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abysswalkersknight · 3 months

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Bloody finally finished a fic! It might just be the longest one I've ever done and it certainly felt like it when writing it. This is the first fic for my twst x final fantasy au so I did a lot of research with ffxiv and ffxvi I hope you like it, I did my best to keep the Eikon names out because I have know idea what to call them if anyone has any suggestions? I might eventually decide to put it on ao3 as well if anybody was interested.

Apologies for the rushed ending though, it was much longer then I intended for it to be and I was running out of paper. But other then that please enjoy!

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Where did his little one go?

Was what was spiralling through the old general’s head when he returned home to an empty house, there were no soft greetings from his precious dear or even his cute pale face peeking around the corner. ‘Silver? I’m home!’ He calls out, wondering if his son was simply playing outside with his animal friends. There was no answer. He was met with a heavy silence, my, how odd.

Normally Lilia wouldn’t have minded his son’s absence as the boy had often the habit of falling asleep in the most random of places and would need a bit of encouragement to wake up, but Lilia’s checked in all the cupboards, the bathroom, their bedrooms and closets, hell he’s even dropped down onto the cool wooden floor to peer under the beds themselves. But there was simply no sign of his boy, perhaps he’s just having some alone time, while that in itself was just fine, the silence furrowed Lilia’s brow and stirred something deep and restless within his chest, he glanced outside the window, thankfully the snow that day was only light but the darkening clouds above spoke of a daunting blizzard approaching, I should go look for him, the storm could be here by nightfall. Oh well, an extra walk wouldn’t be much of a bother and the racing in his heart will only be quelled with his darling boy either nestled within his arms or safely within his sight.

And all because of his blasted heritage.

Silver had hardly experienced a few years of a normal life, only for those few short years to be shattered the moment it was discovered that Silver was a Dominant… And in possession of a very special Eikon.

Typically it was rare for a kingdom to possess even one Eikon, their Dominants often dying off too soon from overuse and the Eikon vanishing into thin air until they chose another poor soul to haunt.

Briar Valley, on the other hand, knew how to take care of their Dominants and has had the pleasure to lay claim to two Dominants, soon to be three with the strongest being their very own prince and future king. Many would foolishly dream of receiving such a privilege, to be ‘blessed’ by a being akin to a god, Lilia had always loathed this high ‘honour’. It was no blessing, nothing to gaze adoringly at, this curse was nothing more than a fancy name for the tight chains shackled upon all who were burdened with such power, he should know, he himself owned a very old pair. Earlier on in his life Lilia had quickly discovered that a Dominant nothing more than a mere shiny weapon to use at their kingdom’s disposal, they were not seen as a living, breathing being but something only meant to slash, cut and chop at the enemy until their blade shattered into tiny, brittle pieces, and even then those pieces were used until every granule was worn down. And now to Lilia’s horror, those very same shackles were suddenly clamped around his precious little one’s tiny delicate wrists.

But cruel as it was, that was not the worst of it.

Growling deeply in his throat Lilia quietly shrugs on his weary cloak and stealthily slips out into the cold, making sure no one was around despite living in the middle of nowhere, just as they liked it.

A year ago within the Black Scale castle’s throne room, the senate had not at all been pleased when their eldest Dominant had announced that he would be moving out of the castle, and taking the newly found Dominant with him. In fact they had been quite furious, spitting curses at him, as he remained kneeled on the stone floor with his little one clutching onto Malleus’s clothes while trying to hide under the prince’s comforting arm and cloak.

‘How dare you forsake the privileges that were so graciously given to filth like you!’ They screeched and so forth. Lilia hadn’t cared for a single inane word they spewed at him, but then those harsh insults were instead suddenly thrown at a petrified Silver, ‘as if we’ll let you run off to let such a dangerous creature roam freely!’

‘It must atone for the sins of its kind! Did you forget what it did to our beloved princess?!’

‘Get that vile human away from the prince!’ as they yelled and shrieked all of these accusations and scorn, his poor darling little Silver trembled and whimpered as frightened tears silently fell from the child’s cheeks. Malleus even had to hold back a grunt of discomfort with how hard those little fingers dug into his hip, Lilia saw red.

He couldn’t remember much of what happened next, only how it took several guards dogpiling on top of Lilia to hold him down as Malleus, with wide eyes, suddenly pushed Silver back behind his legs fully as he tore into the senate ‘you dare question my judgement!’ he snarls, forcing the senate back with a hot plume of green flame ‘it is with my authority and blessing that Lord Vanrouge has permission to live elsewhere, opposing such is akin to opposing House Draconia itself. Need I remind you of your place, senate?’ In the end, before Malleus could set the senate aflame in Silver’s honour, it was thanks to Malleus’s grandmother Maleficia, who had made sure that Lilia was able to leave the capital safely. Along the way it had taken all of Lilia’s willpower to ignore all the hateful looks and scorn that all of a sudden seemingly spurred from every noble citizen he’s passed, it set Lilia’s blood ablaze as they were all directed at his stunned child, what utter fools! How dare they blame such a small child for all the wrongdoings of their kin! For the seven’s sake, Silver wasn’t even old enough to have been born during the war against the silver owls, let alone play a part in it! It was not as if the fae were free of guilt either. His poor little one had been so frightened from earlier that he stiffly hid inside Lilia’s cloak while keeping his wet face buried in his neck and had refused to move a single muscle until they had arrived at their new home. Lilia even worried at some point in their journey that Silver had stopped breathing with how tense and still he was.

Lilia sighed, had he known the full extent of Silver’s ancestry, he would have never brought him to Briar Valley in the first place. If only I hadn’t killed his father.

At that thought Lilia shook his head, dislodging some snow particles. No, he didn’t have time for the past, what's done is done and he still had to find his son. The cool winter air nipped at his nose and ears, numbing them as his long dark hair lashed out with the gradually drifting snowflakes. Ever since the calamity five years ago, Briar Valley has been thrown into an eternal state of dark winters, harsh though it may be, the townsfolk have adapted well enough that they could still live comfortably. With every few steps he takes Lilia passes by warm braziers, dancing with green flame as he enters the city.

‘Oh! Lord Lilia!’ a woman suddenly called out as the old general made his way through the rapidly falling snow. Cupping above his eyes and squinting, it was getting hard to properly identify anyone within the plaza, but thankfully with signature flowing locks as green as the richest of forests and a voice as boisterous to match, it wasn’t hard to tell who exactly was calling him, and wasn’t she a sight for sore eyes. He sighs in relief as Baul’s daughter cheerfully waves him over to the stall she was currently at once he was in clear view ‘how pleasant it is to see you down here my lord, are you out shopping as well?’ She chirps, paying the merchant as they packed her purchase, Lilia smiled tiredly and waved off the merchant when they gesture to their wares ‘no, no, not today at least, I’m just looking for a wayward son of mine’ he suppressed a rush of worried fear that threatened to wash over his whole being, he could still hear those heartbreaking wails and pained whimpers as his little one cradles a spasming hand close to his chest. For the past year Lilia hasn’t been without Silver clutching to his side for more than a day or two, and even then he’d make sure that his boy was in either Malleus’ or the Zigvolt’s care, for good reason as well.

It was part of why they had to move. While there was the fact that the castle was already a pretty little cage for Briar Valley’s Dominants, the sole reason they moved was because of the Eikon Silver possessed, and all the abhor and scorn that came with it.

If anyone had ever thought the rough treatment Lilia received for being an ‘unworthy’ Dominant was bad, then his sweet little one had it even worse, he was already ridiculed for being human, and then to add fuel to the fire it was found that he bore the very Eikon that had ultimately slain their late princess who had been the prince’s predecessor… And his mother. Thus writing in big bold letters where and who exactly Silver’s lineage were.

