#wondroustailsofffxiv

[wondroustailsofffxiv]

There is a re-occurring quest of sorts in Final Fantasy XIV called ‘Wondrous Tails’, and it is given to you in Idyllshire by a young Miqo’te named Khloe Aliapoh. Specifically, she gives you an empty journal and asks you to write down the stories of your past and future adventures so that she can share them with everyone she meets!

By re-completing past content, you can earn stickers in order to make lines across a card in a style similar to bingo, with each finished line netting all sorts of prizes once the journal is turned in. In much the same way, ‘Wondrous Tails of FFXIV’ is a multi-month event that utilizes a prompt-filled bingo card format in order to encourage participants to tell the stories in an environment with minimal restrictions and maximum possibilities.

This event is open to both visual and written media, and anyone that participates with at least one valid entry is entered for a raffle that takes place after the end of the event. However, participants do not need to worry about raffle entries or its few restrictions if all they'd like to do is take part and have fun!

> The next iteration of Wondrous Tails of FFXIV will start on March 15th and end on June 15th! <

For more information about the event, start/end dates and whatnot, please check out the links found below!

About | FAQ | Rules | Bingo Card Template | AO3 | Carrd | Picker Wheel Links

[irisopranta]

The Iris and The Edelweiss

“An edelweiss? Quite an usual flower to have there.” Iris mentioned it to the young Haillenarte in front of her. Iris wasn’t quite sure what to make of him. Haurchefant had inform her that he was quite a gentle one for one that had great standing the Ishgardian High Houses. It was at his insistence that he wanted Iris to get to know Lord Francel.

Luckily, he was receiving a parcel at the camp. She just so happened to catch him as her was looking over the contents. The edelweiss was in already in his hand. He was quite confused as to why a stranger would strike up a conversation with him. He nodded to her, “Mayhaps, However it is a gift from my mother. She always loved edelweiss.” He looked at the woman before him. “I assumed you needed to speak to me?”

Iris nodded. “Lord Haurchfant thought it would be a good idea for me to meet you.” She held out her hand “I’m Iris, a pleasure to meet you.” The young lord took her hand to shake. As he did she couldn’t help herself to her glances to the edelweiss. “You know, if she is sending you something like that, she must be telling you to be strong for whats ahead.”

“You feeling alright there dear?” the graceful elezen before her showed a bit of concern on her face “Would you like to lay down instead of playing me in another match?”

“Oh, I’m quite fine Lady Estelle. I was just thinking back on something in my past.” She looked at the chess board before her. It seemed that Estelle took the liberty to set it back for a new match. No matter how much Iris play against her, she can never win against her lady. She can’t even think she ever saw anyone win a match against. Stephanivien might have gotten close but Iris isn’t all that surprise. After all, She probably taught her son a trick or two through out the years.

Iris has come to known Lady Estelle de Haillenarte these last few moons. Every since she got engaged to her son she seemed interested to learning more about her new daughter. Before then, she had only caught glimpse of the lady of the house every now and then. She always seemed to have a face of grief whenever she was about the manor.

“Well if you are quite fine then let’s proceed. I still have to teach you a thing about strategy if you are to become the next Countess Haillenarte.” A smirk crossed Estelle’s face. The countess seemed amused by this all. Rather if it’s because she was showing off to Iris her skills or she just was enjoying the time the two were having. Iris didn’t mind.

“Though I have to ask, why edelweiss? It’s an unusual flower to like?”

“Now wouldn’t you like to know.”

[pumpkinmagekupo]

Wondrous tails: Mermaid AU

Lore would tell you that mermaids only reside in the oceans but that is not always true. While it is true that most mermaids prefer the open waters of the oceans, there are some who dwell in underwater cave systems.

Mizuki was one such mermaid. She preferred to keep isolated.  On her lone adventures she had come across an island with a large mountain in the centre of it. After some deep investigation of the island and its currents, she found herself in a cave with a huge ceiling. There was a gap somewhere letting in some light and it allowed the crystals in the cave to illuminate the area. Swimming around the cool waters, Mizuki decided she liked it here and this would be her new home. 

-

“Look, Ser Knight. We really don’t need you and yours here.” an old miner huffed “we’ve been doin’ this for years-”

“I am well aware of that but due to the latest attacks we would prefer to keep you all safe-” Aymeric explained, walking in step with the miner as they descended into a cold dark cave “and once we believe it safe enough. We will leave you to your own devices if that pleases you-” his words fell quiet, “what-” Aymeric stared in disbelief at the white glowing eyes that peeped over the surface of the cave’s lake.

“A mermaid,” the old man stated simply, walking over to a nearby cluster of crystals “That one often pops up.”

“I thought they lived in the ocean.” Aymeric replied quietly, daring not to take his eyes off her.

“Guess this one doesn’t.”

Aymeric jumped as rock flew past his head and landed near the mermaid. Before he could question it several more rocks hurtled past him, some striking the mermaid who delved quickly beneath the surface. “Why would you harm it?” he almost shouted.

“Mermaids eat humans, that’s why.” 

“Do you know that? did-”

“Don’t trust anything a mermaid says! They’ll lure you into the water and eat you alive!” a younger miner shouted, his voice echoing in the caves. 

“Ain’t nothin’ goin’ kill us in here.” The old miner intervened “if you insist on guarding, do it outside and let us work.”

