#octopath 2 fanfic

[ellibean-icecream]

Like Tears in the Rain

Chapter One - Adrift

“You have the power to save lives. More than any other. That’s why… you have to live. If anyone can create a cure… It’s you… It’s up to you now…”

—

The apothecary’s world rocked around her. Dizziness could be a symptom of any number of afflictions, ranging from the mundane to the severe. There was no need to panic; her first course of action would be to catalog any other symptoms she was experiencing. The more information she had the more accurate her diagnosis would be. Her throat was parched, her lips dry and cracked. Perhaps some combination of sun exposure and dehydration. When was the last time she had had anything to drink? What was she last doing that might have left her so..?

Where was she? Who was she? A torrent of questions filled her mind, a dam bursting before the flood. Why couldn’t she remember anything? The unsteadiness and apparent lack of memory were possibly symptomatic of a concussion.

And just how in the hell did she know all of this?

She heard waves. She opened her eyes slowly, blinking against the bright light. Far above her, masts stretched up into the sky, sails pulled taut by the wind. She spoke, despite the ache in her throat.

“Am I… on a ship?”

That would mean the unsteadiness she had felt since earlier was nothing but the rocking of the vessel on the waves. The sailor kneeling by her side nodded, his dark skin tanned further by his many hours on the sea. He gently pressed a canteen into her hands, helping her drink it. It was the sweetest thing she had ever tasted. As the last drops fell past her lips, the kind-hearted sailor took the canteen back, standing and stepping away from her. “Finally come to, have you? Feeling better yet?”

This question came from an older looking gentleman, dressed in finer garments than the other sailors in sight. Perhaps the captain of the vessel. He looked down at her fondly, a touch of concern in his eyes.

“You’ve got the luck o’ the tides, y’know.”

The apothecary sat up slowly, measuring her body’s response. She still felt slightly dizzy and doubted if she’d be able to stand on her own. The captain reached down, helping her slowly to her feet. Even this simple action left her throat parched once more.

“Easy now, lass.You’ve had a rough time o’ it. Drink up.”

He handed her another canteen of water. This time she took her time drinking it, feeling better with each passing moment. Dehydration, then. Perhaps her loss of memory was a symptom of something separate then.

“Thank you… for saving me.”

“Couldn’t well leave you to the fishes. How’d you end up on that li’l skiff anyhow?”

“Skiff..?” She’d been on a skiff? How did she get there? Had she been part of a ship wreck? She wracked her brain, trying to find anything. Nothing. Meaningless fragments. A half remembered smile. The sound of a laugh, perhaps? Nothing that could explain how she ended up adrift in the ocean.

“I don’t know. I can’t remember.”

“C’mon now, this isn’t the time for jokes.”

A feeling bubbled in her stomach, and she lowered her head. Why would she lie about this? Why would anyone? She glanced back up at the captain, anger rising slightly before she caught his eyes. He was concerned for her. She didn’t know him, but he was concerned.

“I’m sorry, but I really can’t remember anything. Who I am, where I came from… it’s all a blank.”

His concern grew, his eyes staring piercingly into hers. She glanced away, unable to keep his intense gaze. She recognized the feeling in the pit of her stomach. Helplessness. Once more she was adrift, and once more it was the captain who saved her.

“I know one thing ‘bout you, lass. Your name. It’s Castti.”

Castti’s eyes widened slightly. She didn’t know him, but perhaps he knew her.

“Castti… How… How did you know that?”

“It’s stitched onto your outfit. What’s that uniform o’ yours, anyway?”

Castti glanced down at her attire. She wore a light blue cloak, fraying at the ends from use. Beneath this cloak a simple dress of the same color and a white apron accentuated once more in blue. Her boots and leggings were sturdy, and taken with the cloak suggested a life spent on the road. She shook her head slowly in response to his question.

“...Ah, right. Amnesia. Strange to think a person could forget their own name.”

She had to remember. He had given her her name. It was a start, but she needed more information. The crew had to know more about her arrival, and there was plenty of time before they made port.

—

Most of the crew had seemed happy to provide her with what information she needed. She reminded the captain of his daughter, and anyone he favored was welcomed by the crew. Most of the crew at least. One crewman had paled at the sight of her, and avoided her for the rest of the voyage.

The ship weighed anchor in Canalbrine a few days after she had been found adrift. From what she could piece together from the circumstances of her rescue, she had probably drifted from the continent to the east. How she had figured that out was still a mystery. She had found another clue to her identity. Her bag had been full of apothecary supplies, which explained her knowledge of the body, if not how she could remember it.

