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merryfortune · 5 months

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The Shadow of Your Success

Written for the 100ships Challenge

Prompt - #86 Shadow

Title: The Shadow of Your Success

Ship: not applicable | Romin/Ushiro

Fandom: Yu-Gi-Oh! Sevens

Word Count: 1,406

Rating: T

Tags: Fluff, Slight Angst, Slight Hurt/Comfort, Crushes, Minor or Implied Kirishima Roa/Getta Taira

Roa and Romin. Romin and Roa. RoaRomin.

Ugh. It was all about them, them, them!

No mention of either he or Taira. Nope, none, nada. If he was lucky, he and Taira might get called “those two guys” and at least mentioned in the background but more often than not. They got less than half a sentence each, if they were lucky. They were completely in the shadow of Roa and Romin’s success and it annoyed Ushiro to no end.

The band might have been called RoaRomin but Roa and Romin were just the face of it, the beginning of it. The drums and bass guitar were very much not performed by them. The whole band was successful, not just the Kirishima cousin duo. So a little credit where credit was due would be nice.

His brow furrowed deep as he read the newspaper front page to back page again. Just in case he missed something in regard to the RoaRomin article which was splashed all throughout it. From the blockbuster headline with a full colour photo printed on the top to the back page hocking discounted seats in the nosebleeds. It was all about them. Their music, their singing, their lead guitar skills and nothing with regards to either the bassist or the drummer.

Ushiro gripped on even tighter to the newspaper, until it scrunched underneath his fingers going white as he hardly contained his frustration. He read through for all the little details but found nothing useful. Just the statistics of the weather and Roa’s favourite food or holidays on sale for seniors or if Romin had a favourite fast food joint. All stuff either irrelevant to him or something he could get if he asked his fellow bandmates.

Not even lip service to either him or Taira. Ushiro’s mouth quivered. Frustrated or annoyed didn’t begin to describe, truly, just how shafted he felt not just for himself but for Taira, too. But at least he was memorable, all thunder and lightning! Roa’s bestie! He was just…

He was just their friend.

Ushiro huffed.

“Hey, you okay?” Romin asked as he gently placed her hand on Ushiro’s shoulder.

Funnily enough, she startled him.

His eyes went wide and he had a full shiver response, alarming Romin. She retracted her hand and awkwardly stepped back as Ushiro was sent whirling and she could only watch.

Ushiro shuddered as he ripped himself from the pages of the newspaper, all but falling back into the soft middle part of the lounge in the studio where he had been practising… Until vanity had gotten the better of him and he’d seen the newspaper lying about on the provided coffee table.

He looked up at Romin and she seemed genuinely concerned. Once she had calmed down some from seeing Ushiro Omaeno, of all people, get startled from an unexpected shock.

“Oh, uh, Romin, yeah, I’m fine.” Ushiro said and he tried to play it off cool.

He crossed his arms and the newspaper half folded into his armpit because of it. He blew a puff of hair to move his fringe out of most of his face and leaned back only for it to flop back where it started over his forehead, eyes, and nose. Romin watched, unimpressed.

“You’ve been reading these dumb gossip rags again, haven’t you?” Romin accurately deduced.

She snatched the newspaper out from underneath the edge of Ushiro’s bony arm. She glanced through it and saw enough when she saw her cousin’s face on no less than three pages. Romin sighed. She tossed it aside and it messily fluttered back down onto the coffee table from where it had been laid initially by Roa, probably.

“You really shouldn’t pay any mind to these hack journalists, they just want a quick buck and the most eyeballs on their words. They don’t care if it's fair or true, or even accurate.” Romin complained.

“I know, I know, but…” Ushiro conceded and he leaned forward, elbows on his knees as he stared, glumly, at the floor “it's just… it would be nice… if once in a while someone remembered I - or, uh, Taira - existed.”

“We know you exist.” Romin offered with a smile.

She was so bright, Ushiro couldn’t look her in the eye. They were true and blue and kind. She offered her hand and Ushiro made a point of not taking it, he retreated further under his fluffy mop of black-brown hair.

“I’ve been practising the bass for, like, as long as I can remember. I want people to remember that.” Ushiro miserably admitted.

Romin sighed and put her hand on her hip, she jostled her guitar which was strapped to her back in its bag. “You are the best bassist I know.”

“I’m the only bassist you know.” Ushiro said.

“In real life!” Romin clarified, her voice going squeaky as made fists in front of herself. “I know of plenty of bassists and you are my most favourite.”

“Am not.” Ushiro grunted.

“Are to!” Romin argued back. “I’ll prove it!”

She then proceeded to list off all the bassists she knew of and thought were inferior to Ushiro and it was… a surprisingly long list. Filled with grown ups from near and far in the annals of rock music history. Some of them were pretty good, even favourites and idols of Ushiro’s who had inspired him to pick up the bass guitar barely out of toddlerhood.

He couldn’t believe it but Ushiro found himself blushing which meant Romin was satisfied. She had done her job to hype him up again. She sat down next to Ushiro and elbowed him in the side playfully, he squirmed and tried to suppress a giggle.

“Believe me now?” Romin smirked.

“Maybe.” Ushiro lied quite obviously.

“C’mon, you are instrumental to our success, Ushiro, I promise.” Romin said as she readied her own guitar, wordlessly inviting Ushiro into a jam session with her.

Ushiro straightened up his posture. He leaned over and picked his bass off its stand by the lounge. Romin made more room for them both. She began to play a couple chords, some to check tuning and others because she liked how they sounded. Ushiro mimicked and he could feel his head cool as he got into a better frame of mind rhythmically following along until they actually found themselves in the middle of a song. It was second nature to them both to meld into a familiar melody of one of their hit songs.

It was a lot of fun for the two of them to tear up and down those four-chord progression scales.

Ushiro felt his heart begin to race. It was a bit sopping wet and embarrassing, after all how many great bands before them had broken up because of members catching feelings for each other but yes. Ushiro had something of a crush on Romin. Only a small one, though. A really small one which didn’t give him insomnia at all.

