#papalymo ask;

[thescions]

“Look,” X'kijin started, not particularly wanting to argue with Papalymo. “You know I can eat just about anything.” 

And find value in it, beside. Cultures varied greatly and many found traditional Ala Mhigan cuisine to be too… wild, so it was hard to judge overmuch.

“But this,” he said as he moved the archon loaf in a failed attempt to flop the bread. It didn't flop at all. Offensively, it stood rigid. “Is kinda disgusting.”

(You wanted opinions, so I'm sending them directly to the best Scion. I do not take criticism.)

How do you feel about Archon Loaf?

Papalymo chuckled, shaking his head.

"Oh, no, you don't have to convince me of such an opinion," he reassured him. "Consider yourself lucky that you haven't had to develop a tolerance for the stuff. There are many in Sharlayan -especially those in the Studium -- who'd most certainly waste away without it sustaining them throughout their demanding responsibilities. Archon Loaf isn't popular back home for anything other than necessity. However, I've found that soaking it in brandy can help... a little."

[skeleboy13]

very serious doodles from when my friends were playing funny fantasy xiv

[mimble-sparklepudding]

How much does your OC's background and origin affect their approach to relationships? Are there specific insecurities or preferences that lead on from their past? (for both if its ok!)

Hello @anpansblog Thank you for the ask. Answered for Humble here.

Mimble does not appear to be looking for a relationship, at least not of that kind. It isn't apparent to other people whether this is due to his unique destiny as the Warrior of Light, or he simply isn't wired in that sort of way. Those closest to him suspect that it has something to do with whatever connection he once had with Papalymo, but as to the true nature of that connection, even Lyse is unsure.

[candycryptids]

■ -  Bedroom/house/living quarters headcanon

✿ - Sex headcanon

∇ -. old age/aging headcanon

♒ - cooking/food headcanon

Tangy, all Tangy, give me Tangy Lore

■ - Tangy makes her long-term stay wherever the Scions have settled- the Waking Sands, the Rising Stones, unfortunately missed out on most of The Falling Snow.. while she’s still a much smaller Miqo’te staying in the Waking Sands she insists she doesn’t need much space to sleep, and just has a bunk with a leather bag hanging off one of the posts. Granted, that bunk is piled with blankets and pillows, and she doesn’t even sleep under them; it’s all just lumpy padding for curling up on top of and snoring. (After meeting with Chuu and finding out 1) there was a way to avoid getting arrested after the Banquet fiasco and 2) she could totally be stronger. Totally. And subsequently getting… let’s call it Off-Brand-Fantasia’d, she needs a bit more space.. she stops snoring most of the time, though. Having more snout apparently makes it easier to not snore!) She doesn’t ever keep an apartment of her own, but she does sometimes trek from Revenant’s Toll to Vesper Bay to check in on the old haunt, since Urianger seems keen to Never Leave. lmao.

This gets real long so here’s a cut for the sake of the dashboards lol (good lort there’s images down there…)

✿ - She’s Asexual! In that she doesn’t feel sexual attraction towards people, but she does enjoy the act? It’s a good way to relieve stress and it’s fun exercise and it’s a nice way to bond with others.

She does, however, struggle with the ‘Oops’ part of Chuu’s ‘Fantasia’ which was giving her a body with a dick :T There’s a learning curve. (Among other curves. Wink? Sorry dndndndnfke) Also, not necessarily sex, but she probably kisses her friends. Because she cares about them! Cheek kisses, lip kisses, forehead and top of head kisses… hand kisses… Kisses :)

Yda and Tangy pose is [Glomp Tackle] with fresh expressions but the rest are all custom done ;w; oh also shader is Neneko’s Love… I think.. 🫢 it’s all the same one 🤦 I just forgot to write it down

∇- I genuinely think Tangy gets a handle on Accounting by hanging out with Tataru so much over the years. It keeps Tataru’s mind off worrying about everybody as much while they’re away on business, and Tangy gets to wrinkle her brain (this takes. Such a long time though. She’s still not reliable for it, either, but she’s passable :3) .. for a proper aging headcanon tho I think as she gets older she becomes an anchor point for the Scions like Tataru is. Sets up shop and trains young adventurers in combat and cooking and camping. Her whiskers twitch when thunderstorms are brewing. She still sometimes needs nudging from her own students on things, but it’s usually in things relating to Reading. I feel like she has pretty bad dyslexia and maybe even dyscalculia that she’s just learned to deal with.

♒- LOVES food. Loves to eat. Loves to help with cooking. Measuring ingredients for recipes is actually pretty easy since it’s not demanded exactness, it’s just “half of this cup, level this cup, just enough to cover the bottom of this pan,” like, not exact. You feel cooking with your heart. And kneading bread is an excellent and fun work out to her. Can not bake.. Kinda wishes she could. She’s just not precise enough, and she gets the order in which things have to be done mixed up, so she ends up with some pretty…. Not exactly inedible but…. 🫢 It’s not appetizing looking.. and it doesn’t taste great… She’s not a picky eater, but she hesitates to eat snails. It just makes her a little sad, cos they’re cute to her. And then she eats them anyways =w=; the chef worked hard to make this delicious meal and she’s gonna eat it! (And not eating the snails would waste their life so. Honor their sacrifice and eat them.) Her favorite food is whatever she can eat with her hands/whatever’s in front of her at the time, and any of F’lahminn’s cooking. Even if it’s burnt.

[shout out to Elio for their Dango Props they’re so cute]

Oh shit I forgot to link the [Ask Meme]

[abimee]

every day i wish a character in ff14 made me feel like i was going under cardiac arrest that was STILL ALIVE cause i see people have fun when they get a new urianger screenshot or graha tia is in an quest and i go ''aw :]" and then turn around and attend to thr 4 portraits of the dead characters my body has decided are the most important things in the world

[anneapocalypse]

On the Former Scions and Leadership

Something that's kind of interesting to me about the Warrior of Light, which has always been there but which Dawntrail has me thinking about in a new way, is that the WoL really isn't a leader.

