#houmei things

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King of Pain.🖤

Prince of Jellyfish. 🎐

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FFXIVWrite 2021 - Day 2 - Aberrant

CHARACTER: Houmei

WARNINGS: Garlean nonsense. Like, a lot of it.

Here are all of the internal correspondences between the Manius sisters on the dates you specified. It seems that one of them had the perspicacity to delete every document associated with her prior to the ship’s destruction, and I was unable to recover them. You may have to kick it higher up the chain to see the unavailable letters, I am uncertain if those were deleted before they ever reached their intended recipient by an administrator or if they have been locked for security reasons since then.

I am sorry for your loss, but this is where our association will end. I know you will not heed my advice, but I would recommend you discard this information and simply accept your sisters died serving the Empire. There is much about their projects that are still classified, and frankly, I’d rather not see your family suffer more losses for your poking around. Let them die in your hearts as patriots and leave it there. You have a promising career ahead of you. Use that fire in a productive way.

Best.

---

My dearest sister,

My first day on [REDACTED], working with [REDACTED], whom you may remember from our school days. Funny how we all wound up studying [REDACTED]. I wish we could have been assigned the same section, but naturally, I understand the order of these things. I am grateful our talents both serve the Empire.

It seems I’ll have a few subjects, most ordinary, not too different than your studies. We have an au ra male who was recently separated from his mate due to the usual concerns. I asked what happened to the mate, thinking perhaps she was relocated to your section, and my lead told me she had not proved an asset to the program. Whether that means she was discarded, sent to work or sent to entertain grunts elsewhere, I do not know. I couldn’t help but think you would not have made such a blunder - my lead looked at me with such disdain, like I was a stupid child for asking.

I asked how old the subject was, as the notes only said 25 - 40, and my coworker said I should check the insides of his horn for rings. Ha ha. That same coworker made some rather ribald remarks about the au ra’s physique and the dimorphism between their males and females. You weren’t kidding when you said that these scientists were socially awkward at best. I really admire their talent and their contributions, however. I am grateful for the opportunity to work with them, and play my part.

It is my sincere hope I won’t keep shoving my foot in my mouth. How are things on your end of the ship?

---

My dearest sister,

Sorry for the delay in writing. My coworkers told me it would be safe to approach the au ra subject’s tank to feed him, and he bit my finger very badly. He used some sort of Otharian technique to electrify the water and I received a nasty shock and burns. I spent two turns in the med bay. I hope after this, their playful hazing is done. Everyone certainly had their fun.

I am much recovered. But enough about me, are things on your end of the ship?

---

Dear sister,

I am fuming. [REDACTED] was hanging around the tank again, and I am starting to strongly suspect that the rest of the team engages in unsanctioned activities off the clock. When I attempted to ask [REDACTED] about it, he made a joke about how lonely and bored everyone gets.

Disgusting. Doesn’t he understand that we need to carefully control and monitor our subjects? Any additional stress or changes that go unrecorded will botch our research. Unbelievable. This project is far too expensive for this sort of nonsense. [REDACTED] would never stand for it, but I guess we do it differently here. 

Worst of all, the subject spoke to me today. Of course I understood he was technically of our same level of intelligence, but I thought he only spoke Nagxian, or Hingan or Doman - who knows, right? It all sounds the same. In any case, he was pretty lucid and docile today after his temper tantrum last sennight, but then he spoke my name. He said, calmly, “[REDACTED], you know they lied to you about what happened to my companion. And they haven’t told you what happened to the last scientist in your position.”

Eerie. He really did seem so intelligent in that moment. I can see now how our soldiers stray with these folk sometimes. He seemed so gentle, like Skylax back home.

Later, [REDACTED] laughed at me for letting him manipulate me. Of course he can speak our language. That’s part of [REDACTED].

Silly me.

