went back to doodling on his own papers. One roll later presented him with the number 3.

“Aaalrighty, let’s see here! Lord Wol has heard your call for assistance, and decided to offer his favor! A beam of light descends from the blue moon overhead, expanding to cover you and your companion both in a shimmering orb that extends for two steps in all directions. Your turn, Tamachi-kun!”

“Well, it’s not like I can do much from behind Tenko,” Kansatsu muttered dryly, slowly dragging a finger down her character sheet. She’d used up more spell slots than Tenko, whose warrior character had the good old fashioned fallback of ‘whack the bad guy with a sword’. They’d started out facing two warlocks and three dark orcs, four of whom were down for the count, but her human wizard was low on health, with Tenko’s wolfen not much better. “Wait. I’ve still got that gift from that trickster we helped. Can I use it?”

“Sure! One boon from the Mysterious Trickster reeequires a d6!”

“Ooh, bigger die,” Tenko commented, as Hitoshi scrambled to find the right game piece for his sister. When it rolled and landed, Kansatsu got the highest point value, and Yamada cackled.

“You untie the drawstring pouch and toss it into the air, sending a cloud of glittering silver sparks across the forest clearing,” he announced. “After hovering for a few seconds, the cloud gathers and condenses, and high-pitched laughter rings out from the center mass.”

“Uh-oh,” both ten year olds muttered. Slumped in a seat at the end of their table, Aizawa snorted.

---

Been working on my game Wolfen and Warlocks lately, which always makes me think of this scene from my story Double Act, the first place I ever wrote out what the game might look like. And, well, since I’m getting back into a MHA phase too, thought I’d post this snippet for posterity. Re-reading the comments on this particular chapter always brings a grin to my face xD

[endlesscrimson89]

FFXIV Write2023, Prompt 14: Clear.

[Companion piece to 10th entry, "Shock"]

Adam's goal became clear the moment he woke up in Senri’s body. Or - to be precise - the moment he realized that this whole isekai nonsense was apparently a thing that somehow happened to him. 

Not that he especially minded, though, as the last thing he remembered was getting hit by a car - so as devoted atheist, waking up inside the game was definitely preferable to the non-existance. Or finding out that hell was also a thing. 

No, instead whatever gods were up there, had to be laughing their asses off at his stumbling when he spent a good few hours getting used to having a tail and swearing at the idea of making his avatar Miqo’te. 

Though, he quite quickly figured that his avatar - Senri - didn’t exactly looked like he did on his screen, mind you. Nope, gawking at his reflection in the shallow pond he found soon after waking up, he figured that whatever god shoved his soul into this body had to trying to make up for some sort of complex... or something. 

Only thing that agreed, was the colors - with the fucking switch somehow apparently accounting for the mods he used to make Senri’s hair ventablack and his eyes paler than the character creator's screen allowed... because why the fuck not, right? 

Only saving grace was the fact that now he was VERY happy that he didn’t think to make his avatar a chick... because if he got shoved into a girl's body instead? God, but that would be awkward!

So, yeah, Adam woke up in a middle of a fucking desert, his body covered in a VERY familiar looking starter gear and with no clue where to go or what to do. He stumbled for a while - obviously - and his first encounter with a monster ended badly. 

Fucking cactuars were no joke, enough said. 

But even getting stung to death had an upside, he figured when he opened his eyes again at the bottom of a massive, spinning crystal, because apparently the Respawn was also a thing and somehow his body was attuned in Ul’dah. Though it didn't take him long to figure that Ul’dah also didn't look anything like it did in game. 

...and NPC's weren't as nice, either. 

Whatever cosmic joker thought it was a good idea to make him look as he did, had to be rolling over in laughter with the amount of chicks that wanted a piece of him now. He figured that perhaps if he wasn’t gay, it would be fun but those bitches in Ul’dah...? Well, had a fucking issue taking no for an answer. 

Figures, right?

Dodging them while trying to get a hang of things was definitely a pain and when he finally understood that somehow he landed in FFXIV before the whole Dalamut crash... Yeah, his goal was fucking clear like crystal. 

Mainly: get the fuck out of Eorzea before Bahamut turns it into toast. 

Hey, he didn’t sign up for this and whatever happens with the WoLs in this battle he liked the cinematic trailer of... he figured he might preferably skip. 

So, he took a gig at Colliseum for a few months, picked up a Gladiator class and rolled with it - still dodging horny ladies - until he got enough Gil to get the fuck out of the dodge. 

