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johnsamericano · 3 years

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“Mine.” l.m.k

Genre: suspense (kind of), smut-ish, angst.

Pairing: yandere/stalker!mark x fem!reader

Warnings: Possesive behavior, metions of death, yandere mark, psychological abuse, blackmailing, obsessive love

Disclaimer: This fanfic does not reflect the actual personalities of the idols mentioned, this is purely fictional.

a/n: I wanted to write something halloween-like before spooky season is over. This is actual shit please forgive me 😔

Taglist: @floweringtheflowers

“Where’s your friend, Hyuck?”

“Look, there he is. Jeno!” He walked towards you with a slightly shorter male by his side. “Hey man.”

“Hey Hyuck.” They hugged each other briefly. “I brought Mark, is that okay with you?”

“Sure.” You both answered at the same time.

“Thank you for driving us home, she doesn’t trust Uber drivers.”

“Shut up.” You’d seen the enough horror movies to know it’s never safe to get into a car with a stranger. “Thank you...Jeno and Mark, right?”

“No problem.” You noticed the shorter guy’s gaze was fixated in You. “Let’s get going.” You walked towards his car under the moonlight, the only audible sound was the one from your high heels clicking in the pavement.

“I’ve never seen you at our campus.” Mark suddenly blurted out.

“I’m an arts major, our building is literally hidden behind a bunch of trees.” He giggled. You swore it was the most beautiful sound you’d ever heard.

“I’m an architecture major.”

Hyuck sat beside the drivers seat while you kept chatting with Mark in the back row. He was the sweetest person and his laugh was so contagious. You exchanged numbers before hopping out of the car.

Mark texted you the moment you stepped inside your apartment, beginning a conversation that would keep you up till 2:00 a.m.

Your late night conversations kept happening for at least a week.

“Mark?” He was standing right at the entrance of your building.

“You weren’t lying when you said it was hidden behind a bunch of trees, it took me hours to find it.”

“To what do I owe the pleasure?” He was using a plain black shirt along with beige trousers. His silky hair covered his forehead almost completely.

“I found this nice Italian restaurant nearby and I remembered you said you liked it, so uhm...can I take you there?” He didn’t casually find it, he stayed up all night long looking up for places you’d like.

“You remembered!”

“So...is that a yes?”

“Yes!” The corners of his lips went up, revealing that beautiful smile you hadn’t been able to stop thinking about for the past week. “Let’s go.”

The food was absolutely delicious and the company was even better. Mark kept talking about whatever came first to his mind, installing a nice atmosphere around you.

“Wait, so you’re from Canada?” You asked before stuffing your mouth with lasagna once again.

“Yup.” He smiled while grabbing a napkin and wiping the corners of your mouth. “Sorry, it’s just that you had some tomato sauce.”

“It’s alright, thank you.” You couldn’t deny that the sweet gesture made your heart flutter.

The blush in your cheeks only made you prettier, and Mark couldn’t help but to imagine how would it be to cup your rosy cheeks. He almost felt the heat irradiating from them in the palms of his hands.

“So, uhm, do you have a girlfriend or something?” You shyly asked.

He laughed nervously before answering. “No, I’m single.”

“Is this a date then?” He was about to deny it, but you cut him off. “I mean, I wouldn’t mind if it was.”

“I-I guess it is then.” You giggled awkwardly, proceeding to take another bite of your delicious food. “So, can I hold your hand?” There was it again, that beautiful blush tinting your cheeks.

“Sure.” You extended your free hand, looking at your plate while you waited for him to take it.

He hesitantly reached out for it, taking your small hand between his fingers and caressing the soft skin. Everything around you seemed to have stopped, it was just you and him in your little bubble of happiness.

“Hyuckie.” You greeted him through the phone. “You won’t believe what happened today.”

“You finally got laid?”

“Asshole.” He giggled. “I had a date.”

“Yeah, I know. Mark wouldn’t stop talking about it.”

“Really?” You couldn’t hide the smile forming in your lips.

“Listen, I need to go now but we’ll talk later.” He made the sound of a kiss before hanging up.

(...)

You had a few more dates before he officially asked you to be his girlfriend. Despite everything was going too fast, you were happy with him.

“Y/n?” You were stuck inside of a classroom, trying to portrait the nude model in front of you as well as you could. There was a strange feeling burning in his chest.

“Oh, hey Mark.” Your gaze was fixated in the other male. “Johnny, you think we could finish later?”

“Sure.” He grabbed a silky robe and covered his exposed body. “See you.” He bowed before exiting the room.

“What exactly were you doing?” Mark’s usual sweet tone had become lower.

“Oh, Mark. Don’t tell me you’re jealous.” You mocked him. “Don’t worry, I only have eyes for you dummy.”

But your reassuring words weren’t enough. His mind was full of that naked man, his imagination creating wicked scenarios of you with him.

“I’m serious, Mark. You’re the only one that I love, okay?” He nodded, despite there was a voice in his head telling him not to believe you, that you were a liar. “Do you want to know how much I love you?” You slightly palmed him through the fabric of his jeans.

You made love to him in the middle of your classroom, but his mind was still somewhere else.

“Mark, what’s going on?” You asked while putting your clothes back on. “I told you it’s nothing to worry about, besides, it’s not the first time I-”

“So you’ve done this more than once.” A sarcastic grin adorned his lips. “I think I’ll go home now.”

“But what about our date?”

“I’m not in the mood, y/n.” He slammed the door on his way out.

He’d never talked to you like that before, and it was certainly disconcerting. You picked up your materials, turning the lights off before exiting the room.

That night you recieved a text from Mark apologizing for his behavior. But something felt off. You decided to let it slide, he’d probably be back to normal the next day.

But the thing is, he never completely went back to normal, his scary persona would come out at the minimum sight of you with another boy. And it was frankly pissing you off, but again, you let it slide.

“Touch her again and I’ll crush your legs.” You were taking to one of your classmates when he ruffled your hair, little did you know Mark had been watching the two of you.

“Dude, chill. We’re just friends.”

“Mark, what the hell?” You whispered.

“Let’s go.” He grabbed your wrist harshly, dragging you out of the building while you struggled to get out of his grip.

“Stop, Mark. You’re hurting me.”

He stopped, letting go of you. “Are you cheating?”

“You’re being stupid right now.”

“Well, how about you stop being such a slut with your classmates, huh?” That was your breaking point.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” His heart was aching, regret filling every inch of his body. “I’m sick of your possessiveness!” You crossed your arms over your chest. “And calling me a slut? I think we should take a break.”

“I’m sorry, babe, I didn’t mean any of it.” He tried to embrace you, but yo pushed him away.

“Leave me alone, please.” But how could he stay away from his precious little angel? You were asking him to do the impossible. He’d fallen for you so quickly, yet so hard.

“Please, y/n. Give me another chance, I swear to god it won’t happen again. But please, don’t leave me.”

You went back in, ignoring your boyfriend’s sobs.

‘I can’t loose her.’ The thought kept repeating in his mind over and over again. He had to be with you at all costs, even if it meant threatening you.

“Mark, I swear to god if you call me once again I’ll block you.” You picked up your phone after listening to your call ringtone for about thirty minutes.

“I’m outside of your house. Let’s talk, please.”

“Mark, we’re done. So please, leave.”

“We’re not done until I say so.” There it was again. That cold tone that gave you goosebumps. “Check your messages.”

Your phone vibrated against your cheek, signaling you had a new text. You opened your chat with Mark, only to find a picture of you naked, legs wide open.

“H-how?” You never noticed he’d taken pictures of you, and it made you wonder how many times he’d done it.

“You better open the door before I post this so everyone can see it.” He smirked at you as soon as you opened the door. Dark circles and puffy eyes adorned his face. “Always so obedient.”

“What the fuck?” You tried to grab his phone, earning a small grin from him. “Delete them.”

“Bossy, aren’t we? You should reconsider your words or I might just send the video as well.”

“There’s a video?” Your eyes were wide open, fear taking over your body. “Please don’t, I’ll do anything.”

“Now we’re talking.” He wasn’t capable of sending them to anyone since it would mean that other man would see you naked, but you didn’t have to know that. “Let’s take a seat, shall we?”

He made himself at home. He even had the audacity to hug you.

“I missed you.” He leaned closer to your hair, sniffing it, the calming scent of coconut filling his nostrils. “Did you miss me?”

There was only one correct answer.

“Yes.” You forced yourself to say.

“That sounded like a lie, baby.” He warned, unlocking his phone and mockingly playing your video.

“I-I missed you M-mark.” He hummed in approval, proceeding to turn his phone off.

(...)

You tried your best to please Mark for the next weeks, letting him take you out on dates and grab your hand, like he used to do.

“Mark.” Your voice was shaking slightly. “I need to stay for a few extra hours to finish my project.” He wanted you to inform him about each and every one of your movements, even installing a tracking device in your purse while you weren’t paying attention.

“You know, babe. I’ve been thinking, wouldn’t it be more convenient if we lived together?” At this point, you knew you wouldn’t be able to decline his offer. Nevertheless, you tried to talk your way out of it.

“But we’ve been dating for less than three months and we have different schedules-” His thumb found it’s way to your lips.