The captain had been worried about her setting off by herself, without her memories. He has slipped her a small pouch of leaves, enough for a night at the inn and a couple meals. She stepped down off the gangplank and onto the dock.

Canalbrine bustled like any major port at the arrival of a new ship. Traders and passengers alike stepped down around her as they went about their business, annoyed by her taking a moment to gather herself.

“She’s one of them, isn’t she…”

The whisper passed through the crowd as more eyes turned towards her. People turned to stare at her, before slipping down streets and into buildings. It wasn’t long before she was alone at the end of the docks.

“I… appear to be causing quite a stir.”

—

“Excuse me!”

The two girls who had been chatting by the bridge jumped with a start, eyes widening as they saw the apothecary. Without another word the two quickly fled. Castti’s brows furrowed in frustration. Something was clearly wrong, but no one was willing to tell her what. Perhaps the innkeeper would enlighten her, if they even acknowledged her presence. A young man paused in front of the building before her, eyeing her warily. His breathing seemed oddly shallow, and after another step he dropped to his knees. Castti was by his side in an instant.

“Excuse me! Are you alright?”

The young man struggled, trying to get to his feet again before collapsing down once more. Castti eyed him over, mentally noting each visible symptom. His forehead was damp and his breathing shallow, likely he had some kind of fever.

“What’s going on here? Is something wrong with him?”

Castti stood, turning to face the new arrival. Her breath caught on her answer. The woman before her had long, flowing hair tied up in a ponytail. Her brown skin caught the light of the setting sun. She was beautiful. Castti’s face burned as she realized she was forgetting her patient.

“He’s burning up! We need to get him inside!”

[starbit-is-not-here]

If we as a fandom collectively go into denial mode hard enough we can make this canon I believe in us

[justagingerwithredhair]

What did the Octopath Traveler fandom do to deserve the countless phenomenal artists and writers we have in this community. Every day, I am astounded that the very niche game very few of my irl friends have heard of gets graced with some of the most beautiful works of fan art I've ever seen.

Love you guys and all your work <3

[postalninja]

41 for the prompts!

41. comfort food Osvald felt terrible. Not only were his sinuses congested, but his muscles ached and his lungs seemed to be trying to cough themselves free from his chest. At least the fever which had overcome him the previous night had finally broken, but he'd been left weak and helpless in its wake. He had faint memories of a soothing hand pressing something damp and cool to his forehead amidst the delirious dreams the fever had summoned. Castti, he thought to himself, warmth blooming in his chest, distracting him from his misery for a moment. She'd been steadfastly tending to him since the first symptoms of his illness had appeared, not taking no for an answer when he had argued that he was fine. He was grateful now that she'd insisted on him getting some rest. It turned out he truly had needed it - still needed it, in fact. Their journey could wait while he recovered... he supposed it would have to, regardless. Osvald was nearly drifting off, exhaustion pulling him under, when a delectable and familiar aroma cut through his drowsiness and congestion both. His eyes shot open: he would know that smell anywhere. But... was he dreaming? Had the fever returned and vivid memories of his past with it?

But when he turned his head he saw that it was Castti entering the room with a steaming bowl on a tray. For a moment, he'd thought... "Goulash..." he muttered, his brows knit as she approached to sit by his bed. Castti gave him a kind smile. "I thought you might be hungry," she said. Osvald blinked, his mind still reeling from the rush of sense memory the smell of goulash had summoned in his mind. He sat up in bed, propping himself up against his pillows. "I thought chicken soup was customary in situations like this," he breathed dryly - a touch too dryly, perhaps, as he soon found himself coughing violently once more. Castti reached out, setting a soothing hand to his upper arm while the coughing fit passed. Osvald lay back against the pillows with a sigh, drained once again. Castti returned her hand to the tray in her lap, he eyes fixed onto the bowl. "I... thought this would be comforting," she bashfully admitted, replying to his earlier statement. "I had never made goulash before, but the cook at the tavern had a recipe, so I thought I'd try it. The spices aren't all the same, of course, but I tasted it and it's quite good. I hope it's close enough..." "It's wonderful," Osvald assured her without hesitation. Castti looked up, meeting his gaze with a quizzical expression. "But you haven't tried it yet." He gave her a shaky smile, heedless of the moisture gathering at the corners of his eyes. "It doesn't need to be the same," he said, touched. "Thank you, Castti." The same warmth that had earlier blossomed through Osvald's heart now suffused his core as Castti handed him the tray with a shy smile. Her thoughtfulness was more comfort than she would ever know.

[hylaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa]

AgneKari Week 2024 Official Prompts and Rules

Hello friends! Thank you to everyone who showed interest in AgneKari Week 2024! We are excited to announce the prompts and rules for AgneKari Week 2024!

Join us from August 11-17!

We are so pleased to announce the first annual AgneKari Week, a full seven days dedicated to the adorableness that is Agnea Bristarni/Hikari Ku from Octopath Traveler II. All are welcomed to participate in this event with fanart, fanfiction, poetry, musical compositions, crafts, and any other creative outlet of your choice.

Please see below for full event information!

How to participate:

During the week of August 11-17, share your creative works related to Agnea/Hikari! You can participate as little or as much as you would like – no need to come up with something for every day. Check out the prompt list below to inspire you, and help us spread the word by liking, resharing, giving kudos, and commenting on other participants’ work.

When uploading works to Archive of our Own (AO3), please drop them in the “AgneKariWeek2024” collection: https://archiveofourown.org/collections/AgneKariWeek2024 

When posting works to social media, please use the #AgneKariWeek2024 tag so that others can easily reshare!

Prompts:

For each day, we are providing two prompts to choose from. You can pick your favorite or try to combine them. Don’t be afraid to get creative – all potential interpretations of the prompts are welcomed! And if the prompts aren’t speaking to you, no worries. Thursday is a free day, when you can write, draw, or produce anything you’d like, as long as it relates to Agnea/Hikari.

Full prompt list:

Sunday, August 11: Home | Path

Monday, August 12: Music | Hot

Tuesday, August 13: Travel | Rest

Wednesday, August 14: First | Fall

Thursday, August 15: Bewildering Grace (Free Day)

Friday, August 16: Joy | Sorrow

Saturday, August 17: Shadow | Dawn

Where to go for more information:

Follow the official AgneKari Week twitter/X account @AgneKariWeek

Join the official AgneKari discord: discord.gg/ppQFjwnX

Or email any questions to AgneKariWeek@gmail.com

Who’s steering this ship?

We have two moderators, myself and Ivy!

You can find Ivy on Twitter (@Ivy_WritesYall), Discord (@pomegranate_leaves) and AO3 (@azuki_porridge).

You can find me on Tumblr (@hylaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa), Discord (@hygirl), and AO3 (@hiya_girlie).

Other questions and answers:

I want to participate, but I don’t want to write or draw. Is there anything I can do?

There are plenty of ways you can participate! Tell an artist or writer what you like about their work, repost some of your favorites, or get creative – compile a playlist, make a mood board, or bake themed cupcakes! All ideas are welcome.

Can I share information about AgneKari Week on my social media channels?

Absolutely – in fact, we would love it if you did! Feel free to direct folks to the official channels for more information.

Can I include background ships?

Sure! Just make sure they are tagged appropriately.

Can I write/draw explicit content?

We ask that all previews be non-explicit so that we can share freely, but as long as your work is tagged appropriately, there are no rating limits!

I like Agnea and Hikari but want to depict them as friends. Is that okay?

We agree that friendship is a great ship! Feel free to depict them as friends – we just ask that you don’t pair them romantically with anyone else if you tag your work as part of AgneKari week. And please bear in mind that folks may still interpret it as romantic.

Why is the free day called Bewildering Grace?

Because we’re wondering what will happen!

I have a prompt idea for AgneKari week. Where can I submit it?

Please send any ideas to the email address listed above! The prompts for this year are finalized, but we would love to hear your thoughts on prompts for future weeks.

I have a question that’s not listed here. What should I do?Reach out to the mods on any of the channels listed above, and we’ll do our best to get back to you with an answer as soon as possible.

Thanks for joining us for our inaugural AgneKari week, and we hope you have a wonderful time!

-Mod Hy♥️

[aptericia]

Happy birthday!!🎉🥳

To celebrate I want to give you a little (ok, it may have gotten a little longer than I anticipated) one-shot of some Temenos and Throné friendship and fluff (and maybe some angst). I hope you like it and happy birthday again!! Plus I hope you’re having a wonderful birthday full of everything you love!💖

(as a foreword this takes place a few years after the game’s story and includes some vague spoilers for Temenos’s and Throné’s stories)

“Say Temenos,” Throné asks, approaching the inquisitor with a light smile tugging her lips.

Looking up from his delicate work of cutting, sewing, and coloring his next batch of puppets, Temenos smiles fondly at the sight of his old friend. “Throné! What an excellent surprise this is!”

