#zeno's little paradise

[illegiblewords]

Almost current in Dawntrail, I make some references to plot stuff under the cut but this post isn't mainly about Dawntrail. This is an analytical rant. There are people who disagree with me that I adore/respect to bits who have done brilliant stuff from angles I wouldn't take. People shouldn’t stop doing what they’re inspired to do according to whether I like or dislike something. This post qualifies less with 'I think' and 'I believe' statements/is a little harsher because I'm venting though. Proceed at your discretion.

Features critical/darker discussions of Venat and Hermes with brief mentions of Zenos.

I really, genuinely think a lot of people are only getting pieces of what's going on in FFXIV.

The story still isn't black and white. Characters very, very often are not what they advertise themselves to be. Neither the cast nor fans are immune to misjudging.

Hermes is not as compassionate as he presents himself. There is an enormous discrepancy between what he professes and the choices he consistently makes, both with regard to other ancients and creations. I do believe he was genuinely miserable but he is basically Satan from Paradise Lost, who wonders why he alone was made unsatisfied with obedience and perfection. Who recognizes there is difference in himself compared to others but is conflicted about whether this is a defect or higher calling. Satan sees himself as inherently 'other' above all else and Hermes is just the same. The shared snake imagery isn't a coincidence either.

Everything I've seen points to Hermes being a narcissist who does not have instinctive empathy in a society where empathy is the most valuable quality a person can have. He strives to have more empathy than all other people without truly understanding what that means. It's why he projects his anger and hatred onto the wolf creation as it dies instead of offering it any kind of comfort. It's why he sends Meteion into space to suffer pain, death, and despair as a high empathy being who challenges all concepts of what it means to be alive… instead of presenting her to the Bureau of the Architect, where her very existence might instigate star-wide reform for how all other creations are handled. For his ego, he needed to be the only one with extensive knowledge of dynamis. He needed to be the only one with answers from on high regarding the nature of life. That was far more important than Meteion's wishes or well-being, and the creations he claims to love are expendable for this purpose. He frequently oscillates between seeing himself as beneath all other ancients and the sole, divinely powerful judge/jury/executioner of all living things. Like Satan from Paradise Lost he can't be grouped with those around him. He can't be just one of many ancients dealing with fears, doubts, despairs. He MUST be exceptional above all else. I'd argue the main reason he accepts the Warrior of Light at all is because we do not appear as a fellow ancient to him--he sees us as a familiar, and therefore inherently without equal authority and agency compared to him. When we are useful to his worldview he uses us and when we aren't we're disposable.

I've seen people claim that Hermes is just anxious and that's why he didn't submit Meteion. You don't opt for genocide and decree all of humanity as immoral and unworthy of mercy without even allowing your targets a voice to answer out of anxiety. You certainly don't do that while having specifically gone out of your way to avoid any steps that might have given room for more charitable judgments. Hermes opted to destroy everyone because it was what he wanted to do, but it didn't fit his self-image as a benevolent and empathetic person to do so. That's why he made a loophole via memory erasure.

Venat, further, is not a hero. She's gray at best and in all likelihood a pretty dark shade of it. Light motifs and crystal mommy themes do not change this. She not only decided, independently, that Hermes' genocide was an appropriate course without allowing anyone else room to discuss or address the issue--she actively denied everyone else knowledge of what happened or even basic information about dynamis (LET ALONE METEION'S LOCATION) so they could deal with the issue effectively. She passed judgment on the entire Convocation because of Hermes' appointment without once judging herself for withholding information on his true character. There is a reason Emet-Selch called her out for being immediately ready to see herself as a morally correct messiah of the star. He wasn't wrong to do so. And especially after Endwalker I think Venat grossly misunderstood not only what led to worlds self-destructing on a philosophical level (never mind Meteion's emotion amplification powers), I think she misread her own star and its people. Pursuit of purity and certainty was what led to the destruction of worlds. The total absence of pain is just one form that can take, but it isn't necessary for a world to be in perpetual agony to avoid that. Venat dismissed the despairs and struggles of her own fellow ancients because there was no room for them in the view she had of herself and her world. If she didn't see them they didn't exist, but even when she did see them they didn't count enough to sway her judgment. Venat had to be the most correct person and she didn't allow even as Hydaelyn the possibility of making mistakes or unwarranted cruelty to others. She is 1000% guilty of 'ancient hubris'.

Venat might be a more middling gray, in my view, depending on whether she'd been trying to shield as many people as possible from tempering with the traveler's ward only for most of the star to become tempered by Zodiark post-summoning. There are a lot of repeating phrases between Elidibus, post-Final Days ancients, and the lunar shades that I think point to mass tempering. Venat would have grounds for assuming people had homogenized views, prayers, and voices if the star was largely tempered. If they weren't, I think she becomes pretty sinister for how she deals with people's post-Final Days trauma. Her injustice toward the ancients in that case would just happen to be in a way that benefits the shards.

The Zodiark plan prevented life from going extinct. It was necessary. Zodiark's tempering and the subsequent sacrifice spiral were not deliberate I suspect, seeing as Zodirk was the first primal EVER. People have been consistently misreading the loporrit quote on this to try and argue that Zodiark didn't temper the Unsundered.

The line states that Venat used a different summoning technique to the one utilized by Ascians. Venat's technique specifically does not temper people. The Ascian method does. If Venat's technique was used to summon an entity of Zodiark's magnitude (whose power could not be resisted according to Emet-Selch) there might be a slight tug toward tempering despite the technique being much safer.

This is not saying Zodiark didn't temper anyone. It's specifically saying that despite Venat having a safe technique, Zodiark's summoning was on such a monumental scale that even Venat's technique would carry some risk.

Meanwhile, Lahabrea has been getting set up for years as someone who has been dehumanized, judged, isolated, and misunderstood. This has continued to increasing degrees through Dawntrail. It has been going on since A Realm Reborn. The sheer consistency of it is insane at this point. There is a HUGE gap between how Lahabrea emotes and what he's actually feeling. His choices reflect this and it is demonstrated firsthand in Pandaemonium.

No one seemed to think it was weird that Lahabrea was ready to commit a pseudo-suicide by killing Hephaistos. No one seemed to catch that the 'pseudo-suicide' in the lyrics to Scream referenced Lahabrea, as did the 'shadow left far behind' line. People contorted themselves into pretzels trying to say that Scream was not about him. Nevermind that Pandaemonium is the Lahabrea raid, in which all other characters were supporting cast to flesh out Lahabrea. It must be mainly about Hegemone and Agdistis! If not them, it must be mainly about Erichthonios!

The man's entire story is about being dehumanized, dismissed, invalidated, and excluded while suffering severe mental illness. It's kind of horrendous that fans are continuing to do this to him on a meta level.

Lahabrea has a long history of Abrahamic imagery. If the Warring Triad mirror the Unsundered, Sephirot as the Tree of Life maps to the Kabbalistic process of creation. The game explicitly and correctly references this in the attacks used. The lyrics to Fiend track for Lahabrea as does the association with Id issues, and there's symbolically significant overlap between muscular/multi-armed Sephirot (where multiple arms reference the boddisatva Guanyin, who uses those many arms to help those in need) to muscular/multi-armed Zodiark as Lahabrea's creation. And Zodiark being Lahabrea's creation is indicated in Akademia Anyder. People have been trying to attribute Zodiark to Hermes because Hermes hijacked him in EW and it drives me nuts.

Meanhwile, what did Pandaemonium do?

Paired the Tree of Life to The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. There's a ton of snake, fruit, and mouth imagery in Pandaemonium. Athena is Eve offering Lahabrea as Adam knowledge of good and evil via the soul bonding. Lahabrea has been afraid of himself as an extremely powerful ancient (which I've analyzed before, tying to Emet-Selch too), particularly given he's in a position of power. He reflects the societal idea that someone with his aetherial strength and authority cannot afford to be selfish or he risks causing immeasurable harm to others. Result is that Lahabrea is absolutely terrified of being selfish in any capacity, even on a basic healthy level. Athena meanwhile is a purely selfish being. Like I believe is the case with Hermes (and am positive is the case with Zenos)--she does not have instinctive empathy. Athena deliberately psychologically violated her husband by forcing him to acknowledge understanding selfish desire through her perspective, then compounded it by exploiting his lack of self-confidence to say he was bound to be just like her for understanding such selfishness. She's not an authority on that, but Lahabrea sees himself as personally less than Athena and is not at that point equipped to argue on his own behalf.

Anyway. Abrahamic connections, Hegemone has the snake imagery. Agdistis has the tree and the fruit. Athena is Eve. The soul bonding is the fruit of knowledge of good and evil. Hephaistos uses a ton of snake imagery too. Lahabrea is covered in symbolism both on a personal psychological level and tied to traditional symbolism via the hand of god acting upon the world, the eye of god watching the world. For savage, one arm is covered in eyes. This is his role as Lahabrea employing power for his people. The other arm, his personal desires/needs, is long and thin and malformed/not really functional. He covers his heart with a pair of wings for protection and reduces himself, weeping, to DNA because that's the only value he sees in himself. He'd rather be that than himself as a person because at least as DNA he's wanted for something. Lahabrea doesn't think anyone would ever give a shit about him on a personal level.

When Hephaistos is defeated, there's a reason Lahabrea is shaken when he states that Hephaistos' goal was never to raise himself high. That was what Athena wanted and what she told him he'd want. All Hephaistos wanted was his family back and to be loved. That was the moment Lahabrea had to introspect and realized Athena wasn't correct about his motives. Her declaring something about him didn't make it true.