(Disclaimer: Obviously everyone has their own version of the Warrior of Light and is free to headcanon over and rewrite parts of the story to suit their character, and so what I'm saying here may not apply to everyone's character! For our purposes here, I'm just talking about The Warrior of Light as written.)

(Further note: I understand that there are a variety of feelings out there about the new characters and everyone is entitled to their own opinions about that; however this post is not an invitation to trash those characters in the notes so please refrain from that here; thank you.)

The Warrior of Light is a hero, but not a leader. Thanks to the linear nature of FFXIV's storyline, the game can't really offer us the conceit of making real choices, and so pretty much everything the WoL does is a result of someone else asking them to do it. So many of our major relationships with NPCs are with leaders: Minfilia, Nanamo, Kan-E-Senna, Merlwyb, Aymeric, Raubahn, Hien, the Exarch, Vrtra, Fourchenault, Wuk Lamat and Koana, every guild leader in our job quests. The WoL is someone called upon by leaders rather than being a leader themselves.

The Scions themselves have an interesting relationship to leadership in general. I've written before about how much the Scions feel like they're living in the shadow of Louisoix, especially in ARR, and how this affects their actions. As the leader of the former Circle of Knowing, Minfilia steps into the leadership position in his absence. I love Minfilia dearly; I think she has a true gift for bringing people together, making people feel welcomed and not alone, and helping them find purpose. I think all those skills probably availed her well as the leader of her Echo support group. It's when the Scions suddenly find themselves in the spotlight on an international scale following the defeat of the Ultima Weapon that I think the cracks start to show. I think that, very understandably, Minfilia is not prepared for the weight of that situation, and that's part of the reason she allows Alphinaud to step into such a leadership role himself (and also, and I say this with all the love in the world for both Alphinaud and Minfilia, why she even kind of lets him push her around at times). For Alphinaud himself, his experience of leadership with the Scions is disastrous, for which I think some responsibility also has to be laid upon the adults around him, who might have seen the red flags but didn't stop that train.

When Minfilia disappears, I think it's so telling that no one else steps up to fill the role of the Antecedent. Alphinaud is no longer so eager to take on that burden, and no one else is jumping at it either. Certainly the Warrior of Light isn't going to do it. (They're the boots on the ground, and the Antecedent is largely an administrative job.) The Scions instead just kind of agree to keep carrying on doing what they each do best, without an official leader. If anything, the glue holding the Scions together at this point is Tataru, who keeps the books and manages the budget and does her damnedest to keep certain people from putting overpriced purchases on the company card.

And that's not to say that none of the others have leadership skills! But it's interesting how, for those who do take on leadership positions, it's generally away from the Scions. After years of hiding under her sister's identity and "Papalymo's little shadow," Lyse takes an active role in the Ala Mhigan resistance, and helps to lead her people to freedom--a journey which ultimately takes her out of the Scions as she decides to stay in Ala Mhigo.

I'm counting G'raha as a Scion here since he does become one eventually, though not until after his hundred-year stint as the Exarch. It's clear both from the community that has grown up around the Crystal Tower, and from some really great G'raha moments in Endwalker, that he has real skills both at bringing people together for a common cause, and at taking charge in a crisis to protect the vulnerable. For the most part, though, he seems quite happy to take on a sidekick role after he returns to the Source. After a hundred years, I imagine anyone might be ready for a break from being in charge.

Y'shtola is harder to analyze because she's gotten less direct character development than most of the surviving Scions, and has remained largely in a supporting role thus far (though she remains a very interesting character to me, and I am hoping for a bit more of her in the Dawntrail patches given the setup for a cross-rift-travel solution). Y'shtola has always seemed reserved and a bit of a loner, and never seemed particularly interested in leadership until she threw in her lot with the Night's Blessed in the First. By the time we meet her again, she's become a trusted figure among the Blessed and the others clearly look to her for guidance and leadership. (It's also kind of interesting to me how both of the characters who wind up in leadership positions in the First are Seeker Miqo'te, and it probably was just a coincidence, but it'd be interesting to analyze how Seeker culture might prime a capable person to be willing to rise to the occasion where they see a group of people need.) Yet Y'shtola too seems perfectly content to settle back into a support role when she returns to the Source.

Endwalker is all about standing together, working together, the necessity of hope to overcome despair not merely individually but as a collective effort. The Scions all rally, each bringing what they have to offer, and they do so without ever appointing a new leader. They go where they see a need, like Urianger choosing to stay on the moon, or Thancred watching over the Warrior of Light and the twins when things go south on the relief mission to Garlemald, or the twins later taking a personal interest in the rebuilding efforts there. They also defer to leaders within the Eorzean Alliance where appropriate, happy at this point to work alongside the nations' armies rather than attempting to command one.

And the more I look at the Scions' history this way, the more their disbanding at the end of Endwalker seems inevitable and the logical end to the organization. In a very real sense they have completed the work that Louisoix and Minfilia set out to do. They've been leaderless for some time now already and it has not stopped them from doing good where needed. They are not leaders. Their goal was never to steer the course of world events indefinitely. They've all learned a lot about applying their individual talents for the greater good and having faith in one another to do the same, without having to be directed by one charismatic leader every step of the way--a major point of growth from where they were in ARR.

And all of this makes our role in Dawntrail really interesting to me, because it's all about leadership! And the Warrior of Light and their companions are, as characters, perfectly primed to take a supporting role and take initiative in that role where needed (see: Thancred and Urianger doing what needs to be done behind the scenes during the second act crisis). What the former Scions aren't, as a whole, at this point in their story, is people inclined to step up and take over. And this is a good thing for this story. Both Wuk Lamat and Koana need to learn and grow on their own, and in the context of their own cultures. The former Scions can help, they can support, and they do, but they aren't going to take over. Sure, they have opinions! At various points, we see characters on both teams (including the Warrior of Light) make some pointed faces at one another indicating that they have some doubts about the direction in which their candidates are taking things. But they withhold direct judgment or criticism for the most part and I think that makes sense both for their characters, and for the nature of the story.