Temenos quickly stows away the puppets and his supplies. “Why do I have the honor of seeing you today?”

Throné’s hand reaches up to idly rub at her freed neck. It’s somewhat reassuring to Temenos, knowing that habit of hers never went away. 

“I know it’s a bit odd, but I have a gift for you.”

“A gift? While I am quite flattered it hardly seems fair to you who has traveled so far to give me a gift with no occasion.”

Throné chuckles, pulling a small item out from her pocket. “I was nearby anyway and I've been holding on to this for too long now.” Suddenly she hesitates, pulling her hand away from Temenos. 

“Is something the matter?” Temenos watches her eyes soften, an almost guilty look clouding her eyes. Brightening his tone so Throné knows he is only joking he asks, “I’m not receiving a stolen good, am I?” 

Throné’s eyes dart to the floor. “Listen, I took this a long time ago. It’s just time for you to have it.”

“My dear Throné, you do realize I will not have you thrown into jail for some light thieving, yes?”

Laughing a little, Throné’s shoulders drop. “Just take it, alright?”

And with that Throné presses the mysterious item into Temenos’s palm, waiting patiently for Temenos to examine it. 

Whatever it is has been wrapped in thinning brown paper, small holes tearing through to reveal what it protected. Curiously peeling back the paper, Temenos only grows more confused.

“Pardon me for sounding ungrateful but, what is this?”

Throné lets out a long sigh. “I suppose you wouldn’t recognize it, seeing as I stole it long before I even met you.” Glancing at Throné, Temenos waits for her to explain what this trinket is. “It belonged to Crick.”

“Oh.”

Swallowing, Temenos studies the trinket more carefully now, a tightness wringing his chest. It is something silver plated, or at least it used to be, as most of the silver has rubbed off to a hard, brown metal. The metal itself has been shaped to resemble a ram’s horn curling in on itself with a rubbed away flower still blooming in the center of the design.

Throné’s heels click on the floor of the cathedral. “I thought maybe he would have mentioned it or you might have known what it meant to him.”

“Regretfully, I do not.” Temenos cannot stop staring at the charm, passing his thumb over the raised edges and flattening spirals. It is clearly a well-loved item. “You said you got this before we met?”

“Yeah, of course I didn’t know him at the time either. I just thought he looked like he may have something to steal, being a Knight-in-training and all, but I only found that.”

“And you kept it?” Temenos finds tears slipping down his cheeks, but his heart has not felt so warm in such a long time.

Resting her hand on Temenos’s arm, Throné smiles, “I thought it looked nice. I thought maybe it would bring me good luck, and I would say it certainly did.”

“Thank you, Throné,” Temenos sniffles, wiping the last tears away. “Truly, thank you.”

Slipping away, Throné relaxes into her regular aloof posture. “I’m just glad you’re not throwing me into jail.”

“Of course not! Though my door is always open to hearing your confessions,” Temenos teases, clenching Crick’s old talisman so hard his hard trembles.

“Not in a thousand years, Temenos.”

After more pleasantries, Throné gives her final goodbyes to Temenos, forcing him to promise that he would be the one to travel to her next time. The sun is setting as Temenos watches Throné leave, and a light breeze blows through the trees. Their orange leaves rustle and gently fall to the ground as Temenos makes his way back inside the church, clutching Crick’s talisman close to his heart with a smile on his face.

OMIGOSH??? FOR ME???? THANK YOU SO MUCH WAAAAAAHH!!! 😭😭😭

This is such a sweet scene and you wrote my favorite little guys so well!!! I have indeed been having a good birthday, in no small part to you and all my friends who have been super nice!! I will treasure this forever <3<3<3<3

(Do you post fics on Ao3 or anything? I would love to read more of your work!!)

[leonidskies]

I wrote some Hikari-focused hurt/comfort from the perspective of all the other travellers! I really love this piece. Come get your Hikari-hurting juice :)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/55031746

[fly-arrow]

[roaldseth]

“It was a different story to each person Z'aanta told it to, and even then it was not a sure thing of staying the same for any consecutive retellings[. ...] The hunt was not even one commissioned by the Order, and yet it still existed amongst it in its records, [...] a completely different tale than the one from the master hunter’s mouth despite it chronicling the exact same events.”

