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ainyan · 2 months

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Snippet - The Calling (AU: Woven Souls)

This takes place long before ARR or even 1.0, when Thancred is only thirteen and Kal'istae only ten.

“I still don’t see why I had to come along.” Thancred kicked a pebble along the street as he and Louisoix strode from the Aethryte towards the manor where Fourchenault and Ameliance had made their home, one of many the Leveilleur family owned. The Dravanian Colony had been established centuries before, and Louisoix’s eldest son and his wife were only the latest members of the family living there since they'd graduated from the Studium and elected to join the research team studying the Aetherial Sea.

Louisoix never lost his smile as he strolled along, his hands folded at his back and his gaze roaming about the colony, studying the changes made since last he’d been there. “I wanted you along. That should be reason enough. But if you need more, it was either you come with me, or your mother was going to skin you before the new session begins.”

The young hyuran boy grimaced, shoulders hunching against an imagined blow. “I was only trying to help,” he said plaintively. “How was I supposed to know she would have Lady Varineaux over for tea?”

Reaching out, Louisoix placed his hand on Thancred’s head and the boy fell into a sulky silence. “She appreciated the thought, but neither the timing nor the lack of permission. You’re a bright boy, Thancred. Over-bright, sometimes. You need something to stimulate you at every turn. I’ve been considering enrolling you early in some classes at the Studium.”

Thancred stuttered to a stop. “Really?” he asked, staring up at Louisoix. “You said I couldn’t start at the Studium until I was fourteen.”

Turning, the older man smiled down at his young ward. “Only a few classes, mind you. One or two, just enough to keep you out of your mother’s hair when your private school is not in session. Master Casiliat has been asking after you in particular.”

“The Bardic instructor?” he asked after a few moment’s thought as he trotted to catch up to his father. “What does he want with me?”

Nodding to a lalafellan woman as she rushed by, Louisoix smiled a secret smile. “Your brains, your hands, and the potential of your voice. You’re a very clever young man, and you’ve got quick fingers and a quicker tongue. He thinks you’ve the makings of a first-class bard - and, perhaps, a first-class spy.”

Once more, Thancred skidded to a halt. “A spy?” he whispered. “Me?”

“Perhaps. At the very least, the training will help you in other aspects of your life,” came Louisoix’s calm response. “The younger you begin training, the quicker you will learn, and that is true in both music and espionage. You’ve the mind and the skills for it. Have you the desire?” At the boy’s rapid head-nod, he smiled. “Then I will speak with Gadriel when we return home.”

With a whoop, Thancred leapt into the air, pumping his fist, then darted ahead of the older man, his reluctance forgotten in the promise of an early start at the Studium. Louisoix continued at his slow, steady pace, his face bright with pride as he gazed after his younger son.

They’d said he was crazy for adopting the stray wharf-rat who had tried to pick his pocket on the docks of Limsa Lominsa. Bad blood, they’d said. Pirate-spawn, destined for the headman’s noose. Rough, dirty, coarse, they swore he would never amount to anything.

Louisoix watched Thancred laugh as he darted towards the stately manor lying just off of the street, pale silver hair shining in the sun, long bones strong and wrapped in young muscle and golden skin. It had taken only weeks and several dozen baths - and the application of some tough love - before even his most ardent detractors had to admit that the boy had not only fast hands, but equally quick wits, running mental races around their own well-favored offspring. His charming words and ready grin had kept him from making too many enemies, and within his first year, few in Sharlayan remembered his less than illustrious beginnings.

Of course, he mused, watching as Fourchenault came out of his house and frowned at the boy pelting towards him, not everyone had forgotten. Thancred skidded to a halt in front of his older brother, resting his hands on his knees and panting furiously as he fought to catch his breath. Louisoix could hear Fourchenault’s scathing tone as he neared, but only managed to catch a few of the words. “... dignity… Sharlayan… Leveilleur…”

Sighing, he reached out and caught the back of Thancred’s hood as the boy straightened abruptly, fire in his eye. “Good afternoon, Fourchenault,” he said to his oldest son.

“Good afternoon, Father,” the younger Elezen replied only a little stiffly. “I see you chose to bring the boy with you.”

Thancred made a face. “What gave it away?” he asked pertly, then winced as the older man’s hand tightened on his collar. “Father thought I could help you and Lady Ameliance unpack from your recent trip,” he added sullenly.

“That would be lovely, Thancred.” Right on cue, Fourchenault’s young, lovely wife swept out of the house and strode up to Louisoix and Thancred, kissing first her father-in-law, then her brother-in-law on their cheeks. Louisoix smiled at her, while Thancred turned red and mumbled a hello. “I’m sure you’re both starving. Come in, lunch is just about ready. I’ve readied the Blue Suite for the two of you; it overlooks the gardens and I’m certain you’ll find it quite restful.” Sliding her arm through Louisoix’s, she guided him through the entryway into the foyer. “Come in. Welcome to our home.”