Like, sure, he wanted better conditions of fame for not just himself but Taira too but Taira had a leg-up on Ushiro because he came in kind of a pair with Roa. He and Romin didn’t really have that. They weren’t a duo within the quartet. They were just friends. Just bandmates.

But what if?

Ushiro had to be careful not to get too far into his own head as these kinds of mushy thoughts made his palms sweat. He didn’t want to slip from the position he held on the neck of his bass as he played it. He really respected Romin for her talent on the lead guitar. He thought she was cute and ferocious and hard-headed at times and a lot of fun to be around.

Case in point: right now. She was great to play with and did a great job at sticking up for him, too. She looked gorgeous, head-banging in magenta, sweat on her brow, as she practised hard enough to make more than perfect. There were absolutely worse places to be than right beside her, Ushiro thought.

Sure, according to these dumb gossip rags, he - and Taira - didn’t exist. They were completely overshadowed by the other half of the band’s success but Ushiro found himself caring less and less. That newspaper could rot for all he cared because he was Romin’s favourite bass guitarist and the band’s success was built on all four of them.

#writing tag #100ships #yugioh #yugioh sevens #sevens #ushiro omaeno #kirishima romin #ushiro x romin #romin x ushiro #the shadow of your success

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theoreticalconstruct · 2 years

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Opposing (FFVI, Reeve/Barret, SFW)

Title: Opposing Characters: Reeve/Barret, currently one-sided. Fandom: Final Fantasy VII Rating: SFW Summary: Reeve considers Barret. Set shortly after the spy is in place. Word Count: 200 Prompts: @romancingbarret - Opposite Sides 100ships - #04 – Spark

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He believes in what he's doing.

It's easier to see now that he has Cait Sith in place. Reeve can see the spark of conviction in Barret's face. He recognizes it because once upon a time, he might've felt that making the world a better place would justify anything.

If he could get through to him, find some common ground... make him see that it wasn't impossible to change things from within... could they be something other than enemies? It was tempting, the idea that they could work together to change things. To help the people without all of the horrible things that Shinra had done.

No. Reeve shook his head. The images of those reactors were never far from his mind. Barret may have had good intentions, but you couldn't cause an explosion of that size without death and destruction. Maybe his cause was worth fighting for, but civilians? No, Reeve couldn't bring himself to condone it. As angry as he was at what the President and his sycophants had done - to Sector 7, to Midgar in general, to the people who'd trusted him - how could he condone that?

Someday he'd speak his mind about this. Someday. But not yet.

#Final Fantasy VII #RomancingBarretWeek #bareeve #(is that the name? IDK)#Barret x Reeve #Fanfiction #100ships #I'm getting used to this relationship...

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thisbluespirit · 4 months

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Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: No Wind of Blame - Georgette Heyer Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Hugh Dering/Vicky Fanshawe Characters: Hugh Dering, Vicky Fanshawe Additional Tags: Ficlet, Community: 100ships, Community: 100fandoms, Post-Canon, Weddings, Fluff, 1930s, Community: allbingo Summary:

Vicky, of course, has the perfect performance planned for the big day.

#fanfic #ficlet #georgette heyer #detectives #vicky fanshawe #hugh dering #no wind of blame #1930s #100ships #100fandoms #allbingo #flashfic #just my writing randomly for whatever i happen to be consuming right now #anyone out of those i re-read i still like this one the best #esp vicky

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sailing-with-100-ships · 2 months

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There is one week left for the season to start officially. And I am just so damn excited because this is my first season of F1 and I literally cannot wait to witness it all from the very beginning.

I did start seeing F1 from THE Qatar Grand Prix but I just KNOW witnessing the season in its entirety is going to be so different.

I also live in a time zone where races usually happen in the middle of the night. But I did manage to watch every race last season. So that is going to be my goal for this year as well.

And, obviously, I am looking forward to blogging as well. I only starred it with F1 last year and I already have 73 followers. Which is like such a huge deal for me. And all I do is rant about stuff and live blog. Some videos here and there but I mainly just talk (or type). So I am just so thrilled people actually relate to whatever I say.

I know I am ranting but I am just so damn excited! Literally. I cannot stop smiling rn.

Cannot wait for this season to start!! (I certainly will regret it after the first race)

#f1 #100ships rant

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cywscross · 8 months

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remake the universe (remake us)

Fandom: Bleach

Character/Pairing: Aizen Sousuke & Kurosaki Ichigo, Kurosaki Ichigo/Urahara Kisuke, Aizen Sousuke & Kurosaki Ichigo & Urahara Kisuke, Aizen Sousuke & Urahara Kisuke, Kurosaki Ichigo, Urahara Kisuke, Aizen Sousuke, Shihouin Yoruichi

Rating: T

Word Count: 14015

Summary: There are different ways to conquer, different ways to win. Ichigo's greatest victories have always been in people.

Tags: Canon Divergence AU, Quincy War AU, Soul King Ichigo, Time Travel, Codependency, Obsession, Blood and Injury, Unreliable Narrator, Ambiguous/Open Ending

Submitted For: - Whumptember 2023 - Day 1: "Did I do good?" - Mentor whumper | Young hero | Blood loss (@whumptember) - Post-July Break Bingo 2023 - Trying to seduce your archnemesis/rival - 100ships - 06. Lust - Trope Bingo [Round 16] - Sacrifice - Hurt/Comfort Bingo [Round 13] - coughing up blood - Gen Prompt Bingo [Round 19] - Enemies - Bad Things Happen Bingo [Card 2] - Dying in Their Arms (@badthingshappenbingo) - 100prompts - 018. Wishing

#whumptember2023 #whumptember2023 day 1 #badthingshappenbingo #prompt: dying in their arms #cywscross #fanfiction #bleach #uraichi #aiichi #uraichiai #whumptember 2023 #post july break bingo 2023 #100 ships challenge #trope bingo #hurt/comfort bingo #gen prompt bingo #100 prompts challenge

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romancingbarret · 2 months

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Rating: Teen Relationship: Barret/Dyne/Eleanor/Myrna Characters: Barret Wallace, Myrna Wallace, Dyne, Eleanor Additional Tags: Sedoretu, Pre-Canon, Fluff, Baking, polyamships' Polyam Shipping Days, Community: 100ships, Community: 40sedoretu Wordcount: 1,089

Summary: Barret never got to bake them all their wedding cake.

