#it's just a small wish I have when it comes to ff14

[fa113nm00n]

Didn't create a new character, just wanted to look through the hairstyles... I do like the Viera's hairstyles... kinda wish they were accessible for the other races as well... I always strive to find the hairstyle with the longest hair in all games I can create a character... I have a very certain weakness (>x<) Too bad one has to worry about how much clipping one can tolerate when it comes to long hairstyles... If I could, I would mod my Amethyst's hairstyle into the one I enjoy drawing her with ^^'

[abimee]

deeply appreciate everyones support over the years but with the recent thing i want to remind whoever may have been here for a while that no matter how long youve been following me and no matter what you may think, you ultimately dont know me. If you relate to my art/posts thats wonderful and im very happy for that!!!! But just because you relate to my struggles/thoughts/art does not mean you know me intimately, and you dont know who i am or what i have.

I dont say this to alienate people but to remind you that theres always going to be a barrier between us and that we will never truly know each other, and to remember that before you approach me about anything or with the idea that we're friends/you know things about me. For all you know i can be straight up lying to you about anything, and again, i DO NOT say this to create some sort of doubt around me or to alienate people --- i say this to mean that you should not think of me as a friend, or that you know ''me'', purely through some tumblr posts. If you want to be my friend, you have to actually strike up conversation, send a letter to me or something, play ff14 with me, something that's not just staring at my text posts and claiming you've been around since my X days and have sent me Y amount of anon asks so of course we're besties. I have a small group of friends, and I know who they are, and they know who they are, and nobody else.

I will not name or identify this person, and if you go out of your way to look for them I will openly announce you as a harasser for forgoing my explicit confirmation that this person needs to be left alone --- but this past week, I had a confusing but ultimately harmless interaction with an indivitual tumblr follower, that when taken into privacy turned into a deeply invasive conversation, where a document was revealed to me having been written by this person about me, with an illustration of me inside, declaring multiple things about me that were not true, were not appropriate, and made me incredibly uncomfortable and stressed out. What this document was is nobody's business, but it was obviously written during some sort of mental health situation, and included the person invading my privacy regarding my ''alters''/personalities and believing many things about me, including marking me as a ''big brother'' to their ''little brother'', inadvertently implying I will become an ''introverted fascist'', and when I attempted to communicate with them my discomfort and that I wished to end the conversation they had continued to press me and send me strange messages. This was after being privately and publicly threatened as well. They eventually let the conversation end, but without any apology, and continued to @ me publicly as well.

This was, overall, an incredibly uncomfortable experience, and while I wish all the best for this person and what ever mental state they are in that made them do this, I am also allowed to be incredibly mad about it. Being threatened and then claimed to be the person's ''blood nephew'' in the same sentence is not the way to talk to someone, in an altered mental state or not.

But I do not want anything to come of this. I am airing out my discomfort and to show that people are way too comfortable treating me like shit, but if anybody goes out of their way to dig up who this person is and harasses/bothers them about this you are a piece of shit. Leave them alone, just like I asked them to do and have been doing in return. Let them deal with it on their own!

this is not an uncommon occurence, either. Back when I was discovering and dealing with what I now (and have known for years) was a case of delusional multiple personalities, I had complete strangers attempt to ''talk'' to these sides of myself or to ''get them out'' to talk. I, me, Rylan, have personally been pushed aside for these personalities, alongside people feeding into my delusions (with good intentions, but still,) purely because they got too comfortable with the idea of ''knowing'' me. I had been invited into a private discord server between me and two people, where the person (a mutual's) boyfriend broke down before me and started crying about how ''they'll never be as good as an artist'' as me, and I was made to be the target of this this self-destructive breakdown that was this person seeing me as ''above'' them and treating me on a pedestool. I have multiple times had people personally claim me as their friend and then never treat me with any respect, have had someone send me a death threat and harass me because they were a long-time follower who saw me as a friend until I made an off-hand harmless joke about their comfort character, and many more situations where I was placed into an uncomfortable situation purely because someone invaded my space/parasocialized a friendship between us as complete strangers, and then either made it my problem to deal with their low self esteem, or took it out on me when I did not act 100% to their liking.

I have been open with my Bipolar and my other mental disorders in the past because people wanted to know my experience, possibly help themselves consider something, but if being open creates situations like this then I won't do it anymore.

All I ask is some respect. I have been treated like shit since I was a teenager in highschool by complete strangers, and it's not healthy for me nor is it fun to feel like I'm constantly on the verge of having someone use their enjoyment of my art to treat me like some sort of bacteria on a petri dish, or the shit under their boots. I ask you leave me alone, dear god, just let me live and treat me with respect! I know who I am, and I want my privacy! If you want to be friends, you'll have to put actual work into it instead of just reblogging my art. Do not ever think you know anything about me unless I explictly confirm it. And please, dear god, let me rest! I'm tired of always having my privacy invaded! Please just act normal around me!

[ultimablades]

Okay, finally going to jot down my FFXVI thoughts, things I liked and things I wish had been different. No story spoilers so this is more about gameplay/game design choices, but I'm going to put under a readmore to be safe.

Pros:

Loved the main cast of characters. For me, the characters are the most important part of a Final Fantasy game, if i don't like the main party I'm going to have a hard time staying interested in the story. I ended up loving Clive so much more than I was expecting and he's quickly become one of my favorite FF protagonists. He is full of love and his journey was important to me!! Outside of Clive, I fell in love with a lot of the other characters. The Dominants were all so different and had their own unique stories and it was fun getting to learn all about each one of them. And there were so many secondary characters I grew fond of, I was excited to see them again. Also, last note, the main villain design was good. That's all i'm going to say about that.

Along with the characters, I thought the main story was really good. I don't want to say too much about it because I don't want to talk about story spoilers in this post but there were so many epic highs that had me going "Now this is a final fantasy game," nothing hits quiet like SE money does when it comes to jaw-dropping story moments and cutscenes.

I liked the side quests, yes most of them were fetch quests/go kill this monster quest, but that's just how side quests in most games are tbqh. They gave really good lore about both the characters and the lore so I didn't mind doing them. Some of them i think should've been part of msq.

I enjoyed the gameplay, Eikonic abilities are so varied and different, it's fun to mix and match and play around with them. The stagger bar was a good edition, I know FFXIII had something similiar but this reminded me of FFXIV's burst windows in a way, cause I found myself holding my LB4's and eikonic abilites for when I knew a stagger was about to happen. Dodging and parrying were fun once I got the timing for them figured out. I also like that you can't just eat potions and face tank your way through fights.

In that same vein, I liked the look of our ascension grid. Like, just aesthetically, I enjoy the design of it.

The size of the zones was really good I thought. This was another thing that reminded me a lot of FF14, but you basically have a set number of zones that are more "open world," that you can run around in, do side quests, find hunts, kill mobs, etc. None of those zones were too big or too small and I think they struck a good balance between FFXV's massive overworld that could take a long time to traverse and the more linear, straight hallways of previous FF games. Between your chocobo and the obelisks (which are just FF14 aetherytes lol), it doesn't take long to get where you need to go.

