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thedragontamerying · 6 years

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Stand By Me

Long time no see! I’m sorry that I’ve been quiet for a couple of months, life has been really busy and just overall choatic for me. I’ve been trying to send stuff to a school I’m transferring to; I’ve been working frantically on art show works; we had to put one of our dogs down (RIP my big Beauty girl ;-;) and just recently an extended family member has been in the hospital. So yeah, I’ve been busy. But I have been working on writing on the periodic free time I’ve had and I’m ready to start posting again. So thank you for being patient and I hope you enjoy the newest chapters!

EDIT: I forgot to mention that Gallina in this chapter is @seal-pai‘s FFXV OC that I decided to add bc I love her and I do what I want. So if you’re interested in Gallina, go to seal-pai!

Tagging @insomniasix @theyearofdiamonddogs @zoeyredbird1 @seal-pai @ffxv-ocs-unite

Ch 1 <<< Ch 6 : Ch 8 | [Masterlist]

Chapter VII: Where the Chocobos Run

It had been a couple of hours since the company had taken to the road again, leaving Cor and Monica to their own back in Leide. Artemisia was concerned about their whereabouts and doings, but Noctis insisted that they shouldn’t worry about them; the two could handle themselves. So to distract herself, she focused on the wonders of the Duscae region. The wind blew through the five’s hair, the atmosphere much more tolerable than before. The scenery that was once filled with desert sand and a scarcity of vegetation was replaced with mixes of green as far as the horizon and trees just as tall. The air no longer threatened to dry one’s skin if they left the top down too long. Instead, it was moist and refreshing thanks to the abundance of water in the region, something that Leide was lacking. Although, the humidity was no doubt going to be the source of many complaints from Noctis and Prompto, worried about their hair getting limp or frizzy. Artemisia couldn’t help the small huff of amusement at the thought.

“Look out world!” Prompto declared loudly from the front, startling Artemisia from her thoughts. “Here we come!”

“We can finally leave this dust bowl behind,” Gladiolus said with breath of relief.

“The lands beyond are vast by comparison to Leide.” Ignis stated, keeping his ever vigilante eyes on the road.

“Bigger’s better!” Prompto claimed with a saccharine tone, “More stuff to see and do.”

“First comes Duscae, a region known for its wetlands.”

“Really? Wetlands?” Noctis raised a brow at Ignis’ comment, failing to see the excitement in mucky water and mushy grass that sinks if you step on it the wrong way.

“Wetlands are really cool, Noct!” Artemisia urged, nudging his arm insistently.

“I think you’re the only person I know who finds grass cool.”

“No really! From an ecological standpoint, they’re really interesting! They’re one of the most biologically diverse biomes in the world, which means that so many different types of organisms can live together --” Gladiolus watched Artemisia go on her enthusiastic lecture, occasionally listening in on what she was saying out of genuine interest, but mostly enjoying Noctis’ bored and desperate look for escape. “-- And they’re so important when it comes to naturally purifying water. But they’re also really sensitive to pollution, which means that scientists can see early effects of pollution by studying how it affects wetlan-- MMPH!”

Gladiolus quieted her by covering Artemisia’s mouth -- and almost her entire face -- with his hand, pulling her into a playful headlock against his chest. “Okay nerd, we get it.” He smirked when she half-heartedly glared up at him, relinquishing his hold on her and letting Artemisia straighten her posture back to normal.

“Besides the ever exciting ecosystems,” Ignis gave a teasing look to Artemisia from the rearview mirror, “There’s also a chocobo forest.”

“Now we’re talking!” Prompto chimed in.

“Further west lies the Cleigne region, where we’ll find the town of Lestallum.”

“Oh, isn’t that where Iris is heading?” Prompto ask, turning in his seat to look at Gladiolus, as did the other two in the back. Ever since Insomnia’s destruction Gladiolus’ worry over his sister had been obvious. The two had always been close, what with Gladiolus practically raising Iris himself due to their father’s work making him absent a lot. During the trip Artemisia had caught him texting who she assumed was Iris, noting that he had been texting more since the news of their home.

Gladiolus glanced down at his phone before looking back at the others, the usual strength in his eyes. “Barring delays, she should have arrived by now.” He sighed, looking off to the horizon, “Maybe even had herself a look at the meteor.”

“The Meteor of the Six?”

“The same,” Ignis answered Noctis, “Its heat is harnessed to power Lestallum.”

“Whoa, that sounds way cool!” Prompto said, his interest piqued.

Noctis nudged Artemisia. “You going to explain how that works?”

“Would you actually be interested in the complexities that go into making a meteor into electrical power for a whole city?”

“Probably not…”

“Then I’m not going to bother.” Artemisia huffed, a stubborn pout on her lips.

Gladiolus chuckled at the two. “I’m actually looking forward to this.”

After a while more on the road, Ignis spotted a gas station and suggested that they refill the tank. “It will be a long drive.” The group pulled into the station, parking the Regalia next to one of the gas tanks. Everyone exited the car and took a moment to stretch their muscles, having been stuck in the small space for a couple of hours. Artemisia offered to fill the tank while Ignis and Gladiolus visit the shop to buy more potions. Prompto insisted on Noctis posing for a photo, stating that their first steps into the unknown should be documented. One photo turned into another which turned into a whole photoshoot, with Prompto wandering around with his camera and snapping anything he could find interesting. Artemisia failed to see the general interest in a photo of her filling the car’s tank, but she wasn’t going to get in the way of an artist and his muse.

Artemisia had just returned the gas pump to its original place -- she didn’t understand why Noctis always has to grunt when he takes care of the gas; the pump wasn’t heavy -- when a ringtone from Noctis’ phone went off. “Who could this be?” Noctis answered the phone right as Gladiolus and Ignis returned. “Hello?” Gladiolus gave a slight jerk to his head towards Noctis while giving Artemisia questioning eyes. Artemisia could only shrug unknowingly. “Iris?”

That caught Gladiolus’ attention. Him and the rest waited patiently as Noctis continued his conversation. He soon ended the call with a quick “Will do.”

“Was that Iris?” Gladiolus asked, stepping closer to his friend. Gladiolus sighed once Noctis nodded, before crossing his arms and giving a small huff. “Can’t even call her own brother…”

“In all fairness,” Ignis interjected, “Yours wasn’t in the obituary broadcasted all over Lucis.”

“What about me?” Prompto questioned hopefully, “She say anything about me?

“Guys,” Artemisia laughed, “Don’t worry, you’re all beautiful. Now why don’t we get a move on so we can meet up with her.”

Gladiolus was quick to agree, packing away their purchases in the trunk so that they could get on the road again. Noctis was about to go take his usual seat when Prompto grabbed his shoulder and turned him around. “See that sign?” Prompto pointed out further down the road at a giant billboard. The board had a large yellow bird on it and read Wiz Chocobo Post. “Chocobos! Chocobos!” He chanted excitedly, his voice dripping with utter joy. The enthusiasm was contagious as Noctis’ eyes were filled with the same interest as his friend’s.

“Hey, no time for that,” Gladiolus quickly shot back, shutting the trunk with a satisfying thud. “We need to get to Lestallum.”

“It’s still ages away. C’mon, just a quick visit?” Prompto pleaded. He looked over at Artemisia with a quick turn of his head before dragging her to his side, making Artemisia blink in confusion. “Back me up, Artemis! One chocobo lover to another.”

“Uh…” Artemisia interrupted, “Actually, I’ve never seen a chocobo.”

Prompto gasped, dramatically grasping his shirt over his heart as though he had been shot. “What?!”

“Okay, even I’m surprised by that.” Gladiolus added.

“Well w-we have to go now!” Prompto insisted with urgency. “We can’t let her be deprived of the joys of chocobos! Twenty-one years of life and none of it spent with chocobos is a crime! C’mon Noct!”

Noctis shrugged, “He’s got a point.”

“Whoo hoo! Chocobos here we come!”

Artemisia glanced over at Gladiolus, seeing the concern for his sister still present in his eyes despite how he was trying to cover it up. He seemed willing to make the stop at the chocobo ranch, but he obviously wanted to get to Lestallum as fast as possible. “Let’s make it a quick trip at least, guys. We really should get to Lestallum soon,” she insisted.

“Deal! Now c’mon, let’s go!”

With Prompto ushering everyone back to the car, the group was on the road again. They followed the directions provided by the multiple signs along the road, arrows indicating what turns to take. The entire way Prompto was going every mile to display his excitement to see the giant, friendly birds. He had turned on a very hokey pokey song on the radio that was about the creatures with him humming along to it with lyrics like ‘I want to ride my chocobo all day’. It was after the others had asked him to stop his singing that Prompto turned to look at Artemisia in the back seat. “I can’t believe that you don’t know what chocobos are. I would have thought you would have been all over them.”

Artemisia pouted. “I know what chocobos are, I just haven’t gotten the chance to see one in person.” Her busy schedule didn’t leave much room for miscellaneous adventures or outings unless it was either with Ismene or Noctis. Those outings were also a rarity considering that Ismene focused more with academic studies and Noctis always had Gladiolus or Ignis with him as his entourage.