I also think it was probably intentional that the former Scion with the most extensive leadership experience, G'raha, is not one of the characters hired by the claimants and doesn't come back to the plot until later. While I love G'raha and I did miss him, I understand story-wise why he couldn't be here; his unique circumstances mean that he has had more leadership experience than most people could ever have in a single lifetime, and it's probably for the best that that doesn't overpower the experiences of our young claimants who need to learn their own lessons on their own terms.

The support role of the former Scions also makes sense in other ways, I think, in terms of allowing the Turali characters and especially Wuk Lamat, as the main character, to shine in their own right and to avoid what could otherwise have been some problematic tropes. But I also think it works pretty well as a natural outgrowth of who these characters are and have grown into over multiple expansions, the Warrior of Light included.

[autumnslance]

Heya

I always like your analysis/view of characters and the Story so I would like to ask you something.

Yesterday I talked with a friend about how I kinda miss Lyse, and than I got the idea that she and Wuk Lamat would probably get along quite well.

Lyse wasn't prepared to step up on the role she has now while. Wuk Lamat is young and "lively" as Lyse, but she had a chance to grow and learn about her upcoming role as a leader of the nation during our journey with her. So I think these two would have some interesting conversations and might learn from another.

I hope, that in future patches, we get a meeting of all the Leaders interacting with another now that we have Thavnaier, Tuliyolal and Garlemald new to the table.

Do you have an opinion on this? Especially since your understanding of SB and it's characters is deeper than mine.

Oh heck you got me rambling about Lyse and Wuk Lamat, so this is going under a cut. Spoilers for Dawntrail 7.0 MSQ and everything leading to it.

I've seen a lot of comparisons between Lyse and Wuk Lamat, being young, energetic women whose stories involved a lot of growth into leaders. How they get there is different, and I do think the writers learned from how they framed Lyse's story, and how Wuk Lamat's needed to be different even if there are ways they are similar.

Lyse spent years hiding from herself and her grief, happy to let Papalymo be "in charge" for the most part (though I noted he deferred to her when it came to actually interacting with and understanding the Sylphs and Moogles, and probably other people in the Twelveswood, as "patient" and "personable" weren't exactly his best traits). Lyse was also the person who noticed things weren't quite right with Thancred in ARR, that he was working himself to the bone, but she didn't seem to know how to approach him about it, regretting it later when they realized he'd been possessed.

And in Stormblood, Lyse spends a lot of time trying to understand her countrymen's reticence, their fears, their lack of hope. She worked with Conrad's Resistance cell all through Heavensward, but it seems like the first time she really interacts closely with civilians is Ala Ghanna. In the Far East, Lyse spends time talking to the Domans, and the Mol--her scene with the children is a major one, determining what is "home" and what that means, why Hien (and Lyse) fight for a place.

She feels she isn't a leader, she's just one of the team, and as she gets pushed toward leadership, she feels it's based more on who her father and sister were, the weight of her family legacy. And part of that is that lingering grief, that literal imposter syndrome, that knowledge she isn't the woman Yda was.

Because of course she isn't. She's Lyse. Not an Archon, but a Scion of the Seventh Dawn. Probably still better educated than many, having grown up in Sharlayan, despite book smarts not being her forte. She's very good at punching things. And she has a heart and more optimism and stubbornness than most.

She grows into it, with the help of her friends (which she does, repeatedly, acknowledge the WoL as the hero who defeated Zenos and made it all possible, don't fall into the trap of memeified rewrites of the actual canon). She is only the leader of Conrad's cell (a failing of Stormblood and it's split storyline was talking about multiple cells, but only having us interact with 1 ever before it all became 1 military). And she happily lets Raubahn take command of the army when it forms, calling herself simply the commander of Rhalgr's Reach--but given her role in the war, as a former Scion, and her connections, still acts pretty much as Raubahn's Marshall in all but name.

Lyse was not raised for leadership, not raised to take command, and had to rise to the occasion. And without losing her determination, her caring, her optimism.

Wuk Lamat was born to rule; the Xbr'aal initially, but when circumstances put her life in danger, Gulool Ja Ja adopted her as his Third Promise. Wuk Lamat is a cheerful, optimistic, loving girl who wants to understand and learn about people. She's a "people's princess" we see almost from the instant we arrive in Tuluyollal, friends with nearly everyone. But it's also not hard to see, even in 6.55 and the adventures in Sharlayan, that she's young and green. She has few supporters, and no great deeds or expectations from most of the people. She struggles in the shadow of her older accomplished brothers, wondering a few times what her strength is, what she has gained from their father.

She has not been raised to rule, necessarily; while the Dawnservant has expectations for all his children, and recognizes all of their strengths, he also sees their weaknesses and where they lack. Some of that, perhaps, is on him as a parent, but he knows their potential and possibilities, if they seek the chance to grow and learn. He can only guide them, not do it all for them, if they are to reach those potentials.

And Wuk Lamat does seek, with a zest not seen since Lyse was central, and beyond her, even. Wuk Lamat is not bound by the grief of familial loss and the disconnect of diaspora; she was too young to remember the tragedy that led her to leave Yak T'el as a toddler, and her life since has been a kind and happy one. She's been educated and trained well.

But there are limits to what a girl can learn in a single city, with only one or two visits to other villages now and then. And Wuk Lamat, like Lyse, takes the time to try to learn and understand. She picks up faster than Koana the point of the contest--while Zoraal Ja ignores it entirely, and Bakool Ja Ja has other pressures he's dealing with.

There's another comparison; Lyse's determination to understand Fordola, to change her mind, making her a symbol of all the collaborators. Lyse's determination that all Ala Mhighans must be free and begin anew, to rebuild their society together. To acknowledge the pain but not let it bind them into cycles of violence (which continues in the Endwalker healer role quests, as Raganfrid and Arenvald take up the specific task of reintegrating the collaborators).

