#self‑insert: darkness' champion (aria) | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

tiny-cloud-of-flowers · 3 months

Text

Okay. As intended: the Clio rambles. This is probably going to be very long and disjointed, but hopefully that is tolerable.

To try and sum them up:

Clio will now have pointed ears once she becomes a Spirit, and I've figured out a way to justify this in the context of what those mean in this series.

I'm fairly confident that I now know when Clio becomes a Spirit, and the circumstances surrounding her doing so. The only thing I'm still slightly missing is how she would actually know how to do it, but the game doesn't exactly explain that when it happens later on to another character, so..

Her story now follows that of the canon KHUX player quite closely, including the bluff at the final battle. A main deviation is that she would have still been hesitant, but ultimately did accept the invitation to the Dandelions, so she comes back with Ephemer and Skuld to gather survivors instead of being one.

The one thing I still don't know at all is how things end - whether I leave Clio in KHUX, or bring her forwards, and if so how and how far.

Okay, now for the actual rambles. Suggestions/comments/criticism/etc. is very much encouraged, because right now I do feel like I'm talking to the wall a bit.

What first started things off, I think, was me trying to justify porting the pointed ears that Clio has in FFXIV back to her original KHUX iteration, because they look cute on her. Both games have characters with these ears, but they mean different things in each one. In FFXIV they're just a natural trait of any Elezen - or Lalafell, but Clio's specifically are because she's half-Elezen there. Conversely, in Kingdom Hearts, they're quite specifically gained from exposure to darkness (or in most characters' cases from being possessed by Xehanort - it's just that he himself is implied to have gained them from darkness exposure in the first place, since he doesn't have pointed ears or golden eyes yet in Dark Road).

Now, Clio is very much not someone who feels the need to use darkness - she has strong light in her heart, and wields it valiantly. So, it wouldn't make very much sense or be very in-character for her to start falling to darkness and gain them as a result of the effect it has on her heart and body. However, as part of the story of my selfship, Clio becomes Aria's Chirithy Spirit (since she was never given one like she should have been, and Clio becoming hers allows her to survive the story). Chirithies are known to be tied to their individual Keyblade wielders, in that if the wielder dies or falls to darkness then so does the Chirithy - so, since Aria is already technically fallen to darkness by virtue of being a Heartless, it makes sense that Clio would also appear to be affected by that darkness (though I don't think she herself would actually become corrupted by it, necessarily - it just looks like she might be). Therefore, I can use that as a reason why Clio has pointed ears, implying darkness exposure, but is still very much a Keyblade wielder of light!

That was the first thing, which then led into the even more rambly part of more general story logistics - specifically, the idea of Clio taking the place of the player in KHUX, but also things like how when and why Clio becomes Aria's Spirit, and what her doing so would mean for her own Chirithy.

To the first part (Clio taking the role of the player): it would be a nice way of giving her more plot importance, as well as making the game’s story itself more important to my selfship’s story. Clio is absolutely the sort of person to make friends with lots of people regardless of their Unions, after all, and it can be fun thinking about how she might interact with the main cast. It also makes the final battle in particular much more fitting: Clio can pull off the trick of being possessed by a true Darkness much more convincingly given that she actually has a supply of darkness to safely draw from - Aria’s.

However, some details would have to be taken into account; firstly, the fact that the player canonically refuses to become a Dandelion, whereas Clio definitely is, to the point that her being one is how Aria is able to reunite with her and make it back to Daybreak Town, as I’ve previously written. However, what I could do in theory is say that, because the two things I wrote as follow-ups to that first piece were both in the Darkling AU, then Clio escaping the war with the Dandelions is also only the case in that AU, leaving the default version of events to line up better with the player’s story in canon where they refuse to join for the sake of those who were not chosen to become Dandelions (which for Clio would absolutely include people like Aria).

This can then in theory lead on to the other big thing I still need to work out, which is how/when/why Clio becomes Aria’s Chirithy/Spirit. For the when and the why.. if Clio is already friends with Skuld and Ephemer like the player is by the time the Keyblade War breaks out, then maybe she can go with them to try and rescue people from the battlefield once it’s all over.. and come across Aria there, as she had been bearing witness to the war but became injured after trying to step in to defend her Nobody counterpart. In the Darkling AU, Aria simply escapes into the realm of darkness at this stage, allowing her injuries to heal and being determined to find her way back to Clio (though being in that realm for too long is what then turns her more into a Darkling). Here, though.. maybe she can be rescued and brought along to where the Dandelions escape to (like the player is in canon, ironically), but is too injured to wake in a world so filled with light, and so Clio decides to (and is somehow able to) dive into her dream - thus becoming a Spirit, in the same way that Riku does much later on? So, that potentially sorts out the Chirithy logistics (albeit I'm not quite sure what would happen to Clio's own Chirithy if she were to become the same type of entity herself).