#ffxiv #thancred waters #au: woven souls #pre-arr #pre-1.0

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avirael · 7 months

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FFxivWrite 2023

Day 25 - Call it a Day

With a hiss the arrow left his bow, shot through the air and hit its target. It landed right into the Sandskin Peiste’s left eye and the creature, already studded with arrows all over it’s body, finally broke down defeated.

A'viloh marvelled at the other Miqo'te’s archery skills. Maybe one or two of A'vi’s own arrows had found their target while all the others had missed or didn’t even fly far enough. His skills had improved a little over the last few weeks but alone he would never ever manage to take such a monster down.

When Laqa did it though, it seemed so absurdly easy! The way he fought, the unflinching look in his golden eyes, every single one of his movements, the way he went still amid the turmoil before letting the arrow fly - it all mesmerised A'viloh.

"Phew! That was a tough one.", the blonde Miqo'te said and ran the back of his hand over his forehead as he turned to A'viloh. "You think three ones will be good enough to impress Gundobald?"

The two of them had arrived at Little Ala Mhigo around three months ago and while they had managed to befriend a few people, a lot of them remained wary of them. The most stubborn of them was Gundobald, who was unfortunately also the leader of this settlement. He tolerated them so far but winning his sympathy seemed like an impossible task. For U'laqa however this was more of a challenge than a hindrance and he took on every possible task that might enhance their reputation in the Ala Mhigan’s eyes. Today that had meant decimating the Peistes which had increased more and more around the settlement over the last few weeks.

"I don’t think anything is enough to impress Gundobald." A'viloh laughed. "You could bring down a Primal all by yourself and all you‘d get would be one of his stoic huffs."

U'laqa chuckled and yanked the arrows from the Peiste‘s corpse. "You‘re right. It just bugs me that I can’t win that stubborn old man over…"

"Ah yes... I can see how that‘s a heavy blow for someone as much-loved as you!", A'viloh teased.

Laqa handed him some of the arrows, then leaned down and planted a small kiss on A'vi’s lips. "I don’t care if they love me or not as long as you do, Vi…"

"You know that I always will, no matter how many monsters you can fight…", A'viloh blushed and fidgeted with the arrows in his hands. "...but if you want to we could try to take out another one."

U'laqa shook his head. "Nah! It‘s enough for one day."

"Alright, but I will try to aim a little better next time…", A‘viloh promised.

Laqa grinned and winked at him. "Maybe you actually would if you concentrated on what I taught you instead of staring at me half of the time."

"I am not!", A'viloh protested.

"Yes you are!", the other teased and nudged him.

A'viloh giggled. "Why would I? It’s not like you look distractingly handsome when you’re fighting…"

"You’re flattery isn‘t going to save you from target practice, Vi!", U'laqa teased, took his hand and pulled him along.

For a while he let A'viloh shoot arrows at a cactus from various distances, giving advice and correcting his posture, the later with a little more physical contact than would have been strictly necessary - Focus, Vi!, he teased knowing very well what he was doing - before he pressed a kiss to A'vi‘s cheek from behind and announced: "I guess that’s enough. Let’s call it a day."

A'viloh went to get his arrows while Laqa lay down under a big green tree nearby, that defied the blazing sun and offered them a patch of comfortable shadow. A'viloh sat down beside him and observed the view. Little Ala Mhigo at their backs, the landscape of Broken Water stretched out in front of them, the road leading towards Camp Drybone at their left and the ancient ruins of the Belah‘dian temple to their right. Not a soul to be seen far and wide.

"This is a nice spot, isn’t it?", A'viloh asked and looked down to Laqa.

"Mhmm… I really like the view.", he answered, deliberately looking at A'viloh instead. The red-haired Miqo'te looked at him as if he wanted to say Don’t be silly! but U'laqa reached out for him and pulled him down towards himself before he could say another word.

And as they lay there in the grass together, just the two of them, away from the prying eyes of Little Ala Mhigo, A’viloh thought that this had to be the best place in the world.

#ffxivwrite2023 #ffxivwrite #ffxiv writing #ffxiv #final fantasy xiv #ff14 #final fantasy 14 #Pre-ARR #A'viloh Tia #U'laqa Tia #This is another very short one because I am sooo tired...#I spent half of the night listening to a heartbroken friend and now I am at work trying really hard not to fall asleep...#I needed to write something cute to cheer me up!#I love writing about A'vi and Laqa #and once again Rael doesn't get character development...#and once again no plot advancements...#just fluff sorry not sorry #I imagined that screenshot as later in the ARR MSQ when A'vi would come across this place and remember this moment with Laqa...

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autumnslance · 7 months

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FFXIV Write 2023 Day 25: Call It A Day

Iron Summer stretched, holding up and pushing back his thick arms to squeeze his shoulder blades, feeling a series of satisfying pops and cracks.

And less satisfying ones that hadn’t always been there, that seemed more frequent over time, but nevermind that.

He made his way back to the shed, putting his tools up, hearing the thunk of something striking one of the practice targets. A few moments later there was another thunk.

She was at it again.

He made sure all was clean and away properly before making his way around the back to where Dark Autumn practiced marksmanship, watching for a few minutes as she drew back her bow and let fly an arrow, the head sinking into the target several yalms away. It was nearly center, but his daughter still frowned and drew another arrow.

