open post (august 2019)

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open post

i'll find my way back home As usual, here's a brand-new open post for all of you to post characters, mingle, and tag each other! Seriously, post whatever you want. Empty toplevels? Open starters? Starters closed to specific people? It's all good — just enjoy! And as always, tag out and have fun!

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francel de haillenarte; ishgardian noble

[haillenarte]

Emet-Selch/Solus zos Galvus ♤ FFXIV

[sadlonelyspires]

[ ooc: he might snark-- but I don't! Open to shippy type stuff as well as gen-- I just love him, ngl ]

Snarking welcome! She loves the back and forth.

[purrrrfection]

( ooc: Would you prefer something within the story, or some type of AU setup? I'm mostly just curious to explore more of this Amaurite/fragmented soul theory, but I'm also open to shippy type stuff if you'd be interested in exploring it, especially the Hades/Persephone theory.

Just let me know and I'll happily write up a starter for us! )

Re: Snarking welcome! She loves the back and forth.

[sadlonelyspires]

[ ooc: not gonna lie-- Hades and Persephone is my favorite myth so I would be interested in exploring that. AU is great and I feel like the story gave us a lot to work with so either or.. perhaps we can start with a canon point and bwork from there? See where the characters take us?]

[purrrrfection]

( ooc: That sounds good to me. Depending on how it goes we could always just straight up do a divergent-path AU for the ending.

One final question then, in terms of a jump off point: For it to work on Ziva's side it'd have to be before the Mt. Gulg dungeon, but do you have a preference beyond that? )

[sadlonelyspires]

[ ooc: so sort of the scene where they get to The Ladders? That may work and have not really got to touch on that part via RP so that would be great, a new point to RP from for me ]

【the crystal exarch】 【ffxiv】 【ota】

[pastinspired]

Have a WoL and spoilers ahead;

[stabbersinyerfambles]

[ Cehd'ra hadn't wanted to leave, not yet. As fraught as his adventures in Norvrandt had been he'd come to love this land and her people. Though now he was the Warrior of Darkness, for most of his time here he was no one and nothing was expected of him by most folk. The only ones who did know were his friends who were ready and willing to step in and help him carry that burden, even when failure loomed so terribly close. He couldn't even bring himself to resent the fact that he had little choice for when has he ever?

More than that, however, was the fact that the call for help came from someone he'd thought he would never see again.

He knew who the Exarch truly was the moment he finally saw him in the flesh. How could he call himself miqo'te and forget someone's scent? Yet the longer the Exarch kept his face hidden the more Cehd'ra began to doubt. Did he not remember who he was? What reason could he possibly have to hide? Finally seeing his face atop Mt Gulg, being able to call him by name, knowing that he'd finally been given another chance...only to have him snatched away again? Cehd'ra came dangerously close to succumbing to the Light that day.

That they both survived is a miracle that Cehd'ra does not want to squander. He's done that too much in his life, held himself back only to watch helplessly as the chance for something more slips away forever. This time he's learned his lesson. But he does still have responsibilities, they both do, so it was with his head held high and a plan already forming that he stepped through the portal, returning to the Source.

A few days later he comes back, warping in next to the Crystarium's Aetheryte with a long, curved package tucked under his arm. With only a quick glance around to orient himself Cehd'ra wastes no time in running, not walking, towards the Dossal Gate and back to the Crystal Tower. The guard isn't that surprised to see him, it's not as if he knew just how far Cehd'ra really went last he left. ]

To the Occular?

[ Cehd'ra can only nod 'yes', suddenly finding it more difficult than usual to catch his breath. He's nervous as the guard escorts him up. ]

[pastinspired]

[In the few days that Cehd'ra has been gone, the Exarch has spent much of his time within the Tower - and not for want of trying. Though magicks and tonics can heal wounds, they don't heal the exhaustion that comes with being so gravely injured, and Lyna and Chessamile have been rather adamant about him getting some actual rest for once. Much still needs to be done, but according to them it can all be done later, once he's made a full recovery. Luckily, reading takes little energy, and he can rest while doing so. Thinking takes even less.

The fact that he remains here at all is a perplexing one, and the days after the Warrior's departure have been spent with his thoughts flitting from the plight of returning the Scions back to their own bodies in the Source to his own continued existence. It's quite possible that he's created some sort of divergent timeline with his meddling in the affairs of the past, but it all depends on what news of current events Cehd'ra brings back with him upon his return to the First. It may be too soon to tell, but at least he's good at waiting.

The knock on the door to the Ocular rouses him from the thoughts that have left him rereading the same paragraph for the fifth time over, and the Exarch emerges from the Umbilicus, closing the doors behind him. With half of the Crystarium having seen him without his hood on upon their return and the other half having heard secondhand by now, he doesn't even bother bringing the cloth up and over his ears.]

You may enter.

[stabbersinyerfambles]

[ The lingering guard is the only thing that keeps Cehd'ra from blurting out G'raha's name in answer. It was good to see that he wasn't going to return to hiding but, to the people of the Crystarium G'raha Tia was still the Crystal Exarch. Cehd'ra was a piss pour liar but he'd learned some subtlety from Jacke and Oboro. He'll offer a grateful smile to the guard before the man takes his leave and passes into the Occular proper. Seeing the Exarch has his tail curling higher behind him.

He has a plan. But all of a sudden the details of it are failing to come back to him. ]

Ah...hello, again. [ The package is shifted under his arm. What had he decided he was going to say? Had he decided? What did the men visiting his clan back home do...? ] ...you look to be recovering well, how do you fare?

[ Gods help him. ]

[pastinspired]

[The moment the doors to the Ocular close behind the gate guard, the Exarch's shoulders visibly relax. Not that he's ever been particularly strict and stoic with the Crystarium's people, but there are things that are better spoken of out of the range of First-born ears.]

As well as is to be expected, I suppose, though I've still a bit of recovery ahead of me if Chessamile has anything to say about it.

[His ears wilt just a little, but only for a second or two before perking right up again. There are better and more important things to discuss than his health.]

But, 'tis good to see you again so soon, Cehd'ra. I take it everything is well back in the Source?

[... though, his eyes can't help but be drawn in curiosity to the package beneath the other man's arm. What purpose could it possibly serve?]

definitely shb spoilers

[aheroipray]

[ Late in the afternoon a crowd had gathered by the aetheryte plaza. It was a curious thing - crowds occurred more often now that the Scions and the Warriors of Darkness, but they were still sparse and coordinated. Today's was uncoordinated, but the light cheering and murmurs of the crowd were plainly audible.

With five Warriors of Darkness, just like the First's five Warriors of Light, they came and went as they could. The 'fearless leader' of the band had been gone for quite some time, with no known return date. At least, until now. Lyna and Allumette both danced near the square, a mock battle with their chakrams, mirroring and challenging each other.

Dressed in a knee-length skirt and her usual satin shirt, hair pulled up and out of the way, Allu couldn't have looked more different from the so-called Warrior of Darkness she'd been only a little while ago. Yet there were pale scars all over her chest and ribcage, like tiny fractures in glass, visible thanks to the halter's design. When the two Viera were out of breath, they curtsied to each other, hooking their chakrams to the sides and then turning to the crowd to bring them into their dance.

And that is how Allu ends up outstretching her hand to the Exarch, breathing hard but with a bright light in her eyes that she certainly hadn't had when she left with burdens upon burdens. ]

You're out and about! Good on you.

[pastinspired]

[Such a crowd is difficult to miss, even for someone sequestered up in the high reaches of the Crystal Tower. Though Lyna and Chessamile had bade the Exarch to get some rest, he's determined that surely setting foot barely a few yalms outside the Dossal Gate won't be too much of a problem, though the stairs leading down from it are numerous indeed. He considers it even less of a problem once he's able to set his eyes on exactly what's going on, and one half of the pair that had been so adamant in his relaxation is currently preoccupied with dancing.

Dancing with the Warrior of Light and Darkness herself, no less. He'd been wondering when Allumette would make her grand return, and here she is before him, a veritable whirling dervish of blades and fabric. After all they've been through, it is a heartening sight indeed - even if the scars along her torso do not escape his keen sight. He may be an old man, but his senses have not waned with age.

As the dance seems to come to an end, though, he finds himself face to face with glittering eyes and an outstretched hand, and for a brief moment the Exarch himself looks a bit cowed in her presence.]

It is thanks in part to your prior dancing partner that I feel as well as I do, though I fear she may still chide me about straining myself.

[He laughs, soft and melodic.]

Though I'm afraid that even were I not barred from strenuous activity, I wouldn't be the best of dance partners. But I will gladly watch your dance again, Allumette.

[aheroipray]

[ She lets out a silent huff through her nose, cocking her head to the side at him. ]

Well, I wouldn't want you to strain yourself, but surely a little dance wouldn't be too bad...? It's not as if I was any good before, you would know that.

[ Back then, she was really no good at dancing, all clumsy tiny Lalafell feet to his songs. She'd quickly excused herself back then so she wouldn't have to try again, but learning how to use dance in battle made her much more adept at it. ]

I'll ask you to not repeat that to the masses, though.

[pastinspired]

Your secrets are safe with me, as they always has been.

[He remembers fondly the memory of the attempts to dance. Back then, he'd have been much more suited for such a thing. Dancing, laughing, singing... All of the adventures feel so distant to him, now, but still just as vivid, and particularly so when in the company of a dear friend from ages past.

In response to her offer, however, he simply shakes his head with a smile.]

My legs have long forgotten how to dance as freely as you are able, so I doubt that I would be any good for entertaining. But perhaps I might accompany your dance with a song instead? It has been an age, but one never truly forgets, and I've been feeling particularly inspired as of late.

another WoL and also spoilers!

[aglows]

( Dunya had spent some time back on the Source once things had finally been put to rest on the First. Emet-Selch - or Hades, as he had revealed his name to be - was gone, as was the irrepressible Light that had found its way into Dunya through her travels. The land of Norvrandt had night again, and it brought her a peace she had not felt in some time, not since the Dragonsong War had ended, since Ishgard had its own fledgling peace.

Now, Norvrandt could have its own, too.

Still, not everything was finished in the First, there were still people who needed help, who had asked her for it while she had been on that desperate road, and she was not one to abandon others in their time of need, peace or no.

She opts for the portal that G'raha had made, walking into the Ocular with a deep breath, breathing the air of Norvrandt as she steps through. She sees him almost as soon as she enters, expecting it, and smiles, warm and full as she does. )

G'raha Tia. It's good to see you.

[pastinspired]

[In the time that Dunya has been gone, the Exarch has given her her privacy and not looked in on what she is doing in the Source, no matter how curious he may have been to see that things are well with his own eyes. He has to trust that she will return ere long, and trust that their efforts have not been for naught.

He may be ordered to rest by a good half of the Crystarium at this point, but rest does not mean that he can't read. In fact, that's all he's been doing since she left, seemingly incapable of not working on something when he's gone an entire century of very little actual rest.

Reading is what he's doing now, in fact, as she enters the Ocular via the portal and thus facing his back. He recognizes her presence almost the exact moment she begins to speak, but it's still startling, and he still - briefly, minutely - jumps.]

Oh! My apologies, Dunya, I hadn't expected you back so soon.

[He closes his book, but not without slipping a thin ribbon in to mark his place first. It gives him a moment to compose himself, at least.]

I take it everything is doing well on the Source, then?

! :Oc It's a Kasa

[songlessmagpie]

[In Gridania there is a rock that the Warrior of Light is known for perching herself upon. It looks out over a stream and where one can watch the waterwheel spin in place endlessly. If it's a quiet day you can hear the carpenters sawing away but normally it's the Adders making a rucks of some sort just behind her. It's close enough to consider home.

In Ishgard there is an obvious place. Despite the cold and chill just past the Fortemps manor is the Last Vigil which gives you a look at the peak of every mountain top for malms. And should there be a day when the skies are actually clear Eorzea herself is on full display. That is home.

Here she has yet to find a place to perch herself. To watch the sky change from blue to black and just rest her weary self. She feels restless in the First. It was something she contributed to the Light both above and swelling inside her and now that it's gone it seems that there is something else amiss. In fact... she feels it all the more now that all their enemies have fallen.

Homesick? She thinks not... So--

G'raha's voice catches on the winds. She's standing in the middle of the plaza just staring upward. A bad habit, she must admit, from her days in Reunion. She blinks a few times as she pulls herself back to reality to turn and face him instead, even going to help cover the distance between where he dwells and where she is standing. She must have looked... quite foolish. Or perhaps concerning. If the ladder it would explain his hurried paces towards her despite his recovering ailments from Emet-Selch's gun.

She cants her head at him once the distance is closed between them as if to say:]

Is aught amiss?

[pastinspired]

[Aught certainly is amiss, else the Exarch wouldn't be making his way down the steps to the Dossal Gate as quickly as he presently is. While he's become used to Kasa staring into the distance, it's ever been in the context of the heavy burden they all chose to bear, and now that that burden has eased it seems somewhat out of place. Enough so that it makes the Exarch concerned enough to risk the strenuous activity of descending and ascending the stairs, despite his apparent house arrest courtesy of Lyna and Chessamile.