Aymeric sighed and left the cave, his knights awaiting him. “Guard the cave entrance. I am going to check the area.”  They saluted as Aymeric mounted his chocobo and headed off around the mountain path. 

He was quite away from the mouth of the cave when he heard rushing water, curious he followed it and spotted a little waterfall leading into a small lake and sitting on the edge of the lake; the mermaid. She seemed to be pressing leaves against her forehead. 

Aymeric dismounted his chocobo and tried to get a better look but he tripped into a bush and startled her.

“Wait!” he called, scrambling out of the thicket.  “Are you hurt? I’m sorry they hurt you-”

“And why do you care?” Aymeric was shocked, her voice was so gentle but there was a sharpness to it.

“You did nothing wrong, it was wrong of them-” Aymeric hurried forward, she was still hiding from him “I won’t harm you.” he said, trying to peer around the flowers.

Something crossed his mind “how did you get out here?” he looked around, there was no other river to this point and she had just been in the cave lake..

“I know all the currents of this island.” she replied simply, “I can find my way anywhere.”

“That is amazing!” Aymeric gasped “I was convinced mermaids could only live in the oceans.”

“Most do..I prefer it here..it’s quieter.”

Aymeric wanted to see her but she still refused to show herself.

"Mi'lord?!" a knight shouted,

Aymeric sighed deeply "I should go.. would it be possible to see you again?"

"Mi'lord?!" a knight called again.

There was silence, perhaps she didn't want to see him "there's a cove near where the cave was. Meet me there at sundown." Aymeric saw a flash of orange just as his knight arrived.

"Mi'lord?"

Aymeric looked away from the lake with a heavy heart, he had to wait to see her.

-

The day dragged slowly after that. Aymeric couldn't wait to see what the mermaid looked like up close.

Once his duties were complete, he hopped on his chocobo and headed down to the coast. “I hope I’m not late.” he wandered the beach hopefully and there she was. Sat half submerged by the water, staring up at the star speckled sky.

“You came.” she said, her tone was softer now.

"I could think of nothing else." Aymeric admitted, “May I sit?” she nodded and he sat beside her in the water.  Aymeric couldn’t take his eyes of her. Her greyish skin, sparkled in the moonlight, his eyes fell to the tail under the surface, which flicked up splashing him with cold water, it was black like the scales that lined her cheeks, they look like obsidian, he had to resist reaching to touch them.

“You’re the first to not be so scared of me.”

“How could I? You’re so beautiful.”

She laughed and it made his heart race faster “You’re not scared I will eat you?”

Aymeric chuckled this time “I don’t believe such things.”

She finally turned to him, her eyes shone bright white with the moon “then come swim with me.”

“Might I know your name first?” Aymeric asked, she has already swam out to the deeper side of the coast.

“Mizuki.” she replied and dived under the waves.

Bingo Card

[redmoonwanderer]

Wondrous Tails of FFXIV 2024 Prompts: Amnesiac, hunt Summary: Azem finds the man everyone speaks of as his familiar, but he doesn’t seem to have any idea about anything, really.

The silence of the darkness is comforting, like floating in space without a worry. Unfortunately, however, there is a voice beckoning to him, pushing away the darkness and pulling him to light. He can’t make out the words, but he can already feel the ache in his body, one that he’d left behind, tearing at him, his nerves, muscles; head pounding like he’d forgotten to drink water for a day. The world behind his lids gets lighter, and he realises that amidst the pain, there is a warm hand gently patting his cheek.

“Come on, now,” the voice says. “Get back here, no unscheduled dying on Elpis.”

He opens his eyes, slowly against the brightness of the day that burns his sensitive eyes, and sees, at first, a dark silhouette leaning over him. He blinks a few times, while the stranger says, “That’s better.”

Finally, he begins to feel more awake. More in pain, too, sure, but he can move, and does so to sit up. The stranger places a hand on his back to support him, and he looks at his face.

The stranger, gentle-looking, smiling. Red hair like a sunset that’s been tamed to frame his face and fall over his shoulders, bright where his is dark like blood. Freckles and silver eyes, like stars.

He looks oddly familiar, though he can’t remember why.

Looking around, he can’t tell where he is.

Nor who he himself is.

That’s… potentially a problem.

“Well,” the stranger says, watching him look around like a lost kitten, “it seems you’ll live. How are you feeling?”

He doesn’t even think about it, he just lifts his hand, fingers looking almost like they’re wrapping around an invisible ball in his hand, and makes a twisting gesture.

He looks at his hand, brows furrowed, then at the stranger as if he might be able to offer an explanation as to why one could make noise and the other couldn’t.

The stranger just shrugs, though whether it’s because he doesn’t understand his gesture or because he thinks he knows what he’s asking but cannot answer, he doesn’t know.

“Let’s get you up, see if you can get your feet under you,” the stranger says, and he gets up. Still aching, but he’ll live. He looks around at the grassland, and not too far away sees a dead something. A creature that he doesn’t think is a beast, a being in tattered black robe, thin and tall.

“Ahh, yes. You fought it,” the stranger supplies helpfully, “it tried to survive by, I assume, draining your aether. I guess someone snuck it in here as a prank, make someone a little weak in the knees, and didn’t expect a familiar to stumble upon it.”