The other way in which Clio’s story could differ from the canon player’s is at the aforementioned final battle. In the game, the player pretends to be possessed by a true Darkness in order to get Ephemer and Skuld to seal them and four of the true Darknesses away, which leaves the Union leaders with more lifeboats to escape the destruction of the data Daybreak Town. I’ve already said that Clio would be able to bluff this very effectively due to being connected to Aria (who, as a Heartless, is already an entity consumed by darkness), but.. in the game, when this happens, the player taunts the Darknesses before being attacked by them and falling in battle, letting their heart move on and be reborn. And I perhaps understandably don't want that to happen to Clio, unless I say that that's how Arete happens.

At the moment, I'm also not 100% sure what Aria is doing at this time. What currently feels like the most "keeping things consistent with how I had been thinking of them" idea is that Aria takes herself back off into the realm of darkness again to avoid the destruction of the data Daybreak Town, while Clio can then be tangled up with the finale plot alongside the Union leaders, like the canon player - but then when Clio tricks the true Darknesses, she's able to slip out of where she's sealed them thanks to Aria (somehow), so the two can escape via the realm of darkness and subsequently are able to survive together until.. well, maybe Missing Link? When Clio gets out of the darkness but is kept alive/essentially made immortal by Aria still being in there? But, it seems difficult to think that Clio would be able to escape in a way that true Darkness can't, especially if she's going into the realm of darkness to do so. Maybe we can fight them off together? But that's four of the true Darknesses against only two Keyblade wielders, one of which is already a Heartless (and therefore, entity of darkness).. which seems a bit too tricky

Alternatively, if I did stick to giving Clio the player's canon fate.. I'm wondering whether Aria would be able to salvage her heart somehow, preserving her until such a time as the pair can be together again in the light. There's an argument to be made that, as a Spirit and therefore technically a type of Dream Eater, maybe Clio can only appear in Aria's dreams - but Aria doesn't tend to dream in the first place, because I don't. I am still attached to the idea of her being alive and present, though - maybe even ending up on Destiny Islands, to the point of meeting the main/non-KHUX characters. There's still that one piece of writing I haven't finished yet about that. And I can technically do that with Player?? But it's still not clear how they ended up there, honestly..

I think my uncertainly mostly comes from a combination of the following: I don't want to kill Clio off for the sake of sticking to canon, because I don't want things to end with KHUX, but I don't think she would be able to persist in the realm of darkness like Aria does. Maybe I can pull a Nimda and canonically detour her into FFXIV, but I don't really like the sound of that for Clio specifically. So who knows?? I certainly don't!

I think this last part may have to wait until Missing Link is out, and we know how it ties to KHUX more concretely. The timing of how far apart each game is from the others is still up in the air, after all, and seeing how connected the two truly are might maybe help me figure out if I do indeed want to sacrifice self-indulgence (of keeping Clio alive and incorporating her into other games) for narrative satisfaction.

People who know KHUX: please critique. And anyone in general who has something to comment on about this: please also comment.

#heart of the void #info posts #selfshipping #love: crown of clovers (clio)#selfship: of flowers unchained (clio/aria)#of lux and daybreak (union x)#I told you that this would be rambly #self‑insert: darkness' champion (aria)#of flowers unchained: darkling aria AU #friend: transient silver (ephemer)#friend: fate of the future (skuld)#all those were sort of mentioned #how much have i even written here. it's a lot. it's very messy.#it's twenty to two in the morning #if all you want to know are the conclusions then i've put them above the readmore #if you're interested in seeing my reasoning and how I got to those conclusions then that is what is below the readmore #if you have any questions then *please* ask

10 notes · View notes

tiny-cloud-of-flowers · 3 months

Text

I stumbled across a Fatebreakers Arilio render in my images folder that I prepared last April, couldn't actually share for its intended purpose/with the other Fatebreakers until July because that was when we actually got to the story moment it depicts, and promptly never actually posted here as far as I can discern because that was around the time that I moved blogs

..would anyone here like to see it

#heart of the void #selfshipping #love: crown of clovers (clio)#selfship: of flowers unchained (clio/aria)#self‑insert: darkness' champion (aria)#of lux and daybreak (union x)#..sort of. it's fatebreakers. which is various pieces of literally everything.#I think it turned out fairly well overall even if I am now not 100% sure how to write out the caption #since i can't find evidence of having posted it I would probably use the tag list for it since it *is* something I made #even if it's something I made a while ago #it *does* have darkling aria as a heads-up. but it's pretty low lighting.