“We’ll figure it out. I’ll go to your house on Friday to help you packing. I can’t wait to live with you.” He let out a soft giggle before saying goodbye.

So now you were losing your only private place too. He’d be watching you 24/7, controlling each and every one of your movements. You were doomed and needed to find a way out of it.

You looked for your only trustworthy friend whom you’d not seen very often in the last few months.

“Hyuck can we meet?”

“It’s the first time I hear from you in weeks and you’re not even gonna say hello?”

“I’m sorry, but it’s really urgent. Are you free right now?” He hummed. “I’ll wait for you at the cafeteria.”

You sat down at one of the tables in the corner.

“I thought you were dead.” He hugged you tightly as soon as he saw you. “What’s going on? You sounded uneasy through the phone.”

“I need you to promise you won’t tell anyone.”

“Fine, just spit it out.”

You resumed all the events from your first date to the actual situation. Haechan’s jaw dropped by the end of your story.

“If this is a prank I’m gonna be pissed.” Mark was his friend, so of course, it was shocking to find out what he’d been up to.

“I really wish it was.” You were on the verge of tears, holding them in as well as you could. “Please, hyuck, help me.”

“First of all, I don’t think Mark will send those pictures to anyone. He’d only get himself in trouble.” He combed his hair back using his fingers. “And y/n, is your reputation really more important than your freedom?”

His advice helped you make a decision. You bid hyuck goodbye after promising to call him if anything happened and made your way to your building, where you knew Mark would be waiting for you.

“Mark.” You called him. He turned his head to the side, a big smile adorning his face as soon as he saw you.

“Hey baby. I have a lunch break now, wanna go to that Italian restaurant?”

‘That fucking Italian restaurant started everything.’

“No.” His eyebrows twitched the slightest, but that creepy grin remained.

“Have you forgotten about that photo?”

“Just do whatever you want.”

There was no way you could’ve known he’d take it so literally.

“Hey, y/n.” Johnny was standing a few meters away from you. “Ready for today’s session? You better make me look pretty in that canvas.”

You giggled. That was enough to set a fire inside Mark. He was the only one allowed to make you smile.

“Goodbye, Mark.” You went inside the building with him, laughing at whatever he’d just said.

‘Get rid of him.’ The voice inside of his head kept repeating. He was an obstacle between you and him, and obstacles need to be removed.

Hours went by quickly as you worked on your final project. You took a break to go to the bathroom and rest your mind.

“This is so tiring.” You said to yourself as you washed your hands. A loud thud was heard from a nearby classroom.

You quickly dried your hands and made your way to the room Johnny was in.

“Hey, is everything okay? Why did you turn off the lights?” You used your finger to turn the switch on.

‘Is this...blood?’ There was a poodle of opaque red liquid surrounding your classmate. Multiple injuries were visible in his naked body.

“Hi honey.” Chills ran down your spine as you heard Mark behind you. You turned around to face him.

“M-mark, what did you do?” He smirked, apparently unbothered even though he was standing over a poodle of blood.

“I’m sorry, baby. But he deserved it.” With every step he took forward, you took one back.

“He didn’t do anything!” Tears streamed down your face as he caged you between his arms.

“Oh, but he did.” You could hear some guttural sounds coming out from the limp body. He was still alive. “He looked at you with that dumb little smile, he even made you laugh. I needed to teach him not to mess with someone else’s property.” His breath was fanning against your nose. “And my little girl needed to be taught to behave.”

“Please, Mark. Stop this.”

“But I did it for us, babe. So we can be together forever.” The touch that you once craved now made you nauseous. “Don’t you want to be with me?”

“Mark, please, let me go.”

“I think I wasn’t clear enough.” His blood stained face came closer to yours, tracing your jawline with the tip of his bloody knife. “We’re soulmates, and soulmates are meant to be together.” He tilted his head as the metallic blade slightly pierced through the skin of your neck. “Don’t you think so, honey?”

The sounds coming from Johnny distracted you from the pain in your neck.

“We need to get him some help!” You tried to reach out for him, but Mark slammed you against the wall.

“You like him, don’t you?” Sadness peeked through his voice. “It’s okay baby, my love is enough for both of us.”

“Stop it!” You screamed while pushing him away with all your strength, getting enough space for you to run.

You ran as fast as you could, nevertheless, luck wasn’t on your side. You took a wrong step and fell down the stairs, a rib or two breaking in the process. You whined, hugging your chest in an attempt to ease the pain.

“Oh, sweetie. Look what you’ve done.” Mark smirked as he looked down at you. “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of you.” He crouched beside your curled up body with a grin. “Let’s take you home.”

#nct au #nct imagines #nct ot21 #nct smut #nct x reader #nct #nct 127 #nct scenarios

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adhd-wifi · 4 years

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MDZS Modern AU Fic Tips (Living in China)

So I asked a while back if anyone was interested in some fic tips for writing Chinese modern AUs, and y’all seemed enthusiastic. But…when I tried putting it all in a single post it got…really…really long…

So I split them into a bunch of posts (Yes I copy-pasted this intro on all of them because I’m lazy)! Here are the links:

Names & Stuff

Modern Chinese Cultural Stuff

Superstitions & Beliefs

Festivals

Living in China (You are here)

Anyways, these are based off my experiences living in Singapore and China, and I hope these posts are helpful. On to it.

Living in China

Disclaimer: I mostly lived in Singapore during my existence, and thus I can’t give you extremely detailed info of what it’s like exactly, but I do visit my Chinese relatives fairly frequently, so these are general tips. Also, please keep in mind that the info here is biased towards life in Dalian & Harbin. I’ve been to Beijing but only twice so I don’t remember a lot.

The currency in China is RMB, or “yuan”. 100 RMB is about $14 USD, and not considered a lot of money

Side Note: The above tip is also another reason why you shouldn’t ever write A-Yuan’s name as just “Yuan”. It makes him look like the local currency djsasldkj

Coin values are (with comparison to US currency):

1 yuan (like a dollar)

5 jiao (Half-yuan - 50 cents)

1 jiao (1/10 yuan - 10 cents)

5 fen (0.05 yuan - 5 cents)

1 fen (0.01 - basically a penny)

Also related to money, in more urban areas, people don’t really carry cash or even cards around anymore. Practically everything is paid electronically, through WeChat Pay and other cash/bank apps, typically using QR codes on phones. You’ll have a hard time as a foreigner if you don’t have any of those apps in these areas (AKA me when I forget to re-download them before heading to China)

The exceptions to this would be places where tourists and foreigners are very frequent, such as hotels, airports, tourist buildings, universities (though my cousin’s old uni recently went full electronic payment I think???) etc, and more rural areas

Some Chinese social media and stuff:

BaiDu 百度 - Basically Chinese Google. We also use it the way we use “google” as a verb, saying 百度一下 (bǎi dù yī xià) - “Let me BaiDu it”

WeChat - Very similar to Whatsapp in general, also used for money purposes with WeChat Pay

QQ Mail - The most frequently used email platform in China. QQ Mail also has an Instant Messenger last time I checked. Also, I think QQ still uses number-based IDs, so the address would look something like: ([email protected]). Hotmail is fairly common in China too, particularly with those who need have to send international emails

YouKu 优酷 - The most popular video hosting site (most similar to YouTube out of the many video sites)

bilibili 哔哩哔哩 (yes, small caps) - Another video site well-known for animations, games, and comics especially

TaoBao 淘宝 - Cosplayers would probably know this. Something like a Chinese Amazon or Lazada.

WeiBo 微博 - Main Chinese social media platform. Feels like a FaceBook + Twitter fusion

LOFTER - Feels like a Chinese Tumblr

Even in urban areas, it’s easy to find entire streets of literally nothing but restaurants by the main roads (+ maybe a stationary shop, salon, or something in a corner, and you can often drive right up to the front door and park right there (in more populated areas and/or near malls/attractions, there will likely be extra open parking space nearby such restaurant streets)

Some larger restaurants, especially those with seafood specialties, don’t have actual booklet menus. Instead they have a wide selection of fresh ingredients (wrapped up safely in layers saran wrap) such as vegetables, cuts of meat, and tanks of living fish/shellfish/crustaceans near the entrance. They tend to have a list of dishes you can order by the corresponding ingredients, or a server nearby to tell you and take your orders. Apparently this is more common in the North.

You don’t tip in restaurants in China. You COULD slip a particular server or two some cash if you wanted to, but as an overall system tipping does not exist and also it’s not “one server one table”. It’s “whoever’s available to serve you IN THAT MOMENT will serve you” so you’ll likely see at least three different servers throughout your meal. Please. Stop with the “Hi I’ll be your server today” in China-set fics. It’s SOOOOO WEIRD.

I’ve never studied in China, but I checked this guide with my Chinese cousin and it’s pretty accurate about the educational system there

Speaking of schools, you wear uniforms up to Upper Secondary (some to Post-Secondary). As typical gender-conformity strikes again, girls will wear skirts and boys will wear pants. The exception is during the colder months, in which everyone will basically just wear full body tracksuits (school-issued) to school and it’s their uniform for the whole day. This is particularly common in schools with low or no heating systems, especially in more rural areas

Drivers sit on the left side of their vehicle in China. Typically, any foreign cars (such as from Hong Kong - which would have the driver on the right) will need a mainland license plate. (This might be changing in recent times though.)