Erichthonios is convinced he has a cruel and indifferent father for much of the raid. We see him twist neutral-to-kind gestures as malicious in front of us, as with Lahabrea allowing him to go to Pandaemonium as a child but insisting he know spells to protect himself. Erichthonios takes Lahabrea's insistence as believing he's not good enough instead of wanting him to be safe. We also see Erichthonios construe something that actually points to Lahabrea being depressed (giving himself no credit for completing the phoenix and advertising nothing only to be surprised by coworkers throwing him a celebration anyway) as him scorning Pandaemonium for not sharing the achievement with them. Erichthonios was taught to do this by Athena, and Athena likewise twists Lahabrea's self-image as a form of psychological abuse from the moment he approaches her in the soul bonding scene. She cites his status and accuses Lahabrea of thinking himself morally above others for descending to Pandaemonium and judging her. It never occurs to Athena that Lahabrea would try to stop her because he loves and wants to protect his son.

People are projecting their own personal beef with parents behaving poorly to assume Lahabrea is an uncaring father. He's not. He's extremely mentally ill and Erichthonios was groomed by an abusive mother while having no concept of what Lahabrea's mental illness would even look like... let alone how to deal with it.

Lahabrea explicitly thinks Erichthonios is better off with the false memory of a mother who abused him than having him present as a father because he considers himself so personally worthless. He can only see his presence as a detriment in his son's life. He is a short step from the kind of suicide people commit when they think other people would be happier and less burdened if they were dead. 'They might be sad for a while, but ultimately they'll be better off.'

I'm not even bringing out my citations right now. This isn't an Archon Thesis because I want my evidence properly assembled for that. But I recently saw someone try to frame the Convocation and Zodiark plan as uniformly awful, when the reality is doing nothing would have resulted in life going extinct. And if we're talking about zodiac signs mapping to Convocation members, there are more layers to it than 'Ascians = bad versions of the zodiac'.

Ex. The duality (two fish) and creativity associated with Pisces both apply to Lahabrea, but the emotionality does too. It isn't obvious at first but when you look it's there. Lahabrea has hidden strong emotions consistently through a variety of methods across the game. Sometimes it's reserve, sometimes it's aggression, sometimes it's hysteria. But when you look at the surrounding circumstances from his perspective, it makes perfect sense how and why he'd emote that way. It has never been safe for him to be emotionally vulnerable.

One of the earliest moments of 'villain laughter' from him we see is at Carteneau. His assistant waits quietly for him to finish. At that point Bahamut had been unleashed in yet another action that goes directly against Lahabrea's own morals, but is necessary to the Ardor. The sundered respond by invoking Lahabrea's phoenix as protection for humanity against a primal Lahabrea helped orchestrate. On some level people instinctively believe Lahabrea can and will protect them despite his failures, their own reincarnations, and thousands of years passing. It's ironic and horrible but this kind of irony has been happening to Lahabrea over and over again. If he doesn't laugh the dude's going to cry and (again) it isn't safe for him to do that.

(Also as the only Ascian to ever refer to Zodiark as 'master', Lahabrea is A) very tempered B) continuing a pattern of thought/behavior/worldbuilding where he puts his people first and himself dead last C) not talking about Athena. Lahabrea says in-game he had no earthly idea Athena was in the Heart of Sabik. I do think Heart of Sabik effected him by magnifying his desire to save his people and redeem himself in the face of survivor's guilt. It might have influenced his phrasing too. I have theories about what Lahabrea did at Praetorium but blowing it up was not 'the ultimate magic' by any means. I'm pretty sure he used it as a Themis and/or Zodiark backup drive, which Athena's presence at Anabaseios proves is possible anyway. He doesn't need to know about her to figure it out.

People have tried to say Athena is Lahabrea's god instead of Zodiark. Especially given the history of abuse and Lahabrea's own repeatedly shown priorities/actions, that take is pretty appalling imo. Completely dismisses how devoted he has always been to his people to destroy his will and identity altogether on a meta level.)

Even if we strip shit down to the most bare bones narrative form and ignore evidence--where motives and arcs are concerned 'oh Lahabrea has always been evil/uncaring/sociopathic/self-absorbed and stayed that way forever after' is bad storytelling. That would require a 'failure to change' arc as literal or spiritual death. That arc form ties to death because life requires accounting for/adapting to new experiences. If a character fails to do that (for better or worse) that character is stagnant and effectively not living. Such arcs require meticulously showing the process of rejecting experiences though. Zoraal Ja actually approaches the form a bit when we see him repeatedly taking nothing from the trials he undergoes, but his trajectory becomes 'change for the worse' after losing to his father's shade. None of the Unsundered are set up with that arc form, Lahabrea included. It wouldn't offer any insight, fit with what we know of the ancients and their values/society, or carry any emotional impact. Trying to go that route without setup is just bad storytelling and makes characters less believable. But yeah. Tl;dr I really, really wish people paid more attention and examined words vs actions vs surrounding circumstances vs motives.

[akiumzeno]

Analysing Ending C: Punishment from Zeno Remake

!!!!!MAJOR SPOILERS!!!!!

(I'm not very eloquent, especially with analyses, I apologise.)

Something I find remarkable about the ending that it's the one of the only endings where you can only achieve it by submitting to your death/purposely getting a bad ending. And you don't even get a real upside to it. At least with the Crime ending, Tsugino lives a normal life outside the facility and the same thing with Maeno with the The One I'm Waiting For Never Returns.

And even the game acknowledges this by asking whether you're sure you want to submit to Tsugino killing you.

And the thing is that the other endings where Maeno dies (aside from Checkmate) are all treated as happening by accident.

In the aforementioned Crime ending, Tsugino not grabbing Maeno's arm is treated as a mistake by Tsugino regardless if it was intentional on the player's part.

In the Intestines ending, Maeno gets caught by Tsugino if you/he didn't make it to the fire hydrant in time or they get out of the fire hydrant too soon. That's not intentional on Maeno's part and may not be for the player.

While the Checkmate ending does have Maeno dies willfully, that leads into the explanation for why.

Maeno feels guilty.

While I'm not going to get into the Checkmate ending because that's another topic for another day, but in both endings, Maeno lets himself die to Tsugino because he feels guilty for everything he's done. In this scene, he's just found out that Tsugino contacted ZENO by seeing him eat Natsu. And there's two major feelings of guilt he has to unpack with that.

The feeling of guilt from eating Natsu, someone he viewed as the little sister he never had.

He lost his ZENO, only to give it to someone else.

With the first point, almost anyone would already feel guilty from that. That'd be something atrocious that people could let go of the guilt by knowing that they had no choice in the matter. And that's probably how Maeno was able to live on—by knowing that Natsu gave her life willingly and to carry on her wish and they'd either both be dead or Maeno would be the one dead. In no case would either be better.

But now that's gone. Because now, Tsugino had watched what happened and that forever shaped his thinking and made him gain ZENO. Maeno got rid of his ZENO and it was all meaningless because it only made someone else gain ZENO unwittingly (and maybe even 2 people if Fuyu losing his sister made him gain ZENO with Tsugino). Why should his happiness be gained by not only killing someone he loved but someone else gaining the same disease he did? Why is that fair?

And keep in mind, Maeno throughout this game (when not in ZENO mode) has wanted to save everyone, no matter what they have done. Tsugino and Fuyu attacked him many times and he still wishes them to be saved and more importantly he would save them. But turns out, he's the reason they're even like this. He's the one causing problems.

Why should've his life been saved only to cause misery?

So he lets himself get killed by Tsugino because of his guilt. Maybe he's doing it for forgiveness. Maybe he feels he doesn't deserve to live. But whatever it is, he lets himself die to satisfy Tsugino so he can feel love and let Fuyu have his revenge.

His death would mean their happiness.

And I think that the reason Tsugino doesn't receive "love" when eating Maeno is because of Maeno's guilt.

This isn't the only ending where Tsugino—without any amnesia—eats Maeno, there's also the Never-waking-up Paradise ending. And in contrast, he doesn't seem to feel despair and become sad that Maeno isn't giving him "love" when he eats him.

Well, what's the difference? How come he can't receive "love" here but does in the other ending?

In Never-waking-up Paradise, Maeno is forced to be eaten without his consent. He gets tied up and doesn't want to die. But he gets eaten anyway due to Fuyu allowing it to happen. And when that happens, Tsugino takes pleasure in eating Maeno, feeling Maeno's "love" and even says it's delicious.

But here, Maeno lays down his life for Tsugino to take. He doesn't resist. He doesn't have the will to live. And Tsugino eats him, only to feel distressed and depressed that he wasn't given any "love".

Do you see the connection?

I believe Tsugino didn't get any "love" from Maeno because Maeno's spirit is no longer in Maeno. Remember when I said that throughout the game, Maeno was always trying to save everyone? Well here, that desire is destroyed. It's gone. His desire to save everyone is because he believes he only ruined everyone's lives. Maeno's spirit has been destroyed, and that is reflected when Tsugino eats him.

When he eats Maeno, he can't taste his "love" because it's no longer there. Maeno's love for Tsugino was wanting to save him and cure him from his ZENO. But since that's gone, it's now just like eating anyone else.

And in Never-waking-up Paradise, Maeno still wanted to save Tsugino and pleaded for Fuyu to not let him get eaten. His spirit was still there as he was getting eaten so Tsugino still tasted his "love".

And you can even see this in Tsugino's flashbacks.

It's Maeno's care, consideration and kindness that makes Tsugino want his love. That's the "love".

So when Maeno loses that same compassion that made him want to save Tsugino, he tastes of nothing.

And Tsugino doesn't realise that. He thought that eating Maeno's body would give him the satisfaction he craved but he really craved for Maeno's spirit—Maeno's compassion.