9 notes · View notes

tiny-cloud-of-flowers · 7 months

Text

chaining cherry blossom to clover (Clio/Aria)

Clio being chosen for the Dandelions means she gets to avoid the approaching Keyblade War, and Aria vows to find a way to join her in the new world despite not also being chosen. Despite the road ahead not being clear, a very special gift is given, one which would come to be the key to the two reuniting later down the line. (1974 words)

(Anyone is welcome to comment on or reblog my work, as long as my DNI is respected! A transcript of the document is located under the readmore.)

When the Dandelions began to be chosen, the Sapphires were one of the first parties whose members were approached, to the surprise of approximately none of them.

After all, although the group’s existence and purpose did not become widely known for some time, it seemed logical in retrospect that the party which once collected more Lux than any other in the Anguis Union (save for one) would harbour many Keyblade wielders with powerful light; wielders who were therefore wanted, wielders who were valued, wielders whose identities - their bonds to their parties and their Unions - would all be cast aside as they would be made Dandelions, made into Dandelions.

As war’s shadow loomed ever closer over Daybreak Town, tensions slowly but surely rising up to boiling point, the Sapphires found themselves being able to count more than one of their wielders in the ranks of the Dandelions - the ranks of the few who had been chosen from all others to survive the world’s end, leaving the rest of the people they had known to simply fall and be lost in the senseless combat that fate would have them march towards.

“So they want you as well, do they?”

Aria’s casual question that she already knew the answer to reignited the spark in her girlfriend’s eyes as the two sat together by the sunset-lit fountain one evening.

“Yes!” came Clio’s reply, in a light voice that shone with much of her typical positive temperament. “I really can’t say I saw it coming, but it feels like such an honour, you know?”

“I can only imagine it must.”, Aria smiled, though her own tone was comparatively much more subdued. “After all, so few individuals have been selected for such an important role.”

“Mmm! Yeah, that’s.. a really good point..” Clio’s excitement had softened and dissolved somewhat as she picked up on her girlfriend’s quietness. It was easy for her to tell when something was up with Aria, based on subtle details like the way her catlike ears were slightly downcast, or how her wings were subconsciously tilted to face the floor; it had gotten to the point where she couldn’t help but feel slightly surprised when others said that Aria was almost impossible to read, and tended to blame it on things like her cold way of speaking, or the mask that she wore across the lower half of her face.

“..What’s wrong, Ari?”

“I.. it’s nothing.” she tried to insist.

At this, Clio shifted closer towards her on the fountain’s edge, reaching forwards to place a comforting hand on Aria’s shoulder. “Are you sure? I don’t wanna pry if it’s not something you want to talk about, but if something’s up, then it isn’t good to keep it locked up in your heart or anything.“

Careful not to shake Clio’s hand away in the process, Aria shifted, drawing her legs up to lean them on the edge of the fountain. Her wings were now being held outwards slightly to better improve her balance, ensuring she would not go toppling backwards into the fountain.

“It’s.. more that I don’t know how to word it properly without sounding mean..?” she tried to explain. She was looking away at this point, and her left hand was absentmindedly toying with the ribbon of her hairpin, while her right hand held her legs.

“Huh? How so?” Clio asked her. “..What, d’you think I shouldn’t have been picked or something?”

“What? No, it isn’t that at all!” she clarified quickly, finally turning to look at Clio’s now-worried expression. Her own eyes carried surprise; she would never doubt Clio’s worth like that.

“It’s of no surprise to us that you were selected, because you possess such strong light. But you’re not arrogant with it like so many others of similar strength seem to end up being - in fact, I would say you’re the only person with such bright light that I feel so comfortable being around like this.” she admitted. “So, in many ways, you’re perfect for this.”

“Aww, that’s really kind of you to say!” she replied, worry fading away with relative ease and becoming relief. “But, uh.. What is it, then? If I can ask that?”

“Of course you can ask that.” Aria stated plainly. “It’s just.. If you go with the Dandelions, I won’t be permitted to come with you.”

“Why not? I’m.. sure they’d let me bring you with me!” Clio tried to smile further and be reassuring, but the way her voice faltered slightly indicated she was not entirely confident in her statement.

