Sami at Ciela Haven

Sami's refuge for FFXIV fan content.

[sami-at-ciela]

I'm back.

FFXIVwrite is tomorrow.

We're gonna kick so much ass.

(Now if only I could get my ilvl up so I could actually finish 6.2...)

[sami-at-ciela]

Just thinking about Shanna

You haven’t seen Shanna yet, so here she is for reference.

She started out as an alt designed as a “persona” (well, design only really), and she’s slowly coming into her own. She was supposed to be a magey type, a Summoner whose theories, research, and possibly Echo ability started the foundation for Sound Science in Eorzea (think Bard magic but standardized and expanded in scope by like, a lot).

Then I decided to test Reaper out on her and everything clicked into place.

I swear she gets grumpier every time she has an Echo flashback about Rhea’s journey, haha.

“I’m going to punch your babydaddy out”

“lol why”

“he put you through an incredible amount of shit”

“well uh -gesticulations and justifications-”

It’s not quite that black and white in practice of course but something like that.

Anyway, I’ve decided that she is grumpy, but she does have a soft side? “Cutetankerous” is the word I choose for it. Little less classic Tsundere, little more Estinien-style HARRUMPH (in before someone informs me that Estinien is a tsundere).

It’s a fun character type to write. I’m not sure if I’ll stick with Reaper as a primary class for her or not, but I’ll keep tinkering around.

[sami-at-ciela]

I need to think this aloud and I’m not sure where else to do it so uh here

I don’t know if I’m just tired or what but I’m starting to wonder if I’ve outgrown the “become rabidly obsessed with a character down to the subtlest detail” phase, instead just noticing what is needed and workable for a story.

Some places I feel like I’m in this weird echo chamber where mine is the only voice that doesn’t bounce around because my expectations are different, and I’m not sure if I miss that all-consuming borderline lust.

Either I’ve lost my zeal or my zeal has become very different from what everyone else is expressing.

Them: “OMG X DID THIS AND IT WAS HOT AND AMAZING!!!1″ Me: “Haha well in my story Y had this to say about X”

they fixate on X itself, while I prefer Y’s relationship and reactions to X and the overall arc

It makes me wonder if I’ve lost something, some quality that everyone else has around me

It’s tiring to deal with.

[electrocandii]

Great Serpent of Ronkas I’ve drawn in exchange for ko-fis so far

[sami-at-ciela]

Wandering back after hiatus. Considering what I just stumbled through, I'm thinking of cross posting some fics back here. Sometimes smaller and less boisterous is better.

[daisyprayers]

Experiencing burnout in an area you love doesn’t mean you are no longer passionate about that thing, or are any less good at it. It’s often an indication that there are other parts of your life that need your care. A garden looks most beautiful when every flower is watered, and you deserve to nourish yourself in the same way. You will flourish again.

[sami-at-ciela]

Prompt 31: Bonus - Indulgent

And that’s a wrap for FFXIVwrite! ...For real this time.

Got obliterated by a funky migraine so I couldn’t put together something like I wanted to, but this works. Might patch it into something else and officially throw it onto Ao3 (and finish the cuts that didn’t make it in).

More of Rhea and G’raha being mushy and cuddly with each other with a small side of chubby catboy agenda.

G’raha felt a transcendent happiness when his lover held him, relishing the feel of her skin on his.

She held him in a secure but gentle embrace, her breasts against his back, her arms crossing over the bit of subtle softness at his belly. She pressed her lips to the back of his neck, and his tail twitched from the pleasant sensations.

“Rhea, my love?” G’raha purred.

“Yeah, hon?” Rhea leaned over G’raha’s shoulder.

“Do you enjoy this as much as I do?” he asked.

She nodded. “Of course I do. You’re fun to hold and snuggle.”

“I’m glad.” G’raha turned his head to press a kiss to Rhea’s cheek. “Perhaps I’ve become more huggable over time, if you get my meaning.”