He tilted his head. A familiar? He? Maybe it makes sense.

Noting his confusion, the stranger smiles. “Well, that’s what everyone keeps saying, anyway. That there’s a busy familiar coming here every now and then that just must be mine. I must admit, I was curious,” he says.

That makes even less sense, doesn’t it? Shouldn’t this person know about him if he… summoned him? That doesn’t feel right, though, the thought of being summoned, or made.

“Seeing you now, I can see the confusion. We do look a bit alike, and I suppose we both have a reputation of running around. I’m Azem. Seat of. So that’s what everyone calls me.”

A lot of words that tickle in the back of his mind like they mean something to him, but right now, all he can offer is a blank stare.

This Azem tilts his head and taps his cheek with his finger. “Hm, seems you don’t really talk, and going by the confusion in those eyes of yours, that concept may have drained enough to rattle your head a little.” The man looks around, though what or who he’s hoping to see, he cannot tell. Eventually, he looks back at him, saying, “Well, since you probably don’t know where you’re going, why not join me for a moment? Maybe someone around here can help you with that noggin of yours, set it back to like it’s supposed to be.”

He hesitates a moment before nodding. It’s not like there’s anything better for him to do, and he would like for someone to indeed “help him with this noggin of his.” The two set out towards the middle of this floating island where a crystal rotates slowly and people have gathered around a small pool to observe small lifeforms in the water.

“This is Anagnorisis”, Azem tells him. “Does anything strike as familiar?”

He walks the paved path, looks at the greenery, peeks into a pond just to stare a pink creature in the eye. It almost looks like it’s smiling, and maybe it is. It dives, and splashes droplets on to his face, and he leans back, nose wrinkled. He dries his face with his arm and looks to the right, where a tree rises from the ground, one of many.

Yet he can’t tear his eyes off of it.

Azem walks right next to him, having stopped to talk with the locals. He notes the way he’s staring, and follows his gaze. “You friends with that one?” he asks, and sounds like he might not be joking, though he’s not entirely sure.

He stares another moment before hesitantly shaking his head. He doubts he could be friends with a tree, right?

But he walks closer, looks up to a sturdy branch and almost expects to see someone up there. Nothing.

Azem walk to his side. “If this doesn’t help your memory, perhaps we should try elsewhere,” he suggests, and receives a nod in reply.

No matter where they go, however, no matter which corner they turn and what beast they see as they walk, nothing in Elpis gives him back what he needs. When the sun is setting and they’re sitting on a fence, looking down at the lower islands floating in the sky, he still has no idea who he is nor where he came from. Azem seems deep in thought as his silver eyes trail a path two figures are walking on, their hands animated as they talk to one another.

“I would ask help from one of my friends, but I fear none are in the area right now. Summoning them, well,” Azem chuckles. “Some have made it quite clear that I should try to solve some problems on my own, and they have important business to attend to, something I would hate to interrupt.”

He tilts his head at Azem because the way he speaks of summoning people makes it sound like he does so with magic. And yet, it sounds entirely feasible, something he could perhaps do, as well.

His head hurts. Pain like he’s head is splitting.

“Are you feeling alright?” Azem asks.

Azem. Azem. Azem. He knows the name, from somewhere further ago than today.

There’s a flash, an image, of a beautiful woman, white-haired, blue-eyed.

Hydaelyn? No, not Hydaelyn, but –

He leans forward, hands holding his head.

“Oh, dear,” says Azem. “Perhaps not. Do you think the effects of that creature are perhaps fading?”

Venat. That’s her name. Telling her to… think? And do other things, besides.

Calling him her Champion? Blessed by her?

He feels Azem touch his back.

It’s like glass shattering. It hurts, certainly, and the images are too many too quickly to understand if he hadn’t had a context for them all.

A poster, asking for proof of an existence of a being that stories said must have existed a long time ago. That lived here, now, today. In Elpis. In the past.

Where he’s been to before.

Where he met Venat, for the first time for her.

Where he met the two friends of –

He looks up.

And he remembers them.

Remembers it all.

And finally, as Qhol’a turns to look to the somewhat worried ancient by his side, he has no idea how to break this all down to this Azem – or if he should.

What a wholly unnecessarily complicated day this had turned out to be.

[faustinebellamy]

Wondrous Tails - Faust

I'm going to try to do @wondroustailsofffxiv's challenge for Faust. Here is my board. I used a randomizer until I got something I thought could be fun or interesting to her. It will be a mix of SFW and NSFW, but I'll tag each post appropriately.

The picture will be updated with progress!

1: Island Sanctuary

Below is the Bingo Sheet, in case the top one is too small to see properly.

[finalfantasyxivwritings]

Ongoing projects/ideas in no particular order of business, now that I am once more submerged into the sea that is FFXIV:

Final chapter for ‘Tell me to stay (and I will)’

Rework/revamp SMiH twine project—the concept itself is very neat but far too large in size and scope for my ADHD brain to handle alone, so I’ll break into several smaller projects divided by expac so that each one is much more concise and can focus better on the characters featured in each storyline

Related to above, but instead a twine/visual novel project oriented around my own FFXIV OCs (Samilen, Khalja, R’avi, Kai and Rakuyo primarily)

Set up and organization for the next Wondrous Tails event? (@wondroustailsofffxiv)

Go through and answer asks that have been languishing in this blogs askbox for the last 573957 years

[nidstiniens]

i'll probably make a proper masterpost or something for this later, but here's my @wondroustailsofffxiv bingo card! very, very excited to get started 😈

[gray-morality]

I posted 139 times in 2022

That's 24 more posts than 2021!