Lilia frowned, he’d always had his suspicions but to have this as confirmation. He’d rather have stayed blissfully ignorant, thankfully Malleus didn’t give a chocobo’s arse who Silver’s Eikon was or what it’s done with his predecessor, it’s only a burden either way one that we now both share, he claimed when the senate had so viciously revealed the truth, the prince had solemnly looked down to the small child, in that sense he is just as cursed as I am. Lilia suspected they did that to further Malleus’s dislike for humans, only to have the opposite reaction to Lilia’s tremendous satisfaction.

Unaware of Lilia’s harrowing thoughts, Mrs Zigvolt’s sharp eyes narrowed into furious slits ‘you mean they haven’t told you yet? Those blunt headed fools!’ if he weren’t for his training, Lilia would have jumped at the sudden volume though he did back off a little, just in case. She then turned to him ‘apologies my lord, I’d thought that the boys would have told you by now but it seems I had too much faith in them,’ she shook her head ‘you needn’t worry about Silver, he’s actually gone off with my father and Sebek to the training grounds, father said he’d send a bat for you but it seems it didn’t show’ did he hear her right? Baul took his son to the training grounds? The castle training grounds?! Has the old crocodile gone senile? Baul better pray to his gods right now because Lilia’s going to bite his face off! Or at least he would if he wasn’t so confused as to how Baul managed to convince Silver to leave the house at all, it was hard enough for Malleus to get the boy to leave the forest’s safety. Before he could blink Lilia was already teleporting to the castle where he flies past the guards who were left stunned in the disturbed snow, clutching their polearms with bewildered expressions. He’s eventually stopped when a strong yet delicate hand suddenly grabs him by the shoulder ‘Lilia!’ exclaimed Malleus, he seemed shocked to see his guardian so frazzled as being compared to his usual carefree nature, coming at such a speed that his long hair was all over the place and damp with melted snow, his eyes soften with understanding though when Lilia ignores him in favour of frantically looking around for his dear Silver ‘don’t worry Lilia, he’s safe and just over this way’ he leads Lilia to peer around the corner where, in a secluded area that was usually abandoned came a barrage of determined youthful yelling.

‘Come, have at thee!’

‘Hiya!’

The shouts came from the middle where two young boys clashed together, their wooden lances slashing and faking fatal jabs. Snow sprayed and danced at their swift movement, either aiding or hindering them. From the sideline stood Baul Zigvolt, watching with an unconcerned yet stern eye, he waves over the prince and general while barking for the boys to continue ‘how has he been?’ Lilia asks, watching as the boys fought with precision and reckless abandon, just as he taught them. He was unable to take his eyes off his boy, as those beautiful silver locks spun in the cool air, that pale skin that made him seem gracefully spectral but it was those exquisite auroral eyes that captured Lilia, ever since the discovery of his Eikon Silver’s eyes have been dull, full of guilt and fear, but now as he parries another blow from Sebek, they were determined, a light returned to those big eyes that were once full of wonder. ‘How did you get him out?’ he breathed, Baul nods knowingly, after all he was there when every with the senate happened ‘don’t ask me, ask my grandson’ he grumbles proudly gesturing to the younger Zigvolt who blocked a hit from the side ‘he saw the boy training alone then brought him over demanding that they spar together, I honestly don’t know what he told Silver but it was enough to convince him to come’ he then looks sheepish ‘ah, apologies as well general, I did intend to let you know about this as soon as possible but we couldn’t have just waited around without risking anything.’

‘Baul.’ He was smiling but there was something chilling in Lilia’s tone. Baul blanched and sweatdrop ‘ye-yes general?’

‘While I appreciate what you’ve done, know that after this I’m breaking your old legs.’

#knight's writing #silver twst #lilia vanrouge #malleus draconia #sebek zigvolt #twst #twst x ff #this took so long oh my god #I swear I can write cute fluffy stuff as well this just took a hold of me #and now here we are

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driftward · 7 months

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Title: FFXIV Write 2023 - 29. Contravention Characters: Zoissette Vauban, Y'shtola Rhul Rating: Teen Summary: Maybe don't discuss legalities with an artificial deity Notes: This is a FFXVI mashup AU where FFXIV has Dominants and all that goes with them. Look to Riven's (@scrollsfromarealmreborn) work during FFXIV Write 2023 if you find this interesting and want to read more in this mashup vein, or further into her other works - she also has a FFXIV-FFXVI crossover AU

Raging Dhalmel was certain that today was his day.

He'd been stationed this far out in the sticks for a while, now. A few mistakes early in his career with the Brass Blades had derailed his ability to advance and put him out in the boondocks, but he'd taken it in stride. He was certain that if he just kept his nose to the grindstone, worked his men hard, he'd get a chance to make a name for himself, and well, his day had come.

Sitting across from him in the interrogation cell was Y'shtola Rhul. A Scion of the Seventh Dawn. And even out here, he'd heard the news. They and the Dominants they were sworn to protect were on the run for various violations of law. He was fuzzy on the details. But all of them had been lost to the authorities, disappeared across a border or gone to ground.

And then rumors drifted down. Rumors he had heeded, and when he'd asked for a little favor, it'd been granted.

Then just a few days ago, two women had wandered into his little border town. He had the one. If he could just get the other, well.

That would just make his day.

The woman, a Miqo'te, sat across from him. He had her in cuffs, and two other guards in the cell with him, on either side of him. She seemed uninterested in being there. He was certain, however, that that was little more than a façade. Well, he'd read her the riot act, and see what shook out while he waited until his men found the other one.

He sat on the table, pulling out a little book of notes he had taken.

"Y'shtola Rhul. Sharlayan researcher. Archon. Associate of the Scions of the Seventh Dawn."

"Student of Master Matoya as well, if we are to be reading my entire life's history."

He harrumphed. "You're a known researcher into aetherology. And a known associate of some outlaw Dominants just now. And we've got pretty strung evidence that you're doing illegal research in contravention of several of Ul'dah's laws."

He flipped a page. "...pretty far from the rest of your friends. Dockman said you were returning from Mhach?"

"Yes. I just recently completed my work out there, and was returning to confer with my comrades. I am given to understand there is some sort of trouble?"

He laughed. "You could say that. You and yours are in a lot of trouble. Speaking of, what happened to the woman you were with? Rumor has her pegged as a scientist looking into the Dominant phenomena. We'll want to bring her in for questioning as well."

Y'shtola held up her shackled wrists, and raised an eyebrow. "When I agreed to come in, I thought it would be to allay your concerns and relay whatever news may be of interest, as well as speak on the current state of matters. A show of good faith may yet buy you some manner of mine cooperation."

"Good faith? You're a Dominant herder. Not exactly popular right this second, after the mess your friends have been making. No, I think I'll keep you in cuffs, and you'll answer my questions if you know what's good for you. Now, what were you doing out in Mhach? And where's that scientist you came back with?"

He watches as her left ear twitched rapidly three times. Good. He hoped she was getting nervous.

"We were investigating the nature of the Mhach Dominants. My friend believed that they may have determined a method by which to allow any person to invoke their power and capabilities. She was hoping that we may yet reduce the stigma against Dominants if, instead of them seeming to be the result of almost random happenstance and aetherochemical family history, we could perhaps find a way that the abilities may be assigned or gifted to those chosen - or even if the power could be shared with all, thus bringing a semblance of equality to the realm. 'Twas also her hope that such capabilities might yet build bridges towards removing the stigma that some cultures yet have against them."

He frowned at her.

"Bullshit," he murmured. "More of those monsters running around doing whatever they like? Making whatever messes they will?"

"It is not as though the current Dominants had any more choice in the matter than any one of us as to the manner of our births," said Y'shtola heatedly. "Why do you think we defend them? Why do you think the Scions of the Seventh Dawn choose to protect them? 'Tis not only for the good of the star, but for the good of a shared humanity. Blessing or curse, it matters not. They too deserve the right to their own destinies."

"Good choice of words. They're cursed with a blessing, that's for sure. Monsters, every one, fit to wreck the realm, drain it of aether and leaving devastation in their wake, and you and that researcher want to make even more of them?"

"Judge me if you will. I care not."

He crossed his arms. "...and let me guess. You succeeded."