#final fantasy vii #barret x dyne x eleanor x myrna #barret wallace #myrna wallace #dyne #eleanor #fanfiction #theoreticalconstruct #wallwalker #queue #is there a ship name?

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quailfence · 4 months

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Title: Bittersweet Goodbye Length: 100 words Fandom: 逆転裁判 | Gyakuten Saiban | Ace Attorney Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Ayame | Iris/Houzuki Tomoe | Lana Skye Characters: Ayame | Iris (Gyakuten Saiban), Houzuki Tomoe | Lana Skye Additional Tags: Goodbyes, Case 1-5: Rise From The Ashes Spoilers, Case 3-5: Bridge to the Turnabout Spoilers, Bittersweet, Ace Attorney Holiday Rarepair Week 2023, Crying, Kissing, Drabble, Community: 100ships Summary: Lana says goodbye to Iris before she is released

For @aaholidayrare Day 1: Goodbye

Dreamwidth Archive of our Own SquidgeWorld

#ace attorney #aa #aa fanfic #ace attorney fanfiction #ace attorney fic #iris ace attorney #iris fey #iris hawthorne #iris (ace attorney)#lana skye #iris x lana #f x f #femslash #aaholidayrare #my writing #quail original

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5daysofygofemslash · 9 months

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Prompts Explanation, Origins, and Ideas

Need help getting the ball rolling for some inspiration? Or just plain curious as to how I plucked the 2023 prompts out of the ether? Look no further than under the cut!

Warning: long and self-indulgent rambling under the cut. Nothing of too much importance haha

Mod Merry

Beach

This was a prompt from last year which made it to the semi-finals of my selections so I figured it could be used. Thank you to the Anon from last year who suggested it!

Ideas: A day out on the beach and all the fun that comes with it. Or perhaps a merperson romance AU? Do anything ships that remind you of the beach come to mind? Seasideshipping (Aoi/Kiku/Miyu) is an example that comes to mind but there's likely plenty more characters who would be totally interested in hitting the sun and sand.

Snow

Chosen to complement "beach" for those of us who may be in colder weather during the prompt fill period just before posting. So from one extreme to another.

Ideas: For ZeXal enjoyers, this prompt has Kamishiro Rio's name written all over it (and that's intentional lol). Snowbirdshipping, Snowanimalshipping, there's plenty of Rio to go around and other snowy themed girls, too, like Olga from Arc V or Asuka when she was in her Society of Light era. For some scenarios, however, think about snowballs fights or drinking some hot cocoa by the fire. Or maybe some hypothermic whump might be just what the doctor ordered. Or maybe the fairy tale Snow White is ripe for your picking.

Alternatively, if you are looking to superload your event/prompt fills quota, as is allowed with the event rules, snow is an elligible fill for the 100ships challenge (on dreamwidth) if that sounds up your alley.

Sharing a Bed

This is one of the mod's favourite tropes. Its versatile and dependable, a staple of the shipping scene and so it just had to be included.

Ideas: Do you think any of the Academia girls ever shared a bed? Or maybe someone had a nightmare and needs cuddles after. Or maybe the mutual pining is just too intense when there's only one bed left at the hotel. Smutty interpretations welcome as well.

Sharing Food

Contrasting doesn't always have to be stark! I was thinking about what else could be shared aside from personal space and food came to mind almost straight away. Food is a lovely way to show you care.

Ideas: Do you think any of the XYZ decadents had to share food to survive? Or is there a character you just knows bakes the best homemade biscuits/cookies and could use that as a conduit to express a confession of a crush/love?

Routine

Ideas: Tell me about your ship's domesticity. Who struggles to get out of bed first thing in the morning? What do they eat for breakfast? Who reads the newspaper first? Or maybe routine more like a dance routine, a comedy routine, or something else entirely. Like does someone care wayyyyy too much about their hair care routine and gets into early relationship post-honeymoon phase scuffles about it, perhaps?

Unexpected

What happens when there's a sudden change to the dull, rote, and, well, routine? The unexpected of course. This was an obvious contrast in my mind that can hopefully provide some rising tension for your stories.

Ideas: A sudden death in the family. Elopement decided on the outcome of a card game. There are many ways to take the routine and break it (maybe even breaking a leg or two in the process). Did the proposal come as a surprise? Or maybe this could be a good day to break out some really eclectic, never met before, crossover pairings. Show me something very unexpected in character/ship chemistry hahaha

Sparkle & Shine

A prompt leftover from last year was - Glitter - and it made it very close to the final selections but I chose different prompts in lieu so again, it just felt right to at least use it as inspiration. Also because I misremembered the submission as Sparkle before double checking to see it was Glitter. My apologies Anon but you are here in spirit. I personally thought "Sparkle & Shine" rolled off the tongue better than Glitter alone and wanted some multi-word prompts to spice things up as well. And so Sparkle & Shine was ultimately selected.

Ideas: Sparkleshipping(Kisara/Mana)!! The prompt is practically named for them though I felt it was applicable to a few other ships, too. Alternatively, Glittershipping (Anzu/Kisara) given that "Glitter" was the original inspiration for this prompt. Give those girls some love if you are a DM enjoyer especially, I say. Or maybe a magical girl AU? Or maybe you want to delve into some meta behind why Lustershipping was chosen for Masumi/Yuzu. Or talk about the way Character A admires Character B's prowess in everything she does.

Murky & Unclear

Selected to complement Sparkle & Shine. Again, I chose it because I wanted a multi-word prompt to pair with its contrasting Day 4 prompt and

Could be a tricky prompt so good luck to anyone drawn to it but some ideas I had in mind included angsty tragedy fic or witchy AU's.

Before the Beginning

Basically a fancy way of saying "Pre-Canon". Was selected in mind with trying to parallel the original 2022 prompt set's ending prompts without just being a free-for-all free day in name.