74 posts created (53%)

65 posts reblogged (47%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@catscratching

@gray-morality

@jitterzart

@thefreelanceangel

@crystalrequiem

I tagged 121 of my posts in 2022

Only 13% of my posts had no tags

#fakhri man'tik - 84 posts

#ffxiv - 71 posts

#seda ballard - 43 posts

#ff14 - 31 posts

#wondroustailsofffxiv - 21 posts

#jijivisha - 15 posts

#wolqotd - 14 posts

#arak - 14 posts

#viera - 11 posts

#rp - 10 posts

Longest Tag: 77 characters

#i probably shouldn't have read that at work because i was giggling at my desk

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Not one but two sexy Fakhri! I want to take more screenshots but.. what is free time and motivation? xD But considering I worked an hour on his beard texture, since I can't seem to get anyone to mod the thing (and I learned textures are easy with Photoshop 3D ) I had to at least take a decent screenshot.

13 notes - Posted February 1, 2022

#4

I can finally share my bun man! Sketch commission from @cryhollow ♥♥♥ (Check out her Patreon!)

18 notes - Posted September 27, 2022

#3

LFRP

Fakhri Man’tik ■ alcohol, fogweed and gambling. Leaving the Primeval Forests behind, only to wake up one day in a dark alley, between a pile of trash and a rat. Even the cards couldn’t have foretold that he’d take that wrong turn, right into a world of crime, taking humanity’s vices as his own. https://fakhrimantik.carrd.co/ ■ Tags | Hunting, gambling, drinking, smoking, oracle, blue magik, crime, con artist, morally gray

OOC Datacenter | Crystal - Balmung Playtime | Approx. 6 pm to 10 pm EST You must be 21+ | I roleplay mature themes / nsfw In Game RP only Open to plot or event ideas, character hooks, pre-established relationships/rivals, you name it. PLEASE check the OOC section on the carrd linked above.

26 notes - Posted January 1, 2022

#2

Fakhri Man'tik (and Arak) by @cryhollow

I will asgdghasfcdghfdfdgh on all my social media! It's just so perfect ♥ ♥ ♥ https://cryhollow.carrd.co https://www.patreon.com/CryHollow

49 notes - Posted November 14, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

⸻ "To live, and thrive; for we also are a part of this world." ⸻

⸻ Like a flower in the desert We shall bloom despite everything thrown our way, for we also have a right to live and prosper under the sun of Thavnair. Some would push us into the shadows to forget our existence, but we’ve adapted and now we thrive; they’re not the only ones who know how to make a profit in this land.

⸻ What we’re looking for Thieves, con artists, smugglers, information brokers, spies, mercenaries, suppliers, medics, alchemists… This is far from an exhaustive list and if you believe your skills or your business could be of interest to us, by all means, tell us more. Or are you instead looking for our services? Nobles, merchants, adventurers, civilians; come, have a seat, and let us discuss.

⸻ In a nutshell Jijivisha is a RP Cross-world Linkshell community on the Crystal Datacenter. We operate primarily in Northern American timezones and focus on criminal, morally gray and character driven RP, set in THAVNAIR and the Near-East. Think of it as a "Robin Hood" archetype organization - a mix of vigilantism, social banditry and anti-hero.

Communication is done via an in-game CWLS (members and associates) and a Discord server (public). Jijivisha also has a Free Company on Balmung but joining is not mandatory.

⸻ CARRD | https://jijivisha.carrd.co ⸻ DISCORD | https://discord.gg/WxqeHx6SqY

61 notes - Posted January 25, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[catscratching]

I posted 339 times in 2022

That's 332 more posts than 2021!

56 posts created (17%)

283 posts reblogged (83%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@gray-morality

@lilbittymonster

@nerdberd

@lettersnorth

@kuro8529

I tagged 320 of my posts in 2022

Only 6% of my posts had no tags

#fakhri man'tik - 67 posts

#seda ballard - 61 posts

#queued - 26 posts

#seda - 21 posts

#fakhri - 15 posts

#ooc - 12 posts

#♥ - 10 posts

#wondroustailsofffixv - 10 posts

#reference - 9 posts

#rp - 9 posts

Longest Tag: 119 characters

#but all the books set in a particular universe have it - even amongst characters that have no reason to share the trait

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Pets

Wondrous Tails of FFXIV

2022.05.03

Arak sighed as the sounds from the main part of the apartment died off into soft murmurs and rustling linens, burrowing down into the cozy nest he’d made for himself in the laundry basket.  It was about damned time.

He was pretty pleased with himself, all things considered – his Person had been a difficult case, and while he had no regrets about taking Fakhri on as a project, it had been more challenging than he had first expected.

The Viera had seemed determined to drive himself into an early grave, and the little Companion had had his work cut out for him; herding his chosen Person onto a path that didn’t dead-end without being noticed was challenging even for the best of them.  That Arak had ended up in the body of a small rodent… well.  He chose to see the assignment as a statement of confidence in his abilities.

