A child huddles behind a broken wall, clutching his legs in terror. Phobos' head peeks through an opening, his massive hands starting to claw in through the broken space. In the background, Deimos stalks forward, scythe in hand and voidsent eye visible, hunting down every last soul in this destroyed settlement.

12 - Fear - Deimos
A rumour in Garlemald. Whispers in the dark all try to ignore. A monstrous army that kills every man, woman, and child in any settlement it destroys. There is no hiding, no escape.

No man, woman, nor child that witnesses this 'army' ever survives to correct the tale.

Emet-Selch lies on the floor of the Dying Gasp, defeated, with a hole of light through his torso. In his final moments, he has reverted to the appearance of Hades, and lifts his hand to hold Hyth's, who is kneeling at his side and looking mournfully down at him.

11 - Hand Holding - Hyth
In those final moments, his last breath upon his lips, Emet-Selch reached out to hold the hand of the one that he had driven to slay him, to the one he loved: Hythlodaeus.

Two men in pain, one aching for who he had once known, the other for who he now could never know.

The various Scions and Rabbit Hythlodaeus stare down Innocence in combat-ready poses. The picture is framed from a camera angle just between Innocence' wings, staring down at the part with scepter raised. Pictured from left to right by row in a triangular configuration: Back: Hythlodaeus (Bard), Alphinaud (Scholar), Urianger (Astrologian), Y'shtola (Black Mage) Middle: Alisaie (Red Mage), Alphinaud's Moonstone Carbuncle, Ryne (daggers) Front: The Crystal Exarch (Paladin), Thancred (Gunbreaker)

10 - Radiant - Hyth
It was a long road leading up to the culmination of their fight against the Lightwardens, but the end was finally in sight. One last Warden left, and then the First would be saved, surely.

Surely, there would be no complications or setbacks. Surely.

Rabbit Hyth stands in the field of Elpis flowers at the end of Endwalker, with a fading Meteor-ancient and Hades watching on, with the newly-restored Scions present as well. Dialogue-- Azem: I hope we meet again. If not in this life, then the next. Whenever it is, we will wait for you.

09 - Field of Flowers - Hyth
A sincere hope from two fading travelers, echoed across universes.

(I do not have the energy for a proper caption, this gpose and editing took somewhere between 9+ and 10+ hours and every time I look at it I feel exhausted.)

Emet-Selch, in the form of Solus, stands in focus before rabbit Hyth, his hands cupping a soul stone made in Hyth-purple, with the constellation Ursa Minor in it. Polaris, the North Star, shines brightest and most notable near where the Azem stone normally has the center of the sun, with the constellation itself progressing down the stone (and altered slightly because apparently FFXIV doesn't recreate the constellations accurately?? WHY DO YOU DO THIS TO ME YOSHI-P HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO FIND THE RHYME OR REASON TO THESE DISTORTED NON-CONSTELLATIONS NONE OF THEM MAKE SEN--) On-screen, there is a text box in FFXIV style that reads as follows: Emet-Selch: He was a singularly kind soul, one who could not help but brighten any room he entered. One for whom a great hero in his dying breath bestowed a singular power befitting his nature; the ability to bring forth all those who he had known and who he was cherished by--a not inconsiderable number, given his nature. (Disclaimer: not vetted by anyone who ACTUALLY knows how Emet-Selch talks. I did my best...)

08 - Stars - Hyth
Emet-Selch, in any form, will forever be a sentimental old man. A man who, even tempered by the first primal, found a way to preserve memories of those he loves. And far beneath the sea, in a half-remembered ruin of what once was, sometimes he gets to present them himself.

delay on vierapril for a bit. having a hard time. have gposes done for a few days, but no energy to write the captions which take me 10-30min to decide how to word and a lot of thought which I don't have the energy for.

will catch up. eventually.

Deimos sits on a couch in Solution Nine in his Arcadion gear, manspreading like the arrogant whore he is, with his scythe draped over his lap. Around him are five assorted colour-coordinated fans, cheering and exclaiming and generally making a fuss over him. One is even taking a picture.

07 - Glamour - Deimos (Solution 9/Lance & my AU)
During his time in Solution Nine, as a premiere fighter in/champion of the Arcadion, and despite his natural heel-like tendencies and oversized ego, his many fans flocked around Deimos everywhere he went. Not that he minded having his praises sung...

Hythlodaeus aims his bow into the sky, the light splitting to reveal the night which is DEFINITELY not because I forgot there was no triumphant pose at the end of Holminster Switch, because that's definitely not what happened. I definitely remember ANYTHING about ShB, and am not doing this story replay purely because I don't remember it for shit and wanted to make actually good memories....

06 - Darkness - Hythlodaeus
With Philia defeated, the First was treated to the sight of the night sky for the first time in a hundred years.

(This is the only non-literal gpose as far as I recall for this month. I just couldn't resist the concept.)

Deimos sits on a bench in Solution Nine, holding a Regulator in his hands. The camera is sitting at a bird's eye view, preventing his face or his expression from being visible.

05 - Cyber - Deimos
When given a chance to forget the pain, the loss, the trauma, it would take an impossible will to resist. Deimos has an extraordinarily resilient soul.... but some opportunities are too tempting to pass up.

(Thank you to Lance for letting me borrow our shared universe for this.)

Shun leans against Zenos' chest in The End. Tears stream down his face as he clutches Zenos' outfit tightly, unwilling to let him go.

04 - Grief - Shun
In any universe where Shun is present at the End and Zenos dies, that is functionally the end of his story. The death of Fandaniel had nearly broken him already, and the second loss of him didn't help either. But Zenos? How can he ever go on without Zenos?

...He can't.

Deimos stands upon the bow of a ship, scythe in hand, staring up at the fall of Dalamud. Though far, FAR away from the Fields of Carteneau, it was nonetheless a terrifying, unsettling sight.

03 - Calamity - Deimos
When Dalamud started to descend at the start of the voyage, the other sailors whispered about a curse. The captain insisted they sail on, and yet the skies only grew worse. They were in the open ocean as the Calamity hit its worst, the entire crew watching in petrified horror.

Rabbit Hyth races toward Tesleen as she's run through by the light warden Forgiven Dissonance, who appears from off screen right. Haldric watches on passively the entire time.

02 - Wounded - Hythlodaeus
Try as he might, there was no way Hyth could have ever run fast enough across the burning, scorching sands to reach Tesleen in time. All he could do was watch on in despair as she was run through, and then in horror as she transformed and flew away.

From Deimos' mate's perspective (technically over his head and between his ears), the viewer sees Deimos, at the time Mjara, as he was before the death of his mate, healthy and whole and utterly in love. A soft smile warms his face as he reaches out a hand for his mate to take. His bow and quiver rest on his back unsheathed, his hair has yet to grow beyond his shoulders, and his eyes are both still in place, untouched by violence or the void. He is, for this all-too-brief chapter in his life, happy and at peace.

01 - Sunrise - Deimos
Mjara wanted a new name. His mate picked it for him.

‟You are my morning sun, breaking through the darkness and fear to bring safety and light to all you touch. You are the day, dawning bright and beautiful and warm upon my skin. You will be... Deimos.”

Oh, also, here is my Day 0 / Prologue post introducing the Hyth AUs I'll be using for this April. Putting a link here in case anyone is like, "What the Hyth doing??"

bsky.app/profile/feli...

Years later, assigned to the Ruby Sea in Othard, he managed to escape to Kugane with the kojin's assistance. Once there, he worked until he could purchase passage on a ship to Limsa Lominsa.

On that fateful voyage, he met a pair of twins and a helpful man, and an immutable series of events began.

And above that... He dreamed. He dreamed of a crystal, of three words of instruction. It was as he awoke from one such dream that he spied smoke rising from his community.

He arrived to find his home in flames, and the few survivors being conscripted into the Garlean army, a fate he soon shared.

Thousands of years later, that shard of Hythlodaeus -- of Azem -- was born to a community of viera living in the furthest mountain reaches on the outskirts of Garlemald, having been driven from their original homes hundreds of years prior. He lived, he hunted, he defended their territory.

Lives were given, the first primal born, and the skies calmed. Hythlodaeus had survived, as had the unremarkable family he had been protecting mere moments earlier.

Yet that family did not rejoice, instead trembling in fear. Could it happen again?

Far away, a sword laid the path to a new future.

When the sacrifices and summoning was proposed, Hythlodaeus opposed them, knowing his beloved could never have stomached them. When he was overruled, though it broke both his heart, he turned his face from the Convocation, leaving to help what people he could while they enacted their terrible plan.

No longer would Hythlodaeus lack the strength to keep up with those around him. It was the last gift he could offer, and one that would save the world.

When the Beast was felled, Hythlodaeus was elevated to the Seat of Azem, at least so long as the world remained in crisis.

He merged his mind, his soul, ever bit of him he could with his love, and it was as they shared one final embrace that his heart stilled, the last breath falling from his lips.

In dying, he left a part of himself in Hythlodaeus. A piece of his mind, as with Lahabrea, but also a piece of his power.

Lahabrea had once reported to the Convocation of a merging of minds with Athena years earlier. Seeing the writing on the wall of his time running out, Azem could only try to replicate the process.

Even as his loves refused to accept that he was dying, Azem reached out to Hythlodaeus.

2️⃣
In another universe, as the Final Days ravaged the world, the First Beast changed history as it struck Azem down. Emet-Selch rushed to the fore, holding the Beast off to allow Hythlodaeus & Azem to retreat, but the damage was done.

Even True Benediction couldn't save the hero cradled in his arms.

Plucking him from the furthest reaches of the snowy mountains surrounding Garlemald, she bestowed upon him her final Blessing, using all but the very last of her strength to do what she could -- and to ensure the Exarch's summoning attempting to bring the fallen Champion reached Hythlodaeus instead.

None held quite the same power as the shard of Azem had, and yet...

It was not Azem's hard that had visited the ancient world in her memories. It was not Azem's shard that Emet-Selch had faltered before in that shared tale.

It was Hythlodaeus -- changed, yet still recognizable.

Thousands of years later, Estinien did not arrive in time to save the Warrior of Light from Elidizenos, recovering only his body rather than saving him.

With her Champion slain and his next incarnation too far away to arrive in time for the events in motion, Hydaelyn was forced to find a new hero.

1️⃣
In one universe, Hythlodaeus intended to sacrifice himself, but after he had said his farewells, heavy falling debris pinned him in place, preventing him from making it to the summoning ritual to sacrifice himself.

He watched as the skies calmed -- and then as the world shattered with him in it.

Viera Hyth floats in the center of the image with Crystal Tower on the first in the background. On the left, