the transition from people needing each other to wanting each other is literally one of my greatest weaknesses that shit makes me want to walk into the sea and sit on the ocean floor for a thousand years
like. characters whose entire self worth is based on how useful they can be to others, who think that they're going to be abandoned as soon as they're no longer necessary, being told by someone that they want them to stay and realizing that they have value to people in and of themselves and not just for what they can do for them will never fail to completely unmake me. like on a molecular level.
idk if anything in ffxiv is going to top finally fighting zodiark, the Ultimate Big Bad built up since ARR, as a fucking jump scare in the first act of endwalker. dead-ass level 83 starter boss. the entire experience of '... well NOW what' before shit truly goes nuts is going to stick with me forever probably it was so funny ishikawa did that
Private dining with the Admiral of Limsa Lominsa was a surprisingly utilitarian affair.
No one pulled the chair out for Mordred. The array of dishes, though prepared by the Bismarck, were seafood and wheat bread and fresh fruits sourced from around La Noscea. The wine was the only thing that drew the Warrior of Light's attention, for it came from the fields of Eastern La Noscea.
He smiled as he took his seat. "Shamani Lohmani had gotten his vineyard going, it seems."
Across from him, Merlwyb divested herself of her gloves, stowed them, and picked up her knife. Like most Lominsan sailors, she didn't bother with forks. The foods prepared were also made to be suitable for such a style, and the way she speared a fish and wrapped it around a piece of bread, then bit into it, made Mordred think she could exchange her gallant black coat for a billowing shirt and go right down to the docks with the lads any days.
Once she finished chewing, she tasted the wine -- poured into a wooden, if well-made cup -- and hummed. "As you said. When Bloodshore was first abandoned by farmers, I had thought much of Eastern La Noscea is likewise barren. It's heartening to see that wasn't the case."
Dinner thus officially commenced by the captain, Mordred picked up his own knife.
He knew Merlwyb watched him, though not with the intensity she would have scrutinized sea charts with. The entire affair could be called one giant curiosity, anyway. Mordred didn't know why the Admiral would see fit to ask him to dine with her, when being Warrior of Light aside, he had no involvement in the governance of Limsa Lominsa or Vylbrand.
He'd had half a mind to decline it, but Theodore -- his fellow Warrior of Light, who was not invited -- had gasped in horror at the thought of Mordred turning down a state leader for a meal.
So, here he was.
"I hear you prepared some of these dishes yourself," Merlwyb said.
"Kind of. I was in the kitchen, just in case--" taking a full bite of the herbs-crusted fish instead of taste-testing it was like putting paradise in your mouth, "--since, you know."
She smiled wryly. "I doubt anyone on this star would have the gall to accuse you of murdering me, for what it's worth."
"It doesn't matter who does the deed, Admiral," Mordred said. "Only that your life is lost."
Merlwyb closed her eyes. Her smile faded, expression falling somber. Then she rose from her seat and slowly strode to the nearby window, hands clasped behind her back.
For a long moment, she was silent, staring out to sea. The lighthouse blinked in the spreading dusk, the brightest man-made star to guide ships home beneath a sea of its greater kinds, made small and ornamental by their distance from Eitherys. The wind tasted of salt and of home, ruffling Merlwyb's pale hair, Mordred's sleeve.
"I considered the possibility that you would intervene, when I parlayed with the kobold patriarch with my life," Merlwyb said eventually. She turned to him. "You have my thanks, for holding your peace."
Mordred inclined his head.
Merlwyb studied him for a moment. Then, seemingly satisfied with whatever answer she divined of his silence, she returned to her seat. "I was told you grew up here, in Limsa Lominsa," she said. "Not the kindness childhood?"
"Not the easiest," Mordred replied. He took another bite of fish, then started on the escargot sautéed in white wine sauce. "But so what? Running with me mates on the streets while the sun bakes us, chasing dodos, harassing the Yellowjackets--"
Merlwyb chuckled.
"What was your plan, if the kobold patriarch killed you?" Mordred asked her. "You couldn't have expected this city to not go to war over it. The kobolds might well have been wiped out in a fit of opportunistic or heartfelt rage from your pirates."
"The story wouldn't have emerged as such," Merlwyb replied. "Another leader in waiting would have taken my place, and implemented plans in waiting. Even without me to steer it, this great ship of Vylbrand would not have run aground." She picked up her knife again, studying it. "Such is the lot of a leader, not just a captain. To build towards a future where you are no longer needed."