Boss design in general was really good. It's hard not to keep making comparisons between FF14 because some bosses literally look like HD versions of their FF14 counterpart and do the same attacks, I'm not mad about it but as an FF14 player I kept going "Hey it's blah blah blah." But boss fights were fun! Especially some of the endgame ones really made me think about my eikon setup and what abilities I needed to use.

Eikonic battles in general I think were a lot of fun and the biggest spectacles in the game. They don't happen frequently enough that I got tired of it, the controls for the eikon are simplified so I think it would have been annoying to do them too much. But they always happened at a story high point, so you're like "OOOOHHHHHHH" when you're doing them. The high point of the game for me was an eikon battle.

Active Time Lore in general. I love it. I'm kissing it. I want it in every game moving forward.

I didn't personally use these but I love the accessibility features they added that do things like making dodging easier, auto-linking your combos together, etc etc. More accessibility features is never a bad thing! This story is good and I want everyone who wants to experience it be able to. And now they've made it so you can turn off the motion blur, which didn't bother me but I know it bothers a lot of people, so I'm glad they included it. Should've been there on launch but hey, better late than never.

Cons:

The pacing in this game can be.....rough at times, in a way that is very FF14. The highs of this game are soooooo high, they are so good, but then the lows are like trying to walk through mud. You will do the coolest boss fight of all time and then the next quest will be "go do this boring task." I don't mind downtime in a story – it's good to have an ebb and flow, you need the slower bits to enhance the epic moments. I just wish they had used their downtime better. Again, it feels very FF14 msq in that regard, if you have played FF14 than you will know what I mean. I mentioned liking the side quests and I wish they would've used some of that downtime to integrate those stories into the main one instead of having them be optional. There is some good bits about our main cast members that you can miss if you don't do the side quests, and I think that could've improved the pacing a bit – slows things down without making it feel slow cause we're still learning about our party members.

The crafting system in this game is a joke. It doesn't matter, it feels like a tacked on afterthought. You don't have to think about it at all. You will never want for crafting material and sometimes you will upgrade your gear only for a stronger item to become available at the shop after the next cutscene.

RPG elements in this game in general are pretty weak. There are no elemental weaknesses or anything of that nature, there aren't a lot of stats, so you don't really ever focus on that, you're just going to use whatever gear is strongest. The ascension tree for your eikonic abilities is cool but beyond that, you don't really have much control over Clive's numbers, you feel me.

In that same RPG element vein, you have no control over your party member's gears or stats as well. This makes sense because who is in your party changes depending on where you're at in the story. I wish I would've had more input in my party's actions though, outside of Torgal who is very easy to forget about, you can't give commands or plan attacks or anything like that. The party is just always AI controlled and will go off and do their own thing. Mainly, I wish there had been more party synergy. This is something that FFXV does incredibly well, and since I just replayed that game before this one, I think it makes it even more stark to me. in FFXV, you can issue commands to your party members called "techniques" and you can do thinks like link strikes that are unique to each party member that really makes it feel like you're fighting together as a team, even if the other characters are AI controlled. I would've loved something like that in this game, party members doing specific team attack when they're near Clive or piggy backing off specific eikon abilities as his. It's very easy to forget they're even there sometimes. I literally just realized as I was typing this, you party members don't even have their own health bars!!! They literally can't die!!! I also wish there was more banter between party members, though that may just be a personal want, cause I loved that in FFXV. Idk I love a good party dynamic in an RPG and there just. Isn't one at all in this game really lol.

This story is really dark at times and I wish there had been more moments of levity and lightheartedness to balance it out. Maybe they just felt like it wouldn't fit tonally but I find having those lighter bits in a dark story can make us care about our characters even more! The story isn't all doom and gloom but there are no classic FF moments of silliness, you know.

Purely a personal gripe – there is no fishing mini game, gotta ding it for that.

Overall though, the game is legit like an 8.5/10 for me personally, I love it. I had a good time playing it. I'm still playing it when I'm not raiding. I'm going to beat it on Final Fantasy mode. I recommend it to anyone who loves Final Fantasy because this is without a doubt a final fantasy story.

I think the things that I listed as cons will be forgotten by most people in six months to a year and what will stick with people is the spectacle that was the boss fights and a story about the deep bonds of love that make us who we are.

TLDR: Game good

[corgibardballads]

Poor Yda. She can beat your head in, but also has such a childlike sweetness. 

I honestly liked how relatable this was for anyone who has suffered a traumatic loss. One step at a time. Cleaning the blood stains. Fixing the broken items. Picking up everything knocked off the counters. Small things. One by one.

I didn’t play the OG FF14 and even after Coils, I just feel bad that I have a disconnect when it comes to Louisoix. I feel sympathy and empathy for them as someone who has lost loved ones, but in a story sense, I just struggle to grasp at who Louisoix was around them. I’m missing such important pieces. I feel like it’s one of the only big failings of ARR. We have the Echo and see flashbacks but we never get ones that build Louisoix as a character in this world. There are so many opportunities, but we get none. Even in Coils we are only really experiencing the events as a backseat to the twins and their connection to him. I realize it isn’t super important, but I genuinely like feeling fully immersed in the story, even outside of my own character, and I just wish I could more for a character so many felt was important.

[maedaeme]

bit of a long talk into the void about navigating community, being online, and being trans lol. nothing big, just vent space.

called out a super, super minor thing re: tran))sphobia in a discord call today while doing things in ff14 because it made me a little uncomfortable, it turned into a Thing for a little bit but ultimately ended in me saying i am trans, which has absolutely CONSUMED me with anxiety

i have a rough time with voice calls. people will either assume i'm cis, or, if i decide to just pull the trigger and correct them, immediately place all their preconceived notions onto me and it's just. viscerally alienating every time. I have such a hard time relaxing in any community space long enough to form genuine friendships because of that ghost over my shoulder that's constantly drawing limits on how much of Actual Me TM people can know before I risk immediately establishing myself as the outsider.

which sucks! I've learned over the past few years that a huge factor in feeling lonely was the fact that i spent like... all the way up thru my early 20s putting on some sort of performance, so it always felt like people I befriended were befriending someone who didn't exist, lol. I've gotten a lot better and more open these past few years, but it feels a lot like starting from scratch with no idea what I'm doing. I want to find people & form friendships where I can just be myself including all of the nebulous gender vibes and queerness and whatever. but it involves opening up to people who will not be able to get past their own ideas of what that makes me, and it honestly frequently feels like that's everybody.

it was a small thing that everyone moved past in the call and we went on to do things for another hour or two, but the person who did the minor thing abruptly left the FC a few hours later, and part of me knows it's silly to assume it's because of a small confrontation that didn't even really become an argument. but part of me also knows that people would prefer I had just ignored it instead of saying I was uncomfortable and part of me is just like.. maybe I should've. and I don't actually know how a lot of the people on that call feel about trans people, actually! i know this is not a big thing at all, but i'm tired and want to have a big cry about it. I wish I didn't have such a hard time navigating these things when it feels like everyone else has it figured out, or has mastered not letting it get to them.

i do get some comfort in the few people who have been tenacious enough to know Me TM over the past few years, and I love them very dearly and I'm so glad I have that. I just feel so exhausted when it comes to trying to find people and community that share my interests because I don't know if I will ever not feel isolated. it's a bummer. I wish it was easier.