“..Maybe if what they were after were simply strong Keyblade wielders. But they aren’t.” she insisted, turning her head to look down at the ground again. “All they want is light; they’re gathering those whose hearts have strong light inside of them, and leaving everyone else to the chaos that we all know is coming. So, the last thing they would want within their precious ranks is something like me.”

“Oh.. I guess I didn’t think of it like that.” Clio shuffled closer once again, trying to give Aria as much comfort as she could after hearing the “something” and the spite in her tone. “But, if a war really is on its way like they said it was, then surely they’d just want to rescue as many people as they could from it?”

“That would be the sensible way of going about things, but..” She let out a sigh. “Keyblade wielders who have darkness in their hearts are seen by some as weaker, or less trustworthy. Even moreso if those wielders actively try to make use of their natural affinity for darkness, if they happen to have it. It’s.. arguably not entirely misguided, considering the corruptive effect that darkness can have on people’s hearts when too much is present, but that doesn’t mean that everyone who wields the darkness is evil.” Her hand was playing with her hairpin again.

Now it was Clio’s turn to sigh, feeling dejected. “I sure wish more people could actually see that instead of insisting otherwise..”

There was a fairly long pause as the older wielder trailed off, and the pair of girlfriends could only hear the steadily-flowing water from the fountain they were sat on the edge of.

“I mean.. I haven’t technically joined the Dandelions yet.” Clio then stated, taking a moment to lift up the crown of clovers she wore around her head to stop it slipping. “There’s meant to be a meeting pretty soon, but.. I could always just stay here with you instead! At the end of the day, I- I really don’t want to lose you..”

“No.” came Aria’s response, bluntly but not coldly. “You should go with them.”

“Huh? But.. what about you?” she replied. “And everyone else, too - I can’t just leave everyone to suffer while I go with the others!”

“Just because they don’t want me there doesn’t mean I won’t go there, clover.” she stated, very matter-of-factly. “If you’re with them, then I’ll just find a way to make it to you. And it’ll be easier to do that if you go with them, because not only will they then be easier to find, but I can be more certain of your safety while I hunt for them.”

“You really think you can follow them..?” she wondered.

“Yes.”

“..How?” she then asked. “I mean, I definitely reckon you could do it, but.. You sound surprisingly sure about it. A lot more than I would be, in your shoes.”

“..It’s because of this.”

For the third time that evening, Aria’s hand found her hairpin, but this time it was much more deliberate - she reached up above where the ribbon ends hung and carefully brought her fingers around the cherry blossom flower in its centre, running her thumb across its large, soft petals.

“..Your hairpin?” Clio asked.

“Yes.” she repeated. “If you’ll have it, then.. Please take this with you when you go with the rest of the Dandelions. Take it as a promise, and a sign - if it’s with you, then the rest of me can follow. And I will follow, somehow, even if we don’t quite know the method yet. I will find a way to be with you, no matter what it takes. Whether I’m a Dandelion or not.”

A brief moment passed as Clio’s eyes became glittery with tears.

“Aww, you’re going to make me blush, Ari! That’s so sweet of you to say, I.. I don’t think I know what to say! Of course I’ll take it, if you’re okay with giving it to me!”

She smiled. “I wouldn’t have offered if I wasn’t.”

Using her right hand as well to ensure none of her hair got unnecessarily caught, Aria carefully moved her hands into position, her dark red nails that Clio had painted for her working their way to where the cherry blossom grew from. She then took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and tugged as hard as she could bring herself to pull. Despite bracing for the action, she still let out an involuntary hiss as she did this, wincing and shutting her eyes much more tightly as the pale pink flower came sailing away from her head with the force.

Keeping her right hand pressed against the left side of her head to try and lessen the intensity of that awfully sharp pain she now felt, she tried desperately to stop tears forming in her eyes, before all of a sudden becoming aware that a strong hand was pressing into her back, gently but firmly, just below her wings.

“I’ve got you.” came Clio’s voice from her right-hand side, before her other hand reached up to clear the tears from Aria’s eyes. “You nearly sent yourself right into the water with how hard you pulled on that.”

“It.. was needed..” she replied, somewhat vaguely. Her head was now tilted to be facing Clio’s more directly, allowing her to see her girlfriend’s supportive if slightly concerned expression. She could feel both her arm and her hand on her back now, giving her confidence that she would not fall backwards even if she wasn’t holding herself upright out of tension.

It was then that Aria realised she had one more thing left to do, so she moved her left hand towards Clio’s right. Resting on her open palm was the flower that once rested in the centre of the hairpin she had never been seen without, the blossom’s five pink petals and two green leaves looking delicate and tender in the sunset’s light. As carefully as if she were handling a baby bird, Clio reached out and tentatively lifted up the flower, making sure not to accidentally damage the petals as she took a closer look before then holding it close to her chest. It seemed to attach itself directly to her jacket once she had decided where it would go.