"You can guess if you like. I shan't answer further questions."

"Well, let me see if I can answer them myself," he said, rubbing his chin. "You and you friend came with some rumors, you see. Or rather, they got here before you. Your woman - she can semiprime at least, can't she?"

Y'shtola stuck her nose in the air, and he could not help but allow himself a low chuckle.

"Why don't you tell us where she is? There'll be less of a mess that way," he said.

"If she truly is a Dominant, surely you do not believe the meager forces of a rural town would be any match for her?"

He grinned at her. "Me and my men? No. The magitek armor we're borrowing? Maybe. And I'll have a nice purse for getting the friends of those who committed regicide."

He watched as her eyes widened, and as her left ear began twitching rapidly.

"Is that what you have meant by your insinuations against mine friends?"

"As though you didn't already know. Now," he said. "I won't ask again. Where. Is. The. Scientist? I've got friends that'd love to have a chat with her."

She looked up at him defiantly, eyes narrowing, and suddenly, her left ear went very still.

What a nice earring she had, now that his attention had been called to it. Two black carnations, with two tiny silver chains falling from them, a pearl at the end of each one.

"She is rather closer than you think," said Y'shtola primly.

He twisted as he heard an impossible noise from out front. Whatever it was, it was loud, a combination of grinding and groaning, a deep sound that he felt almost as much as he heard.

"You two, stay here, and don't let her out of your sight!" he yelled as he ran into the hallway.

As he dashed down the hallway into the check in area for the gaol, he found the source of the impossible noise. It was the front half of his building being removed - that was the crashing and grinding noises as rock was pulled apart - and the deep groaning was the sound of metal literally being torn.

The men and women under his command were scattering, some of them trying to attack with sword or spell, some of them hiding behind shield and sorcery, none of them seeming to be very effective. Shapes, perfect shapes, spheres and hedrons, floated through the air, ducking and weaving, and with them, debris was being sent everywhere, as beams of black energy tinged with red seared through the space between, as blue rings appeared tearing all they touched asunder, as blinking explosives counted down before going off in huge bursts of energy, as rapid-fire pulses of aether rained storms. And in the middle of the tornado of chaos and mayhem hovered a woman, taller than tall. Her face was emotionless, expressionless, her eyes perfect mirrors reflecting the world, her clothing having a faint metallic sheen to it.

"Pointless," the woman said as a silver sphere slammed into a man, throwing him violently into the air. Another man stepped forward, holding a fireball he had been focusing, and he threw it at her. The huge flame leapt forward with a blazing fwoosh, but before it got to her, a silvery hexahedron, a perfect cube, was suddenly in its path, emitting a blue energy ring that absorbed the hit. "Wasted effort," she said. "Disable," she said, and two more shapes, tetrahedrons, surrounded the man, each firing a solid red-tinged black beam at him that was surrounded by three smaller beams. He cried out, and went down.

"Stop! Stop this!" yelled Raging Dhalmel, but he did not seem to gain her attention as she drifted down the hallway, continuing to tear the place apart. He lifted a hand to his linkpearl, and barked across the link. "Seven hells, we've got a semiprime tearing apart our gaol! Where's that gods damned magitek armor?"

He ducked behind a wall, grabbing another one of his people as he did so, and got them both safely behind it as debris fell from the ceiling. The linkpearl crackled, and he heard the response. "We're bringing it online now. It'll take a minute to come up."

"Gods damn I hope we have a minute," he groaned.

In the cell, Y'shtola just sat patiently, listening to the chaos going on outside. Her two guards had their weapons out, but were ignoring her, instead facing the door to the cell and glancing nervously between one another.

And then the door vanished as it was torn asunder, and two perfect shapes, an icosohedron and a sphere, burst in. The icosohedron spun rapidly, and as each of its faces were brought to bear against one of the guards, it fired a small burst of energy, taking the guard by surprise and dropping them in a staccato of aetheric pulses. The guard went down twitching. The sphere just slammed into the midsection of the other one hard enough to knock the breath out of them, and they collapsed to the ground, wheezing.

Behind the shapes floated in the owner of a face that was sadly familiar to Y'shtola. Frozen and emotionless. It was the face of her friend.

Zoissette Aurora, the Dominus of the Artificial Deus, the Prototype Overworked Zero Mass Assembly.

Y'shtola thrust her hands high in the air above her, and pulled the handcuffs taut. "Ozma!" she called out. The icosohedron collapsed into itself as it reconfigured itself into a tetrahedron, and promptly fired its beam at the cuff chain, snapping it.

Y'shtola stood up and immediately went to one of the downed guards, searching him for a set of handcuff keys. Finding them, she undid the cuffs. "Have you seen my staff?"

"Search resolved fourteen meders away," it said, turning to point. "Direction. Follow my hedron." The tetrahedron collapsed in on itself again, resolving into a dodecahedron, and hovered near Y'shtola.

Y'shtola shook her head. "We must needs stick together. The situation is far worse than I had imagined. If my interrogator is to be believed, our friends are accused of regicide. And he himself has access to a magitek armor, I know not where."

"Understood. Follow me."

Semi-Ozma floated into the hallway, and Y'shtola was quick behind it. As they went, Y'shtola kept her head down, as Semi-Ozma's hedrons continued to go to work, catching sword and spell even as they poured out dangerous disabling energies.

It was not going for kills. Y'shtola was relieved, at that. It was a problem they had anticipated. Ozma seemed to lack the more emotional tendencies of many other dominants, free of rancor, but in so doing, they had found out the potential hazard that such lack brought. Ozma was not malicious, but neither was it benevolent. Instead, it was indifferent, at least to humanity, though possibly also to reality. Considering how much of it existed outside of the material plane, that was perhaps little surprise.

Semi-Ozma stopped in front of another door labelled as the armory, and tore it away as well. It pointed a hand forward, and several hedrons vanished within, and Y'shtola could hear the surprised yelps of guards being overwhelmed.

"Insufficient. Defenses defeated. Retrieve your focus."

Y'shtola ducked into the room, and grabbed her staff. Semi-Ozma continued to guard the hallway. As she returned to it, she looked it over. It appeared unmarred, but she knew what to look for. The metallic shimmer on its clothes was slightly reflective, and she could see places where the shimmers were disjointed, wide bands where it was grey rather than silver, places where the illusion of its perfection failed.

It was hurting.

She spared a moment to try to count how many hedrons it had floating in the air, and stopped when she got to a dozen.

Too many, too many by far. It was burning through her friend, and if they did not leave shortly-

Her train of thought was interrupted by the sound of a levin whine that started low and went high. She ran to Semi-Ozma and slammed the butt of her staff on the floor, and threw her hands out to the side, surrounding them with a shimmering translucent magical shield.

And just in time.

The whine resolved into the loud and high pitched ringing of a beam weapon which simply vaporized several rooms as it lanced into the building and broke against her shield. The world went white and she gritted her teeth as she poured her all into it, and as the energies died away, she could see the interlocked prism shapes where her shield had begun to collapse, each shining a rainbow of light.

Too close, and she'd have to drop her current shield and cast another if they were to survive the next. She could see clearly now, in the hole that had been blown through the building, a magitek armor some many yalms away, beginning to charge to take another shot.

She'd rather not be here.

Semi-Ozma summoned all of its hedrons to itself and they began to orbit them along three different planes, one horizontal, one vertical, one at a perfect forty-five degree angle to the other two, and now Y'shtola knew beyond any shadow of a doubt that they had remained too long. Any moment now it would try to prime, and she was unwilling to suffer the consequences of doing so.

"We must away!" yelled Y'shtola.

"Predicted outcome, unchanged," said Semi-Ozma, and despite their completely flat voice, Y'shtola knew it was a protest. They thought they should press the battle.

"No. We have insufficient information," she said, turning to Semi-Ozma.

"They have contravened several agreements and are obstructing our objectives. They have attempted to inflict intentional harm," said Semi-Ozma.