[hannahindie]

Lie to Me

Characters: Dean x Reader Word Count: 1,267 Warnings: Alcohol use, vague mention of sexy times. 

A/N: Awhile back, I’d asked for prompt advice and got “Impala” from @adoptdontshoppets. It has taken me seventeen years to finish this, but here it is! I also cheated a little and used a word from my One Word Bingo, because I’m way past any kind of due dates ever, and I make the rules now. The word was glow. Nothing much to be warned about, aside from some insinuated adult situations and the word breast. If you aren’t over 18, maybe don’t read it. You can read like....3/4 it. Don’t read the last paragraph. 

Beta’d by @pinknerdpanda and @amanda-teaches because they are my favorite Amandas and I love them, they are the best. They’ve also been posting some pretty dang good stuff, so when you’re done reading this (if you make it past this stupid long intro), head on over to their blogs. You won’t be disappointed.

I’m going to tag my old tag list, but at this point, I feel like I should probably redo the whole thing. If I have tagged you and you want to stay, you don’t have to say anything. If I’ve tagged you and you’re like, “Why is this weirdo tagging me, I don’t want that crap” then politely let me know you’d no longer like tagged. If you aren’t tagged and would like to be, let me know. I’m going to attempt to write more, especially with this whole everyone is quarantined thing, so when I’m not cleaning, cross stitching, working, or playing FF14, perhaps I’ll be sharing some words with you. 

Neon lights drip down the black sides of the Impala, trapped in cold drops of rain as she rumbles to a stop. The door squeaks open and a pair of booted feet swing out, grinding the wet stones against each other as the boots’ owner stands up. 

There is a pause, brief, almost unnoticeable, before the person shuts the door and hurries into the bar. The lights are dim, dull behind a thin wall of cigarette smoke. It’s one of the last bars that allow smoking indoors, and the patrons are taking advantage of it with the rainy weather.  The way the colored lights above the tiny stage in the corner reflect off the swirling cloud reminds the man of how the traffic lights looked in the fog when he was a kid, laying in the backseat of the very car he arrived here in. 

His glance around the semi-crowded room doesn’t give him the answer he’s looking for, so he sits at the bar, orders a whiskey neat, and gently lays his phone on the scratched wood in front of him. He remembers another time he sat at this bar; but, if he’s honest, most of the bars he has spent his time in look remarkably like this one. He hears pool balls clack against each other, and he smiles to himself as he stands up and motions to the bartender for a beer. He grabs it, tosses some money down, then runs his fingers through his hair. If he’s going to sell it, he has to play the part. 

He saunters over, beer haphazardly dangling from the loose grip he has on the neck, and positions himself so that the guy he has his sights on notices him. The guy finishes the round he’s on, cockily grabs the money off the edge of the table, and waves it a couple times. So, the guy is an asshole. 

Perfect. 

The guy that lost practically throws the stick at him, sore loser, that one, and Dean fumbles the stick slightly before getting a grip on it, giving the winner a sloppy looking grin. He chalks the cue clumsily, nearly missing the tip before tossing the little blue square on the cue rack and nodding to the guy to break. He watches the balls as they spin across the green felt, the sound of them cracking against each other almost comforting, and begins plotting what his next move will be. Right before he sets up his shot, he feels a gentle pressure at his elbow. He looks back and sees the reason he had come to this bar in the first place. 

Y/N. 

She leans forward, and the feeling of her as she presses against his arm is a warmth he hasn’t felt in awhile. She whispers in his ear, a warning that he somehow missed, then steps back. He straightens up and looks at his opponent, then tosses the pool cue back onto the table. He hears the guy curse and without turning around, flips him off, Y/N on his other arm. He isn’t here to hustle, anyway. She leads him to a corner booth, dark except for the beer sign glowing above their heads, and they settle in.

He can’t help but stare at her; she’s gorgeous. She always has been, but the years have been kind, and though there’s still a bit of an edge to her, civilian life has softened it a bit. She talks low, her dimples popping whenever he gets her to laugh. It’s like no time has passed at all. A part of him wishes she had never left; she was good at it, maybe even as good as him. He can just barely see the scar that was the reason for her leaving the hunter life, the moment she realized it was either stay and die or leave and survive. He’d always thought she was braver than him, and the moment she left, he knew he was right. 

A warm touch brings him out of his thoughts and he looks up to see Y/N staring at him. He gives her a sad smile as he realizes what song is playing, and grabs her hand, nodding towards the small dance floor near the jukebox. She follows behind him, settling her head against his shoulder when he finally chooses a spot away from everyone else. The song is almost too fast to be a slow dance, but Dean manages it, gripping her waist tightly as he rests his chin on the top of her head. 

Lie to me And tell me everything is all right Lie to me And tell me that you’ll stay here tonight

He wants her to lie, to tell him she wants to stay with him, at least for tonight. He knows even if it does happen, it will be over in the morning. But feeling her against him like this, their bodies moving in sync as if they had never been apart, well...he’s fine with whatever he can get.

Tell me that you’ll never leave, And I’ll just try to make believe That everything you tell me is true

Lie to me, go ahead and lie to me Lie to me, go ahead and lie to me Lie to me

She looks up at him, and he pulls back slightly. He thinks he could kiss her, knows that he could and get by with it, but is it a good idea? A part of him says no, but the bigger part says that he has nothing to lose. He moves back in, pulling her closer to him until their lips meet. He tells himself that if she doesn’t kiss back, he’s done. He’ll walk away, no harm done, and that will be that. She will head back to whatever guy she’s seeing this time, a safer option than he’ll ever be, and he will find another girl in another bar with low expectations. 

But, she does kiss back. She kisses back just as fervently as he kisses her, and he decides he doesn’t want to walk away. Ending be damned, he’s going to enjoy it while he can. He breaks away long enough to pull her through the crowd and out the door, barely making it to the Impala before their hands are on each other again. 

It doesn’t matter anymore It could never be the way it was before If I can’t hold on to you Leave me something I can hold onto For just a little while won’t you let me be Anyone can see That you love him more than me

This is not the first time this backseat has served a purpose other than strictly travel, and though it is not Dean’s first choice for her, it’s what they have. He knows he doesn’t have much time, so he savors how she looks in the neon lights, the raindrops rolling down the windows casting shadowy rivulets that roll down her smooth curves. 

His rough hands cup her breasts as she moves above him, and he tries to memorize every scar, every freckle, every detail he can. The rain pounding against the car muffles her cries as she falls apart around him, bringing him over the edge with her, and the moment is over. Her eyes close and she nestles into his side, a smile on her face. 

It’s just for tonight, he tells himself. Just for tonight.