Wuk Lamat, meanwhile, struggles to understand the bandits of Kozama'uka, the Chirwagur Yok Huy of Urqopacha, and the Mamook of Yak T'el. She changes Bakool Ja Ja and earns his respect, by perhaps being the first person to demand to know what he wants--and then following through on the promise to find a way to make that wish happen. To find a way all Turali can be free and happy, including the Mamool Ja (who may have tried to kill her as a toddler).

Lyse spends all of Stormblood fighting to free her people from a decades-old foe, forcing her to become a leader. Wuk Lamat's fight comes after she has grown into the kind of leader that can defend Tuliyollal from the threat of Alexandria and Zoraal Ja's betrayal. And even though Sphene can't change her mind thanks to her programmed nature, Wuk Lamat never stops trying to reach the caring personality encoded within.

Because the other person Wuk Lamat compares to is the Assumed Default Warrior of Light. She's a determinator in a similar way; she doesn't easily give up or give in, despite her doubts and the difficulties along the way. She makes friends wherever she goes, forming bonds and connections that come back to help, time and again. She goes from novice adventurer to epic hero, as WoL had to do in ARR; the entirety of Dawntrail seems a compressed version of that story for her, with adventure and events happening in the first half, and then the other shoe drops. For WoL, it was the Waking Sands massacre. For her, the first assault on Tuliyollal. WoL didn't have the benefit of a mentor--with Louisoix long gone and most of the Scions captured--but WoL could be there for Lamaty'i.

How often has that been a fear and regret of the Scions and other friends? How happy they were with the warding scales letting them help with those burdens! How at the edge of existence, the only thing that kept the WoL walking to the end was the memories of their friends and the hopes they had, and in the final battle, the Scions were still with the WoL regardless of distance.

(And Zenos was there. Still the most hilarious entrance ever.)

We stand with Wuk Lamat to the end--and she breaks through to find WoL and Sphene, because Lamaty'i won't give up on her friends. And Sphene could have been, if she had still been alive.

Anyroad. I DO think Lyse and Wuk Lamat would have a lot to talk about, in how they grew to be leaders, in similarities and differences, in their relationship with the Scions and the WoL, about the adventures they've had. I loved seeing Vrtra and Azdaja in Tuliyollal, and that Koana formed a treaty with them, which may indeed mean more interaction with Thavnair in the future. For that matter, the Leveilleur twins' quest to help Garlemald rebuild and reintegrate with the global community may bring some familiar faces from there around...though from the Island Sanctuary quests, we also know those people have never taken vacations and don't know what do to outside of "survive" and "duty." But there's a lot to learn, and seeing how diverse people can live together in peace, after most of a century under Ascian propaganda, would be good for them. Sharlayan tends to have diplomatic relations with various foreign powers, and Tural's no exception, and the use of Labyrinthos research to aid Mamook could become more of a thing to bring some of those characters in for cameos (for that matter, helping the Alexandrians integrate, and studying that phenomenon, as if those scholars could resist!).

I'm a little wary of having all the leaders in a single space; generally that's a plot point reserved for some terrible world wide event or circumstance arising! But it would be nice to have the opportunity to visit with old friends on some kind of tour, to see Tuliyollal make other allies and diplomatic connections, and give such characters those chances to interact.

But if the game doesn't take those opportunities on screen (people often forget that a lot happens out of WoL's POV, too), we've always got fanfiction to make it happen in!

[punchelf]

[Shrine]

Junelezen, Day 10

When she was a child of five, her grandmother took her to a secret cave known only to the Duskwight of Thanalan, and taught her how to pray to the dead. How to sit in perfect stillness, how to call their names in the old tongue, how to offer tea before asking for their blessing, lest one offend.

"The dead see what we cannot, for they have come before and gone ahead. We must thank them for the paths they have carved for us."

Her child's mind could not understand, not with rags on her back and nothing in her belly; the path her ancestors had carved seemed to lead only into barren wastes. Her grandmother had just shaken her head, and smiled one of her inscrutable smiles.

"You've only just begun to walk, little one. One day you will look back and marvel at how far you have gone, and then you will pour tea for me."

Five and forty years on, she sits in stillness on the floor of another cave, thousands of malms from the first. Tomorrow she will storm the gates of Ala Mhigo, but tonight, she calls to the dead, and the catacomb sings their names back to her, one by one. Nana. Minfillia. Haurchefant. Papalymo. Meffrid.

Tomorrow she may join them, but tonight she bows her head to recite a prayer in a language reserved for the secret places only Duskwight know, and she pours tea.

[thescions]

❛ working together again, it’s just like old times. ❜ (x'kijin to lyse or papalymo!)

Assorted Dialogue Prompts || Accepting!

"Just like old times!" Yda agreed, giving a punch in the air.

"Yes, yes, can we maybe keep it down a little?" Papalymo held up a hand as if to block their voices from traveling further. "We may be in disguise, but X'kijin is still well-known. We cannot risk alerting the Griffin to our presence."

"Right, right! Sorry," Yda made a zipper-like motion for her mouth. Then she turned to X'kijin and promptly unzipped it, then cupping her hand by her lips as she lowered her voice, "I've definitely missed this, though! So has Papalymo, even if he's too responsible to admit it -- "

"I can still hear you, Yda!"

[tallbluelady]

What was your OC/WoL's opinion of each Scion when they first met them?

AH a long one! Also a reminder to get around to my longfic. I will go by "Said Words To" order!

Papalymo: A bit acerbic, but he knows what he's talking about.

Yda: A bit air headed, but she seems physically capable.

Minfilia: I don't know why, but I trust her implicitly.

Y'shtola: That's a woman who knows what she's doing.

Thancred: That is a very attractive man who knows exactly how attractive he is.

Urianger: What a lovely voice and a kind man.

Arenvald: He seems sweet and earnest.

Alphinaud: A rich snob who doesn't know what even simple words can mean to people.

Alisaie: Silent, angry. I've been her.

