Crystal Data Center - Blog Posts
Magus Musings - Dreams
It was the cavern again…
Anafenza turned her head left, then right. The same cavern she had been trapped in, years ago, with those reflections of the woman she’d killed. Only this time, she was alone.
She felt herself, before looking down. Nothing. No clothes, no tools. She tilted her head – dark splotches stained her grey skin where she had felt herself. She brought her hands up.
Blood. The scent of it hit her like a sack of popotoes before she even registered it with her eyes. She checked herself again, then gasped.
They were lying there, at her feet again. The duskwight, Jessika (or whatever the hells her name actually was), was on her back, her half-petrified face smashed and obliterated leaving just her mouth recognizable, open in a silenced scream of shock and pain.
The pale auri with the daggers – was it Nai, was that her name? – was bent over a second body, her hands desperately pressed against a third woman’s neck. She was screaming for help.
The third woman…
Anafenza covered her mouth, stopping a sob. Lyta was on her back, eyes wide in horror, struggling to breathe. Her mouth foamed with spit and blood, dripping down and mixing with her tears. She slowly turned her head, her eyes locked with Anafenza’s…
“You killed me.” Her voice was sharp and clear, right next to Anafenza’s horn, and she turned quickly to see Lyta standing next to her, blood trailing down her chest from the wound across her neck. Anafenza took a step back.
“You killed me,” she said again, accusingly.
“No!” Anafenza shook her head. “You didn’t die! They saved you! They stopped me, this curse stopped me! You lived!”
“You killed me,” she said again, then opened her arms wide. “Me and the rest of them. Their blood is on you, Aenc Tyr.”
Anafenza looked around the cavern again and gasped. Bodies littered the floor. Stalagmites and stalactites were bodies, skewered to the ground or hanging from the ceiling. Friends and family. Strangers. All around her.
And she stood in the center of it all, glowing dark and ominous, a vine creeping up her body and wrapping around her, choking the life from her as her branches wilted, leaves fell…
Anafenza woke up, splashing and sputtering in her tub. Once she had found her breath she began to sob, laying her head on the side of the tub and just cried…
((Featuring @little-purple-thundercloud))
@eightswordsparrow dunno if you saw this... 💙
🌻Summer Poetry Free-For-All at Palazzo Aldenard
🌻 When: Wednesday May 20th 8:00pm EDT
🌻 Where: Mist 7 Plot 15 Room #3 Balmung
It’s an early summer poetry free-for-all! Bring us your slam poetry, embarrass your lover with endless haiku, settle a score with an old-fashioned Ishgardian hymn battle!
Acoustic performances, acapella, throat singing and performances of the like are all welcome!
Sign up when you show up! We can’t wait to see you!
Magus Musings - Reflection
“Wicked white, Angan, not again! I told ye’ already, we don’ ‘ave no berry fruits ye be after!”
Angan tilted head to the side, staring at the hume merchant in confusion. “But I haven’t asked for any berries, Varden. I was just coming for the daily supplies like always, for the Spagyrics. What is this about berries now?” The young drahn woman shook her head, her mop of unkempt black hair falling over her shoulder. This was the third time today on her daily rounds through the Musica Universalis that someone had been exasperated with her for some reason or another.
The hume pointed a fat finger at her. “An’ another thing, how the bleedin’ ‘ells ‘re ye changin’ yer hair so damned fast like? It ain’t natural it ain’t! Ye look a sight better now than ye’ did just a bell ago, tha’s fer sure. Bleedin’ bright pink as a pixie, as if we didn’ ‘ave enough bright colors ta stare at in the sky! But the answer’s still ‘no,’ so don’ think of addin’ – “
“Berries to the order, no, I got that. Pink hair? Me? Have you been drinking again, Varden? It’s only the eighth bell in the morn!” She took the sack of vials with an annoyed “thank you” and turned to walk away, shaking her head.
All morning, her usual rounds had led to one odd encounter after another. Pink hair. Barely dressed. Smelling of seaweed and “wet” – whatever that smelled like – and always, it seemed, just a bell or two ahead of her.
It was difficult in a town like the Crystarium to be mistaken for someone else. Sure, the occasional dwarf was hard to tell apart, and the zun all looked alike anyway, but there were so few people left in the world to begin with…well…it was difficult to find someone that would look or sound so similar to you that people you’d known for years could mistake you.
“What bloody sinner is going around acting like me,” Angan wondered aloud, making her way to the next stall. She paused, thinking her route again. The imposter was further ahead of her by at least a bell; what if she cut her off at her final stop? Angan hurried out of the markets to the aetheryte, then down the steps to the Horotorium. It was usually her last stop, so she could go to the library for a new book, and then take the aetheryte back to the Exedra. She hurried down the stairs, her powerful tail swinging behind her.
In the Horotorium, no one seemed to notice anything amiss with her presence, other than noting how oddly *early* she was. “And you’re sure, there hasn’t been another drahn that looks like me down here” she asked the botanists.
“No one except you, Angan. Is something the matter?”
She shook her head, scratching behind her horn a moment in thought. “Thanks anyway,” she replied, turning away. She approached the Cabinet of Curiosity, deciding she could at least get her new book while she was down here, and then return to her daily errands.
The doors of the great library swung open in front of her, and she looked up in time to see –
She blinked.
She saw herself blink back at her. At least, it could have been her, if she had decided to put a flower in her hair and color it bright pink. Or if she had decided to dress as if she were cavorting on a stage in Eulmore.
Angan raised a finger, pointing at the other woman. “You!” She took a threatening step towards…well, herself. “I have been looking all over for -!”
