#I WAS CRYING FOR HYTHLODAEUS AND HYTHLODAEUS ONLY

[danganronpusassholefactory]

If you like Emet Selch get the fuck off my dash I've had enough of yall

[soysaucetime]

elpis adventures

[emotional-support-carbuncle]

Hahaha hahaha Kiri and Raha taking a late night walk in Tulliyollal after she spent like 4 hours crying bc the sea air is cool and nice. They’re on the beach and he’s holding her and she’s mostly got her face buried in his chest but she’s kinda distantly looking off toward the restaurant and her eyes. Catch someone else’s.

Golden eyes, glinting in the firelight. The person blinks — a familiar scowl — he turns away and unsubtly kicks one of his companions under the table.

Silver eyes. And purple.

“Is that… Emet-Selch?”

“…you can see them…”

“I—yes—what—?”

“Andromeda, I told you we shouldn’t linger. Now look what you’ve done—“

“I’m not the one who whined and dramatically claimed he didn’t want to live by Hydaelyn’s magic only to cave immediately when I pointed out later that it was my magic because Hythlodaeus wanted to go on a trip. Please grow up.”

“Um, my loves… aren’t we going to say hello?”

🫠help

[brineffxiv]

Aw hell.

Back up a bit.

So there we were, Venat and I, trying to enter Ktisis Hyperborea in order to track down Hermes, when who should we re-encounter...

Haha! It turns out that despite claiming to not believe my story, Emet-Selch has been (with Hythlodaeus' assistance) investigating the same things Venat and I have been. I am so happy about this. I was literally chanting "Yes yes yes!" When Hythlodaeus explained what they had been up to.

*Ahem*

We have uncovered similar facts and reached the same conclusion: since it seems unlikely that Hermes himself wants to bring about the Final Days, he may yet be recruited to help prevent them.

(ha... ha... in retrospect....)

And then Hythlodaeus laughs at him. I adore these two.

It's too late Emet! You've been contaminated with my friendship (highly contagious) now you'll never be rid of me! 12000+ years in the future you will care about me so much you'll plan for me to succeed after I kill you.

...oh no now I'm crying again...

Keep it together, you've got two whole posts to write to catch up with the plot. No way you're fitting this all in one.

Right. Right.

I find Hermes (and Meteion) in the depths of the Hungering Gardens and convince him to meet with our little group outside.

I tell him what I've told them.

Though reluctant to believe my tale, Hermes agrees to theorize based on his knowledge of dynamis. He concludes much as I have already suspected: that it is likely the varying densities of the people which produced the different effects in each Final Days - the warping of creation magics and the transformations of the people themselves.

But Hermes also points out something new: dynamis is itself only an energy, set in motion by emotion, which must have a source.

It would follow then, that this source... it must be a thinking being, in order to have emotions? Mustn't it? It's not a what. It's a who.

And as Hermes points out, the celestial currents form the outermost layers of the star. If the phenomena appeared first where those were weakest, then...

Someone out in the great expanse is trying to kill us.

Ah. But we have only a moment to reflect on this new horrific revelation, when...

Fuck. Oh, fuck. Hermes, you goddamn idiot.

But no, it's not a new "friend", it's Meteion's sisters reporting in. Meteion proceeds to "suspend" her individual consciousness and connect with the shared one.

Ah.

Oh. No.

Something has gone very very wrong.

Aaaaa!

Meteion is screaming inside my head, and only I can hear her. The rest can tell that something has happened, but they cannot see the truth of it.

And then, quite suddenly, she has disappeared.

Hermes explains that this is an ability Meteion has to avoid confrontation; she alters her aetheric density to blend in with her surroundings.

It's likely that I could hear Meteion's voice just then when the others couldn't because Meteion utilizes dynamis to speak in her mind and my comparatively thin aether left me susceptible to it. This means I'm the best chance we've got to track her down. We split up and search.

Danger music is playing! Danger music is playing! This is not a drill!

Several times I encounter Meteion or her voice and several times she runs away. Disappearing again. I glean from the brief snatches of dialogue that she is fighting her programming to compile and make her report. Something about the data her sisters have transmitted has frightened and upset her, and she does not want to present it to Hermes.

Our search party regroups to find a new plan; I will continue tracking Meteion via her voice, and Emet-Selch will follow, prepared to rain aether upon her to disrupt her vanishing trick. The rest of our party will work to blockade any avenues of escape, a task made easier in that it appears Meteion has fled towards Lethe.

Um. Lethe? The river of forgetting in the underworld? Can we uh... Can we not go into there? I have a bad feeling is all.

I am at once delighted and extremely distressed. The danger music is still playing loud and clear.

The plan works perfectly, for good or ill, and Meteion is cornered. Her voice in my mind begs me to protect everyone. She can no longer flee, and commences her report.

Everywhere Meteion has gone she has found the dead and the dying. Her dispassionate voice continues behind our mounting horror.

Emet-Selch points out the obvious problem in the mission Hermes tasked Meteion with: he did not account for a negative result. The premise of Hermes' question - what others live for, what gives their lives meaning - is flawed, if Meteion encounters only those who are dead or do not wish to live.

Venat orders Meteion to cease her report, suspend her mission, and return home. But Meteion is not listening. Emet-Selch determines to take Meteion back to Amaurot, as she will be needed in order to retrieve all of her sisters.

Hermes is still stunned from the revelation of both the answers to his questions and the astounding oversight in his instructions to Meteion. He kneels in front of her and seems about to acquiesce to Emet-Selch's demand, but...

Memories of Meteion and his promises to her fill Hermes' mind, and he resolves to accept the answers in her report, whatever they are.

Suddenly he transforms. Declaring that he will not allow Meteion to be taken from him until she has delivered her full report, he takes her in his arms and flies off towards Ktisis Hyperboreia.

We chase after them as quick as we can, but arriving at Ktisis we find a crowd of confused researchers outside. An alarum is sounding and the facility has been evacuated and put into a state of alert - a field of dampening magics is now in place effecting any who aren't Ktisis researchers.

Nonetheless, we must enter the facility.

OMG OMG OMG

(Of course Emet is a Dark Knight. He fights with love! In this essay I will...)

This dungeon is a downright delight. All the little bits of commentary and characterization!! HHHhhh!!!

Also I somehow managed to get Venat killed by double stacking a mechanic on her during Hermes' fight and Hythlodaeus res'd her. Hythlodaeus, my man, you are a Bard with a resurrection spell: you have got to stop saying how bad at everything you are because you are clearly not.

Yes, Hermes, you are indeed a mad, desperate fool, but you are a mad, desperate fool in serious need of therapy and someone to talk to. Your problems, to me, seem to stem from the fact that you feel so alone. Your compassion is hampered by the fact that you're entirely too caught up in your own head, and unfortunately, you do not seem to be much of an intellectual. You need friends, people you can share your thoughts and feelings with, and who you can bounce ideas off of so you don't send your emotionally fueled, vulnerable bird-daughter out into space with no means to shield herself from negative feelings. Bad idea, that. Also you need to calm the fuck down.

Together, we defeat Hermes, who returns to his humanoid form.

Emet-Selch declares he is taking both Meteion and Hermes into custody on behalf of the Convocation. As Emet moves to do so, Hermes turns to Meteion and apologizes to her, for being unable to hear out her full report. Hermes has just time enough to ask one final question of Meteion: was there happiness to be found in those stars?