“Well that’s all about to change.” Prompto pointed at another sign, this one including the word Entrance on it. “Here we are!”

Driving off of the main road and down a dirt path, the group came upon the ranch. It was a quant little abode, with a small windmill and tiny picket fence nearby at the front -- most likely where the chicks would go. Behind that was the business building, where a small shop was placed for chocobo lovers to buy antiques, or feed for their feathery friends. In front of that were some umbrella tables for customers to enjoy a meal while watching the animals. To the left were some storage buildings where the birds’ food and water was most likely being held, and to the right were some posts where the birds would be tied to interact with any visitors. The only thing that was missing from this chocobo ranch were the actual chocobos. There was no hide nor feather of the creatures; it’s hardly possible for them to be hiding, the birds were larger than most people.

“Odd…” Ignis mumbled.

“Do you think that they’re closed?” Artemisia asked.

“No way, chocobo ranches don’t close.” Prompto confidently answered. “Maybe they’re just giving them a break from the crowd. It’s hard being a celebrity, y’know.” Prompto joked, gesturing for the others to follow him. “C’mon, let’s go get us some chocobos.” The group followed him to this older man who was working around the meal tables. “ ‘Scuse me,” the man turned around after hearing Prompto’s voice, a name badge on his outfit reading Rancher Wiz. “We’d like to ride the chocobos.”

“The chocobos, huh?” Wiz sighed, a disappointed frown on his face. “I hate to break this to y’all but we can’t permit our birds to leave the post, not while Deadeye’s still about.”

“Deadeye?” Artemisia questioned.

Wiz nodded. “He’s an uncommonly ferocious behemoth that’s taken to prowlin’ these parts of late. His scent makes our birds nervous, and to prevent accidents or tragedies, we have no choice but to suspend rentals.”

“Aw man,” Prompto pouted degernatedly. Noctis also looked incredibly disappointed at the situation. Artemisia rubbed Prompto’s shoulder, trying to comfort him. “I’m sorry guys, but we can always come back later. Hopefully the behemoth will move on.” Wiz stared at the group inquizitively, his eyes narrow in thought before it dawned on him. “Hold on now, ain’t you the hunters that’ve been makin’ a mark?”

The five looked at each other confused, unaware of their recent claims to notoriety. “It would seem so…” Ignis answered.

Wiz tore down a flyer from the nearby notice board where bounties for hunts were presented and handed it to Noctis. It had a rough photo of a behemoth on it and a listing of a reward for the creature dubbed Deadeye. “You reckon you could handle the likes of Deadeye?” Noctis showed the others the bounty, “If you could bring the beast down, there’d be a reward in it for ya.” The group was always in need of more money, that’s for sure. “But knowin’ the danger, I wouldn’t blame ya for saying no.”

“What do you guys think?” Noctis asked, though his smile showed that his mind was already set. “We up for it?”

Gladiolus smirked. “Go big or go home, right?”

“Rest assured,” Ignis directed at Wiz, “You nor your birds will have none to fear once we are done.”

Wiz thanked them for their courageous service, giving directions on where the beast was last seen on Artemisia’s map. Once the group felt like they had everything they needed to know, they set out in the dense woods beyond the ranch. They followed the small dirt path through the forest until the path started to disappear as they moved further in. The edge of the trail was overridden by grass and weed due to the lack of explorers that venture out that far. So the group had to rely on any signs of the beast that they could find to direct them.

“Are we sure we’re going the right way?” Prompto asked, no doubt the ominous atmosphere of the forest making him nervous. The trees were so large and close together that it barely allowed any sunlight to shine through the collection of leafs at the top. And with the knowledge of a famously dangerous creature prowling the area, Artemisia couldn’t blame him for feeling intimidated.

Gladiolus, who was at the front of the group, took in the area before confirming “Oh yeah, we’re heading the right direction.” He gestured to large claw marks that were left in the large rock formation to their left. Prompto gulped at the sight.

Suddenly a blood curdling howl echoed through the area, the group flinching at the sound. “The hell?” Gladiolus growled, reframing from summoning his weapon but ready for action if need be. Birds flew above them as the sound of trees breaking and falling to the ground followed the howl. “Something’s amiss.” Ignis said, his guard up as well.

“We’re getting closer. Everyone stick together.” Artemisia instructed, slowly walking ahead as the others followed.

As the group traveled deeper into the forest they found more evidence of the behemoth’s presence. Claw marks and broken trees littered the ground, and growls echoed out as they walked, each one louder than the other. Artemisia decided not to the alert the others to a small pool of dried blood that she saw, not wanting to put them on edge even more; though her heartbeat definitely picked up after the sight. The further they traveled into the forest -- and closer to Deadeye -- the area became encased in fog, making visibility poor.

“So, Artemis,” Prompto walked closer to her, “as our residential beast master,” Artemisia wasn’t sure if she considered herself that, “got any advice for us?”

“Well… from what I understand, behemoths rely heavily on their sight and sense of smell since their hearing is horrible. And if the name implies, the fact that this one has a bad eye is actually a small advantage for us.” Another crash from a falling tree sounded out. “And we’ll definitely hear it coming before it hears us.” Prompto gave a weak smile, not sure if she helped his nerves or not.

“Don’t worry, Artemis isn’t gonna let us get eaten.” Noctis reassured, confidence all over his expression. “She’s got this.”

“Uh… Right.”

What am I suppose to do I can’t stop a claw that weighs over a ton from slicing right through you better hope that you see it first because you can’t outrun that thing oh by the Six that thing could snatch Noct out of the air with its giant teeth without a second thought if he’s not fast enough oh Astrals why did we do this why did we do this

They followed what evidence of the behemoth they could find through the fog, coming upon a small man-made cavern created by a huge, abandoned construction pipe. It was big enough for someone to crawl through, if one was willing to uncomfortably arch their back or scrape their boney knees on a hard surface that will more than likely result in bruising. Not to mention the idea of being trapped in a small space with a ginormous predator on the prowl wasn’t a pleasant one. But there was no way forward that didn’t involve going through the pipe, so it’s a risk they’ll have to take.

“Noct, wait!” Noctis was about to be the first to enter the pipe when another roar from Deadeye rang, this time it was close enough that the growl vibrated through the metal under Noctis’ hand. Gladiolus had stopped the prince in his tracks, holding his arm out in a protective stance to keep Noctis back from the potential danger. He looked into the dark pipe, investigating for any sign of the beast that was nearby. Artemisia poked her head under his arm to look too, only seeing some vegetation that was able to grow inside the pipe despite the small amount of sunlight. She gulped, taking a deep inhale of breath before slowly exhaling and ducking under the taller man’s arm and heading in first. “Hey,” Gladiolus whispered, urging her to come back behind him. Another growl vibrating down the pipe silenced them. Artemisia waited until it was quiet again, making sure the behemoth had moved on before looking back to the others and gesturing for them to follow. “Stay close.”

Gladiolus released a frustrated huff of air before following her, with the others close behind him. They crawled down the tight clearing, turning along with path. The pipe lead out to another small cavern, this one created with sheets of metal acting as a barrier around them. Whatever they were planning on making here that included such an uncomfortable walking space Artemisia had no clue. She was thankful for the bit of cover though, no matter how much it has degraded over time. Artemisia looked back at the others, checking on them when she heard heavy footsteps coming closer. She jumped forward to the other side of a small hole to where secure cover was, giving Gladiolus a signal to stay put.

“Hold up,” Gladiolus instructed. Soon a behemoth stood just inches away from the group, letting out a roar as it sniffed the air. The beast’s right eye had a scar going down its face and its eye was clouded over, no longer useful. “Deadeye,” Gladiolus pointed to his own eye, “The name says it all.”

Deadeye sniffed their direction inquisitively. Artemisia worried that they had been found before the behemoth looked away, grabbing something in its jaws and starting to feast on it. Based off of the sounds of muscle tearing and bones breaking, Artemisia had an idea as to what preoccupied the beast’s focus for now. She let out a shaky sigh, thankful that it wasn’t one of them. She glanced over to check on the gorging animal before waving her hand in a motion to follow her. Gladiolus nodded, giving the others the same instructions.

The group slowly started to crawl passed the giant beast as it ate, being cautious as to not tip off Deadeye to their presence. Artemisia peeked back to double check that it was still distracted before she started to move ahead, another large hole above her as the protective metal sheets were no longer there. As she crawled she noticed the end of tunnel, breathing a quick sigh of relief.

“Artemis!”

Artemisia whipped her head around when she heard the alarm in Noctis’ voice, seeing the large teeth coming down towards her at the last second. Before Deadeye’s jaws could clamp down on her person she was tackled out of the way, soon finding herself face down in the dirt with a large weight on top of her. Her protests were muffled by the soil as she pawed at the hand on top of her head, taking in a deep breath and spitting out grass once she finally was able to lift it off. “Gladi--”

Gladiolus shushed her, caging her under him as he stared ahead. Artemisia held her breath when she noticed how close Deadeye’s blood stained teeth were as it sniffed down into the tunnel. She could smell its putrid breath, a nauseous mix of the creature’s mouth bacteria and the remains of its recent kill. Noctis and the others were on the other side, eyes wide and frozen to their spots. Ignis had his hand over Prompto’s mouth to keep the blonde from screaming.