It takes him a moment with the muscles in his back still aching somewhat, but eventually he makes his way down to the Exedra, hiding the wince exceptionally well considering his hood isn't even up.]

Ah... Pardon the intrusion, Kasa. I saw you standing here alone and wanted to make sure everything was alright.

[songlessmagpie]

[He is... very sweet. There's no denying this. There's a forwardness and sincerity to all that is both familiar and painful. Aymeric is like this too, on occasion. Both seemingly trying to recapture a man that is no longer here. At one point this might have made her sad but now... she finds it quite charming. And if Haurchefant would here he would find it... quite splendid! Of this she is most certain.

So despite herself she smiles, just a little. Her tail swishing from one side to the other in sweeping arcs.]

And what of you?

[She almost reached for her book, the standard for communicating with people. But Kasasagi has found that she needed it less here. Between Ardbert just being able to hear her and the Exarch and Emet-Selch knowing how to speak with hands she's been... Well, it's a welcome and needed change of pace.]

Lyna told me you were supposed to be recovering. Surely that does not include hurrying down the stairs to check up on me. That seems a touch irresponsible does it not, G'raha Tia?

[When she gets to his name she spells it out slowly with delicate and precise gestures so he doesn't miss a letter. It seems, after all, to mean the world to him. And while she can't relate as far as names go she understands to a different degree. It's the same feeling when someone is able to sign back to her for the first time. She felt it back in Dragonhead and when Nero sauntered into Gridania with "big" ideas. In the Greatwood with Hades and before that when she came face to face with the Exarch himself.

They may seem like little things but they can mean the world to someone.]

Peryn Tattersall | Hey it's a WoL | OTA

[skysinging]

[ info in construction on her journal but should have all pertinent details. All ShB spoilers are fine, let me know if you have any other preferences? ]

Theja Lesrekta (Viera WoL) | ota

[paianas]

Hoju Wysseyhasyn ( the Warrior of Light ) | ꜰꜰxɪᴠ

[aetherpacts]

( I'm working on his journal, but! Hoju is a standard WoL, is very much a gentle giant, and is an expatriate Sharlayan.
I'm happy to play with other WoLs, having Hoju here be Echo-blessed but not The WoL ™️, or just as a plain ol' scholar. m/m for shipping, otherwise totally OTA! Shb spoilers are a-ok, and prose or brackets are both fine!)

[ ᴏɴᴇ ]

Just above the beach that spans one length of the Mist housing district sits a modest home. Behind a hedge fence is a carefully tended garden, replete with ponds, a fountain, a couple of unique and curious artifacts, and a bench on which to take it all in.

Perhaps you are here to take in the beauty of the garden, shelter under the awning from the rain that occasionally beleaguers the beach, or have heard the occupant has a penchant for taking in wayward strays in need of home or helping hand. Or, perhaps you simply have business with the owner (one Hoju Wysseyhasyn, scholar and craftsman). Regardless of wherefore you come, all are welcome.

[ ᴛᴡᴏ ]

This was his home, once: Idyllshire.

It was Sharlayan, then, a colony of some of the greatest minds the eight races had to offer. The Garlean threat had driven most back to the motherland, including Hoju's own family. Now, some fifteen years later, much of the Hinterlands lay in ruins. Idyllshire, though, has been raised and renewed in a remarkable testament to cooperation. Pleased to see his childhood home thriving, the Sharlayan expatriate cannot help but lend hand where he is able. Admittedly, his free time his rare, but today is one such day. He might be picking through the dangers of Saint Mocianne's arboretum, making deliveries for Adkiragh or Zhloe (just don't ask him about pineapple pudding).

Then again, after a day of work, the quiet solace of the view behind Stickqix's Bangpots, or the fountain at the Snail are a welcome respite.

[ ᴛʜʀᴇᴇ ]

Tag me with a starter of your choice!

I'ziva Ganjai •||• WoL (Shadowbringers compliant)

[purrrrfection]

( ooc: Spoilers a-okay, and likely. Information and preferences in journal.

Also, feel free to provide prompts instead, and I'll write starters. )

Toh'ni Chang •||• Shadowbringers compliant

[healingraen]

( ooc: Available in both WHM companion/non-WoL or WoL (WHM/DNC) flavor. Open for shippy options (f/m) or gen! )