“The question is, do you have a better idea?” she shoots back over her shoulder. She has to let go of the chain links with one hand to do so, and as she looks back and down, searching for Xu’s face in the dark, it occurs to her that maybe any idea would be a better idea.
“Alright, don’t answer that. But we’re already halfway in now, right? Penny has to be somewhere. Do you speak enough Estharan to pretend to be a lost tourist if we get caught?”
“ … … When I was younger – this will sound silly – but I knew how I felt when Isa would come home and sweep me off the floor and put his goggles on me, and I thought everyone must have that feeling. As I understood it, “love” was the a name for language your heart spoke, in jumps and flutters and missed beats. Movements. The strongest item in its vocabulary was, I thought, that swell you felt when you loved someone so much your heart seemed to have to expand to accommodate it. That’s one of the few times you can read another person’s thoughts, I think – because you can see that one on their face and in their eyes as it happens.
I never knew anyone who had such an infinite affection for people as Isa, so I, being too young to know better, asked if he would ever get married again. He gave me a big smile and said his heart was too scarred for that. It might have frightened me, if I hadn’t seen in his expression that something about the question had endeared him, and that he didn’t mean anything sinister by it.
It took his death, and Anji, and Anji’s death, and Sacha’s accident, and a thousand tiny betrayals and failures before I finally started to understand what it was he meant.
The skin on my arm, the burn – it doesn’t feel so well anymore. It’s kind of… stiff? I can feel where it ends, in places. Like the back of my shoulder. The transition from burned to healthy skin is much more sudden there, and when I move, I can feel an odd kind of pull. I think that’s what Isa meant. That your heart can take so much damage and survive, but it will be scarred, and that its jumps and its flutters will become weary and difficult and stiff somehow, as if the effort it takes to affect them outweighs the reward for doing it. It won’t feel so well; it won’t be able to swell to accommodate any more than it already has, and instead of inspiring new emotions in you, the people around you will have to make do with you lending them second hand ones in new outfits. Eventually, there are no more skipped beats; just a kind of odd pull from your chest, as if your heart is trying to say, I still belong to you; I’m still here. When that happens, there are no more revelations or breathless confessions. Next time you fall in love with someone, you’ll approach them with a sigh and an embarrassed, amused apology – I’m terribly sorry, I seem to have gone and done it again. I know, I know, it’s against my better judgement, what can I say? It’s alright though, I think. There’s nothing wrong with that. It doesn’t make the feelings you have for them any less real than the feelings you had for the ones before; it just might mean they’re a little tired, a little battered, a little… lived-in.
Honestly, I miss being five.”
– fragment of notebook paper found in the trash at Bikanel docks.
“You know… it’s frowned upon to destroy temple property.”, he teased.
He eyed her carefully as his words were meant to be serious. But, of course, he was only teasing. And he did not move away from her movements toward him, catching her determined look as she aimed for his hair. In fact, he leaned forward and down to give her easier access to her goal, but only after she had struggled a moment. When she seemed satisfied, he stood back up and, after flashing her a warm smile, took a deep breath to indicate he was pleased with her efforts as well.
“Well…?”, he asked, trying to look sheepish. “How… do I look?”
[ 大召喚士 ]
“‘At least’?”, he asked her, trying his best to look horrified. “You can’t be serious.”
Of course, he knew she was. And that was fine. He could not— and would not— deny her anything. He didn’t want to; he found that, more and more, he wanted to give her every little happiness, no matter how insignificant it may seem. Life was too short not to do so. And, he assumed, whatever this existence was it likely would be as well. Sighing at her with a smile, he did not move, waiting for her to continue her work.
“And, that wasn’t what I meant. Although, years ago that might have been true.“
She knew what he meant, of course, and she gave him a narrow-eyed look in response, then fell into silence as she started fixing another of her pilfered flowers into his hair.
“I don’t think that’s true.” she replied, almost a full minute later, her voice lowered. She still smiled, but it was softer and not entirely genuine. It never got easier, remembering what his life was like before, how difficult it was and how little someone like him deserved to go through it.
“I don’t think any temple would allow its own property to throw rocks around in it. If you ever belonged to anyone, you can consider me shocked.”