When it came to picking a direction, it was also clear like a day. Adam figured that all things considered, and if was counting right - if the sense of time was existing in this screwed up universe - the dude he had the biggest crush on for years now should be like... available right now. He had no clue how old was his own body, especially having no real idea how the aging of Miqo’te worked - but looking in the mirror his reflection looked rather on the young side. Too fucking pretty for his liking, but yeah... young. Twenty, perhaps? Well, as far as he could say - without making himself look suspicious by asking others - he looked like a young adult... with cat-like additions. 

The day he parked his ass on the ship heading to Old Sharlayan he breathed with relief, gleefully waving a 'bye-bye' toward the harbor of Limsa Lominsa until it became a tiny dot on the horizon. Have fun burning, for all he cared - not very much appreciating the experience so far. Bless Yoshi.P for sending those horny bitches into oblivion! Maybe after revamp it's going to become a more LGBT+ friendly space... or however the fuck this whole thing worked, because Adam still had no real idea. 

Hey, using magic was pretty cool, and all - even if it didn't take him long to figure he quite sucked at it. Briefly taking a gander at Taumaturgy taught him quickly that he was better off as Gladiator... well, Paladin now. 

And, fuck, at least he could heal himself with it, because dying...? Still hurt like a bitch!

Not to mention this whole respawning thing boggled his mortal mind. He tried not to think about that too deeply... again busy dodging the horniness of Eorzean 'ladies' on a fucking uncomfortable sea voyage across the sea. What in game looked uncomfortable - that idea of the fucking big 'below deck' shared by all passengers in the opening of Endwalker, proved to be a blessing in disguise. With someone always being up and about, those bitches couldn't do more than leer... and fuck, but they did - constantly. 

Three weeks later, he nearly jumped off the ramp as soon as it hit the murmur of the harbor and downright sprinted toward the registration before any other goddamn 'lady' could 'offer' her company during his stay in city of scholars. 

Thankfully his faked papers held the scrutiny of the officials (making him sent a silent thanks toward the guild of rogues in Limsa, no matter how fucking expensive those were). Another thanks he sent for Gulaf Baldesion, who apparently had a good idea (for Adam, that is) to sit his ass in Isle of Val and stay put. He figured as much from the game, and the rogues were pretty damn surprised why he needed a fake letter from the guy, but with enough Gil apparently there were no things quite impossible... So, hey, it almost made him nostalgic with similarity to Earth. 

...not quite, but almost. 

Registration done, all his measly belongings thrown over his shoulder, Adam headed toward the higher level of the city and the crystal of the Aetheryte. For obvious reasons, attuning was kind of a necessity, least he got unlucky and landed right back in Eorzea. 

That done and armed into a fake latter from Baldesion naming him a 'bodyguard' for the man's young protégé, he headed to Baldesion Annex, quite hoping that the counter letter going out of Limsa to the man reached him by now. Just in case, he preffered to have all his bases covered. 

For the guy, Senri Tia, the Warrior of Light, offered his protection to the last known descendant of royal family of Allagan Empire. He had no clue if Baldesion knew what was the Eye of the Allag or why G'raha was dumped on him - if he suspected that he probably didn't know, if he left the guy to rot in Sharlayan. Maybe him knowing it would change the dude's attitude... but he hardly gave a fuck as long as he was allowed his goal. 

Frankly, he was a fucking simp for G'raha and he wasn't ashamed of that. And if the universe chose to dump his miserable soul into this particular world, there was no way he would miss the opportunity to meet his idol. 

...even if G'raha, when he finally saw him, looked pretty young. Well... far younger than Adam calculated or was comfortable with, to be frank.

Still fucking cute, though! 

Learning that his intended target just a few weeks ago passed sixteen namesday, however, put a damp on his plans of getting in the redhead’s pants... so to say. All stares and blushing on his part aside... Adam figured that considering how his body looked like, wasn't that surprising - or fair - to boggle the cutie's mind. 

Decided to stay at his side as his friend, he settled into the quiet life among the Students of Baldesion seamlessly... mostly. Well, once most of Old Sharlayan's citizens figured that from now picking on his mismatched-eyed charge was a big fucking no-no, they didn't have that many issues. Here at least the idea of homosexuality wasn't that alien, so after the news spread that he wasn’t interested in girls, he was down to only dodging horny guys... still a bummer, but hey, he would take a win over nothing! 

