Let it be unwritten...

Truth be told, the Exarch was much more similar to Hythlodaeus than Emet-Selch let on, whilst it definitely wasn’t aimed toward Emet-Selch in any sense, he could tell the Exarch cared much for the Warrior of Light and the Scions, that he was determined to save this shard of a world from destruction. That he would do anything to achieve it, anything within reasoning anyway. That’s exactly what Hythlodaeus was like, he was a very determined individual too, even to the end, in fact, Hythlodaeus remained more loyal to him than his own beloved did.

Even with being determined, he was there for everything. He was there to give Emet-Selch quick reminders of things, like it’s a special holiday, remember to tell your beloved about this… all that kind of meaningless stuff. If it weren’t for Hythlodaeus, Emet-Selch likely wouldn’t have done half of the stuff that brought a smile to his beloved’s face, oh, and they knew it was partly because of his best friend’s nagging.

“I don’t think I’ll teach you anything— you still won’t be him, you still won’t be the best friend I ever had.” Emet-Selch was determined in his own right to not allow the Exarch to replace his best friend, or sully his image. Hythlodaeus was better than this pathetic excuse of a half being. Couldn’t even stray too far from his tower or he’ll be weak. Pathetic.

“Why is it? Why is it that you are so interested anyway when you know who you are and that it isn’t going to make a difference?” He wanted to know the other’s motives, especially for prying into him, he never would have expected that the Exarch, of all people, would be interested in learning more about an Ascian, and not just any Ascian, a Paragon, one of the leading individuals of the Ascian race. The three that lead their race down a road of destruction.

     “Even then, there’s still a part of me that is him, no matter how small that part may be.” For all he knew, it could have been barely a sliver of the man that Emet once knew. He couldn’t answer the second question without answering a few others. 

G’raha had always wondered what his place in the world was. From growing up little more than a gutter rat in his tribe to learning of his royal bloodline, then waking to find that he had to save an entire shard from certain destruction... It was a lot to take in. He wasn’t certain he could put it into words.

“Well, now that I know I’m the shard of someone you once knew, very well I might add, I was hoping that you may hold information that would make sense of a few things for me.” He brought his hand to his lips, pressing his thumb against them as he thought quietly. “Although, I can tell you aren’t willing to divulge such information and I cannot recall my time as your friend. ...I can do little more than admit I’ve had a burning curiosity of your people since learning of them.” 

[ FOR. ]  good & all he was going to put the Exarch to an end.  Even upon words did his jaw fall slack as brows furrowed.  This was beyond any horror his gaze & ears ever had misfortune to meet.  The same penchant for mischief as one other he knew all too well.  A selfsame streak within this Miqote remained.  Regardless from horror to ire did EMOTIONS swell as he drew his pistol & poised it between G’raha’s eyes.      “This is for the good of all, I assure you.”  Just pull the trigger Emet.  Just pull the gods bedamned trigger.  But for what will he hadn’t the strength.  Only to curse to the HEAVENS above ‘pon prayer that Zodiark would release him from such a hell.

     The Exarch barely reacted to the weapon being drawn and simply put a smile on his face. Oh yes, Emet-Selch would learn. “uwu you wouldn’t hurt your best fwiend, would you?” G’raha pawed at Emet’s robes, purring loudly. 

[ what did i just read ]

It was something Emet-Selch didn’t want to admit that spilled out of the Exarch’s mouth. Looking down, saddened that with each word the other had said… it was all true. It wouldn’t be the same, he knew it himself, but the desire to bring it all back was too strong. So what? It might not be the same anymore, but at least he wouldn’t be surrounded by things that were broken.

He turned away, just for a moment, trying to compose himself so he didn’t lose it and end up killing the Exarch out of madness, when he was still needed, Emet-Selch didn’t want to chance it, but the Exarch was indeed pushing him right now. It took everything within himself to do so. Slowly, he looked around, still with his back turned, but now looking toward Exarch. He really didn’t have a good response to this other than sounding selfish.

“You think I don’t know that?” His voice slow, but with a threatening tone, “It really doesn’t matter, even if I could meet the shards of my former comrades, they are completely different people now. You really want to know how I know this? You. You’re one! But compared to him, you are nothing!” Heavy breaths were coming out of him, he… can’t believe he just said that. He looked away again, not wanting to face the Exarch right now at all.

     Perhaps he had said the wrong thing when he mentioned comrades. G’raha’s blood ran cold the second he heard what was said and he didn’t quite know how to process it. He quietened for a moment to let the information wash over him.

“That may be true,” he muttered. “That I am nothing of your former friend. There’s no way that I can ever be who... I was back then. Oh.. Perhaps that’s the point, isn’t it?” Raha couldn’t be sorry about being someone he didn’t know or remember. Then again, he didn’t feel he needed to be sorry about it. 