"They might yet have lied about their resources, and our allies are possibly in trouble. This was intended as a trap against us both, for that is why I called upon you. Now that you are here, we must needs away to gather further intelligence and plan our strategies."

Semi-Ozma's face turned to her. She knew a logical argument would sway it. The question was whether or not it saw her logic as such.

"Go. I shall defend your egress route."

That was her friend, still in there. Ever self sacrificing. Good. That was a hook for Y'shtola to play into.

"We go together, or not at all. I shan't abandon you."

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the glow of the magitek armor warming up another shot. "...but we must decide quickly."

Semi-Ozma hesitated only briefly, but then the hedrons orbiting them stopped.

"Assuming flight formation." it said, and Semi-Ozma curled up on itself, forming a tight ball, and then its hedrons collapsed into it as one, and it formed a perfect sphere, silvery white on its top half, void black on its bottom.

Y'shtola was quick to leap up, crouching on it, and using a hand to steady herself. As soon as she was onboard, Semi-Ozma shot into the air, impossibly fast, the next beam shot from the magitek armor missing it by mere moments.

It moved most oddly, seeming to have no acceleration at all, just sudden speed that seemed to turn on and off. Y'shtola had no difficulty staying on, due to something it called 'inertial cancelling', but it was still dizzying and disconcerting, the way it moved. It did not teleport, but it seemed as though it almost was, the way it stopped, moved, stopped, moved. It zippered back and forth in the air above the town several times, in a pattern meant to evade - though Y'shtola had long wondered what could even track such movement in the air - before it corkscrewed in a peculiar path at a more moderate speed.

And then it stopped, turned, and shot away, turning the landscape into a blur as it and its passenger escaped.

Y'shtola waited a full bell before she coaxed Semi-Ozma to the ground. She did not want to cut their flight too short, as some magitek armors were known to have flight capability, and she did not want to take the risk of being caught out once more. Nor, however, did she wish to take too long.

Every moment in form was another ten moments her friend would need to rest to recover herself fully.

But at last, they settled down, Semi-Ozma, no longer in combat mode, slowly drifting to the ground instead of engaging in the flight acrobatics it had demonstrated earlier. As they got close, Y'shtola lightly dropped to the ground, and Semi-Ozma unfolded itself into a humanoid form and just hovered, staring off into nowhere, no hedrons formed.

This was good.

"Come to me," Y'shtola murmered to it, and it hovered close. It shrank as it did so, but still hovered in the air, its toes just barely above the ground. Close enough, though, that Y'shtola could reach a hand up to cup its cheek in her hand.

"Look at me, my friend. Meet my gaze."

Semi-Ozma hesitated, but it did, turning its head down, and Y'shtola could see herself in the perfect silvery mirrors that were its eyes.

She hummed a few bars. Not quite the melody to a song, but perhaps a tune to a storytale.

"The witch lived in the deep of the woods," she said in a slight sing-song.

Semi-Ozma stared at her. She waited, patient. The world was still.

Its cheek twitched. And then, it wrinkled its nose. A frown creased, breaking its perfect forehead. The metallic shine to its clothes faded. It floated down, landing flat on its feet. Its form shifted, its body unbecoming. The fingers of its hands twitched, and it shrank further, until it was merely tall as compared to statuesque.

As she had always been tall.

And it become broad instead of gargantuan.

As she had always had kind of large shoulders.

As its skin and hair became brown. As its clothing lost their metallic shimmer. As the silver in her eyes faded, as their perfect stony visage softened, as her eyes were once more soft and brown and kind.

As she formed once more, her precious Elezen, Zoissette.

"And the shieldmaid sought her wisdom," she replied, her voice rough.

Zoissette collapsed into her arms, and Y'shtola gently guided her to the ground.

"...I could have killed them all," she croaked.

"But you did not."

"I thought about it. They - they might have harmed you. They may have harmed the Scions."

"True. But as true as that is, you remained true to yourself."

Zoissette took a deep shuddering breath. "I feel so cold."

Y'shtola lifted her chin slightly, and leaned in, and pressed their lips together. Zoissette's lips were indeed cold, but not rigid. They were instead a pleasant coolness to indulge in, and they went soft against her own, as she kissed her, and kissed her deeply. She felt Zoissette relax in her arms, and she knew everything would be alright.

"The warmth that matters remains evermore within you, my love," she murmered against Zoissette's lips. "Rest. I shall guide us both until you are fully here once more."

Zoissette looked at her, and oh gods, how she loved this woman. Her friend nodded, and then her gaze drifted to stare into nowhere once more, her eyes and body going a bit stiff.

She would only enjoy short moments of lucidity in the aftermath of playing host to Ozma, Y'sthola knew. And the longer she was allowed to not have to fight it, the faster she would return to herself.

She stood, now, and tugged gently on her hand, and Zoissette came to her feet.

"Come. We must needs find shelter, and I shall need your help. And then we shall have to find out what has happened to our friends."

Zoissette nodded only mutely, but it was well. It was her form, not Ozma's, that she held now. And Y'shtola could lead them both, until she was wholly herself once more.

The two disappeared into the woods.

#ffxivwrite2023 #ffxvi au #final fantasy xiv #zoissette vauban #y'shtola rhul #contravention #202309-30 #biot writes

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xcouriereight · 10 months

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So, I've been working on designing a FFXVI AU design for my FFXIV OC,

Remeraux Melret, known to many as the Wild Rose of Sanbreque. The Dominant of the Eikon Halicarnassus. Remeraux was born in the Holy Empire of Sanbreque, in one of the grand capital pleasure houses in Oriflamme, to a courtesan mother who was as lively as she was deeply kind. She was raised with love and came to view the other working girls as a family; yet she never knew who her father was, and her mother didn't care to talk about it. Perhaps she showed magical ability from a young age, perhaps she didn't. Born in the fringes of society as she was, nobody official bothered to check. But, when a few patrons in the pleasure house got more violent than usual and her family's lives were in danger— something welled up inside her that she couldn't name. At the tender age of fourteen, in dramatic fashion, Remeraux Melret awoke to her status as the Dominant of Halicarnassus; the Black-Scaled Wyrm. And the whole town was talking. While the Dominant of Halicarnassus hadn't been seen in nearly six generations at this point... the noble family who claimed that lineage was very much alive; although its status in the Imperial court had suredly waned. But imagine the Viscount Melret's surprise when a little birdie told him that his family's Eikon, his bloodline's Dominant, turned out to be the bastard he'd paid good money once to have discarded. Now though? Now she was valuable. Proof that his family was still blessed by the Mothercrystal. As long as he could massage the facts... and bring his wild oats back in line under the banner of his House. Remeraux's mother had an accident, shortly thereafter. Even as Remeraux grieved, she couldn't help but find the timing all-too-convenient, as a man claiming to be her father appeared to take her into his custody as her next of kin before her mother was cold in the ground. But wasn't this something out of the storybooks? A girl born in squalor, yet chosen by destiny; who at her darkest hour is rescued and brought into the life she was always meant to lead? She'd come to regret being such a starry-eyed fool. For not running away the first chance she got. Her father was a tyrant, her stepmother resented her very existence, and her father's estate was nothing more than a gilded cage. Treated to the rod, showered in neglect, her father attempted to mold her into every inch a proper daughter; a brave protector of the Empire, just as holy and stalwart and beloved as Bahamut himself. And Remeraux resented every last moment of it. For now, she plays her role. A skilled tactician, a fine blade, and when needed to rout the Empire's enemies— Halicarnassus herself. But she hasn't forgotten what had been taken from her, not once. And quietly, she sharpens her sword, and waits for her moment to escape... and to take her revenge.

#FFXVI #FFXVI OC #wildly self indulgent I know #My art #I know I've got room to improve yet but I'm proud of how these came out!#FFXIV OC

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burgiethewriter · 4 months

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Asks for a Fic Writer! 🔆

Tumblr really didn't want to show me this, the fiend, but I was tagged by @randomsquirrel (thank you!)

How many works do you have on ao3?

Oh only about 1,365 (6 if I remember to post another tonight)

2. What's your total ao3 wordcount?

2,676,845 I am very mentally well thank you for asking

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Whatever ones the brainworms are currently wiggling in. So currently it's ffxiv and ffxvi and a little dash of sso

4. what are your top five fics by kudos?

Breakfast NSFW Stranger Things steddie. Which is actually the sequel to the second most kudosed one but I guess we're all sluts for domesticity.

Monster in the Bed more NSFW Stranger Things steddie. The lines of kudos emails I got from those two were fantastic.

Sunny-weather Snuggles and now for something COMPLETELY different, SFW mlp appledash. I used to have this little tradition, I suppose, of starting a new '30 day otp challenge' for every ship I liked. Don't think I ever finished one though.

Garden Party which is another SFW mlp fic but this time rarijack (I love their dynamic).

Odd Tattoo NSFW wtnv cecilos, god knows why I gave it the mature rating. I actually had this on ff.net initially, it's THAT old. But wtnv is just that popular I guess (for good reason! Night Vale my beloved).

5. do you respond to comments?

I do now after sitting there making flustered noises for a good ten minutes.

6. what is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Funny thing about me, I never remember my fics. Ever. Legit I surprised myself one day discovering a stash of estimeric fics that I just. Don't remember writing. I feel like there was one though. It could be Frozen Wasteland SFW ffxiv which is about the bloody banquet at the end of arr which. Yeah. The saddest part is that I never went anywhere with it because then I started sb and met Lyse and um. Yeah.

7. what's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Starlight Kittens sfw ffxiv Lyseka I think. There are probably happier endings but that's the one that immediately springs to mind.

8. do you get hate on fics?

Sometimes there are weird 'this is so cringe wtf' comments but hey it's not my fault if they don't embrace the cringe.

9. do you write smut? if so, what kind?

I was called sin mother for a time for a REASON okay. All kinds, vanilla, kink, monster, you name it. Very much into a/b/o and monsterfucking but I keep overthinking it and that kills the mood so fast.

10. do you write crossovers? what's the craziest one you've written?

[hides the ffxiv/ffxvi one under the bed] I mean yeah. Craziest one was probablyyyyy the Gotham x SSO one. I can't remember what happened but I remember the crossover.

11. have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not to my knowledge but it's not like I go looking. Wouldn't surprise me if someone had stolen an sso one though, some of those kids man...

12. have you ever had a fic translated?

Again not to my knowledge but I also know that ffxvi is very popular in other languages so honestly I'm waiting for it.

13. have you ever co-written a fic before?

I swear to god I have but I can't find it (unless Jack posted it??? It was years ago though) but I suppose the Wild West AU also counts? Green-eyed Drake's Revenge was the last one (god I miss that era so fucking much I met some of the best people but also the worst but I just really loved being a part of such a big project).

14. what's your all-time favourite ship?

The answer probably would've been easier before I played ffxvi but uhhhh yeah it's Terence/Dion from FFXVI. Which you wouldn't know from my fics for that fandom (I keep getting distracted by other ships) but like. Canon gays. Hello. How can I resist. Ship that makes me go 'eeee' and then think about for a while after I see it.

15. what's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

Haha what unfinished WIPs I don't have those scattered everywhere. I would like to actually finish Frozen Wasteland (linked above) someday but there's also a phoenixflareknight fic that I'm slowly pecking away at but it has no real plot or anything so I don't think I'll finish that. And the aforementioned ffxiv/ffxvi crossover.

16. what are your writing strengths?

Making anything look good, baby. Or so I've been told. Sheer determination? Dialogue maybe?

17. what are your writing weaknesses?

"And where is all of this action taking place?" Shrug emoji. Descriptions.

18. thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I think it's fine as long as there's a translation somewhere.

19. first fandom you wrote for?

Sonic. I don't think I published any of them though. It's probably better that way.

20. favourite fic you've written?

There are a few that spring to mind but I associate them with an ex-friend so ew but Lost and Found is the ffxiv/ffxvi crossover fic I do have published where I put my character and her sister and the arr-era Scions into the world of ffxvi. I love it and wish it got more attention but maybe the time's just not right yet, idk.

I tag @tiredassmage @trusted-friend-ffxiv and @sso-eden-dawnvalley

#writing tag #I love these things sm they remind me of the good old deviantart journal days

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havfayth · 1 year

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#HAVFAYTH a strictly private and selective MULTIMUSE comprising mostly canon characters with canon divergent and headcanon heavy elements ! carrd link.

current fandoms: honkai star rail, ffxiv, ffxvi, ff7 remake genshin impact, kuro no kiseki

inbox: 22 drafts: 12 starters: 3

we're not heroes. if things get too bad, just turn tail and run. the fate of the world is only as good as the lives of all of us here.

TRAILCLOWNING WITH: @losfayth // @artisaen // @lumoire // @windspearing // @confluxium // @toadmiretoweepover // @calopsic

01 . FOLLOWING. i’ll only interact with mutuals. due to my lack of time, I may be slow, extremely slow. snail speed, in fact. i try not to take on too many threads as i wish to focus on roleplays with my friends on here, twitter and discord. please understand. If i do not follow you back, most likely it is because i don’t see us interacting or am currently overwhelmed.

i will not interact with anyone under 21. please do not follow if you are.

02 . THREADS. one-liners, multipara but in general, tends to match length. I tend to write a lot but you need not match with me if you feel overwhelmed. just give me something to respond to !

03 . GENRE. my preferred writing themes are angst, drama and comedy. i love character study and development, leaning towards the philosophical and ideals rather than the literal lore sides of things. i’m not all that motivated by writing fight scenes in general but i won’t shy away from it if the plot is engaging.

i'm over 20 but most likely will not be writing sex stuff with just anyone off the bat. main reason being i am not very motivated by it.

04 . SHIPPING. i am generally alright with most ships but there are certainly a few ships that i don't have much of an inspiration to write.

i will ship with two or three versions of a character at maximum unless they are already ship exclusive to a particular ship. it's a really case by case basis. this is also because i have a limited braincell and has the attention span of cat on catnip but don't want to end up neglecting any of my partners so i'm mindful not to take up too much. ;-;

fyi if my character develops feelings for yours and vice versa, there is no need to reciprocate if the other party doesn't feel the feels. one sided or unrequited love is just as valid. but lmk if you rather not explore it though.

i adore and support crackships. i have a phd in bullshitting.

05 . CANONICAL. please don’t come to my dms with passive aggressiveness and uppity in regards to how i write my character. for one, this is canon divergent and headcanon heavy, which may at times lead into lore divergence. i don’t care that much about sticking to canon to a tee, i'm not paid to write like the source's writers and will pick and choose which lore to omit and write. i love to bend the lore, twist the rules around, explore tropey tropes and entertain myself to the best of my creative abilities.

i support people making their own aus, canon divergences and unique portrayals. i really admire that energy in anyone !

in any case, i only focus on making myself a very happy writer and hopefully someone a very happy writing partner. if you’re not a flexible person like me, then i’m not the writing partner for you.

06. HEADCANON. as far as headcanons are concerned, the are mostly just further analysis from what's already established in canon and some super weird au or canon-divergent ideas of mine. idrc if people use them, really go ahead. but i thank you if you can see rationale in my nonsensical ramblings lmao just at least like/rb the canon divergent ones to avoid potential future misunderstandings.

07. DUPLICATES. as a multi-muse blog who has way too many muses, idm duplicates. even if you want duplicate characters to interact in a thread, there are many ways to make it work !

08 . i also don’t really care for fandom drama, discourses or what people do with their blogs. life is too short for all that nonsense, yeah ? i don’t engage in fandom drama at all and i don’t look favorably upon those who start it unless the person is truly problematic and actively causing harm to others. please don't try to come up with funny excuses not to be kind.