I don’t know much about the healthcare systems in China anymore, I was hospitalized once at 3 or 4 and don’t remember much, but in general basic healthcare from public hospitals is low-cost to free (depending on the region) for Chinese citizens with their basic insurance plans (individual and employee provided). You get charged (more) for hospitalization and more serious treatments like surgeries, physical/mental therapy, vaccinations (this is a pro-vax blog btw, just saying), and maybe dental. Most of these can be covered by insurance too though. If you go to a private hospital, it’s considerably more expensive of course.

Okay that’s all the info I can think of to be potentially useful in fics lol.

#mdzs #mo dao zu shi #cql #chen qing ling #the untamed #chinese things #chinese fic tips #fic tips #modern au #my posts

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illegiblewords · 5 years

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FOR CONFUSED BYSTANDERS

I know that I have a lot of followers who have been (very patiently) witnessing a stream of pictures, commentary, and general posts related to Final Fantasy XIV. This is going to be my attempt to present the game and its story with context for you guys who have no idea what’s going on.

I’m doing this for two reasons, the first being I LOVE THIS GAME. If I can share the positive experience I’ve had with other people, I’d like to do that. The second reason is, for people who still follow but aren’t necessarily going to play themselves--it might offer enough background info to make posts that go up more entertaining at least. I know I don’t personally mind seeing bloggers, writers, artists, etc. share something I’m unfamiliar with, but it gets more fun when I have some clue what it’s about.

Parts of this post will be just about my own subjective experience, some will be recapping the story, some will be going over different ways I’ve seen people play in case that appeals. So on and so forth. I’m aiming to offer an honest reflection on whatever seems important.

Putting this under a cut because really, this is fucking long. Not as long as it looks because pictures are included but even still. For anyone who reads, I hope you enjoy and if you have questions don’t hesitate to hit me up! :)

BACKGROUND - NON-MMO PLAYER LOVES THIS MMO

I have never played an MMO before this. I’m pretty apathetic about them for the most part. When I play games I like to design things, get good pictures, and kill baddies for stress relief. I'm here to immerse in an exciting world and story, meet characters I can invest in. Stuff in that vein. So far as gaming goes I’m pretty simple.

There are people who put heavy emphasis on the social elements of FFXIV. They’ll play with their friends specifically, either because they’re focused on fighting together or because they want to roleplay or just to hang out. I’m not really in that category.

I entered knowing no one, and while I’ve made some friends through FFXIV I mostly interact with them outside the game itself. This can happen on tumblr, on forums, on the official blog platform, etc. In-game, I encounter other players all the time but it is generally something like “I was running around the city doing stuff and other people were also running around the city doing stuff”. You can approach people. You can message them and do little emotes like waving or hugging or slapping or whatever. You can do these emotes directed at nobody and just see your character go through the animations, which can be fun for taking pictures.

More detailed encounters with other players happen in dungeons, trials, and raids. These are called registered duties. Guildhests and PVP (player versus player) exist too, but I haven’t done them. I’ll elaborate later, but the gist you need to know here is that you are grouped in with a fixed number of additional players and then placed in a setting with a pre-set encounter or encounters to overcome. Some of these are straightforward, some require strategy.

In FFXIV, people usually chat to varying degrees during duties. Most are polite, pleasant, and focused on gameplay. At least where I am, which I’ll also go into later. Occasionally there are people who are jerks in the sense that they are inconsiderate or rude to other players. Also occasionally, people are incompetent. More often though I’ll encounter someone with a great sense of humor or people who have helpful tips to improve.

This is a game where, if you see a player marked as new struggling with low level monsters, a more experienced player might pause to oneshot that monster so the newbie can escape. People are casually nice most of the time.

Since I’d normally be doing single-player anyway, for me this is very refreshing. I get to do all the things I’d be doing in a single-player video game, but I also get light exchanges with other fans in ways that aren’t disruptive. There’s enough meat to the Main Quest Scenario (MSQ) and side quests that I don’t feel bored or lonely at all.

FFXIV does cost money to play and has a subscription. This can be paid in varying increments. I personally think it’s worth it because 1) the developers are adding new content on a pretty regular basis 2) the developers actually care about quality and having happy fans 3) the game keeps getting better over time 4) there is SO MUCH you can do in the game. It is truly expansive beyond anything else I’ve seen. I might not be ready to do a subscription with every game, but for this one absolutely.

This essentially plays like a normal final fantasy game in most respects. You might run around solo by-and-large, but there is an NPC supporting cast. They and the villains get fleshed out very well. Same goes for civilians and other background characters. The biggest difference off the top of my head is the story’s beginning...

OBSTACLES

I’m going to get this out of the way early, but in essence I think there are two main obstacles as a beginner. The first and most notable of these is that the game’s entry point, called “A Realm Reborn”, is less well-written and EXTREMELY LONG.

Seriously. I’ve only gotten one character past this point and it took me a stupid amount of time. Some of the quests at this stage are things like “my dad doesn’t like the stinky chocobo please spray it with perfume so it is less stinky”. Or “jump through all these stupid hoops so you can fight the exciting boss you’ve been waiting for”.

However, the length at least is slotted to be fixed in the future. I’ll probably announce that when it happens in case that’s the deal changer for anyone.

On writing quality, it starts off mediocre. However, later writing is so strong that it actually manages to make past scenes WAY more interesting. The initial setup also kind of lures you into a false sense of security, at which point shit gets real very fast.

The second obstacle for beginners involves a degree of not knowing what you don’t know. For example, there is an extremely powerful attack that can be used in registered duties called “Limit Break”. Initially I didn’t even know where to find it to put in my move hotbar. Then I didn’t know that using it would take limit break away from other players in the group. Then I didn’t know that the limit breaks of different jobs needed to be used under different circumstances. An example of this would be that spellcaster SHOULD use a limit break attack on freakishly large groups of enemies, but SHOULD NOT use limit break on a lone boss unless there is literally no other damage class (DPS) available to do it. This is because the overall impact of caster limit break is comparatively low, but effects more enemies at the same time. Using limit break inappropriately can frustrate people.

There are other things similar to this, such as when you use Duty Finder (a roulette that sets you up with completely random people interested in the same registered duty) and when you use Party Finder (where you announce what registered duty you want to do with what circumstances, then people volunteer to join), or being aware of which moves are supposed to be used in which order for top efficiency. That said, if you tell people you’re completely new they’ll usually be willing to explain.

If it’s something like “how do I use the glamour plates to switch into designs I made easily” or “how does crafting even work”, youtube is very helpful too! Overall just take initiative and communicate to people your experience level while in groups and things tend to work out.

THE STORY

Disclaimer: Recaps get less detailed over time to avoid spoiling too hard.

SHORT VERSION

You are a god-slayer, or more precisely the slayer of false-gods. False-gods drain the land to make it lifeless and are prone to brainwashing people. You also regularly fight the rough equivalent of angels who believe the world as you know it has gone horribly wrong and are trying to force things back into their natural forms. Excessive death ensues anytime they are successful, so high stakes. Meanwhile, an authoritarian and technologically advanced nation is causing issues on the regular and has to be stopped.

PRELUDE/LEGACY

Final Fantasy XIV had a rocky start with patch section 1.0/the true beginning, which I did not play. While there are videos online of what it was like for those curious, the gist is that five years before the current opening the world was stricken by a terrible calamity. The nation of Eorzea (an allied collection of city states) was at war with the Garlean Empire--otherwise known as Garlemald. During this war, one of Garlemald’s scientists implemented a genocidal strategy against the Eorzeans by dragging the lesser of two moons down upon their heads. This moon was called Dalamud. However, what took this situation from bad to worse was that Dalamud wasn’t actually a moon but a prison.

Thousands of years prior, the technologically advanced nation of Allag had been performing experiments using dragons and entities known as primals. Primals are summoned into being using a combination of aether (life energy, the source of magic), ritual, and the belief of their summoners. One of Allag’s experiments involved murdering a powerful dragon then using the tortured prayers of his lover and his kin to summon a warped, primal imitation of him. This primal was then trapped as a power source and left to fester in rage and insanity.

The dragon’s primal is Bahamut. Dalamud was his cage.

When Dalamud burst open above Eorzea, Bahamut was released in all his apocalyptic glory. A collection of heroes, allied to an organization called the Scions of the Seventh Dawn (dedicated to eliminating primals for the toll they take on the land and its people) stood against Bahamut. A man named Louisoix Levellieur, leader of the Scions, cast a powerful spell by summoning the Twelve Eorzean gods to stop Bahamut. This spell cast the primal, Louisoix, and the heroes five years into the future. It also wiped the heroes, known thereafter as the Warriors of Light, from memory.

Part of what makes 1.0 really cool looking back--when the developers saw how many problems existed in the MMO, they knew they would need to reboot it. There was a date set for that to happen, which would involve taking Final Fantasy XIV offline until an improved version could be released. Players knew the real world reasons behind all this. What they didn’t know was how the hiatus and reboot would be presented within the narrative.

People who were up-to-date in the storyline knew that war had erupted and that the moon was falling. They also knew that a particular time, the game would be taken offline.

This is what they saw.

