#aedan fieros

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I've been busy, sorry! Please have this self-indulgent fancy G'raha and Aedan dancing in the garden in lieu of actual content. They've come a long way from Aedan teaching Raha how to dance in the Seventh Heaven back in the Crystal Tower era.

(V'karya sat on Aedan until he promised not to wear a yellow coat~)

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A post earlier got me thinking about Alisaie, and I had the urge to do something cute with her and Aedan. He loves her to pieces; she's one of the few people who really gets him, and he appreciates that she thinks more with her heart than her head, unlike her brother (especially early on). She likes that he has never once treated her like a child (this picture notwithstanding~) and that he doesn't chide her for being reckless (since he's usually right there along with her). And he gets the way that she feels sort of inadequate amongst the Scions. Plus they're both twins, so they bond over making fun of their overly serious siblings~

Losing her at the end of Stormblood is absolutely devastating for him even though he can see it coming. Just one of many reasons that he spends the entirety of 5.0 really pissed off at G'raha.

(He loves G'raha through it all, which makes it harder. He can't just hate him, but oh does he hate some of his decisions.)

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I'm so far behind on reading, but I took out Viko and Aedan for some fun today after a pretty long break. Have some cute chocobos and platonic snuggles. This is from an AU that would take too long to explain (though maybe I will someday), but Aedan spent a lot of time elsewhere before finding Viko again, so his "fashion sense" is a bit different here~ Still yellow, though. Also, no sad mustache for Viko in this one~

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Febhyurary Day 7: Echo

Viko stood watch behind his Seedseer. All he knew about this upcoming meeting was that it was supposed to be an envoy from Ul’dah. He didn’t really expect an assassin to attack so brazenly, but he owed the Seedseer his life, and he would take nothing for granted. Before long, he heard quiet voices across the Stand, where Astrianne stood guard over the entrance. What he could hear of her voice sounded odd, so he stood up straighter, wondering what was going on. Still, after a brief conversation, she let the visitor through, and they approached down the path.

As they came into view, Viko studied them carefully. They moved with precision, quick-footed, though he saw no weapons. Probably a pugilist then, if they were from Ul’dah. The loose clothing with barely any armor – just a light chest plate and armored shin guards – fit with that. They seemed alert, but he couldn’t sense any kind of combat intent from them. And then his eyes focused on the face coming closer, and the ground fell out from under him. He knew that face, how could he not? He saw it echoed in the mirror every morning. For a dizzying moment, he couldn’t comprehend how he himself was walking down that path, and then he caught the eyes of his echo, the other half of his soul, and saw the same poleaxed expression that he was sure was on his own face.

His brother, for surely it must be him, glanced at the Seedseer, and Viko could see him considering whether to take care of business first and knew immediately that that was not going to happen. And indeed, his brother turned back to him with tears in his eyes and that huge grin that Viko hadn’t seen in years, dodged easily around the Seedseer without so much as a “by your leave” – the part of Viko that was still tracking everything around them noted that she seemed amused by this, thank the gods – and pulled Viko into a bone cracking embrace that Viko felt even through his armor. His mind still not quite sure any of this was real, Viko said, in a broken voice that he barely recognized, “A-aedan? Is..is that really you?”

Aedan, tanned from the desert and looking healthier than Viko had ever seen him, let him go to flick him on the forehead and say, “Of course it’s me, you dunce. Do you know anyone else with our face?” And all Viko could do was laugh helplessly, because his brother was alive, and here, and suddenly everything in the world was right again.

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Lightwardens you say?

Everyone's been talking about Lightwardens, and I don't have a strong visual design for any of my OCs, but I do have a nightmare sequence where G'raha's conscience eats at him that I'm actually pretty proud of. This is a very small section of a larger story that I will probably never find the courage to post (not that it's finished anyway). It's Lightwarden relevant eventually. Spoilers up through the end of 5.3.

CW: Uh.. death, horrific-ish imagery, weird dream logic, the usual sin eater warnings, vomiting

(Side note, this takes place in the handful of days between when WoL wakes up everyone on the Source and the cutscene where they all gather in Mor Dhona.)