Meteion's answer is long and features examples of failed civilizations that appear to hit close to home for each of our ancients. Those probably deserve closer examination, but that tangent got three paragraphs long before I realized there really wasn't time for it, because as she's giving us this answer Meteion is beginning to leak the black smoke that signals dynamis corruption.

A- Ah. AH. Oh. It's not. It's.

It's Meteion.

The thing out there that's trying to kill us.

It's Meteion. The Meteia. Her sisters.

They are the source of the emotions behind the Final Days.

And Hermes...

You. YOU. You...selfish monster. You bloody hypocrite!

"If man can learn to value all life and retain his will to live he will surely find a way to avert his demise"

It's not enough that you throw your precious creations at us to slow our advance through Ktisis, no, in making your judgement on man you in turn curse every life upon this star to share our fate. Or, have you not considered the method by which you sentence us!? Perhaps you are too distracted by your own despair to truly hear what she is saying: Meteion is bringing death to the star itself, not selectively killing off Man. You know this from my own account of what the Final Days will bring.

You're just like the rest of us; how cheap other lives become in the presence of Man, whether you seek to better us or to destroy us. I couldn't see, couldn't fathom, how you could be the Fandaniel I met in the future. But you've been him all along, haven't you? When push comes to shove you crumple under despair and it's not enough to take your own life, no, you'll make everyone suffer with you. Everyone must feel your pain.

Hermes causes the Final Days. In full knowledge of what he will bring, the pain and the suffering. He knows, and he chooses this. Unlike Meteion, who has become corrupted, unlike the Convocation, who will never know against what they struggle, Hermes stares evil in the face and embraces it. A mental breakdown will not absolve you Hermes, in this moment you damn yourself.

No. NO.

I forgot about that thing!

Hermes orders Kairos to rewrite the memories of all within Ktisis Hyperborea, beginning at the point of Emet-Selch's arrival in Elpis. Our memories are to be replaced with a vague recollection of Meteion and her sisters' shared consciousness becoming unstable and exploding, triggering Kairos.

Kairos begins counting down.

A lot of things happen, very quickly, all at once.

With his back to us, Hermes bids Meteion fly to the far edge of the universe where none can reach her.

Venat breaks her bonds and launches herself at Meteion, intent on stopping her, but Hermes blocks the blow and Meteion leaps into the air.

The break in Hermes' concentration appears to have freed the rest of us from our chains, and as Emet-Selch summons his weapon to challenge Hermes, Venat leaps aboard Argos in pursuit of Meteion. As the two shoot skyward, Hythlodaeus leads me to the edge of the platform. He tells me that here, this is their fight to wage, but that I must take the knowledge I have gained here back to my time, to my own battle.

Meteion is rapidly approaching the bounds of the star, with Venat in close pursuit. Just before Venat can catch her, Meteion shapeshifts into an actual bird (Hey! My friend has that minion! What!?) and speeds away into space, but not before Venat manages to tag her with a spell.

Emet-Selch and Hythlodaeus sacrifice themselves to allow Venat and I to escape with our memories intact. Kairos completes its final process as we soar above their heads.

In the final few seconds left to us, Emet-Selch proclaims that he still doesn't believe my story, but, if it must be said, to not squander the legacy he leaves to me. In futility I reach for him, feeling the weight of our history falling into place.

Honestly, I could barely manage to take screencaps of this part I was crying so hard.

But I caught his smile.

...

Outside again, Venat collapses on the grass, exhausted both physically and mentally by what we've just been through.

The spell Venat tagged Meteion with is a tracking spell, one with which we can track her. Though she is already unimaginably distant and beyond our current reach.

Venat uses Argos to check on our friends, now exiting Ktisis Hyperborea, with Hermes in tow.

As expected, they have no memories of the events that Hermes contrived to have us forget, and Hermes himself appears devastated at the loss of Meteion.

Wait, what? No. No no no no! You've just seen, literally just seen, that even when Emet-Selch believes something to be completely ludicrous he will do his due diligence to investigate it. Tell him. Tell them, the Convocation. Even if they don't believe you at least let them know about dynamis, so they can recognize it when the Final Days begins! We cannot reach Meteion where she is now, but you have time. Time to work to stabilize the aether currents. Time to find an alternative solution so that when the Final Days arrive it's not necessary to summon Zodiark. Don't you start this again. This information control.

Leaving aside her asinine view that public knowledge of the contents of Meteion's report would lead to some sort of further catastrophe... Venat is against telling the Convocation the truth because of her fears of what Hermes would do if he learned the truth?? Venat, have you lost your mind? Hermes is one man. The only reason he was able to do what he already did was because we had the deck stacked against us, we confronted him in his seat of power with our own abilities severely limited. It was a very specific set of circumstances!! Outside of these exact conditions what he did would not have worked! Hermes' greatest weapon is our ignorance, that's why he contrived to have us forget in the first place. You are wasting the opportunity our friends sacrificed all to provide us with!

You already know the key thing that Hermes will contribute to resolving the coming crisis! The knowledge of celestial currents! Share this knowledge and you will have no need of him!!

It needn't be senseless and seemingly inevitable at all if you would bloody well tell people! Hope is so much stronger when built on a foundation of knowledge. We cannot stop the Final Days from coming, but you can yet mitigate it. All needn't be lost. You can yet choose to do something different. I beg you, use this time to find a different path.

Please Venat, please do not let your future become my past.

[minti-tales]

Vierapril '24 - Day 1: Regal

More dramatics with the Ancients.

Endwalker spoilers ahoy.

King Leonides clung to a rock as horrid winds blew, and rain poured down upon his wizened head. His royal robes, once bright purples and golds, were splatted with mud and muck from days of travel. Even his beard, his beautiful beard of hair as bright as fresh-fallen snow, was but matted grey slush.

Ah! To be reduced to a common beggar, to wander and wither away! The barbarity of it all!

"Blow, winds, and crack your cheeks!" The beggar-king howled towards the sky, shaking his fists in righteous anger.

"Rage, blow!

You cataracts and hurricanoes, spout till you have drenched our steeples, drowned the cocks. You sulph'rous and thought-executing fires, vaunt-couriers of oak-cleaving thunderbolts, singe my white head.

And thou, all-shaking thunder, strike flat the thick rotundity o' th' world. Crack Natures' moulds, all brotherhood spill at once, that makes ingrateful man!" Leonides frowned, rose to his feet, and raised a hand into the air. With a sharp snap of fingers and thumb, the world suddenly melted around him, leaving only himself, and two masked and robed figures, on a circular marble dais. The wind - the true wind of Elpis - brushed past his chin, sending his "beard" fluttering off towards a patch of perpetually blooming flowers.

"Why did you stop? That was excellent so far, excellent." One of the masked figures, a tall man with dark black hair and striking green eyes, clapped his hands and smiled pleasantly. "I could just *see* you falling into the pits of despair. Couldn't you, Hythlodaeus?"

The other figure, made up to look like King Leonides' long-suffering court fool, grinned from beneath the heavy dabs of powder on his face. "As if our dear Emet-Selch needed any help taking the stage. I'd take my hat off for you, but I fear that would break the spell Dionysos has weaved for us thus far." He pointed towards his foppish silk hat and soiled peasant's clothes, and grinned even more. "Perhaps you take offense at being called 'nuncle', in the next line? I am the King's Fool, after all. It's my purpose to be your advisor, your friend. Even in dark moments as these, betrayed by your daughters and your kingdom."