Regarding Emet once more he nodded. “You’re right though. I am G’raha Tia, The Crystal Exarch. I am truly nothing of your former friend. There’s a chance that you may be able to see small bits and pieces of him in me but those must be few and far between. Yes? I won’t say that I’m sorry for bringing this up but I will say that I understand if you need peace for the time being. I certainly hope that one day I’ll be able to understand more about this.” 

Emet-Selch let out a huff of annoyance at that— no, a calamity wasn’t their end goal at all with the summoning of Zodiark, had it not been for those who decided to go against them and summoned the primal, Hydaelyn, they could have gone by their lives peacefully. Of course, it required countless sacrifices in order to do so, but the main part is that their world would be saved. Emet-Selch would be lying if he had pretended to not been affected by all those sacrificed for their great cause. He was saddened, truly. In the end, it didn’t matter, but there was still hope for their world yet.

“Calamities were never our end goal.” Spat out with a tinge of rage, he was through with these people thinking ascians were evil for the sake of it. He knew what he was doing was evil deeds, but he also couldn’t care less. All those he cared for were gone, though he does know of their shards. Persephone, his former lover— the Warrior of Light, a shell of their former self. Then Hythlodaeus, his former best friend— the one who stood in front of him right now was in fact, his friend’s shard. Emet-Selch could tell when he met shards of those he was close with, but still, it wasn’t like how it was in the past. They were completely different people now. Persephone was supportive of him in every way, even the summoning of Zodiark, they in fact helped with that, but now? A staunch supporter of their opposition. And Hythlodaeus? Whilst there was similarities, it just wasn’t the same, the Exarch always gave off a cold demeanour to Emet-Selch, it wasn’t the warmth he felt from his best friend, supportive to the very end.

“Why is it that you think that us, ascians, wanted this? You can trust me when I say we didn’t. We did it out of desperation to keep our world afloat. Sacrifices had to be made. Don’t lie, we know your kind would do the very same if in our position.” There was actual anger displayed within Emet-Selch’s eyes, it definitely wasn’t a comfortable topic, and well, he was tired, depressed and tired how events played out all those eons ago.

    The anger shown by Emet-Selch didn't surprise him. G'raha had the feeling that he'd touch a sore spot or two by saying what he had but that did little to satisfy his curiosity.

"I cannot say that we wouldn't. As you well know, we're fighting for all of Norvrandt at the moment. So say that I wouldn't have fought for my world, whoever I may have been then, would be a lie." A hand came to his chin and G'raha lowered his head as several thoughts ran through his mind. There were numerous other things he wished to ask but none of them felt relevant for the moment.

He brought his head up once more. Ruby eyes regarded the Ascian quietly until he sighed. There wasn't much that G'raha could say when he knew what he would have done in that situation. What he was doing currently was an uncomfortable echo of the Ascian's plight.

Speed: Slow. Think of molasses in January and you’re spot on. I tend to be pretty scattered between different projects both online and not, but I try to keep up with replies and not let them go unanswered for too long. In that same breath, I don’t mind how long others take in replying to me. I understand whole heartedly that life can get in the way and sometimes the energy just isn’t there and that’s okay! 

Replies: I feed off of my partner’s energy when it comes to replies and sometimes, it ends up as a mirror. They write something long, I tend to do the same. The same applies for if it’s a small one to two paragraph reply. No one is ever obligated to match my length, by the way. I know I can become long winded and get lost in my own reply but please don’t feel pressured to do the same. I’m more than happy to edit my replies as needed.

Starters: Plotting a starting point and just allowing things to fall where they lay is okay with me. Winging it is the best term I can think of for that. I’m alright with heavy plotting as well. The issue can end up being remembering for me so don’t be surprised if I take notes and ask if you’re still interested in going in a certain direction. Nothing has to be carved in stone! I’m flexible and more than willing to change things up if need be. 

Inbox: The inbox can be a bit of a black hole for me. I either respond within ten seconds or a month or more later. This is never intentional! G’raha is a character that is still new to me and feeling him out for certain types of replies can be a bit challenging. That doesn’t mean that I’m not going to put the effort into answering it though. It’ll take me a bit is all.

Selectivity: I’m generally mutuals only. Rules and about pages are what I look for. Tumblr RPC can be a wild place at times so I’d like to keep a bit of sanity for myself. I can’t work up the energy to keep up threads with people I’m not following, it’s just not doable to me, but I don’t mind asks. I’ll follow a hub blog for sideblogs but don’t be surprised if I don’t follow them - I like to keep a good eye on the number that I follow but I also don’t do a follow-for-follow. 