A REALM REBORN

The average player, and likely anyone reading this, will not have played patch 1.0. For us, Final Fantasy XIV begins five years after Bahamut’s calamity. The world is still recovering and has been irrevocably scarred in the dragon’s wake. Refugees from both that event and Garlemald’s conquered territories pour in even as the empire bides its time for another invasion.

The player is a fledgling adventurer endowed with a gift called The Echo. The Echo is an ability that first, prevents them from being brainwashed (or “Tempered”) by primals. This is important because like I said before, one of the things that gives primals their power is belief. This extends to prayer. If a person is tempered, they will worship and empower the primal responsible until they die. This means most people can’t even approach primals safely, much less fight them. More than one character (including NPCs) possess The Echo, but it remains a rare ability.

Another aspect of this gift is that it allows someone (without any deliberate control) to see into the memories of others, superimposing emotions and perspectives of the event over the witnessing Echo-user. It also translates all direct speech into an understandable form to the Echo-user. There are additional abilities that become unveiled over the course of the story, but these are most important and consistent going in.

The player initially is just one of many such adventurers, a guild of independent mercenaries willing to undertake odd jobs using their skill in combat. After coming into conflict with a mysterious, masked organization, however, it becomes clear that the player has been chosen as champion to Hydaelyn herself.

Because you see, Hydaelyn isn’t just the name of the planet. This is also a sentient mothercrystal claiming the role of protector to all life on Her surface.

The masked organization consists of spirits with varying degrees of immortality. They also have the ability to body snatch. These are called Ascians. Ascians argue that the world was split into fourteen pieces thousands of years ago by Hydaelyn, and that their dark crystal god--Zodiark--is the true will of the star and represents a natural state of being that must be reclaimed. Their way of pursuing this objective requires causing a series of apocalypses or near-apocalypses, always coming with innumerable casualties.

As Hydaelyn’s champion the player joins the Scions of the Seventh Dawn in combating primals, fights against lingering threats from Garlemald, and thwarts Ascian plans to continue rejoining the world through calamities.

A trailer for this arc can be viewed here.

HEAVENSWARD

Shit goes pear shaped in a big way and you have to flee territories held by the Eorzean Alliance--city states including Ul’dah, Limsa Lominsa, and Gridania. Ishgard, now a frozen, mountainous landscape ruled by a religion dedicated to the goddess Halone, takes your character in.

Ishgard has been at war with the draconic nation of Dravania for thousands of years. Dragons are immortal by natural means, but can be slain. Ishgard no longer remembers, by and large, why the war even started except that they have been losing loved ones in horrifying ways for as long as they can remember. They refused to send aid during the struggle against Garlemald specifically because they couldn’t spare forces from their war with Dravania. They have a reputation for being hostile to outsiders, having extreme class divides, and inquisition-style zealotry. Nonetheless, there are good people here and over the course of A Realm Reborn the player manages to befriend some of them.

This arc delves into Ishgard’s war, and involves the player taking part while clearing their name in the Alliance. Toward the end, it is also extremely important to note that the player encounters a group calling themselves “Warriors of Darkness”, who are in-league with the Ascians. It comes to light that they hail from one of the divided worlds, that their world is in terrible danger, and they believe the path to survival comes from confronting you.

A trailer for this arc can be viewed here.

STORMBLOOD

One of the antagonists we encounter forces the Alliance to involve itself in freeing Garlemald’s conquered territories, namely the nations of Ala Mhigo (largely Middle Eastern) and Doma (East Asian). In undertaking this task, the hero comes into repeated conflict with Garlemald’s crown prince, Zenos yae Galvus. Zenos is basically a serial killer with the resources of a prince but no actual investment in being a prince. It’s pretty wild.

A lot of this plot focuses on the consequences of Garlean rule. Over time though, it comes to light that the founder of Garlemald was a high-ranked Ascian and is still very much alive.

A trailer for this arc can be viewed here.

SHADOWBRINGERS

The plot set into motion with the Warriors of Darkness resumes as the player is forced to travel to their home world. Dealing with a setting on the brink of Armageddon, this current arc has a ton to do with examining different perspectives while getting much clearer insight on lore metaphysics. Most notably, we finally learn why the Ascians act the way they do and discover more about the nature of the player character and Hydaelyn.

I’m aware this is vague, but honestly this is my favorite of all the expansions/arcs so far. Seriously it is fucking killer.

A trailer for this arc can be viewed here.

YOUR PROTAGONIST/THE CHARACTER CREATOR

The main character of Final Fantasy XIV is known as the Warrior of Light, regardless of whether you play from the Legacy version of the game or A Realm Reborn. Similar to the Dragon Age games, in Final Fantasy XIV you get to design your own main character and shape their identity to varying degrees through the story. Some people like to imagine their protagonist as existing within a completely different role in the world of Hydaelyn for roleplay purposes (so not a Warrior of Light), but that involves essentially disregarding the main quest scenario narrative provided. It’s fine to do that of course, but I’m going to be explaining things that essentially fit within the canon approach.

There are currently eight playable races for the Warrior of Light. These include hyur (human stand-ins), elezen (elf stand-ins), roegadyns (orc or giant stand-ins), miqo’te (cat people), lalafells (dwarf or gnome stand-ins), au ra (tiefling or draeni stand-ins), viera (female-only bunny people at the moment), and hrothgar (male-only lion people, the beast race).

Each race option has two subraces attached. The most dramatic differences between subraces come up for hyur, where there are Midlanders (shorter and slighter frames) and Highlanders (taller and beefier/curvier). Otherwise it’s more minor differences.

It is common for players to develop their own personal interpretations of who their Warrior of Light character was before the story begins and how that impacts progression. This can be shaped by what race they belong to and what lore is attached to that race according to region. It is also possible to shape things according to which of the Twelve (Eorzea’s pantheon) the Warrior of Light worships. These deities are loosely described and made available for selection at the beginning of the game.

It isn’t unusual for people to pick names in-keeping with lore. A good site to turn to for this is over here, although there are also spots that go into what different names actually translate to. Other people just go with whatever they feel like. I think I saw someone named Cheese Whiz once.

Stat variation is pretty negligible between races, and it’s mainly an aesthetic/tonal choice. Currently there is some pressure on game developers to make Viera and Hrothgar playable for male and female gender options both, and it seems likely that at some point this will happen. Currently there are indications that the release for Viera and Hrothgar was somewhat rushed due to some behind-the-scenes circumstances, so while they are less versatile than other options this is likely to change at some point.

As someone who is a sucker for character customization, I want to mention that while it might be easier to get some of the fantasy races to fit a particular ethnicity--Final Fantasy actually does a great job in terms of visual versatility and has made it possible to hit a wide range of options well. For example, it might be easier to make an East Asian au ra or a French elezen, but you can easily break with that in totally believable ways. You might not have the precision adjustments of Dragon Age: Inquisition or Bloodborne, but the options presented are pretty flexible.

In terms of how the Warrior of Light works through the game, again while there is some wiggle room there are certain aspects to their identity that stay pretty consistent. They get jaded and worn out by the narrative as time goes on, they experience loss, they become increasingly chatty and sarcastic. They have powerful neck muscles from years of communication by nodding. Commonly, the personality of the Warrior of Light is also influenced by the job they choose.

THE JOBS

Something I wish got explained to me early--you only get certain jobs as options starting out, and any others you hear about getting added are only accessible at higher levels. In Final Fantasy XIV, basically when it comes to combat you start with a very basic class, which graduates to a job (better versions of the class) when you fulfill certain requirements.

There are notably three main roles a combat class or job can fall into. These include tanks, healers, and DPS. Tanks are responsible for leading the charge, provoking aggression, directing mobs, and enduring attacks in groups. They don’t deal the most damage but have the highest defense and are generally right in the thick of the action. Healers can deal damage but their main purpose is to keep themselves and everyone around them from dying, especially in groups. At the moment all of the healer jobs use magic. DPS (Damage Per Second) are the jobs that are mainly responsible for taking chunks out of the enemy’s health. Within DPS there are additionally three subcategories, these being Melee DPS (non-magical and close-range), Physical Ranged DPS (non-magical and fighting from a distance), and Magic Ranged DPS (magical and fighting from a distance). There is also a limited job and Crafter/Gatherer classes, but I’ll get to those later.

Some DPS jobs, additionally, focus more on playing support to other party members while others are geared toward boosting their own damage output.

The classes you can choose from in the character creator include:

Gladiator (Tank, Sword and Shield)

Marauder (Tank, Axe)

Lancer (Melee DPS, Lance)

Pugilist (Melee DPS, Fists)

Archer (Physical Ranged DPS, Bow)

Conjurer (Healer, Wand)

Thaumaturge (Magical Ranged DPS, Staff)

Arcanist (Magical Ranged DPS, Tome)

At level 10, if your armory system is unlocked (you need to complete a quest for your starting class NPC mentor to do this) you can approach an NPC in Limsa Lominsa to unlock the Rogue class as well. This is a Melee DPS class and uses twin daggers. If your character starts with Marauder or Arcanist this takes less time.

To graduate each of these early classes into a job, the following requirements need to be met:

Paladin (Sword and Shield): Requires Gladiator level 30, Conjurer level 15.