“..Thank you.” was all Aria could say to fill the silence, her voice just as soft as the flower petals felt to touch. The sharpness of the pain was thankfully becoming somewhat duller and less intrusive with time, and Clio’s gesture of bringing the flower to her heart was something she had treasured immensely.

“Don’t worry, shadow. I’ll keep this safe for you.” Clio declared, now placing her hand on her chest next to the flower. “You’ve just got to make sure you stay safe as well.”

“I will. I trust you, clover.” she replied, shifting to more properly reciprocate her girlfriend’s support with a hug. “No matter what the future holds.. No matter how long it takes.. I will reach you, and we’ll both make it past whatever is coming, in our own ways.”

As the last of the sunlight faded, the pair stayed and cherished this moment in each other’s arms.

#heart of the void #creations from the void #selfshipping #OC selfshipping #selfship: of flowers unchained (clio/aria)#love: crown of clovers (clio)#self‑insert: darkness' champion (aria)#of lux and daybreak (union x)#of hearts and friendship (kingdom hearts)#previous pieces #that will be the tag for anything I’ve reuploaded like this. please feel free to filter it out if you don’t want to see things many times #anyone is welcome to reblog this post as long as my DNI is respected #comments are also appreciated but never required #technically speaking this precedes the two pieces I’ve written for the darkling AU but it also is canon outside of that AU as well

11 notes · View notes

tiny-cloud-of-flowers · 3 months

Text

*flops* I put all of Aria's pre-2024 model files away for the express purpose of cleaning up her folder, how is it already now a mess again

#heart of the void #self-inserts #self‑insert: darkness' champion (aria)#this is what I get for using her for so many different things in which she is very similar but also slightly different #I need to standardise her appearances but the slight texture differences are a good way of differentiating between story sections!!#maybe I should have just split the folder by storyline instead of trying to split the texture folder #hmm #i don't know

4 notes · View notes

void-kissed · 1 year

Text

("I got to find you again after what felt like so so long.. And now it feels like you're gone again, even though you're right here in my arms. There's no heartbeat. But then, you never had a heartbeat anyway. So that means you might still be here, somehow.. right? I still don't understand what's going on, really.. But I'm not giving up until we get you back, Ari. Even if we have to dive through the deepest and darkest abyss.. Or climb all the way up to the starry skies.. I'm not leaving you behind again. That's a promise.")

A little something I rendered in the aftermath of current Fatebreakers happenings. Do you notice anything that's missing?

(Anyone is welcome to comment on or reblog my work if desired, as long as my DNI is respected. Tag list is under the readmore.)

Oh, and, to answer the question I posed earlier in the post - Aria's flower is missing. Specifically, it got shot off by a god (if you know, then you know), which is why she's in this state. Additionally, most of the darkness on her wings has been lost.

#a call from the void #creations from the void #made using MMD #OC selfshipping #this post is okay for anyone to reblog as long as my DNI is respected #heart of the void #selfshipping #love: crown of clovers (clio)#selfship: of flowers unchained (clio/aria)#self‑insert: darkness' champion (aria)#is there context to this? yes. does it still look good and stand okay on its own as a render? hopefully!#please let me know if this should be tagged with anything #clio is really not having a good time at the moment i feel very bad for her

16 notes · View notes

tiny-cloud-of-flowers · 2 months

Note

hello, aria! i hope you've been well :D! will you and aqua be doing anything special for valentine's day?

Hello, Nil!! Thank you so much for stopping by; I hope that you’ve been alright as well!

Umm.. well, my morning began with Aqua, so to speak, because I saw a very lovely artwork of her just after I woke up. So that was very nice. I have also been wearing my necklace that has a miniature replica of her Wayfinder on it, which I always enjoy doing. So, in that regard, I’ve had her with me all day ^-^

In terms of what we would do together within the setting of KH.. well, Valentine’s Day was a thing in the age of fairytales, so I definitely think it will have continued to be celebrated, especially given the theme of the day being so based around love for others, and the heart motifs that are the same shape as Kingdom Hearts itself. So, I think it would have been nice to spend a really special day together in each other’s company, away from any particular obligations as Keyblade wielders - I’d love it if it was almost like the whole day is one big long date ^-^