He wasn't lying that the thing he was looking for was a deception. Because he got wrong about what he wanted.

And now, he has nothing. He can no longer receive "Doc's" love. He's not alive anymore.

Not physically, not spiritually.

[thesmpisonfire]

Bagi never felt an air so still

Which was something weird to say, being on an island, living by the seaside actually brought in lots of wind. She often had to tie her hair up to keep it from her face

But it wasn't this type of quietude that she could feel. It was a different one. It prickled her skin, on the verge of hurting, but she couldn't understand what was causing it. Pinpoint the reason to study it under a light and document it down

That was until she found the tree house

Until she found her old drawing

Until she remembered Zeno

And then... The stillness hurt

She was suddenly too aware of the lack of meows and chirps as Zeno would always make. Suddenly she was always looking down at her feet, being careful about a cat that wasn't there anymore. Her hand would automatically move to her lap, petting air

Bagi realized it was never stillness. It was silence. Loud ringing in her ears and making her fingers tingle painfully. Something was missing. Something she loved deeply. Her best friend was gone and she missed him to the point of making her heart bleed

People came by as they'd do to check on her, the other islanders, always caring for her well-being in that hellish paradise. Bagi finally noticed the little quirks, the quick snap of head when they heard any little sounds, the way their eyes scanned the ground, how they'd take a breath and turn to talk to no one. Their somber silence whenever they'd spot a lonely sign with half of a joke or an answer for a question already forgotten

Bagi finally understood their grief

And it all clicked to her. The panic and the anger and the tiredness. It all embraced her, making a home in her own spirit, welcoming her into the family

Bagi and Bad stood silently in front of the door they had no way to get through, in the middle of the old and decrepit maze. Another lead that had reached a dead end

Bad looked tired, Bagi didn't

"We will find them."

A promise she wished someone had made to her. Maybe someone did and she had forgotten

"We will find the eggs."

She smiled, reaching her eyes. Bad smiles back, it was barely a tug at the corner of his lips

"Thank you, Bagi"

She nodded and watched him teleport away. She stayed, taking everything in. Her past, her present, whatever future she'd have

It was quiet in the maze. A duck floatie sat lonely right under her feet

The silence still prickled her skin

[dragongirlbunny]

incomplete list of guy ffxiv characters and how easy i think it would be to trans their genders

thancred: this would be tricky because thancred would be one of those "i dont have dysphoria so i cant be trans" eggs but if you can convince him to put on a dress and get him to look in a mirror there's a 70% chance that you'd just hear the egg shatter.

urianger: honestly its a split between spending a few months as a girl and going "not for me, but it was worth the try", being nonbinary with left gender, and being a girl but not changing her appearance in any way

alphinaud: i hc him as trans so this feels like it would be a detrans thing :/

estinien: i dont think estinien understands gender and just smiles and nods politely when you try to explain. if you do manage to explain gender to him he would end up being nonbinary but still he/him because changing pronouns would be too much work for too little gain.

zenos: i think you could do it but it would have to be through some kind of femdom forcefem thing

emet selch: emet selch has more genders than you can fathom. back in the days of paradise one could have as many genders as they so choose

the machinist quest guy: i think you'd discuss being trans and he'd listen intently, think it over, and go "nope i'm cis" and then two years later you'd bump into her at walmart and she has boobs and is like "haha funny story"

vrtra: you could do it but you'd have to use his sister complex and that's not my cup of tea so it wouldn't be worth the cost

themis: no amount of polite discussion will crack that egg you need to just call her a good girl

hythlodaeus: you look at him and say she doesnt already have girlboy swag

g'raha tia: she's 99% of the way there and just needs someone to ask if she's considered being trans for the dam to break because she overthought it to the point that she's like "well, if i was trans, it would be way too obvious right? so since nobody pointed it out i must be overthinking things"

honorable mention: cloud strife: she's too depressed to think she is trans because she thinks her backstory is too sad but if you get her therapy she'll come out like two months later

[laeorinel]

FFXIV Write: Day 2 - Horizon

This turned out a lot bigger than I planned...

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

Samara sighed as she leaned forward over the makeshift railing, cobbled together from a bunch of driftwood and rope, of the treehouse perched atop one of the hills overlooking the beach below. It was among one of the first things she built on stepping foot on the island. She needed somewhere that doubled as a lookout post and sanctuary from any inevitable storms, and perhaps the small army of mammet’s running around below. 

This place, which for all intents and purposes was a small piece of paradise, to her had quickly become a prison. A cage partly of her own creation with said small army of mammets being both her jailers and her only company. The days blurred together and time held little meaning. 

Every day it was the same routine: wake up, eat, check on the crops and animals, hunt and gather supplies, eat, sleep. 

As she looked out over the sea, now tinted a pleasant shade of orange and purple from the setting sun, she could not help but feel that the distant horizon was taunting her. It was a constant reminder of her solitude and her being cut off from practically everyone and everything she had known for the last few years. Sure Tataru or some of her other allies would visit once in a few moons, but the sense of normalcy they brought with them was fleeting. They did not want to ruin her hard won peace or interfere with her recovery, or so they claimed.

While it was true her injuries after fighting the Endsinger and Zenos had been severe to say the least and she knew all too well it was nothing short of a miracle that she was still alive, much less able to generally function the same as before, that was the problem. 

Generally. 

Most of her injuries had healed, but those that remained likely never would. And then there were countless other old wounds in a similar state. Pushing oneself to their absolute limits and then somehow going beyond that, absorbing inhumane amounts of aether, falling in battle and then being dragged out of the lifestream when you were a hair's breadth away from being lost in it…it all came with a cost. One she had been able to delay for only so long. 

She was dying. She had been for some time. But it was a slow death. Years, if not decades, have passed at this point from when she first noticed the “problem”. Her aether diminished little by little each passing day, seeping out of the cracks of her injured body and soul. Like a fire slowly being starved of oxygen. 

There was no stopping it, no fixing it. She had accepted long ago she was essentially living on borrowed time. Yet back then she was living out of spite. Now? Now she had people she cared deeply about. People that she loved. People that she assumed love her in turn. And yet, she was alone. A castaway on an island paradise malms away from other signs of civilization. 

It brought rise to a new fear. Samara had grown used to being needed. Every kind of task, whether it big or small, she would do, whether it was given to her by the leader of a nation or some random old woman on the side of the road. Right now? No one needed or asked anything of her. She had heard nothing from any of her friends or allies in weeks, if not months. Then again, why would they contact her? The world continued to move forward with or without her. 

Logically she knew this was how it should be, but logic did little to asway the gnawing feeling growing inside her, that in a world tired of and recovering from conflict, she was no longer relevant or needed. After all, a warrior was only needed in times of war, not peace.

Was she doomed to just live out the remainder of her days, however many or few they may be, alone and stuck in a monotonous loop? Was all that talk of future adventures just that? Idle talk to keep her calm and compliant? She came from a people made up of tribes of warriors. Conflict, survival and earning one's place was all she knew. Peace? Safety? The idea she did not need to be constantly useful? These were novel feelings she struggled to understand. Feelings only magnified by the pangs of loneliness. 

Before her mind had a chance to spiral further she was shaken from her thoughts by a quiet knocking coming from the door to the treehouse. With another weary sigh she hobbled along to the door, the cold winds of the night already causing one of the many injuries to her legs to ache. On the other side of the door was one of the mammet’s from the hideaway, but not the one she was expecting. The courier stood there, looking up at her with a vacant expression before reaching into the satchel and holding out an assortment of letters to her. 

She almost despaired, half expecting them to be orders for items, until she caught sight of familiar handwriting on two of the letters. One was clearly Alphinaud’s script, every penstroke perfectly placed and would look perfectly at home on diplomatic papers or scientific manuscripts, the other, from Alisaie. Her script was still rather refined, but her impetuousness carried through into her brush strokes, each word ending with harsh lines and the occasional splotch of ink. 

The mammet handed over the collection of letters before departing as she studied the rest, and once again she knew on site who they were from. The letter from Y’shtola had writing that seemed almost a little too perfect, with little in the way of emotions coming through, a side effect from being written with a magical quill to transcribe her thoughts. 

The letter from Urianger, despite all his attempts to teach her, was difficult to decipher but easy to identify. His script was as complex and refined as his way of speaking and would probably take her a good hour or so to read and understand. 

G’raha Tia’s looked all too prim and proper from the outside, but she knew the contents of the letter within would start off perfectly polite and calm, then descend into excited scribbles with one or two spelling mistakes every few lines as he let his mind get away from him. 

Estinien’s letter carried the scent of spices from Radz-at-Han and the handwriting was much like her own, a somewhat legible scrawl of someone who spent more time fighting than studying, and the contents of the letter were clearly less than their companions, given he was a man of few words.   

And last but not least, the final letter was clearly from Thancred. The script on his letter appeared unassuming in every way, the type of scrawl that would easily go unnoticed amongst a pile of other letters, but she could spot the faint pen marks of the hidden code he used to denote whether the contents were encrypted or not. He always disguised them by making it look as though the pen or quill used was of a poor quality that did not distribute ink evenly. Once and spy, always a spy. 

She stared down at the letters before pulling them close to her chest as she slowly began to weep. Did the mammet know this was what she needed? Did her friends know on some level she needed…something? Any kind of contact? As quiet sobs wracked her body she wondered if they would ever know what this meant, regardless of the contents. 

It was a lifeline, a connection to a world she thought had abandoned her. A sign that maybe, just maybe, there was still a place for her in this world. 

That her story- their story, was not yet over. 