Her muscular arms gleamed with sweat, and her tunic was damp and stained with it. Her hair was currently too short to stick anywhere, but also seemed damp.

Iron shook his head. It had been nearly five years since she had been brought home, injured and feverish, from Carteneau. Her nightmares had been horrible. She still had them, but less frequently; she no longer jumped at fire or random sounds, had little ways and mental exercises to keep herself level. It had been a long road—one she’d likely walk the rest of her life, regardless, but with the help of a damned good conjurer interested in the mind as much as the body, and the support of her family, Dark was doing well for one of the survivors of that particular hell.

And now she was preparing to go out into the world again.

With the loss of Howl and Dance and their little group, he wasn’t sure what her plan was; perhaps join the Adventurer’s Guild. He couldn’t see her in the local guards or militias. Much as Dark was a homebody, she also liked her freedoms, to come and go as she pleased.

He might ask, if she didn’t tell them, sooner or later.

She’d been doing more work with her lance and bow in earnest recently. She had taken to running long distances along the shaded roads over hills and back again. Exercises to improve her strength and dexterity. All good and necessary, after so long doing regular house and farm work, if she did plan to go back to mercenary adventuring.

He just didn’t want her to overdo it.

As she collected her arrows, he whistled to catch her attention. She looked up, startled, and gave him a sheepish smile. Iron smiled back. “Think that’s enough for one day,” he drawled. “Best get cleaned up for supper, or Mama’ll fuss at us both.”

She considered, realizing the time. Then nodded. She was more like him in that regard than any of her other siblings; not using words when none were needed.

He helped her clean and put her equipment away, sending her on ahead to the wash. Iron sighed. Stubborn girl didn’t know when to quit, once she had an idea in her head.

Maybe not such a bad thing, if he was right about the path she meant to take.

Iron, meanwhile, was old enough to know when he was past finished with the day’s work, trudging his way inside, stretching his aching back once more.

#final fantasy xiv #FFXIVWrite2023 #Lyn Writing #Pre-ARR #Iron Summer #Dark Autumn

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theimperialnuisance · 7 months

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FFXIV Write 2023 || FFXIV Write info\\Prompt list\\Character info \\Master post ||

Prompt 20: Hamper

to hinder or impede in moving, progressing, or acting

Character(s): Ciel Fyth, Malek Fyth (belonging to @holy-halone) Cw: none Word count: 765 Notes: Woo! I finally did a prompt with Ciel! This was literally the first thing I thought of when I saw this word :3 I plan to go back and clean it up as this is just the first draft but I wanted to submit what I had since I finished before the deadline. Set around pre-arr timeline! Enjoy <3

When morning arrived, the rainfall had stopped.

The Fyth siblings were eager to continue their journey through the Shroud, their progress no longer hindered by the violent thunderstorm that had forced them to camp out in the shelter of an old stable the night before. Ciel hadn’t been too enthused to do that as he was never a fan of loud storms but his older brother knew exactly what to do to keep him calm and distracted so that sleep was easy to come by.

With the sun rising again in a clear blue sky, Ciel was back in high spirits. He hummed happily, a few paces ahead of his brother who was occupied with trying to find any sort of sign they were heading in the right direction. Malek didn’t want to admit it out loud but he somehow managed to get them both way off course in his inner panic to find shelter when the storm had suddenly rolled in. The torrent of rain made it difficult to see so Malek picked a direction and ran, hoping to get lucky. Now that it was daylight, he realized with a pang of frustration, they backtracked quite a bit. Gridania hadn’t been too far the last time he had checked a map--if they kept heading north, they were bound to see something familiar.

Malek had just hoped nothing else would prevent their progress nor that his brother would catch on to the fact they may or may not be lost (he really ought to buy a map of the area one of these days). Though even if he knew, the younger didn’t seem to mind it as he continued to bounce along the trail and soak in the sun.

“Ah!” Ciel l came to a sudden halt, his ears flickering a bit. “I hear running water! The river!” He practically skipped forward in eagerness and Malek had to jog a little to keep up. The river meant they were nearly there which brought relief to the older sibling–they hadn’t gone too far off course like he thought they had.

His younger brother came to a stop at the rock, looking at the water and then turning back to his older brother with an eager smile, bouncing on his toes. Malek came to a stop next to him and looking at water below with a frown.

“That’s just great,” Malek huffed as he placed one hand on his hip, and carded the other one through his hair in annoyance. The rainfall had caused the river to rise significantly and there was no sign of a bridge to cross which meant that somehow, the aftermath of the storm still managed to hamper the way forward. “We’ll have to find another way across.”

“That’s okay!” Ciel turned, smiling brightly at his brother. “We can just swim across!” He didn’t wait for Malek to answer the question before slipping off with the intention to dive into the rushing river.

“Hold on,” Malek was quick to catch him, practiced hands reaching out to grab the back of his younger brother’s hood in order to hold him back. “There is no way we are swimming across that,” he pointed at the water to emphasize his point. “Do you see how quickly that water is moving? You’re going to get pulled under, even if you are a strong swimmer.”