Estinien (I'm counting him): Primadonna. He really thinks he could take down one of the First Brood with just a little help?

Moenbryda: Oh, she's a lot of fun. Oh. Did she and Urianger...?

Krile: If that's what she thinks of Thancred, then how close were she and Minfilia really? How close was Minfilia to me?

Lyse: Was any of that subterfuge necessary? I suppose it's not my place to judge...

Bonus:

Ryne: She doesn't deserve that attitude from Thancred...

Zero: Cold, aloof. I suppose I would be too if I had gone through what she had...

Thanks for the ask!

[nonbinaryurianger]

FFXIVWrite 2024, day 28 - Deleterious

Emix and Urianger admit their feelings for each other about an expansion earlier than I'd expected.

"I must beg thine aid on a matter of research. If thou art resolved to face Lord Ramuh, I would ask thy leave to observe the event."

Before Emix could respond in the affirmative, their colleagues butted in with what had become their usual japes.

"Research, is it?" Y'shtola teased.

"I'll grant that Emix does cut a striking figure in combat," Thancred said. Then, with a feigned realization, he added, "Oh, you mean to observe Ramuh! Well, then, forget I said anything."

Even Papalymo seemed to be suppressing a chuckle. Despite the gloomy lighting in this part of the forest, Emix could tell that Urianger's face was growing red under his hood. They knew the teasing would never cease until they either gave them what they wanted or called them out on it. So, despite their usually endless font of patience, Emix reacted in a way that surprised even themself.

"Matron's tits, would you all cut it out?" It worked, at least in the short term, and that was all they needed. They turned to Urianger and said, "Of course you can observe," before stalking off towards the battlefield where the Lord of Levin awaited them.

After the battle, they reunited with Urianger for the walk back to Little Solace, the others having blessedly left them alone. As the rush subsided, they found themself regretting their outburst. Its efficacy likely lay only in how out of character it was for them, and in acknowledging what was going on, they worried that they had only lent credence to the others' suspicions. Had they ignored it, they probably would have let up eventually.

"Um...sorry about earlier," they finally said, mostly to the ground.

"Nay, 'tis I who should be offering mine apologies to thee," Urianger said. "'Twas my responsibility to shut the rumors down ere they reached thee, but I regret that I did not find the courage in time. I pray that my failure hath no deleterious effect on...our relationship, in whatever form that may take."

That wording made Emix wonder: what form was he expecting it to take? Were the jests and rumors from their colleagues based on speculation, or was there actually a chance that they were based on something more concrete? They had long since come to terms with the fact that their own feelings for Urianger went beyond friendship, but they had never wanted to assume that it might be reciprocated. Well, given the circumstances, now was as good a time as any to ask.

"What form does it take, in your eyes?"

Urianger paused in his steps. "I could ask the same of thee."

"I asked first," Emix grumbled, earning a chuckle.

"So thou didst. Very well." He took a moment to gather his thoughts, gently grasping Emix's hand. "I shan't deny that I have made certain attempts to signal my feelings, though my perception is that they have gone unnoticed, or unaccepted, or simply landed in the realm of uncertainty, much as I have been uncertain as to how to interpret certain gestures of thine. Thus, directness may indeed suit us both. First and foremost, thy friendship doth mean much to me. If thou wouldst have that alone, then may it bloom forevermore. If, however, thou wouldst have more"—he lifted Emix's hand to his lips and placed a soft kiss on his knuckles—"I would welcome it wholeheartedly."

It was hard to believe, somehow, despite all the signs, but the touch of his lips made it real. They took half a step forward, taking Urianger's other hand in theirs.

"I would," they said. "But unfortunately, this means we'll have to tell the others that they were right."

[mimble-sparklepudding]

Song 14!

These tears I've cried I've cried 1,000 oceans and if it seems I'm floating in the darkness Well, I can't believe that I would keep keep you from flying And I would cry 1,000 more If that's what it takes to sail you home...

1000 Oceans - Tori Amos.

[candycryptids]

■ -  Bedroom/house/living quarters headcanon!!

Tangy tries to not take up a whole lot of space ! Or- rather, she tries not to take up more space than her bed needs, which is single person sized. Everything else gets haphazardly stuffed into a bag under her bed, or hanging from her travel pack on one of the bedposts. The bed itself ends up smothered in blankets, rarely ever made never made, and topped off with just one kinda lumpy pillow. The mattress itself is relatively thin, which might explain the all blankets, except the nature of never making the bed has made the surface she sleeps on (sandwiched between blankets or just sprawled out on top) ALSO lumpy and wrinkly. It doesn’t seem to bother her much? But sometimes she feels a stare with murderous intent from across the room when she gets up in the morning without bothering to even straighten the pillow.

Thanks for the ask >w< !!!! I’m feeling really spoiled 🥹✨ [Headcanon Prompts]

[myreia]

anxiety - for the random word generator prompt!

thanks, Sea! This took so long to finish ahhh - and it's in three parts because I'm a fool.

Castaway

CHAPTER ONE: MEDITATION

Chapter Rating: Teen Characters: Aureia Malathar (WoL), Thancred Waters, Minfilia Warde, Yda Hext, Scions of the Seventh Dawn Pairings: Aureia/Thancred (pre-relationship) Chapter Words: 1,516 Notes: A Realm Reborn, set during A Wild Rose by Any Other Name. Summary: Aureia’s inauguration into the Scions of the Seventh Dawn should be cause for celebration, yet she cannot shake her feelings of unease. These newfound friends of hers may have the best of intentions, but is she anything more than a means to an end in their hands? Chapters: part one • part two • part three Read on AO3

The low hum of chatter murmurs in her ears.

Aureia exhales a breath, her eyes closed, and folds her arms as she leans against the wall. The conversation is near enough for her to make out, but too far away for it to be intelligible. Overlapping voices, ebbing and flowing like the changing tide. She’s always found something irksome about the sound of distant voices. It gnaws at her mind, thinning her patience, provoking her to snap with each passing moment. The irritation is irrational, and yet she cannot put it aside. 