Warrior (Axe): Requires Marauder level 30, Gladiator level 15.

Dragoon (Lance): Requires Lancer level 30, Marauder level 15.

Monk (Fists): Requires Pugilist level 30, Lancer level 15.

Bard (Bow): Requires Archer level 30, Pugilist level 15.

White Mage (Wand): Requires Conjurer level 30, Arcanist level 15.

Scholar (Tome): Requires Arcanist level 30, Conjurer level 15.

Black Mage (Staff): Requires Thaumaturge level 30, Archer level 15.

Summoner (Tome): Requires Arcanist level 30, Thaumaturge level 15.

Ninja (Daggers): Requires Rogue level 30 and completion of quests Sylph-Management and Cloying Victory.

I’ll describe these in more detail in a bit, but there are waaaay more combat jobs than this. Currently the others are:

Dark Knight (Tank, Greatsword): Requires having purchased the Heavensward expansion and having completed all of the Seventh Astral Era Quests up to Before the Dawn, which is needed to unlock the city of Ishgard. This job starts at level 30.

Gunbreaker (Tank, Gunblade): Requires having purchased the Shadowbringers expansion and having a Disciple of War or Magic job at level 60. This job starts at level 60.

Astrologian (Healer, Star Globe): Requires having purchased the Heavensward expansion and having completed all of the Seventh Astral Era Quests up to Before the Dawn, which is needed to unlock the city of Ishgard. This job starts at level 30.

Samurai (Melee DPS, Katana): Requires having purchased the Stormblood expansion and having a Disciple of War or Magic job at level 50. This job starts at level 50.

Machinist (Physical Ranged DPS, Firearm) Requires having purchased the Heavensward expansion and having completed all of the Seventh Astral Era Quests up to Before the Dawn, which is needed to unlock the city of Ishgard. This job starts at level 30.

Dancer (Physical Ranged DPS, Chakrams): Requires having purchased the Shadowbringers expansion and having a Disciple of War or Magic job at level 60. This job starts at level 60.

Red Mage (Magical Ranged DPS, Rapier): Requires having purchased the Stormblood expansion and having a Disciple of War or Magic job at level 50. This job starts at level 50.

So total, right now the jobs include 4 Tanks (Paladin, Warrior, Dark Knight, Gunbreaker), 3 Healers (White Mage, Scholar, Astrologian), 4 Melee DPS (Dragoon, Monk, Ninja, Samurai), 3 Physical Ranged DPS (Bard, Machinist, Dancer), and 3 Magical Ranged DPS (Black Mage, Summoner, Red Mage). Total is 17 jobs. When I describe these combat based jobs, I’m not going to focus on the actual gameplay aspect because frankly I don’t know how to play all of the jobs. This is gonna be a quick and dirty explanation based on the scientific approach of “idk that’s just my impression”.

Paladin: You are a holy knight and you can heal a little sometimes maybe (???) and you are very good and noble with great defense.

Warrior: You are a beserker who loves to release your inner beast and kill shit in really violent ways and are kind of a badass and do the most damage of the tanks.

Dark Knight: Super super edgy and kind of magical but also straight up crazy, you hate corrupt authority figures and are willing to get your hands dirty and darken your name in order to protect others. One of the most beloved job questlines.

Gunbreaker: You have a sword that is also a gun and you can shoot people with it, soldier style. Basically if you have ever fantasized about having a knifegun this is like that but better.

White Mage: Very pure, focused on nature and communing with elemental beings, all about that land/sea/sky thing with ties to the elements earth, water, and air. One of three magic traditions that got involved in a next level magic fight, this one stemming from the city of Amdapor. Amdapor is full of fungus and poison spores now.

Scholar: Takes a highly intellectual spin on magic with ties to weird geometries and so forth, figured out how to summon fairy familiars from aether. Does a lot with shields and preventing people from taking as much damage in the first place. One of three magic traditions that got involved in a next level magic fight, this one stemming from the city of Nym. Nym is a floating city and is basically hovering in ruins now, with any surviving residents having been transformed into tonberries. Tonberries are little green creatures that like to stab people.

Astrologian: A fortuneteller take on magic that combines tarot cards, astrology, and crystal balls. The idea here is that Astrologians are messing with fate and time in order to heal you, sort of undoing damage. Snazzy dressers, intimidating moveset.

Dragoon: Jumpy people with spears who struggle to live down their legacy of animation lag-related deaths, my understanding is that today’s Dragoons do solid damage and are decent at survival. Their reputation, however, is that if someone is going to die in a fight it’s probably them. They are very broody and like to hang out in high places with capes billowing in the wind. They also wear spiky armor and fight dragons and have the soul of a dragon. People make jokes at their expense a lot but with affection.

Monk: You punch people to death and get gauntlets of varying levels of sharp. You also get to master chakras and go through forms associated with different animals. In a series like Final Fantasy where people carry swords bigger than they are, you’re the job that said lol who needs that and made your body the weapon.

Ninja: Very very sneaky, used to be sort of a state-sanctioned criminal. If anybody is a spy it’s you. You are very fast and can basically turn invisible and sometimes smoke bombs go off. Mudras are used and I don’t understand.

Samurai: Deal a solid amount of damage and are very flashy and cool, probably one of the highest damage outputs for Melee DPS. Very neat and fancy katanas.

Bard: Draws a connection between the strings of a harp and the strings of a bow, is able to both shoot the crap out of enemies, make enemies more vulnerable with some songs, and make allies more powerful with other songs. I think Bards are very pretty and fancy.

Machinist: These are tech nerds who realized that guns are an option. So are flamethrowers. So are robots. This job has a reputation for being ungodly complicated to play but this has apparently been rectified recently.

Dancer: Similar to Bard in that they do a lot to boost allies in a fight, do lower damage as a result but damn do they boost their allies. Also have ridiculously swanky outfits and are super flashy in fights.

Black Mage: The edgy magic users, they are disciples of Eorzea’s death god and all of their magic ties into destruction. If you wanna make the biggest explosions Black Mage is where you go. Magic ties to fire, ice, and electricity but primarily puts focus on the shift between fire and ice. Black Mages also have a reputation for being involved in demon summoning because they were kind of the assholes in that magic war against White Mages and Scholars. Black Magic as a discipline has ancestry in Mhach, which is of course now crawling with demons. Black Mage is the DPS king in the sense that if you want the biggest numbers of damage dealt, this is where you go. They are however tragically slow and squishy so expect the Black Mage to be somewhere between standing right where an attack will land or dodging frantically between spells.

Summoner: Has the ability to summon small familiars in the form of defeated primals, these being namely Ifrit (fire-based), Titan (earth-based), Garuda (air-based), Bahamut, and Phoenix. Apparently their questline is covered in Ascians too. One of two DPS capable of raising fallen allies.

Red Mage: Very fancy, fast-moving swordsmen covered in ruffles. The founders of Red Magic were Black and White Mages who came together in the wake of that magic war mentioned above. They essentially work to balance Black Magic and White Magic alongside physical attacks. They don’t get the numbers of some DPS but are again extremely fast and are also capable of raising allies. Versatile.

The limited job is called Blue Mage, currently being lamented because it’s unable to fight in dungeons or main quest situations to the extent of other jobs. Blue Mage gets abilities by fighting monsters and learning magical abilities from them. They use a cane and are massive dandies who will hopefully get the opportunity to do more in the future.

If you want to actually make in-game money without blood sacrifice, you want to get involved in a Crafter or Gatherer job. These don’t deal with combat but instead let you acquire, develop, and sell in-demand resources to other players.

Gatherer jobs include Fishers, Botanists, and Miners. Crafter jobs include Carpenters, Blacksmiths, Armorers, Goldsmiths, Leatherworkers, Weavers, Alchemists, and Culinarians. I am not good at these and so can’t explain them properly, but some people do play the game exclusively so they can level these jobs. I think that besides getting mad cash, this is probably because Crafters and Gatherers also get to make really fancy houses and get very pretty clothes with their vast amounts of wealth, skill, and resources.

THE SETTING

There are three city states that, at the start of A Realm Reborn, comprise the Eorzean Alliance. Your character becomes a hero to the Eorzean Alliance before any other nation. The three nations are Ul’dah, Gridania, and Limsa Lominsa. Ul’dah is a desert city (someone mentioned it being Byzantine), ruled by a Sultana, and watched over by the dual-aspected god of death and commerce. Gridania is a forest city (to me it looks Western European but unsure?), ruled by a spiritual Elder Seedseer, and is watched over by the nature goddess Nophica--her will embodied in the form of spirits called Elementals. Limsa Lominsa is an ocean city (Greek influenced, although some territories read Caribbean), ruled over by an Admiral, and is watched over by a sea-goddess.

Ul’dah is a major trade center and known for having a solid amount of crime and corruption, harsh wealth divides, huge reverence for the dead, and general canniness. Gridania is super spiritual and has massive reverence for the forest and maintaining both it and the boundaries necessary to co-exist peacefully with Elementals. Limsa Lominsa is literally pirate town and have the most kickass military/naval fleet ever.

Depending on what job you choose in the character creator will effect which of these three cities you start out in. It’s ambiguous where the Warrior of Light comes from so conceivably you could be a native to that city state or a foreigner from somewhere else. It mainly matters in terms of if you’re making a story up for your character or not.