Having shed the rest of his costume, Emet-Selch moved with effortless grace towards the rim of the dais, crossed his arms across his chest, and closed his eyes. "What a poor excuse of a king." he said, after a time. "A true king would never let himself fall to such lows. Wallowing in the dirt, crying at the winds." Turning to Dionysos, he continued, his anger echoed by the stage's acoustics. "I shudder to think if you were inspired by the world below. Is this what you see in it? Betrayal? Loss? Madness?" A step closer. "What we have created - what we have fashioned ever so carefully - is nothing less than perfect. So, with that in mind, I want this rewritten. Understand, this 'play' of yours will reflect what we've worked for. Not some dark fantasy you've cobbled together." Leonides' robes were thrown unceremoniously at Dionysos's feet.

Dionysos could only look on in shock as Emet stormed off into the night, bolts of lightning sent streaking across the night sky, in his wake. Shortly after, fat drops of rain loosed themselves from the fluffy clouds above, threatening to wash the whole production away. I struck a nerve, I take it, he thought.

It took a moment to kneel down and pick up the "king's" robes, to cradle them in the ancient's arms like a mother with her babe. Fine fabric like this shouldn't be left to the mercies of the evening; Phoenix had done too good a job willing the clothes into being. The dirt and muck were but illusions, of course. Is this what I should be doing as Azem, writing about the world as it is? Is that not allowed anymore?

A kindly voice came from behind, and a hand gently placed on Dionysos' shoulder. "You must forgive Emet-Selch. He's still suffering from the effects of the memory loss we experienced. I know it weighs heavily on him-"

"-as it does on all of us." Dionysos groaned and pressed the robes up to his face. "Hermes and his experiments." It felt oddly comforting to rub sopping wet cloth on his face. "Perhaps Hephastus would be more open to my mummery. I'm sure I could find a place for his child, too. What was their name? Damned if I've forgotten."

Of the Muses who flocked to Dionysos, who eternally demanded his attention, there were a few who gave him the comfort and kindness he needed. Calliope (sweet, hopeless Calliope), Ajax (strong, stoic Ajax), and, unofficially, Hythlodaeus. Granted, he wasn't around nearly enough to be called a Muse, but the love was there, regardless. A good love. Agape. The love that could keep a rainy night from not being as bad as it could be.

He was close by, wasn't he. Embracing a beleaguered playwright, putting forehead to forehead. Holding Dionysos just the way he liked it.

"My old friend," Hythlodaeus whispered. " 'Court holy water in a dry house is better than this rain water out o' door. Good brother, in, and ask thy friend's blessing. Here's a night pities nether wise men nor fools.'"

"That's not how the line goes," Dionysos whispered back.

"I'd take the hint if I'd your mind."

