#this is just going to be a month of me writing wol/emet fluff and stuff isn't it

[nomadicbug]

Prompt II: Bargain

- Word Count: 1372.  - AU/Canon Divergence He should be, for all intents and purposes, dead. Yet here he lingered, a shade, bound to her aether, to her will, unable to be more than a few yalms away at any given time. He could see her. Speak to her. Touching was… well, touch and go. Sometimes a yes, sometimes a no.

Emet-Selch currently fluctuated between the living and the dead.

There were benefits to this, of course. For a start, he actually liked Celeste's presence, and enjoyed his newfound invisibility, his newfound ability to speak to Celeste, and only Celeste, without being heard by anyone else. That he kept his ability to just float about and observe, too, was nice, in spite of certain spatial inconveniences. As with anything, there was another side to it. He was starving for a start, only able to eat on the rare occasions the stars and planets aligned and the moon was blue and there happened to be food around at the time. Sleep was tricky; he could sleep on the floor - uncomfortable and cold as it was, occasionally he was able to doze on Celeste's bed for brief periods of time before phasing through, but he was never comfortable. He couldn't just sleep like he used to. He could perhaps try sleeping on her, but he doubted that particular avenue would pan out.

That aside, had he been alone in this, he probably would've gone mad about three weeks ago. For her part, the Hero was ever so intent on getting him a corporeal form and had decided that his many clones in the heart of Garlemald were the best way to go about it. Her reasoning was sound; he was likely too weak to possess a body or create a new one. What startled him more was that she was willing to go to this trouble to begin with; it would be simpler for both of them if he just faded.

He stopped that train of thought with a sigh. He didn't really have much of a choice but to go along with her. It was his own fault he was bound to her anyway. Something had gone awry when bequeathing her the shade of Amaurot (a conclusion she, too, had come to). Why he had decided to do such a sentimental, tricky incantation on the brink of death was beyond him - it had saved his life when he’d hoped to die.

In short, Emet-Selch couldn't decide whether to be happy or frustrated and so settled for both. He watched her go about the markets - from the Crystarium, to Eulmore, to markets on the Source, over the past several weeks. She was back in the Crystarium now, disappointed and annoyed. It would be so much simpler if she could just create whatever it was she was after, but even though she was regaining her memories of Amaurot, her creation magic was barely there. It would come to her, in time, but it seemed time was not something either of them had.

He finally spoke, after spending the better part of the past two days silent and grumpy. "What are you searching for, Hero?"

She glanced in his direction with a frown and slowed her pace so he walked next to her. "A weapon." Her voice was not only a low whisper but in the language of the Ancients, something he had discovered she'd just inherently known before she was an adventurer. It was likely a means to keep from looking suspicious in the crowd, but in Emet-Selch’s opinion, it did the opposite.  

Still, it really was painfully obvious what she was - who she was, who she had been. How this had been kept from the Scions was anyone's guess. "If you can't create one, have one created for you." He grumbled, having no choice but to follow her into some dark corner of the marketplace.

Once she was out of the main thoroughfare and on her own, she folded her arms, leaning back against the wall. "The greatsword I broke fighting you was one of a kind. A gift from a dear friend. It took months to be forged."

"I don't have that kind of patience." He spoke through clenched teeth and pursed lips. He wasn't insane yet, but by gods, he was at his wit's end. He so loathed teleporting and actually having to walk about.

"I know. If I have to infiltrate Garlemald without a weapon, I will. But I'd rather not if it's all the same to you." She shook her head, her brow furrowed. Despite the excess light being driven from her thanks to their battle, she still wore the scars. Hair that looked as though it had been dipped in pure aether, scales that were once cream were now a brilliant white - signs that would be forever etched into his mind.

He drooped, and put a hand on his hip, shaking his head. He'd grown attached to his charge - again. He racked his brain for thought, for anything that could help, and finally came up with something. His lips curled, and he suddenly felt a lot more in control than he had in recent memory.