Ideas: Are you absolutely convinced that even though these two female characters who have never met are exes with a viscious past? Yeah, me too. My personal ones are Ema/Queen, Asuka/Grace, Asuka/Gloria, and Himika/Yoko but maybe you have an entirely different relationship derailment in mind. Or maybe you want to explore how two girls who are friends in canon met and became friends (with a little inkling that maybe this friendship could become romance tinged with enough time)

After the End

And what pairs best with pre-canon? Why Post-Canon of course!

Ideas: Are there any loose ends that bother you? Here could be the perfect time and place to tie them up. Do you think the Bracelet Girls ever split from Yuzu again? What about Aqua returning to Aoi and/or Miyu? Or maybe you just think Characters A and B ride off into the sunset and get married ten or twenty or however many years down the line after the final credits rolled.

#mod #mod stuff

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ao3feed-hualian · 2 years

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Greatest Treasure

by Zdenka

After emerging from Mount Tonglu, Hua Cheng retrieves his ashes--and something else very important. (100ships prompt 051: coral)

Words: 935, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Series: Part 5 of 100 Ships

Fandoms: 天官赐福 - 墨香铜臭 | Tiān Guān Cì Fú - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: M/M

Characters: Huā Chéng (Tiān Guān Cì Fú)

Relationships: Huā Chéng/Xiè Lián (Tiān Guān Cì Fú)

source https://archiveofourown.org/works/39374874

#IFTTT #ao3 feed #fanfic #hualian #tgcf #tian guan ci fu #xie lian #hua cheng

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polyamships · 6 months

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Title: The Wedding Cake That Never Was Content Type: Fanfiction Creator: Wallwalker | wallwalker Prompts: Vanilla (100ships), Wedding (40sedoretu), Chemistry (Polyam Shipping Day) Fandom: Final Fantasy VII Characters/Relationship: Barret/Dyne/Eleanor/Myrna (Sedoretu) Rating: Teen Length or Size: 1069 words. Content notes: No warnings. Creator notes: Barret and Eleanor are one moiety ("flood") and Dyne and Myrna are the other ("ebb.") I went with tides in the Lifestream for the moiety rules, and if I write anything else with this sort of relationship in this fandom I'll likely do the same. (Posted here for now, I'll probably crosspost later and add links.) Summary: Out of the four of them, only one of them was any good at baking.

#sedoretu: morning barret wallace and eleanor #sedoretu: evening dyne and myrna wallace #ot4: barret wallace x dyne x eleanor x myrna wallace #fandom: final fantasy vii #sedoretu #fanwork: fanfic #prompt: chemistry #PolyamShippingDay #sedoretu: final fantasy vii

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my-meadowlark · 9 months

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🟣 Fandoms: BBC Vigil, Glee, Game of Thrones, Harry Potter, MCU, Star Wars, Supergirl

🟣 Ships: Silvacre, Faberry, Daenerys/Ygritte, Fleurmione, Herasoka, Narlily, Blackhill, Supercorp

🟣 Ongoing Prompt Tables/Bingo Cards (Requests/Prompts/Ideas always welcome): 100ships, Taylor Swift Bingo, Zeros

BBC Vigil

🟣 Out Loud [T] [1,442 words] - Amy Silva/Kirsten Longacre

AO3

🟣 The Reason [G] [725 words] - Amy Silva/Kirsten Longacre

AO3 | Tumblr

Glee

🟣 Proverbs 4:23 [T] [5,877 words] - Quinn Fabray/Rachel Berry (one-sided)

AO3 | Tumblr

Game of Thrones

🟣 A Woman, Not A Queen [E] [3,997 words] - Daenerys Targaryen/Ygritte

AO3 | Tumblr

Harry Potter

🟣 A Sickle for Your Thoughts [G] [371 words] - Fleur Delacour/Hermione Granger

AO3 | Tumblr

🟣 Have You Heard? [M] [6,744 words] - Fleur Delacour/Hermione Granger

AO3 | Tumblr

🟣 Not What It Looks Like [T] [400 words] - Lily Evans/Narcissa Black

AO3 | Tumblr

🟣 Qui ne risque rien n’a rien [T] [800 words] - Fleur Delacour/Hermione Granger

AO3 | Tumblr

🟣 Ten Points From Slytherin [T] [200 words] - Lily Evans/Narcissa Black

AO3

MCU

🟣 It Starts With A Drink [E] [6,631 words] - Maria Hill/Natasha Romanoff

AO3 | Tumblr

Star Wars

🟣 Negative Space [T] [2,749 words] - Ahsoka Tano/Hera Syndulla

AO3 | Tumblr

Supergirl

🟣 I'm Still Here [T] [12,970 words] - Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor

AO3 | Tumblr

🟣 It's Nice To Have A Friend [E] [10,082 words] - Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor

AO3 | Tumblr

🟣 Monster Mash [E] [3,134 words] - Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor

AO3 | Tumblr

#my fic #fic masterlist

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merryfortune · 6 days

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Every Rose Has Its Thorns

Written for the 100ships Challenge on Dreamwidth

Prompt :#59 Rose

Title: Every Rose Has Its Thorns

Ship: Dorothea/Manuela

Fandom: Fire Emblem Three Houses

Word Count: 3,690

Rating: T

Tags: Student/Teacher Relationship, Age Difference, Crushes, Unrequited Pining, Kissing, Academy Phase, Crimson Flowers

The assignment was deceptively simple, Dorothea realised now in horror.

Professor Byleth had assigned the class a task to teach them magic - and to teach them to appreciate how beautiful and complex magic was at all. How enchantment worked and how with just a flick of a wrist, they controlled the elements. Of which, when it came to magic, regardless of it it followed the convention of Reason or Faith, there were obvious elemental types belonging to either category. Those elements being ice, light, dark, wind, fire, and thunder.

However, there was also the oft ignored type of anima.