Thancred’s laugh rings across the room.

Her eyes fly open. She shakes herself, rearranging her expression into one of careful neutrality. She closed her eyes for only a moment; chances are no one noticed the difference. No one seems to notice much about her now the introductions are over and her task has been assigned. She may as well melt into the wall for all the difference her presence makes.

Thancred stands in the centre of the little group, a grin spread from ear to ear. He speaks animatedly, bright and cheerful in a way she hasn’t seen before. If she thought Ul’dah was his natural element, he has proved her wrong. He’s open and relaxed, slipping into the kind of casual comfort only found among friends. His language has shifted, using terms she has never heard before with easy confidence, contributing to topic that make her head spin. She always thought his academic side was an exaggeration, a little white lie he spun to make himself sound impressive when flirting.

Yet another thing she was wrong about.

The white-haired Miqo’te—Y’shtola, she reminds herself—chuckles and presses a hand to her lips, her eyes shining with mirth. The young woman in the visor—Yda, was it?—bounces on the balls of her feet and pipes up with excitement, earning her a withering headshake from the Lalafellin mage. Papalymo, if she remembers correctly. Even the towering Elezen, his face obscured by his hood and goggles, is warm and welcoming despite his reserved nature. Urianger, did they say his name was?

She hasn’t said a word to him. She hasn’t said a word to any of them.

These people here, these friends of Thancred’s, these Scions… The camaraderie between them is clear. From their identical tattoos to their amiability in each other’s presence, she has no doubt they have been friends for a long time. Comrades bound together, if not by shared experience, then by something just as strong. Purpose. Ambition. Duty.

It hurts more than she would like to admit.

“I am forever grateful, you know.”

Aureia looks up.

Minfilia stands a few feet away, eyes bright, smile soft, blonde hair glowing in the solar’s warm light. For the leader of a covert organization, she is not what Aureia expected. She thought she would be meeting a hardened veteran, grounded and devoid of the usual idealistic nonsense, with a keen understanding of the difference between lofty aspirations and harsh reality. The kind of person prepared to do whatever it took to see their goals realized. A spymaster or a soldier or a general.

Not a woman younger than herself who wears her heart on her sleeve.

Aureia bites her tongue. “What for?” she asks, trying to keep her tone neutral. 

Minfilia looks away, a faint blush on her cheeks. “Forgive me,” she says. “I am getting ahead of myself. A little context is necessary, perhaps. When your name was first made known to me, I thought you the same as many an Eorzean adventurer. Reckless, inspired, some seeking adventure for fame and fortune, others for the thrill of danger, others still simply for the honest work. But your deeds speak for themselves.”

She pauses and regards her quietly. Though her blue eyes are kind, there is something unsettling about their intensity. “It was never about the rewards, was it? You care about those you aid. In you there is the ability and the skill to make a difference, and so you do—for how could you not?”

Aureia blinks. “I…”

“Thancred told me much of your adventures in Ul’dah.”

“He… did?” Somehow he never thought to mention you.

Minfilia’s smile brightens. “Every time without fail he returned to the Waking Sands, he had one tale or another to tell of his adventurer friend in the city. Yda, Papalymo, and Y’shtola certainly did not have quite as much to say about their own connections. I admit, I was perhaps a little uncertain at first—we both know his tendency to be a relentless flirt—but having met you… I daresay I see now why he can wax poetic about you when given the chance—” She cuts off abruptly, suddenly serious, and places a hand on her arm. “Please do not tell him I said as much, I will never hear the end of it.”

Aureia blinks again, uncertain what to make of any of this. Minfilia speaks to her less like a venerated leader and her new employer and more like they are close friends. Stalling for time, she risks a quick glance across the solar to the little group. Thancred is laughing again. Countering something Urianger said, he takes up his customary lean against the wall and crosses his arms. As he sweeps his hair out of his eyes, he looks away and his eyes connect with hers.

She frowns.

He raises an eyebrow.

Her frown deepens. “Don’t worry,” she says absently. “I’ll keep it to myself.”

Minfilia lets out a relieved breath and removes her hand. “Thank you. I suppose… I apologize for my awkwardness, but when I said that I am forever grateful, I did indeed mean it. I know I expressed as much earlier in an official capacity, but I would like to thank you again on more personal terms, as a newfound friend and ally. It should come as no surprise to you that our work presents many dangers and comes at a high cost. Trust is imperative. We must have faith and trust one another to do what must be done. It is the best chance we have to forge a brighter tomorrow.”

Aureia nods, still distracted. A glint catches her eye—the shattered remains of a mage’s staff, mounted and displayed on the wall behind the antecedent’s desk. She noticed it when she first entered the solar, but she didn’t truly take stock of it until now. Though it is broken, she can sense the remnants of powerful aether emanating from it, murmuring in deep slumber.

“I see in you a kind soul,” Minfilia continues. “A good soul. Someone of your skill and talent could have gone anywhere, but you chose to come to us. We will do well with someone like you among us, I am certain of that.”

She blinks again, forcing her sluggish mind to focus on Minfilia’s words. Despite the kindness extended to her, she can’t shake the anxiety growing in the pit of her stomach. As far as first impressions go, this perception of her could not be more wrong.

“…thank you,” she murmurs, stumbling on her own words. Her throat is uncomfortably dry.

“I am so very glad you are here. Perhaps we are kindred spirits of a kind.”

“I…”—don’t know about that—“…maybe. Perhaps.” The affirmation slips out unintended, and she curses internally.

“The Echo is a heavy gift,” Minfilia continues. “A blessing, to be sure, but not one borne easily.”

Aureia freezes, a chill running down her spine.

“As advantageous as it is, it comes with its own burdens. I cannot say we fully comprehend it, even for those of us who have carried it through most of our lives.” Minfilia’s eyes meet hers. “I beg your pardon if this is improper, but I must ask—when did you first hear Her call?”