But right now, baby, let me pretend That our love will never end Lie to me, go ahead and lie to me

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Forever Tags: @trexrambling​ @pinknerdpanda​  @wheresthekillswitch​ @emilywritesaboutdean @arryn-nyxx​ @emptywithout​ @escabell​ @charliebradbury1104 @jarpadandjensenaremyheroes​  @deanssweetheart23  @canadianjelly @super-not-naturall @aubreyreadsstuff @dean-winchesters-baby @melissaj616 @fandomismyspirit @keepcalmandcarryondean @assbutt-still-in-hell @owllover123 @rosie-winchester @amionthetumbler @duubaduu @hiimaprofessionalfangirl @goldenolaf25 @authoressskr @nanie5 @mrssamfuckingwinchester @zincomms @kathaswings @crazynerdandproud @barbedwireandbubblegum @sandlee44 @boxywrites @justanotherdeangirl @smalltowndivaj @captainradicalpassion @myloveforyouxx @atc74 @mrsbatesmotel53 @there-must-be-a-lock @masksandtruths @thelittleredwhocould @jotink78 @amanda-teaches @ilsawasanacrobat @squirrel-moose-winchester @mjdoc90 @anticipate1003 @mrswhozeewhatsis @mogaruke @speakinvain @linki-locks11 @wildlandfox @rhochradel @lostnliterature @eternal-elir @spn-ficfanatic @polina-93 @lexiiiii28 @poukothenerd @emoryhemsworth @yourewelcomeforbeingmyfriend @adoptdontshoppets @closetspngirl @mersuperwholocked-lowlife @ellen-reincarnated1967 @hunterscabin

Dean Only: @akshi8278​ @valkyrieslament​ @lavieenlex​ @highonpastries @wholelottajackles @imascio08​

[merelliahallewell]

Community Organization - A Kul Tiras RP Postmortem

I should probably preface this whole ridiculous thing with the fact that I genuinely don’t want to upset anybody with it, but just do something of a postmortem. I removed all names save for those people I’m explicitly calling out for being great and handling this community well despite what’s happened to it. These are genuine observations from somebody who’s tried to both run events and be as involved in Kul Tiras as I can be for the last yearish.

I wish there was a way to make Kul Tiras roleplay a thing again but I genuinely don’t really have the connections to do so or the time to put together a lot of events personally- I already run two communities on Moon Guard and officer for a small guild. 

I’ll keep ranting after the jump I suppose.

The early cross-realm Kul Tiras community started off with a huge bang. I think despite how bad the gameplay of the early expansion came out to be, there was a lot of energy around the setting and a ton of excitement for Boralus as a whole. We had not one, but two in-game communities that had a good deal of crossover in membership between them. Surprisingly, BoralusRP and PortRP proved that in-game communities could still remain strong despite the total absence of a Discord to back it up. It broke the conventional wisdom I’d heard about how in-game RP was dead and there was RP to be found in abundance during the early days. While a discord server was later created for PortRP (now Living Kul Tiras), the in-game communities always remained far more popular and active than it. 

Unfortunately, I think the biggest blows to Kul Tiras RP weren’t sharding, but more that those who had created the communities didn’t necessarily have very many intentions past making the space for roleplay to maybe happen. Were it not for the awesome and very regular bar nights being hosted in the early expansion, we’d very quickly realize that there was nothing actually going on in the communities besides them. People made these groups with seemingly no intention of hosting events- unless it was a guild event that had open invitation.

What was more, there wasn’t any support from the leadership of these groups for the kind souls willing to run these awesome events. Nobody in leadership was interested in helping event runners get the word out regarding their stuff or otherwise promote them save for leaving calendar invites open. I know firsthand, after all, having tried to run the Shadows over Duskford arc back in October 2018 and having a hell of a time trying to invite Kul Tiras-based guilds to it. 

A number of dramatic things also seemed to undercut the efforts being made in the community- Having a prominent community member wind up to be a neo nazi didn’t help the image of Kul Tiras, nor did one of PortRP’s admins getting in a huge fight on the forums and caught using alt characters to back themselves up. 

Kul Tiras limped along on life support after the new year. Community events got hosted still and I can only voice utter appreciation at that. I absolutely adore my memories of the Shattered Glass (miss you a heck of a lot, Mac) despite this fact, but things were rough in January/february. 

Hype about the addition of Kul Tirans as an allied race infused the community with new life, at least for a little bit. Three new discords were created for each of the zones in preparation for this infusion of new people the community expected to get...

...but then we didn’t really get a lot of new people. What was more, the community suddenly found three new discords to have to be involved in, but the Tiragarde Sound and Drustvar ones were basically just empty and dead most of the time. It was the same discord just copy/pasted for the zones, with the same leadership team. While I’ve heard the Tidesage one was active, by the time I joined long after it was made, the place was incredibly quiet. I don’t really know a lot about the leadership teams of these discords, but I don’t think any major events came out of them.

On Moon Guard, the Boralus Law Project (a sort-of clone of the very popular Stormwind Law Project) was started in June, had one meeting, and then barely ever met again. While the effort was earnest, the delivery was... lacking, really hard. The solitary meeting was mostly argument over Drust relics and being told where we were allowed to stand. 

At this point in time, about a year after the trio of new Kul Tiras servers got started, all five public discords related to it are dead and most of the stuff in that vein is over, save for what I’ll list below. 

Some Praise

The only time I’ve seen life infused back into the Kul Tiras community as it was fading was the hosting of @caelin-tautstring​‘s Kul Tiras Market. I know things have gotten quieter there, but I think he’s absolutely done the best with what he’s been handed. I wish the market had more patronage than it does now, but I’m not really a huge member of WrA’s community and MG’s Kul Tiras groups are laughably distant, small, or don’t play retail so I have no real way of getting the word out about it. 

Jacquell has been at it hosting bars in Kul Tiras for as long as I can remember. Seriously, it may not be every week but that’s absolute dedication that no other event runners have had. I wish I made it to more of these just to show up and support her because she absolutely deserves it. Go give her forum thread some love and go to the next event on the 6th. 

@atc-wra runs the HARBOR GAMES. Gosh, those are awesome. go to them! support them! Support Kul Tiras. They’re really cool people and I wish I had gotten more opportunity to interact. 

Some Takeaways

Don’t start a community unless you intend to provide for it.

I appreciate the various Kul Tiras communities being founded. I absolutely, 100% do- my own character wouldn’t be around there if I hadn’t been given a great place to be. However, my main gripe with the people who founded these communities is that they just made them as a place to congregate, and very little else. 

The same goes for the trio of discords that got founded- where are the events? Bar nights, roll events meet & greets, stories. We’re all here to write stories, yeah? I feel like it is the role of moderators or leaders to do their best to provide for these communities with events, support, and most importantly, direction. People need to know what a community is for, rather than just being “the kul tiras community” or “the tidesage community.” 

Support community events!

Seriously, I remember being discouraged when my events weren’t supported. If you can’t make the event, then hawk it to your friends or guild members who can. Hell, make a guild event out of attending. Give them praise, feedback, anything. People who make events are the lifeblood of communities. They will die if they do not have a variety of events happening at frequent intervals.

If you’re going to abandon something, pass ownership off to somebody else in the community.

BfA sucked. yeah, we all know. I don’t blame anybody for going to FF14 or ESO or any other game, but I do blame them for leaving and failing to put other people in charge of the communities they ran. If you don’t want to host a bar event anymore, then give it to one of your customers or take on an apprentice or something. If you don’t want to run a discord, see if a community contributor can help.

I think the community would have been better off if they weren’t left waiting for things that weren’t going to happen.

A couple of prominent event runners left people waiting for events that never came. I feel like it’s important to be communicative, and if necessary, pass popular events off to other people if you’re no longer interested in running them. Promising how there will be more bar nights soon, or that you’ll do an event in the future, and then never following up on it? That sure sucks, especially if the event runner moved to FFXIV or Classic. 