---

Sis--

[REDACTED] broke off the subject’s horns in punishment today. I was disciplined for pointing out that cortisol from the stress will ruin his readings. He’s already such an unusual subject I’ve been struggling to find a baseline reading with how agitated he always is. The thing is, we are seeing manifestations of [REDACTED] but it is unlike any of our previous records. Before the incident, he seemed to have tapped into all of the subjects at once, and was making them wail frightfully. Their eyes were glowing white, and the fluid in their tanks electrified. They are going to move the other subjects to your section, I think, for everyone’s safety. I am worried they will dispose of him rather than handling his unusual manifestations, even if it is the handlers who have produced most of his negative behaviors. There has to be a better way than this. The subject has so much potential.

Long live the Empire.

[CORRESPONDENCE UNAVAILABLE.]

[CORRESPONDENCE UNAVAILABLE.]

[CORRESPONDENCE UNAVAILABLE.]

Sis-

Run the moment you see this. Meet me at the lifeboats. Go.

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ren-roelanberry said: Oh I really want to see that Straight Male RPer glam! bahaha

Hetero!Houmei spends his days in the Quicksand imagining how much he’s going to respect all the ladies he sends “hey” /tells, provided any of them ever reply.

(Enjoy, @renofmanyalts!)

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Look at me now, will I ever learn? I don't know how but I suddenly lose control There's a fire within my soul!

Houmei, T’many ( @tams-catte) and Domo the Namazu had a great time at @uranami-onsen‘s DISCO FEVER! event. A delightful staff and a really fun venue. We loved how colorful it was!

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FFXIVWrite 2020 - Day 22 - Argy-Bargy

POV: Houmei.

Behind the cut: briefly gruesome imagery. MSQ spoilers up to 5.3 ... if you squint.

The noise in your head is -- pastpresentfuture.

By the Divine Right of Kings, You Are A God. The Monarch of the Glass Sea has Declared You So.

(Who sank that Garlean ship?)

Glowing White Beams From The Sea

a sphere somewhere is screaming

“Can you hear me, sir? Can you hear me? Sir!”

(”Please don't ask me that. Please don't make this more difficult than it already is.”)

Waves. Over your head. Waves.

(The glass is cracking.)

hear.feel.think.

(yearn?)

Glowing White Beams From The Sky

“There's a way we do things here, you know. There's a proper way.” “Hey sailor. Hey. Sailor. Hey.”

(A hand on your chin yanking you upward.)

“Gil talks and ‘bo shite walks.” Dirt and sand and dirt and sand.

Slow. Slow. FAST. Present. Present. PAST.

“What is your name? Do you know your name? Do you know where you came from? Do you want to go home?” “Can you hear me? Blink yes for yes and no for no.” your tongue is stuck to the roof of your mouth

(soft crying of a child in the middle of the night. they want to put her in a machine. this is for love. this is for love. this is for--)

The only comfort to take is that you won't live long enough to ask for forgiveness--

(There is a certain quality to this Light)

a cloud of green poison but she's also a woman, her mouth open wide

someone needs to ask where they keep our children we find bodies but not all of the children

A necklace of ears. Garleans peeled off your scales.

A pit full of spikes. Accidental viper bites. Suck, suck, spit. We found his body this morning. Just his body. Not his head. Say something. Don’t freeze in place. Say something. Look at me. I know it should've been me, I know it should've been, I know I know I know I know it should have been -- PLEASE -- (suck, suck, spit.) in the moonlight with your sword please don't go don't leave me please

a great metal flower rising up behind the mountains

Actually, it was a lot of fun until the tank flipped over! Ha. Ha. Ha.

tell the women not to take jobs with them, no matter how much they offer. warn them (A hand on your chin yanking you upward. “Curious, your tongue is blue.”)

someone poured a pitcher of water in the desert

Usually, The Empress is Loud And You Appreciate It But Sometimes When It Is Too Loud She Smiles And Silently Takes Your Hand.

he is calling your name, the warrior of light. he is calling you. he is calling. he is--

She holds you. It's alright. She holds you.

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FFXIVWrite 2020 - Day 2 - Sway

Perspective: Houmei (before he took that name).

In the days that came, he grew used to the creaking of the boat, the shouts and laughter of the crew, the sway of the boat of the waves and the flutter of the sails.

He remembered growing up in boats. He remembered it better than most things. A little fleet of skiffs traveling between each coastal town, heavy with fish, adorned with lacy nets. In many ways, he was more used to the sway of the ocean than he was the steadiness of land. He remembered, like a song stuck in his head or a sound from a distant room.