LASTLY. in game icons on this blog are made by me. you can ask me for the raw folder and i'll gladly give to my moots. i may not have a raw folder for some muses in which i make icons as i reply to threads so sorry in advance ! ><;;

icon border credit: concinnitytm

MUSE LIST

HONKAI STAR RAIL

Gepard Landau

Welt Yang

Caelus Kaslana // info

Blade

Jing Yuan

Luocha

Yanqing

Dan feng

Welt Joyce ( revival au )

GENSHIN IMPACT

Venti

Zhongli

Xiao

Al haitham

Nahida

Cyno

Azhdaha

Neuvillette

Furina

KISEKI SERIES

Aaron Wei // hsr verse

Van Arkride

Cao Lee // hsr verse

Gouran // hsr verse

FINAL FANTASY XIV

Ardbert

Aymeric De Borel

Zenos Yae Galvus

Hermes

Warrior of Light

FINAL FANTASY XVI - SECONDARY

Olivier Lesage ( dominant of alexander ) / ABOUT.

Dion Lesage

Clive Rosfield

Benedikta Harman

Cidolfus Telamon

Jill Warrick

FIRE EMBLEM FIVE HOUSES - SECONDARY

Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd

FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE - SECONDARY

Sephiroth

Cloud

HONKAI IMPACT - SECONDARY

Welt Joyce

Lieserl Albert Einstein

Erwin Renna Shrodinger

Herrscher of Sentience

MAINS AND EXCLUSIVES

ship exclusives meaning that the muse is shipped exclusively to this particular character and other variants interactions with said character will only be of platonic or other non-romantic nature. mains meaning that i have went through lengthy discussions on characterizations between our muses, be it romantic OR platonic and i am extremely comfortable with the mun. these muses does affect/has changed the way i write my muse from the get-go and i'll give credit for the discussions that inspired the growth. i'll keep these developmental ideas and impact on my muse in mind when developing my muses' headcanons and writing them. yes i will have multiple mains for the same character as long as they influence my character's portrayal and this is my way of giving credit to our discussions and development !

aaron wei - gouran, ship exclusive to @losfayth

caelus - dan heng, mains @windspearing && @losfayth

dimitri alexandre bladdyd - claude, ship exclusive to @lumoire

gepard landau - blade, ship exclusive to @artisaen

neuvillette - furina, main to @myjustice

zhongli - neuvillette, ship exclusive to @calopsic @losfayth

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baidar-oroq · 9 months

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A random discourse on FFXVI's story

I finished FFXVI earlier in the week, and given the strong connections that it was with FFXIV between the devs and a lot of the story, thought I'd wax eloquent here. Spoilers behind the cut:

I think the most interesting thing about the story of FFXVI is pretty much how it's another take on the basic story of FFXIV and the Ascians; Ultima's motive is to destroy all life on Valisthea in order to recreate the lost world of his people, which is not too far removed from the Ascians wanting to destroy all the shards to rejoin them with the Source, and Clive as Mythos being the vessel through which that will happen is a couple of steps to the right of the WoL becoming a sin eater and causing a rejoining. Variations on a theme, if you like. In a lot of ways, FFXVI's story feels almost like an AU of XIV, one where Hydaelyn is conspicuously absent-or perhaps, given the role of the Mothercrystals in the story, a story where She is merged with the Ascians to create Ultima. Had Hydaelyn turned out to be really sus, could this have been a direction that FFXIV could have gone in?

Probably not, and the reason I think that is Clive's final speech to Ultima as he lays dying, because it is the perfect encapsulation of Venat's philosophy of "you will suffer and die, but you can rise above that to find hope and joy." That philosophy stands in stark contrast to Ultima's fear of death, selfishness, and his inability to understand why his creations have surpassed him. Like the Ascians, he does not believe in his lessers, can not understand why Clive is capable of defeating him; like Emet-Selch, he is so lost in the desire to rebuild the world he lost that he can not see the world that could be made by his creations.

Plus his last form straight up has Emet-Selch's Elpis hairstyle, lol.

I heard a lot of complaints about side questing in the game, and they stemmed, most likely, from the early MMO style fetch quests. And that's a shame, since as you progress further and further into the game, whole character arcs and subplots are resolved in the side quests. The most romantic scene between Clive and Jill happens in a fucking side quest! Vast amounts of character development, full on story arcs, are resolved there. If you haven't played FFXVI yet, don't sleep on the side quests, they tell a lot of the story.

Which is good, since the main story, on occasion, is a bit underwritten. It's not really confusing, or bad, but the first two-thirds of the game, focusing on the Game of Thrones styled wars against nations, loses a bit unless you plunge heavily into the lore (and to be fair, the in-game lore options are AMAZING) since you have to keep track of a variety of nations that aren't particularly well defined (the pagans with Iron in their name, the traditional fantasy British-esque empire, and the Norse kingdom.) In the end, the various warring nations take a backseat to the machinations of Ultima, so this isn't as big a knock on the story as it could be, but it is still there.

Now to one of the controversial points of the story, it's lack of POC and the whole, rather sad explanation of "well it's Medieval Europe!" People have theorized that there are no POC because of the story's slavery subplot, where magic using Bearers are shunned and enslaved at birth, and having POC in a world with slavery would look bad.

To which I frankly call "bullshit." The obvious answer to this problem is to make none of the slaves POC. Hell, there's a desert area with rather Arabic architecture in it, make it (1) full of POC and (2) the one place in Valisthea where there are no slaves. Ahh, but expecting Japan to think laterally about that sort of thing is likely too much to ask.

But I'm still gonna.

There are other complaints; Jill is occasionally underwritten, and her trauma arc is somewhat buried under the main story, and while she doesn't die like I expected (c'mon, you know this team's record with female characters, ESPECIALLY ones connected to Shiva) she does suffer a sort of death by giving her Eikon powers to Clive. Most of her trauma is thankfully implied rather than openly stated, but as per usual for this crew, there is a lot of sexual abuse and assault suggested around her story. (Though she does get to kill the man responsible for it, in the end.) And I wish we could have had more time with Cid, who is a fantastic character, but given his role in the story he bowed out at the right time.

I am, however, still waiting for Uncle Byron to die, because he had "the comic relief turns out to die heroically" written all over him, and yet he survived!

Plus Torgal is the best wolf, love and praise him

#ffxvi #ffxvi spoilers #ffxiv #i have a lot to say about the similarities between ultima and emet #but this is not the time

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twinkleinthesky · 1 year

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ᴠᴇʀꜱᴇꜱ

One Step Closer to Home (Canon/Post KHIII) - Sora finds himself in an entirely different world, his mind fractured and memories askew. He seems almost like a shell of who he was, shy and quiet, yet still passionate and kind. His connection to Kingdom Hearts is weakened, resulting in his empathy powers being weakened as well.

Sanctuary (Canon/Post KHII) - This will take place either after KHII, or right before KHIII), when Sora is resting at home. At this time, he’s trying to learn more about himself and what he is, so he’s a bit lost at the moment. He still yearns to make new connections and protect people, so he often goes to new worlds or just hangs around old ones.

Warrior of Light (Dissidia/FF AU) - During the events of KHIII, Sora is suddenly transported to another world, called there by an ancient being. He could appear in the Dissidia universe, or in an individual FF world. He journeys to return to his time and space, but to also help save the new world he finds himself in, while also making new connections along the way. I encourage not only FF7/FF15 worlds, but also any other FF game too.

Hear, Feel, Think (FFXIV AU) - After the events of KHIII, Sora wakes up on The Source. He doesn’t know what brought him here, but he feels almost like something pulled him, like some sort of current. He gets wrapped up in whatever shenanigans happen there, whether it’s with the Scions or with anyone else. In this verse, he is a Miqo’te, very similar to how his beta design looked.

Another version of this verse is that instead of waking up on the Source, Sora wakes up on Pre-Sundered Etheirys during the time of the Ancients. He is mistaken as being a familiar, with an unnatural affinity to dynamis.

Yet another version has Sora being native to the Source. He originates from the Black Shroud, but is currently trying to find work as an adventurer, to sooth his hunger for knowledge and fun.