Deadeye removed its jaws from the hole and roared above it, splats of its saliva hitting the five’s faces as its breath sent their hair back. It inspected the area once more before walking away with a low growl. Artemisia released the air she didn’t know she was holding once the beast was gone, taking deep breaths to calm her rapid heartbeat.

“Thanks for the save.”

“Don’t mention it.”

“...” She squirmed uncomfortably under him. “Could you get off of me now?”

“Oh,” Gladiolus flinched, realizing how awkward her position was before carefully crawling off, “Sorry.”

The group made it to the tunnel’s end, Artemisia peeking outside first to make sure the behemoth wasn’t closeby before exiting. Everyone stretched once out, their limbs sore from being in such a restricting space. Another familiar growl interrupted the small moment of relief, the group being on the defensive once again as they moved on. This area of the forest had even worse fog than before, reducing visibility to only several feet.

“It’s weak on its right,” Gladiolus informed, “No eye, no horn.”

“We’ll stay in range until we can exploit its blind spot.” Ignis instructed as they carefully moved through the mist.

They moved onward, following the sounds of the beast. The group came upon a clearing of the forest that had large boulders laid out around the area; most likely the rocks had come down from the nearby cliff side, or perhaps Deadeye had moved them there itself. Moving closer, they saw a shadow move amongst the rubble, revealing a tail as the shadow moved. “We got the beast in our sights.”

“But no plan of attack,” Ignis added to Gladiolus’ comment, “The behemoth should be heading back to its lair, where we can catch it fully off guard.”

“Yeah,” Noctis grumbled, “As long as we stay on guard ourselves.”

“If we stay to its right and use the rocks and trees for cover, we should be able to follow it unseen.” Artemisia added. Agreeing, Ignis took the front, leading the group through the mist. He carefully navigated the group close behind Deadeye, using the beast’s tail as an indication to the creature’s location. There were a few times that the creature’s tail was almost within reach, close enough for someone to reach out with their hand. One false move, one accidental brush and the beast would know they were there. One eye or not, the five would be easily taken down by the giant in the thick fog.

The group was in the middle of crossing the clearing, hopping behind cover from one large rock to the other when the behemoth stopped in its tracks. Gladiolus and Prompto hurried over to cover with Ignis, but Artemisia froze in the middle of the clearing as the beast sniffed the air. A deep growl vibrated down its throat as it turned to its right, looking with its good eye. Artemisia pushed Noctis back behind the previous boulder, avoiding Deadeye’s view in time. Deadeye approached them, its large head sniffing the clearing where Artemisia stood just a moment ago. Ignis and the others moved to avoid its left eye, but Artemisia and Noctis stood still as it continued to sniff out their scent.

Artemisia held her breath as she guided Noctis to walk backwards with a gentle push of her hand against his chest. They stayed light on their feet as they backed away, trying not to disturb anything that would give them away. The water in the air must of made finding their individual scent difficult to track as the behemoth took its time.

With one more big sniff, Deadeye slowly turning its head towards the two stranded friends.

Except there was no prey.

Noctis, in the nick of time, had pulled Artemisia down with him into a large patch of tall grass. The two laid on their stomachs, completely engulfed by the long whisks of turf.

The behemoth growled, searching for what had caused the faint scent it had caught, baring its teeth before huffing out through its nose. Seeming to have given up on the hunt, the beast turned around and continue onward to its lair. Artemisia and Noctis slowly rose from their hiding spot once the predator left, disappearing into the fog. The two hurried across to join the others.

“Are you alright?” Ignis asked, brushing them both off the best he could.

“Yeah, we’re good…” Noctis shivered.

“J-Just… really cold now.” Artemisia trembled, trying to stop her teeth from chattering. In the heat of the moment the two failed to see the large amount of mud accumulating in the patch of grass they hid in. Now that they were no longer fearing for their lives, they suddenly became very aware of the chilling muck now plastered to their uniforms.

“At least you’re alive.” Prompto tried to brighten their spirits, though there wasn’t much he could do besides possibly hugging them to warm them up. But he’d rather not get any of that on himself.

“Once we get back to the post we’ll see if Wiz would be kind enough to lend us a washing machine.” Ignis said handing the two handkerchiefs to wipe the mud off their faces. “If they have one, that is.”

“Until then you’ll have to warm yourself up with the heat of battle.”

They both whined at Gladiolus.

The two tried to clean themselves off the best they could with what they had before moving on to find Deadeye, baring with the uncomfortable sensation of their slick clothes sticking to their bodies. When they last checked, Deadeye had hopped over a wall of rock formations before disappearing into the mist. The group followed, squeezing through a tight crevice through the rocks. Once through to the other side the five found themselves in an abandoned, decrepit building. The metal foundation bars of the would-be structure were exposed now due to the decaying concrete falling off its support. Even the entryway was nothing more than an outline of where a door would be. From the there, the company hopped down to lower terrain in what looks like a potential future storage room. Now, all that remained was an wide open area where the behemoth -- who had to be close due to the audible hisses -- decided to make his home.

They stepped carefully, investigating the tree line for any movement that indicated their target. As they moved cautiously, the mist had slowly started to dissipate, allowing Artemisia to notice several barrels sprawled around the area. Noctis had accidentally walked next to one and looked it over before flinching back as though the object had burned him. “Heads up,” Noctis announced, pointing to a caution sign on the barrel. “The barrels are flammable.”

“Eyes forward,” Gladiolus said, pointing to the forest in the distance. Trees snapped as a hulking figure moved through the woods, a familiar one eye zoning in on the group of friends. “We got company.”

The behemoth let out a blood curdling roar, baring its teeth as it leaped down to their level and crushed a barrel with its claws. The oil broke free and stained Deadeye’s foot. Noctis motioned for everyone to step back once they summoned their weapons, breaking out a magical flask filled with elemental fire magic. He chucked the flask at Deadeye’s slick foot, the fire igniting the oil on the beast and catching its clawed paw in flames. Deadeye cried out at the pain, stomping its foot against the ground to kill the fire. The weak fire only seemed to have agitated the creature more as it charged at the group with no hesitation.

The team separated, avoiding the lunging beast. Deadeye turned mid landing, causing it to skid until it hit what remained of one of the walls of the would be storage area. Some of the concrete fell on top of the behemoth, aggravating it even more. The bad landing had caused Deadeye to destroy more barrels, spraying more flammable grease on its body and causing the predator to slip before charging again.

Everyone scurried away from the rampaging beast like mice avoiding the prowling feline; ironically fitting. Deadeye ran after the group, changing its focus from person to person depending on who was closest. Noctis warped away from its attack while Prompto fired at it as he ran, frantically calling for help. “Prompto!” Gladiolus signalled his friend, charging his direction with his sword at the ready. Deadeye’s jaws almost caught Prompto before he fell to the ground, skidding under Gladiolus’ sword before he brought it up in a uppercut, slicing the behemoth’s face. Noctis warped on to the back of Deadeye’s neck, stabbing the muscle with his longsword. Deadeye roared and reared back on its hind legs, sending Noctis flying back despite his best attempts to stay on.

“Noct!” Artemisia and Ignis ran to their fallen friend, helping him up. “Are you okay?”

Noctis pushed away Ignis’ worried hands, forcing himself up. “I’m fine… Would have been better if it had gone down with that first barrel.”

“Your idea was in the right direction,” Ignis assured, “Unfortunately, it didn’t have the impact that we were hoping for.”

“We need more firepower if we’re going to take it down.” Artemisia looked over to where Deadeye had originally slipped, oil everywhere and a huge dent in the unfinished wall with small plates of concrete falling off. Ignis followed her line of sight, taking in the setting too before the two nodded to each other. “Noct,” Artemisia put her hand on his shoulder, “We need you and Gladio to keep it busy while we set up.”

“That’s a big order just for the two of us.” Noctis complained. “What are you setting up for?”

“Why for your original plan to flourish, of course.” Ignis explained, “You and Gladio will keep the beast distracted while we collect more barrels. Once we have enough the two of you will corral it to the spot and then--”

“Boom.”

“Precisely.”

Gladiolus summoned his shield, his only barrier against Deadeye’s claws pushing down on him. “Make it quick.” Noctis groaned before warping at the beast again to help his struggling companion. Ignis and Artemisia hurried to collect what they needed, grabbing Prompto to help. They dodged the hulking behemoth as they ran back and forth, carrying the bins over to the targeted area against the wall. Gladiolus and Noctis kept the beast off of their busy friends, baiting it away from the others and trying to survive in the meantime.

“Whoops!” Prompto rolled the last barrel over, accidentally kicking it over and spilling the contents onto the ground.

“Don’t worry, we should be good to go.” Artemisia secured a barrel against the wall, signalling Ignis. Ignis nodded, joining Noctis and Gladiolus with his daggers ready while Artemisia and Prompto secured themselves on higher terrain. “Corral the beast back against the wall. Artemis and Prompto are at the ready.”