A few broken jaws later, at least they got the clue and left him alone, so other than newcomers to the city Adam - or Senri, as he was increasingly used to - was downright toasty by the time news hit of... well, Eorzea taking one for the team. Not that he was surprised, every night going out to look at the ever-closer Dalamut... but he still made sure to pretend a proper shock. 

By that day, he and Raha were more than friends for over a year, but the news had him sitting down and doing some serious soul-searching and calculations. 

From his by then foggy memory of the game, he knew that in five years someone here would get a bright idea of investigating the Crystal Tower and drag his lover’s sexy behind into this whole... thing. 

And he had no clue if there would be another WoL for Scions to recruit. One to face van Belsar and all that mess beforehand. 

Admittedly, Adam didn't consider himself to be super smart person. He had no clue why did he end up in this world, no god spoken to him to make things clear or whatever, so he was simply getting by best he could. He kept his head low, took care of Raha and would be happy to continue to do so... but his conscience was eating on him, to be honest. 

And Raha, being the observant little shit, finally demanded answers as to why 'Senri' was so bummed out all of the sudden. Spending over three years constantly together, including a year as lovers, made the little tease know just all the right ways to finally make him confess... and as much as Adam enjoyed the process, he was pretty relived to come clean. 

Stumped, too, because Raha wasn’t as surprised as he should be. Well, until...

"You talk in your sleep, babe," the redhead announced with a potent roll of his mismatched eyes and he, honestly, never loved him more than in that moment. "So... when do we go?"

And so it was settled that they're going back to Eorzea... together. Meaning, he was going back because for Raha it would be a first, obviously. 

Not having a clear idea of the timeline, they picked a year after the news of Minifilia Warde establishing the Scions of the Seventh Dawn reached the Old Sharlayan. 

Raha was twenty-one and Senri still had no clue how old he was, exactly. He still looked young, so they figured that he - his body - wasn't that much older than his redhead... They both pointedly ignored the fact that he didn’t seem to age a day - physically - since reaching the city of scholars. He also didn't happen to die in the meantime, so Adam knew that his lover was taking his story about 'respawning' with grain of salt. He VERY vehemently refused when Adam proposed to prove it to him, so...yeah. 

Figuring that by taking Raha along he was already messing up the story, they settled into the idea of improving what Senri still remembered of how it was supposed to play out. 

Another miserable, three-weeks-long sea voyage later, they landed on Eorzean soil... and, actually, they found that they didn’t need to bother in the first place. 

Staking out Thancred - alone, after accidentally spotting the tall Scion in Ul’dah, where they decided to take residence for time being - while hidden from sight via stealth, Senri witnessed the moment a young, fresh-faced adventurer came to 'Lilira's' rescue near the Sultanatree. Swiftly joined by Thancred he was tailing, he decided against stepping in, instead watching and considering the development. Then listened in on ensuing conversation. 

The adventurer, cute and enthusiastic Keeper named Nell, an arcanist as much as he could tell by watching her fight, seemed like an ill pick for the WoL, being a tiny, whiff of a girl with long, silver hair. But watching her and her mannerisms from his peculiar perspective, something else became clear in Adam's mind. 

She was a player, like him. No, not exactly like him, but the way she moved, gestured and didn't say a damn thing while the others appeared to hear something... He figured that she was an avatar, with some noob behind the steer in the real world. Or the other world. 

His world. 

And another clear thing: by the joke of the universe or something, Adam had become a NPC - who already messed up someone's playthrough. Self-aware NPC who wasn't complaint to the rules of the universe he was shoved in, apparently. Or, perhaps he was really dead and all of this was some sort of complex afterlife... 

Well, he didn’t really care either way, leaving them to head back to Ul’dah and to share the development with his lover. Figuring that Raha would have a better idea how to proceed, he however couldn't resist the thought toward this 'player' behind the veil. 

Hope you enjoy the ride, pal... Because he wasn’t nearly close to being done with making a mess of things. 

[pangolinheart]

Reblogging this with some more Esteem commentary from the Level 80 DRK quest journal entries:

But if you're reading this, then you know how the story goes, don't you? So now comes the choice. Hold the crystal close that we may enjoy these moments together or pretend I was never a part of it. That I was never really here.

Perhaps Lunnie, the woman who delivered it to Sidurgu, might be able to shed some light on the mystery - or at least help you go through the motions and put one foot in front of the other. Over and over again. Off you trot.

Do you remember Ser Patrounade? I do. Not by name, of course - he didn't have one when the towers fell. That's how these things so often go - you do your bit, only later to fill in the gaps, to piece together the picture in distant hindsight. What will your legacy be tomorrow, and the day after, and in the days after that...?