Finding the little miqo’te had been a stroke of luck.  He’d kept an eye out for potential acquaintances for his charge – Fakhri’s tendency to be a loner wasn’t, in Arak’s opinion, terribly good for him, and his attempts to help his Person find a someone to bring him back to life hadn't been successful.  When Seda had wandered in, the little rat had sensed there was something different about her; something special.  She ended up being perfect.

And now, after all the setbacks, after missteps on both sides, old fears faced… his whiskers arched with satisfaction as he heard the soft whispers from the other room.

“I love ya girl.”   A low humm and more rustling.

“I love you too.”

And then there was nothing but deep, even breathing, and Arak joined his little family in sleep.

@wondroustailsofffxiv, @gray-morality

9 notes - Posted May 3, 2022

#4

Domestic habits / Love Languages

Wondrous Tails of FFXIV

2022.05.13

Fakhri had stepped out, taking Arak with him, and Seda exhaled heavily, relieved to have the flat to herself for a few hours.  He had been incredibly accommodating, and she had done her best to be a good flatmate, but it was a small apartment, and she was practically living in his armpit.

She was careful – so careful – to try and avoid her housekeeping habits and preferences from coming across as criticism or a negative statement against his own lifestyle.  But the fact remained… in such a small space, clutter quickly became overwhelming, and she had always preferred cozy organization.

More than that, acts of service were one of her strongest love languages.  Tending to their shared chores, cooking, cleaning and tidying made her feel as though she was doing something tangible to show Fakhri how much he meant to her. 

Mama would laugh, she thought to herself with a smile as she put fresh sheets on the bed.  Bocquet probably will, when I tell them.  Between them, she and Bocquet had managed her mother since she was a toddler; Silana had been warm and loving, but absent-minded; her thoughts were always on something more important than meals or housekeeping.  Fakhri wasn’t buried in research all the time, but he had other things tugging at his attention – as much as she tried to be a restful, emotional presence at home, there was still another person in his space he had to shield against, when before he could relax entirely.  All the same, living with him had, in so many ways, felt like home in a way she didn’t know how to express.

By the time her partner returned, she was curled up with a book, the flat’s windows open to catch the scent of petrichor as an early spring storm passed over.  Rejuvenated and refreshed, she got up to prepare their evening meal; a new Hannish recipe he had mentioned casually a few weeks previous.

Sometimes love was hard.  But sometimes… it was as easy as clean sheets and a homecooked meal.

@wondroustailsofffxiv @gray-morality

10 notes - Posted May 13, 2022

#3

Discovery

Wondrous Tails of FFXIV

2022.05.24

It was one of those evenings.

Fakhri had stepped out to lighten the pockets of some pompous ass with more money than manners, and Seda had not been needed.   They had found that they worked well as a team; she used cosmetics and clothing to subtly alter her appearance while he used glamour.  One distracted the target while the other got whatever it was they came for.

But the intended tactic tonight had called for just one player – and the rumor mill suggested that their mark had a short fuse.  Fakhri was the better player, and he could, if it came to it, step out of sight, change his glamour, and walk away.  Seda was much more vulnerable.

So she found herself at loose ends, wandering the flat and wondering how things were going.   Arak was shadowing Fakhri (something she approved of), so she didn’t even have the distraction of talking to their fuzzy companion to distract her.

“Bloody hell,”  She muttered to herself.  “He’s always managed fine without me.  Settle down, Ballard.”

He had… but he had also found himself stripped naked and beaten in an alley before, too. 

Finally, she decided to spend the time doing something productive, and took the dagger from its hiding place.   She had been doing the forms for a few weeks now, and it past time she started using the blade again; she needed to acclimate herself to the weight and balance of the weapon.

It was still challenging, even as slow and measured as she was going.  Her muscles trembled with the effort of holding each position, and sweat began to trickle between her breasts and down her back.  When her knees threatened to collapse beneath her, she put the blade away and began to do some yoga stretches to cool down, breathing deeply and evenly as her body protested.   She was straining to hold Downward Dog a little bit longer when her arms gave out, dumping her unceremoniously onto her face.

She lay collapsed onto the carpet, huffing to herself that she had let herself get so unfit… when something caught her eye under the sofa.   Frowning, she wriggled closer and reached out to draw a plain wood box out of its hiding place.  It wasn’t large enough to hold another set of Oracle cards, and while the wood was smoothly finished and the box well made, there was nothing that leapt out at her to suggest its purpose or contents.

Curiosity prickled.  Normally, she did her best to avoid snooping.  Their flat was perfect for one person – for two… it was decidedly ‘cozy.’   Living so close to one another, they both went to a good bit of effort to be courteous – and while it had had some unexpected consequences (Seda suspected that they both had erred on the side of excessive caution with regards to physical intimacy, and if they had been less polite about it… ahh well.  Water under the bridge), generally she felt like it helped maintain cordial relations between them.

But this wasn’t anywhere she’d consider personal or private.  They each had their own shelf in the wardrobe; he had a place in the bathroom where he kept personal items.  So she didn’t hesitate long before wriggling into a cross-legged, seated position and flipping the brass latches open.

She didn’t really have a preconceived notion of what she might find inside; Fakhri was a man of varied interests, and while he lived a very minimalist life (something she understood and approved of), he still took pains to take care of his belongings, and bought quality items when possible.