He fell asleep out on the deck more than once, lulled by that movement. The ship's medic searched him out in a panic, worried he'd thrown himself overboard.

"I'd only be going home if I did," he told the medic. In retrospect, that was probably not the best way to reply.

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Day 11 - Ultracrepidarian

POV: Houmei

Behind the cut: One mild reference to canon-typical Garlean violence.

The sailors who fished Houmei out of the sea were surprisingly kind, they gave him some gil to get to Eorzea with, and a little more to stay over in Kugane until he found a boat going that way. They'd asked him again and again if he'd rather set out to Doma or Nagxia, or if he'd take his chances in the Ruby Sea, but he wanted as far away from the war as possible. Trade had opened up with Eorzea not long ago. It was an ideal time to go.

Until then, however: he didn't like the way the lady at the Inn looked at him. He saw a Garlean soldier in the lobby. He decided to take his chances elsewhere. But, he sound out, the Sekiseigumi were quite keen on keeping the streets "clean," which meant no sleeping under bridges or resting too long on benches. The tea shop people didn't mind, but if they noticed him hanging around there too long, some samurai would come tell him to move along. Kugane is better with trash off the streets, they'd keep saying.

After a sennight or two of this, Houmei was looking rough: tired. He'd spend nights in the Red Light district to have a place to sleep, not that the company was that bad. He tried to be careful with the money, never touching the purse that had his passage to Eorzea. Lately he was choosing the courtesands over food, and it was starting to show.

He met Domo in the marketplace.

"Translator, fluid in Eorzean, Doman, Hingan, and Nagxian dialects! Will discuss discounted rates in exchange for travel! I have twelve letters of recommendation, yes yes!"

Houmei stopped and crouched. "...Are the letters in different languages?"

The Namazu paused his hopping dance, snapping his fans shut. "They are! For I worked for several merchants as a translator, yes, yes!"

"If someone needs a translator, will they even be able to read your letters?"

"They will see how nicely written and professional they are! Why, the one in Eorzean even has a fancy Ishgardian stamp of approval!"

"Fair enough." Houmei reached out and patted the Namazu. The Namazu's eyes bugged out a bit in annoyance.

"How dare you presume to pat me on the head?! Are you my father? My grandfather? The Big One?! Do not! Pat me!"

"Oh," Houmei said, "I'm sorry. I don't really know how things work. I lost my memory, you see." Sort of a lie. Houmei knew how a lot of things worked. He knew about Namazu, and about the Bakufu, and about courtesans, and finding unusual places to sleep. He knew about money, ships, and catching fish. He knew about the war. He knew he saw his brother and father get shot in the head. He didn't always know why he knew things. He didn't always know what he knew. "They found me in the ocean malms away from a huge Garlean vessel that sunk. I don't know. I'm sailing out to Limsy Lominsy tomorrow."

"I heard some sailors speaking of you! No one knew how the boat sunk. You know... I've heard rumors of a village in the Glass Sea that's missing its prince because the Garleans took him! One of those deep sea villages! Why, if you were a prince, that would explain your presumption!"

Houmei rubbed the broken end of his horn with his thumb. It was true, he didn't know where he came from. He didn't even really know his name. The name Houmei was the only writing left on a scroll he escaped with. He didn't even know if it was his.

"Could be you, don't you think?"

"I'm not going back to the sea," Houmei said, "I'm not staying in the East. I want away from this bloody war."

"Well, it's proper for princes to have diplomatic missions! And you know what the best thing about being royalty is?"

"...Princesses? Stable boys? Feasts?"

"FREE STUFF!"

Houmei's stomach growled loudly.

"What a discovery!" Domo crowed. "To think, I've run across a prince in a marketplace! Why, someone as important as you is going to need a guide, yes, yes!"

Houmei stared at the Namazu. Did he have mud in his ears? More importantly, did Namazu have ears?

"I don't have much money," Houmei warned.

"I'd gladly do a favor for a missing prince! Why, every prince in a story has a loyal companion!"

"They do?"

"Yes, yes!"