Another city state is Ishgard (technically Eorzean but isolationist), which has parallels to Norse mythology, France, and the Catholic church. It is covered in snow and full of mountains. Ala Mhigo is also a city state, and while like Ul’dah it is also a desert environment this one seems to place higher emphasis on different regions within the Middle East and India. One part looks strongly reminiscent of the Dead Sea, for example. Idyllshire was formerly a territory of the nation Sharlayan, which dedicates itself to the scholar-god. However, Sharlayan up and bailed when Garlemald showed up so that whole city got evacuated.

Those city states are all based on the continent Aldenard. Garlemald comes from a continent called Ilsabard that we haven’t gotten to see yet. It’s supposed to be cold and shitty there. Also worth mentioning, Garleans are on the one hand atheists and on the other hand borderline worship their emperor.

Othard is the Far Eastern continent and represents Asia. The two main city states we’ve seen there are Kugane (Japan) and Doma (China). There are other nations in the surrounding areas that we know about as well but haven’t explored. Both Kugane and Doma worship entities known as kami, omnipresent spirits who appreciate treasure and sometimes play a role in manipulating the fates of mortals. There are also animal spirits who through wisdom and longevity gain power and the ability to change form. These are called auspices. Special shout out to the Azim Steppe of Othard as well for representing Mongolian tribes and a plains environment.

There at least two other continents around but we don’t know a lot about them yet. One is The New World and draws from pre-Columbian North America. The other once housed a nation called Meracydia that opposed the ancient Allagan empire.

Shadowbringers takes place on a world called The First, which is one of the fragmented realities split by Hydaelyn. This world is called Norvrandt. It parallels Hydaelyn in some ways but not others. The desert environment of Ahm Areng geographically resembles the red deserts of the Southwestern US, but the architecture doesn’t match. The Rak’tika Greatwood is an A+ perfect jungle setting and heavily modeled after Mayan civilization. Eulmore kind of reminds me of the idea of pre-French Revolution excesses surrounded by poverty but with almost neon circus aesthetics married in. Il Mheg is rainbow fields and glassy lakes and fae creatures fucking with you 24/7. Very pretty and art nouveau.

The Tempest is full of secrets.

THE COMMUNITY

People focus on different things in this game. It’s huge enough to make that extremely doable.

One group involves the combat-focused players. These are people who just want to take on content labeled Extreme or Savage and beat it as smoothly as possible. Very talented bunch but tend to be short tempered sometimes, also often can’t wrap their heads around people playing any other way.

Glamour hounds are people who are in this for the A E S T H E T I C S. They want their characters to look a very specific way with certain gear in certain colors and god damn it if they have to run savage to achieve their goals they are going to do it. Often also are very into exciting mounts and housing, will frequently do artsy screencaps and share them online.

Lore hounds are people who focus mainly on the main quest scenario, overall storytelling, NPCs, setting, metaphysics, etc. Some of these people just want to analyze and make predictions. Some are independent fan creators. Some are roleplayers.

Worth noting--the most active roleplay communities are on the Crystal server, on the worlds Balmung and Mateus. My understanding is that these worlds are pretty packed and come with their own collection of pluses and minuses. More drama and a high likelihood of being ambushed for erotic RP, but fun community storytelling too. You can absolutely join servers outside your geographic location, by the way.

I’m on Primal server. It’s pretty chill.

Crafters, gatherers, and gamblers as far as I can tell are out to get top tier gil and fabulous prizes. I think some just honestly like the process too tbh and it happens to pay swimmingly. By the by, yes there is an in-game casino.

Last major group off the top of my head is the people who are mainly, specifically there to hang with friends and otherwise socialize with the game as a medium for that.

OKAY BUT I FOLLOW YOU SPECIFICALLY, WHO THE HELL ARE THOSE CHARACTERS YOU KEEP REBLOGGING?

EMET-SELCH

He is an Ascian who showed up fashionably late, would rather be napping than villaining around. Massive troll and also responsible for single-handedly making the fandom care about Ascians after four arcs of apathy. Secret sad boi. I am omitting a bunch because he’s basically a walking spoiler, but someone once described him as having absolutely relentless theater kid energy and I have yet to see it put better than that.

ELIDIBUS

Another Ascian known as the Emissary. Talks more about balance than ZODIARK!!!??!!!?11111!! and sometimes tries to have conversations instead of fistfights. Is not as good at having conversations instead of fistfights as Emet-Selch but is significantly better at it than Lahabrea, who will be described next. Elidibus is notable for spontaneously adopting a child and then passing that child off to the heroes as discreetly as he could.

LAHABREA

The third major Ascian and the first recurring one players meet in A Realm Reborn. Lahabrea seems like he is probably a few screws loose, fucking loves to blow shit up, embarrasses all of the interns who get stuck with him, and spent years in charge of PR before his colleagues realized that was a mistake. Makes very poor life choices. Apparently he used to be a fantastic orator and was praised for his imagination but these talents have since been replaced by ZODIARK!!!??!!!?11111!! and explosions. Has been described as an idiot by Emet-Selch and “unique” by Elidibus, who needed to take a very long pause before saying so.

G’RAHA TIA/THE CRYSTAL EXARCH

Honestly this is only pseudo spoilers, basically everyone figured out who he was well before Shadowbringers got released. Catman is currently doing battle with another character called Haurchefant for the position of #1 fan to the Warrior of Light. Has some wild misadventures with you that involve exploring ancient ruins, excessively long fetch quests, clones, and getting sucked into a demon world. Later runs across time and space to save your life but kind of almost gets you killed in the attempt. Says he is very sorry for this later. Just doing his best.

NERO TOL SCAEVA

A scientist who fights with a massive hammer, formerly worked for Garlemald but finds himself unemployed later. Is better than the engineer Cid, who gives you all your tech. He is also a troll, an egomaniac, and fucking hilarious. It takes a while for the extent of this to be revealed because A Realm Reborn still had some issues.

AYMERIC DE BOREL

Basically in charge of Ishgard, for a while literally but now only mostly. A very reasonable authority figure, runs the the Warrior of Light across several countries when you get injured in battle then chills at your bedside. Thinks you should relax sometimes. Encourages this by taking you to dinner once.

ESTINIEN WYRMBLOOD

Broody Dragoon McAngst of Ishgard, fucking hated dragons for the longest time because they murdered his whole family. Goes on an extended journey with you and in the process reveals he also hates moogles with a burning passion. Chills out a lot later, has demonstrated he is in fact a real bro.

YSAYLE DANGOULAIN/ICEHEART/LADY SHIVA

Delusions of grandeur and good intentions, also chosen by Hydaelyn and possessing The Echo. Figured out she could use her possession of The Echo to literally become a primal without losing her mind or body. Wants peace at any cost and will kill shitloads of people in the name of peace. Morally questionable but an interesting lady. Disagrees strongly with Estinien about moogles.

HAURCHEFANT GREYSTONE

Name sounds like a sneeze, is currently fighting G’raha Tia for the title of #1 fan to the Warrior of Light. Apparently there was an event where he said he wants the Warrior of Light to be his pony, as in he wants to ride you. Has shirtless men doing squats in his office. Saves your ass when shit gets real for Heavensward and then saves your ass again when the Pope’s bodyguard tries to murder you. It does not go well.

ZENOS YAE GALVUS

Absolute serial killer who feels like you complete him and give his life meaning and are his BFF. Probably wants you to fuck him. Also the crown prince of Garlemald and has spent years trying to engineer situations that will produce someone who can actually fight him as an equal. Doesn’t give a fuck about most things but jesus does he go yandere.

FRAY

If you become a Dark Knight, Fray becomes your NPC mentor and basically takes the Warrior of Light on a journey in becoming batshit insane. 10/10 Best teacher hands down.

SOPHIA THE GODDESS

A primal who I love to pieces, basically shows that the only way you can have perfect balance forever is if you are literally dead. We know this because the song that plays during her fight is about her murdering an entire family because they were unstable.

SRI LAKSHMI

Another primal who I love to pieces, just full throttle lotus eater in action where she encourages you to go fuck everything and be happy. Super pretty.

SEPHIROT THE FIEND

One of my top fav primals, pure id and distorted Kabbalah. I have a lot of feelings about him and have analyzed his fight to pieces.

CENRIC ASHER

Lol he just my Warrior of Light. I have a story for him but it is not official or anything.

THE FIVE BILLION OTHERS

Probably other people’s characters! I just really love seeing what people come up with, whether it’s their version of the Warrior of Light or going full-throttle into OC territory. It’s really refreshing to me, seeing how passionate and inventive people get. ^^ There are plenty of other important NPC characters, some I would even consider favorites of mine, but I just don’t post them as much.

IF YOU MADE IT THIS FAR JESUS CHRIST GET YOURSELF A COOKIE OR SOMETHING. GOD DAMN.

#final fantasy xiv #final fantasy xiv screenshots #final fantasy 14 #ffxiv #shadowbringers

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mirajaneswritingshenanigans · 5 years

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Something There That Wasn’t There Before Part Eight:

A Hint of Hope

Fandom(s): Hawaii Five-0 (2010 Series) & Bones

Pairing(s): Danny Williams x FemaleRoommate!Reader

Summary: A video is sent to Five-0. Taunting McGarrett and Booth seemed to be the plan all along.