I’m grumpy about Moon Guard’s Kul Tiras community.

Nobody is responsible for supporting a community if they don’t want to. That is very important to preface this with. However, I do feel like if one is trying to position themselves as the center of Kul Tiras roleplay, they should engage themselves and their entire guilds in the community. Refusing to show up to the cross-realm events (or host anything) despite having like... at least 20 people around in your guild really sucks. A golden opportunity to beef the RP up was lost. If you want an example of what should have been done, <Kul Tiran Admiralty/Commonwealth> hosted open events for people to come to, supported other events, and generally was super active. 

Hell, MG’s most active Kul Tiran groups were <Boralus Merchant Marine> and <Outliers> and they were both really small guilds. I love ‘em and I wish I’d helped support them more. The big ones should have taken lessons from their involvement, because at least they did it.

Now the people who ran the big guilds complain a lot about the death of the community, and i’m like... hello?? You had your chance and didn’t bother until it was too late. 

- - - 

This has been an extremely long rant about Kul Tiras. Is it fair? Maybe? I don’t know. I’m trying to throw out whatever I can for this without being too harsh. 

[saskiel]

The color of your soul

So, my life has been Final Fantasy XIV for the past two weeks, right? It absolutely decimated me, the main story of Shadowbringers is 100% the best.. and 100% the worst.. and 100% of me screaming, crying, yelling, wishing stuff was different, but then again not.. You know, the reaction pretty much the whole internet is having right now...

And therefore, here is my first fanfiction for FF14 - I apologize for any discrepancies, I honestly don’t know anything about FF franchise, other than 14 (and even there I am sure there are major gaps in my knowledge because I basically skipped every cutscene in ARR)

Also, as per usual, pray excuse all my shitty grammar mistakes, feel free to nicely point them out to me and I will correct them.

Pairing: Emet-Selch x WoL

This story is kinda fluffy btw, I am very proud of myself for not turning it into complete angst...

Emet-Selch. The bane of your existence as of late. But not because he is spinning his evil treads, ruining your own plans with the light wardens. Oh no, that, you can deal with. That is what ascians do, right?

Well, not this particular ascian. First, he decides to offer the scions an olive branch, saying he merely wants to observe, maybe even help. Then, he shamelessly teases you whenever he gets the chance. It’s dear this and dear that. Truly infuriating man.

With really good looks.

And a very pleasant voice.

But you’d, obviously, deny any of this in front of your friends, Thancred especially. After all, you can’t imagine they would take it well if you fraternized with the enemy. Or even think about the way his pale eyes light up with mischief whenever he calls you a hero as if it is some sort of private joke between the two of you. Maybe it is.

**

You are standing with the rest, watching Emet-Selch bring Y’Shtola back. You get the feeling he is enjoying the attention, his back is not hunched, for a change, as he raises his hand and snaps for the final time, lowering the woman’s body to the floor.

As you follow after Thancred, who literally bolts towards your friend, you make brief eye contact with the ascian. There’s a smirk on his face as he steps out of your way.

You are happy about the reunion, truly, Y’shtola would be greatly missed by many, but all your senses are on high alert with the man standing somewhere behind you. Were you braver, you would turn around, but every hero has their weak points. It would seem Emet-Selch might be yours, given how your heartbeat quickens when he makes his presence known once again, demanding a thank you. Even then you don’t face him, merely letting your comrades express their gratitude before they leave back to the nearby settlement.

“You are not going to join them, hero?” his voice sounds closer than you expected, sending pleasant shivers down your arms.

Slowly, you turn around, gazing into his eyes and he raises his eyebrow expectantly. Just when he takes a deep breath, no doubt to address you with some snark comment, you blurt out the first thing that comes to your mind.

“What color is my soul?”

You watch as his expression change. Before, he was mildly annoyed, but now his look is downright predatory.

“Isn’t that a clever question,” he moves slowly towards you, “what will you offer me for the answer?”

On a reflex, your feet start moving, putting you out of his reach. There might be a truce between you now, but he is still a being of immeasurable power. The intensity that he’s displaying makes you gulp. “I shouldn’t have to give you anything for it, let it be a nice gesture on your part,” you try to bargain, but even to you, it sounds weak.

“I believe my daily quota for nice gestures has been exhausted by me plucking your clumsy friend out of the lifestream. You will have to offer me something better,” with a wolfish smile, he forces you deeper into the forest.

“I doubt there is anything that you could want from me,” the end of your sentence sounds more like a question.

Who are you asking, him or yourself?

Fanow, the Viera city is no longer in your view as your back bump into an enormous tree, judging by your peripheral vision.

“No need to be so harsh on yourself, dear. Of course there is something I want from you… The question is, are you willing to offer it to me?”

He stops right in front of you - if you took a deep breath, your chest would touch his. If that thought wasn’t distracting enough, he purrs out your name. For a man who spends eons plotting the rejoining, he can be oddly impatient.

Licking your lips, you stare somewhere below his nose, not able to bring yourself to see his eyes. He’s never been this close. Your heart is beating fast, from fear or excitement, you don't know. Are you really going to do this?

“You are maddening,” you say as you finally raise your gaze to his.

“Is that a yes, my sweet hero?”

Slowly, you nod.

**

You did not think his smile could be bigger, yet after you give your consent, he looks like the cat that ate the canary.

He closes the small gap. A barely audible moan escapes you as his body crushes yours into the bark of the tree. He hums appreciatively at the way you fit against him. Right after that, his lips find yours, his hands roaming freely over your bare arms as he kisses you passionately. Your own arms circle around his body, your fingers lightly pressing into the muscles on his back, pulling him even closer.

“I’ve missed this,” he breaks the kiss for the moment, inspecting your face. But before you have time to think about his words, he lifts you from the floor, forcing you to hook your legs around him. He captures your lips once again and you wonder how you managed to resist him this long. You can feel his hardening member pressing through his pants, which makes you grip him closer as you arch your back slightly, increasing the delicious friction.

He groans as he bites your neck, it feels like a warning.

Deciding to test your theory, you rub yourself against him. You can feel his body shiver, his hands gripping your thighs almost painfully. “If you continue, I will have to ravish you,” he says, voice thicker than dripping honey. It’s exquisite feeling, holding this powerful man in the palm of your hand.

“Who says that’s not precisely what I want.”

His pale eyes glance at yours as if he was looking for any sign of uncertainty. You give him a coy smile before planting a gentle kiss on the corner of his lips.

“Close your eyes,” he says, snapping his fingers when you do as he asks. You feel the teleportation magic take place, but Emet-Selch is holding you close, ensuring that you don’t slip into the oblivion. When you next open your eyes, the forest of Rak’Tika is no longer there.

Where you might be, you don’t know. Everything here seems to be enveloped in shades of blue. Before you can look around more, you are placed on a comfortable bed, with one hungry ascian landing on top of you. He immediately starts kissing you again, his hands slip into your hair. You respond with equal passion, enjoying every moment. Your hands reach out for the hem of his robe and with his help, you pry it off.