The other woman went wide-eyed, then made a dash for the nearby aetheryte. Her hand reached out and she was gone in a flash, just as Angan managed to hustle to close the gap with her. She cried out in frustration; the woman could be anywhere in the Crystarium now, or even leaving.
But there had been no mistaking that face…those horns…the tail even. Her eyes had been ringed yellow, like Angan’s…the patterns of scales covering her. The woman could have been her twin, had Angan not known better.
“Who the hells do you think you are,” she said to no one in particular. “How did you…wicked white…”
At that moment, Angan thought it may be wise to finish her errands in the markets – the sooner she finished, the sooner she could enjoy a much-needed drink.
D&D Character Types - Anafenza Ejinn
Bold what definitely applies to your muse. Italicize what somewhat applies to your muse.
𝙱𝙰𝚁𝙱𝙰𝚁𝙸𝙰𝙽 » toothy grins, stories around the campfire, clothes covered in pet hair, hot temper, old jeans, heartbeat in head, potatoes and steak, beaded jewelry, bruises like galaxies, mementos, backpack stuffed full, craigslist furniture, spontaneous road trips, air ripped from lungs
𝙱𝙰𝚁𝙳 » homemade bread, white lies, easily excited, trying on hats, band geek, pep talks, no impulse control, sunsets, vintage fashion, long showers, selfies, following dreams, rosy cheeks, song mash-ups, pink lemonade with tequila, loves easily, animated storyteller, full of comebacks
𝙲𝙻𝙴𝚁𝙸𝙲 » list of wishes, biting their tongue, band-aids and neosporin, shoulder to cry on, morning sun, necklaces, trial and error, homemade quilts, formal clothing, astrology fan, messages in bottles, pleated braids, speaking up for friends, feathers, motivational quotes, vivid dreams
𝙳𝚁𝚄𝙸𝙳 » bird watching, shy kid, wind chimes, trying to whistle, summer camp, apple orchards, lost in their head, glow-in-the-dark stars on the ceiling, hoodies, thrift shopping, saving worms off the sidewalk, pig latin, bare feet, thunderstorms, numb fingers, braided hair, naming potted plants
𝙵𝙸𝙶𝙷𝚃𝙴𝚁 » goosebumps, leather jackets, adventure, chewing nails, cares deeply but can’t show it, bronze locks, no sleep, taste of iron, netflix binges, never forgets, combat boots, stories behind scars, table for one, official soundtracks, sore calves, trusts themselves the most
𝙼𝙾𝙽𝙺 » always trying to be better, wanderlust, meditation, sweat pants, old photographs, yoga, sleeping in hammocks, nostalgia, minimalist design, a breath of fresh air, baby animals, volunteering, perfectionist, doesn’t care about fashion, healthy snacks, noticing the little things
𝙿𝙰𝙻𝙰𝙳𝙸𝙽 » school uniforms, thick jackets, sleeping with the windows open, logical advice, scrapbooking, compasses, i fight for my friends, sculpture gardens, cold morning air, big soul, likes routine, secret romantic, last to get jokes, sunflowers, practical presents, misty weather
𝚁𝙰𝙽𝙶𝙴𝚁 » herbal tea, smell of rain, blinking away tears, camping trips, collecting bones, swiss army knives, first impressions, anxious thoughts, bobby pins, burnt marshmallows, too competitive, clothes lines, messenger bags, holding grudges, gets along better with animals than people
𝚁𝙾𝙶𝚄𝙴 » flirtatious sarcasm, candid photos, lost phone chargers, adrenaline rush, picking dirt out from beneath their nails, social chameleon, clashing clothes, self-deprecating jokes, claw machines, sits in chairs wrong, smudged eyeliner, has too many sunglasses, eats nothing or everything
𝚂𝙾𝚁𝙲𝙴𝚁𝙴𝚁 » infectious laugh, family trees, shivers down their spine, lipstick and roses, mood swings, clumsy, believing in destiny, high expectations, sleeping in darkness, collection of nail polish, passionate, good grades but never studies, poetry books, blowing kisses, not knowing their own strength
𝚆𝙰𝚁𝙻𝙾𝙲𝙺 » knowing everyone’s secrets, backpack covered in pins, envy, being in walmart late at night, earl grey, selective memory, conspiracy theories and cryptids, key smashing, need to know basis, can’t cook, bags under eyes, experimental art, flickering bulbs, black clothing all year long
𝚆𝙸𝚉𝙰𝚁𝙳 » piles of textbooks, cat in lap, keeping a diary, indecision, scented candles, studying alone in a café, lingering touches, museum dates, unanswered questions, taking on too much responsibility, collections , chalk dust, comfy robes, unnecessary apologies, coming home after a long day
Tagged by: @mercermachines (sorta)
Tagging: Anyone else who would like to do it. Just tag me so I can see! <3
Hello! If you’re an active Final Fantasy XIV blog — roleplaying, aesthetic, etc. — could you please reblog this post? It’ll serve as a reference point for people who are looking for new blogs to follow to see who is active from April 1st (not a fool’s joke, I assure you!) and onward!
Sleep...
I just want to sleep sleep forever. drift off with the waves as they meet the shore where I lay...lie...gods i hate this language. nothing but words. words don’t fix people. i know i shouldnt feel this way but i have been so broken down and crumpled up that i dont know how to feel otherwise. and its all still my fault. im still the one to blame. Im still the one too selfish to pay attention to those around me how can I even begin to look at them and see their feelings and hurts when all I can see are mine. standing out in such sharp relief in front of me, as if the sun was pouring through an open window behind them so that all I could see was their forms. I can’t feel, I can’t think, I can’t hear anything in this pit. Im sorry. Im sorry Im not strong enough on my own. i hope Hipper’s solution...