"I will."

~~~~~~~~

[dainesanddaffodils]

Ya girl has finished Shadowbringers! and I have feelings! and my lizard also has Feelings! (though not as many on the denizens of the First as you might think; she spent her entire time there Ready to Leave so she didn't allow herself to get super attached to the people. She cared about them but in a more blanket sense)

Thoughts post-ARR | Thoughts post-Heavensward | Thoughts post-Stormblood

Without further ado - Cimorene Greystone’s Post-Shadowbringers Relationship Vibes

Ardbert - Not Romantic, Not Platonic but a Secret Third Thing (her Literal Soul Mate). but like, it cannot be overstate that she felt that way about him before she even learned that he was her literal! soul! mate! All this to say she loved him. She loved him deeply and going forward she will sometimes talk to ‘him’ when talking to herself and will find solace in his 'presence' when she's at her lowest.

Emet-Selch - where to fucking begin? She doesn't like him. She doesn't hate him. She'd been having dreams about him for months before she even knew he existed. She didn't trust him. She believes every word he said was true. He absolutely disgusted her. On more than one occasion he made her laugh. His shade rescuing her made her cry. She wanted nothing to do with him. She wanted him to find peace. She’s glad he’s gone. She Will Remember Him.

Crystal Exarch/G’raha Tia - so she'd never been particularly close to G'raha beforehand and was deliberately keeping distant from the Exarch because she never fully trusted him so like, by the end she understood what he was doing and wanted him to live, but it was never Personal, you know? In a... not unlike Emet-Selch way, more than anything she just wants him to find peace and she's glad that he's gonna get to have His Own Life (but also she doesn't like you that way buddy I'm so sorry)

Alphinaud - I know I sound like a broken record in these but I cannot stress enough how much he is THE dearest person to Cimorene. she cares about him so much, she leans on him so much and trusts him to lean on her when he needs it, and watching him continue to grow makes her So Emotional. they are Family.

Alisaie - loves her v much but they are also so so so alike in how they process trauma sometimes to the point that she feels she can’t do anything other than say ‘Same’ when Alisaie is going through it. thankfully that’s really all Alisaie would want from her, and all she wants in return. in that, they are also Family.

Thancred - he and Cimorene have finally gotten past the ‘you must be level 5 friend to unlock my trauma’ barrier (from both parties) and are actually friends! not the closest friends but do genuinely care about each other beyond just Scion coworkers now

Ryne - sweet baby girl!! Cimorene isn’t very good with kids but she felt very protective of Ryne and loved watching her grow in confidence and into herself. She deserves the world.

Urianger - she knows he has the best intentions and interests and means well and there are even times she has friendly thoughts towards him but his inability to go more than like a day without keeping some new secret from her means Cimorene will never feel truly comfortable around him

Y’Shtola - Bestie. A Real One. Cimorene trusts and respects her so much that she genuinely had no fear when her obligatory expansion death scare happened (though she was relieved to have her back). If no one else got her, she knows Y'Shtola has got her, and that means so much to her.

Elidibus - man, he was the only ascian (prior to emet-selch) that she’d had any real personal feelings toward. That feeling had been hatred. Shit has obviously changed there and she’s been left feeling a lot of complicated things. If she thinks about him too long she feels both very sad and kind of sick.

Hythlodaeus - 10/10 man(?) of all time. Cimorene immediately clocked that he mattered to her. or rather. to the previous her. and it's the first time that thinking about her previous self wasn't a weird and uncomfortable feeling for her. she's not 100% sure what to make of that yet but she'll keep thoughts of him close as she goes on

Estinien - had her proper fanfic love realization 'oh' moment when he made an ass out of himself in front of Alisaie, and then everything he said and did for the rest of the patch-end of game just made her fall harder. She's in deep for this grumpy idiot, guys. (Jury is still out on if they smooched immediately post-patches but like, Cimorene WANTS to, so bad)

Fandaniel - so the last time Cimorene said 'oh thank the gods someone I can just hate in an entirely uncomplicated way' it turned out to be Elidibus so like... she's trying not to do that again but it's hard when you have the face of the man she hated more than anyone and have allied yourself with the other guy she has the least complicated amount of hate toward. but nothing is ever that easy for her, right?

And that’s it for now but hey I’m in Endwalker now. Holy fucking shit, right?

[kootiepatra]

#FFxivWrite2024 - Day 16: Third-rate

Emet-Selch and Hythlodaeus were taking a quick break, the former nursing a growing headache, and the latter lost in thought. Hermes required time alone to gather himself. And much to Emet-Selch’s relief, Azem’s vexing familiar was off somewhere with Hermes’ latest pet project. Hopefully they were keeping each other out of trouble—or at least entertained. It left the two envoys from Amaurot some time to take a breather and consider what all they had seen.

Interviewing and assessing the potential new Fandaniel was never going to be the easiest of errands, Emet-Selch thought, but it was certainly never supposed to be this frustrating .

That Emet-Selch’s patience was being stretched thin was evidenced by his increasing irritation at the creatures meandering Elpis’s fields. He stopped in his tracks, agog, as one especially peculiar creation tottered by—it looked like a ball of moss, but with a beak, and a small puddle of water balanced precariously on a leaf above its head.

“What is that? ” he asked.

“Charming, isn’t it?” Hythlodaeus smiled.

“Do not tell me you approved this concept.”

Hythlodaeus chuckled. “‘Tis the only way it would appear on this isle, my dear friend. Unless you suppose it has spontaneously popped into being. Now, wouldn’t that be exciting?”

“You know what I mean,” Emet-Selch scowled. “First the ambystoma, and now this? What even is the point of it?”

“... ‘Point?’” Hythlodaeus asked innocently.

“Yes, point . Purpose. Reason for existence. Need I elaborate further?” Emet-Selch folded his arms and frowned. “I cannot fathom why, when we have geniuses on our star of the caliber of Lahabrea, turning out concepts as awe-inspiring as Ifrita, you are also simultaneously approving things like… like… a sentient marimo on tiptoe.”

“Oh, come now. The creature is harmless.”

Emet-Selch sighed loudly. “Harmless it may be, but what good does it do? Why bother with it at all?”

“A strange question,” Hythlodaeus mused. “Should it not be sufficient that ‘the point’ is that it is pleasing? It is proving a real conversation-starter, at the very least.”

Emet-Selch’s eyes flashed slightly. “I swear, it seems like you will just let absolutely anyone with delusions of competence submit a concept to your desk.”

“That is more or less the shape of things, yes.”

“And evidently you never fail to approve their applications.”

“Oh, you are mistaken ,” Hythlodaues laughed. “I do. Do I ever . The rejection file is… quite substantial. And entertaining.”

“Based on WHAT?” Emet-Selch demanded, gesturing accusingly at the leafy creature once more.

Hythlodaeus lit up at the subject and began counting the reasons off on his fingers. “Being too near to a duplication of a previously approved concept, for one. Or if it has gaping holes in the idea—crucial details that have been left too vague to bring into realization. For sentient beings, we reject anything that has a design flaw fundamentally incompatible with life. Or if it poses an obvious and insurmountable threat to other established beings of the star. That sort of thing.”

“Honestly. Have you never considered how much more streamlined things could be at your office if you employed a roster of people who actually proved that they knew what they’re doing? Those with a history of work that shows they grasp the fundamentals of both aesthetics and practicality?”

Hythlodaeus grinned. “My, that is an idea. Such wisdom simply proves why it was only right that you should be elevated to the Convocation, and I should maintain my humble post at the Bureau.”

“As you will, then,” Emet-Selch said begrudgingly. “Just don’t come crying to me when your submissions file is overflowing with inane nonsense.”

“Duly noted,” Hythlodaeus replied.

[yamisnuffles]

okay one more because you got me going and i'm crying over him anyway: 2, 8, and 14 for hythlodaeus.

2. Favorite canon thing about this character?

That he's perfect in every way. Kidding... or am I? I do actually legitimately love that he's beautiful, kind, clever, and thoughtful BUT he still doesn't feel like it's enough. He's got these two friends/lovers who shine so brightly that he feels dim in comparison. Yes, his soul sight is sharper than Hades' but what does it matter when he can't control aether nearly so well? He's the head of a very important Bureau and was put forward to join the Convocation and still he feels like he's nothing. He's nobody. Not compared to Emet-Selch and Azem. And I don't think they actively did anything to make him feel that way (see how Emet pushes him before Ktisis, immediately calling crap on Hyth saying he's useless) but I think it's just hard when they're both so amazing. He can't help but compare. That's heartbreaking and relatable. Even the most beautiful man alive is a walking imposter syndrome.