Following the Strategist’s orders, the three men gradually forced the beast back towards the targeted area. The pooled oil was making Deadeye’s feet unsteady and the fluid was coating most of the creature’s body due to its thrashful movements as it fought back. Gladiolus forced Deadeye back against the wall with a strong push from his shield, surrounding the beast with the collected barrels. “Now!” Ignis yelled out to their far ranged companions as he, Noctis and Gladiolus hurried away from oil.

Artemisia smashed a fire flask against her crossbow, encasing her arrows in the magic before Prompto and her shot down at the barrels. Two explosions rang out before they caused a chain of explosions from all of the barrels, throwing Deadeye against the wall behind it. Deadeye cried out in pain as its whole body was engulfed in flames, the oil luring the rampant fire like food for a starving animal. Despite Deadeye’s attempts to run away from the fire, the ground was still soaked and in its frenzy Deadeye couldn’t manage to control its legs well enough to escape the burning pain raking up its body. Artemisia couldn’t help the sympathetic grimace, turning her head away from the scene. If her and Prompto could feel the heat from their perch, she could only imagine what agony the poor creature was in.

Soon the oil was all burned away, scorches left on the ground where grass once was. Deadeye, just barely standing, was covered in horrendous burns and embers still lingered on it. Deadeye breathed heavily as it tried to force itself upright but its legs were burned beyond use, having taken the brunt force of the fire. Noctis, Ignis and Gladiolus approached the pained creature, their weapons still on their persons. Deadeye growled at them, defensive in its weakened state.

With what strength the behemoth had left, it let out another mighty roar, trying to intimidate the others away. Rubble from the wall fell on top of its head, with bigger chunks starting to come down on Deadeye’s head. The explosion had created a deep crack in the wall’s concrete and Deadeye’s roar vibrated up the weakened structure. The wall broke apart, all of the concrete falling on Deadeye.

A large dust cloud erupted, hiding Deadeye and stinging everyone else’s eyes as the impact kicked up dirt. Noctis and the other two rubbed their eyes, blinking away the debris. The dust started to clear, revealing what was left from the collapse. A large claw laid motionless under a hill of rubble, all signs of life absent.

“Magnificent,” Ignis sighed, dusting himself off. Artemisia and Prompto joined the others on the ground, the three taking a moment to breathe. “Nicely done you two. We’ve taken down the target without nary a flame on ourselves.”

“I’m honestly surprised that we didn’t,” Gladiolus touched his forehead lightly, “Pretty sure the tips of my eyebrows burned off.”

“Huh, sounds like that would an improvement to me.” Noctis joked, him and Prompto laughing at his little jab at the big man’s equally burly brows. Gladiolus raised one of said brows, staring down at the laughing two. With a flick of the wrist he pushed the prince, causing Noctis to fall again into the wet dirt below him with a splat. Now it was Gladiolus’ turn for a laugh; Prompto quickly redirected his laughter at his bestie. Meanwhile, Ignis and Artemisia looked on like two tired parents with their rowdy kids. Noctis lifted himself up from the muck with a groan, the earlier discomfort from the first layer of mud coming back ten fold. Artemisia felt an empathetic chill go up her arms; the fight hadn’t warmed her up as much as Gladiolus had said it would. If anything the addition of sweat and the diminishing effects of adrenaline made her feel even colder.

Ignis sighed as he helped Noctis off the ground. “Now you’ll really need to bathe.”

We all do…

Noctis tried to wipe off the dirt on him, only spreading it across his face. “Then we should get back now.”

They could all agree to that.

By the time the group made their way back to the chocobo ranch, the sun had made its slow descent down the horizon, coloring the sky in blues and pinks. Hopefully Wiz would still allow them to see the chocobos despite the early evening sun. Artemisia wasn’t sure what time chocobos usually fall asleep but if Prompto didn’t get to pet some chocobos today, the poor boy might cry. He had been singing the earlier chocobo song almost the entire walk back, the excitement in his eyes overflowing.

Wiz noticed the group coming, meeting them by an umbrella table. He looked at them expectantly, waiting to see what news they brought with their arrival. Artemisia reached into her small belt pouch, handing Wiz a small chip of the dead behemoth’s claw. Wiz’s face broke into a giant smile. “Ya guys did it! You took down Deadeye! The area’s safe again an’ we owe it all to you.” He took Noctis’ hand, not minding the dirt and grim on it, and gave it a firm shake. “On behalf of the locals, I give ya my heartfelt thanks.”

“So…” Prompto scooted forward, “About the chocobos…”

Wiz laughed. “Our birds are at your disposal. You can rent them any time you like.”

“Can we ride some now?”

Wiz hummed, looking at the clock on his wrist before tipping his hat. “I reckon there’s enough time before dark for our heroes to get a few laps in. Let me get some out for ya.” He snapped his fingers. “In fact, since y’all risked so much for us, why don’t ya stay the night at the caravan and have some supper with me and the others? My treat.”

The five were quick to accept the offer; who were they to decline free food and a warm place to sleep. “We appreciate your hospitality.” Ignis thanked him. “If we could trouble you with another thing.” He presented Noctis and Artemisia in their dirty state. “Do you have a washer we could borrow?”

Wiz laughed. “Son, we live on a chocobo ranch. ‘F we didn’t have some kind of machine we wouldn’t look much different than the chocobos themselves. I’ll find you two some clothes to borrow while we throw those in for a cleanin’.” He looked at Prompto. “And I’ll see about those chocobos.”

“Alright!” Prompto squealed, practically jumping with joy. Artemisia envied his enthusiasm, the chill from her dirty clothes making her feel lethargic.

“Gallina!” Wiz called out, peeking through a door that led to the chocobo stalls. “We’re gonna need five birds. Do you have any spare clothes, too?” Him and this Gallina continued talking through the door before a loud kweh rang out. Soon a train of squawking and kwehs followed the first. Prompto grabbed Artemisia, forgetting about the crusty mud on her, and pulled her closer to the small pasture for the birds. “Get ready to be amazed, Artemis!”

Quick flashes of yellow ran past Artemisia’s eyes, all squawking and feathers abundant. Five of the giant birds ran together along the fence that caged them in the pasture, flapping their small wings excitedly as though to simulate flying. A few were leaping into the air, almost skipping as they ran. The birds were big enough that they could easily jump over the fence and run off if they wanted to, but they seemed more than happy to stay in their enclosure. “No jumping!” A woman’s voice called out to the birds. “One of you is gonna fall over the fence again and then no one will be happy.”

The woman walked out of the stall into the pasture; she must be the woman that Wiz was talking to. The woman, Gallina, definitely looked like someone who dealt with chocobos. While she was nowhere near Gladiolus’ muscle definition, she had a solid build with strong shoulders and thick limbs that no doubt could handle a thrashing chocobo. She had her giant, wild hair tied back in a ponytail that reached her rear, pieces of hay and various greens sticking out occasionally. And despite her uniform, there were various visible scars on her person, the most obvious and painful looking ones were the many that covered the majority of her face. Artemisia had never thought of chocobos as violent creatures but even the most tamed animals could be dangerous, especially the ones the tower over most people and were equipped with sharp talons.

Gallina walked over to the group, leaning against the fence. “You the group that Wiz said took down Deadeye?” The five nodded. “Well thanks for that. You have no idea how antsy the birds were the entire time that beast was around.” She looked back at the birds, some were still running in circles while a few ruffled their feathers against the grass, causing their feathers to puff up adorably. “All of that,” she pointed at the happy birds, “Is thanks to you guys.” She opened the hatch on the fence, opening the small gate. “So you ready to ride them?”

“Oh yeah we are!”

Ignis held back the excited Noctis by the back of his neck line. “My apologies, but these two need to bathe first.” He gestured to Artemisia as well.

Gallina blinked. “Oh! That’s why Wiz was asking about uniforms.” She started walking back to the stalls. “Give me one minute and I’ll set you up with a clean pair of clothes.” She was gone for a moment before coming back out with two sets of absurdly yellow clothes. “I know they’re not exactly high fashion, but they’re comfy. I can take your other clothes once you two are done showering. In the meantime,” she looked down at Prompto, who was giving her the biggest sad puppy eyes ever, “The rest of you are welcome to the birds.”

Prompto practically ran into the pen, chanting the birds over to get their attention. Gallina laughed at his enthusiasm; he was fitting in with the chocobos nicely.

“Noct, do you need any assistance?”

“With showering?” Noctis scoffed at Ignis. “I’m not a baby. It’s not like I’m gonna drown in there.”

“Stranger deaths have happened.” Ignis muttered before casually following Prompto. “Just be sure to clean thoroughly.”

A tint of embarrassment colored Noctis’ cheeks as he coughed awkwardly. He looked at Artemisia and vomited out a quick “I’m showering first” before dashing to the caravan before Artemisia could even react.

Artemisia sighed, rubbing her hands over her arms in an effort to warm herself. She couldn’t be mad at him for rushing for the shower, he was twice as dirty as she was. Unfortunately that meant she was going to have to wait until he was done. While her small stature was useful for combat, it wasn’t the best at keeping herself warm. No doubt Noctis was going to soak up the caravan’s limited hot water, too. She felt like it was fair enough for her to be peeved about that.