So it took her a few moments to parse what she was seeing, nestled into a velvet cushion.   It was beautifully carved; the artisan had taken pains to shape the curves to take advantage of the wood’s natural grain, making an object of great aesthetic beauty as well as function.  

“Why would he have a dil—“  She broke off, noting the swooping, curved handle; something all responsible people wanted for this particular type of toy.   “Oh. OH.”  

She was torn between the desire to close the box and shove it back into its hiding place, and to examine the massager a bit more closely.   It felt… uncomfortable, as if she had caught him pleasuring himself and was watching without his knowledge or consent.  (She would, she admitted, happily watch if he knew she was there, and enjoy seeing how long she could last before… er. ‘helping’.) 

At the same time, this was an aspect of his sexuality she had been hesitant to ask about; it was awkward enough, knowing that he had had perfunctory experience with women before, that she had been the first he had developed feelings for.    She still had difficulty silencing the fear that he would one day decide that the experiment was over, and that he still craved a male partner. 

On the other hand… She lifted the plug out of its cushion, running her thumb over the smooth wood and hefting it on her palm, feeling its weight and trying to imagine its use.  The mental image evoked was enough to make her flush, her skin prickling with heat as her imagination gleefully suggested some of the ways the toy could be used by a partner.  It would substitute for the anatomy she lacked quite well, if he wanted to include her in its use.    

She needed to know more.  Tucking it gently back into its box, she got to her feet and reached for her linkpearl.

“Seeeda,”  A feminine voice purred.  “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“I need some advice,”  She settled into the sofa, the box in her lap.  “About toys for men.”

“Oho?”  Rustling came across the link, a man’s voice murmuring in the background, Cat’s voice a bit muffled as she answered.  “Personal, darling.  You don’t want to hear this anyway.”

More indistinct sounds, then Catrienne’s voice returned, clear and brisk.  “Alright.  There's only one kind of toy you'd call me about; tell me everything.”

By the time Fakhri returned, flush with the success of his evening, the box was safe in its hiding spot, and Seda had received both an education, as well as the name of a very skilled leatherworker.   She just needed to decide how to broach the subject.

@wondroustailsofffxiv @gray-morality

10 notes - Posted May 24, 2022

#2

Caught in the Rain

Wondrous Tails of FFXIV

2022.06.06

[ Thus begins the first of my final prompts; I have enjoyed this challenge so very much, and welcome all the new followers I've gained. I hope you all enjoy reading of Seda and Fakhri's adventures as much as we do writing them. ♥ ]

Footsteps sounded on the path along the river, barely audible over the muted rush of the water below.  Bocquet sat on the rough bench they had painstakingly chiseled from the surrounding stone, leaning back against an exposed root, face turned up toward an overcast sky.

They had come more frequently, after Seda and Fakhri’s visit; the resolve to go to Thavnair had faded, in the face of the challenges of daily life.  The conversation with Arak felt like a dream – why would a forest spirit waste its time speaking to them? – and the often-fragile grip they had on reality began to slip.  It was easier to sit here, with Silana's cairn, and watch the water, letting their thoughts trickle away like the leaves that fell on the surface.

Opening their eyes, Bocquet regarded the newcomer, then turned back toward the river, voice dry.  “I thought I smelled something foul, and there you are.”

A tall elezen with the sun-bronzed skin of a Wildwood smiled, his eyes shadowed behind a pair of wire-framed spectacles.  “Prickly as ever, I see.  Sometimes I wonder why I bother.”  

Their exchange had the ease of habitual banter, and he sat beside the still figure holding vigil, settling back on the bench with every indication he intended to join the androgynous Bocquet in their reflections.

“I do too,” Bocquet murmured after several minutes of silence.

“Pardon?”  The forest was never truly quiet; birds sang, insects hummed, the rising wind danced through the trees, creating a rustling sound not unlike the whisper of a woman’s ballgown. 

“Wonder why you bother.”  Bocquet hadn’t moved, but there was an air of expectation now, of waiting.

Anisai was quiet in his turn, shifting his backside slightly to ease the ache of sitting on the rough stone, giving the question due consideration.  Finally, he said in a low voice, “I loved her too.”

It wasn’t what Bocquet had expected; their eyes snapped open as they turned to their companion.  “You never said anything.”

“What was there to say?  You had made your choice,” Anisai shrugged, his voice still soft.  He had come to grips with it years ago.  “It would not have changed anything; I would have loved you both, and forever been on the outside looking in.  It was better for all three of us that I stepped away.”

Bocquet blew out a breath, reeling from this revelation.  “But why are you here now?  I’m not— Ani, I don’t want to hurt you, but I don’t think there will ever be anyone – “

“I’m not here to try and seduce you,” Anisai snorted.  He then sighed, and tentatively leaned back against a different root, trying to get comfortable.  “Word gets around, Q.  You have grown more and more reclusive, and people talk.”

“If this is about what happened with Sedani,” Bocquet straightened, visibly bristling.  “I will not apologize or let them brush it off as grief.  That boy is damned lucky I didn’t skin him alive.”

“Peace, peace!”  Ani raised both hands in a placating gesture, his brows drawing together.  The incident in question had happened two decades ago; that it was still fresh in Bocquet’s mind was troubling.   “When was the last time you came into the city?  Rolfe and Ysabel said they never see you either.”