8. What’s something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you despise?

Hmm, Hyth is pretty well beloved and treated fairly well. I think sometimes people can be a bit dismissive of him as just a pretty face just because he's so dismissive of himself. I also think people sometimes underestimate the amount that he supports Emet. Yes, he's genuinely a very good person but he loves Emet beyond the bounds of death. In Amaurot, he's very aware of who you are and why you're there. While he certainly loved Azem, the only "help" he gives you is a better understanding of yourself and a plea to understand who Emet-Selch is before you fight him. And I'm not just talking about the shade!Hyth who was created by Emet and thus is probably a bit more biased toward him. When you see him- the REAL him- on the moon, he acts the same way. He chooses to believe in you both because of your soul and because you bear Emet's legacy and approval.

14. Assign a fashion aesthetic to this character.

Oh man, I'm not good at naming actual aesthetics lol but to me, Hyth would be very comfy casual. I think he totally could and would pull of some more high fashion looks (if he had access to more than robes lmao) but he strikes me as one of those people who would rock a really chic, casual look. He'd be lounging in leggings and an oversized sweater or something and look amazing. Plus, it would be good for skipping out on work and hanging with his besties.

[birues]

Tag ppl you want to get to know better

Tagged by @hylfystt tysm friend 💜💜💜

LAST SONG: 借梦 (jie meng/borrowed dreams) by Zhou Shen. I just love his songs sm and tbh a lot of cdrama songs suit my ships soo well

CURRENTLY WATCHING: Still a Journey to Love bc it's 40 episodes and i don't have any time 😭😭 but it's good!

THREE SHIPS:

1) Kallig/Theron from swtor will always my number 1. I've written sooo much lore about them only 3 ppl know abt it but if any of you think I'm hyperfixated on ratman you should've seen me in my Theron era jdhdhfjf

2) Shi Qingxuan/He Xuan from tgcf bc I'm a sucker for the angst. Also the themes and their characters are unparalleled

3) there's. [redacted] but I'm not gonna talk abt it so let's move into the one everyone knows that i cry abt everyday. Which is Hythlodaeus/Hades/Azem. They live in my head rent free. Have i ever mentioned i love angsty relationships jshdhdhf

FAVORITE COLOR: PURPLE!!!!

CURRENTLY CONSUMING: Black tea!

FIRST SHIP: I have no idea jdhdjdh the longest i can remember is my bakugan oc and shun kazami and i was 10 i think? Hmm. Wait i watched winx club when i was 7 and I'm sure i had ships.

PLACE OF BIRTH: [redacted]

CURRENT LOCATION: [redacted] [university hell also. suffering... SEND HELP]

RELATIONSHIP STATUS: Single!

LAST MOVIE: FFXV Kingsglaive

CURRENTLY WORKING ON: That one hythades fic featuring their reunion in the aetheral sea. The one with Ardbert and Tuana also.

Tagging: @myreia @lilas @coldshrugs @impossible-rat-babies @scionshtola no obligations ofc!

[astersatdawn]

FFXIV Write Day 6: Halcyon

“What are you doing?”

Azem looks up at him, their eyes dancing with that bottomless sense of mirth. “Is it not obvious? I’m making flower crowns.”

They present the flowers to them then, pretty little things Emet-Selch could not name even if he tries. He knows he’s seen some of them before, their depictions classic in literature, with their gentle white petals or bright sunshine hues, but there are many others that he doesn’t. Unusual multi-colored leaves attached to the stems of gentle cool-toned flowers, some with petals more geometric than round. 

“Do you even know what flowers you’re working with? They could be poisonous.”

They laugh, though Emet-Selch would not know if it was they had caught his ignorance or if it was that Azem, as always, charged ahead despite the dangers without a care. “Only one way to find out.”

And before he can protest, they reach for a disorganized pile, pull something out of it, and plop it on his head.

He sputters, reaching for the apparently finished crown Azem had been hiding, because of course they were, but doesn’t remove it from his head. “I wasn’t aware I was summoned to be a test subject.”

“A test subject, and company,” Azem’s grin, somehow, broadens, as they resume weaving the stems together with practiced movements. “It’s been a while since we’ve been able to see each other.”

The tone shift is jarring, the wistfulness in their tone almost unexpected. The words are a gentle punch that has him slumping beside them. 

It’s true that it has been some time since they had seen each other. Things have been busier as of late. Azem was out on adventures, as always, and some of the others among the convocation had been sent away from Amarout for miscellaneous tasks. 

Some might call it fortuitous that his responsibilities had sent him Azem’s way, for once, though Emet-Selch would vehemently protest and insist the universe was playing some sick joke on him instead. Truly, the others underestimated Azem’s penchant for trouble, somehow doubling whenever he was in the vicinity. 

“Do you think the three of us will see each other again?” Azem whispers, enough that Emet-Selch has to strain to hear it. 

“It wouldn’t take much to get Hythlodaeus here,” Emet-Selch murmurs. 

Azem laughs, but there’s something about it that’s off. Like a cry, squashed away and hidden away. The stem between their hands snaps, and Azem stares down at their hands forlornly. “Maybe it wouldn’t have, once.”

“We’ll be together again,” he insists, setting his hand on their shoulder. The touch is enough invitation for Azem to lean over, into him, bonelessly collapsing in a way that he was all too familiar with. In seconds, their head is in his lap, and his fingers are now in their hair, playing with it with practiced ease. The flowers Azem had been weaving fall away, some rolling back onto the ground while others cling to their robes and tuck themselves within the folds of the fabric. 

There’s something soft and torn in Azem’s gaze as they look up at them. Their hand, now free of flowers, rises to trace his jaw and settle on his cheek. All the joy Emet-Selch is used to seeing on Azem’s face is gone, as if it had never been there at all. 

“Not for many more lifetimes,” they say, mourning, and Emet-Selch’s own heart sinks deeper and deeper with the weight of it. “I won’t regret it, but I am sorry, my dearest Hades.”

“Thalia? What are you—”

“You can’t hold onto me forever. It’s time to wake up now.”

As if a spell is cast, his gray robes shift to imperial black, white gloves distance him from the softness of Azem’s hair, and he can feel their solid weight against him fading away. 

“Thalia, wait.” He grasps her wrist, he blinks, and they—she flinches when his hand tightens its grip. Those damn eyes of hers are wide, the exact same shade of violet, made brighter by the light of the Rak’tika Greatwood. “What were you doing?” 

“I…” the Warrior of Light clears her throat. “I was just getting this out of your hair.”

As if proving her point, she rubs the stem of a leaf between the fingers of her captive wrist.

“Why bother with such a paltry detail?” He snaps. 

Ellida is silent for a long moment, her expression shifting only into a deeper frown. 

“I was surprised to see you asleep,” she says instead of any meaningful answer. 

He scoffs, drops her wrist. Truthfully, he doesn’t know if he wants the answer himself, at this point. She had ripped him away from that moment of peace so long ago, tainted the memory with her very existence. No answer would satisfy him—there was simply no excuse that made her action so forgivable. 

“Am I not allowed a moment of rest? I certainly thought you and yours would have preferred I kept my distance.” 

She puts more space between them, now that the choice is hers. “We do.”

“Well then, go make some distance, for however long you can.” He waves her off. “Do you not have better things to do, hero?” 

She’s staring at him. It’s uncanny, how long her gaze lingers, as if she sees something he doesn’t. Her lips are pressed together, something thoughtful in the lines of her face. Whatever had her attention drops away with a quiet sigh.

“Yes, I do.” Even so, she hesitates. “Will you be alright?”

“Excuse me?”

“I—” she shakes her head. “Nevermind.” 

Without another word, she’s marching off, leaving behind a moment that, Emet-Selch knows, is best forgotten. 

[abimee]