“Oh.” Ciel blinked, turning to face his brother with a quizzical look. “Then do we wait another day before continuing on? So long as it doesn’t rain again, I think the water level should go down enough to cross safely…”

Malek didn’t reply right away as his gaze searched the trees nearby, landing on one that had fallen off its stump–most likely due to getting struck by lightning the night before. How convenient. Malek smiled to himself in victory and wordlessly made his way over to the tree. “Ciel, think you could use a little wind magic to get this thing over the river?”

Ciel perked up, pulled from his distracted mutterings to himself, mismatched eyes gazing at his brother in innocent curiosity before landing on the fallen log that Malek was still staring at. A smile spread across his face as he pulled out his white mage staff. “Happy to!”

With the log positioned over the riverbank, Malek and Ciel were able to cross and continue forward, their surroundings slowly becoming more familiar to the older sibling. Gridania wasn’t too far now, they’d reach the City-State by mid-day. He found himself humming quietly along with his brother, finally at ease.

#ffxivwrite2023 #ffxivwrite #day 20 #final fantasy xiv #Ciel fyth #ffxiv viera #pre-arr #ffxiv #the fyth siblings #nico writes #there were no deep rivers in the shroud #so I had to improvise XD

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bnuuywol · 1 year

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From the Life and Journals of Phoenyx Eldritch

Aight here we go, I’m finally gonna bite the bullet and post the fics I’ve written about my WoL. This post is gonna be the first in a series of interconnected works that I wrote during the course of my time playing through for the first time, as well as pieces of the timeline I’ll go back to fill in later. I’ll be separating each chunk of chapters by expansion, which also means some things will be out of order as I haven’t written everything in my brain yet (sweats in I barely wrote anything for A Realm Reborn or Stormblood oops). Right now I’m still waiting on my invite email to AO3, but once I receive it they’ll be posted both here and there.

Now, onto the first chapter in PART I: A REALM REBORN!

I hope y’all like childhood trauma 👉😅👉

CONTENT WARNINGS: Gender dysphoria, misgendering

PART I: A REALM REBORN

Chapter One

Nineteen years predating the Seventh Umbral Calamity, a new brood of Viera kits were born in the Veena village of Akusos. The cycle of breeding came and went like clockwork for the Viera who lived there. After all, with the Garleans waging war just outside their borders and the ability, or lack thereof, of their men to survive in the unforgiving wilderness at the base of the Skatay Range, they found themselves needing to replenish their numbers often in order to survive. Among these children was an odd kit who would one day come to be known as Phen.

Their mother only bore the one child. Rael, her name was. She had only recently come of age to participate in the breeding cycle, and even so her priorities often seemed to lie elsewhere. She was one of the most skilled hunters in their village, constantly venturing out into the forest to procure prey for her peoples’ survival. Even pregnancy didn’t stop her in this plight. It was this very reason that the child’s father, Kir, sought Rael when the time came. A Wood Warder since the age of fourteen, like all other males of their kind, he spent the vast majority of his days in the forests as a protector. He’d known Rael since they were both kits themselves, having been born roughly around the same breeding cycle. He had always admired her kindness, her fearlessness. The two found themselves drawn together the moment they were able. Warriors at their core exchanging a passion that ventured far beyond their responsibilities for Akusos.

This fearlessness, passion, and edge of reckless disregard they both possessed would be passed down to their child, but neither would live long enough to see it. A Garlean ambush came at no surprise, but this one came dangerously close to the village itself. Kir performed his duties to the best of his abilities, but not his efforts nor the efforts of other Warders in the surrounding area could drive the Garleans away from Akusos. There were far too many of them, brandishing suits of magitek that could cut down their most skilled fighters in an instant. Rael led a party of the village’s most skilled hunters out into the field in order to drive the invaders out by force. Their success met with a heavy cost. Neither Rael nor Kir returned from the ordeal. Knowing the behavior of their lineage, the village elder, a woman named Dava, decided that taking their child under her personal care would be for the best.

And Phen never knew any different. Their mother died when they were only three years old. The decade that had passed since then held a deeper grip on their memories. Not that they imagined things would have been easier had she survived. Throughout their life they were met with nothing but scolding and disappointment from Dava. It had always been “don’t.” Don’t ask questions like that. Don’t wander outside the village by yourself. Don’t touch those weapons. Don’t speak about that gift of yours. Don’t grow too attached to being a Wood Warder. Don’t question the Green Word.

But they were cursed with an insatiable curiosity. No matter how many times they were told no, they did it again anyway. That reckless behavior made it so Dava kept them separate from the other kits, raising them in isolation lest their misguided ways infect the other young ones. Every effort she made to teach them the proper ways of the Veena clan backfired. Of course, it was in part that very isolation that made them crave answers. Phen didn’t understand the prospect of simply accepting certain things at truth without being told why. Dava always shut them down whenever they prodded at a subject that she did not want them to know about at that age. She just told herself that the kit would settle down as they got older, that puberty would hit and their gender would provide them with a purpose and all of this would just go away.