[turtersblade]

Final Fantasy XIV

Caught up June 23

Spoilers! Oh man, its been a journey. As some background info, I started playing this in 2020. For years, I was super interested in this game for some reason despite never playing a Final Fantasy game before. So I started playing. And while I thought it was fun enough, man I hated the MSQ. The quests were boring, the story was boring, I just really liked the music and the MMO aspect.

Eventually, I pushed through and started Heavensward. Immediately I became way more interested in everything about the game. The story grabbed me, the characters grabbed me, everything. I hated Alphinaud in ARR. Just couldn't stand his stupid voice and his stupid face, smug know it all. Then Heavensward starts and I'm like "huh?? this dude is cool??". I really had a good time with the base game. The patch quests were pretty cool, but I dropped the game in the middle of the Warriors of Darkness plotline. It was 2022, and some cool games were finally coming out after the pandemic slowed down the industry. I hop in every now and then, but I hold off on the MSQ because I know I don't have the time to commit to it just yet. Then April 2024, Clive comes to the game, and Dawntrail is coming this summer. It's go time. Get through the Warriors of Darkness plotline at last, and I'm wondering what the point was? Was this just filler? I wasn't offended, just thought it was a weird filler plotline. Anyway, now Heavensward is over.

Stormblood

I always heard stuff about Heavensward, Shadowbringers, and Endwalker, but never Stormblood. The least good expansion I assume. I'm really vibing with this Ala Mhigo plotline though. However, now its time to travel to the East and meet up with Gosetsu, who I quickly fell in love with. Dude is awesome. So first dungeon and oh my god the music! Every final boss of a dungeon, every duty felt so grand and epic with this song! This is when everything about XIV truly sinks in for me and I truly become a fan. The combat is more advanced, bosses are more involved, the story is really truly hitting, I love all the characters alot, the areas are so interesting, everything. Zenos was an incredible villain, and easily became one of my favorites in gaming. I finish Stormblood, and I'm just in shock. This expansion was amazing. One of the ultimate highlights of the entirety of XIV to me is the Nadaam. Truly incredible. Sometime between Stormblood and Shadowbringers, I also grind for the Rathalos mount. That fight was honestly really really cool. I have played a little bit of Monster Hunter Rise and World in the past, so I really appreciated the little touches in the fight. Being able to cut his tail off, and having to use Monster Hunter potions was a nice detail. I also grind for I believe about 20 hours for all the Yokai Watch items.

Shadowbringers

Wait. Wait. Wait. A world engulfed in light...? They're following up the Warriors of Darkness storyline?!?!?!?! It took me a little bit to realize it but as it started clicking I got even more excited. I genuinely did not expect this at all. What could I even say about Shadowbringers that hasn't been said before? This isn't even peak Final Fantasy XIV, this is just flat out peak Final Fantasy. The world building, the lore, everything. The bosses became way more difficult and I found that really exhilarating. Story had me in tears at parts, it really nailed its emotion. I won't say much more about the core expansion itself, because I truly cannot do it justice. I just want to say that at this point, I have played multiple Final Fantasy games, including FF1 and Stranger of Paradise, so I was very hyped about things they did here. After beating Shadowbringers, I wanted to do something that I wanted to see for myself when it was released, the Nier raids. I love both Nier Replicant and Nier Automata, so I had to see this.

The raid was everything I could've imagined and more. It's such an insanely good love letter to fans of both Nier games. The remixed music, the bosses, the areas, all of it blew my mind. I would absolutely love to see more crossover raids, as someone who has not really touched raids at all in this game. So finally, there was...

Endwalker

I want to preface this with: I was satisfied with Endwalker. It ended the entire ongoing story in a very good manner. It was really hype! I just think its rather flawed, and I also just have personal things that did not click with me here. The pacing just felt sloooow. I checked, and while dungeons and trials were given out at the same pace as Shadowbringers, it just felt off here. It felt like an eternity between these. I feel like the questing also nose dived here. I found myself utterly bored for extended periods of time here. So many quests were "Search big ass red circle for sparkling point" and then you would eventually find it, just for it to be "uh actually thing you're looking for isn't here, search a new big ass red circle again!". There was even a point towards the end where it was "Talk to 8 NPC's in big ass red circle" but you would find an NPC, and they'd pretty much say "Not me, sorry" and it wouldn't count for the quest. I'm fairly sure some of them wouldn't spawn unless you found other NPC's too, so this took an eternity. This was so frustrating to go through, and it's what most of the MSQ feels like. I also wasn't even too terribly interested in the patch quests, but I'm still looking forward to what becomes of that after Dawntrail.

I also did fall guys during Endwalker lol

Culminating Thoughts

Now I'm left here wondering, "How is Stormblood considered the worst expansion??". While I recognize Shadowbringers is clearly better than it, I personally still have Stormblood and Shadowbringers tied as my favorites. There are so many things about those two that I did not get into that I loved so much. I liked the lore of Endwalker, and I like how it all culminated and ended, but for the most part I just felt generally meh about the whole thing? I really hope Dawntrail fixes the pacing and questing issues of Endwalker. Either way, I still truly love Final Fantasy XIV. This is definitely one of my favorite games I've played and I've barely scratched the surface of the content it has. I'm going to have brain rot over Shadowbringers for a very, very long time.

[zenoslittleparadise]

Hugs

Zeno’s Little Paradise is a new comic!  We launched in 2020.  Give us a reblog!

[angrypaperearthquake-tbbb-main]

Ficlet Prompt #8

@randowwriter

I hope you enjoy! I will also be uploading it on my AO3 account.

Prompt #8: “I wish this moment could last forever”

Fandom: Akatsuki no Yona

Paring: Zeno x Kaya

Word Count: 867

Rated: T (description of violence)

The sunlight is warm and inviting with not a cloud in the sky. The breeze is blowing ever so gently as it caresses the swaying flowers. There are no trees in sight, just a lovely hill filled with fragrant spring blooms and soft sweet-smelling grass. Paradise. That is what this place is. A lovely paradise where all manners of dreams become reality. And yet, the simple flicker of hopes not yet realized are soon to be snuffed out. 

“Zeno?” Kaya asked herself as she traversed the field and saw him lying on the ground. She quickly ran over to him. “Zeno? Is that you?”

Zeno slowly stirred from his unconscious state. “Kaya?” He asked as his eyes became cleared of fog. 

“Yes, it’s me,” she replied happily with a smile as she plopped down on the ground next to him. 

Zeno sat up from his lying position and crisscrossed his legs to sit with her. Neither knew what to say to the other. They rested there in silence as they watched the flowers move back and forth against the breeze.

“It’s been a while,” Kaya said as she broke the silence and picked at the ground.

“Zeno thinks so too,” he replied sadly as he also started picking at the ground. “It’s been many years.”

“What have you been up to?” Kaya asked out of curiosity.

Zeno smiled and looked up at Kaya, “Zeno finally saw King Hiryuu again!”

“That’s wonderful!” Kaya exclaimed as she matched his excitement and clapped her hands together.

“It’s not quite the same though,” Zeno admitted with slight sadness. “His spirit is there, but his face… It’s just not the same.”

“I see,” Kaya said with understanding. “What about your dragon brothers? Have you seen them too?”

“Yes!” Zeno answered with more excitement. “Of course, they’re not the same as Abi, Shuten, or Guen, but they definitely have their spirits.”

“Tell me about them!” Kaya asked with impatience. “Before we run out of time!”

“Okay, okay, Zeno will tell you,” he agreed with a laugh.

“King Hiryuu is now a strong little miss,” Zeno started to explain. “And she’s guarded by this really strong mister who swings around a giant spear! His punches hurt so bad!”

“No way!” Kaya responded with shock. “They sound amazing.”

“They are,” Zeno happily agreed. “And there’s another really smart young lad who’s always yelling at me! ‘Zeno do this’, ‘Zeno do that’, he says!”

“Well, you always did need someone to look after you,” Kaya pointed out with a small laugh.

“Hey!” Zeno exclaimed in defense. “Whose side are you on?”

“No one’s,” Kaya answered as she continued to laugh. “Just an observation.”

“Okay, so the white dragon,” Zeno began as he quickly changed the subject. “He is nothing like Guen, at all. Way too nice and very… clean? Zeno guesses that’s the best way to describe him. And the blue dragon is sort of like Abi, but not really. Very quiet and shy. So quiet in fact that he scares you! He even has a pet squirrel. Oh, and the green dragon is a perverted masochist who takes care of everyone. Very unusual and absolutely not like Shuten. Zeno likes them all though.”

“Wow!” Kaya exclaimed with bright eyes. “It sounds like you definitely have your hands full with this bunch.”

“Zeno does,” he replied sadly as his vision started to become fuzzy. Their time together was getting short. “Kaya…”

“I know,” Kaya said softly as she put her hand on his. “It’s almost time isn’t it?”

“Yes, it is,” Zeno answered quietly. They both were silent. This was always the hardest part.

“I wish this moment could last forever,” Kaya admitted sadly as she stood up from the ground and looked towards the horizon. “It’s been so long since the last time.”

“I know,” Zeno answered as he also got up from the ground and stood next to Kaya. “Perhaps, with these new dragons and our new adventures, you may see me more often.”

“Perhaps,” Kaya reluctantly agreed as she grabbed his hand and entwined her fingers with his. “I’d much prefer that you stayed.” 

“Me too,” Zeno concurred as he leaned in to kiss her on the cheek. “Keep waiting for me, my love.”

“Always,” Kaya answered with tears in her eyes. “Goodbye, Zeno…”

At her last words, the bright sun, the blue sky, the gentle breeze, and all of the flowers slowly faded into a black void. But as quickly as the little paradise faded to black, the bloody battlefield came back into focus. All that could be heard were the sounds of bones snapping and crackling back into place as Zeno’s severed head reattached to his body. The screams of terror from the soldiers was deafening.