Together, you manage to get rid of both your clothes, before you give in. Everything feels just right. His weight, pressing you into the sheets, the way he nibbles at your neck while you scratch your fingernails down his back, loving the feel of your joined bodies. You scream out his name as the pleasure dips you over the edge and he kisses you harder for it, following your suit soon after.

**

Later that night, after you’re both too exhausted to continue your lovemaking, you are falling asleep. His fingers are gently combing through your hair as he watches you closely. Curled against his side, you feel secure, his body heat making you relaxed. Slowly, your breathing levels out as you drift off. Even after that happens, he doesn’t stop caressing you, a thoughtful expression on his face.

“Your soul is the lightest color of topaz. When you are upset, it darkens into a rich amber. But whenever you are happy, it always shined like liquid light,” he smiles as you shift in your sleep, “I’m glad I got to see it again tonight…”

[moon-lily]

November/FF14 Writing Prompt #15

~ Gratefulness ~

(I'm grateful that you're a part of my life.)

How did it come to this? Everything had been going so well, the end was in sight, but it all fell apart right in front of them. The light from Innocence, who used to be Vauthry, became her undoing. All the Au Ra could remember of that moment was the excruciating pain wracking her body, feeling it deep within her very soul as it too began to fracture under the strain. She recalled the searing pain in her throat as liquid light aether was expelled out of her body. But most of all... She remembered him. The Exarch - no, G’raha Tia. The pain was too much for her to form any more words beyond calling his name, but her mind was screaming for someone to stop him, for any of her friends to try to find another way or just kill her instead. In hindsight, she should have been more careful for what she wished for.

Now Emet-Selch had him, holding him captive in the Tempest, but not before mocking her of her apparent failure. To think she tried to give him a chance, to try to understand him and his goals. Now she felt like an utter fool for believing he might truly become a friend to her and their cause. And now the Exarch, G’raha, was paying for that mistake on her part.

She bit the inside of her cheek hard as she walked down the steps from the Crystal Tower, after seeing that Echo vision of G’raha and Urianger. This whole time... This whole time he had been hiding right in front of her? Now their talk in Kholusia suddenly made far better sense in hindsight - she was starting to damn hindsight with all of these revelations - and she had doubted he was speaking of her. Now what came next... She had to fix her mistake. She had to save him.

 But if the light began to overwhelm her again, she can't be suffered to live. Becoming a Lightwarden would only spell doom for the First and the Source, and everything they worked for would be for naught.

She can't let that happen, not for the people she cared about. The world can still go on if she was put to the sword, and there were more Warriors of Light. Sariel and Amaris can keep Eorzea safe in her stead. What was one less warrior? She can resign herself to that fate, for the salvation of the First and stopping the Eighth Umbral Calamity. She had to.

When she made it to the Amaro Launch, that’s when the Scions appeared along with her fellow Warriors of Light. It was apparent what was weighing heavily on their minds just from their expressions. Urianger was the first to approach her, the sight of seeing him kneeling down before her as he practically begged to join her still, asking for her forgiveness or at least set aside her displeasure to allow it. 

“Of course I forgive you,” she said softly with a wry smile. Before she could add that it was herself she couldn’t forgive, Ryne spoke up about the dangers of what was happening to her soul and body, suggesting instead she stay in the Crystarium and rest. At least until they find cure.

“How can you make promises!? We don’t even know where to start,” Alisaie snapped, every word that followed from her felt like a dagger digging deeper into Lilith’s heart.

“I know that it’s all too likely that there is no cure to be found for me,” Lilith started, voice solemn, a hand over her chest. “So please, if my body starts to give in again... I’d rather you just kill me instead. I’m too much of danger to everyone around me if I’m left alive should the worst happen.”

“What!? You can’t be serious,” Amaris protested, stepping forward. 

“Amaris, I’m but one of three Warriors of Light. It’s alright if my time comes - hope will not die with me. You and Sariel can still carry on the torch, you can still do good for Eorzea and Norvrandt after I’m gone.”

“THAT DOESN’T MAKE IT ALL RIGHT!” The normally quiet and stoic Sariel startled almost everyone from her loud outburst, the Viera stepping closer to the smaller Au Ra, every step fueled by anger. “”But one of three?’ Is that how you see yourself!? Do you not understand what it is you’re really asking of us!?” The infuriated look faltered as tears began to well up in her golden eyes, Lilith’s own widening some out of surprise.

“You... You’d be asking me to kill one of my family,” Sariel continued, voice cracking as her hands clenched into fists at her sides. “I can’t... I just can’t do that. You, Amaris, the Scions... You’re all my family. You’re all I have now ever since I forgot almost everything. How.. can you ask me to willingly give you up? After all the new memories I’ve made with every one of you?” Tears began to stream down her cheeks, Amaris quickly running up and setting her hand on the Viera’s back in comfort.

“Lilith, you always stopped me from doing stupid reckless things,” Amaris began, her own eyes getting watery. “You always watched out for me, watched out for Sariel too once she joined our group. You’re the one that checks in on everyone back in the Rising Stones to see how we are. You kept us together. I’m.. I’m grateful for that. For everything you’ve done for me - for us. I don’t think I’d be alive right here and now if you were gone.”

“Gods, you’re making this more difficult than it should be,” Lilith stammered, wiping at her eyes. “F-Fine, maybe.. Maybe there is another way. But first-” She suddenly stepped closer to the other two and embraced them tightly, the taller women momentarily surprised before returning it. “Thank you... I’m glad I have you to talk some sense into me.”

“Lead and we shall follow,” Y’shtola added, smiling gently at the three. “If there is any hope to be found, then we will surely find it at your side.”

“Thank you, Y’shtola,” Lilith said with a small nod. “And thank you all for being with me from beginning to end. Now I’m going to need your help once again to rescue the Exarch. There’s some words I have to tell him.”

“Then we’re all in agreement,” Thancred replied, smirking. “It’s not the end yet.”

“Yes, and we’ll see it together.”

[gcmblingdice]

You know what time it is? It’s cry over Ria and his beautiful home!

So we have Ria’s home, which is based around Il Mheg. I talked about the fallen ruins of his home, upon which he created this new home for the pixies and fairies!!! 

Well I talked and touched briefly on what happens when you cross into one of his fairies circles and the area you come out in. Below is the pics in detail and daytime!! This is just the human settlement before you reach the Slyph settlement [because i will be using that species in my world for Ria.] Now take note: tho hsi home and the areas around his home and to lead to his home are based off gridania/ill mheg, he is in no way  an ff14 muse and the plot nor story of ff14 applies to this world he is written in. I merely use them as visuals. Hence why his home, the castle, and the city around it are all various pics from various dungeons. 

Yes i do put a lot of work into Ria. Yes he is my favorite OC besides Karine. Yes you will never not here me cry over him or his home. Deal. 

So anyway if you follow the path away from Ria’s home [the area that leads to the portal to enter his home] you will come across an old and abandoned chapel. It has not been used in years, but it still looks beautiful. Should a muse take refuge in here they will be protected from any and all negative enities and elements. 