Anima was just there, or so Professor Byleth described. Anima was the rhythm of the natural world like the seasons, or the beauty of the moon and the sound of waterfalls. Anima was the name given to the little gifts from the Goddess, or so the religious amongst them would say but since Professor Byleth was very much, not that led to the assignment.

Professor Byleth asked the class if they could tap into the mundane anima that they saw within the world and create a new spell from it.

The spell didn’t have to be something like Meteor, Professor Byleth said and so gave the example of simply learning how to enchant a teacup so its contents would never grow lukewarm. Discussion throughout the classroom also yielded some ideas in vein of what Professor Byleth was trying to convey.

Lindhardt came up with an idea of a pillow which was always cold. Ferdinand wondered if it were possible to lead a horse to water using this form magic. And Bernie wondered if she could use it to make a form of invisible ink. Professor Byleth applauded all their creativity and said that the homework would no doubt be a delight to mark at the end of the month.

With all that as inspiration, Dorothea came up with her own idea: she would create a spell which would manipulate when roses bloomed. Seemed easy enough.

(Wrong)

She felt drawn to the idea of utilising anima magic and since she was never too far from the rose gardens, of course the fancy tickled. So tada. With a little bit of elbow grease and borrowing some recommendations from the bookworms in the other classes - namely Lysithea and Annette - Dorothea was well on her way to crafting her spell.

It took her three weeks of research but she did it.

She dubbed the resulting spell “Virgo” and upon testing it, it worked.

In the privacy of her room in the dormitories, Dorothea had her set-up ready. She had a vase slender enough to fit only one rose and Dorothea had selected the most premature rose she could find from amongst the bushes. A rosebud days old and shy, the colouration of the petals was a scant peach. Dorothea was certain that with her spell, this rose would bloom and darken in colour.

Only one way to find out.

With the assignment due next week, Dorothea was nervous. She really didn’t have the time to scrap this project and start over if it was a failure. She sat in her seat, straight-backed and exhaled nervously. She concentrated on the rose then spoke.

“Virgo.”

The name of the spell tingled on her lips as excitement followed the sensation. She watched, eyes widening in gleeful disbelief, was the rose began to mature and bloom. The colour deepened to a warm pink as the rosebud opened, flowering, as Dorothea’s heart raced.

She squealed, lost in her success.

Dorothea plucked the rose from the vase and held it close to her breast. She inhaled its divine scent and savoured the softness of its petals as she nuzzled against it. Anyone would be fortunate to receive it as a gift, a perfect specimen of its species, and anyone would be fortunate to receive it as a gift from Dorothea.

Though she had no illusions of getting lost in the fleeting reverie.

Her crush was ill-advised though it would be a dream, nonetheless, to gift that person with roses. The Goddess knows she deserved them and every accolade. In her youth, she was showered with roses in endless flurries at the end of her awe-inducing shows. She would have received plenty of bouquets in her time and so, another rose from an adoring fan would not be special - even if that fan was Dorothea.

Her feelings would always be cut short and dismissed, Dorothea was well aware.

Yes, that person Dorothea was thinking of as she held this rose was none other than Manuela Casagranda.

Dorothea sighed dreamily as she indulged this peculiar and romantic reverie. One in which she was the heroine and Manuela was her love interest, how she had admired her from afar and did her best to blossom into a young woman befitting the diva’s legacy. She was the next generation but she did not believe that the emblem of the near past, of fame and glory turned dulled, could slip through her fingers so quickly.

To her, Manuela was very much still in her prime and if only Dorothea could convince her of her worth and beauty that she had at present, not just her glorious and illustrious past.

Perhaps a rose would suffice. More likely than not, it would not.

Dorothea opened her eyes and she inhaled that lovely smell of a fully bloomed rose. Her skin prickled as she had more than just a heart palpitation of the sensations of her crush. She, akin to the rose she was holding, became adorned with thorns.

Small, tiny thorns, over and up and around her slender arms.

Dorothea squeaked in horror as she felt it, how they rose from her skin not that differently to hair. She dropped the rose in her fright as she tried to fathom how such a thing could occur, the green-black, hooked pricks of what were undeniably thorns.

Her eyes went wide and her heart raced. Dorothea tried to pluck them off herself but they were too sharp. A pearl of blood welled up, round and shiny, on her pointer finger and her heart stopped. That was more than enough to send her into a fit over this.

Having just pricked from merely attempting a removal of these vile thorns from off her flesh, Dorothea desperately looked around, the rose on the cobblestone pavers of her floor utterly forgotten. Even trampled as she tried to find gloves, tweezers, shears, anything! Surely she had something stashed in her room to help.

A frantic search did, in fact, yield tweezers.

Her fingers went fuzzily numb as she carefully removed the thorns one by one from off her arm. There were dozens of them and she collected them on her table, a bead of sweat on her brow as she prayed to the Goddess that this was one time deal. A self-inflicted curse, a fluke, anything.

She stared at her pile of now removed thorns. The sight of them disgusted her. Thus, she was quick to get rid of them and throw herself at study. There had to be a way to fix this, even so close to her assignment.

She didn’t care what it took. Just long as it got her top marks in her assignment.

There was no turning back to close to the due date, after all.

She became convinced that she hadn’t studied properly. That she had missed something. That the manifestation and enchantment had been off somehow. It was just meant to be a small, simple thing but she became so reviled by it, she had to fix it immediately.

After all, once was an accident and twice was a pattern, isn’t that how it went? Dorothea wasn’t too sure, she wasn’t some scientist like Hanneman or any of the proteges who took after him but she did try again after hitting the books some more. This time, the day before the assignment was due. She tried again and voila.

No thorns.

Just a pretty flower where there had been a bud before.

Crisis averted.

Or so Dorothea thought.

Pre-class nerves had Dorothea jittering. Even though she was no stranger to stage fright, this was something else since she had the mixed results from her experiment in the back of her mind. But she was determined - convinced - the second attempt was the real one, not the first one. Nevertheless, she spoke stiltedly through polite small talk with her fellow students as they waited one by one for Professor Byleth to test them. Solo style, just like they would if they were to take a proficiency test to change classes.