other people may be too scared to have hermes get sucked into the azem friendship circle but not me i think hythlo and hermes could make pretty decent ''were not friends but were in the same room so often that if i got my foot trapped in a window i would call you over to come help me instead of getting embarassed in front of the fire department'' comradery. when althaea has rats in her apartment and doesnt wanna kill them but gets scared theyre going to eat her maggots she makes them come over (hades wants nothing to do with it) and while althaea is busy choking back sobs theyre standing in her kitchen trying to move her fridge because they saw it go back there and they think its made its hole/nest there but neither of them can really get it moving, and theyre trying really hard to move this fridge and they know they cant just unmake it because althaea is very particular about her shit so hythlodaeus is using his amaurotine brittle bones to try andget this ice box MOVING and hermes is like hold on maybe i can get behind it and push it out and this is where they find out elpis researches are shredded because they have to tackle creatures twice their size, so heres hermes getting up on the kitchen counter and trying to stick his hands as far back behind the fridge as possible and hythlo trying to help by grabbing from the lower bottom sides to make it do a scoochie but little do they know hermes is about to produce a force not unlike that of a polar bears bite and the fridge moves forward just enough to scare hythlo into thinking the fridge might fall on him but it actually just rocks a little as it scoots forward. enough for them to find the hole in the wall the rat lives in and with a bit more wiggle room hermes can jump behind the fridge and push it back farther with his back while hythlo scrambles to get up on his feet. and now whence the fridge is out of the way and the hole is made they recognize that they had no plan for if they actually found and hole and just look at eacher before hermes proffers that they can just. stick their hand in the hole and see whats up. and hythlo is like is this what you do on elpis? and hes like yes. for golphers. and hythlos like golphers? and hes like dreadful golpher problem yes. and with nothing else to lose hythlo takes initative and sticks her hand in the hole and is actually sort of horrified to actually touch the mouse. and once again althaea (and hermes) take issue with just blowing up animals to aether so now hythlodaeus has a hand full of mouse (roof rat actually) with his arm elbow-deep in his girlfriend's wall and he doesnt know what to do. so he just slowly extracts the mouse out which makes althaea cry harder because now its PROOF she had a MOUSE IN HER HOUSE and her POOR BUGS WERE IN DANGER and she was a horrible bug mom to let them be in this danger. while hythlo holds a dusty roof rat in his hand. and hermes asks for the mouse and with nothing else to really do he hands it over and watches hermes slowly approaches althaea with it which only makes her start wailing harder until he waits for her to calm down enough to show her the mouse and start telling her about them and how they primarily feed on seeds and berries and were probably attracted to her bad habit of eating walnuts in bed. and he eventually calms althaea down enough to get her to hold the mouse and shes like Theyre sorta cute up close..... and she starts talking to it and looking at it in its big ol eyes before saying something like this shouldnt live in the city where it can get hurt but she'd feel horrible taking it so far away from the only home its known to a scary place like a big field but she cant have it in her house cause all of her little maggot children might be scared of them

and hythlodaeus knows whats coming and his shoulders flinch backwards cause he can never say no to althaea asking him to house a poor little creature at their apartment for her and that she promises to come over and feed it and bath it and watch over it she just needs it to live at hythlos place. and this is the closest theyll get to having children. so what surprises him even more is when she turns to hermes instead and asks him to house that mouse and hes surprisingly accepting of this and takes the mouse and says hell care for them and then althaea holds the mouse while they set her fridge back to rights and during it hythlo cant help but feel a bit jealous that hermes got to take the animal this time because of said elaborate bullshit about this type of thing basically being the closest he'll get to having children with althaea but he blows this off because its one of those intrusive thinking patterns that he doesnt actually believe in and hermes isnt a threat to their relationship hes just a good friend and someone althaea is really enjoying having around since they met long ago when hermes first visited elpis as a child and althaea got to meet another kid and hang out with him after living at the cthonic horns with just her sister to play with for thousands of childhood years. so its like a heartwarming reconnecting moment where two kids who briefly met and thought theyd never see each other again get to be friends as adults and the mouse is like a welcome back gift between althaea and hermes. but hythlo goes home and has a nightmare about a fridge falling on him

[akirakirxaa]

FFXIVWrite Prompt 11: Once Bitten, Twice Shy

Rating: M

Word Count: 1512

Warnings: Descriptions of violence

Summary: Persephone was heading home when a vampire attacked her and changed her forever. Lucky for her, two good samaritans happened to be walking by and stopped to help. [Vampire AU, Hythazemet]

Master Post

Persephone’s eyes cracked open, her head and neck throbbing in pain. She was laying somewhere soft and plush, smooth fabrics gentle against the skin of her exposed arms and legs. She could only assume it was either nighttime or heavy window coverings were blocking the sunlight, as it was still dark in the room.

As she tried to cast her mind back to the last thing she could remember — a lot of dark and a lot of pain — she realized that rather than her own bed, she was laying in a large and elaborate four poster bed, draped with heavy fabrics that could be pulled shut for privacy if she wanted. With this came the realization it wasn’t her home she had woken in either; instead, it was a richly decorated bedroom in what was clearly a much more grand home than her little apartment, though it definitely had a very dated feel to it, like a restoration home from another decade. Or century even.

And then she noticed she wasn’t alone.

“Ah, you’re awake! How are you feeling?” a kindly looking young man with lavender hair perked up and moved closer to the side of the bed. She eyed him apprehensively.

“Who are you?” she demanded.

“My name’s Hythlodaeus,” he introduced politely. “Do you remember anything about what happened?” Persephone eyed him warily, but tried to remember.

Dark, it was so dark. Persephone’s shoes clacked in panicked steps along the pavement, the heavy sounds of boots in pursuit behind her. It was late, very late, and though an open street was so close at the end of the alley she couldn’t see anyone there.

The dark figure managed to catch up to her, pressing her hard against the wall. She screamed as she felt something sharp and hard stab into her neck, but their hand covered her mouth firmly, their other keeping one of hers twisted behind her. Her head was starting to swim when the weight disappeared and she collapsed to the ground. She could feel the blood still oozing from the wound in her throat, and she reached up to try to stem the flow with shaky fingers. There was angry snarling nearby, but she felt too far away to make out the words. She heard rapid footsteps and someone kneeling by her.

“Don’t worry, we have you,” a voice had said. A rustle of fabric and then a firm press against the wound, firm enough that it hurt. A strangled cry escaped, but she had no strength left to fight it. “It’s alright, you’re safe.”

And everything was hazy after that, a mix of briefly waking before falling into sleep again. Now that her head was more clear, she realized she’d been here a lot longer than just a night.

“How long?” she asked, voice cracking, throat dry. Hythlodaeus passed her a glass of water (that she eyed suspiciously before deciding if she was going to die she’d rather it not be by dehydration) before responding.

“Three days. You’d lost a lot of blood already when we found you. For a while I was afraid you might not wake up at all,” he explained. Persephone frowned.

“Who’s we?” she demanded.

“Oh! Apologies, myself and my…friend, Hades.” Persephone glanced around as he spoke, as if expecting someone else to be lurking in the shadows, but there was no one. “He stepped out for a bit, but he’ll return.”

“What exactly happened?” she asked, relaxing a little bit, wincing as she attempted to sit up.

“Well, in short,” Hythlodaeus helped her to sit up against the headboard, fretting briefly over the bandage around her neck before returning to his seat at her bedside. “You were attacked by a vampire.” She choked on the sip of water she’d just taken.

“I’m sorry, I don’t think I heard you properly,” Persephone raised an eyebrow. “You expect me to believe I was assaulted by a ‘vampire’? Like, long fangs, allergic to garlic and sunlight?”

“The allergy is a bit overstated, but…yes,” Hythlodaeus gave her a rueful smile, a smile just wide enough to show his own pair of elongated fangs. It took several moments for Persephone to realize what precisely she was looking at before she jerked backwards with a yelp, launching herself over the other side of the bed, ducking down until only her eyes showed over the edge. Hythlodaeus stood quickly in alarm, eyes wide in worry.

“What, did you think if you saved my life you’d get an easy meal?” Persephone spat.

“What? No!” He leaned over the bed but didn’t move to approach her otherwise. “We disagree with other vampires that take without consent, that’s why we stepped in!”

“Without consent?” She raised an eyebrow at him, remaining where she was crouched. “As if someone would consent to having this done to them!”