However that being said, if your muse wanted to explore the settlement, this is what they would see [pls ignore any monsters u see, although if you wish!! the muse can see them and they can attack, but I’d like to think ria’s magic, which is imbued in the aytheryte crystal, keeps them at bay.] and again just because i use ff14 for various areas of ria’s world in my world building, does not mean the story or his character are part of the game itself! 

the shack is located just a minute’s walk from the crystal. Around the crystal are small tents, probably filled or used to be filled with items or small little shops to buy stuff! 

and honestly just lots of pretty green and flowers. i really love gridania and its the perfect heccin place to base Ria’s home in. 

[vr2]

*turn around in shorts that say its time for my fuckin opinion on the ass* hey sweaty read to choke on my bns hot takes for uh lets see here uh ... t-two thousand words....

first of all... im pretty easily entertained so if u fail to do that its so like something has gone horribly wrong. i can enjoy pretty much anything halfway decent and i hate nitpicking on shit. but nitpicking implies small problems and sometimes the problem is the whole fucking thing. but man the direction bns has been going in is like. it really be like that, it really be just the most blatantly boring and uninspired it could go and here’s my fucking video essay that i will not do you the honour of being read aloud since the force of my opinion would crush your skull like a grape if spoken in the real world. 

first of all. i generally didnt have a problem with act1 bns story, i honestly thought it had some cool characters, some COOL as fuck cutscenes and as a person that loves lore juice a lot of the characters held a lot of promise and the diary was a fun read despite being the absolutely worst most stupid way to deliver any sort of lore content.

the circular narrative, the tight ending and the callback to all the characters was pretty well-rounded, a little but hammy but adopting the hongmoon kids nad becoming the master of your school was pretty novel. i really felt like there were so many new places to go with this dynamic, like bns could do something new by giving the mc more stakes in other characters rather than being a complete wildcard drifter.

but they keep doing this fucking thing were they repeat story themes in a way thats become incredibly unwelcome. i can understand why npcs would become recurring characters, why certain objects etc are still relevant but the fact that beat for beat the endgame again is divine mandate, mushins there, namsoyoo in danger and someone gets killed off for the sake of idk tragedy i guess. 

i think the worse thing is that the game tries to be tongue in cheek about its tropiness and normally id be like ok cool but the tropes are executed just so fucking blandly and soullessly its kind of insulting like. they really absolutely did not fucking try in the slightest for this one. not at fucking all. 

ryu saying ‘oh it would be so bad if you passed out form poison at an inconvenient time’ and the obvious death flags from bunah and bunyang are incredibly grating when you have absolutely no fucking stake in the story, know exactly whats coming cause the writing repeats itself over and over and know the exact same beats. 

at the very least most people can stand tropey anime, hell you can even ENJOY it if you are absorbed into the world and characters and the tropes are executed well. but this story is wholesale just same fucking shit slightly different npcs. it feels like they tries to manufacture drama in the most blatantly cheap way and it really lets itself down. i could honestly see them killing ONE of the kids for cheap and dirty tearjerking but man all of them leaving you alone again with jsy is soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo unebelievably lazy. we have entered asian tv drama levels but at least those are fucking interesting. even the dance number in this act was shit.

i think the most annoying thing is that bns is one of the first mmos i played way back when and i still genuinely like the game up to a point and i like the world and characters. im literally always moaning bout how they did fuck all with the eight masters but gave them the barest most tantalizing hints of interesting characterisation in the diaries. but i think that’s all you need. it doesnt need to be 24/7 ballz to the walls worldending tragedy shock tactics to be entertaining. it somehow feels like they played it so incredibly safe that they looped around and made the worst decision possible and i just really wish theyd hire just your random ass average fucking ln writer cause theyd at least make shit entertaining. like the long form story telling of a truple a game thats reaching nearly 10 acts now should definitely be better than this like. what a fucking way to drop the ball.  

now. my second bone to grind. tell me why they actively REMOVED? ALL SIDE QUESTS? what kind of game, especially an mmo would fucking remove its OWN lore? why would that make any fucking sense? especially for how lore-light this game is but how vast its world is like sidequests felt like the absolute BARE minimum way to furnish this admittedly underdeveloped world. they at least gave us that slight illusion of depth and some of them were even fun! interesting! i still remember the sidequest where you go on a ‘hostage rescue mission’ to save an npc’s son who was kidnapped by lycandi and the npc who fucking gave you the mission murders his own son in front of you cause he was bumpin with the lycandi like. it’s not fucking riveting writing but it gave some more context to the places you visit, it’s SOMETHING about the supposed people that inhabit the world and it clearly makes some places more memorable than just ‘cool sky desert’, ‘cool sky city’, ‘cool sky village’.

im vaguely aware that this was done cause it ‘confused players’ who thought they had to do blue quests to level up to endgame and firstable idk why bns pushes endgame as the only ‘good’ part when its like in my humble opinion really fucking boring. you know people play mmos for different reasons? not just to reach lvl 100 super tier omega hongmoon thornbuster breakre 5000 and be no.1 in pvp. just looking flashy and good combat isn’t really enough to compete these days. im guessing its a push to the esports scene but also like you really want to serve one side better by doing relateively arbitrary thing that fucks over pve ppl? like? 

also there ARE genuinely people interested in the world and content and story as exemplified by all the oc and various comics and even even some official webcomics like i honestly dont think nc at all in any way nurtures that side of their mmo nearly enough especially when you see how healthy and thriving ff14 and other communities are in their oc scene. the sheer fact that people still stuck around despite the experiene of playing bns being patently awfully optimised and an uphill battle in every single way is testament to the fact that maybe some people just genuinely like the game? gutting it is absolutely antithesis to that.

i actually cant wrap my head around purposefully deleting lore cause it makes ‘grinding to endgame’ too confusing like does the story take that low a priority? the fucking ACTUAL game and the story is less important than people mindlessly burning themselves out to endgame, grinding dungeons and buying lootboxes like you cant do in literally every other game anyways? why would you get rid of some of the only shit that makes your game even slightly different? like im not out here saying it was the most revolutionary great shit but at least the side quests TRIED to give a modicum of flavour to bns. like they at least attempted to add to all the zones and make them places rather than set pieces were story happens to you then you leave and never come back. it doesnt even have to be revolutionary amazing writing to do that it just needs to be serviceable to give even the slightest sense of depth.

but for some reason rather than idk. just tell people theyre just flavour text and theyre not compulsory or just toggle on/off the fucking blue quest markers you decide to fucking? nuke the already translated (which someone no doubt paid for), completely unintrusive, absolutely functional, if somewhat tedious sidequests? making the whole fucking game even MORE barren and lifeless? FOR FREE? what a fucking deal.

 i literally cannot understand this clownery this absolute idiot idea could only have been concocted by the specific brand of stupidity found only in corporate sales dept. but like i think its also emblematic of how this game has no creative direction other than make Money which is fucked cause theres genuinely many parts of this game that i enjoy from like characters, music, visuals theres A LOT of promise in bns even if it takes a lot of legwork to get to it. as much as people give htk shit he absolutely made this game what it is visually and thematically, the soundtrack fucking rocks, theres some solid characters and story elements, a lot of the game still holds up visually and som of it dare i say looks fucking good. give bns a try its free to play.

maybe ive just been spoiled by fgo and gbf and literally every other popular game ACTUALLY trying to write good shit. trying to give their readers lore, trying to make things genuinely ENJOYABLE as a game should be rather than a part time job. but man i always forget after act1 bns really reveals why its never broken out from being a midweight grindy mmo 

[sphinxsmuses-archived]

ooc: Wrote another FF14 drabble... >_>

(This one involves my new verse for Orabella as a Final Fantasy 14 OC. It also contains minor spoilers for Shadowbringers so beware.)