Disclaimer: I do not own of the Hawaii Five-0 characters. They are owned by the writers, producers, and directors of the of the Hawaii Five-0 series. I do not own any of the characters from Bones that are mentioned in this fanfic. They Belong to the creators, writers, producers, and directions of the show Bones. I am simply borrowing them for this fanfic.

A/N: Y/N-Your Name.

Warning(s): Wo Fat is being a dick and taunts the Reader.

Word Count: 1,031

Tagging: @thewandererofmiddleearth @hawaiianohana15 @gh0stgurl

“Duke, I need to know if there were any unusual guys in the building today.” Steve said into his phone. Few second passed before Steve said, “Mahalo, Duke.” He set his phone down and ran his hands down his face. “Chin ran the data again. It wasn’t a glitch. It was HPD’s IP address.” Booth stated as he walked into Steve’s office. “I don’t understand how they could have gone under our noses without anyone knowing.” Steve stated. Silence fell between the two of them before Sweets gestured for them to follow him.

“What’s up?” Booth asked. “Angela is video chatting.” Sweets replied. “No one saw either one.” Kono said when she came back. She followed them into the computer area. “Guys, this is Angela. Angela this is Kono and Steve.” Chin pointed out. “Uh, hi. So, I hate calling with bad news. I went over the footage several times and the only thing I can tell you is the serial number on the gun.” Angela said sadly. “Wouldn’t that be enough?” Sweets looked to Booth. “I’ve sent the serial number to the email that sent the video. It can tell you who the owner is.” Angela said with hope. “That won’t tell us where Y/N is.” Danny stated. “It’s a start though.” Steve looked to Danny, giving him a look.

“I’m sorry that is all I can give you right now. I’ll look into the footage a few more times, see if I missed something the first few times.” Angela said before she ended the video call. “How many more hours do we have left?” Danny asked nervously. “We’ve got twenty hours left.” Steve replied.

Four hours had passed since the video was made. Your ears stopped ringing about an hour ago. You were lying on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. Silently hoping that the team would find you in time. Unfortunately your hopes were beginning to fade. Thoughts of Danny and Grace began to fill your mind. A tear rolled down your cheek. “Will I ever get the chance to tell him that I’m in love with him?” You whispered to yourself. You wiped the tear away when you heard the lock unclick.

You rose your head a bit when the door opened. A man stepped into the room with a plate. He hesitated for a moment. When you made no movement he walked the plate within reach of the bed. He slowly backed out of the room. Keeping his eyes on you the entire time. You rolled your eyes and laid your head back onto the pillow. Even though it was clear that you were too drained to attempt to escape no one trusted you. You groaned when your stomach growled. Slowly you sat up and made your way for the plate. It took a moment for your mind to register that the lock didn’t click into place when the man left. You glanced to the door with curiosity and instantly regretted it.

The door slowly swung open and revealed Wo Fat. If it weren’t for the fact that your stomach ached from not eating, you would have stopped at that moment. “They only have nineteen hours and forty-five minutes left. Do you think they stand a chance?” Wo Fat leaned against the door frame. “I believe they do.” You replied. “That’s funny. Considering how many times Scott has gotten away.” Wo Fat taunted. You huffed and continued to eat. Wo Fat smirked at your reaction. “Well, belief can only get you so far. The same goes for hoping and having faith.” Wo Fat stated as he closed the door. This time the lock clicked into place. You swallowed your food and looked down to the plate.

“All right, so we know who the gun owner is now.” Chin said. “But we don’t know where they’re keeping Y/N.” Danny pointed out. “Since we have the man’s name, we can find his home address and business. Ask everyone if they know anything about him.” Steve said. Kono was currently typing away on the computer. Booth was on the phone with Angela. Sweets was glancing at old documents, trying to see if they gave away a clue.

“Guys!” Sweets called loudly. Everyone filed into the conference room he was currently in. When everyone was in the room he lay the files out on the table. “I noticed something that I missed before. The previous victims were within radius of an FBI office. The last one within radius of the one Booth works at.” Sweets pointed to each file. “What I mean by that is their work office. Looking into Y/N’s file, they’re within radius of HPD. It’s as if Scott is taunting law enforcement. But with his lat victim and Y/N, he’s targeting two specific law enforcement.” Sweets stated. “Booth?” Chin asked. “No. He’s targeting Booth and McGarrett. The reason he target’s McGarrett is because of Wo Fat.” Sweets said.

“What you’re suggesting would mean that Scott and Wo Fat had been in cahoots with each other for longer than we realize.” Danny said. “Yes, I realize this. But I’d like to point out that in the video Scott said and I quote ‘McGarrett, Wo Fat says hello’. Which would suggest that Wo Fat approached Scott when he noticed he chose Y/N as a target.” Sweets said. “That would mean Wo Fat would have to know that Y/N had to have been associated with Steve.” Kono pointed out. “That’s knowledge I wouldn’t put past Wo Fat. He knows a lot about me.” Steve stated flatly. “How does this help us find Y/N?” Booth asked. The room fell silent for several seconds.

Sweets’s video call tone on his tablet broke the silence in the room. Angela’s face appeared on the screen. “Hey. I could be wrong about this. But based on the look of the background, the place could be an abandoned asylum.” Angela said. “Are you sure about that?” Danny asked urgently. “Based on a gut feeling, yes.” Angela replied. “We’re going to have to trust your gut feeling on this one.” Booth said. “I hope you guys can find her.” Angela said before ending the video call.

Previous Next ~ Next Part

#hawaii five-0 #bones tv show #Danny Williams x Roommate!Reader #danny williams x reader #Something There That Wasn't There Before Part Eight #sttwtb fanfic #x reader

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leah-halliwell92 · 5 years

Text

Doesn’t Really Matter

Summary: Taylor Mae Miller has been friends with Adam since they were in high school and a musician in he own right and has known Queen for just about the same time he’s been touring with them. Their bond strong and growing ever stronger, Mae decides to move across the pond not only to be closer to her new found friends but to get away from her volatile and toxic relationship thrust on her by her mother. Will her new found family be enough to reassure her that she is loved?

Warning and Disclaimer: I own nothing!! Lewd content mentioning.

“Roger’s gonna kill you,” Adam, your best and longest friend said with a laugh as he enveloped an equally happy Mae in a hug that lifted her up off the ground.

“I know, but I’m not in the mood to celebrate or be celebrated on,” she said with a physically tired and emotionally strained grin.

His eyes fell concern blinking through them, “What did she do?”

Mae shrugged with a wet chuckle and weak shrug as she said, “What hasn’t she done you mean.”

Adam’s eyes dimmed as concern and pulled her to him in a side hug as they made their way to the conveyor belt to pick up her suitcase.

Bags in hand the couple made their way to the car where Adam with a kind smile said, “We’re going to lunch to talk and relax. You’re in this whole new world just waiting to be explored,”

Mae nodded still not believing it.

“Taylor Mae!” He called with a small laugh, “Your ma is not here to tell you what or who to do!”

Mae nodded with her own small smile, “You’re right. But I can’t help but feel like something bad’s gonna happen.”

“If I were anyone else I’d say you’re paranoid,” Adam said conversationally, “But I have the insight of knowing your ma so...”

Mae nodded, “Not to mention Sean...”

“Don’t tell me she’s still pushing you to be with him,” Adam said exasperatedly.

Mae rolled her eyes as her answer.

“Thank God we’re at a red light,” Adam retorted to the eye roll.

“Dude no joke, she’s been trying to shove him down or up any hole that’s open in my body. The fact that I tour hasn’t make her give up on that one effing bit,” Mae said finally opening up about how bad her relationship with her mother had gotten over the past two to three years, “Ever since I’ve hit the big leagues in music and started working more between writing, concerts and music videos she’s really been on my case about how he’s the only man who will take me working as much as I can, the only one that this, the only one that that. It drove me and still drives me up a wall.”

“You mean to tell me your mother’s been selling you to Sean and viceversa?” He said in shock.

Mae nods with an exasperated sigh.

“I’d marry you in heartbeat if your ma didn’t know I’m gay,” Adam said with a small laugh.

“I know but that would be too much like marrying my brother so thanks but no thanks,” Mae said laughing.

The friends laughed giving Mae the taste of freedom she had been looking (longing) for from the moment she set foot on the plane for the UK.

��Speaking of dear mother, does she know where you are?” Adam asked as he pulled into the garage of what will be her new apartment.

“No, but it wouldn’t surprise me if she showed up here in the next few days,” Mae said honestly.

“Is that why you told me to buy door locks?” Adam asked with a knowing look.

“Yep...and why I’m letting her have her show so the door man knows who not to let into the complex,” Mae said with a weary sigh.

“How do you think your ma will find you if you straight up just picked up and left?” Adam asked curiously.

“According to her, Sean knows people. I can guess that these ‘people’ will tell him I’ve left the country other wise they’re going to need to go through my agent who’s under strict instructions that he doesn’t for any reason unless necessary have to interact at all with my mother. He made it clear that he’d any call to me from her that made it’s way to his voicemail would be forwarded to me,” Mae said with a sigh, “As for where I am? She’s going to be bugging Jesse for that information.”