I hope that this is alright as an answer to your question! I’d really love to hear about anything that you might be doing with your own F/Os, as well~ and, thank you so much again for asking me this in the first place! I always really appreciate seeing you around~

#heart of the void #selfshipping #love: wayfinding waters (aqua)#selfship: survivors of the dark (aqua/aria)#..it’s as I write these tags out that I realise I do not know if you intended for me to answer this “in-character’’ as my self-insert or not #but my self-insert *is* me so.. I suppose it doesn’t matter too much either way? hopefully not anyway #self‑insert: darkness' champion (aria)#of hearts and friendship (kingdom hearts)#out of the inbox #selfship asks #candyforthebrain #there *is* of course the amusing irony of valentine’s being about hearts when my self-insert is a heartless #I am tired so I apologise if this is not very specific

3 notes · View notes

tiny-cloud-of-flowers · 7 months

Text

a flower, returned (Clio/Aria)

A scene that takes place just after Aria is brought back to Daybreak Town by Clio, who wishes to finally reunite her with the piece of herself she had kept safe all this time. (1293 words) This piece is part of the Darkling AU, and directly follows my previous piece of writing for this selfship. Originally written for a "Welcome back kiss" prompt.

(Anyone is welcome to comment on and/or reblog my work, as long as my DNI is respected! A transcript of the document is under the readmore.)

The late morning sun had filled Clio's bedroom with light and warmth in the time since she had left it, but her first act upon getting back was to go over and pull the navy curtains closed, letting soothing shade settle over the space instead. Aria had kept close behind her the whole time, not only to hopefully be safer if she happened to be spotted on the way back, but also to simply appreciate the feeling of finally having someone else close by again.

"You can just sit down on my bed if you want." Clio was saying. "You look exhausted."

"Oh.. Thank you.." Aria quickly came over to perch on the end of the bed, watching as the room became darker and subsequently much easier to see in. This was her first time being invited into Clio's bedroom, so she was taking time to examine her surroundings - it was an open and spacious room with ample wardrobe space built into the wall near the doorway. A jewellery stand adorned with a number of pretty accessories stood on the dresser, and a many-flowered jasmine plant was growing in a terracotta pot sat next to it. It was this that she was staring at when Clio finished closing the curtains.

"I picked that one up from a shop not too far from here, back when I was out with some of the others." she explained, speaking up to fill the silence once she saw where Aria was looking. "I read that they don't like too much sunlight all at once, so I put it on the dresser in case today's mission took a while, and.. I mean, I don't want to jinx it, but it seems to be doing pretty well where I've left it!"

"Yes." Aria stated. "Constant light can be damaging in excess."

"Say, you wouldn't happen to know what this flower means, would you?" Clio asked casually, knowing the affinity she had always had for flower language.

There was then a long pause.

"..I can't remember." she admitted, and looked awfully downtrodden at the fact.

"Oh, that's alright!" Clio smiled to try and ease tension again. "It might say in the book I got, actually, so- don't worry!"

This did little to reassure her partner. "..I should be able to remember. No- I should be able to know. It's.. not good that I can't.."

In return, Clio couldn't help but be confused by her wording. "You should be able to? Did the.. do you think the darkness affected your memory?"

"Less memory, more.. instinct." Aria stated. Then she stopped. A lump caught in her throat, and Clio could see tears starting to form in her eyes again.

"Ari.."

"I have already lost so much.." she began to mumble, voice wavering now as she brought a clawed hand to where her heart would be. "I don't want- I refuse to let anything else of what I am be taken away. Whether by darkness, light, or any other aspect."

Clio opened her mouth to speak, but found she could not find the right words, so she settled for coming over and sitting on her bed next to Aria instead.

"..It'll be okay." she tried again. "You're back in Daybreak Town now."

"..A world of Dandelions, now." she muttered back. "The darkness was not safe for you, and it took something from me. But now, I fear the light here is not safe for me, for how much of it's present here."

Clio couldn't help but feel sad again at that, and reached out to take Aria's hand again, gently running her thumb over the hard parts of her claws, painfully aware of how cold she now was to the touch. In return, Aria simply leaned over to rest her head on Clio's shoulder, away from the spikes of her armour, tilting her wing to embrace her, trying to sense what warmth she still could.

There was a long, but not uncomfortable, silence as the two sat there together side-by-side.

It was Clio who spoke up again to break the silence, as a soft thought settled in her mind.

"Hey, um- There's something I've been meaning to give back to you."

"Mm..?"