“What… What are you?” One of the soldiers asked in immense fear at what he just witnessed.

“How… How are you able to move?” The other solider asked in equal terror. “How are you still alive?”

“After all of these years,” Zeno answered in a stoic voice and a look of determination. “I’ve finally been able to see them again. So, no matter how many times you cut me down… I will be their shield.”

*Author Note* 

So, it’s my own personal head-cannon that when Zeno takes a lethal blow, he actually dies for like a split second and then comes back to life. This ficlet takes inspiration from chapter 100, where the group finds out that Zeno is immortal after his head gets cut off. I figured, during that moment where his head needed to find his body and re-attach, he was kind of in a way “dead”. And when those split moments happen, he sees Kaya in heaven and talks with her. Depending on how long it takes him to regenerate is how much time he has with her. It’s cute, it’s angsty, it make me cry, and I don’t care if it’s wrong.

[jenovahh]

KYKM - 14 Months, 7 Days

The city of Eulmore is about what he expected, able to get a rough idea from a distance. He had heard a tale here, a rumor there, of it’s marble walls where those within may live out the rest of their days in paradise, free from the worries of their world dying around them.

Savagery could be found even across worlds.

It mattered little though, as he strolled through the town without a care, shoving weak citizens off of him, arriving at the gates with minimum effort. This Vauthry’s military was laughable at best; trained to only subdue the weaker people, without any real power to stop a being such as he.

“Ugh...I can feel it...a dark presence in my domain!” a man shouts over an intercom, making him pause outside the gates to the city. “It is different...not the villains who have tormented me so! But stop them! Stop all those who would sow chaos in my perfect paradise!” he cries.

Tutting, Zenos continues, barging past the guards at the gate with total ease. The two women waiting for him inside are as equally pitiful as the so called military, cutting them down without so much as a second glance.

This place is a lot taller than it looks like from the outside but it is of no matter. There is only one place a coward such as this Vauthry character would hide, and naturally be protected by his guard dog.

Reaching the top, a lavish square sprawls out before him, flower petals floating in crystal clear waters, their scent filling the room even with it’s open areas. While it seems it would be a place where there would plenty of people buzzing about, but is instead completely abandoned.

“You are not the Warrior of Darkness.”

Behind him there are footsteps, a masculine voice he is unfamiliar with. Turning, a silver haired man stands before him, scythe in hand. His armor looks as if it made from the skin of a dragon, red scales lining him from head to toe. He frowns as he’s distantly reminded of the dragoon back on the first.

“Warrior of Darkness?” he questions, tilting his head. “No. I am merely here to seek someone out. Might you be the one I am looking for?” 

The man seems to study him, sizing him up. “You are no average man, to have made it here.” He acknowledges, still holding his scythe. “I doubt you are here to see Lord Vauthry.”

“Quite the opposite. I am here for his guard dog.” Zenos purrs, watching as man scowls even further. “Might you be Ran’jit, his general?”

Ran’jit wields his scythe with practiced hands, stepping closer toward him. “What business do you have here?” he growls, to which Zenos smiles.

“Excellent. Then my search is over.” drawing his sword he feels his power flow through him, the buzz of battle coursing through his veins. “I was made aware that a man by the name Ran’jit had been terrorizing the Warrior of Light. Though I suppose on this world you call them the Warrior of Darkness.” Wielding his blade at his side, he stares the older man down. “I have come to correct your grave error.”

Without warning Ran’jit darts forward, swinging his scythe. It takes minimal effort to bring his sword up to block the blow, barely exerting strength to resist the man before him. “Do me a favor will you?” Zenos drawls, knocking the man onto his back. “Try to make this entertaining.”

Ran’jit is quick to recover, looking slightly stunned. “Who...what are you?” he roars, charging for a bigger attack. 

“You would not recognize me if I told you.” Zenos answers, not bothering to even dodge the lightning Ran’jit throws at him. He stands there as the smoke clears, taking in Ran’jit’s shocked expression. “All you must know is I do not let anyone interfere with my hunt.”

Ran’jit says nothing, throwing himself at him again, to which Zenos makes little effort to move. The man contained some form of power it was true,  seeming to rely on cheap parlor tricks and overwhelming his opponents with sheer strength. Perhaps this was the first time in his life he had ever met his match.

Funny that it would also be the last.

“I can understand how you could give the Warrior some struggle, if you have a few tricks up your sleeve.” Zenos hums, taking delight in watching the general struggle to stay on his feet. “Though you might also have the benefit of their mercy; they always were a bit soft.”

“What is the Warrior of Darkness to you?” Ran’jit grunts out, chest heaving from exhaustion. “Who are they that you would hunt only me down?”

Zenos says nothing for several beats, thinking on his answer. You certainly were a lot of things to him. His enemy. His friend. His lover if he could find you. He had never felt so strongly about a person, about anyone other than himself. To cross an entire realm, to leave his home behind, to wander a world where no one knows where he is...you are the only person he would ever go to such length for.

“They are mine.”

Shoving his sword in the ground, the familiar power of Concentravity flows through him, sending Ran’jit into the closest wall. The impact is enough to leave a dent, the general slumping to the ground in a heap. “You could not have known this of course, being a creature of this world.” Zenos begins, slowly stepping toward him. “Which is why I came to inform you, so that it won’t happen again.” 

“You mean to show me mercy?” Ran’jit asks, coughing up blood as he does.

“Mercy...” the word feels strange and foreign on his tongue, as if he had never said it before. “No, not mercy. Your death will simply guarantee your discontinued interference.” Giving him no time to answer Zenos plunges his sword through his chest, frowning at the resulting spray of blood. Yanking his sword out, he sheathes the blade with a smooth click. While he did not necessarily mind the blood of his enemies upon him, it did make it considerably more difficult to commune with townsfolk. 

Stepping over to the decorative fountain at the bar, he kneels to slowly begin washing blood away. He idly wonders where the Lord that the general had spoken of was hiding; probably tucked away in some secret cave no doubt. He wasn’t here for him though, and with Ran’jit dead, he could return to his hunt. Hopefully this little excursion didn’t let you get too far...

“Zenos?”

Not too far at all.

[guren-no-shishio]

What do you think of this chapter ? What for the next ? So we are going for a war against the spade kingdom ? The captains sure will be here if that's the case, five people of the clover kingdom isn't enough. Asta seem to have new spells or tricks, i hope we can see what the others are capable of in the near future.

Hey hey hey!

229 - The Beginning of Hope and Despair

For this one I wasn’t exactly too impressed with or anything. I must admit that the fact Asta can now call his blades to him is quite amazing, definite Mjölnir vibes there lol. I definitely don’t like Spade Kingdom at all, they are very terrible towards those with lower magic levels - it makes Clover seem like paradise in comparison. 

Definite war arc coming up - so yes, I do imagine the Captains will be involved. 

I hope that whatever is left of Diamond Kingdom will pair up with Clover and Heart so they can reclaim their home. I wonder if anyone else will be dragged into this as well, there must be more places such as the Witches Forest that may getting dragged into the war whether they want it or not. 

Now the one thing that got me the most was the end? Master Yuno? Who is this guy!? Tell us? Like soon please. Thank you.

230 - I’ll Crush You

I am not gonna lie when I say I wasn’t really interested in this chapter either. The only part that was really exciting for me was the end. The Anti Magic Devil just looming over them like that, talk about creepy. 

But yes, Asta definitely has improved using his anti-magic. Shooting it out like that with slashes definitely gives me Licht vibes. 

Still hating on Spade Kingdom. I hope they are defeated and their system gets a refresh big time.

Another Poison Magic user was a bit frightening though, luckily for Asta he has that Demon Destroyer to save him from those dangers. Glad Gordon’s family are on the good side for everyone elses sake though, lmao.

231 - The Dark Triad

This chapter gave us what we were waiting for. Noelle, Finral and Mimosa were definitely welcome. Now the surprise was also seeing Leopold and Luck! 

I’m curious, is it just these guys who trained in Heart or did the Magic Knight robes just get revamped or something?

Noelle has improved, what she did would have definitely been impossible not too long ago for her. Amazing and I hope to see more of her improvements as this arc goes on. You’re doing great! More honest? Hm, she could be 🤔

Finral engaged to Finesse? Guess he beat Langris in their little competition over the last 6 months, lmao. 

I am not quite sure how I feel about Leopold’s new look. I love how he ditched the Mereoleona boots and went to Fuegoleon’s still though. I wonder why the fluff on his robe? But sadly his hair kinda bothers me... I guess I may get used to it soon. He looks taller though? Or is it just me? I am not quite sure if Asta was meaning growth as in magic or growth as in height, but who knows lol. 

Vanica. Zeno. Dante. 

The Dark Triad are definitely an interesting trio to me. I gotta say Dante has kind of caught my eye and I may regret the interest later. Vanica is a character I really want to see more of, I haven’t really been disappointed in many BC female characters, so I hope she doesn’t add to that short list in the future. 

I definitely look forward to the next chapter, with how the recent one ended I am not quite sure what we’ll get. Back to Heart? What characters will we see? I am not expecting too much, but I guess we’ll have to just wait and see ~

[final-fantasy-mama]

Rimfire Bubble bath (ch.5)

OKKKKKKKkkkkkayyyyy so, Emet and Wol get into some risky bathtub business. No smut in this chapter but the next one will have explicit content. I am writing it in a separate chapter so those who dont want to read it can skip over it but still get some teasing from Emet in this chapter.

Normally I would insert a Amarout chapter here BUT i only have one more planned so ill save it for a bit later on down the story line. Enjoy!