"Well, I suppose I could be a prince for all I know. If you really want to join me in Eorzea."

"I do! Domo von Domoson, at your service!"

Houmei stared at him.

"Too much?" Domo looked a bit crestfallen. "I wanted an Eorzean-sounding name."

"I think we'll be more convincing if we lean into being Eastern," Houmei said.

"You're the expert, yes, yes!"

"I am?"

"Yes, yes!"

Houmei shrugged. "Do you... have any money? I'm sort of starving."

"I have a little! The last of my savings from when I left home. Come, let us get some rice balls and discuss our new arrangement, and celebrate over a cup of tea!" Domo offered Houmei a flipper so they wouldn't lose each other in the crowd. Confused, Houmei took it.

"I thought you said you worked as a translator."

"Unpaid internships, all of them!"

"...Why would you agree to do work that you didn't get paid for? That doesn't sound like the Namazu way."

"I am an unusual Namazu, yes, yes!"

"I see."

"While we're talking about unusual, I don't think you should say 'for all I know,' about anything. If you don't know whether or not it's the truth, it's basically the truth, yes yes!"

"I see..."

"So what do you say if I introduce you as Prince Houmei of the Glass Sea?"

"...Yup, that's me?"

"You don't say anything! Especially not with that Ordinary people shouldn't dare talk to you! Everyone must be properly introduced. We'll start at the tea shop. I'll order you tea, and you wait there, looking regal. I'm so happy to have found you, Prince Houmei! We're going to make waves in Eorzea, yes, yes!"

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FFXIVWrite Day 18 - Panglossian

POV: Houmei.

Sunset was when they licked their wounds, pressed against the white stone of Limsa's buildings to try and salvage some warmth. Today was another failure, and this one resulted in injuries. The qiqirn on the coast of La Nosca were surprisingly territorial. Shocked by the pelt of their stones and little daggers, Houmei and Domo quit the field and abandoned their plan to gather seaweed.

Houmei rubbed his arm where a bruise was forming. In the back of his mind, he could think of several ways to dispose of the qiqirn. They were small, he was fast. But -- there was a wrongness of that, to barge into someone's home and kill for a little bit of seaweed. Besides, where he might hold within him the memory of a fighter, Domo was a Namazu. His battlefield was bargaining at the marketplace. He'd picked up his friend and ran.

Mulling over the day's regrets in the evenlight, the growl of their stomachs was harder to miss.

"We can try fishing next," Houmei says, "I hear if you join the guild they'll give us proper clothes and a rod."

"What if they put me in one of the tanks? I've seen how they treat beastmen here!" Domo snuffled and twitched and Houmei patted him on the head. He had come to observe that Domo grew quite nervous at the idea of being caught and fried, though Houmei did not know where the fears of such a threat truly came from. Perhaps someone on the boat to Limsa had made threats out of horn-shot. Houmei's horns had never truly recovered after he was found. He often missed things that weren't directed at him.

"I wouldn't let them."

"Fishing is beneath you, my prince!"

"Is it?" (He remembered he was always quite proud of his fishing skills.) "I don't think anything can really be beneath someone who's starving."

"It is! You should be doing something more dignified! In fact, as noble as our goal was to bring Eastern food to these folk, I think we failed because we chose something unbefitting of you!"

Houmei rubbed absently at his jagged, broke horn. "I see. Then what do you propose."

"Hmmmmm!" Domo gave a thoughtful wiggle. "I think that we'll have more success in Ul'dah!" He pronounced. "They're used to refugees there, and we won't stick out as much there. Besides... we came here to see Eorzea! We shouldn't just stay in one place!"

"True. But what will we do for gil once we get out there?"

"I'm sure there'll be work to be done! Something noble and befitting! As a prince, your luck is sure to turn around soon!"

"Is that how being a prince works?"

"Absolutely! I believe it, your majesty! I can feel it in my fins! Our luck is about to turn, yes, yes!" Domo whipped out his fans, dancing back and forth. "Good luck is on its way! Good luck is on its way!"

Houmei laughed, and joined in the chant, clapping in time. "Good luck is on its way! Good luck is on its way!"