Then Professor Byleth called her name and Dorothea put on her most grandiose smile. She had this. She flicked her hair off her shoulder and forcibly eliminated all nerves from within her.

“Greetings, Professor.”

“Dorothea.” Professor Byleth returned her unusually jovial salutations and then arched an eyebrow. “What are you going to present to me for the assignment?”

“A rose, of course.”

Dorothea winked at Professor Byleth, who rolled their eyes and simply wrote down “rose” since that was all the information Dorothea had given them so far.

“Begin when you like.” Professor Byleth told Dorothea once preparations were complete.

“Thank you, professor.” Dorothea replied and whew.

She felt nervous again. Even though she was satisfied with her practice. It was fine. It was totally and completely fine. She forcibly shut down thoughts that meandered anywhere near the malfunctions of her spell. She was confident nothing would go wrong as she set up her exhibition.

Dorothea glanced around the room. The familiar four walls, the boring study materials, the door ajar. She exhaled with confidence as she placed her rose then stepped back.

She closed her eyes. She visualised the blooming of the red rose, the bud that was swathed tightly in its petals.

“Virgo.” Dorothea said and invoked her homebrewed incantation once more.

For the final time.

Thinking that felt good. It emptied her mind and when she opened, the first thing she saw was…

Manuela.

She looked past where she had set down her rose in a vase to the hallway. She could only see a snippet of it but she would know that dress anywhere and the accompanying sound of high heels.

Virgo. Her spell worked but a little too well. The flower bloomed as it should but her arms became spurred with countless, green thorns. She could feel them grow and prick her skin, it was a nauseating feeling, Dorothea thought as she was subject to these horrors once more.

“Uh, Dorothea…?” Professor Byleth prompted her. “I think it's a good idea if you go see Manuela after class.”

Dorothea stiffened as she looked over her arms in horror. Sure enough, she had sprouted countless thorns up and down her arms. She could heard the other students outside begin to whisper. Her cheeks burn.

“And my grade professor?” Dorothea asked, cuttingly, anything to change the subject.

“Pass. With flying colours, congratulations.” Professor Byleth said. “Now, you are dismissed.”

“Thank you, professor.” Dorothea said and she could not flee the classroom soon enough.

She felt embarrassment burn her up from the inside out. Her arms erupted with more spines the more she rotated the awkward moment in which her spell went awry more and more in her mind. She stomped off, in a hurry, down the halls and let her peers speculate.

She barged into the infirmary with tears in her eyes, “Manuela, I need help.” she announced.

Manuela could have jumped out of her skin but she was quick to act. She was nothing if not professional when she was alert and sober. Even if she hadn’t been expecting a student. It was fortunate that she had been headed back from a stock re-supply at the markets when she had walked past Professor Byleth’s classroom enroute to her infirmary.

“With what- oh.” Manuela’s expression went from one extreme, confusion, to the opposite, of complete benevolence.

She directed Dorothea to a bed and Dorothea accepted. It looked soft and like the perfect place to sulk whilst Manuela got ready to treat her patient. Thorns! How very unusual yet quite fitting for a splendid rose like Dorothea, how very curious.

And just one in quite a lot string of incidents, actually.

Manuela sighed as she fussed around, “I’m not surprised to see you in my infirmary, Dorothea. Seems a lot of the Black Eagles have made it into my midsts as of late. I’ll have to have a word with Professor Byleth about this assignment…”

“Y-Yeah…” Dorothea quietly agreed, chewing on the syllables of her slang.

She felt like a child. A silly, stupid child and she hated it. She tucked her knees under her chin as she sat in the bed, upright in the foetal position, back to the wall. Her arms were taut as she hugged herself, the spines of the thorns on prominent display as her skin prickled around them in embarrassment.

“I’ve seen Caspar, Ferdinand, Linhardt, and even Bernadetta recently.” Manuela nattered. “So, suffice to say, this experiment is a failure.”

She continued to busy herself with choosing ingredients for the salve she wanted to make. Dorothea watched, her cheeks hot. This was not where she wanted to be right now. She’d had her fair share of doctor-patient fantasies involving Manuela and they most certainly did not involve being in actual pain.

“There we go, not long now, I’m almost ready, thank you for your patience, Dorothea.” Manuela said as she began to grind something into a paste using her mortar and pestle.

“No problem.” Dorothea replied through gritted teeth. She winced every time there was a loud sound.

Manuela turned around and tada. She had a freshly made… something. Dorothea couldn’t begin to identify it - eye of newt, perhaps? - but it smelt foul and had to be applied directly to her arms, that much was for sure.

“It’ll only sting a bit.” Manuela lied.

Dorothea hazarded a smile and allowed herself to be painted with the goop. She opened up, sat properly on the bed rather than like a petulant egg then offered her arm up to Manuela. She was at the ready with a brush as she held the mortar in her other hand.

Inside the mortar was the salve. It was somewhere between grey and green in colour with a crunchy look to it. Manuela gave it a final swish with her brush and then applied it to Dorothea. It was cold the way peppermint was cold, with a spicy twinge beneath that frozen snap. It left a burning after-effect in its downward wake as Manuela painted her but Dorothea didn’t complain. She had experienced worse than a little sting.

“You're handling this well.” Manuela observed and she glanced up at Dorothea who bore the stormy pout of an adolescent younger than she was. Manuela sighed. “Which leads me to believe that this is not your first time discovering this side effect of your spell.”

There was a pause before Dorothea finally nodded and admitted, “Yes, this isn’t the first time.”

“I thought so.” Manuela replied, understanding. Her brushwork was immaculate, swooping in and out around the various thorns.

“Plucking them out didn’t work, quite clearly.” Dorothea cursed herself.

“It happens.” Manuela consoled her. “Did you at least get a good grade, was it worth it?”

“I did actually.” Dorothea replied, perking up slightly. Though that only answered half of Manuela’s question.

Manuela hummed thoughtfully and Dorothea let her finish.

She used up all the paste that she had made. She used half of it on Dorothea’s first arm and the other half on the second. Manuela was delicate as she made sure that not an inch of Dorothea’s skin was bare by the end of it. Though the paste did dry in and magically disappear afterwards, taking the thorns with them. The thorns shrivelled up and fell away before disintegrating.