“You’d be surprised,” a new voice interrupted as a new man entered, taller than Hythlodaeus (who was already fairly tall), with silver hair, yellow eyes, and a scowl that might subdue a lesser person. Persephone simply fixed him with as ferocious a glare as she could muster. “Some people have…interesting tastes.”

“Haha. Tastes. How funny,” Persephone deadpanned, and the new man who could only be Hades rolled his eyes.

“Pun not intended.”

“Look, this has been absolutely fascinating, but I think I’ll be going now,” Persephone tried to stand and approach the door, but Hades remained stubbornly in her way.

“Unfortunately we do have some bad news too,” Hythlodaeus continued. He took a small step towards her now that she’d left her hiding spot, but she quickly moved back again, half hiding behind one of the posts of the bed. “We were able to save you, but the bite was really deep. Just a normal bite isn’t enough to turn someone usually, but the infection had already gotten a grip on you before we could do anything about it.”

“Oh, great, really great,” Persephone’s voice was becoming more and more hysterical. “So I’m going to need to invest in a lot of sunscreen now?”

“Well…” Hythlodaeus seemed hesitant to continue. Hades, however, did not.

“Unfortunately for you, the creature that did this to you didn’t do it properly,” Hades’ scowl deepened at the mention of her attacker. “So, yes, it’ll turn you into a vampire, but…not like us. You would have no control. You’d be little more than some beast stalking the alleys at night.” She looked at both of their faces, looking for one of them to say something like, gotcha, just kidding, also these teeth are fake don’t worry head on home.

But they didn’t.

“Y-you said ‘would have’,” Persephone pointed out, trying to keep her heart from pounding out of her chest. “Is there a cure?”

“Well, yes,” Hythlodaeus gave an apologetic smile. “And no. If you let us do it properly, then you’ll still have your mind, like us, but…”

“But there’s no going back to being ‘normal’,” Hades finished.

“So, you’re saying that, to fix being bitten by a vampire, who apparently did it wrong,” Persephone recounted, trying to keep her breathing under control. “I have to let yet another vampire bite me again. And trust that you won’t do it wrong.”

“I’m going to pretend I’m not insulted,” Hades huffed, and Hythlodaeus’ face almost cracked into a smile.

“You’re in good hands with Hades,” he promised. “After all, clearly it worked on me, so—“

“You?” Persephone’s shoulders dropped a little from their defensive stance. “This happened to you?”

“Something like it,” his smile turned a little sad, and part of her felt bad for him. “If you prefer not to, we can always, ah… make things quick, so to speak. There would be no you after the transformation if we let it go as it is.”

What a choice. Death or undeath.

“Do I have time to think about it?” she asked hesitantly.

“You have until sundown,” Hades turned to leave. “If you haven’t decided…well, you won’t be deciding anything else not long after that, so I suggest you think quickly.” He left, leaving only Hythlodaeus and her in the room.

“Could… could I have a bit to myself, please?” she asked.

“Of course,” he turned to leave as well, then stopped as if he forgot something. “Wait, I almost forgot to ask, what was your name?” She hesitated, suspicious again. “Look, it’s only Fae that do things with names, not vampires.”

“Oh, Fae exist too?” she laughed it out with a sort of hysteria that suggested she might just lose her entire mind if so. Hythlodaeus chuckled.

“Maybe, but I’ve never met one.”

“…It’s Persephone.”

“Well, Persephone,” he held out his hand, and when she reached for it, he took it and pressed a brief kiss to the back. “It’s a pleasure meeting you, and I do hope we get to know each other better. If you want.” And then he was gone.

And with no one to keep up a strong pretense for, she slumped to the floor and let the tears fall.

[Continued in Prompt 12]

[sebille]

In general I'd say that the ultima Thule quests were...meh

The Emet-selch and Hythlodaeus part was good and the lead up to that w the shades of people the wol has met encouraging them made me cry so hard I got hmthe hiccups

Zenos scenes? 9/10 (should've been longer and my wol should have been nicer to him.) Hot sexy nice literally the only capable person coming to save me traveled the stars to find me broke through space to get to me let me ride on his back and asked for consent

[brineffxiv]

I arrive on the Moon.

Emet-Selch's voice informs me that this is where Zodiark is imprisoned (and reminds me that both of our star's moons were prisons for gods. WTF, did the Allagans know He was here?) and where the souls of those sacrificed to give Him life still slumber.

Uh... speaking of??? That's an Ancient.

There's a disembodied voice calling to me. Is it that person?

They spawn anguish monsters when I interact with them, and disappear when I go to touch them. The disembodied voice tells me not to do that, a little bit late...

Somehow I failed to notice this palace(?) immediately.

Hey look, that aetheryte is in the style of the ones from Amaurot! I wonder...

Oh. Oh my. Hello.

Are you like the shades from Emet-Selch's Amaurot? A memory? Or are you a completely different kind of arcane construct that just happens to resemble them?

Wait, I missed that first part.

Hydaelyn created the moon?!

Holy shit.

So our star has no natural satellites. This moon was created to imprison Zodiark.

On the topic of Zodiark, I am having difficulty parsing what I'm looking at exactly. I'm seeing... Man, I don't know. Wings, horns, big beefy arms? He's got a superficial resemblance to the trial boss Sephirot from the Warring Triad.

That's only a projection of the real thing, ensconced in the core of the moon.

There are six brands that bind Zodiark in his prison; five were broken in Fandaniel's attempted jailbreak. The Watcher has managed to repair one of them, and is working on the other four. But his attempts are being stymied...

By the souls of those sacrificed to summon Zodiark.

These... These are the people Emet-Selch wanted to save. To free. These are the people I condemned to a purgatory eternal by slaying him. These are the people who willingly gave their lives in the hope that their brethren could save their future.

The Watcher wants me to "expel" them. What does expelling them mean?

I... No. Please don't ask me to do that. I've already taken their hope. I cannot take any more from them.

Okay. That. That I can do.

The spirits are so fragile, so little left of them, that simply taking to them causes them to dissipate.

I am crying again.

Oh! Oh it's a dog! A sparkly dog! Hello puppy.

The dog leads me across the surface of Mare Lamentorum, from one brand to another, and on to more spirits. They all dissipate after saying their piece. Giving voice to their laments.

Until, quite suddenly, they don't. And there are more and more of them.

But someone...?

Saves me?

Hythlodaus?! Hythlodaeus!!

The real Hythlodaeus!

If you weren't a ghost I would hug you!

Ah! It's like meeting an old friend! It is meeting an old friend. Just like that, you confirm I am Azem's reincarnation. A question I'd had since your shade first handed me the constellation crystal.

But how?! The others, they're not... they're not "themselves"! How are you you?!

You. You... N. No. Why are you here...

You were sacrificed to Zodiark.

...And just like that, I understand Emet-Selch's pain, his drive, anew. To know that Hythlodaeus is... was? One of the souls trapped with Zodiark. Suddenly I can understand it, on a personal level. And he, Emet, he knew all of them. He knew them well enough to build an entire city populated with their souls. Knew Hythlodaeus well enough that meeting the real man is nearly indistinguishable from the shade.

On that topic...

Hythlodaus is adorable. He seems... happy. To find that the Emet-Selch he once knew had not changed, fundamentally, in all this time.

I must contrast that with the shade Emet-Selch had created, who seemed to think that while they were once close, they were no longer? I wonder if that was a projection of Emet's own subconscious dread that Hythlodaeus would dislike the person he had become?

That's fanfic fodder is what that is. God dammit why are you both dead?? I'm sad now.

Hythlodaeus tells me about what his time was like as a shade. How they know and remember all that had happened between their sacrifice and Zodiark's ultimate imprisonment. They know of the sundering and-

OMG.

You're not sundered, are you, Hythlodaus? No, you can't be. You wouldn't be you if you had been. Did being sacrificed to Zodiark ultimately save you from the sundering?! That's incredible.

Oh. Oh, Hythlodaeus, you don't know what that means to me.

Our lovely little chat is interrupted by the shattering of one of the two remaining brands. Hythlodaus identifies the two souls as Fandaniel and one he does not know, but who is "an unfamiliar but fearsome being." He promises to ensure that the shades will no longer hinder me by way of apology for keeping me from my duty, and urges me to protect the final brand.

The lustrous dog returns, and I ride it to the last brand...

But I am too late.

Fandaniel waxes poetic about Zodiark's power and potential; pointing out that without Elidibus, Zodiark has neither heart or will to guide Him. Which I hadn't considered. Elidibus was Zodiark. What's left down there... is a mindless being of pure power.