It took Rhea a few moments to get his meaning. “It’s all right. I like your belly. It’s nice and soft.” She returned the kiss to his cheek, gently nosing the back of his neck.

G’raha sighed, mostly out of contentment. “No one has noticed yet, but it’s best if it stays that way.” A beat passed, and his mind drifted to more comfortable matters. “Still, if I close my mind and think about it… perhaps, someday, in our new future, I’d be happy to let you roll me along.”

Rhea giggled, stroking along G’raha’s stomach in a way that she knew would make him squirm from ticklishness. “Please, you’ll be rolling me along after our litter of cabbits.”

“I did always say that we’d have at least three children, didn’t I?” G’raha chuckled, snuggling in tight. “I can’t wait… I mean, I can wait till the world finally settles down, but the thought of our future children excites me even now.”

“We’ll get there when we get there,” Rhea said. “For now, how about I spoil you a little more? Sweets to the sweet.”

“I’ll never say no to that.”

Even as Rhea parted from him to retrieve a box of chocolates, G’raha kept his eyes fixed on her. At times like this, it didn’t matter that she was a hero, or his hero, or everyone’s hero. To him, she was his beloved, someone he wanted to go on life’s adventures with, the mother of his future children, all of the loving care he could ever ask for.

She was his.

[sami-at-ciela]

Me: I want to do the extra credit day for FFXIVwrite-

Body: Would you like a migraine with a randomly rotating panorama of symptoms? :D

Weh -passes out in the middle of the feed-

[sami-at-ciela]

Final Fantasy XIV: Amaro Hatchlings and You

Introduction Greetings! Today I’d like to introduce you to a good friend of mine, who will be instrumental ...

I’m back! Today we have our esteemed guest star Sparki telling us how it is about amaro hatchlings.

Of course, Sparki is how she is through the whole thing...

[sami-at-ciela]

Prompt 30: Abstracted

Or: “I just hit 5.5 and I have no idea how they will keep the world from exploding till Endwalker.”

FFXIVWRITE IS OVER after this. It was such a fun ride! It was nice to just relax and write whatever came to mind with the prompts. It got me rumbling back to life after a massive creative drought, and I want to continue working where I can... until Endwalker comes out and EVERYTHING EXPLODES.

Noa is supposed to be born at some weird point after 5.5, but I’ll have to clarify that after I get through it.

It was just a nightmare, Rhea told herself.

She told herself she wasn’t scared of Zenos, or that complete circus clown of an Ascian with him. Whatever they did could hurt, but it would be temporary and she would pull herself back up and fight, and fight, and fight.

Why then, did this passing vision shake her to her core, to the point that she even trembled physically?

There wasn’t that much to remember, but she could hear Zenos’s smooth yet cutting voice as he uttered the words at the core of the terror. “I was unaware that you had taken a mate and produced a cub, Mother Bear. Thank you for making the hunt more interesting.”

It didn’t make sense, it didn’t even line up with his usual diction, but dream logic had a way of stirring emotions regardless of the truth of matters. Rhea hadn’t exactly been hidden away over the course of her pregnancy. Quite the opposite, since she’d tried to run errands till the last possible second and just about every important person in the areas she’d passed through had stopped by to congratulate her. It might not have been too much of a stretch for news that the Warrior of Light was with child to somehow slip to Garlemald, and if it did, what would stop the enemy from acting on it?

They could have come for her while she was indisposed if they knew, or perhaps they wouldn’t have. Perhaps they were waiting for her to form her little family so they could take it all away from her to leave her as Zenos’s ultimate prize.

A hand touched her shoulder, and despite herself, she yelped.

“What’s wrong?” G’raha’s voice came from her right, low and gentle. Baby Noa cried out from her crib elsewhere in the room, startled by the sound.

“I…” Rhea hesitated, trying to stop shaking, looking from her beloved to her daughter. “Do you think the Garleans and Telephoroi know about Noa, or that I was pregnant?”

