#entry 6

one of Curly's soundtracks

FFxivWrite 2022 FFxivWrite22 Masterpost Prompt #6: Onerous “Glory be to Garlemald.” How many times had he uttered those words? He couldn’t hope to keep track, dutiful son of the Empire that he was. All he knew was that in the end, there was no glory for his land or his people. An empire founded on lies, destroyed by the same forces that created it. Death and destruction was their reward for playing the role they had been unwittingly cast. The Empire was no more, but what was left of Garlemald’s people still lived on, be it as refugees in foreign lands or survivors in their homeland. Either way, they had no home. They were the same as him now. Who would have guessed Aelius had simply been ahead of the curve in his exile? Maybe it was a mercy that his path had ensured he was not there in those final days of suffering. Of course, he’d never see it that way. As far as he was concerned, he had failed to be there to protect his people and suffer the fate he knew he deserved. He had heard rumors of what had happened, received reports from the few contacts Lucretia still held, but he could not have imagined the scale of the devastation until the rickety airship descended low enough he could see it with his own eye. As he stepped foot upon the frozen earth, the chill of Garlemald’s air cut deeper than he remembered. He chalked it up to his years away, but deep down, he knew it was more than that. He cast such thoughts aside, but others were more difficult to shake. Like the thought that Septimus was not much older than Valerius would be by now. When he looked at the boy, he saw so much of his brother–or at least, what he imagined his brother to be. Valerius was little more than a babe when Aelius had left for Eorzea. What had happened to him in Ael’s absence? Had he been passed the same mantle Aelius had borne? The heir to the Corinthius family’s legacy, the man of the household. Such responsibility thrust onto a boy so young… not that Aelius had been any older. Things were different for Valerius, however. Their father wasn’t just gone, he was dead. Their mother wasn’t just lonely, she was a widow… grieving not just the loss of her husband and the father of her children, but for all she knew, also her eldest son. And now this… the war, the capitol… what had become of their family’s home? Was their mother even still alive? Was Valerius–he couldn’t even bring himself to finish the thought. He felt his hand ball into a fist at his side. He had spent so long running away from everything. He had never intended to return to Garlemald… but now that he was here, things suddenly weren’t as simple as retrieving the Eyes of the Forgotten and ensuring their airship could carry them back to Eorzea. No, that was the last of his concerns now. He could no longer run away from the part of himself that remembered his duty to the Empire, and to his family. @aelius-ffxiv, @tough-bit-of-fluff​, @its-the-val-pal​

Entry 5: Frail Entry 6: Not Quite Right

precious babies they deserve the world

Part 6 of more to come. For a full list of tags and triggers for the entire series, please click here: Tags and Triggers

If Jessie’s right, and this thing doesn’t stop, I’ll be like 7 feet tall in two weeks. I wonder what I’ll do with all of this. It’s just... too much.

I posted this but idk what the crap happened to it so I’m retyping agh Anyways it went something liiikee I started reading Ready Player One by Ernest Cline and it got me excited to read through it right from the first few pages! Also that I should try writing book reviews and if anyone knew any good bookish blogs that might inspire me? Hm Anddd that I feel oddly weird despite the chill day of my cousin coming over and eating cookies and candy and having a little bit of fun. So yah. 12/27/2017