FFXIV EMET SELCH X MCH WOL

“The tragedy that had befallen you is of your own making. Devine retribution for your defiance. The heavens have bequeathed to you a benevolent savior, me! I offer you freedom from pain and suffering, a paradise where man and sin eater might live in peace and harmony..” ~ Vauthry

The hero growled through clenched teeth with a rage that was uncharacteristic of her usual cool exterior. Right now, she just couldn’t hold it back. Her itching trigger finger reached for her musketoon with a arm that dripped with fresh blood from a shoulder wound gone undressed. Bullets flew from her gun at the dirigibles that flew overhead with Vauthrys guttural and all too arrogant voice coming over loudspeakers to castigate all the poor folk below who had managed to survive his sin eaters onslaught. She knew the bullets would not be of any avail but she prayed that one would find Vauthry’s heart and put an end to that bastard’s life. She kept firing until her bullets ran out and her arm throbbed with too much pain to keep the musket raised.

Around her, the moans and cries of injured Crystarium soldiers echoed in the night as they mourned for fallen friends and comrades. The attack was unwarranted, took them completely off guard and was meant to destabilize and demoralize them. It worked. Even Lyna, the Viera knight, was about to break into tears though she bit her lip hard enough to draw blood in an attempt not to. It was going to be a long night of pain and tears for all them who had survived the evening’s bloodbath.

Someone’s hand reached for her Musketoon as another one gently wrapped around her waist, easing the rage out of her. Emet Selch had appeared at her side, gently taking her gun from her burning hands and whispering soft words into her ear. “You’re injured, inamorata. Relax….it is over.” Only with those words did she realize how much her lungs burned as she hyperventilated, her muscles locked up from adrenaline and sweat dripped from her brow. Like a tight coil she slowly unwound and Emet caught her in his arms, cradling her in his chest as he helped her to sit on the ground.

Her companions ran to and fro helping the injured, pausing slightly to stare at the Ascian and the hero together in a odd moment of intimacy, but having to put it out of their minds as injured soldiers took priority. “There is not much more you can do here tonight.” Emet pointed out.

“I can’t leave until everyone has been removed from the battlefield.” She said in a tired breathy voice.

“I would not expect you to.” Emet said. “But you are no worse for wear at the moment, so I will ever be watching you from the shadows. Whistle for me should you need me.” And with that he disappeared in a cloud of black aether.

*************************************************************

By the time the entire entourage returned to the Crystarium and the chirurgeons had their way with the hero, she had not the strength to even stand on her own. And so it was out of pity, sort of, that Emet Selch carried the exhausted Machinist back to her room in the pendants. She was scarcely conscious when the door to her room opened and he stepped inside with her in his arms, face buried in the side of his coat. Her bandaged shoulder was left oncovered with her white poet shirt draped around the rest of her for modesty’s sake. He set her down gently on the bed, stretching her out so she was straight on her back as he plucked off her antiquated boots and tried to make her more comfortable. She groaned from both pain and sheer fatigue.

“Hero, you need to bathe.” Emet said.

“Are you saying I smell bad?” She yawned.

“To put it gently, you smell like something that may have come out of Vauthry’s gullet.”

“Fuck you.”

There was a small pause.

“You’d find me a willing participant if that was what you desired.” He said in his charming seductive voice.

“Too tired to bother…”She groaned.

“Then allow me the pleasure of seeing you to a hot bath at the very least.” He snapped his fingers and a long claw footed tub appeared in the room along with a fluffy white robe hanging on a coat rack. She made some mangled noise in protest as he looked down at her. She was holding her arms out to him the way a pouty child might to a parent. It was unexpectedly adorable.

“I’m giving you permission to bathe me, nothing more. So no funny business.” She warned.

“I wouldn’t dream of it.”

“Yeah you would.”

“Only a little.” He admitted as he helped her stand up and walked her to the tub. She cleared her throat and motioned for him to turn around which he obliged, though not without a roll of his eyes and a loud sigh. Quickly stripping from her clothes and tossing them in a pile to the floor, she climbed into the water and drew her knees up to chest. Her shoulder stung but she managed to not gasp as the hot water caressed it.

“You can turn around now.” She said and he did just so, having a good look at her before taking off his heavy jacket and tossing it on the bed. Rolling up his sleeves, he knelt behind her and brushed her hair to one side, the tips of his fingers grazing her neck as she gasped.

“What are you…?”

“Hush!” he said sternly as he once again snapped his fingers and a bar of soap appeared in one hand, a small handled bucket in the other. He doused her with water as she cried out at the hot sudden sensation and then worked the soap into a lather in her hair. Working his fingers through her scalp thoroughly. She thanked the gods he was not facing her while he administered his ministrations, because she was dead sure her facial expression was nothing short of scandalous. She had never had anyone bathe her, so the sensation of being this pampered was wholly unknown and frankly it made the pit of her stomach tingle.

With her hair now rinsed and clean, Emet’s hands worked their way to her trapezius muscles and he gently pressed into them with his thumbs. She gasped in a way that was a tad embarrassing as her back arched involuntarily, head threw back and knees dropped below the water. Oh twelve have mercy she just exposed her whole front side the Ascian looking over her shoulders. Indeed, he saw the entire kit and kaboodle and his face told her he wasn’t displeased with what he saw. Her cheeks flushed and she quickly scrunched herself back up into ball and buried her face in her knees.

“You are so sensitive, my dear.” He teased.

“Shut up. I’ve never had a massage before.” She grunted.

“Never ever?”

“Who’s got time for that?”

“My my. This is a bit of a problem, if I can’t even touch you without you making such noises and faces.” He coo’d.

“Knock it off, Emet Selch. I’m embarrassed enough as it is.”

“Let’s try something else then. As much as I would love to see more of your erotic expressions….” He moved positions to the side of the tub and took her hand in his. Then he began to rub the flesh around her palm and wrist, the areas where she held her gun and always chaffed or had callouses. She turned her face to side so she could watch him, the position less intimate so she felt more comfortable. Letting out a long sigh, she relaxed and let him massage up the length of her arm .

If she were any other women, she supposed she could take the Ascian to bed, indulge in her self desires, revel in passions of a one night stand. But she was never that type of person. In a sense it was frustrating how others could go through life consumed by their own desires and she could not. She was the warrior of light after all, someone was always going to need her to be at her best so she couldn’t take risks the way others could. She also had her little girl to think about. Come to think on it, Emet also had children in one point in time and she wondered if he had even enjoyed it or cared for his family. He outlived them all with the exception of Varis and Zenos, but it was obvious upon meeting them both that there was no love lost for their Great Grand Sire.

“You keep sighing.” Emet pointed out. “That usually means you have a question to ask or something pressing on your mind.”

“Its nothing.” She said sadly.

“Obviously not if you keep making faces like that.”

“I make a lot of strange faces, as you’ve already noticed.” She chuckled.

“You also keep many things to yourself.”

“No more so than you.”

“As an Ascian I am entitled to many secrets.”

“As a woman, I’m entitled to mine.”

“You’re not as tired as I thought if you can talk back like that.” He rolled his eyes and stood up quickly, however the lady refused to relinquish his hand and yanked him back sharply without thinking. His feet slipped out from under him on the wet floor and he came crashing down into the water on top of the hero. When he surfaced he had the warrior precariously pinned beneath him and hands on either side of her head gripping the tubs rim.

“Oh Hero.” He practically moaned as he gazed down at her. “You need only ask if you wished me to join you.”

She panicked and slapped her hands over his eyes so he couldn’t see anything. “You’ve got the wrong idea!”

“You were trying to drown me then?” He asked with hands still over his eyes.

“It was reflex! I wasn’t thinking!”

He pushed against her hands and swooped down till his face hovered over her collar bone. “So then you secretly want me oh so much you’re limbs act without reason?” His breath tickled her and she squirmed against the tub, pushing herself back against the porcelain as far as she could. His body weight on her legs kept her from being able to escape any further or jump out of the tub.

“I give you an inch and you take a bloody mile!” She complained and kept her hands firmly planted on his face and tried to push him back. Its was futile either way, he could easily overpower her if he wanted. Smarmy Ascian that he was though, he wasn’t going to let her go without a thorough teasing. “Wasn’t our agreement that you wouldn’t coerce or force me to do anything?”

“I am a man of my word. So far you have not said no or stop or tried to put a gun to my head or bullet through me.” He pointed out and pushed again to reach the hero’s neck where he planted a small kiss.

She saw stars for a moment and tried to get her wits about her. Just say NO, just say NO , Just say NO, she chanted in her mind but with each kiss he planted up her neck she felt her mind going more and more blank. If she didn’t figure out a way or excuse to get out of this, she would make love to him then and there and that would cause more problems than solve.

“I don’t see why you resist it so.” He breathed against her neck between kisses. “There is nothing wrong with indulging yourself once in a while. You deserve to have your needs met as much as any other creature.” He nipped at her jawline and she made a small noise. “What I am offering you is oh so simple. Pleasure. No hidden motives, no scheming, no lies, just simple pleasure for two weary souls long since denied any respite in this cruel and blasphemous world.”

The twelve be damned! He knew all the right words and just where to whisper them! And so reluctantly, against her better judgement she dropped her hands from his eyes. His yellow half lidded gaze was the end of her. She did want him the way any woman would want a man. She wanted to experience him and everything that he was despite him being an Ascian. Gods, it had been ages since she wanted anyone, felt anything for any man, and of all beings for her to lust after it had to be Emet Selch.

“The fates are undeniably cruel….”She conceded, something sad filling her eyes as she looked down for a moment but he caught her chin in his fingers and forced her to look up at him again.

“For tonight, it need not be. Lie with me.” He whispered.