Thunder rumbled overhead, the air changing, becoming electrified.  Anisai had the uncomfortable sensation of an impending storm of an entirely different sort; Bocquet had been powerful when they were young, eschewing their gifts and letting them wither.  Would they reach for those abilities now, to avoid uncomfortable truths?

Bocquet looked away, unable to bear the weight of their companion’s eyes.  It had not been that long, surely, since they were at the Hawthorne’s.   Before the children visited, yes, but… Hm.  And Gridania itself?  The last time had been… their shoulders tightened as they realized they couldn’t remember.   Food was easy enough to come by in the Shroud, and their needs were simple; Rolfe Hawthorne had always been willing to trade fresh meat for whatever Bocquet couldn’t provide themselves, and…

Nophica’s tears, it had been a long time, hadn’t it?  Anisai’s hair, like their own, was tinged with grey; and the lines on his face had deepened.  How long had it been since they had seen their old friend?  Had they even wondered at his absence?   Shame burned like acid in their belly.  No – they hadn’t.  They had thought he stayed away because… Because my ego wanted to believe he couldn’t bear to see me happy with another.  And once she was gone…

“I stopped at the house,” Anisai said quietly. 

The thunder above them growled again, the first droplets of rain beginning to patter down the foliage.

Bocquet’s shoulders drew up, like a turtle trying to pull into a shell.  They hadn’t cleaned since Seda and her Fakhri had left.  Why bother?  Their needs were few, their life… 

“You had no right,” They growled, defensive.  “Invading my home.”

“I care about you, jackass, and it doesn’t take a mind-healer to know you’re not in a good place.”  He took a deep breath, raking his fingers through his hair. 

“How is Seda?  Someone said she came through a few weeks back.”

Bocquet made a soft sound, deep in their throat.  How to explain that their girl no longer needed them?  That she had a good partnership, that Bocquet had noticed her grow restless toward the end of her visit, seen that the little cottage in the woods was too small for the brilliant fire that had been born there.

She would be fine; her man would care for her, and the spirit rat would guide her. They felt they should be happy - proud, even - that she had overcome so much to find happiness. But all they felt was empty and alone. So... incredibly alone.

See the full post

10 notes - Posted June 6, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Shower / Grooming

Wondrous Tails of FFXIV

2022.05.30

[Warning - Nudity]

Every Miqo’te had their own preferences in terms of personal grooming.  Some loved water and sought it out at every opportunity, others eschewed it as much as possible, fastidious about their tails and preferring to avoid getting them wet.

Seda fell somewhere in the middle.  She washed daily – one could not live in a hot, humid climate like Radz-at-Han without it; but she didn’t do the full body, scrub from ear-to-tail-to-toes but once a week, generally speaking. 

A normal day’s wash was a careful shower – rinsing her hair by flipping it forward over her head, washing her body, and then sponging the suds away.  Her tail stayed more or less dry, to be brushed out – and if she was going to be doing something particularly dirty, wrapped in a linen cloth.

As they grow more comfortable with one another, more often she’ll stretch out on the sofa or the bed and let Fakhri brush her hair or tail.  When she was young, her mother would brush her hair and tail each night before bed, and as an adult, she didn’t have anyone she felt comfortable allowing to have such an intimate connection.  Until now.

See the full post

13 notes - Posted May 30, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[dholwrites]

I posted 187 times in 2022

That's 91 more posts than 2021!

113 posts created (60%)

74 posts reblogged (40%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@dholwrites

@ladyramora

@darthsuki

@wondroustailsofffxiv

@trackerwrites

I tagged 175 of my posts in 2022

Only 6% of my posts had no tags

#chit chat - 109 posts

#dhol30days - 34 posts

#qutie - 30 posts

#fanfic - 18 posts

#ffxiv fanfic - 15 posts

#ffxiv - 15 posts

#6.0 spoilers - 11 posts

#ffxiv headcanon - 10 posts

#junior - 9 posts

#erenville - 9 posts

Longest Tag: 95 characters

#so i gotta hit myself with a newspaper and remind myself that how we write are really different

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Do you have any headcanons for Erenville? 🐸 I haven't been able to get him or his beautiful voice out of my head and I'm desperate for even the tiniest crumb of anything to do with him.

Worry not, I too have been thinking about this lovely bunboy.

106 notes - Posted January 22, 2022

#4

What if WOL get turn into a cat (if she can be turned into a frog surely a cat!) for some time and it falls onto the guys to look after her until the effect wears off?

127 notes - Posted January 2, 2022

#3

I love your scenarios! And I have a request. The FFXIV guys at a ball or formal event, asking the wol to dance.

(づ￣ 3￣)づ I hope that this satisfy your request, I really enjoyed writing this!

Ao3 Mirror

154 notes - Posted March 1, 2022

#2

Gift Giving

Request: Gift giving? How would they act if the WoL made them/bought them a gift? Like a cooked meal, or an accessory/weapon. Bonus, it's in celebration of their first time meeting or courting and possibly the guys forgot or they had been so busy and it slipped their mind? - From the Anon named Riss on A03

173 notes - Posted April 10, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

I headcanon that Auri molt regularly, how would the boys react to an Au Ra WoL needing help with their scales?

224 notes - Posted January 1, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[wondroustailsofffxiv]

Picker Wheel Prompt Links

Due to the awesomeness of @nijohirjesyho and @dholwrites, there are now pre-filled picker wheels to help add a little randomness to picking your prompts for the bingo sheets!