“There we go.” Manuela said at the end of a job well done.

It had even begun to put a smile on Dorothea’s lips again, “Thank you, Manuela.”

“You're welcome.” Manuela replied.

Dorothea flashed a smile and she began to get restless. She had been fondled up and down her arms by Manuela for the past half an hour or so, and she was still feeling overly dramatic over the error of her spell so she was ready to go. She tried to get up but Manuela reached out and stopped her. Gently. So that her fingers slipped over Dorothea’s smooth, dinless arms. Neither hair nor thorn on them, now.

Just the crinkle of the paste.

“Hold it, missy.” Manuela warned her.

“What?” Dorothea asked.

Manuela frowned, “Don’t sass me.” she scolded Dorothea. “My word, something has gotten into you today. I suspect it's more than just your homework.”

“Sorry…” Dorothea mumbled.

“I need to know for future reference, should another student’s spell go awry like this… What was the trigger?” Manuela asked. “I can take a few educated guesses but I would like to confirm my hunch.”

Dorothea felt a flicker of lightning through her: the retribution of the Goddess, she would think. It made her stiffen and her heart stop. And Manuela noticed all of her micro-reactions.

“Well, you know… The usual stressors.” Dorothea replied, inelegantly dancing around the truth but not outright lying.

“Uh-huh…” Manuela chewed on her reply.

“Roses are, of course, quite symbolically loaded.” Dorothea replied.

Manuela’s brown eyes were discerning. Her countenance turned severe. She was always in opposition of Dorothea as a figure of authority and yet, that’s what Dorothea found attractive. Right up until she was reminded that she was just a subject below Manuela, feelings entirely one-sided. Her mouth dried and she absent-mindedly scratched her arms, still feeling where the paste was and where the thorns had once grown.

She could almost feel them grow once more but Manuela’s balm was too good for her. She was cured now.

“It might be that thinking about a certain someone… The ideas get crossed and the spell backfires.” Dorothea explained.

Her voice trailed off and Manuela’s expression softened. She smiled, delighted. Though delighted like only a gossip could be delighted.

“Well?” Manuela asked. “Who’s the lucky guy?” Then she blinked, embarrassed because she had put her foot in her mouth. “Or… girl. I know you are, uh, inclined both ways.”

Dorothea felt her stomach squirm and her palms sweat. This was not how she had imagined this moment going. Sure, it happened in the infirmary sometimes in her daydreams and other times, it did involve plentiful amounts of roses but this reality was far too awkward and flat.

Yet confess was exactly what she did.

“You.” Dorothea murmured.

“Uh… pardon?” Manuela malfunctioned. “Come again?”

“I said. You.” Dorothea kept her voice down but her repetition was louder than a murmur.

Repeating her confession out loud, however, still did not compute with Manuela as Dorothea found herself blushing rose red. Her heart was beating hard and fast, like she had just completed a solo for an audience of a thousand and yet. It was just Manuela who was somewhere between refusing to listen and refusing to believe that it were possible for someone like Dorothea to hold a candle for her.

But it was.

It really was.

Dorothea admired Manuela with all her heart and soul. Her beautiful voice, her quaffed hair, her angular cheekbones, the way she felt like home no matter the scene or stage, whether it was the opera or the academy or the infirmary. She truly meant the world and more to Dorothea. How was she to not fall in love with such a woman, a force of nature if only she could see?

“Please.” Dorothea insisted with eyes which were welling up with tears.

“I know.” Manuela sighed wearily. “I would be lying if I said I hadn’t been there, done that. Pined for someone older than me and trust me, my sweet, it is a path that doesn’t end well for either of them.”

She reached out her hand and caressed Dorothea’s face. She felt sparks in the pads of Manuela’s fingertips. She was so soft and gentle and ultimately, bittersweet. As was the expression which tugged on Manuela’s made-up face. Dorothea remained pleading and petulant, however, resistant to the wisdom that Manuela felt and was trying to bestow upon her as the closest reward she could get for bravely confessing her feelings.

“I’m sorry,” Manuela told her, “I don’t feel the same way but just know, you would be good fortune to anyone to have, rich or poor, old or young, male or female. Please, my dear, keep looking, you will find someone who deserves you.”

Manuela leaned in and pressed a familial kiss onto the middle of Dorothea’s forehead. Through her lips and lipstick, Manuela could feel the throb of Dorothea’s pulse and practically taste all the thoughts running through her head. She held Dorothea’s face steady.

“I understand, Professor.” Dorothea replied brusquely, her heart broken.

“I’m glad,” Manuela whispered as she pulled back, she felt a ribbon of Dorothea’s tears slide down over her hand as she cupped Dorothea’s cheek, “now be good, stay out of mischief, and keep on top of your studies. I don’t want to see any more thorns marring you.”

“Understood.” Dorothea said.

She shifted and squirmed, and Manuela kept her hand in place until Dorothea finally slipped away. The warmth of her was fleeting, turning to cold. Even Dorothea could feel the ice that she was exuding and as she stood up, she rubbed her hands up and down her arms. As though she, too, were cold. Her bare arms felt cakey underneath her palms but it was just the after sensation. The paste that it had absorbed yet smooth as no longer was she prickly with thorns.

“See you later, Dorothea.” Manuela called out to her as she began to leave.

Dorothea turned around, at least briefly, to nod in acknowledgement of Manuela telling her goodbye but that was it. She excused herself wordlessly, feeling like a trampled rose.