She suddenly felt a warm weight on top of her shoulders. She looked down and saw Gladiolus’ leather Crownsguard jacket draped over her shoulders, the size difference hilariously noticeable. She looked at Gladiolus, who’s decorated torso was now bare for all to see. “Thanks, but won’t you be cold too?”

“Don’t worry about it, I got my shirt in the trunk.” He assured, patting her on the head before walking away to where the Regalia was parked. Artemisia could see the many stares by the various ranch workers directed at him as the man walked past them to the car. He didn’t seem to mind, especially since the flustered stares and embarrassed giggles only boosted his ego more.

“Heh...”

Artemisia looked back at Gallina, who was leaning on the fence and supporting her head with her hand against her cheek. She had a giant grin on her scared face, directing it at the red head before her. Artemisia blinked curiously. “What?”

“Oh nothing, nothing,” Gallina chuckled. “Hey, we have a couple of showers inside if you want to use one of them. Better than standing around cold, right?”

“Yes, thank you!”

Gallina called for another post worker to watch the chocobos with Prompto and Ignis before she led Artemisia inside. They passed by the few other chocobos that remained in their stalls, Gallina petting them on the heads as they continued. “This your first time here?”

“Yeah, first time with chocobos too.” Artemisia admitted.

“Really?” Gallina looked back at Artemisia over her shoulder. “Huh… Well there’s a first for everything.” Gallina grinned at the smaller woman, her lips clipped by the healed scars on her face. “Don’t worry, I know these birds like the back of my hand. I’ll set you up with the perfect one for you.”

“Have you worked here for a long time?”

“Here: No,” Gallina said, holding a door open for Artemisia. “My family owned our own chocobo ranch in Galahd before we had to move to Insomnia.” Artemisia perked up at the name of her home. “Lived there for a while but then… Well, you know, recent events.” Artemisia’s mood dropped and based off of Gallina’s tone she wasn’t the only one who was feeling for their home, even if it was only temporary for one of them. “We moved out here and been working for Wiz since.” She smiled at Artemisia again. “I will say, Insomnia was never really home for me, but it is nice to see that refugees like you guys seem to be doing okay.”

Artemisia felt a different kind of chill go up her spine. “Was it that obvious?”

“Heh, I know those city clothes anywhere. Insomnian clothes stick out like a sore thumb compared to what most people out here wear.”

“Ah…”

As long as she doesn’t know about Noctis being the new king we’re fine. As nice as these people are, the group couldn’t risk Noctis’ security.

Gallina had her hand on a door knob before she looked at Artemisia again, tilting her head curiously. “But I don’t think I’ve seen those type of clothes very much, even in Insomnia. Were you guys Crownsguard or something?”

Crap!

“Oh no, it’s just a fashion statement.” Artemisia lied, keeping her voice even. “Going for that quirky, punk-rock look. The guys are really into that sort of thing and I just do it so that they don’t look too ridiculous, y’know?”

Gallina stared at Artemisia with a raised brow before shrugging and opening the door to a communal bathroom with a couple of stalled showers. “There’s soap and standard hair products in all of the showers and there’s a bench to lay out your clothes on. Once you’re done showering, you can hand me your dirty ones and I’ll throw them in the wash.” Artemisia thanked her and scurried in, eager to wash herself off of all the grime plastered to her.

After a enjoying her shower -- it was nice not having to worry about one of the guys accidentally walking in on her again -- she changed into the spare clothes that Gallina had left for her. While the outfit was a bit much, what with the shirt being brightly yellow and the small chocobo mascot advertising the ranch, it was better than her having to wear what spare clothes she had. Those clothes were beyond appropriate for a ranch setting and would surely be ruined with all the dirt and chocobo feathers. At least this uniform was comfortable, definitely the kind of material working people would prefer.

Leaving the bathroom, Artemisia went back to the pasture and found Gallina over by the fence, watching Prompto and Ignis interact with the birds. The woman greeted Artemisia when she saw her and took her mud covered clothes. “I’ll be right back and then I’ll set you up with your chocobo.”

Artemisia was about to thank her as the other woman walked away when an awkward cough behind her caught her attention. She looked back and had to stop herself from laughing. Noctis stood there, cheeks red, next to Gladiolus in a ridiculous outfit that differed from her own. This one seemed to have been some kind of festival uniform, the words Moogle Chocobo Carnival written on the torso and the back. It had a picture of a chocobo being ridden by some kind of alien, fairy, devil creature, if such a thing existed. She supposed that it was a moogle, as stated by the shirt. The colors on his shirt, with closer inspection, were just extreme close ups of the two festival subjects’ faces, coloring the shirt yellow, white, pink and orange. The best part of it was the hat that Gladiolus kept insisting Noctis to wear despite his protests. It had a chocobo’s face on the front with little wings sticking out on the sides, and a moogle’s face on the back with an antenna standing up on top. It was all absurdly wonderful.

“Don’t. Say. A thing.” Noctis emphasized, swiping the comedic hat off after Gladiolus put it on him again.

“I don’t know what you mean,” Artemisia giggled, a big amused grin on her face. “You look… stunning.” Noctis groaned, pushing Gladiolus off of him as the bigger man continued to annoy him. “Come on,” the embarrassed man insistently pushed the two into the pen towards the chocobos, ignoring the looks Ignis and Prompto gave him once the three joined them. A rancher had set up a saddle on to Prompto’s chocobo and now the blonde was getting ready for a ride. But it seemed like the chocobo wanted to play a game of tag instead as it lightly pecked Prompto on the head before running off, running circles around the man playfully. The rancher was obviously frustrated that the bird wasn’t behaving and tried to make it stand still while Prompto took some slightly dazed but loving photos of the silly bird.

“Alright the clothes are washi-- What’s going on?” Gallina returned and saw the little spectacle before her. The excited chocobo had gotten a couple of the other birds to join in on its game of chase and the other rancher begged for her to help get them all settled. Gallina sighed, muttering “This is what happens when they’re stuck in their pens for too long…” before joining the fray. She grabbed the reins from the main chocobo as it ran by her, stopping it in its tracks with a yank. The other worker wouldn’t have been able to stop the giant bird with just the reins, but Gallina’s build wasn’t for nothing.

“You,” she tapped the bird’s beak and pointed at it like a mom disciplining her child, “need to stop that, mister. You’ll get to run around in a minute.” The bird leaned forward and starting nuzzling into her neck, shaking its head side to side that made her own move in response. Gallina patted it on its neck before pushing it back once she felt the bird’s beak pecking through her hair. She gave the reins over to the other worker and calmed down the other two excitable birds in a similar fashion. Once all of them had settled down she guided them over to the group of five.

The birds walked over to the guys, introducing themselves to their new riders with little actions of affection. Gladiolus’ chocobo flapped its wings happily after Gladiolus patted it on the head before trying to return the favor and laying its own head on top of his, making a noise almost similar to a purr. Ignis’ bird was the most calm in its greeting, sniffing Ignis curiously before chirping in hello, to which Ignis rewarded it with some satisfying chin scratches. Prompto’s bird finally decided to behave and stand still so Prompto could love on it. Prompto was enthusiastically fluffing the bird’s feathers, rubbing his hands all over it and giving it little scratches. The bird responded with another peck to his head, which must be that bird’s odd way of showing affection. Noctis’ bird acted aloof when Noctis tried to coo the bird closer, only to to start begging for attention when Noctis looked away in defeat. Artemisia giggled at how perfect the combinations for everyone were.

“Artemisia,” Gallina nudged her, guiding Artemisia to the last chocobo as the guys started to situate themselves on their chocobos’ saddles. The last chocobo was sitting in the grass still, perking up when it saw them approach. “This is Dottie,” Gallina patted the sitting chocobo on the head. “She’s your chocobo. She’s super patient and she’s the one that most first riders go with. She’ll be perfect for you.” Dottie shook, ruffling her feathers before standing up and looking at Artemisia expectactly. Artemisia hesitated, standing a distance away from the bird. She knew that chocobos were usually super friendly and tame, but she couldn’t help but be nervous. “Come on,” Gallina urged, waving for her to move closer. “She’s not gonna do anything.”

Artemisia approached slowly, holding her hand out for the bird to smell as she came within reach. The large bird sniffed her hand inquisitively, sneezing lightly -- Or at least as lightly as a giant chocobo can -- making Artemisia flinch her hand back slightly. Dottie let out a little “Kweh!” before bumping its head against Artemisia’s hand, requesting to be petted. Artemisia let out a small sigh of relief, happy to see their first introduction went well and indulged herself in the sensation of the charming chocobo. Dottie’s bright feathers were incredibly soft and acted a lot like fur with the way it responded to be to touch; when she ruffled them it only made it more convincing.

“She’ll keep ya safe when you guys are out and about.” Gallina stated, watching the two bond. She laughed when Dottie forced herself forward to wrap her long neck around Artemisia’s shoulder in a hug. “Aw, see! She likes you.”

Artemisia chuckled at the cute display of affection, smoothing Dottie’s neck feathers in return. She heard a small click and looked over her shoulder to see Prompto with his camera in hand and a giant grin on his face. “Gotta capture the moment!” He proclaimed happily. “Oh. Em. Gee. Cutest bird ever!” Prompto proclaimed, referring to the photo he had just taken of the two. His bird immediately bucked him a little with a sharp squawk, almost like it was insulted that he wasn’t admiring its looks instead.