How wrong she was.

Phen appeared to be growing into a lovely young woman, much to Dava’s relief and the kit’s dismay. Dava immediately got to work preparing the thirteen year old for her new responsibilities as a woman of Akusos. Surely the prospect of training as a hunter would appeal to the child’s tendency towards the same behavior as her mother. But what Dava found was only further resistance.

When her puberty started, Phen felt like she was living in a waking nightmare. Her body was rebelling against her. There had to be some sort of mistake. From what she knew and felt of the two genders, she had always resonated with the males of their race. Everything about being told she was female felt… wrong. Feeling the tenderness in her chest often brought her to tears. Her facial features remaining soft and absent of angles, her waist curving into an hourglass, the idea that she would one day be expected to bear children? Phen couldn’t believe this was happening to her.

She, no… he would not surrender to this reality. Phen knew who he was, he was not about to let Dava decide for him. He just needed to gather the courage to say something. And one day after training, he approached the elder.

“Dava, if you could spare a moment, there’s something I wish to discuss.” Phen requested before returning to his room, his head bowed to show his respect.

“Make it quick, Phen. You know I have little patience to answer questions about things that do not concern you.” Dava responded sharply, hardly looking up from the task that presently occupied her.

“Of course. I…” Anxiety swirled in his chest, but he raised his gaze and steeled himself for the worst. “I’ve been giving it some thought, and I was wondering if when next the Wood Warders return, I could go with them and begin training to become one.” Phen’s request was immediately met with a seething silence. Dava closed her book and stood, approaching the kit with a dangerous glare.

“You know full well that women are not permitted to become Wood Warders. The Green Word forbids it.”

“I know, but… I don’t really feel that I am… a woman, I mean. I understand that the developments my body is going through would make it seem as such, but… it doesn’t feel right.”

“What on earth could you possibly mean by such a claim?”

“I mean exactly what I’m saying.” Desperate to be understood, he threw caution to the wind and let emotion take over. “Everything about it feels wrong, like I’m a prisoner in my own skin. Puberty be damned, I am a man, not a woman!”

“Watch your tongue, kit! Need I remind you that it was by the goodness of my heart that you were given a home after the passing of your mother? And now you would stand here and insult her memory, insult our very way of life. Rael would be ashamed of who you grew up to be.”

“But why is what I say so wrong? Why is what I ask to do so wrong? My father died in the name of protecting Akusos, he devoted his life to the protection of our village, of our forests. He took upon him the lonely duty of the Wood Warder with pride and honor. All I have ever wanted was to follow in his footsteps. To protect the land as he did. And now, because you all decide who I am for me, I will not be allowed to do so?”

“What you want, Phen, is any excuse to go off into the outside world! That’s all you have ever wanted, to be rid of this place. Is that not so?”

Phen opened his mouth to respond, then closed it, his face twisting with confliction. He shoved down the dysphoria induced by Dava’s choice to ignore what he shared about his gender and tried to fully consider the question posed to him. “I…” His voice faltered. He pressed his eyes shut, his chest heavy with the reality that she was right. With a deep sigh, he opened his eyes and brought them back to hers. “Can you blame me? All my life you have kept me sheltered away, able to experience nothing but the four walls of our home. Does it truly surprise you that I now look to the stars and yearn for the freedom to know more than that?”

Dava crossed her arms, greatly disappointed by what this kit became despite her best efforts to prevent it. She shook her head, her eyes daggers upon the child. “Then go.”

Phen’s eyes widened. “I’m sorry?”

“I hereby exile you from the village of Akusos. Leave now, and do not return.”

“Dava—” His voice swelled with panic.

“My decision is final. You have spat in the face of the Green Word for the last time, kit. The wilderness will decide your fate now.”

The Warders all knew better than to aid the young kit that had entered the forests that evening. The circumstances by which the, what appeared to their eyes to be female, child came to be in the wilderness could only mean one thing: the elder had exiled the kit, and deemed them Veena no longer. For a mercy, Phen had been allowed to keep the bow and quiver of arrows he had begun training with, but nothing else. After the initial shock and panic from Dava’s decision had passed, he made his preparations swiftly. Believing he had nothing further to lose, he broke into the storehouses and acquired the gear given only to the men of their tribe before they went out into the forest. If he were to be sent out into the world, likely to his death, he would do so with dignity, unbound by the clothing expected of someone assigned female.

That first night proved particularly difficult. The cold bit through even the armor on his forearms and legs, his exposed midriff numb and bright red with irritation as the unforgiving winds tore against his body. But despite the tips of his fingers feeling as though they might break off, he used a partial cave and a haphazardly built wall of snow to shelter himself through the night. When he awoke, it felt like he had frozen in place, his body wracked with profuse shaking. It probably would have been easier to simply lay there and die, but something inside him wouldn’t allow that. A fire burned in his chest and told him that this world held more for him than to freeze to death as a child. And with that determination, he found the strength to pull himself up off the ground.