(Whoa, hey, wait. Does this mean... Because, Elidibus was already out of Zodiark when the sundering happened... Hydaelyn didn't actually have to fight a thinking being, She took advantage of Elidibus' absence! She didn't win a fair fight... That makes so much sense. I wondered how the most powerful primal, fueled by half-a-city's worth of lives, could lose to a primal fueled by a dozen or so. But the lights were on with no one home...)

Zenos is more to the point and challenges me to battle. We're about to beat the stuffing out of each other when Fandaniel third-wheel's his way in with an interruption: he's got something to say.

And then he lets himself fall backwards, into the gaping hole in the ground that leads to Zodiark.

Oh. Fuck.

Haha... he just sniped Zodiark out from under Zenos... And now we're in big trouble.

I am alone in the darkness with the collective will of the ancients. They are speaking their purpose to me.

And Fandaniel is suppressing and overruling them.

He is subverting their purpose.

He is hurting them!

I know what I must do.

Who? An ancient, I would guess, but I don't recognize that voice...

I don't think I know him? But...

He's talking to Hades! He's talking to Emet-Selch!

...Hythlodaeus?

Maybe?

Whoever he is, he dissolves into sparkly blue particles and floats away. A mystery for another time.

Oh wow. Hi Zodiark.

[rose-from-ashes]

It's in the ruins of something resembling the Bureau of the Architect that she finds him. He's on his hands and knees, and his breath is heavy, rapid and ragged, the uneven gasps of someone who has been screaming and crying for hours. Her steps are muffled by the dust and ash, and the warping of the ground, but footsteps had always echoed clear in the Bureau, and Emet-Selch hears her, rearing up off of the ground and turning to face her with wild eyes and desperation shaking through him. He gasps, then, and rushes forward to grab her, his fingers gripping her sleeves as if she might fade, and his voice tears out of him like a fist through stone, ragged and scraped.

"Venat! You're- you're alive, you're- I thought I was alone- how did you- what happ-"

"The sundering." She interrupts him, and her voice sounds somewhat alien to herself, distant. Or perhaps it was her mind that was distant. Normally, her heart would ache with sympathy for someone so distressed, but somehow, she felt nothing in that moment. It simply passed before her eyes. Perhaps, even hours later, she had still not processed what she had done.

"What?" Emet-Selch's voice, so shaky and breathless, draws her from her thoughts. Of course. He didn't know- no one knew. Only she knew what she had done, and only she would know why. She remembered the tale that strange little thing of the future had told her. Emet-Selch would become her enemy. She could not explain to him why she had done this. He would not understand. He might even try to fight Meteion alone if he knew. He would stand no chance- such an emotional and delicate man could never stand his ground against hopelessness. He had never experienced it before. He would have no defenses.

She had made the right choice.

"The sundering." She echoes, then takes a breath. "The splitting of the world into thirteen. Every soul within it made into smaller shards of people, weaker, independent. Save for a few."

"... What do you... What? How do you know of this?" Emet-Selch is confused, but desperate, afraid and grasping for any sort of grounding. He had no idea what had just happened to everyone around him. He could see the aether, she knew, would eventually have figured it out either way, but the words fell out of her regardless, and now it was too late. She sees him begin to grasp for some kind of understanding, to shakenly offer her something, anything to respond to him. Gods, he was so frightened and alone. She had done this to him.

She had made the right choice. She reminded herself that, as he continued to speak. She had done the right thing. He wouldn't understand.

"Did you- was there some prophecy? I don't understand, Venat, you have to tell me- Venat!" He was getting angry, in his confused fear. She could hear the tightness in his throat where he was about to start crying again. "Speak to me! Tell me something, you have to tell me! I have to fix this! The world is broken, Venat, I can't leave it like this! There were too many sacrificed, and now they're gone, please, tell me!"

"I did this."

The change is instant. Emet-Selch stops in place, where he'd been inhaling to keep pleading, and the silence is deafening. The confused fear in his eyes doesn't go away, but it changes. A stunned comprehension. Good. She'd known beforehand, and now, he was beginning to catch up. To understand, in his skewed and flawed way, what he believed to be the truth.

"I struck out at Zodiark. He was too powerful. And now he is sundered."

"You..." The anger isn't there yet, but she knows it won't be long. He's too stunned, with just enough within him to release her sleeves and stand up straight. "You destroyed everything... To fight Zodiark?"

Venat says nothing.

"Zodiark- he was made of our loved ones! Hythlodaeus, Elidibus, do they mean nothing to you? You did this to hurt them?"

"I regret it," she says, but Emet-Selch can see through the blank and half hearted lie as well as he can see any soul. His breath catches, and his voice trembles with a deep loathing.

"You." He inhales to say something else, but Venat turns around before he can continue, and wisely, summons up a shield around him. The thud against it is immediate, as Emet-Selch throws his weight against it, pounds his fist against that translucent wall and screams, rage and grief filling it in the most haunting sound she had ever heard before, and the ground keens with the force of his rage-filled magical strikes. But he is distracted, scared. Far too much so to stand any chance against the second primal to be brought into existence, even for a moment, in this state. She vanishes to the sound of a second scream, and knows that he will find the other survivors.

Too late to go back now.

She had done the right thing.

[karoiseka]

❤️ first kiss / realization (for either combo? for both? whichever takes your interest)

You get a Kar'a/Hyth! ^_^ (because I realize I've already done 2/3 First kiss fics already for the trio. lol)

Ikarus could tell she was being followed.  To be fair, he wasn’t trying that hard not to be detected, and she was trained by Azem to notice that type of thing, especially outside of the city where things weren’t perfectly manicured and kept tidy.  She had shed her mask at least a malm ago, and had decided to not lead her follower to her hideaway outside the city and instead, conjured a new outfit while striding through the forest.  Azem–Venat–had asked her to check on one of her compatriots near the coast, and Ikarus had gladly–and quickly complied.  She had realized after she had left that she had forgotten to tell her new paramour that she was leaving.  This didn’t seem to be much of a problem now since he was the one following her.

As they had progressed further into the forest, and further away from the wide clear paths that led into Amaurot, she realized that she had been gaining some distance on him, so she slowed her steps to see what he would do–and maybe just how far he was willing to go.  Hythlodaeus was an interesting one, having sought her out “by virtue of the color and vibrancy of her soul” he told her just the other evening.  His soul sight was matched only by one other that Ikarus knew, and they hadn’t met just yet.  Hythlodaeus and Ikarus though had fallen in stride with each other as if they had known each other for years instead of days, immediately getting into mischief around the city whenever they were together.

His soul sight was how he was following her she had figured out, knowing that he didn’t have the forestry knowledge to track her in any other way.  This made for an interesting conundrum in her head, for she wanted to stop and surprise him and he would just stumble upon her in the path, however, if he was having to watch her via aether, he would know instantly that she had stopped and perhaps would also turn back.

So she did the only logical thing she could think of, and spun on her heel and sprinted at his location.

The strangled startled cry at this move gave her a better pinpoint, and using a bit of aether to boost her speed, she was standing in front of a very wide-eyed Hythlodaeus not a moment later.

“Hello,” her arms crossed as she watched his thoughts try to catch up with the revelation that she was suddenly in front of him, instead of out of visual range well ahead of him.  Her blue eyes sparkled with amusement as she attempted to keep a straight face–and failed miserably as she finally got to look into his uncovered amethyst eyes.  Belatedly she realized that they hadn’t actually removed their masks to each other, and she was surprised to see that he had removed his just as she had once well outside the city’s walls. 

“By the Star, you’re beautiful!”

“By the Star, you’re beautiful!” 

The words were said simultaneously–blurted out in near astonishment as they took in true appearances of each other for the first time since meeting.  A blush crept up Ikarus’ face, yet, instead of turning away, Hyth stepped closer, reaching a hand up to cup her jawline.  He moved slow enough she could have stopped him if she wanted, but her heart sang as he leaned in close and brushed her lips with his own.  All tasks forgotten, she leaned into the embrace, a hand of her own reaching up under his braid to pull him down closer to her, even as their shared delighted laughter echoed through the trees.