“We got a course ready for you kids if ya wanna race before nightfall.” Wiz informed, leaning against the otherside of the fence.

Prompto was urging Artemisia to hurry up and board her chocobo, eager to get some racing in. “How about a little competition?” Noctis offered with a confident grin. “The person with the best time gets to sleep on the bed in the caravan.” The caravans only had one queen sized bed, and while they weren’t the highest quality, they were still preferred to the rickety pull out futon.

“You can’t occupy an entire bed to yourself, Noct. You must share the other side.” Ignis interjected sternly.

Noctis sighed, a defeated frown on his face. “Fine…”

“But what’s a competition without a little wager.”

“Heh, I’m down for that.” Considering Gladiolus’ size it’s no guessing why he would prefer sleeping on the big bed instead of the futon.

“Oh yeah!” Prompto laughed over at Artemisia who was having a hard time getting on her bird’s saddle. “Come on Artemis! Don’t want to be left in the dust.”

Gallina helped lift Artemisia the rest of the way over her chocobo, giving Dottie a few secure pats as the rider fixed herself. “Just a heads up,” Gallina whispered in Artemisia’s ear, “Dottie hates losing.” She winked.

In the end, it was Prompto who was sleeping in the bed with a happily full stomach thanks to Wiz’s cooking. And despite the others’ losses, everyone was able to enjoy their time and had some much need laughter amongst themselves and the new friends they found on the ranch.

Though Noctis was a bit insulted that Prompto wanted to share the bed with Artemisia instead of him.

#stand by me fanfic #ffxv fanfic #ffxv oc #ffxv game rewrite #chocobros x oc #gladiolus amicitia #noctis lucis caelum #ignis scientia #prompto argentum #artemisia thanos

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briteboy · 6 years

Photo

(circumstantial name by @earnoodle)

IT’S FINALLY TIME FOR THE POST YOU’VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR (or maybe just that one anon)

there’s a LOT in here, newer questions are generally first so if you asked something a while ago and you’re only interested in that, scroll towards the bottom. also doing wcifs separately (errr i’m gonna try my hardest to ok don’t crucify me)

this mass anons post includes topics ranging from Very Sweet Things Said To Me That I Don’t Deserve, nitpicking stranger things, crying over ramona, lou theories, Cillian Is A Fucking Creep theories (true), and completely unhelpful reshade advice

let’s f0cking do this

You're right, apart from carrying his stupid brain, Santi's head didn't do anything to any of us. I apologize for anon.

I'm pretty sure I said that already but I love Rooney and Santi's relationship so much I literally have no words for it

ME TOO LIKE IT’S JUST SO PURE TWO NOT-KIDS SCARED OF THE ADULT WORLD TRYING TO FIGURE THINGS OUT WITH THEIR WEIRD BRAINS TOGETHER ;__; i love them

YO i didnt know u were a demigirl!! im a demiboy nb Buddies

hell fuckin yeah dude!! we are starting a demi club

Ok but like I really want werewolves. Like I know it sounds stupid but we have vampire and while yes I love my bat babes, I want a giant pupper friend. I have story written out and plans for a cabin to build. Now I’m waiting for EA to give me my big hairy babes.

DUDE i want more supernatural stuff too, mostly witches like I NEED MY WITCHES AGAIN!!! ts3 witches were so good. i didn’t like ts3 werewolves much but i feel like they’d be super cool in ts4, knowing how the vampires came out. i NEED it

hihi! i've been very quietly (??) following your blog for some time now and i just fawn over your characters way too much ?? anywho, i've been wanting to start my own little simblr story but ,, i'm not entirely sure where to even start? i have so many stories that i'd love to get out there, and i have the means.. butt, how did you go about starting out?? so sorry this is so long but i look up to you a whole ton!!! ty ily! :-)

i’m the (??) lmao that’s me always but ahdhghdfkshg thank you so much!!!!! i’m so glad you love them, it means the world to me ;-; and listen, that was me, i had no idea how i was going to do it because i’d only seen ts3 stories up to that point and i thought there was like a set Way to tell stories but i had no idea what i was doing so i was like y’know what...i’m just gonna do it how i feel comfortable doing it and i’m gonna figure it out as i go along. so honestly try to roughly plan out what your stor(ies) will entail and if you get stuck on planning and can’t figure it out, just jump right into it, try to make a few scenes or get the ball rolling somehow, even if it’s just random posts (i mean that’s all my blog was until i decided to commit to santi’s story.) it’s always gonna feel weird and awkward at first, but you’ll get comfortable the more you do it and it’ll figure itself out, trust me!

I read through most of your story posts the other day and now I’m rereading it again just to torture myself some more (and maybe catch up on some posts I may have missed). I honestly don’t think I’ve come across a sims story that’s so beautifully written & includes such evocative pictures as yours. I’m really at a loss for words, it’s all so stunning. & after a nearly two-month long creative block, it’s planted the smallest seed of inspiration in the back of my mind, so thank you for your art.

AHHHH AHSDHKGKDSJG WHAT!!!!! it’s always crazy hearing that 1) people actually care about my stuff, and 2) that it inspires them. like i really cannot believe that, stilL!! thank you so so much, i’m so happy you enjoyed it (as torturous as it was, lmao) it seriously warms my heart that you’re getting your groove back in the creative world, that means more to me than ANYTHING!! good luck with your art or whatever you decide to do with that inspiration!

can i pls have your editing skill please and thank you

i owe most my editing at this point to reshade so honestly get reshade and u will probably become better than me

o added u on animal crossing and when you added me back i was so happy,, your little person is sooo adorable ((:

OMG!! thank you!! everyone’s person on there is adorable i cry i love them all so much i’m so mad tho it won’t let me add any more friends!!! it probably cuts off at like 100 friends or something STUPID

First of all, I love you. Secondly, I love your photos so much. I'm legit about to just ditch sims 3 for 4 now because of your amazing posts. 😖

LMFAO no but really THANK YOU I LOVE YOU!!! if you can manage playing both i admire u, i’ve invested too much time and effort into ts4 to ever fully go back to any other sims games tbh

The new patch made my game unplayable! I'm crying, I miss my doggos...

NOOOOO!!! hopefully by now you’ve found a fix, i’m prayin for u

long time listener, first time caller yoooo. i like everyone love your stories and your sim aesthetic so so so much and just tbh i was offended on your behalf about that ask from that person wanting to novelize your stories. like you were way too nice. this is your intellectual property and it's fucked up that someone would think it'd be okay to duplicate it as long as they used a different medium. this is prob a bad one to repost just wanted to you to know you're an awesome, singular voice

omfg lmao this is a radio show now *z100 voice* tellem why ya mad euhhh first of all i can’t believe someone even ASKED that, i’m in shock because like what this is so foreign to me. people want to write about MY characters WHAT! like that alone...takes a long time to process. and like i know i should say no but then i feel mean but they’re also my creations so like idk. it warms my heart that you feel so strongly and would stand up for me like that i’m cryin thank u for calling in i love u

I JUST FINISHED YOUR ENTIRE STORY AND I'M NOT OK WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE PUTTING ME THROUGH THAT SHIT IT'S AN EMOTIONAL ROLLER COASTER AND I FEEL LIKE YOU HAVE ABUSED MY (NON EXISTENT) INNOCENCE WOW

I’M SO SORRY U HAD TO GO THROUGH THAT ALSO I APOLOGIZE FOR STEALING YOUR INNOCENCE I NEVER MEANT FOR THIS TO HAPPEN OSDAFKJDSK BUT THANK YOU FOR READING I’M GLAD YOU ENJOYED IT EVEN IF IT HURT YOU!!!

I've been up all night and it's now 11am. I'm completely binging on your stories bc I am in LOVE and need a Molly in my game asap. Do you think you'll ever upload her?

omG my freaking story inciting insomnia i’m so sorry for ur sleep schedule first of all, but at least that makes you identify with santi even more omg tho ;___; (how many times will i say ‘omg’ i wonder) i don’t think so because she is so dear to me and makes my heart ache, she is just so special, i dunno if i could ever release her into the wild like that lmao. i haven’t even shared her with my friends (not that i really ever had a reason to) but like yeah. maybe in the future that’ll change but right now, no, i’m sorry <3

To change the topic: Idk if you watch stranger things but I only managed to get to episode 3 of season 2 before I stopped watching lmao it was so bad and Billy (a certified Cunt) ruined the whole show for me

YEAH I DID! omg. i have a LOT of issues with this season (mostly in how badly they tried to retcon nancy and everyone else not caring about barb’s death, how bad the writing was in the realm of nancy and steve breaking up and then her and jonathan getting together...holy fuck it was so uncomfortable with that 40 yr old conspiracy theorist guy i couldn’t even enjoy my ship getting together lmao) also ur right, max and billy honestly did not offer anything to the story...like i loved max too but what was the point...billy acted like their presence and the reason they had to move was so dramatic when it was really nothing...unless they’re saving that for season 3 but like. the whole situation with billy was so anticlimactic. he was like a walmart version of henry from IT. like boohoo ur dad’s an asshole and then he beat up steve. good character arc. i liked max standing up for herself but really...that whole thing was so lackluster, i didn’t care about it at all. ALSO I HATED THAT THEY DIDN’T LET MAX AND ELEVEN BE FRIENDS!! i’m sure it’ll happen in season 3 but like c’mon...that would’ve made the max character feel a little more important to the story. anyway yeah fuck billy and i don’t get why everyone is lusting after him or his actor they’re both ugly! thanks for listening

I just got the sims 4 + city living and I’m so excited! I was really inspired by your stories and style in general... I was wondering what packs do you have and also what are your favourite sims 4 hairs? I’m having trouble finding ones and I love your style!