Phen spent nine years in that forest, watching Warders from afar, teaching himself the lay of the land, teaching himself how to survive. Though he stumbled through the first couple of years, surviving mostly on luck, he was quick to pick up the skills he needed in order to survive. Hunting, building fires, finding shelter, looting supplies off the bodies of fallen Garlean soldiers, as well as those of Dalmascans and Nagxians who fled into the woods hoping to escape the invaders only to face the unforgiving cold and beasts. Every once in a while he’d find particularly useful supplies off the bodies of ‘adventurers.’ In particular, he once found a gold encrusted vial with a strange blue liquid within it, deciding to keep it in case it held any value.

The more he found himself encountering adventurers, either alive or dead, the more intrigued he became by the concept. Phen would sometimes spend his evenings spying on their camps, hearing their stories about adventures in far away lands that they regaled one another to pass the time. Tales regarding a place called Eorzea caught his attention in particular. People spoke of a great tragedy striking the land, the Calamity, they called it. How many people were in need of aid to rebuild, to gain protection from bandits and ruffians, to find some sort of peace after the red moon Dalamud broke apart and released a ferocious dragon, Bahamut. The more he heard about the place, the more he felt drawn to it. Especially the deserts of Thanalan. How he yearned to free himself from this cold wasteland at the base of the mountains and explore such a place.

One day, the circumstances seemed to align in a most harmonious fashion. A party of adventurers hailing from Eorzea was passing through the forest in pursuit of the mountains of the Skatay Range, with intent on exploring the Burn just beyond them. Phen caught an intriguing conversation about a vial not unlike the one he had acquired a few years past. Fantasia, they called it. They were, of course, speaking of how much value the substance held in the marketplaces, their intention to sell it to line their coin purses. But all that information was lost on Phen once he heard what it could do: using magic to change the user’s entire body as they pleased, including their physical gender. His ears perked and eyes widened with this information. From his vantage point, he pulled the vial from his pocket. The answer to his struggles living with the body given to him at birth… could it have been this close for all these years? Only one way to find out. Phen opened the vial, and with his heart’s desire at the forefront of his mind, downed its contents. An odd sensation filled his being, as if his skin were rippling across the bone. Overwhelmed by it, he soon lost consciousness.

When he came to, Phen found himself surrounded by that selfsame group of adventurers. He inhaled sharply, pulling the dagger from its sheath at his back and rising to one knee, brandishing the blade in front of him in defense. The first thing he noticed was the… weight, for lack of a better word, between his legs. Then the lack thereof around his chest, as well as an overall different sensation regarding his center of gravity. Had it… worked?

“Be at ease, lad. We found ya passed out with a pack of coyotes circling around. Thought it best to not let ya become their lunch.” A gruff voice pierced his ears. He turned to find a heavily scarred Roegadyn man with his arms crossed, emerald green eyes staring down at him. Phen’s gaze followed from him to a dark-skinned Elezen woman, a teal haired Miqo'te man, and then back to the Roegadyn.

“I…” He began responding, immediately taken aback by the sound of his own voice. Between the vastly different physical sensations he felt, the deepening of his voice, and the stranger’s immediate and correct assumption that he was, in fact, male all but confirmed it. Fantasia had done its work. “Thank you.” He finished, easing into the fact that this was now the voice he possessed. As shocking as hearing it had been, it felt right.

The Roegadyn man held out a hand and smiled. Phen sheathed his dagger and took it, graciously accepting the help to rise to his feet. “Name’s Haldryss. That there is Catane,” he gestured towards the Elezen, “and L’lev,” his gaze shifted towards the Miqo’te. “What might you be called, lad?”

Phen opened his mouth, then hesitated and shut it. If this were to be his first steps towards starting a new life outside of this place, his new identity in possession of a body that matched his soul, he would need a new name. Not one given to him by the elder of a people who despised him. He recalled a creature from a tome he’d found on a Nagxian some time ago, a creature who embodied rebirth with its ability to set itself aflame and start life anew. “Phoenyx.” He responded. “Phoenyx Eldritch.”

#ffxiv #ffxiv fanfiction #ffxiv wol #warrior of light oc #viera wol #transmasc wol #ffxiv rp #final fantasy xiv #final fantasy xiv fanfiction #wol oc #phoenyx eldritch #pre-arr #my writing #gonna go hide now lol haven't posted about my ocs since my tumblr rp days #cw gender dysphoria #cw misgendering

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drk-brain · 1 year

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Wait, if we're suggesting prompts (and if your still doing 'em) can I suggest either 12 or 29?

yayaya! Listen, I'm predictable and I like "gloomy" but I'm actually gonna choose 29 (apple cider) specifically because of that. Fluff time?

help, short is hard

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By the beginning of the sixth astral moon, the Shroud bathes in dim light of autumn. Dancing canopies quake to the tune of the wind and what trees are not evergreen have dyed their leaves the decisive colors of earth, one by one to let go of their grip on the branches and bury themselves in the soil.

This is nothing novel. It is only the change of the seasons, as regular and predictable as the tide. But there is still a magic to it, and waking late to the reddish glow of a lazy sunrise hours past its due to see the woods themselves celebrating their rest and the fresh, crisp air makes every day spent here feel a little more like it could be a home.