Mordred paused. "You're not about to tell me you're retiring, are you?"
Merlwyb barked laugh. "Hah! I would not have announced it to a stranger before my own crew. No offense, Warrior of Light."
She watched him heave a sigh of relief, amused, then took another bite. "Rest assured that I'm not going to make any requests of you today, outside of the one I already made of your presence here." Merlwyb glanced out the balcony again, at the sea and the port stretching into the far darkness. "The Rising is upon us. It puts an old woman in the mood of reminiscing."
Why, Mordred wanted to ask.
Yet the reasoning seemed obvious to him, at the same time.
So he poured more of Shamani Lohmani's wine into his cup, just a little, and said, "We should've ordered ale."
Merlwyb chuckled. She clapped her hands, and an officer stepped in, saluting. "You heard our guest," she jerked her chin at him. "Ale! Baderon's finest."
I once again have to note that 2019's "snuff" was intended as a sound (like snuffle) and my naive brain did not consider its alternative at the time...
Past prompts can be found on the card as well if anyone is looking for the original tumblr prompt posts:
Hello and welcome to the first run of FFXIV Polyamory Week! This event was created to celebrate all of the non-monogamous relationships in the world of FFXIV between OCs, NPCs, and any configuration of the two. While it's nice to see other ship events be polyamory inclusive, I have yet to see any events that are explicitly for polyamory, so I decided to be the change I want to see.
When: May 19th through May 25th
Prompt List:
Day 1: Sleeping Positions | First Time Sleeping Together
Day 2: Domestic Life | Mundane Tasks
Day 3: Date Night | First Dates
Day 4: Outfit Swaps | Role Changes
Day 5: Alternate Universe | In Another Life
Day 6: Celebrations | Holidays
Day 7: Vacation | Relaxation
Rules and Guidelines:
Tag all characters with their full name, as well as any relevant spoiler tags.
If it's NSFW, mark it as such.
While there can be monogamous partners in a polyamorous configuration, this event is focusing on non-monogamous relationships, so please keep depictions of monogamy to a minimum.
This blog will not promote content featuring pedophilia, sexual assault/abuse, bestiality, extreme gore, or incest.
The tags #ffxivpolyamoryweek2024 and #ffxivpolyamweek24 will be tracked starting Sunday May 19th through Tuesday May 30th, so don't worry if you wind up needing extra time to catch up. Posts will run on a queue schedule.
a collection of my favorite smutty tropes and ideas that I desperately want to see people write
Only One Bed Trope (tm)
Someone accidentally walks in on your OC pleasuring themselves
Your OC accidentally walks in on someone pleasuring themselves
Your Echo-bearing OC has a vision of someone in a private moment
Sparring leads to steamy times
Bandaging wounds/cleaning up after battle
Your OC being watched (alone or with others) during a private moment by Midgardsormr/Feo Ul/Ardbert/Fray (Esteem)/Emet Selch/Crystal Exarch/that fucking shoebill/Hydaelyn, or anyone else who regularly spies on them
A linkpearl call at a very bad time
Discovering/dealing with racial physical differences during intimacy (ears horns tails height differences etc etc etc)
Vacation to the Gold Saucer/Costa Del Sol/one of the many hot springs in the game (Kugane, Camp Bronze Lake, Lakeland)
Combat abilities used sensually/sexually
Post-battle emotional high/"Holy shit we're alive" moment
Pre-huge battle "We might not make it out of this alive" moment
Fun with fantasias
Everyone is attracted to the WoL/everyone wants a piece of the WoL
"I know we shouldn't but I can't help it" sorts of dynamics
Fellow Scion/acquaintance walks in on WoL/OC with their partner - gossip ensues
That damn Ishgardian ball we never got but deserved (ok I guess this isn't really steamy but it can be)
Other character with special sensing abilities (Y'shtola's aether sight, Krile's super sensitive Echo, Hythlodaeus' soul sight etc) knows what the WoL/OC has been up to/knows OC and their partner are a couple before they're out (or uses their ability in the heat of the moment if shipping with them)
Something fueled by armor/glams (and we know there's a lot of sexy outfits in game)
WoL/OC being given comfort after one of their few defeats (Zenos, Ranjit, Final Days etc)
That inn room scene in Endwalker (if you know you know)
gummygunk
dededos
snowghoul
tangentwithtanner
origamiaround
2087
stormborns