Please keep in mind these are not required, prompts can still be chosen freely to use by themselves or towards a completed bingo card. These are just to add a little extra fun and randomness for those who are interested!

And remember: you can grab your prompts and ready your bingo card now, but the event doesn't start until March 15th at midnight CST!

SFW Shipping

SFW Solo

SFW FFXIV-Specific

SFW AUs

NSFW General

NSFW Kinks

ALL PROMPTS

ALL NSFW PROMPTS

[windupeydis]

@wondroustailsofffxiv - slow dancing

From the docks there came the sound of revelry. Shouts, music, laughter -- a song of joy borne across the Lavender Beds on a warm, summer breeze. On these nights the community came together for no greater reason than to simply live in one another's presence. After the harrowing events of the final days, it was the least they deserved.

But atop the hill, two stood alone. Wrapped in each other's arms, they swayed gently on the deck they had built together, at the home they had raised themselves. It was their sweat that had watered the garden, their fingers that had blistered against the wood. All they called theirs in the world, they had brought into existence with their own two hands.

And there was nothing they held onto more tightly than each other.

[pumpkinmagekupo]

Wondrous Tails Bingo Card

Done the thing..right I hope.

Mermaid AU

Bandaging wounds

Insomnia

Holding Hands

Sleeping in 

Job mentors

Magical Girl

Dragon AU

Sharing Clothes

Wedding

Nameday

Flower Shop AU

Lifestream

[redmoonwanderer]

Wondrous Tails of FFXIV 2024 Prompt: Stack marker Summary: The Grand Company recruits have once again proven themselves rather capable. At nearly getting the Warrior of Light killed, that is.

The first words that he hears as he turns his head when he regains his senses, finding it rather painful, are, “Ah, thee art awake at last.” He opens his eyes to a thankfully dimly lit room – which comes as little surprise as most of the Scions are by now aware that eyes made for seeing in the dark don’t exactly like being showed under the bright conditions that try to imitate the sun in the room.

He feels like he’s been hit by some mutated dragon swinging a maul larger than a castle, and knowing this star, it’s entirely possible.

Urianger puts a book he’s been reading on to the table and gets up from his seat. When by Qhol’a’s cot, he asks, “How art thee feeling?”

Qhol’a simply nods, which, as everyone knows, is not really an answer. He’s faced unimaginable horrors and taken unsurvivable beatings and claimed he’s fine after. To convince his friend, he forces himself to sit up, though he can’t really hide the grimace as he does so.

“Well, ‘tis a relief to see thee art recovering. When thee were brought back from thine duty, thy friends were worried for thee, and having seen thy condition upon arrival, the had good cause for it.”

Ah, yes. The recruits. The people that would work best as assassins disguised as body-guards. He might’ve been able to make it if not for some tiny troubles along the way, troubles that always multiplied when he tried to teach the novices how to survive as an adventurer.

First of all, as is evident from the light clothing he’s still wearing, he had gone out to heal, to relieve their pain and take care of their injuries. Unfortunately, the clothes – that didn’t offer much cover to begin with – didn’t provide as much protection as, say, a heavy armour would. He really wished he’d picked a sword instead of a planisphere, but someone had to train their more front-line inclined recruits as well, and no one else seemed to be willing to take up on that task, for some unfathomable reason.

Second, while the recruits were learning, taking lessons to heart, they did not have the Echo, and nor did they seem to have a single working eye among them. Maybe if he was comfortable enough to speak the outcome would have been different, yelling to get their attention, but he couldn’t do it. Not yet, maybe never. So when he’d gestured for the three to come over immediately, they’d not seen it. The tank had actually been doing his job keeping the beasts ire upon himself, and the mage and the lancer had been intent on putting it down as fast as they could, spurred by the fact their opponent had been on its last legs. They had, however, not been very intent on protecting him.

Because when an attack that they would have been able to lessen the impact of as a group came, he was alone. He remembers the beast turning towards him, large, clawed hand stretching to the side as it intended to swipe at him. The other three figured that the turned back was a great target, which wasn’t wrong, technically.

He remembers rushing to get out of the way. Remembers the claws still hitting him, sending him flying through the air. He even vaguely remembers hitting a rock standing at the side of the clearing and tumbling down onto the ground.

After that, he remembers nothing, probably because there was nothing to remember.

He looks at Urianger, and can’t hide the exasperation from his face. The elezen hold back a chuckle, because he is well familiar with similar tales and hardly surprised by the outcome of this venture.

“Are they okay?” Qhol’a signs.

Urianger nods. “Only minor injuries that have been seen to.”

Good, Qhol’a thinks. He rubs his chest and tries to find a position that doesn’t hurt his back, but it seems he’ll be aching for a while, still.

“I recommend more repose. Perhaps somewhere more peaceful,” Urianger adds. Qhol’a knows what he’s not saying, only implying, because it seems the healers among the Scions are all wont to suggest him the same at times like this, and he nods.

Another vacation far from here where the recruits can’t possibly find him it is.

[girlinterrupted36]

Keeping the creative energy going by starting the Wondrous Tails 2024 fun! @wondroustailsofffxiv

Link to first ficlet here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/54584572

[tallbluelady]

Sweethearts