Anora pulls the thin cotton blanket up around her shoulders as she sits, preparing to walk out of the room bleary-eyed but silent, and offer what help she can to the woodworks today. Before she can, though, she hears a knock at the door.

"Can we come in?" a soft, singsong voice calls through the door. We. Both of them, then—people who, against all better judgment, care for her. She still isn't used to that.

"Yes," she answers softly, and the door swings open.

Amelia steps quietly inside and sweeps around the edge of the bed to sit down beside her, and Anora turns her head to see Ada leaning, arms crossed, in the doorway, a soft smile painted on her face despite the dust covering her clothing head to toe.

"I brought you something," Amelia whispers, holding out a steaming mug.

Anora takes it gently, hands wrapped in the blanket to cradle the cup without burning her fingers. "Thanks," she says. "Tea?" But the scent is unlike the teas she's grown accustomed to here, though even they took some getting used to in all their earthy bitterness.

"Try it," Amelia says. "I think you'll like it."

She blows on the cup a bit and tentatively takes the tiniest of sips. It is indeed unlike the teas she'd been used to sharing with Amelia at breakfast, and even more unlike the tea she'd grown up with, steeped in boiled milk and heavily spiced.

This is spiced, but it's... Different. A flavor she can't place. Sweet, a little sour, not so far from mulled wine but—

"Apple cider," Amelia says after a moment. "From the orchard just across the way."

Apples, then. By all evidence, a common fruit, and she'd seen it plenty, but she rarely left the house since early in her recovery, and it had taken much coaxing from Ada and gentle reassurance from Amelia to get her to try much in the way of new food to begin with. So she hadn't tried one. Not yet.

After a few more hesitant sips, though, the warmth of the drink sets in and she lets the blanket drop from around her, letting her guard down just that little bit more.

To their credit, neither of the women push her to speak or to move, but after a long moment of silence, Amelia places a soft hand on her knee and squeezes.

"I hope you like it," she says and stands.

On a normal day, Anora would likely have said nothing. But she finds herself warmed in more than just body by the cider, so before they can leave and shut the door, leaving her once again to her solitude, she cuts in a quick and quiet, "Thank you. It is lovely," and turns just in time to see Ada's soft and knowing smile before the door is pulled not quite all the way shut.

It hangs there partway open for some time, and for once, instead of like a vulnerability, it feels more like an invitation.

#ana snips #ana writing #anora #wolmoms #pre-arr #please look at them i adore them #ask #ask prompt

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hopeandduty · 8 months

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#screenshots #ciardha #pre-ARR #one day I will get the exact details of her backstory on paper #until then I will keep takign pictures of her past

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aetherotransformer · 1 year

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sometimes you're 21 and you set off on a hunting trip somewhere in thanalan that changes the entire course of your life because you didnt know they put a dragon in the fucking moon

#oc: ashen vervain #pre-arr #my art #her hair used to be different #blood tw

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viiioca · 2 months

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#ffxiv #my wol: estelle #femroe #roegadyn #gpose #she....#started my big pre-dawntrail ff14 replay and i'm puttering in ARR zones #swinging her around in circles like she just came back from the war and im waiting at the station

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nokomento · 1 year

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doodled for two purposes

brush test for pen pressure = still temperamental

inking test to see if i still remember how to lines = nope , i sketch too much lol

#nkmtart #ffxiv #endwalker spoilers #myths of the realm #nophica #byregot #halone #this is def not a spoiler we all knew how nophica would look since pre arr #but anyway

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yloiseconeillants · 5 months

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And in that water is the knowledge of all that have come before and all who will follow - the aether spun from Nymeia’s loom - the aether from which all magicks are drawn and to which all magicks return.

(6000 blessings upon @abyssalmermaiden for her skin texture it is so good and i am crying about it)

#yloise coneillants #pre-arr #please seek help you're not receiving visions directly from the goddess of fate #you have nearsightedness and are cursed by the echo-

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avirael · 8 months

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"Home" (3/6) - Little Ala Mhigo After leaving the Forgotten Springs A'viloh and U'laqa traveled through Southern Thanalan for a while but soon realised that it was too dangerous with just the two of them out there on their own. So they decided to stay in Little Ala Mhigo until they made plans of were to go next.

The Ala Mhigans were very reluctant about the outsiders at first but U'laqa soon managed to befriend some of them by helping them out with hunting monsters. Not all of them warmed up to them but after a while they had a nice little circle of friends, that made living there much more bearable. One of the women even taught A'vi how to braid his long and impractical hair in ways a lot of the Ala Mhigans did, a habit he kept up to the present day.

However the place was really poor and living there was very difficult, so U'laqa soon shared the same dream a lot of the refugees dreamed: Going to Ul'dah. And in his case also building a good life as adventurers for themselves just like his father had done with the Company of Heroes.

A'viloh on the other hand had already been reluctant about leaving his old home behind and was finally quite content about being able to be with U'laqa without the need for secrets. Despite the circumstances he liked Little Ala Mhigo and the friends they made there and retrospectively he considers their time there the happiest year of his life. However he would have followed Laqa through all seven hells if that was were his friend wanted to go, so it was only a matter of time until they would move on.