Her heart clenches. The power has always been with her, whispering at the edges of her mind, sometimes quiet, other times compelling her to action. In the same breath it has shown her things she wished she had never seen, it has also saved her life.

She can’t remember a time without it.

She wishes it was gone.

“I…” She has never discussed it with another. Such a gift was too dangerous to bring attention to in Garlemald, though her mother often suspected there was more to her capabilities than what was natural. Even in the relative safety of Eorzea, she would rather pretend she wasn’t gifted with it. “I should go. Thank you for your hospitality, Minfilia. I will look into the Amajina robbery as soon as I am able.”

The words come out fast and abrupt, any semblance of familiarity reverted to distanced professionalism. Uncertain whether to bow (a sign she’s been around too much Ul’dahn nobility recently) or to nod (the easy way out) or to shake her hand (awkward), Aureia simply turns around and walks stiffly to the door.

She can feel Thancred’s eyes on her as she slips through the threshold and into the cold hallway beyond.

[eemamminy-art]

If you're still doing these: Fordolyse (or anything Lyse!) hc + 👻? (I am in a spooky mood and there is so much weird stuff in the Lochs :3)

hc + 👻 for a headcanon about supernatural occurrences

There is so much spooky stuff in the Lochs, I always wished they would explore that more in the game 👀 I don't feel confident enough in the lore of the Lochs or Ala Mhigo more generally to think of something related to that, but here's something!

So I like to headcanon (or maybe it's close to the actual canon in the 4.1 msq echo scenes, I'm not entirely sure if it's just my interpretation or not) that Fordola's resonant causes her echo to be basically on 24/7. She's hearing thoughts, she's seeing memories, she's just haunted by other peoples' pasts and presents and tormented by it more often than not.

With that in mind, can you imagine how often she must see Yda and Papalymo? Lyse brings them both up often, so you'd have to figure they're both at the forefront of her mind at any given time. Probably the first time she sees Yda in Lyse's memories it turns her pale white, recognizing Yda as the freedom fighter who gave her some glimmer of hope as a child before that hope was crushed yet again. She sees Yda in every possible context that Lyse ever did: all her best and worst moments, times of laughter, joy, and sorrow. Her giving speeches to Lyse to inspire her to never give up, and telling her fondly about the Ala Mhigo that once was before Garlemald invaded. Rallying Fordola from beyond the grave, just like she did all those years ago.

Likewise, Papalymo was always a stern voice of reason for Lyse, but would give her comfort when needed, too. I think the first few glimpses of him would anger her, maybe causing her to stand up and shout at the phantom, leaving Lyse totally puzzled as to who she was talking to. Over time she would see the logic in some of his lectures, how he was always the one to keep Lyse grounded and keep her from flying off the handle. Something that rubbed off on Lyse and made her a more mature and level-headed person now, recalling his words and living by his values.

Seeing the ghosts of Lyse's past helps Fordola to understand the amazing person she is now, and to recognize how much room she has to grow still herself.

Thematic headcanon ask meme

[elizabethrobertajones]

"Ah, Jane, a word with thee," Urianger called, stopping her attempt to sidle past unnoticed.

"W-what do you want?" she asked, as always somewhere on the nervous-to-panicked scale when presented with the sinister false prophet.

"Now that my deception hath been unveiled, there is much I must ask thee about the holes you claim twisteth like knots in the thread of your memory, for I have learned answers to questions you know not to ask."

"Um. S-sure." She glanced back and forth between Thancred, who was impassive but seemingly unconcerned with swooping in and rescuing her from this particular fate, and Papalymo, who smiled encouragingly and gave her a little nod. She was left with no one to save her from being lead to a quiet table in the corner of the Rising Stones.

She balled her fists on her knees to stop her shaking hands from betraying her, and studied the flame of the candle between them; the familiar whisper of fire brought some comfort even if Y'shtola and Krile had tactfully withdrawn for their privacy at a nod from Urianger, and left Jane utterly abandoned of friendly faces.

He didn't say anything, but stared, inscrutable, until she couldn't take it any more. "What?!" she demanded.

"Perhaps it would be best if you were to once more regale me with thy tale of thy flight from Ishgard, and the last things you remember of that night."

Her eyes widened even more than their normal darting state. "Umm, why? The Warriors of Darkness weren't there, were they? Were they?"

"Nay, I believe they arrived but recently. It... it is Elidibus's comments that have left me pondering."

She stared at him. Behind his goggles, he presumably stared back.

"And?!" Jane finally demanded.

"'Twould seem he had more than passing knowledge of thy situation, and called thee not Warrior of Light, but 'The Runaway' more than once. Indeed, I was not sure you were one and the same until thy path did cross with mine own schemes."

"I... I guess I did run away from Ishgard. Why would he care about that?"

"And that is why I bid thee recount thy tale once more."

She sighed, and sunk deeper into the chair, eyes once more darting to the warm candle flame. So much had happened since that night; so much of her perspective on the world had been changed, by force, by others and by scenarios she never could have dreamed of while selling potions from her parents' stall in the Jewelled Crozier.

Were the words she'd use now be the same as how she had first told it in shaky terms to Minfilia, lured by Thancred's assurance that she knew everything. That she could give all the answers to why Jane's dreams manifested the visions they did. And Minfilia had known almost nothing, told her only of the Echo but not of her own history, and left her to fend for herself. Left them all, now. And Urianger, mysterious and cryptic at the best of times, had pulled all those strings... And seemed at last to be someone who maybe did know more than they let on.

She swallowed.

"They were buying poisons from us. The heretics. I - I didn't know that. I just sold the ingredients. B-but they showed up when my parents weren't there. Left me in charge. A-and they made me feel like I was friends with them all. I thought some of them was highborns from the way they dressed, and some of them was knights from the way they walked, but they were fashionable, and charming, and... and I was just enjoying their attention. And they'd hang around for a bell chinwagging and scaring off boring customers, and when Temple Knights came by they'd buy something off the stall right quick and melt away laughing. I wanted nothing more than to go with them, but I - I didn't want to disappoint my parents."