Wishlist: Generally, I don’t have one at the moment but I’ll tag it ;;wishlist for when I do find or make such posts. Right now I’d like to explore different scenarios to see how G’raha will respond. I want to know what my muse is made of, really, primarily so I can get a better handle on him.

Honest Note: G’raha is my first FFXIV muse and I’m still learning the lore. No one should be surprised that there’s a few things that I may not know or have forgotten given how long of and extensive a game it is. There’s going to be a few mistakes and I apologize in advance for them but please be patient with me while I learn more. I came into 14 a couple of weeks before Stormblood dropped so there’s likely major portions of content that escape me. 

G’raha will have different canon divergent verses to meet other characters for easier interactions in the future. I’ll just need to work on them! 

Seriously tho, if you want to ship or plot or even just talk, let’s do it.

NSFW Headcanons

x. In his main verse, G’raha is inexperienced. Being a Tia, or nonbreeding male, he put all of his focus in skills that would serve him in the future. This doesn’t mean that he’s uninformed on sex but intimacy is not his forte. 

x. G’raha is pansexual and demiromantic. 

x. He is a switch. Depending on the situation, he can be dominant/aggressive or submissive/passive. 

x. G’raha will not bring up sex unless the other person does. This isn’t to be stubborn but he can be uncomfortable with the topic. He’d prefer to be polite and not approach the subject unless guided there by another.

x. When he does have sex, G’raha is fiercely passionate. Alongside that, he can easily fall into his partner’s mood and doesn’t mind laughter slipping into the moment. 

x. He’s highly insecure about the look of his body as Exarch. Being partially crystallized by the Tower as left parts of his chest, shoulders, back, one arm, and face with a light glow of blue. While the crystal is not as warm as the rest of his body, it is a bit more firm. He worries that exposing himself to a potential partner could end in disaster once they see him in his entirety. 

x. No, his penis is not made of crystal and his cum isn’t blue. His genitals are that of a normal man’s, perhaps a bit longer than average and trimmed. 

x. He’s quiet but there are vocalizations, mainly noises. Any questions he has are loud to make sure he’s heard but he typically asks them long before any action has taken place. Discussing boundaries is a must as he can, at times, lose himself.

x. Toys are used sparingly and he’s not opposed to using them while alone. In that same breath, masturbation is a rare occurrence. When he was younger, he was far less reserved and enjoyed a good evening by himself or with another but, as Exarch, he sides with his reservations for the most part. 

     He’d disappeared in a flash of light outside of Sharlyan. The evacuation order had been given just days prior and G’raha wanted to fulfill his wish of exploring the Crystal Tower when he woke up in an unfamiliar forest outside a foreign village. The Hyurs were peaceful there. Most had been wary of him with good reason - a strange man with a bow coming out of the woods wearing ridiculous clothing. 

Eventually he began to learn more of their ways. None of them mocked him for his mismatched eyes, velveteen ears, or fluffy tail. In fact, it were as if they couldn’t see the latter two parts of his being. G’raha took it in stride and counted his blessings. Hunting became a daily thing and he was able to trade for a night at the inn for meat taken from his kills of the day. 

Walking into said inn, G’raha proudly produced the canvas sack for inspection and paused. One triangular ear twitched as he listened to the room around him. A performance was taking place and one that sounded quite pleasing to his ear. His attention strayed and he just barely caught scent of a delicious dish nearby. 

This inn was the best place he could have found here. 

Glancing back to the owner, a hunter he’d met by the name of Gaston, G’raha smiled and gave him a teasing look. “You failed to mention that there would be live entertainment else I would have arrived much sooner. Should the delivery not suffice, I’ll be happy to bring back twice as much tomorrow.” 

Mismatched eyes returned to the performer once more. Hadn’t he seen the man around Gaston before? Lefou? G’raha had, unfortunately, mispronounced it when they’d first met. 

     @zankokukami​: “I didn’t lie about anything. I swear I didn’t.” from Emet.

     For a heart thumping moment, G’raha wasn’t sure what to make of that. The implication that Emet-Selch’s information wasn’t a lie meant that there were truths still yet to be seen. How much more would they need to uncover before the big picture was out in the open? A sigh left him and G’raha lowered his head. 

“Why would you need to? If this information is correct, either way, it shakes a few foundations to the core. However, you are clearly privy to information that we could never have dreamed of finding, what with being an Ascian.” He tried not to sound as irritated as he felt and gripped his staff a bit tighter. 

Everything learned in Rak’tika had not only answered questions but created more. These were mysteries that G’raha wasn’t sure they could look into without discovering more links they hadn’t been previously aware of. But the Gods being primals themselves... In a twisted way, it made sense and G’raha couldn’t help but wonder.