G’raha grunted as he adjusted himself. “If they did, I think someone would have stopped by to taunt us about it by now,” he said.

“I don’t want to say it, but I’m scared,” Rhea said, another shudder running through her. “What if they come for you or Noa? I’ve been through a lot, and I’ve lost many, but this time, I don’t think I could take it. If anything were to happen to you or Noa, I…” Her vision began to blur with the beginnings of tears. “That would be it for me.”

“I won’t let that happen,” G’raha said as he reached and squeezed Rhea’s hand. “I know you won’t let it happen, either.”

“They could make a move any minute now,” Rhea said, squeezing back. “I’ll fight. I won’t back down. But for the first time, even after that business with Emet-Selch, I feel like the consequences for failure will put everything beyond any hope of recovery.”

“We will not fail.” G’raha pulled himself over to kiss Rhea’s cheek. “Now might not be such a good time to worry about what’s coming. Let’s take things as they come, okay?”

“Mm, well-”

Noa began crying, cutting her mother off. “And she was finally sleeping through the night, too,” G’raha said, moving to get up.

“At least someone is.” Rhea put a hand in front of G’raha to signal for him to stay down. “I’ll take care of her. I can’t sit still right now.”

“All right. I’ll be waiting for you to come back.” Even before Rhea got up, G’raha was looking at her expectantly.

Pulling herself out of bed and scooping up her daughter, Rhea went to the living room to be alone with her thoughts and her bundle of joy. She would come back to G’raha’s loving arms eventually, once Noa settled down. He had a point; while preparation was always helpful, certain obstacles could not be overcome until they had arrived in the present. Until then, she would surround herself with love and the strength that came from it.

[sami-at-ciela]

Prompt 29: Debonair

Or: “Aymeric is basically the definition of the prompt, fight me.”

Man, the Scions really are a bunch of nerds (with a few exceptions). Some nerds more distinguished than others, but the point stands.

Date auctions sound so much more suspect than they are...

“Okay, but what if there was a date auction?”

A little downtime in the Rising Stones led to strange conversations about the Scions’ budget. Rhea gave the suggestion in question, and a few beats of silence passed as everyone mulled the idea over.

“I like it,” Tataru said with a nod.

“A date auction? How droll,” Y’shtola said, tapping her cheek as she thought about it. “Thancred is an easy sell. Will we be including both men and women?”

“Why not?” Rhea asked. “Only willing volunteers, of course, and whatever’s involved in the date should be agreed upon beforehand.”

Tataru tilted her head. “Should I prepare contracts, perhaps?”

“It could only help,” Alisaie said from off to the side. “Speaking of willing volunteers, who else other than Thancred is available?”

Y’shtola sighed. “I’ll do it, but I will have strict stipulations for the highest bidder.”

“And that’s what the contract is for,” Tataru said.

Alisaie piped up once more. “You know who can’t participate, speaking of availability? G’raha. Because, you know, he’s spoken for.”

Rhea shrugged. “It’s okay, I’ll share him for a night. And he’d better be willing to share me, because I want in, too.”

From the right angle, one could swear Tataru’s eyes were shining. “Ooh, yes! You alone would bring in a substantial amount, I’m sure of it!” A beat passed and her face fell. “This sounds much more suspect than it should.”

“You’re right, but this is just for fun and a little profit… right? We’ve got provisions in place to keep suspect things from happening.” Rhea looked at Alisaie, a smirk on her face. “I want to see if we can dare Alphinaud to do it. He knows how to negotiate polite company, so he’s got to have at least one fan out there.”

“I want to object, but you have a point,” Alisaie said. “I just realized... aside from Thancred and me and Rhea, are we all just a bunch of nerds?”

Rhea snorted. “Let’s see…” A quick rundown of the Scions’ current roster seemed to confirm the idea. “I have a feeling that you’re right.”