Leviathan the Lost (Final Fantasy XVI) - AU in which Sora is a boy with amnesia within Valisthea, who is the Dominant of the lost Eikon Leviathan. He still holds empathy abilities. (Have not finished FFXVI so this is a bit of a rough idea)

#ɢᴜɪᴅɪɴɢ ʟɪɢʜᴛ | ʜᴇᴀʀ ꜰᴇᴇʟ ᴛʜɪɴᴋ ᴠᴇʀꜱᴇ #ᴡᴇɪʀᴅ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛꜱ ʟᴀᴛᴇʟʏ | ꜱᴀɴᴄᴛᴜᴀʀʏ #ᴡʜᴀᴛ’ꜱ ᴡɪᴛʜɪɴ ᴍʏ ʜᴇᴀʀᴛ | ᴡᴀʀʀɪᴏʀ ᴏꜰ ʟɪɢʜᴛ ᴠᴇʀꜱᴇ #ᴛᴏ ʟᴏꜱᴇ ɪꜱ ᴛᴏ ꜰɪɴᴅ | ᴏɴᴇ ꜱᴛᴇᴘ ᴄʟᴏꜱᴇʀ ᴛᴏ ʜᴏᴍᴇ ᴠᴇʀꜱᴇ

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scrollsfromarebornrealm · 1 month

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First Dominant of Halone

(thanks to @saesama a much better look at Augustine's semi-Prime form!)

Halone split her dominions between Augustine and Mathye, making them War and Ice respectively. As such, Augustine's own tendencies were enhanced--he's a frighteningly good tactician, in addition to now being able to hold his own with the likes of Odin, Zurvan, and any other Eikon of War. He uses considerably more offensive holy magic than Mathye, in addition to a strong truthsense. The latter has resulted in a new epithet for him--Halone's Justice.

He has some mastery over Ice, but not as much as Mathye does.

#ffxiv #ffxiv-ffxvi au (the other one)#on our fates alight

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scrollsfromarebornrealm · 6 months

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on our fates alight (general masterpost)

FFXIV Write 2023 posts

astrid protesting

gaius van baelsar, black wolf and eikon's bane

Odin

Zurvan

Halone

Valefor

Susano (written by @saesama )

absolute ass of a man

situation disharmony

strange new guest

rumor chasing (written by @matrixdragon )

introduction

geometric jailbreak ( written by @driftward )

hidden dominant

bicker

quiet interlude

provoke

not/housebroken

declaration of intent

known treachery

confrontation

limited options

mothercrystal's ruling

unfortunate normal

halone's second son

old rumors

ill realization

the black wolf's prey

serious question

the golden hunter (written by @erickgage )

memo (partly written by @driftward )

the scholar's secret

trap (partly written by @erickgage )

spymaster's report

one night in the shroud

briefing (starring @matrixdragon 's Alice with @erickgage 's Erick)

the shieldmaiden, her witch, and a bird (starring @driftward 's Zoissette)

the lost songstress (written by @lunarosewood23, starring their Raven Cross)

the archivist (written by @eorzeanflowerss 's Archie)

decisions to be made (written by @eorzeanflowers, starring their Archie)

dominant of storms (written by @dominantofstorms, starring their Alisa)

the moogling

scouting (starring @autumnslance 's Iyna and @erickgage 's Erick)

aftermath (1)

asura enters the chat (starring @autumnslance 's Aeryn)

fixin' to storm soon (starring @saesama 's Klynt)

storm a'brewin (written by @saesama )

become the enemy

dominant of carbuncle (starring @eorziapple 's Apple)

before bed

on guard

fraught recovery

drain (starring @autumnslance 's Aeryn and Zaine)

questioning senses (starring @driftward 's Zoissette)

the fall of ala mhigo

surprise houseguest

limited intel

wrench in the works

willingly imprisoned

mortality

request

late arrival

body count

First Dominant of Halone

Second Dominant of Halone

false society

Roderick and Emma DeGlass

holy treachery

nightmare

first warning

blindsided (starring @autumnslance 's Aeryn, Zaine, and Emelia

-----

Vierapril starring @scalefeathers 's Bylti

regal

danger

victory

pause

relinquish

damage

breath

longing

progress

release

spark

energy

showers

---------------

#ffxiv #on our fates alight #ffxiv-ffxvi au (the other one)

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scrollsfromarebornrealm · 6 days

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on our fates alight--first warning

Augustine pulled the cloak around his shoulders, securing the ties together. Pausing to make sure his sword was buckled securely to his hip, he headed for the door.

“I’ll be back with the soup!” He called, turning the handle. “In the meantime, just stay in—” As the door opened fully, Augustine found himself trailing off. Standing in the hallway, a fist raised as if to knock on the wood, was Lord Haurchefant. There was a dark look on his features, and Augustine blinked as the elezen’s eyes met his own. Then suddenly ice started to crawl up his spine—Halone flaring to life—just as the paladin’s eyes moved past the Fortemps lord. Directly behind Haurchefant were Zephirin de Valhourdin and Haumeric de Peulagnon.

Shite.

“Ser Augustine!” Haurchefant said a bit too cheerfully. “I’m sorry, did we catch you at a bad time? My lords of the Heavens’ Ward were nearby and wanted to pay a visit!”

“I was about to head to the city, actually.” Augustine replied, and then froze at the sound of a body hitting the floor. Fear made him whip around, staring at the hallway behind him.

“Mathye?!”

-------

Haumeric sighed.

“Not even aetherical exhaustion from Priming has the capacity for you to stay still.” He commented dryly, pulling the tunic back over Mathye’s wound. “But you didn’t rip open the stitches, so that’s good.” Mathye didn’t say anything, electing to stay as still in bed as he possibly could. Halone had alerted him to the presence of the two members of the Heavens’ Ward. Worry for Augustine had given him a brief burst of strength to get out of bed—but then that had been his limit. He’d fallen, and then suddenly Augustine was exploding through his door, Haumeric and Zephirin on his heels.

“You need to be more careful.” Haumeric continued. “Your devotion to your duty does you credit, Ser Mathye, but you—like your brother—are both precious and valued by the Archbishop. Surely there is no need for you to go haring off on every single little errand…”

“I go where the work is needed.” Mathye countered. Gods, he was exhausted. All he wanted to do was curl up and sleep. He could feel Halone’s alarm—he was at his limit, he needed to rest—but he couldn’t. Wouldn’t. Not until Zephirin and Haumeric left.

“I apologize for my older brother.” Augustine interjected. “Thank you, Ser Peulagnon, for looking at his wounds. I pray ask your forgiveness for taking up your time like this.” Haumeric blinked.

“Ser Augustine, there is no apology needed!” He said, gesturing. “If anything, this is a friendlier use of our time!”

“Reports have made it to the Vault of voidsent infestations out here in Central Coerthas.” Zephirin added. “His Holiness requested that the matter be investigated.”

“I see.” Augustine got out. He didn’t dare look at Mathye, but he knew his older brother had gone very still. The other day the priest had dealt with a voidsent rift down at the bottom of Witchdrop with a friend of his, Tristan Galis. While normally such things wouldn’t technically be a problem…Tristan was actually a former Ishgardian paladin whose entire order had been executed by order of the Archbishop for treason and heresy. He now was a fiend hunter, his former life as a paladin making him especially skilled in dealing with voidsent. How Tristan had gotten back into Coerthas and why he was dealing with the Witchdrop voidsent problem Augustine didn’t know. Nor did he want to know. Tristian was his friend as well; their paladin orders had been allies. And given everything that had been happening ever since Halone had chosen him as her First Dominant…

"Your wounds have been cleansed, but there is a faint trace of Darkness." Haumeric frowned. "Did you encounter one of the void's denizens, Ser Mathye?"

"There was a aether-rift by the Weeping Saint." Mathye admitted. "I was traveling there to gather some water, and ran into a fiend. It was fairly powerful, and I ended up semi-Priming to fight it." Augustine inhaled, feeling his truthsense briefly flare to life. Mathye was lying--but he was also telling the truth as well.