She closed her eyes and felt herself slipping away, carried off by the currents of lust and longing. She took in a shaky breath and replied. “Yes….”

[marjiandco]

Prompt #1 - Voracious

Word Count: 1124

Long before the Warrior of Light stepped foot in the first, Raiku was discovering the keening madness of Eulmore and it's leader Vauthry.

Three years ago he himself was called by the Crystal Exarch, and he was shocked at the people's pallid response to a light soaked world. All of them; those with power and those without, had come to accept their short lives that bled into oblivion. So he set out on his own quest to help the people while he waited for the rest of the scions and his dear friend Marji. Long he toiled in the light, his hair growing unkept, his muscles lean, his 'dwarfish' facial hair itching at his throat. A new crease etched into his forehead, and when his thoughts turn dark he was beginning to wonder if he became as gloomy as Marji.

He very much doubted it, but the thought pushed him on to stop his melancholy, and do something worth his visage. So, before Y'shtola and Urianger made their appearance in the first, it was Raiku and Thancred holding the line against sin eaters. Thancred was in need of retrieving a girl similar to Minfillia, and Raiku? He decided his simple task was to learn more about the mindset of the people in the first. After a year of running around doing things his way, he learns the hard truth that killing sin eaters does nothing except put his life in incredible danger. So he turns his gaze back at the people themselves.

Eulmore, somehow shining more brightly than the yellow night sky, was his first target. He asked Thancred for help getting in, and upon learning that craftmanship was the ticket in, he started to show off his carpentry skills in the little Gatetown beneath the city. Yet for all his work, the two unnerving jesters would not pick him. So he asked around. He bribes with foraged food and hunt marks he could find, the meat tough but at least something different from the strange white food from the city.

Thancred, funnily enough gave him the idea to become a dancer. So instead of chiseling away, he worked on a routine and managed to show off something worthwhile enough to get in. Even as an indentured servant, it was thankfully at the club within. He could overhear, and listen, and speak with the people of Eulmore. He became ravenous, obsessed with understanding the mind of Vauthry and how these people could look at death and decide to have a life long party. His prying questions ended up in the wrong ears, and he found himself in front of the man he was hunting.

On his knees, hands bound behind his back as a Eulmoran guard yanks his head back by his orange hair. He clutched the bracer of the man holding him up, a soundless snarl he buried deep in his chest. He can not lose his cool, not when he's this close Sin Eaters. His head was yanked back so his mark could better see him. Though the hunter had become the hunted, Raiku knew he had faced worse odds than this. Thordan, Nidhogg, Zenos, all much stronger, but with whatever mysterious power Vauthry had over his city-state, he remained cautious. His heart beat hard against his chest, jumping into his throat involuntarily as one of the sin eaters happened to look his way. He never liked void demons, but these creatures aren't any better.

“A dwarf of all things comes to my city, claiming to be a dancer. Were he not fed, housed, and clothed in paradise?”

The words rang true for the crowd gathering, staring at the thin satin blue outfit craddled on Raiku. The jewels dangling from his midriff and a golden tiara fallen from his head from the rough treatment. He had gained some weight eating the usual Eulmoran fair, and he did not desire a sleeping place. He was a natural oddity, one of the few 'dwarf's' without a helmet that people came to gawk and stare at. Still, he had his privacy as much as one could ask for.

“And still.” Vauthry's booming voice cut through Raiku's racing thoughts. “You ask for more? What a gluttonous little piglet you are dwarf!”

Vauthry nods and Raiku feels himself be lifted and tossed forward. He let out a yelp as he lands hard on his shoulder before scrambling to his knees.

“'Tis fitting for a pig in search of a meal to become one himself. As punishment for your sin, you shall sustain my Sin Eaters.”

Raiku flicks his eyes at the white monsters. “Wait my lord! I-I only wished to know more of the paradise that is your city.” Raiku hopes he's laying it on thick enough to placate Vauthry. “My humble upbringing did not serve you and yours justice. My uh, home amongst the dwarves is dirt compared to this.”

Vauthry spits out a laugh “If I told every sinner who walks through our gates how our city came to be I would have time to do naught else. You are not worthy to know our details. Now hurry and give flesh for the city you so wonder about.”

Raiku slowly lifts himself to his feet, making a small circle around to see if there was any escape, and surprisingly he spots familiar silver hair peek behind Vauthry. Somewhere on his balcony Thancred stood waiting, and Raiku marveled at how quickly news travels if it reaches his friends ears. Raiku looks Vauthry full in the face. If simpering doesn't shut the bastard up, this will.

“Vauthry I've seen your city of decadence and only ask: how could a shite-brained, sweaty meat sack of a child manage to even keep these people alive? Truly you have the mindset of a toddler who only knows how to throw a tantrum, yet these people follow you?  This city would have burned to the ground over your incompetence long ago. So please, tell this voraciously hungry piglet the secret of how a jester came to power.”

There was no sound for what seems like bells before being broken by the spluttering, blubblering sound of Vauthry's indignation. Raiku did not stick around long enough to hear, but the screeching dug into his brain as Raiku rushed forward. The Sin Eaters surrounding him lazily move towards the lalafell as he barrels past and heads straight for the balcony.

As he passes the doorway Thancred grabs him by the seat of his pants and yanks him back.

“Sorry would have done your shirt sleeve if I didn't think it'd rip.”

Raiku flashes a grin “Glad to see you saving me for once.”

Thancred grumbled but the pair disappeared from Eulmore and it's guards.

@sea-wolf-coast-to-coast

[placesyoucallhome]

Lots of people are pretty sure Haurchefant is coming back on the First Shard, and look, I absolutely completely 100% want husbando #1 back, I do. However, there are plenty other npcs, alive or dead, that would be amazing to explore in a world completely unlike Eorzea.

How about, maybe, Ysayle, never caught in the snow by dragons?

The woman laughed, bright and clear, “Lady Iceheart? Is that what you called me? Goodness child do you see any ice here? Where would you get a title like that?” She shook her silvery braided hair over her shoulder as she stood, picking up her basket of greens from the carefully cultivated garden plots under the glass roof of the Crystarium.

Despite the confusion and unsureness on the Warrior’s face, the Elf’s easy grin didn’t falter, not until she glanced into the warrior’s eyes, and with a gasp she staggered. The pain and pressure etched deep into her features as it seemed the echo rolled through her even here, “Who-” she gasped, and twelve forfend they hoped she dare not say too much as they were so hoping to slide under peoples noses here, “What are you?”

Or a Zenos not born and bred to massacre?

“He’s really the best fighter we got, the Captain!” the young Hume chattered, dragging the Warrior along by the wrist as if they were a skittish child, and really, they did not have time for this.

“He’s not got any aether abilities but he still runs circles around everyone!” They swore this girl had stars in her eyes talking about this Captain, why were they meeting him again? Oh yes, Ysayle said he controlled the gates, right, best they did get this over with then. “Ah, ah! Here he is! His sword’s nearly as big as me oh!” She giggled nervously and as the Warrior turned the corner, quite suddenly, they felt their stomach drop and blood boil. No, how? Did Garlemald even exist here?

The blonde turned from the wartable laid out to him, to the clatter of the Warrior’s weapon being drawn, eyebrow raised as he looked over the newcoming pair with a critical, and slightly confused eye.

Twelve, he looked almost... normal. Gold hair was chopped short and slicked back out of his eyes, plate armor near plain, his sheer height was all he needed here it seemed. Well, that, and the large gunblade strapped to his back.

“Can I... help the two of you?”

Or Estinien, life likewise not ruled under the threat of claws and scales?

The Warrior wasn’t going to be able to get used to this. A glance to Thancred told them, at least they weren’t the only one. This younger Minfilia from the First of course seemed unperturbed.

“But I thought you took care of that monster last month? Wasn’t that that big big fight?” Minfilia needled, turning to Thancred to with and excitable grin. “There were a bunch of explosions! Pow! Boom! Lights and yelling and-”

“Focus Minfilia.” The gunbreaker sighed. The Warrior hadn’t expected Thancred to take on the mantle of ‘dad’ so easily. It was a bit cute.

Captain Zenos sighed, “Yes, well. We had been able to turn back most of the tide, but he... no. There’s no rest for him yet.” He looked almost... forlorn. Zenos shook his head and picked up a spiny looking figure from the map spread across the table, turning it over in his hands. “No, he was our best lancer, even though he fell to the sineater’s appetite, he’s not any less skilled now than he was then. My brother in arms, it should still be my duty to kill what’s become of Estinien.”

Or hey, technically, Dalamud never fell on this shard, now did it?

“This is ridiculous, what scholar would risk life and limb for the mumblings of a primal? Especially with the state things are in here.” Alisaie huffed, voice and steps echoing across the crystalline caves like tinkling bells.

“Well quite frankly, we apparently don’t know the first thing about primals, considering. Who knows what could be deduced from ancient scriptures of summons?” Alphinaud shot back, turning the scribbled map the Captain had given him with a tired grimace. They’d been bickering over the same points the entire way, even the Warrior was tiring of this.

“Not knowing what they are is all the more reason to not trust it!” She insisted.

“Trust is not quite necessary to learn something. Is it?” A pleased hum came from around a bend, and the Warrior trotted up happily to the cloaked figure, sorting through tattered rolls of vellum on an long abandoned altar. After all, that meant the quest was done, on to the next, likely, bringing this old man back to the Crystarium. It’s not until the Warrior turns that they realize the twins hadn’t followed completely. They seemed stuck, almost horrified, at the mouth of the chamber, Alphinaud falling to his knees, blinking and shaking his head as if he couldn’t understand what was happening, only Alisaie seemed to manage to push out a single word with a sob-

“Grandfather?”