#femslash #fire emblem #three houses #dorothea x manuela #doromanuela #manuelathea #idk their ship name #writing tag #100ships challenge #every rose has its thorns #this is very similar to the asu//nodo fic i feel but maybe i'm just jaded w/ my writing

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theoreticalconstruct · 2 years

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(FFXIV) With The End In Sight (WT)

Title: With The End In Sight Fandom: FFXIV Characters: OC (m!Sea Wolf!WoL) x Haurchefant, other Fortemps and Durendaire characters mentioned. Rating: T Notes: Set early in HW. Discussion of past character death. Some flirting but nothing major. Summary: Baroouse has trouble with a particularly gloomy social call and Haurchefant comes to help raise his spirits. Prompts: 100ships - 96, Copper (Table) @wondroustailsofffxiv - Free Space (Card)

Going from the dim light and close warmth of one of the Ishgardian manors to the bright chill of the city was always a shock. Baroouse had thought he'd gotten used to it after staying in the Fortemps Manor for long enough, but the place was bright and cheery compared to the Durendaire home. The light was enough of a relief that he didn't even mind the cold.

He had needed some air. He was sure everyone had noticed he was uncomfortable, but Artoirel had been the one to suggest he step outside for a moment. Count Durendaire had said nothing, just nodded, still brooding over his roasted karakul. The guards had let him out readily enough. A few had even looked apologetic.

Baroouse, having little interest in standing in the cold wind, found a small nook full of bags and crates and stood there, lost in thought. He did not know how to explain his discomfort; he was sincerely not trying to be rude. He usually enjoyed dinners; he could tell people stories and enjoy food he wouldn't normally have the chance to eat. But the food being served by the Count de Durendaire was bland, and the company so dour that he was afraid to even begin to share any of his adventures for fear of offending someone.

It beggared belief, at least to him, who had never understood the drudgery of forced social events. If the man did not want company, why had he invited them to his home? He had said that it was to thank them for their assistance in the Western Highlands, and for his assistance in particular with the rebuilding of the Falcon's Nest - but Baroouse had been very clear that he'd expected no thanks for it. He'd been trying to repay the family that had assisted him in a time of dire need, even in a small way. That he'd been able to assist others had been an additional boon that they'd had no need to repay -

"Ah - so you did not go far after all, my dear friend. Are you all right?"

He turned to see Haurchefant behind him, in tunic and hose, looking at him with concern. Baroouse fought down a sigh; he hadn't intended to worry anyone, but then again, he was glad he was the one who'd come after him, and not one of the others. He liked the rest of House Fortemps well enough - thus far, at least, though he did not know how his coming voyage to the Sea of Clouds might change his perception of the house's youngest - but he did not think he had the energy to talk to a newer acquaintence just then.

In all honesty, the dinner would have been far more enjoyable if only he could have sat close to him. Of the assembled he knew the most of Baroouse's signs; they could have actually had a conversation. Instead he had been placed by Artoirel's side, near the Count de Durendaire himself, and Haurchefant had been sat with his father and their younger brother, too far away to easily sign to him. Artoirel was a decent enough man - he had been the one to suggest that he step outside for the moment, to get some air - but he had known Haurchefant for a long time, and known him very well indeed. It was no surprise that he would favor his company.

And yet, now that they had the opportunity, he found himself in little mood for long conversation. "I'm fine," he signed briefly. "Just need a minute."

Haurchefant nodded. Understanding was clear on his face as he looked around. "I can understand that this place can be gloomy. It is generally so, even in the best of moments."

Baroouse nodded, looking around. Even there he could see images of the Fury's face high above them, some carved from stone and others cast in copper. Was there nowhere in this place that he would not feel *watched?* Back at home had been much the same, tiny statuettes of the Navigator that many of the sailors kept both in their homes and on their ships. It had been easy for him to feel that they were judging him...

Haurchefant gently put one hand on his arm, warm even through his starched tunic. The outfit was brand new; Count Edmont had requested it for him personally, though he could not help but suspect that Haurchefant had provided the measurements.

"You must not take our host's dourness personally, my dear friend," he said softly. "I was never truly... respected by him in my childhood, and even now he cannot help but look down on me, as many trueborns do. But even I remember him being a kinder man before the loss of his eldest son."

Baroouse closed his eyes for a moment. He had met who he had thought was their first-born son only briefly at the dinner; the Count had spoken bitterly of his younger son, who had apparently been too busy with some astrological nonsense to return. No one had mentioned a third son. "I didn't know," he signed back to Haurchefant.

"Aye... they will not speak of him. Twenty years gone and the pain is still too fresh. He blames himself, I am sure, and thus deprives himself of even the simplest pleasures. I cannot imagine..." Haurchefant shook his head. "But I should not speak of it. I know that he only requested that we meet him here because he felt obligated to do so - and I know that you and my brother offered assistance freely, but he is a most traditional sort. Especially now."

Baroouse glanced back again at the holy symbols. It made sense, now - a way to ward off misfortune through shows of piety and self-denial. He frowned, briefly overtaken with guilt. He had judged his behavior harshly -

Haurchefant squeezed his arm gently. "I know that this is a difficult situation," he said more softly, leaning in. He could see a familiar glimmer in his friend's bright blue eyes. "Is there naught I can do to make the rest of this dinner more... bearable?"

The meaning was clear, and Baroouse could not hold back a smile. It was nearly impossible for him to remain in a bad mood when Haurchefant propositioned him so. "Many things," he signed, smiling - he could still feel the eyes of those blasted carvings on him, but somehow they didn't seem to matter, anymore.

"I mean to stay at the manor tonight," he whispered, hands moving away from his arm, down to his waist. "I intend to be very well at your disposal."

At his disposal. He knew exactly what that meant. His heartbeat quickened in his chest, and he was most glad of the long coat he wore. "Let me think for the evening," he signed, the grin still on his face. "There is so much to choose from."

"Aye - but that is an advantage, is it not?" He reached up, ran his thumb up over his lips - even that mere brushing of their skin was electrifying. "Come and let us finish our commitment for the evening, my dear. I am sure that it is more bearable, given something pleasant to look forward to."

He nodded slowly in agreement. If he had any less self-control, he thought, he would have grabbed him and kissed him then and there in the cold, open to the sight of any passer-by. But he had more to look forward to in the evening, and the dinner would surely be far more bearable knowing what was to come.

#Final Fantasy XIV #WondroustailsofffxivWriting #OC: Baroouse Ironeye #Haurchefant Greystone #Fanfic #Roegadyn

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