"I might know somewhere you could find a sword. Expertly crafted, of course." He moved to lean on the wall next to her, almost able to feel the heat radiating off her. Almost. Maddening.

She had a look of dubiousness. "And you want something in exchange for this information?"

"Quite." He levelled her with a flat stare. "Stop dragging me between the Source and the First. Pick one. Interdimensional travel is terribly uncomfortable at the best of times, let alone now."

She laughed. Quiet, true, her face contorting in amusement. The last time he had seen her so mirthful was well before the fall of Amaurot. He found it comforting, not that he'd ever admit it aloud.

"Very well. Once I have my sword, I'll return to the Source and stay until I've secured you a body." She spoke between chuckles.

"Good." Emet-Selch ran a hand through his hair, shaking his head to get some of the stray strands out of his face. He certainly wasn't fidgeting.

She was so damn insistent that she'd get him a body. Part of him wanted to fade, the other, larger part wanted her to succeed. His ties to Zodiark had been severed, and he was free to do and feel what he damn well pleased without the Elder Primal pushing back or amplifying the effects.

That, and it seemed like Celeste wanted his help trying to stem the tides of a Garlemald run by his sociopathic great-grandson. Which would be, frankly, a pain, particularly with what was no doubt Elidibus' intervention, and the fact that he as Solus was dead, but he could spin something to make it work. He always did.

Once he realised she had yet to move, his attention returned to her, finding her leaning forward and staring at him. Her gaze was inquisitive, piercing, as though seeing right through him, leaving him exposed and at her mercy. She probably could just banish him, if she were so inclined. She could have done the job properly in the first place, but even then he knew she wouldn't. She couldn't. It had been a cruel thing to force her hand as he did - as they had done. One that would sit heavy with him for an eternity. He had gotten what he wanted; her memories were returning, but somehow the thought was cold comfort.

"What? It's rude to stare, you know." He hid his discomfort beneath wit and wile, as he always did.

"Are you growing senile in your old age, Hades?" She asked, all smirk and play, her hands linked behind her back.

He really was drawing a blank, such as he did when his thoughts had sojourned so far off track. And calling him by his true name was ever an intimate thing, which was certainly not helping in the slightest. He settled for a cold glare, as hard as he could muster.

"The location of this sword of yours. You've yet to tell me." She tutted, straightening and leaning back against the wall.

Right. "Akadaemia Anyder." -- @sea-wolf-coast-to-coast - Prompt #2: Bargain

[illegiblewords]

I posted about this in the past, but 1) can’t find it 2) got new followers since, so going to try again in case there’s interest.

Since the FFXIV month of writing prompts has wrapped up, I figure now might not be a bad time to let writers know about the kink meme.

For folks who don’t know--despite its name, kink memes are not necessarily raunchy. The basic premise is, on the kink meme you can anonymously (or not) request a story within a fandom. Can be a romance, can be gen, can be erotic, whatever. If there’s something you want to read but don’t feel like writing yourself, you’re basically putting that idea (or prompt) up for adoption. Writers who watch the kink meme pick up the concepts that spark their interest. The prompt giver gets a free story that they wanted to see. The prompt’s writer (or filler) gets a high likelihood of making someone happy and knowing their work stands a solid chance of getting seen.

The biggest rule for the kink meme is no shaming. On the one hand this is because raunchy stuff is allowed. On the other it’s because the nature of the beast is, by necessity, for people to feel comfortable asking for and providing stories. For that reason there needs to be a no-harassment policy in place.

Even if a prompt makes you uncomfortable (heaven knows there have been times stuff seemed icky to me), when it comes to kink meme you just gotta scroll past it. Make a prompt that you prefer instead!

The format for kink memes (in many fandoms) goes sort of like this:

FOR PAIRINGS

TITLE LINE: Character A/Character B, Roughly 1-4 Words On Premise, Content Warnings (If Applicable), State if Alternate Universe/AU

PROMPT: Description of what you want to see. Can be elaborate or simple, long or short, really whatever. Just be clear and keep in mind you’re trying to appeal on some level to writers.