YAY I’M EXCITED FOR YOU!!! omg aww it warms my heart so much when people say i inspire them because i never anticipated that kind of response, thank you so much <3 hmmm i think i have all of them except glamour stuff and fitness stuff. and pretty much all the hairs i download are here or here. (or the subsequent ‘tf’, ‘cf’, ‘tm’ and ‘cm’ tags as well, according to age)

UHM a 19 year old and a 13 year old? Poor baby Lou... Also youre a brilliant writer i cant

😬😬😬 stay tuned ajasdhjhjsahd thank you so much!!!

My stan levels for you have increased so much? like thanks for being a good ally, clAps for femmesim!

lmao thank you, i don’t really deserve praise tho i’m just passing on the knowledge of those patient enough to teach me. just trying to do what i can with my privilege u know. ily

How do you have teeth showing in so many of your pictures of Lou and Molly, do you PS them in?

i’ve gotten this question before and it’s usually just the poses used! i do have some lipsticks that have teeth on them but i mostly use them for just rooney.

Honestly, a fight between Santi and that new guy (srry, forgot his name while typing this) would be so hot. Like, I hope Santi would win but like just watching Santi fight him for Lou would make me happy!! Also, I live for your stories💞

omG i’m about to call up vince mcmahon they both need to fight on smackdown it’s gonna happen. they’ll both be shirtless too ok and THANK YOU ILY

boi poc can be PREJUDICED against white people but there is no such thing as reverse racIIIIIIiiiiIIIIIiiiIIIIsm

Lemme just say that you must be feeling so stressed rn. I love you and your simblr!!! Your posts light up my day!! <3333

OMg kind of. this week has taken A Lot out of me and i really just want to chill at home and play my freaking GAME but obligations. u know. here’s hoping i get a day off this week. i’m mad i’m probably gonna miss gianni’s birthday too (it’s on tuesday) and i wanted to do something for it!! i’ll probably do it late like i did last year too lmao i’m so sorry baby g ANYWAY u didn’t ask to hear about any of this...thank you for this sweet message i love you <3

why,,,, are people... coming to your blog to discuss race you are a fucking simblr WHAT

the real question is why do people go to you like its your job to educate them lmao like theres so many resources out there

SHAWDY u aint wrong reverse racism is literally a joke i am so sorry you have to go through all of this keep stepping on white feelings we deserve it

I was wondering would u consider Asians to be POC?

yes

I just finished Strange the Dreamer and it was fucking amazing. I cried so much and I laughed and I sat in absolute amazement at the world Laini Taylor has created. 100/10 would recommend

ahhhh i really need to read it apparently!! i’m like 10% away from being done with a dance with dragons (and then i have to wait for the next book like a peasant HURRY UP KING GEORGE) anyway this one is definitely on my list!

omgomg!! I just met this girl in my class who has eyes just like ramona's!!! But like instead of being brown w/ a little bit of blue, they were blue w/ a little bit of brown!!! Dude I was so shook I rlly didn't think ppl had eyes like that!

OMG!!!! that’s amazing! and yes heterochromia is a real thing haha. i’ve only met one person with it and he had the same color combo as ramona too, only his was full heterochromia, not sectoral.

*me in the background screaming* nO yOU LEAVE HER ALoNE baD-DAD-MaN!

ME TF TOO

every time i read some of your stories i get an ache in my heart that doesn't go away until i either cry or sleep so interpret that as you like

OMG ;_____; ok me too tho my heart literally hurts thinking about my characters sometimes...mostly santi...i hate him (no i don’t :{ )

hey uhh idk if you've answered something like this before but do you have a spotify or something bc your music taste is GOLD

THANK YOU!! you were the first person to ask about this haha and hopefully you saw my answer to the other question about it! i just made one and it’s here!

hi hi ! i’m seeing all the drama on da blog and i really want to read the whole story but i can’t get to it on mobile so i was wondering if you could link the beginning and tell me what the best order to read it in is ( i’m so confused because i’ve seen sm people y’all about a parallel story so idk if i’m being dumb !! ) i hope this isn’t any inconvenience also your sims are so beautiful sjajsjajs

hey on mobile the link is just: http://femmesim.tumblr.com/tagged/story/chrono i would honestly just recommend that order haha, it makes things simpler and it encompasses ALL story posts, or posts that give context. there are parallels in my story, lou’s is kind of a parallel of santi’s, only different...well...you’ll see. but yeah sorry this is so late! and thank you!!!

TU HISTORIA ES TAAAAAN BUENA POR DIOOOOS (YOURE STORY IS SOOOOO GOOD OMG) <3 <3 *OO* *cries in spanish*

MUCHAS GRACIAS ENCANTADORA PERSONAAAA <333

lou is wendy right? i mean, a wendy complex is someone who is overly mothering to partners, and lou is already a mother and ik that doesn't really count as foreshadowing but it seems like it could be a link to me. it'd make sense too, considering guys that go after younger girls (ew) are usually immature ie peter pan complex. it'd make the most sense that those two go together then.

heheheheh that is a VERY good observation...that’s all i’m gonna say!!

This has nothing to do with what's happening in the story rn, but whatever. I was wondering if you were going to mention lou's struggles with being a single mom and the stigma surrounding single motherhood? As a single mother myself I'd really enjoy seeing you take on the issue. Personally, my biggest problem was overcoming the generalizations people put on you when you're a single mom. People always assumed that I that I was stupid and uneducated because I had my son when I was 17.

yes! that will definitely come up. i will focus a lot on her struggles as a single mom. so far i’ve mostly just peppered in some stuff about money troubles, and that will come up again, and the issues you mention will be pretty central to her character as well. i’m sorry you have to endure that, it’s not fair. people don’t even realize how strong and dedicated single mothers are.

when you say Peter Pan, do you mean the Disney stuff or the og creepy stuff?

i mean the general themes of the story and how that translates into a peter pan complex: boy who never grows up, feels like he fits in more with younger people (haha...yikes), read the message above because that anon described the other half of the equation better than i could

Wait, hold up. That dude is cute but I feel like he’s coming onto Lou way too strong. I have a bad feeling.. Lou is like 13 there and he is 19 I mean I’ve seen bigger gaps between people, but she is not legal yet.. Where are you going with this? 🤨😅

yyyyyyep that feeling is warranted! i am going a way i don’t think you guys expect me to go...i think you’ll be very confused at the end of this part lmao. that being said, i’m not putting any of this in for shock value or to romanticize inappropriate relationships like this. (i’m probably going to be repeating that a LOT for this story but please just keep that in mind)

Hey mom wanna hear a fun as hell story? I just got back from the ER bc I fell on my razor after showering, and practically cut my nipple in half. (I am in so much pain hELP)

OMFG NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YOUR POOR NIPPLE!!!!!!!!!!!!! I’M SO SORRY I HOPE IT FEELS BETTER PLEASE UPDATE ME ON THE NIPPLE STATUS

U gotta watch sense8!!! Apart from the v awkward sex scenes it's v good, has a lot of representation and shit Just watch that shit show, u won't regret it (And if you do I cut your throat oops)

i’ve heard it’s good! i remember when it first came out and everyone was like Wow The Representation so honestly anything with diversity has already got me hooked pls don’t murder me.

I'm calling it now. He's Fi's dad. and he's a FUCKING CREEP!! Bitch you are 19!! LOU IS 13!! BACK THE FUCK OFF YOU PERV!!

no spoilers or anything but honestly i’m with you @ cillian die

Are they gonna fucc, o no

right now? no. that would be Very Bad

bABY ITS COLD OUTSIDE

oh same

Hi ! Your lastest edit (graveyard girl) is truly amazing, how did you make that bokeh behind her ? 😱😍

thank you so much!!! it’s reshade (with matso DOF)!