And Orella's just another step in your own journey. Will you remember her? What about the names in her ledger - Conrad Kemp? Meffrid Noward? "Ah, but they were doomed from the first," a part of you whispers. "Inevitable deaths on the road to a foregone conclusion," sayeth the hardened heart, in retrospect. You'd be wrong, of course. It never had to be this way. This world is exactly as we choose to take it.

... And as a humble token of his appreciation, long overdue, he offers a flower. But it is not for you.

Another nameless face, now named. Then conniving, now humbled - as well he should be, no? I gave him a right talking to - or you did. Your choice. And after a string of bad luck he's since turned over a new leaf... and found a flower. Suitable for funerals and farewells. I told you before you know how the story goes, didn't I? Come and see, Z'rhiki. Come and see.

It's been a long, strange journey, filled with all kinds of ups and downs. Your journey, to be sure, but like I wrote before, I'd like to pretend I was an important part of it. Vanity, aye - but how can I not think of legacy, now, when we've been to the first and witnessed firsthand the lengths to which man will go to be remembered? I want to believe - I need to believe that this was not for nothing. That I changed you for the better, as you changed me.

And the final paragraph....

Time to go. I don't know when we'll do this again - if we'll ever do this again. The little trick you've learned doesn't count, you know. But even if this is our end, it won't change what we had. I love you more than you'll ever know. Be well.

In pulling these quotes, I also learned something interesting: If you view the journal entries for these quests with any class other than dark knight equipped, it excises most of Esteem's commentary on events, including the entire last paragraph. Presumably this is to show Esteem giving the WoL a choice, and respecting their answer. Pretend it never happened, that it was just a strange dream, and move on with their life, or remember Esteem, the fragment of themself, and the lessons they taught.

I almost never read the journal entries in final fantasy xiv but I happened to be looking for something and in my search found that the journal entries for the Stormblood Dark Knight quests are actually "written" by Esteem AND I- Here are some choice selections from the sb drk quests, from the mildly amusing to the ones that ripped my heart out:

Four more times must he do this. Four more times must he employ his powers to make broken men and women whole, so burdened by his deeds he is. Again you consent to the plan for...reasons. 

But, for now, Sid could do with a drink. Or a nap. Or one, and then the other.

...you realize it is none other than the woman who led the protest against the peace conference at Falcon's Nest, and poisoned your drink, which was not very sporting at all. 

...she admits she once looked on you with hatred, but no longer. Fight, if it be your will, and if the gods show you favor, then so be it. And when we are called to account, so be it.

Her heart knows naught but guilt. Seeks naught but forgiveness. Ware the penitent, for theirs is a compulsion all consuming. 

Myste is nevertheless troubled, as is his wont, though at least he is grateful. And you are still a good person, apparently. That's nice. 

And so, in a fit of what can only be described as temporary insanity, Sidurgu has proposed that you return to Moghome. Apparently he hopes that the fresh air and the quiet might cheer the boy. Alternatively, he may long to punch a moogle in its furry little face. 

Myste stares out at the endless expanse and speaks of loss, which we know all too well. So, so many friends and loved ones. Close your eyes and you can see them pass, one by one, in solemn procession. A lesser woman would be tempted to forget, but we know better. 

As feared, Sidurgu will require some time to recover from his wounds. So poor is his condition that he is not even fit to make the journey back to Ishgard. Alas, this means that he must enjoy the company of the moogles at Moghome for the foreseeable future. But all is not lost─he did give you leave to punch a moogle for him. 

He laments his fate, wishing he could go back and convince his former self not to place his trust in the Griffin...but if such things were possible, you wouldn't have a broken shield, now would you? 

She is not the first, nor will she be the last to betray you. She will implore you to see reason, to seek solace in the fiction. And when you refuse, she will have no recourse but one. As I did not. Be ready.

And now, the betrayal. Myste believes that the only way we can atone for our sins is to “undo” them with his simulacra. Every life we took, every death that weighs upon our soul, he would make amends for it all with his beautiful lies. I can end this charade, godsdammit, I can end it! Now is the time! You need me! YOU NEED ME!

The little girl who wanted to make this cruel, twisted world a better place, futile as that is. She's going to get us killed one of these days...but what can I say? I love her. I forgive her. And you... 

(the very last sentence really got me afhajkfla)

... he knows that your destiny leads you elsewhere, for you are still a hero. You are still a good person.