Y’shtola snorted, but it was more of a scoff than out of humor. “I’m not a ‘nerd.’ I’m mentally capacious.”

“Oh, I wonder if we can get guest stars?” Tataru suggested. “A few high-profile names to draw attention… I think it can be done, at least on paper.”

“Okay, but who’s going to buy Aymeric properly at a date auction?” Rhea blurted out, prompting some stares. “I have no idea why he was the first one who came to mind.”

Alisaie snickered. “Sure you don’t.”

The conversation disintegrated into teasing and debates over which guest stars would be worth contacting in the first place. Names were thrown around regardless of feasibility shortly after. By the end there was only a list of singularly attractive individuals that no one could actually agree on. It was fun while it lasted.

[sami-at-ciela]

Prompt 28: Bow

Or: “There’s one Leyton sibling for every role.”

It’s true! Rhea is ranged DPS, Chester is melee DPS, Luca is the tank, and the new middle sibling (Meg will most likely be her name) is the healer.

Rhea occasionally stopped to think about her siblings, perhaps less often than she should.

Luca was watching over the Haven in her absence. The sprightly youngest Leyton sibling went at everything with great gusto, even maintenance and housekeeping. It seemed impossible to bore her. She wore her hair long like Rhea did before the decisive betrayal, and sometimes Rhea wondered if a time would come when she’d give in and cut it as well. Luca was a fresh, borderline naive sort, and those sorts of worldviews were easily crushed.

Chester came after Rhea. He was an even-tempered sort, a bit shy and stoic at times but not immune to emotion. She figured it was the general curse of being a male Viera in Skatay, doomed to be the forest’s shadow and keeping quiet out of habit. Rhea had wondered if he would even leave the forest, but when he’d visited her at the Haven with his city name, she’d gotten her answer. Though he kept to the background for now, it was comforting to know that he was most likely around somewhere at any given time.

There was another sister in between Chester and Luca. She had a bad habit of walking with her head bowed. She never left the forest, and so had no city name for easy use. Rhea hadn’t seen her in years. This sister was a dour but dreamy sort, often lost to her own meditations. She was not easy to deem likeable, but she had her moments. In light of everything that happened in the world, Rhea wondered how she was coping. She was no warrior. If she thought about her too hard, tears would inevitably spring to her eyes.

There had to be a way to get that poor girl out of there, or to at least have her know there was the option of doing so. Getting communications back home as an “exile” was difficult, but there had to be something. There had to be.

[sami-at-ciela]

Final Fantasy XIV: the Great Serpent of Ronka Introduces Herself

Introduction Welcome, dear mortals! I have agreed to give an exclusive report on myself, the Great Serpent of ...

Beans is now hijacking completely different blogs.

ENJOY.

[sami-at-ciela]

BEANS IS GAINING FOLLOWERS

yes that needed to be in all caps

So I introduced some article-writing buddies to Beans, local Great Serpent of Ronka, right?

This is now our chat title.

Beans: “-SPARKLE EYES- I have fans!” Sparki: “You are NOT subjecting them to your horrible fanfiction.”

...What’s MGNTV? I mean you can find it here but if you stare at it a bit longer, you might see a familiar name... soon. (Or if you look really far back but those articles are kind of old and smelly).

Stay tuned?

[sami-at-ciela]

Prompt 27: Benthos

Or: “A fish with no i’s is a fsh.”

Something short. I’m tired. The prompt threw me. Also I kept reading it as benzos. Shame on me.

Rhea opted to do a spot of fishing in Limsa Lominsa during a little downtime.

She was catching a decent haul and had a feeling there was something really big on the line this time when someone hugged her from behind, startling her into losing her catch. “Boo!”

“You just made me lose your dinner,” Rhea said, not even looking behind her to identify the culprit.

G’raha chuckled and released his own catch. “What a pity.” A beat passed, and he added, “I’ve gotten lost in this city at least three times. I can’t believe you started your adventure here.”