Why I like them: It would be easier for me to list the reasons I don’t like your dumb nerd, because there aren’t any. I probably bore people to tears at this point with my predictable overenthusiastic praise of the stupid adorable idiot, but there’s a good reason for that. He integrates really well with the in-game version and makes you think more carefully about that entire subplot. Every detail of his character is very considered and the feels levels are carefully calculated. YOU NEED A DRABBLES TAG. I WANT TO PUT IT HERE. Why I don’t: 0/10, not a cinnamon roll at all, far too cute, unnecessarily lovely, will make tea for the literal devil; lays blame for all non-cinnamon antics on Chu and gets away with it because she quite likes the idea of people not knowing– Favorite scene: In-game; the sphere he records for Yuna. It’s the only time you really see him acting in connection with his old life. He’s talking directly to his daughter, and that reminds you that he’s someone’s father, someone’s husband and someone’s son, not just “a summoner”, as he’s most often referred to. Specific to s-p; the teacup thing god I hate you so not at all but also… everything the tag is attached to… Favorite line:“Let’s show them they’re wrong.” (you-specific… “Oh? Hello there. Forgive my surprise. I wasn’t aware I was so recognizable.” Coughs.) OTP: [stares into camera like on the office] Brotp: Apart from the obvious #teamdelightfulirony; Braska/Tidus kills me. Tidus is such a scaredy cat. oH NO GF’S DAD Head Canon: Had to be told to go to sleep at a decent hour on the pilgrimage, otherwise he’d be up all night because he wouldn’t be able to say no to people who wanted to come see him before he moved on, like Yuna on the ship, only worse because he’s such a rockstar of a summoner with his heathen wife, halfbreed child and miscreant guardians. Unpopular opinion: Chu/Braska works and if you disagree all I can say is you smell like wrong A wish: PREQUEL. PREEEEE. QUEL. Also, I wish tumblr user summonerds-path would write more drabbles. An oh-god-please-dont-ever-happen:get mad at me again it hasn’t happened yet but I feel preemptively concerned about this pls do not hate me–
Why I like them: Makes a whole character out of part of a summoned creature. Very very good, much detail, wow. Also really good FC choice and constantly entertaining threads. Why I don’t:Stop dressing my boyfriend up like a hipster without even taking photos. Favorite scene: Well, she’s only got her aeon stuff in-game, so the Delta Attack animation, I guess! Favorite line: My favourite thing Mindy said was “STAY AWAY FROM ME AND MY FRIENDS, OLD MAN” when she was talking to my other muse because he was sat there with a genuine Tywin face like bee pls OTP:Hmmm, I am liking this business with bourbonandmint. Brotp: Magus Sisters, ofc Head Canon: Mindy cannot reach high shelves in stores so she has to ask Rude to help her if she wants anything off the top shelf and she sometimes says like “omg rude stop buying porn mags” loud enough for other shoppers to hear as he is reaching up for her. B I I JUST IMAGINED IT AND NOW I CAN’T STOP IMAGINING IT– Unpopular opinion: Mmm, I don’t have any, I don’t think! A wish: That she’d do as she’s bloody told. An oh-god-please-dont-ever-happen:Produce honey, you’re not actually a bee and that would worry me–
[txt:Choochoo] Least noticeable way is probably over the Training Center wall. Be warned though, the T-Rexaur runs security in his own way. Pack ice magic or Blind and you’ll be fine.
[txt:Choochoo] The hats /are/ stupid tbh. Unfortunately they are touchy about them. You’re not the first to find that out.
When she arrives, it’s not with her usual loud greeting or noisy entrance; she darts to the back of the library and gets straight under Penny’s desk without saying a word.
A solid minute later, she peeks out.
“Are they still following me? I maybe got seen by the dumb hat gang.”
Not enough to buy America and move it closer so I can get like a bus or something to go bother auron- and braska-mun.
I’m iN BED but there’s… £4 in my bag… I don’t carry cash… I tell people it’s because royalty doesn’t jingle but it’s actually because I’m financially irresponsible and would rather keep carding it til I get declined, that way I never have to see my balance tick down. :DDD
bee pls
sovereignarchive 