"I'm sorry, Jane," Urianger said, startling her out of her reverie. He seemed to mean it, his hand falling back to his side like he had reached for her and thought better of it before she had looked up.

She shook her head. "What's done is done. They're at the bottom of Witchdrop and I'm here. I got Aymeric to look to see what happened to them, you know. And he couldn't even look at me. I know it was bad." She shrugged. "They got framed for poisoning the old Lord Commander and the Inquisition moves fast. There's a leatherworker in our old stall, now. I went and looked but I was too scared to see if the first coins were still under the loose cobble under the stall. If I got seen sneaking back at midnight to the scene of the crime, I don't know if even Aymeric would have seen fit to listen and pardon me."

"First coins?"

"You know, when you start a business and the first thing someone buys, you put the coins somewhere safe, for luck." She sniffed, and rubbed the back of her hand over her eyes. "Don't know why I'd want them anyway, come to think of it."

He nodded. "An ill omen to carry with thee, indeed."

She glanced up and gave him a strangled kind of smile, before returning to examination of the candle. "So that night. When the Lord Commander died. I think they knew they framed us; they wanted to ruin my family. I'm sure of it. They came right to me as I was folding up the stall, and told me to come with them, and I didn't even see how scared they were, I was so chuffed to be invited anywhere. I just followed them right down into the Brume."

"And then?" Urianger prompted.

She started, glancing around once more. "I don't know if telling you this is going to make me in even more trouble, but there's more than one way out of Ishgard. A couple of paths to the Highlands and all right sketchy tunnels. Smugglers and such use them, as well as the heretics. But you know when you get down there, nothing's safe anyway. Vilekin everywhere, caves full of bats. And all frozen over and infested with elementals since the Calamity to boot.

"I didn't know where we were going, thought they had a hideout or something when they opened a hatch under a barrel at the back of a house. But it was a tunnel and they were pushing me along it. And I realised how freaked out they were. The highborn one, the mage, he was really shoving my shoulder to make me walk even when my boots were slipping on the ice that was all over the ground. And then I think I heard the Temple Knights, and they made us run. I weren't the only one who slipped, I stopped to help one of them up, and we got behind the rest of the group.

"And then there was a dead end where the rock had collapsed, and they were all shouting, and making us go back, and then the Temple Knights were right behind us, so we got to some real steep stairs, over the Abyss. Even afore you got to it you could hear the winds sucking you towards it. And the highborn mage stopped, right there at the top of the stairs, and said, I'll hold them off. And - and his face. He... I didn't know what it was then, I was so scared. I'd never seen it before, you know. It was the Ascian glyph, and he was doing a summoning. I was trying not to slip on the stairs but I looked back because I felt the dark magick and I knew he was doing something really bad, and I was right where it was so slippy, and I looked at him and made eye contact and I know he was summoning a voidsent, but - that's the last thing I remember. I think I slipped; I think one of them must have carried me.

"It was three days later in Fallgourd Float when I next knew anything. An Ul'dahn merchant found me on the side of the road, unconscious; he thought the Dullahans had got me but I'd been lying there a while and they hadn't hurt me, so I don't think they cared to be quite honest. Anyway, he took me to the inn, and when I woke up I was so scared that we were anywhere near Coerthas when he offered to take me home I paid him all I had to take me to Thanalan instead. A-and that's where I was when Thancred found me and I ended up meeting swivin' Ascians everywhere."

"Did you recognise the Ascian who was amongst this heretic group?"

She shook her head. "One of those low level ones with the boring glyphs. I never saw one of that gang when we met all those heretics when we were investigating Iceheart, or since I went back to Ishgard. I was too scared to ask Ysayle if she knew them. Or. Or I didn't want to know. In case she said she didn't. But the more we learn the less I think she would've."

Urianger nodded thoughtfully. "I suspect they knew not who you were either, but sensed your latent Echo or some other sense of your destiny, and attempted to protect you for later use. I know not what other schemes Elidibus has, for I was allowed only to know the scantest details beyond that which I was charged for mine own deceptions. But between his manipulation of the Warriors of Darkness, and that which Unukalhai unfolded of his history as Elidibus's apprentice, I suspect he may have many other agents as yet unknown to us; many that he cultivateth for purposes as yet unknown even to himself, for their schemes speak both of long planning and sudden, spontaneous meddling. Perhaps thy presence in this long-planned poisoning scheme to throw Ishgard into disarray led to a desire to cultivate thee as well; in losing you they drove you to the bosom of the Scions instead, and thus does Elidibus muse on your presence, nay, even ask if I am aware of thy heresy in Ishgard."

"Aymeric did drop the charges and issue a full apology to my family," she said, pouting.

Urianger laughed softly. "And we are glad to have thee amongst us as a free agent, and many of thy fears allayed."

"But you still don't know what happened to me. Those three days between Ishgard and Fallgourd Float?"

He shook his head. "I wonder if the summoning did more to unsettle thee than thou thinkest; that you did not slip, but some other dark force came upon thee, given the affinity of thy magicks to the umbral and destructive, and the comfort with which you commune with voidsent. But as you had never chanced to see one until that day, there is no way to know if this is an innate ability, or one that has come upon thee as a result of thy travails."

She scrunched her nose, and looked away. "Well then. I guess I still know nothing. Wish I could just ask Elidibus if he did something to me, you know? I don't want to be cultivated."

"Mayhap a time will come when you may ask him for the answers you seek. If it reassureth you even a small measure, it seemed to me that he was both unsettled and somewhat scared of thee."

"Good." She pushed herself up out of the chair, and stretched. "Well, thank you, Urianger. I need to go... elsewhere now. But. Thank you."

He smiled at her, and for the first time he didn't completely terrify her down to the core. Unfortunately, his words had done that instead, and she felt nigh on close to crawling out of her own skin to remove herself from his presence regardless of it were his fault or his words.

Maybe it was time to return to Ishgard for a spell and enjoy her new freedom.