"I closed the rift afterwards, and just had enough energy to teleport back here before passing out." Zephirin shared a look with Haumeric. Something seemed...off about the other knight, Augustine realized. At first glance the leader of the Heavens' Ward appeared to be normal. But ever so faintly Augustine could...sense something. Smell it, now that he was focusing on it...

Decay? Halone was in his thoughts, sharing his senses. She'd sensed the strangeness too. The smell was gone--but for a moment Augustine could have sworn that he'd picked up on the sickly-sweet smell of rot. As if the wind had brought the scent of a decomposing body. And it had been coming from Zephirin.

What the... Augustine's eyes flicked to Haumeric. The conjurer also had that feeling of wrongness, and again that brief flare coming from him--the smell of rot. What in the name...what is that?!

I don't know. Halone answered. But I think...I've sensed this energy before.

Where? Augustine thought.

From the Vault.

#ffxiv #ffxiv-ffxvi au (the other one)#on our fates alight

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scrollsfromarebornrealm · 8 months

Text

Prompt #2: Bark

Haurchefant toed the body of a slain imperial solider, a scowl crossing his features. The Fury had seemed to favor Camp Dragonhead. Some hours before he'd received word of imperial troops having made it into Coerthas under cover of a blizzard. When it came to Garlean encroachment upon his home, the Silver Fuller only had one rule.

Annihilation.

Even more so now, considering that Fortemps' holding was the home of the Fury's chosen vessels--Augustine and Mathye Bishop. The silver-haired elezen exhaled, breath puffing out in white clouds. Behind him he could hear the bark of orders being given, Corentiaux was directing the clean-up effort. The clear weather wouldn't last long, another storm was predicted to move in.

"This is the third anti-magic squad in as many months." He commented. "I feel I need to ask, has the Fury directed you to pass judgement upon the nonbelievers and I wasn't invited?"

"If there was an offensive against the Empire, you would be the first one we'd invite." Snow crunching under his boots, the blue-armored form of Augustine Bishop came up alongside the master of Camp Dragonhead. No longer semi-Primed, he was back to his normal self.

"As for this, you've heard the news from outside. The Black Wolf is on the march." Augustine squatted next to the dead man, patting him down and inspecting his pockets.

"With how he took over Ala Mhigo, it makes sense that he'd look at us. You know how the Vault reacted to my brother's Priming. And Ser Wrymblood's own. We're all just only barely getting along and even then."

"Scouts." Haurchefant mused.

"We're probably not the only ones dealing with this. Ser Borel's contacts have told him that Ifrit, Titan, and Garuda are active. Plus there was word of a unknown Eikon showing up in Limsa." Augustine considered the small pile of items he'd put together. Scraps of paper, a tomestone, a carved figurine of a man in red wood, and a locket. The tomestone was set to the side, along with the papers. The figurine and the locket went back in the dead man's pockets.

"May you enjoy peace on the other side." He murmured, bowing his head. Haurchefant echoed the prayer, watching as Augustine stood up.

"So the Black Wolf is testing for weaknesses then?" He asked. "That makes for ill hearing." Augustine didn't respond immediately, his gaze flicking towards the Nail.

"If I were you, I'd see about getting some men together to investigate Castrum Aquilonis." He said. "Like you said, the third incursion as in many months? They can't be coming from outside."

#ffxiv #ffxiv write 2023 #ffxiv-ffxvi au (the other one)#haurchefant greystone #augustine bishop

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scrollsfromarebornrealm · 3 months

Text

on our fates alight--drain

It was midnight when Riven cracked open the window in her room. She glanced at the door—halfway expecting a guard to knock on it.

Or possibly Mathye or one of the others. Augustine and Reinhardt knew she’d been lying about a stomachache—she wouldn’t put it past one of them to somehow be watching her room. When nothing happened, Riven let her shoulders sag, blowing out a breath. Carefully she picked up the charm Genbu had given her, feeling the aether settle over her skin. Then she pushed open the window further and pulled herself onto the ledge. Just below her were the gardens of Meghaduta. Taking in deep breath, Riven stood up and jumped…

Only to crash into a cloth-covered muscular form.

“Ooomph!” Panic flared in Riven-and she practically leapt off the body that had broken her fall. Or tried—a hand reached out and snagged one of her ankles in an iron grip.

“Sisters—what am I, a bounce-pad?! You’re just as heavy as Aeryn!” Riven froze-one hand still clenching the charm, the other holding a chakram that she’d just been about to swipe with.

“…Zaine?” She squeaked. A spell-light came to life as her ankle was released, revealing the wincing form of Aeryn’s brother. He rubbed his torso, then glared at Riven.

“I was about to come up there—you disappeared from my senses! Saw the window open and thought some fool was…” Zaine trailed off as Riven scrambled to her feet, whipping the charm behind her back. Understanding dawned across his face.

Ah. They have disguising charms too. It had to have been a recent development. When he and Aeryn had encountered Riven and the others in Eorzea, they’d not had such things. If it hadn’t been for the fact that it would have placed them in danger, he and his sister would have left them their own, crafted with Hannish alchemy and dragon magic. It also explained why the dragoon had been on the roof near Riven’s room earlier. Sighing, Zaine pushed himself to his feet.

“Good thing I told the guards to take a break for the evening.” He commented. “You’re a bad liar, you know that? You should have stayed and finished eating. You’re the type to not act with sense when you haven’t eaten.”

“I didn’t feel well, and I wasn’t hungry!” Riven snapped. However, her stomach took that moment to growl loudly, exposing the lie. She turned red, and Zaine sighed.

“Come on.” He invited, gesturing. “You need to eat—and you’ll feel better with a full stomach. I told your brothers I’d look out for you tonight.” He’d offered to speak to Riven, while Aeryn would handle the assho—Sebastian. Both Sharlayans were doing their best to hide it—but they were upset. Upset at how Thanvair treated its Dominants—like people. A grace that should have been granted to them when they’d Primed but hadn’t been. He didn’t blame Riven or the asshole one bit for their feelings, they were valid. However, for the sake of operational security—and the burgeoning friendship his sister was developing with Riven—it was best to lance the wound and drain out the poison now, before it started to fester. Valefor’s Dominant looked at his hand, then at him.

“…Why are you doing this?” She asked.

“Because you need to eat. Because I’d like for you to see my home, and for the people here to see you—without that charm. To show you that you can believe Vrtra—that’s it’s safe here for our kind. And for you to express your feelings…that you’re hurting and you’re angry.” As soon as the words left his mouth Zaine found himself partly regretting them, as Riven’s eyes narrowed.

“I am not angry!” To her credit, there wasn’t a hint of eikonic power coming off her. “I’m fine!”

“You’re angry.” Zaine countered. He’d stepped in it, might as well finish the job. “You’re angry and jealous, and that’s okay. I’d be the same way in your position. Hells, I’d be ripping up the training arena by the tiles at this point. And I hope when you go back home, you vent that anger, that frustration, that pain on those who deserve it. But…” Here Zaine took a step closer to Riven.

“But here, you’re among friends. We can’t imagine what you went through, but we’re friends. And I know it’s going to be hard for you—but…just let those barriers down just a little bit.” His voice was soft. Riven swallowed, but Zaine could see the sheen of tears in her eyes—a brighter blue than normal. Was Valefor surfacing?

She hurts too. Daivadipa whispered. The wounds are old. It will take time for them to bleed clean. Zaine didn’t reply, stepping forward again and gently taking Riven’s hand—the one still gripping the chakram.

“Sssh.” He coaxed. Tears were falling freely from Riven’s eyes—but she was silent. She crumpled—and Zaine wrapped his arms around her in a hug.

“Ssshhh.” He whispered.

----- (starring @autumnslance 's Aeryn and Zaine)

#ffxiv #ffxiv ffxvi au (the other one)#on our fates alight

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