You've probably got this question a lot of times but i can't find the answer for it. What reshade do you use?

i gotta add this to my faq, it’s one i created myself but i started out with this one (it totally doesn’t resemble that one anymore but i think it’s a good starting point)

how do you make good looking male sims? mine always look the same and kinda girly..

hmmm longer faces, prominent chins and jaws, smaller eyes, bigger noses...generally yeah

What do you mean 9 + alt?

you gotta turn bb.moveobjects on and then press alt + 9 when an object is selected to move it upward. so what i did with those poses i made was, i selected a teleporter and pressed alt + 9 until it was at a spot i liked on the roof. that’s why releasing those poses would be tricky, ‘cause every build is different so there’s no set way to place them, you just kinda have to play around with them

You mentioned GoT so naturally, I have to chime in and express my love for Jon. Honestly, he won me over ever since the first season? I'm at season 5 now and people have already warned me so now i'm silently weeping, waiting for something to happen to my precious bby help

JONNY BOY!!!!!!!!!!! i loved his emo ass since the beginning but his arc with qorin halfhand (was he in the show??) was probably the best arc in book 2 and then his book 3 arc was just...SO GOOD, SO MUCH happens to him and i just felt like i was watching my son go through it all...i love that boy so much ;-; i’m almost at the end of the last book and i’m scared for him because of the one spoiler i know lmao and you’re at that point too so GET READY we’ll go through it together ok

So there's this game I'm playing where someone talking about another character says 'maybe you can break him from his ouroboros of self-fladulation' (I know I probably butchered those spellings but I'm not a bright egg and autocorrect isn't helping rip) and tbh it made me think of Santi. (Also I'mma scream of you get this reference jsyk)

OMG THE FACT THAT YOU THOUGHT OF HIM ;-; and it’s okay u are the brightest egg in the bunch to me. I’M SORRY I DON’T GET THIS REFERENCE BECAUSE I’M NOT A VIDEO GAME PERSON BUT I’LL PRETEND I DO KNOW WHAT UR TALKING ABOUT anyway yes santi is currently in the process of breaking his self-flagellation and embracing the oneness of the ouroboros (as opposed to letting the cycle repeat itself until he’s worn down to nothing)

do you have any favorite pose creators?

answered

do you have any tips for taking good screenshots in game? like how to get the good angles and good quality? i play on ultra but i think when i zoom in and then use the arrows on my keyboard to move around, the pictures gets less clear and looks kinda blurry. how should i do this?

well if you’re already using ultra, there’s not much you can do lmao. sims 4 is just bad with textures in general. it also depends on the objects as well, some are better quality than others. if i zoom in far on a sim’s face, i generally know there will be some pixelation and i can clean that up in photoshop with topaz clean and the smudge tool. i am very reliant on photoshop sometimes lmao. it sounds like you already have the basics of taking good screenshots, it’s just sometimes you have to fight and work with sims 4′s less-than-hd quality.

burn it down by daughter reminds me of santi & i'm in pain

ouroboros!!! death! birth! death again! birth again rinse repeat! also santi breaking the cycle because third time's the charm

The tattoo is an Ouroboros. It originated in Egyptian iconography, and it symbolizes recreation. My boy's recreating himself, I'm so proud.

ouroboros, the dragon eating its own tail. it's a sign of eternal renewal

i saw the post of child molly and just started BAWLING i miss her what the fuck she's my fave character i'M CRYING

ME TOO BICH!! ME FUCKIN TOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i just read all of A Serious Case Of The Novembers so far and theres still tears on my face. some of the best stuff ive read in a while, great job on everything

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!! ALSO I’M SORRY FOR MAKING YOU CRY

every time you write about molly and her in heaven it makes my heart swell, like the characters were answering asks and someone asked her what heaven was like and even though it was so small short lil answer it still pulls at the heart strings, basically what im trying to say is that your writing is so good! <3

omg ;_______; me too, i feel like she has such a simple way with words and although her descriptions of heaven are brief, they are also complex and beautiful, and even just writing it chokes me up ;-; thank you so much tho i’m so glad you like it!!

Molly: out Molly tatto: also out

why did this remind me of this post:

How did you edit in the fire in the last post? Looks cool

i searched things like “bonfire” and pasted parts of it that i wanted on the pic to make it look more realistic, then put a layer mask on the pasted pic and erased the edges and stuff to make it blend in better. the sparks and stuff i added by pasting it onto a new layer and changing the blending mode to screen!

idk if you have every watched grey anatomy but Lou's backstory is starting to remind me of Jo (Jo is a character from the show) like Jo was in a abusive relationship and she is married to the guy but she cant get divorced or he will come and find her. So like if Lou didn't tell Fiona's dad he was a dad and Lou was married to him and cant escape the marriage (cause abuse), plus it would explain Lou's kink with being choked ;) full circle *god-like heaven music with tiniest violin is playing now*

ooh no i don’t but that’s interesting and i’m excited you even made a connection like that! i will say that it’s not lou who likes to be choked (the very opposite actually lmao) but otherwise the situation does kinda fit. i’m the violin

I have a freakin bio pre ap test tomorrow on photosynthesis and i have no idea what it is im going to fail save me

I’M ANSWERING THIS VERY LATE BUT I HOPE YOUR TEST WENT WELL!!!!!! *spongebob voice* photosynthesis

last time I installed reshade I couldn't get it to open the controls or shaders or anything in game :///// any tips?? I love they way reshade looks too!!

hmmmmm well i know the control panel opens when you press shift + f2, and then you check the boxes of the effects you want on them. i haven’t heard of this problem so i dunno what other advice to give i’m sorry :{ if it’s your first time installing it, you might have to wait a little to get it to load up.

Da puppy is so cute!!!

That dog and Romona are so adorable, I might cry

Ramona's cheeks are so big im in love

NAJKSDJGKJSD THANK YOU i love her and her chubby cheeks ;-;

OMG TOTORO IS SO BEAUTIFUL I LOVE GHIBLI UGH FKSJFJANFB

SAME!!!!!!! if i could only watch ghibli movies for the rest of my life i’d be totally fine with that

THE DOGGIE HAS EYES JUST LIKE RAMONAS IM GONNA FUCKIGN CRY

ME FUCKGN TOO!!!!!!!!!! it was fate (aka me creating the wolf pup to look just like her shh i am fate)

Hope I'm not bothering you but i wondered if you knew how to make Tamo sims eyebags work on a toddler? Do I just click in s4s to work for toddler on the "age and gender flags" when looking in My CC or do I have to do something a little more than that please? Thank you.

for any skin detail or makeup, you have to go into s4s and open the package up, go to one of the tabs (honestly i don’t remember which one because i don’t have it open rn lmao) and you’ll see the different age groups and you check the box for toddler. and then save it of course. (there’s probably a better guide on how to do this somewhere lmao)

Hey :) Sorry to take up your time, I was wondering if you use win7, win8 or win10? I'm trying to decide on one and people seem to have very strong feelings about it. Also what web browser do you use? I've used Firefox, but I had some problems on CC websites. Thanks<3

i use windows 10 because it came with my laptop lmao i honestly don’t know much about windows systems at all!! and i use google chrome because it’s never failed me (even though windows keeps pressuring me to use the new internet explorer called “edge”)

i just finished all of novembers in a sitting and 1. i'm Sobbing, 2. your music taste is bomb

THANK YOU!!! my music taste is like one part indie shit, one part rap and hip-hop, twelve parts emo middle school bands

what is the size of the original unedited screenshot?

1920x1080

For reshade when your first install and select the reshade you want to use do you have to edit the settings? Cause last time I tried to (I didn’t know what most of the things meant lmao) but it kept saying error or something so I couldn’t play the game so I ended up taking out reshade

do you mean the preset you want to use? i mean no you can just play with that preset, you don’t have to change anything about it. i’m not sure what you mean but i followed this guide for setting it up

Will you ever share your preset?? Or maybe a preset made be you??

i’ve answered this before but the answer is Maybe

Hi!!!! How do you make the rays of light you have in your photos?? THANK U BBY <3333

that’s actually in my editing tutorial but here you go <3

is reshade only available on windows + do we need to pay for it

yes and no

Hello love! I was wondering (and maybe it's a dumb question, idk) but what life span setting do you use? I would assume you turned off aging for your story but maybe I'm wrong ;w; Thank you!!

i do actually have aging off ‘cause i’m a coward lmao even in the ts3 days when i wasn’t doing story stuff and literally just playing i had it off for the most part and just aged sims up when i wanted because i like to be in control of Everything (aries)

I really just wanted to say that I’m new I your tumblr but your stories are amazing and I love them so much!!! Keep doing what you’re doing💞👏🏼

hey thank you!!! you are so kind and i’m glad you’re enjoying everything!!

In your reshade settings where have you set it to save your SS's to and which key please? I can't find mine after setting it to desktop/screenshots :(

i just set mine to ts4′s screenshots folder because it’s what i was used to and it works for me haha. hmmmmmm did you copy the exact address or whatever it’s called of your folder’s location and then paste it into the reshade box? try doing that with another location and see if it works. if anything you can do what i did ‘cause it worked for me

ok SO i came across this music video for this like spanish/english speaking indie band called The Marías and the song was déjate llevar and literally everything about the music video reminded me of rooney and gianni

OMMMGGG i love this so much, i cry @ music suggestions and this is so them ;-; i think i’ve heard of this band before actually!!

a little life is going to fucking ruin you,,, just a warning

great! i look forward to it

can a steal ur talent

have it i don’t need it

What app are you using to make them cool edit things??

i tagged it but it was doodle face

omg Strange the Dreamer is so freaking amazing! It’s literally one of my favorite books of all time; You’ll love it. The writing is absolutely delightful

you guys are really singin the praises for this book!! i have so many dang books to read i swear

#nonsims #saviorhide #anonymous #sunny answers #it is done and i never want to see another anon message again #i retire

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