In the end after a little more than a year U'laqa and a few Ala Mhigans had cooked up a plan, or rather got roped into one by people who claimed they could help them with their journey and start in Ul'dah for very little coin. In hindsight it was quite suspicious and they should have know better but they were desperate and fell for the trap.

After a day's travel the smugglers made their move and attacked them at night in their sleep. They were shackled and transported down the Burnt Lizard Creek on a little boat until they reached the sea. There they were handed over to a band of pirates that set sail for La Noscea.

#ffxiv #ff14 #final fantasy xiv #final fantasy 14 #ffxiv screenshots #ff14 screenshots #ffxiv gpose #gpose #ffxiv writing #pre-ARR #A'viloh Tia #U'laqa Tia

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ooeygooeyghoul · 3 months

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It's you! ----- Despite everything, it's still you.

#ffxiv #final fantasy xiv #ff14 #au ra #primordial flame: shiun kazumasa #just lookin at how much hes changed :]#light corruption is a helluva drug #pre-ARR vs post-endwalker

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theimperialnuisance · 7 months

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FFXIV Write 2023 || FFXIV Write info\\Prompt list\\Character info \\Master post ||

Prompt 19: Weal

a raised mark on the skin caused by being hit or injured

Character(s): Atticus Wolfram Cw: very mild injury and blood descriptions but really only mentions of it, no major detail Word count: 695 Notes: all of my oc’s fit this one so in the true nature of an indecisive person, I did a random name generator! It landed on Atticus so have a soft and angsty story of some pre-arr hcs :3 Sorry if the ‘event’ is vague here but I plan to elaborate it further later on cause it is canon to his backstory but I didn’t have the time or brain space to type it all out XD

“You’re reckless, you know that?”

Atticus wanted to laugh in response but that soon cut off with a hiss through his teeth as a cold cloth was gently pressed to his cheek. As much as the coolness should have brought relief to to fresh cut on his skin, it ended up stinging much more.

“Keep hold of that to stop the bleeding and I’ll tend to your other wounds.”

Atticus obeyed, knowing better to not argue with the woman who had been looking after him ever since he arrived to Ul’dah. She was much older than him, a short and stout hyur woman named Ryelle who ran a local herb and remedy shop. “I’m no healer, but I can make a damn good potion,” she had told him when he first stumbled into her shop nearly three years ago. Ever since then, it became almost second nature to go to her when he needed a potion or two to numb the aches and pains from his job since he had no affinity to healing magic either. And over the years, she began to look out for him more than just selling a remedy or two, becoming one of the few people who knew about his past and his current occupation, the real one and the under the table one.

“What did you do this time?” Ryelle asked in quiet exasperation as she gingerly lifted his arms one at a time to examine the scratches and weals that decorated them, some already bruising underneath the dried blood. “Gunbreaker business, or Reaper business?”

Atticus didn’t respond, the wound on his cheek still made it difficult to talk. Even so, he didn’t think he could talk about it just yet, the mere thought of having to recount the previous event to someone made his throat tight and his eyes sting. Though he tried to keep his expression stoic, Ryelle was too observant and caught on.

“You don’t have to hide it Atticus,” she said softly as she took over the cloth again still placed against his cheek. “but you can tell me when you’re ready.” she pulled the cloth away, discarding it now that it was red with blood and gently brushed a thumb near the raised skin, still reddened and raw but at least the bleeding had stopped. “This will probably scar,” Ryelle tutted and Atticus winced a little at the contact. “I’ll at least get you a potion to help aid the pain and healing process but without any sort of healing magic, you’ll have this as a reminder every time you look in the mirror.”

Atticus swallowed the lump in his throat, finally finding his voice. “I want the reminder.”

What he had to do today would be forever burned into his memory and the physical reminder of his mistake would be enough to not let things get out of hand again like they did today. That was his thought process, at least. One that probably made no sense to the woman in front of him but it was enough for him and that was all that mattered.

Ryelle let out a sigh as she gave the Elezen a fresh cold cloth to press to his cheek again before standing up. “Stay put with that, I’ll grab the potions for you and then we'll stitch and bandage you up.”

Another silent nod as she began to retreat to the front of the store. “Oh and Atticus?” A quiet hum in response. “After I’m through, I’m closing up early and making you a nice dinner and you’ll be staying here for a few days to rest, got it?”

Atticus looked up at her, a small grateful smile spreading across his face. “Thanks Ryelle,” he really didn’t know how or when this whole mother/son relationship between them became so strong but he didn’t want to question it. It was something he had craved since he fled his homeland and he wanted to hold tightly to it as long as he could.

Ryelle smiled warmly in return. “Think none of it, love.” She then disappeared to the storefront to gather her supplies to finish patching him up.

#ffxivwrite2023 #ffxivwrite #final fantasy xiv #atticus wolfram #ffxiv elezen #garlean oc #pre-arr #nico writes #I thought i'd get this done last night #but i got distracted #ffxiv fanfiction #ffxiv writing

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