FOR GEN/NON-ROMANTIC

TITLE LINE: Character A + Character B (or just Character A if applicable), Roughly 1-4 Words On Premise, Content Warnings (If Applicable), State if Alternate Universe/AU

PROMPT: Description of what you want to see. Can be elaborate or simple, long or short, really whatever. Just be clear and keep in mind you’re trying to appeal on some level to writers.

Some examples so people can see how formats work:

WoD/G'raha Tia, Embarrassing Jokes

Saying the Crystal Exarch’s real name is a good way to get him weepy, but lewd comments from the Warrior of Darkness about his “Crystal Tower” gets a similarly dramatic (if different) reaction.

F!WoL/Emet-Selch, Post-Canon Happy Ending

Without going against what happened in the game as much as possible, I just want to see a story where Emet-Selch survives and romance with the Warrior of Light happens. Female is preferred and I’d like her to be Midlander if possible, but if the writer has a different idea in mind that’s okay! I’d just like a happy ending. I don’t mind if there’s angst, comedy, fluff, horror, or sex. Anything would be great!

Yotsuyuu/Yugiri, Witch and Spy

Alternate canon, Yugiri infiltrates Yotsuyuu’s inner circle as a spy and feeds information to her allies so they can overthrow the Garlean occupation. However, while fulfilling her mission Yugiri catches sight of a softer side to the Witch of Doma. Despite everything, the maiden from Sui-no-Sato finds herself entering a romance with the tyrant.

No noncon or dubcon. (Noncon = Non-consent/Rape, Dubcon = Dubious consent)

Can end happily or tragically but court intrigue would be great!

Gen or Emet-Selch/Reincarnated!WoL, Ascians win

The Warrior becomes a Lightwarden. The First falls and is rejoined to the Source. In the end, Elidibus and Emet-Selch are able to complete the Rejoining and perform the exchange needed to get their brethren back. The Terminus Event doesn’t resume and the Ancients who gave themselves to Zodiark are not corrupted or otherwise worse for the wear. It’s the best-case scenario for the Ascians.

Except Lahabrea is dead while Elidibus and Emet-Selch have been so wrecked by solitude, hardship, and the horrors they themselves committed that they can no longer relate to the world they’ve returned to. They are celebrated as heroes by a populace with no idea what it cost or how long it took.

Maybe the Warrior is reincarnated and maybe not, but if they are I actually think things become more interesting if 1) they remember pieces of their past lives 2) the Ascians opt against vilifying the Warrior, or even saying what they did. There’s no point. It’s over. The world is whole again. The sacrifice has been made.

Tataru/Wedge, High School Sweethearts, Cannibalism, Modern AU/Darkfic

Tataru is the most popular girl at Eorzea High, and shy Wedge has been working up the courage to ask her out with encouragement from his friend Biggs. He doesn’t care that the other students seem to have a deep and abiding fear of her, his lalafell heart belongs to her and no other. However, things take a turn for the dark when it comes out that the reason Tataru is single to begin with is because she’s enjoyed all her past lovers with some fava beans and a glass of chianti if you know what I mean.

Bonus Points if Wedge, upon realizing Tataru’s taste for human flesh, offers to be the Mrs. Lovett to her Sweeney Todd and helps supply her with deliciously seasoned corpses instead.

Extra Bonus Points if Nero knows and is desperately trying to tell people but no one believes him.

...

But yeah haha, it’s pretty fast and loose.

Other common tendencies in kink memes include stuff like if you see a prompt you like but it wasn’t yours and you don’t want to write it yourself, it’s good to reply to the prompt with “Seconded”, “Thirded”/“Also Seconded”, etc. because that lets writers know if something is in-demand and could get a bigger audience.

The last really important thing, when a writer begins to fill usually at least one version will be shown in replies to the initial prompt. It’s okay to link to Ao3 or somewhere else at the end if that version is more polished, but you want the prompters to see what you did!

If anyone is interested but has questions feel free to let me know. ^^