Raha walked through a darkened space, nowhere that could exist, but he didn't question it. As he moved forward, a path formed in front of him, wending its way amongst piles of faceless corpses. He shivered as a cutting wind blew through him, bringing with it the stench of ruin. He walked down the pathway and began to see corpses with faces amidst the faceless masses, frozen in contorted expressions of pain. First it was the newer Scions, one after the other. Then Tataru and Krile, their tiny bodies barely visible amongst the rest. Thancred and Urianger, hands reaching towards each other, and Y'shtola, blank eyes staring at something Raha couldn't see . Alisaie and Alphinaud, hands clasped between them. He didn't want to go on, he knew who must be next, but he couldn't stop, and there was his beloved, still and cold in a way that he never was in life, the brilliant yellow of his shirt faded to bone white . Raha tried to close his eyes, tried not to see his face, but he couldn't. The sightless eyes, their blue faded to white. The once mobile features frozen in resolute fear. The usually smiling mouth trapped in a scream.

The darkness grew, enshrouding the path of corpses until Raha could see nothing. The dark was so absolute that it confounded his senses. Was he moving? He didn't know. He felt nothing, no air in his lungs, no heart beating in his chest, nothing to remind him he was still alive. Just as the dark threatened to crush his being, firelight began to slowly grow up in a wide ring around him, outside which a silent war raged amongst the twisting shadows cast by the flames. Inside the ring fought Aedan and a giant demon in red Imperial armor. Purple-black smoke surrounded the creature as it toyed with Aedan the way a bored cat might toy with a mouse. Aedan fought on doggedly, though his blows, usually so devastating, battered at the armor to little effect. Finally, the hulking, horned demon threw him back, leaving him stunned on the ground, struggling to pick himself up. He suddenly clutched at his head as the monster approached with its katana at the ready, red eyes glowing in the dim light, and Raha heard Aedan say desperately, the sound unnaturally loud against the silence, "No, Raha, not now, please!" After a few moments, he slumped over, lifeless but breathing. Fearing what was to come, Raha reached out, as though he could somehow stop the monster with his will alone, but he was powerless, a ghost watching the world as it passed. The demon looked down at Aedan curiously, a cat whose mouse had died before it was finished playing, but it wasn't deterred from its course, lifting its katana over its head and slashing downwards, cleaving deep into Aedan's chest.

Suddenly somewhere far away in the rift, Raha watched as his past self spoke to his beloved for the first time in over a century, but Aedan's only words were demands to be sent back. And then, as Raha stared in horror, the tether to Aedan's body snapped, and his spirit began to unravel into Light before Raha's eyes, growing brighter and brighter until he could no longer see.

The shadowless expanse went on forever in every direction, searing his sightless eyes with its brilliant glare. A single bell rang, the toll caught in an instant that lasted forever, ringing in Raha's ears. After an age, or perhaps a single moment, the toll slowly diminished, and with it, the cathedral at the top of Mt. Gulg faded into Raha's vision. Before him, Aedan absorbed Vauthry's Light and then crumpled over, clutching at his bowed head. Watching him now, without the absolute focus on his plan that had pushed everything else out, Raha could see the desperate pain and fear on his face as Raha's past self approached, his plan made manifest at last. He had arrived too late, however, reaching the summit just as Ryne, her face broken and aged far beyond her years, failed to contain the Light that was shattering Aedan's spirit. Raha tried to look away from the coming horror and couldn't, finding himself forced to watch from just over his past self's head as Aedan's body began to writhe, and he vomited white ichor on the ground at Raha's feet. Aedan looked up at him, his face twisted with agony. He lifted a hand towards Raha, beseeching him, but Raha could only look on with despairing regret, knowing he didn't have time to complete the ritual now. Aedan's face crumpled, just like it had that night after Amaurot, and Raha could see him give in to the Light as giant, marble-white wings erupted from his back. His skin shimmered and split around the monstrous creature tearing itself out of Raha's beloved.