Or how about another soul taken from us far too soon?

The twins were out of commission, and hells, when the Warrior figured out why, they understood. Well, they hadn’t actually thought they’d meet Louisoix, all things considered, but the First Shard had been a mixed bag of strange occurrences. The scholar had pointed them to a band of researchers looking for hints on elder primals, it seemed prudent to bring Urianger along on this one, in that case.

“In truth, what doth thou make of this blighted plane? Fair time hast passed since your arrival to us, stubborn as your struggle to remain to the source was.”

The Warrior grumbled and glanced at the Elezen, er, Elf? See, this too, gods they were just tired. Too many whiplash twists and turns, little details to try and keep track of.

“Ho there travelers!” A bright, strong voice carried over the rocks and sun bleached logs. “What brings two strapping adventurers all the way out here?” The Galdjent woman laughed loud and clear, pickaxe slung over her shoulder and silver-blue hair tied up in a bun out of her way.

Oh not again, the Warrior couldn’t bear to think, but they looked over at the heartbroken Astrologian beside them and they knew all the scions were bound to find this hurt here, at some point, weren’t they?

But Urianger, ever stoic and collected, only seemed to swallow and mumble to himself. “Oh my Moen, my beating heart, rendered and repaired. How cruel this fate...”

So SO MANY awful options! It’s an au angst paradise, I tell you. Please for the love of the primals, give it all to me! Sadu? Magnai? Hien? Tsukiyomi?! Lucia! Livia!! Ilberd!!! PAPALYMO! I need, ALL the shard au ideas, gimme gimme.

[castorre]

Coronation

“Your Radiance.” “Eclair.” Varis inclined his head, platinum hair draping lazily over his ears and falling to his cheeks. “Have you come to see me crowned? The embarrassment and spectacle that it is.” “A wonderful spectacle for a man who rightly should be crowned.” The blue woman smiled, her teeth white as pearls but ever so slightly too sharp for the mouth of a fair woman. He would send her to have them filed later. “Your long fight with your family is finally ended. Lord Regula is beside himself with pride. Her Radiance is beaming as I’ve never seen her and for a woman made of light, that is no small task.”

“And, you, my dear? You are just as you always have been: my loyal Eclair. I assume you know that this time is heralded as one in which the subjects might ask their new Emperor for anything. Tis the tradition - at least of my grandfather. My uncle had no time to even sit the crown upon his scalp before Regula’s bastard sword sent it brained and bloody to the ground.”

Eclair’s lips tweaked in an uneasy grin. “You can be so poetic when you try. Had I not need to think of brain and blood on such a day, however, Your Radiance. But yes, I am aware of this tradition. Before the crown is sat upon your head, I might ask one boon of you given the chance. And you allowed me the visit so I assume you will allow me to ask this gift of you.” 

He stared at her, unanswering, but he spoke so rarely that she read his golden gimlet eyes with a fluency that was oft reserved for scholars of the word. She approached, raven dark hair pulled into thick curls at the back of her head. Small swirled tufts fell in front of her equally small and pointed ears. He would not deny that she was a beautiful woman grown, but he could barely put the image of her at five-and-ten, barefoot and chasing shoats through the sow houses. It brought a small, rare smile to him. It did not go unnoticed. 

“Are you thinking of something foolish I’ve done in the past again?” She stood right in front of him. Some women may do that to show their want. But not her, no. She was ever curt, respectful and did not touch him unless bidden to. 

“I was. When you caught that spotted shoat and brought it to Claudia after she spoke of wanting a pot-bellied pig for a pet.” Varis barely contained laughter, a rare thing from him as well. 

“That was the only time I ever saw you lose your mind to humor.” Her gentle eyes peered at him, barely any taller standing than he was seated. Not to say she was small, at nearly 6-fulms-6-ilms. He was a large man at nearly 8-fulms and dwarfed even the tallest of men and some magitek as well. “Would that I had known there was a difference between sows and shoats at that age.”

“Claudia would have kept it if not for the fact that it would grow into a raging beast.” 

“It was cute. I still remember it. Small, covered in tiny little fur and wiggly. I do believe it took a half-dozen of your personal guard to catch it once it set loose in her quarters.”

“And then escaped into the rose garden. Grandfather was not at all pleased that his roses were trampled so thoroughly.”

“His anger was the only reason I wasn’t punished, I bet.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t have punished you for such a thing in any case - you simply wanted to please Claudia. And it pleased me when I saw the old bastard’s maw half open with rage.” 

 “That is good to know. Perhaps I ought to bring more pets home.” Her look was innocent but her jest anything but. “I would love to have a goose, or a wild cat, perhaps even a dragon!”

“Is that the boon you want? A parakeet or puss or a lizard? Do you not have enough snakes, geckos, and cats to last you a lifetime?” He placed his hands around her hips and brought her to sit on his lap. For once, he was looking up, ever so slightly, at someone. His breath grazed her lips, his nose pressed lightly against hers.

“I would not waste such a gift on things I could easily buy myself.” Slender fingers wrapped around the back of his neck.

“What would you like then? A wardrobe of designer gowns, purses, boots? A manor in some faraway paradise? A guard to escort you?”

She frowned. “Again, I do not need things I could buy myself. Well, perhaps not the manor, at least not easily. But it is not things I want, Varis. I simply want you to swear to me that you will be safe. That you shall not fall to your family or anyone else who may want that crown.”

“Ah, Eclair. You need not worry...” he led her hand to his groin, and had her clench her fist. A blush reddened her cheeks until she realized he had shoved the barrel of his long pistol into her hand. “I would not dare sully my name by dying just as soon as I was crowned. My uncle did that for me.”

She lifted the gun and looked at, before sighing. “A fine weapon, I think. I have no good knowledge of guns or any such thing. Will that truly be all you need. Perhaps Lord Regula should serve as your personal guard?”

“That would be a slap in the face for a Legatus, Eclair. A Legatus is meant to fight, not sit beside the throne day in and out, waiting for an attack that may never come. Do not worry about my safety. I have more eyes and ears in this world than you could possibly dream of.”

“And weapons?”

“And weapons.” He lifted the duskwight to her feet and retrieved his firearm. “Go, I must ready myself. And you should go put on your finer things.”

“Yes, Your Radiance.” She gave him a smile and a bow before leaving him. The door closed with barely a sound. After a moment, he slouched in his chair, his legs spreading in comfort. He crossed his fingers in his lap and thought about how this was his life - his role in things. It had been no easy role to play, nothing was easy for a man to be Emperor. Where his grandfather had lost a son, Varis had lost a wife. And then a second during childbirth. Both the woman and the child. They had steeled him, locked his heart beneath a fount as frozen as the winter. He had children with no mothers and a wife with no children. Though she loves them as her own, even Zenos, he could give neither party what they wanted or needed. Bastards plenty he had sired, but true born children - heirs? A child for the wife he himself had chosen? Nay. 

Varis could have all the victories of war he wanted. He could command the entire Garlean host to march upon the world with little to stop him but he could not provide for Claudia or his young children more than material. He could still hear Solus laughing at him from his deathbed. “Do not continue to disappoint me, Varis. I will know.” Varis had suffocated the old man with a pillow, his rage was so great. But no one would suggest that. The Emperor was exceedingly ill, in pain - he simply helped the old bastard cross over. 

“Your Radiance - “ A servant saluted him and spoke again when Varis acknowledged them. “It is almost time. Shall I assist you?”

“No. I will be out in a moment.” Varis watched the servant bow and leave before he rose from the chair. This would be the last day he slept in his High Legatus’ chambers. He would have to appoint a new one. And then, he would have to tear everything from his Grandfather’s quarters - till nothing of the old fuck was left save the skeleton. 

[bibliobethblog]

I had been looking forward to reading (but I have to admit a little intimidated) by Cloud Cuckoo Land, Anthony Doerr’s new novel. Not only does it follow multiple characters but it follows these characters across different timelines and at different points in their lives. It’s a lot to get your head round, but I promise once you are there, the benefits outweighs the effort you might put in. ⁣ ⁣ It was especially helpful for me to buddy read this novel with bestie @emmasbookishcorner and I really took advantage of our chats to think deeply and discuss what we had just read. ⁣ ⁣ As you might expect from a Doerr novel if you’ve read any of his work before, the characterisation is superb. We have thirteen year old orphan Anna who is on one side of the walls of Constantinople and manages to retrieve an Ancient Greek text telling the story of Aethon, who wants to be turned into a bird so he can fly into paradise, a utopia in the sky. ⁣ ⁣ On the other side of the wall, there is a village boy called Omeir who has been conscripted into the army about to lay siege to the city. Five hundred years later in Idaho, Zeno who learned Greek as a prisoner of war, is teaching the Aethon script to a class of children who are performing it in the local library. Meanwhile, a bomb has been set in that library by a young outsider called Seymour. ⁣ ⁣ Finally, in the future on a ship called Argos, Konstance is studying the story of Aethon alone in a vault. She has never been to our planet physically but she has walked its streets in a very different way.⁣ ⁣ As you can see, there is a LOT going on here and it’s very difficult to summarise it in any other way. All threads of the story were utterly fascinating and there was never a point where I found a weaker link in the chain. This novel is unexpected, thought-provoking, timeless and well worth every moment I spent amongst its pages. It’s the sort of book that I feel would be even more rewarding as a re-read as I would understand and appreciate it even more. Gorgeous, glorious and a true masterpiece.⁣ ⁣ Five stunning stars 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 ⁣ https://www.instagram.com/p/CZuoifMLJdi/?utm_medium=tumblr

[zenoslittleparadise]

Dive Bomb 2