“And would you believe I was an arcanist for a good chunk of time here, too?” Rhea put her rod away and turned to G’raha, patting him on the head. “Yes, dear, I’ll give you a more in-depth guided tour soon enough. Pirates aside, I think you’ll like it here, not the least because of the seafood.”

“You know me too well,” G’raha purred. “Isn’t there a particularly good restaurant here?”

“Yes, dear, I’ll take you on a dinner date to the Bismarck,” Rhea said as a grin spread across her face. “Just don’t do anything funny with the fish, okay? No matter how much they look like letter openers?”

G’raha rolled his eyes. “And here I thought I escaped that.”

“Never.” Rhea nudged him forward. “Let’s go see how the others are doing, yeah?”

[sami-at-ciela]

Prompt 26: Bonus - Innuendo

Or: “You know nerd speak is the best tacky dirty talk, don’t look at me like that.”

Naughty puffski hours resume, marking NSFW because. Well. They’re being saucy even if I cut the feed before they went utterly bonkers on each other.

Also, cringe-worthy dirty talk within. But lemme tell you, it’s hard to make nerdy innuendos that suit Allag tech without going too modern...

As much as G’raha and Rhea could enjoy each other’s company just about anywhere, they had wildly different opinions of turn-ons. A specific interlude had the two bickering over what dirty talk worked best.

Having just come off of a trip to Azys Lla, G’raha was abuzz with thoughts of technology and scientific marvels, and it showed in the way he chose to seduce Rhea on their way to his room. “If you let me dismantle your firewall, I’ll be more than happy to upload my bits into your data frame-”

He didn’t get to finish. “Why are you laughing?”

Rhea struggled to taper off her giggles. “Raha, hon, I know seeing technology in action makes you almost as excited as actual sex does, but I have no idea what anything you just said means. Still, you’re so cute when you get enthusiastic.” She gave him a big saucy kiss, partly to encourage him to find a different tactic and partly because he was just too damn cute.

G’raha pursed his lips, pouting. “What would you have me do, then?”

“Why don’t you try using your Big Exarch Voice and give me a speech about Hope and the Future or something? Or… ‘conduct official business’ with me?” Rhea’s coy smile indicated her expectations.

“Um.” G’raha tried to think of how he could possibly make that work and… “No.”

“What? Why?” Rhea whined, drawing the syllables out. “Imagine, you invite me into your quarters, clear off your desk, and then we-”

“No.”

“Whyyyy?”

“You know I was never that kind of authority.”

“Fine.” The romance ground to a halt for several painfully awkward seconds until Rhea hit upon something. “Oh, I know…” She leaned in close, making sure that she was as close to his ear as she could get. “I can get you something so decadent, so smooth and melt-in-your-mouth delicious, something to fill your belly and your heart…”

G’raha didn’t say anything, but the flush of his cheeks and twitching of his tail indicated that she’d nailed it.

Grinning, she went on. “You’ll feel it in every onze and ilm, soft and sweet-”

G’raha couldn’t take it anymore. “Fulfill me,” he moaned, and promptly began dragging Rhea to the bed.

“Hit the spot, eh, Sugar Booger?” Rhea teased, flopping down to stare up at her lover.

“It would only be fair if I treated you as well, wouldn’t you say?” Licking his lips, G’raha tucked his thumbs into his waistband. “I would love to partake of you, my sweet.”

“And there you go,” Rhea said with a hint of breathiness.

“Of course. Who else can satisfy my appetites like you do?” Yanking his clothes off with a quickness, he climbed up and over her. “Allow me to devour you.”

At least they found something that worked for both of them.

[sami-at-ciela]

Today’s obligatory pre-MSQ G’raha teasing

G’raha and Alisaie, at the same time for but very different reasons: “HELP ME.”

Bonus points for Beans in the background cheering Rhea on.