“I thought Jesse—”

“Jesse found ma and Sean...um, in the heat of the moment if you get my drift,” Mae said with an uncomfortable look on her face, “Now I’m all for age is a number but when you ma sleeps with her daughter’s attacker...?”

Mae got green just thinking about it.

Adam nodded a sick look on his face.

“Meaning he went to Clair about the trial and has been apologizing for being an ass ever since,” Mae said a sad smile on her face, “Last time we talked, he said he was promoted and had saved up enough to move out of ma’s place finally.”

Adam gave his friend and happy grin at that and parked the car in the first available space.

“So...food?” Mae asked when she stepped out of the car bag in hand.

“Don’t worry about it and let me do all the work ok?” Adam asked with a laugh as he pulled her along.

While in Harrods, Adam got a call from Roger.

“Around what time should we be at the airport for Mae?” The drummer asked.

“Well...here’s the thing...” Adam went to tell him how he’d gotten a call from Mae. He explained as little as he could while still being thorough, some parts weren’t his story to tell.

“You mean to tell me—”

Adam heard as Roger was called out by someone probably Sarina but shook his head and made rash decision as he saw Mae approach him, “I gotta go ma.”

“You’ve got to be joking! You’re bloody well not hanging up!” Roger practically yelled into the receiver.

“Yea I’ll tell Mae you send your love, love you to ma!!” Adam said quickly before hanging up.

“Don—”

Adam hung up and plastered a smile on his face, “Mom sends her love.”

Mae gave him an odd look but shook it off as jet lag fatigue. She let Adam take her to a nearby cafe for tea and something light before heading to her new home.

Adam dropped Mae off and went on the hunt for an air mattress and bedding swearing up a storm that your things weren’t going to get there till the end of the week.

“You are the maddest and most infuriating woman I have ever met,” Roger said as he walked into the still empty apartment exasperation and annoyance dripping from every word.

“Coming from the great Roger Taylor that is complement,” Mae said with a smirk as she moved over to let Roger in fully, “What are you doing here anyway?”

“Didn't Bri tell you we were going to pick you up at the airport?” He asked incredulously.

Mae shook her head and went to close the door when Adam decided it was a good idea, and good timing, to burst in bags of food, an air mattress and bedding in hand followed by Bri, his wife Anita and Roger’s wife Sarina.

“It wasn’t a problem to get a cab Rog!” Mae called to Roger between hugs and kisses, “Or call Adam.”

“Nearly gave him a heart attack,” Sarina said with a giggle, “He was looking forward to picking you up to go for lunch.”

“Yeah...no,” Mae said with a small laugh as Brian pulled her to his side as Adam and Anita set up the kitchen island with the plates that came with the take away as Roger took the containers of food out of the bags.

“Why not it wouldn’t have been that bad,” Rog said as he rinsed his hands in the kitchen sink.

“Yes it would have been because you’d have done what my mother didn’t and doesn’t do,” Mae said with a laugh.

“And what’s that little May?” Rog said cockily.

“Mother me Rogerina,” Mae said with just as much heat as him before sighing deeply, “Plus...there were things I needed about talk with Adam.”

Anita knew that look and pulled Mae away from her husband and to the end of the hall away from prying eyes where Mae practically fell into the older woman’s embrace in a heap of sobs.

“It’s alright love let it out,” she said soothingly as she ran her fingers through Mae’s loose hair.

Sarina caught the boys about to go see what was going on but stopped them, “You two can’t be that thick, don’t you remember what she told us about her mother?”

Brian’s eyes widened and looked to Adam who stood a little ways away from them a sad and surprisingly guarded on his usually open and happy features.

“What happened when she called you Adam?” Brian asked quietly as he approached the younger man.

Adam sighed and told him all that Mae had told him on the way from the airport to Harrods and how quiet she got on their way to the apartment.

Sarina and Roger listened intently and frowned at the audacity of some parents. Now they knew why Mae didn’t speak of home often, if at all, and why the subject of her mother is such a sensitive one.

“All we can do is be there for her,” Adam said honestly.

“We’ve known each other for almost a year, you’d think we’d be able to tell when one of ours is in trouble,” Roger commented almost to himself.

Adam shook his head in the negative, “She’s very guarded about it. Its not about trust, she’s scared that the truth will chase away any and all support she finds either through friends or even potential partners. I’ve met her mother and she is more than a little intense.”

“It can’t be that bad,” Roger said in awe.

“Oh it can believe me,” Adam said with an exasperated sigh, “We lived in the same town but on opposite sides. She grew up in the conservative side where high society thrived and prejudice lingered.”

“What do you mean?” Brian asked curiously.

“Mae was partly raised by her grandparents, her ma had even then history of being a bit...um...more than just strict with her family,” Adam said scratching his head uncomfortably.

Brian gave a nod and went in search of his two girls.

“I can’t go back,” Mae said as she took deep breaths to calm herself down.

“And you don’t have to,” Anita said as she held her.

Mae nodded and let Anita pull away to get a better look at her.

“You are not alone in this Mae and most importantly you have family here and support, do not be afraid to ask any of us for help should you need it,” Anita said fiercely.

Mae felt tears fall again but this time they were tears of joy.

Anita pulled her in for another hug.

“Is there room for one more?” Brian asked as he approached the hugging women.

The pair let out wet chuckles and nodded.

Brian didn’t waste any time gathering them up in a warm hug.

“Alright?” He asked looking at Mae.

“No but getting there,” Mae said honestly.

“Come on Bug lets go eat before Roger its it all,” Brian said using her pet name.

Mae chuckled and leaned into his frame as they walked out.

Once out Sarina wasted no time in enveloping Mae in a Mama Bear hug.

“Sar I’m ok,” Mae said with a laugh.

“No your not, but you will be after I have a friendly chat with your mum,” Roger said seriously.

“No you won’t,” Mae said with feeling.

The group went to the kitchen and proceeded to eat their food.

“Adam said you were raised by your grandparents,” Roger said lightly, or as lightly as one could start a conversation like this.

Adam coughed and concentrated on eating.

“Don’t worry Adam, they deserve to know about why I am how I am,” Mae said reassuring her oldest friend, “And to answer your question, yes I was. Still am to some point I don’t really know where’d I’d be if it weren’t for them. And as I’m pretty sure Adam has told you, I grew up on the ‘nicer’ part of town where status and money spoke for the character of a person instead of their character doing the actual talking.”

The group quieted down and waited for Mae to continue with her story.

“My grams and babo were, well are hippies. Go with the flow and take everything one step at a time, even goin as far as to jumping head first for somethings,” Mae said with a fond smile, “According to my uncle, Grams was ecstatic about having another girl to dote on. The only problem was that my mother was going through some things both legally and in her personal life where she couldn’t keep me. Depending on who you ask in my family, one person will say that my mother was looking to not having me. Someone else will say that she just needed me taken care of in the meantime and then there’s her explanation.”

“Which is?” Sarina asked seriously.

“That with my conception she was promised more time to get her affairs in order before my father left her,” Mae said face blank, “She says that it was having me was a blessing and that she loves me very much.”

Mae gave a mirthless laugh, “I honestly believe she loves me in her own way because I gave her time to settle her child and spousal support. Any way, my grandparents took me basically from the time I was born. I remember growing up to the sound of Elvis and The Beatles as I ran from one corner of the house to the other. Queen and Bowie when it was just my Grams and I,” She said fondly.

“Your gramps didnt like Queen did he?” Adam said a mischievous glint in his eye.

“You child you promised you werent going to bring it up!” Mae said with a laugh as she threw a balled up napkin at him.

“Bring what up?” Roger asked curiously the rest of the group mirroring what he had asked.

“Nothing,” Mae said trying to change the subject.

“Bring her name up,” Adam said taking drink.

“What about her name? Her name’s Mae right?” Brian said after eating a bite of his own plate.

Mae nods with a groan letting her head fall forward, “Mae is my middle name.”

“What’s your first name then?” Roger asked.

“Babo didnt like Queen because Gram’s crushes are a part of it,” Mae hinted.

Sarina was the first to get it and gave Anita a nudge. The elder of the two nodded with a knowing smile.

“I don’t get it,” Roger said sending Brian questioning looks.

Brian in turn looked as lost as his best friend.

Mae let out a groan and said, “Grams crushed on five artist. David Bowie and all members of Queen. My name isn’t Bowie so I was not named after Ziggy.”

The group laughed at that.

“Grams always fawns that she named me after her favorites,” she said a hint of a smile that carried affection not only for her parents but her namesakes.

Anita and Sarina shared a laugh as Brian came too first.

Mae nodded at his silent question.

“Ok...we all know you were named after the Poodle but what’s your first name?” Roger asked getting antsy.

“I was named after a dentist,” Mae with a knowing smile as she took a bite out of her plate.

Roger coughed as the drink he was taking went down the wrong pipe.

Mae laughed and said, “My name is Taylor Mae Miller.”

(Do you all want a Part 2?)

Tag List: @queenattheopera, @ramibaby, @theborhapboysawakenedmywhatever

#Brian May #Roger Taylor #Queen band #Adam Lambert #Adam is a good pseudo brother

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