【 Full Wage 】 an Octopath Traveler fanfic

Z'aanta | Rated M | 11,065 words, 3/3 Chapters

COMPLETED

Please mind full tags on AO3. Prologue - Story - Epilogue format

Fic linked below ↓

[powwidge]

[octopath 2 endgame spoilers]

i recently saw a post which was like "underrated tropes: foudn family that all hate each other" and that's just the moonshade order and it absolutely kills me kjafhgjdk i love how everyone in the moonshade order just kinda hates each other apart from some people being obsessed with others (tanzi and petrichor with arcanette, ori with oboro possibly)????? LIKE THEY ALL HATE EACH OTHER. ori fucking LOATHES harvey. she doesnt trust arcanette. harvey does nto care for any of them. only osvald matters! as if arcanette has any attachments here cmon.

like it kills me how they do give found family vibes but in the most horrid sense ever

[sun-marie]

What I really think media with ensemble casts, especially those in a traveling group of some kind, are missing are big, blow-out arguments between the group. Especially when there's a conflict of interests, I am such a sucker for when two or more characters disagree so strongly that they realize very little is actually holding them together as a group, and wonder if it's time to go their separate ways.

I feel like a lot of video games, specifically, just kind of assume once the traveling band is "complete", it's forced to stay together until the player expressly permits it, but I don't really find that very compelling and a lot of times it feels more like they're relying on some kind of immediately strong bond that hasn't really been earned. Which is a shame, because in my opinion one of the best ways to strengthen that bond is to have the characters disagree and argue. Maybe they realize they're only being superficially held together and so they temporarily split up, only to then realize how much they've come to care for the others in the group. Then they reunite, make-up, formulate a plan to go forward, and boom, the group bond is that much stronger. Or maybe they don't even split up, and maybe they never learn to like each other, but they decide whatever cause their working toward is more important. Something else, bigger than them, is holding them together.

It just feels like a lot of potential is going to waste to just skip straight to the intense found family bond, without earning it.

[ellibean-icecream]

hey octopath tumblr. hypothetically if i were writing a coffee house octo 2 fic, what would partitio name his worker's coop coffee shop. hypothetically.

(will of course give credit for if someone comes up with a really good name)

[elliewiltarwyn]

I! posted fanfic of my WoLs!! for the first time!!!

i really do have @sasslett and @ainyan (for organizing #FFXIVSwap) and @set2zero (for the adorable fic they wrote for Ellie and Minfilia for the swap) to thank for breaking the anxiety block in me that was keeping me from posting hehe. hopefully this is the first of a lot more!! ahhhhhhhhh

please take a look if you enjoy big girls being soft, panicked "OH SHIT I FORGOT MY PARTNER'S BIRTHDAY" moments, and domestic fluff! also here are the gposes I took when I had the initial realization that it was Mia's nameday.

[4ragon]

[Major Spoilers for Octopath Temenos Chapter 3]

“Are you worried about him?”

“Who? Partitio?”

“Crick,” Throné said, rolling her eyes. “Are you worried about him?”

Temenos snorted at that. “Worried?” he repeated. “Whatever for?”

And that gave her pause for a moment, frowning as she thought to herself. She glanced out at the darkness. “He’s a good man,” she finally said, her eyes saying a million things neither of them could articulate.

Temenos turned away, wind tousling his hair. “I suppose he is,” he said with a humorless smile. “But all the more reason not to get too attached, hmm?”

(In which Temenos decides to go on a late night stroll)

[postalninja]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Octopath Traveler II (Video Game) Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Castti Florenz/Osvald V. Vanstein Characters: Castti Florenz, Osvald V. Vanstein Additional Tags: Huddling For Warmth, Strangers to Lovers, canon adjacent, Vulnerability, Healing Sex, Woman on Top, Grief/Mourning, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Late Night Conversations, mild spoilers for Castti chapter 1 and Osvald chapter 2 Summary:

While traveling through the Winterlands, Castti is caught of guard first by an unexpected blizzard, then by the discovery of a stranger lying unconscious in the snow. With the storm worsening and nightfall imminent, she must rely on her instincts as an apothecary to keep them both alive.

[hylaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa]

AgneKari Week 2024 announcement!

Hello friends! I'm excited to announce that this year we are hosting a week to celebrate our beloved ship from Octopath Traveler 2, AgneKari!

This will be similar to other fandom week events, where we will release a list of prompts for the week and encourage all fans of Octopath Traveler 2 and AgneKari to join in with fanworks that follow the themes, using the tag #AgneKari Week 2024 across platforms.

More information will come as we get it more organized, but in the meantime, join our Octopath Discord server (link doesn't expire) to stay up to date on the planning and contribute yourself!

An official Twitter account will be made to promote the event over there, and I'll continue to share updates about the event on my blog, so stay tuned for more info!

Reach out with any questions, and happy traveling!

-Hy♥️