This was a major research project. Orabella was hoping to impress the scholars at the Crystarium and decided the only way to do so was traveling, alone, across the world. Others warned her about the dangers. The Sin Eaters and the Light that plagued the land could harm her. But she was quite determined and would be taking a path that Sin Eaters had yet to be seen for reasons unknown.

She held her book close as she found herself in beautiful fields of flowers. This area was new to her though she felt like she read about it in her many books. However the book she was thinking of was a fairy tale. Her gray eyes glanced up at the large crystal like castle that loomed in the distance, colorful butterfly like wings attached to it. She started jotting down notes about it and the scenery around her when something flew past her face, making her jump.

Then another thing flew by. And another. “My, what a cute creature.” something chimed and she felt her hood being tugged by something. “Look at all her books! Do you think she's a story teller?” There was a sudden dizzying light and sparkles that surrounded the elf and suddenly in front of her face were three fairies. She gasped and clung to her book tighter. Fairies! Real fairies! She couldn't have been dreaming. “Won't you play with us? Come play!” they cried out.

This worried Orabella. Fairies were known for their mischief nature and pulling pranks. She started flipping through her book and started chanting. “Ones who drift carelessly in the sky. I speak to thee. Come be my wings!” The fairies gasped as her book shined and three small blue birds popped out. She hoped it would distract them so she could run but it only drew more fairies towards her. “Magic! This one knows magic!” “She can bring birds from nowhere! We must show her to the King!” “Yes, yes, the King!”

There was a shine of light again and suddenly Orabella was transported into what appeared to be a castle. “Wha-Where did you take me!?!” she squeaked when she heard a melodic voice ring out. “What have you brought me? Another intruder in need of punishing?” A large fairy, much much larger than the others, appeared before her wearing an elegant dress and carrying a large staff.

“No, this one we like! She summoned birds from nowhere! She knows magic!” the fairies chimed in, “She also has many books! So many books to read us!” “Ooh~” the large fairy cooed and leaned in close to Orabella. “And she is quite adorable too! I shall keep her then. And you can read me all your books and show me your magic!” Orabella took a step back. “Wha-No! Wait!”

But the sound of a door closing met her ears and again there was a sparkle around her. No matter where she went, there was no escape. So, she settled in, and discovered it wasn't all that bad. The fairies were nice to her, loved hearing her ramble about magic and her books. And so she lived until suddenly...Titania stopped showing up to her nightly bed time stories. The castle had a bit of a different look as well. “The King is at last at rest! Long live the new King!” the fairies cheered as they flew around her and around the castle.

This new King had found her standing in the main hall quite confused. “Ooh, you poor child. Likely a victim of the last mad King aren't you? Don't worry, you are free now. My dear sapling would likely be fierce with anger if I didn't let you go.” they spoke, placing a reassuring hand on Orabella's shoulder. As she tried to process her new found freedom, she gazed over at the saddened faces of the fairies. “Perhaps...I can stay awhile longer. In my own hut maybe. Outside the castle.” she said and the fairies cheered with joy.

After gathering her things, she found a place, a cute hut set among the fields of flowers she first came upon arriving in the area. All the buildings seemed abandoned and she assumed no one else was likely around. After all no one else appeared to be there when she first arrived. That was until she came across a rather large building with grand stained glass windows. Curious, she decided to take a peek, her research journal in her arms as she decided as long as she was to stay with the fairies, she might as well continue her research.

She immediately dropped said journal upon seeing another elf standing there, staring at her curiously. The silver haired elf scrambled to grab it while gawking at the tall man before her. “Are thou alright?” he asked as she hid partially behind her book. “Who-Who are you? What are you doing here? Did the fairies tak-take you too?” she asked in a stammer, face glowing red.

He shook his head. “Thou are mistaken. I have become partners with them you could say. After helping free their King alongside my companions, they are fine with my being here.” he replied. She kept staring. What was with his words? The way he spoke almost made him sound like he had an accent and it only made the summoner more flustered. “I-I see. Wait, so you beat the last fairy King? That explains why I was freed.” She took a moment to glance over at his map of the stars and gasped softly at it.

“Did you...make this?” Now that she thought about it, when she left the sky seemed...normal. Bright but not as blinding as before. Like a normal sky. “Did you bring back the night here?” He walked over and stood near her. “Aye. But it isn't night for thy whole world just yet. There are still many foes to take care of.”

Glancing around the house, she realized it appeared to be a large study. Scrolls scattered the table. Maps and other charts lined the walls. Books were piled in shelves. A strange globe like object sat on the table. “Are you a researcher as well?” she asked, turning back to the man. He nodded. “Of sorts. Ever since being brought here, I have strove to learn everything I can about thy world.” He spoke like there were more than one world, and some of his charts suggested it as well.

Orabella found herself completely fascinated by this and took a seat at a nearby chair, her book and hands on her lap. “Please, tell me more.” “If thou wishes. I shall make some tea. Then we can exchange stories.” She sat quietly for a moment as he left then her mind started swimming. What was she doing? Sitting here at a stranger's house, a man's house, one who talks like he's from another world. She had yet to tell him her name nor had he told her his own. She just became so enthralled in his research, it distracted her from everything else.

So when he came back, she squeaked and immediately hid behind her book, causing him to raise a brow. “I ask thee again, is something wrong? Do I frighten thee?” She blushed sheepishly and shook her head. “No, no, I'm sorry. It's just...until now, I've been trapped in the fairy castle. And before then I never thought fairies existed, let alone other worlds.” Urianger sipped his tea quietly before speaking again. “I understand. The fairies have caused trouble for others such as thyself. As for other worlds, I can assist thee in learning more about them.”

And with a nod, he started explaining everything he had found out. Hours passed and yet he was fine with her company. They drank tea, discussed their research, then eventually the summoner realized she still had yet to tell him her name. “I'm so sorry for taking your time when you don't even know me. I-I'm Orabella. It's nice to meet you...?” she trailed off. “You may call me Urianger. And thy company didn't bother me at all. I have taken all you shared to heart and will use it alongside my own knowledge of this world.” he replied with a small nod.

Slowly she stood up. “I-I'm glad. Perhaps I can visit again? But I really should go. I don't live far though. I decided to stay and do my research here while spending time with the fairies.” she said as she headed towards the door. He followed if only to hold it open for her. “It would be my pleasure. Come back anytime Lady Orabella.” As she left and the door closed behind her, immediately the first three fairies she met flew to her side. “Ooh, what was that about story teller? A boy? How fun!” one giggled. “Do you like him? You must after all that time spent with him!” another snickered.

Her cheeks burned red and she hid behind her journal. “I-I don't know. He's just another researcher like me. But-But maybe I'll talk to him again tomorrow.” The fairies burst into giggles. “Yeah, talk then smooch. Smooch! Smooch!” They went on like this all the way to Orabella's house where she wrote about her findings of the day, including the mysterious neighbor she now had.