The Lightwarden was enormous, towering over them all and mantling its wings as it screamed in a host of dissonant voices to the sky. It crouched down, low on four legs, then thrust itself into the air, crushing the earth beneath its gigantic paws with the force of its leap, and with a beat of its wings that sent the others flying back off their feet, it vanished into the endless Light of the sky. Only then could Raha move, tears streaming down his face. He dropped to his knees, but the ground vanished beneath him. As he fell, the world beneath him was steadily consumed by the Flood, Light taking what he had given everything to save. The gleaming waves grew closer, and he closed his eyes and waited to be devoured, every shred of hope gone with Aedan.

He hadn't quite reached the end when a familiar voice saying his name shook the silence.  In a flash, the all-encompassing Light vanished, replaced by the darkness behind his closed eyes. 

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It ain't perfect, but I like it.

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Febhyurary, Day 1 (whoops)

First year trying to do a thing and I miss the first day. I'm pretty sure Feb 1st just didn't happen. Anyway, I'll either be a day behind or you'll get two today, we'll see.

Intro:

This is Aedan Fieros. He's the twin brother of my favorite Keeper of the Entwined Serpents (whom I have named Viko because SE did him dirty and didn't bother to give him a name).

Aedan is mostly a happy-go-lucky guy. He has what amounts to severe fantasy asthma that went untreated for quite a long time, but now that it's mostly alchemically managed, he's making up for lost time with a vengeance (though it's not gone and flares up from time to time - Garuda in particular was difficult). He and Viko were separated when Viko was conscripted (Aedan was too weak at the time, so he was left behind), and he thought his brother was dead all the way up until he visited Gridania as the envoy for the Sultana, where he found Viko guarding the Elder Seedseer.

He's still progressing through the MSQ - he's just defeated Ramuh - so he has a lot of growing to do. He had the misfortune to fall head over heels for a certain red-haired Miqo'te who ultimately sealed himself in the Tower, and he's still recovering from that loss.

He loves bright colors, spicy food, and flirting in a playful way with just about everyone. He's going to get to Radz-at-Han and never want to leave~

He hates people who think he's stupid or incapable because of his condition, being called the Warrior of Light (too much pressure @_@), and when people forget that there's a person behind the "blade against the darkness". He and Alphinaud did not get off to a good start, though they're doing better now.

Most of all, he has a huge heart and wants to help everyone the way that he was helped. He'll do anything for the people he cares about, and although he's not particularly vengeful most of the time, he will go to war if you hurt his brother.

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I'm not amazing with gpose, so don't expect any super gorgeous screenshots from me, sorry! I do what I can, but it's just not something I'm skilled at. I've also written a lot for Aedan, but I'm not sure my anxiety will let me post any of it. We'll see. Regardless, if you made it this far, thanks for reading about my silly WoL.

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Makai fist weapons are cool, y'all.

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Febhyurary Day 14: ❤️

Aedan had one glorious day where absolutely nothing was expected of him, and he’d taken advantage of it by napping while Raha read. When he woke from his nap, Raha was still there on the floor next to the bed, reading what appeared to be the same book. Aedan watched him for a while, enjoying the way he’d smile or frown or get that cute furrow in his brow when he was concentrating especially hard on whatever it was he was reading, but that could keep him occupied for only so long.

Spinning around so he could look over Raha’s shoulder, he ran a gentle finger across the back of Raha’s neck, temptingly bared by his braid. When that failed to get a reaction beyond the twitch of an ear, he traced the line he’d just drawn with kisses. Nothing but another ear twitch. Aedan draped his arms around Raha’s shoulders and leaned his cheek against Raha’s. His adorable Miqo’te continued to ignore him, turning the page in his apparently fascinating book. Aedan turned and peppered kisses all over the cheek that he could reach and followed it up with one last kiss to the corner of his mouth. Raha turned another page, but from this close, Aedan could see the flush in his cheeks and the way he was barely suppressing a smile. Ah hah! “Raha, darling, what are you reading?”

Finally letting the smile out, Raha closed the book and (finally!) turned to face Aedan. He said, his voice husky, “I’m afraid I haven’t the faintest idea; someone was distracting me.”

Aedan pretended to look thoughtful. “I wonder who that could have been.”

Raha laughed and kissed him on the nose. “Who, indeed. All done napping?” Aedan nodded, smiling as Raha joined him on the bed, and they spent the rest of their day off enjoying their time together.