Aria tilted her head in confusion as she watched Clio get off of the bed again, this time moving to the table right beside it. On it lay many items one would expect to find in such a spot - an alarm clock, a glass of water, a small pile of scrunchies and hairbands - but also a crown of clovers, woven together in a delicate yet strong wreath that Clio could gladly put back on her head now that she no longer needed to wear her helmet. However, before she did that, she set about dismantling her regalia, removing pieces of it one at a time and carefully setting them down on the floor away from Aria. Finally, her upper half was free of it, showing off her arms as all she was wearing underneath was a black short-sleeved shirt.

Even so, as she turned around, it could be seen that something was still fastened to her chest, right over her heart.

The flower still held the same softness and health as it had when it was gifted, all that time ago before the war - that much could be clearly discerned from the soft shine of its five pale pink petals. Two green leaves curled out from underneath the petals, one sitting just on top of the other, both pointing downwards like overlapping clock hands.

It was not just any cherry blossom, though that was clearly evident from its size - but above any other ways it stood out, it was her flower, a part of her still wholly untainted and free of the weight that the realm of darkness had worn the rest of her down with. A part of her willingly given up to someone who did not even know its true meaning, yet accepted it and treasured it for what it still was - who yet accepted her and treasured her for who she still was - nevertheless.

"You kept it.." was all that Aria could say, taking in the meaning of what she saw with an aura of what seemed like disbelief. She tentatively stood up from the bed to try and get a closer look.

"Of course I did." Clio said reassuringly, lifting the flower from her chest so that it could be put in its rightful place. "It was all I had left of you, and it was a promise that you would come back - so, how could I have not?"

"You really- I- I don't know what to say-" Aria's voice was now shaking with emotion, but she was interrupted when Clio reached out and pulled her cold body into an embrace, carefully placing the flower back where it belonged in the process with her other hand.

There was a moment of pause, as the flower settled back and found the rest - and then all Clio felt was a veritable glow of warmth and love as she held Aria close. She gently eased out of the hug, but only to get to be able to look down and see those catlike eyes of bright amber staring up at her - those eyes that held a visceral, and powerful, and yet no less adoring sense of life behind them now. Despite what the realm of darkness had done to her, and turned her into how she now appeared, no part of her seemed monstrous, anymore.

With a relieved and loving smile, all she could do was lean down and give her girlfriend a kiss on the lips.

"Welcome back, Aria."

#heart of the void #creations from the void #selfshipping #OC selfshipping #selfship: of flowers unchained (clio/aria)#of flowers unchained: darkling aria AU #love: crown of clovers (clio)#self‑insert: darkness' champion (aria)#of lux and daybreak (union x)#of hearts and friendship (kingdom hearts)#previous pieces #anyone is welcome to comment on or reblog my work as long as my DNI is respected #delayed echoes #I saved this one instead of actually putting it in the queue oops #I hope it's okay to reupload like this #sorry that i haven't really been around today

6 notes · View notes

void-kissed · 1 year

Text

"Get away from her!"

This is just a render of Clio fighting a powerful opponent during a mission of some kind, and then Aria very quickly and hurriedly coming in to protect her out of nowhere. I may have gone slightly overboard with the AutoLuminous on the second image, but it works well, right? ^~^

(Anyone is welcome to comment on and reblog my work if desired, as long as my DNI is respected! An alternate image is under the readmore.)

This is just an extra bonus image to show how Clio looks in the second render, since.. you kind of can't really see her over Aria swooping in, haha

#a call from the void #creations from the void #made using MMD #kingdom hearts selfshipping #OC selfshipping #this post is okay for anyone to reblog as long as my DNI is respected!#heart of the void #selfshipping #love: crown of clovers (clio)#selfship: of flowers unchained (clio/aria)#self‑insert: darkness' champion (aria)#I was toying with the idea of using aria's alternate outfit for arilio stuff and then her old outfit for aquaria stuff?#so that's why she's got her other one here (the one made from male avatar parts)#of hearts and friendship (kingdom hearts)#of lux and daybreak (union x)#the tag list was copied over from last piece so hopefully it all still applies #anyway it is quarter to two in the morning and my intention was to go to sleep around midnight soooo #I should probably go now =P #this is only one of like three different MMD projects i've either started or had an idea for today haha

21 notes · View notes

flowering-darkness · 14 days

Text

okay I can’t find the post I was referring to in my tags just then, which is a shame

It’s the one of a drawing of a monstrous hand with thorns growing from it, and the initial caption is something like “I cannot let you hold me, for it will hurt you” (that might be completely wrong but the idea is there). But then someone reblogged it with a drawing of another hand in a big gardening mitt holding the original one and said “How wonderful, then, are gloves!” or words along those lines

I remember it because it makes me think so much of the Darkling AU that I have for my selfship with Clio - where Ves is lost, and Aria can no longer keep up the lie that she is human, and she is so scared that Clio will strike her down for what she is once it becomes obvious there’s no way to restore her old form, because surely as a wielder of the Keyblade it’s her duty. But Clio still acts with the same kindness and determination as she always has, and finds solutions to things so that she can be as happy as she wants to be (which makes Aria as happy as she can be), and.. the monster gets to still be loved, because she still loves, and- it’s just one of those AUs I have grown very attached to ^~^

#heart of the void #selfshipping #selfship: of flowers unchained (clio/aria)#of flowers unchained: darkling AU #sorry for inflicting emotions at.. not even quarter to ten in the morning #love: crown of clovers (clio)#self‑insert: darkness' champion (aria)#of lux and daybreak (union x)

3 notes · View notes

flowering-darkness · 22 days

Text

Hello I'm Having A Vibes Moment and made a render about it

It was started and finished within an hour

#heart of the void #it's not even.. how do I even tag this #self‑insert: darkness' champion (aria)#sure!#am I going to post it??? I don't know! it's vibes!! but it's not selfship. just.. self-insert #it feels like a *horrendous* start to this new blog yet I know not where else it could go #really living up to the URL/icon combo if you catch my drift #so like..?#suffice it to say i've put something new on my halloween playlist #have had it on loop for the past 24 hours (it released 24 hours ago)#aaaaand had some vibes

2 notes · View notes

void-kissed · 1 year

Text

"On this, the day of hearts.."

In the midst of an unfamiliar circumstance, Aria composes a letter to Clio in her mind's eye. (518 words)

Happy Valentine's Day, friends ^-^

(Anyone is welcome to comment on and reblog my work if desired, as long as my DNI is respected! The letter itself is under the readmore.)

"To you, my lucky clover..

..Oh, how I wish I had that luck at the moment. Or rather, no. It's not that I wish for the luck of a clover - it's that I wish for you. ..You were just the luckiest encounter I've had for a very long time.

..How do you manage it? How can it be possible for someone so kind and caring as yourself, someone with such a strong light that shines brightly even in our party of sparkling gemstones - to love something like me? I, who wield the selfsame darkness we wielders of Keyblades are meant to despise.. I, who witnessed the fall of a world I may never have a chance to know the name of.. ..I, who walk with stolen steps, and have held hearts on my blade's tip. There will be no regret for what I've done - not from myself, in any case - but the matters still, permanently, stand.

..That's not the way I wanted this to go. Not at all, in fact.

What I wanted to say was.. that you deserve all that the worlds could have to offer. I mean it. You are wonderful. A wielder of remarkable strength, both of heart and of blade - yet that strength is always directed to the sake of a noble and just cause. There is none of the arrogant pride that seeps into those whose light is strongest - those whose light is most blinding, most bleaching, most scorching to their senses of decency. Your light always bears such softness, such willingness to listen and to consider the truth of a circumstance. You are passionate. You are beautiful. Your every act and movement are filled up with a presence that I don't think I will ever understand. Is it love? Is that what drives you? Love for the world and all who dwell in it, in a way that so, so many cannot muster? ..Is it that love that lets you love me? No, I- am I right to say it's more than that? It certainly is to my sight.

Regardless, you're just.. so, so remarkable. I meant it, when I said you were my luckiest encounter - for, as much as I have come to settle in the company of the Sapphires, it's only with the support of you and them that I have found myself so settled. I am not someone who trusts easily. I am not someone who finds herself able to trust easily. Especially with the company I keep, and am part of. And yet, for all of the reasons I have to remain on my guard.. That guard doesn't need to be raised around you anymore. You wield my fear, just like everyone else, but when that power is held within your hands, I'm not afraid of it. I don't have to be afraid of it, when it's you.

And then, above all of that again - for everything, thank you.

If you will be my light, then I will cast your strongest shadow.

You are my guiding key, and lucky clover."

#a call from the void #creations from the void #my writing #kingdom hearts selfshipping #OC selfshipping #this post is okay for anyone to reblog as long as my DNI is respected!#selfshipping #heart of the void #love: crown of clovers (clio)#OC F/Os #..she's not actually *in* this but it's about her #selfship: of flowers unchained (clio/aria)#self‑insert: darkness' champion (aria)#when is this set? excellent question #but it is here now #valentine’s day #..not directly but that's what this is for #so to those who voted for that option on the poll - I hope this is alright

19 notes · View notes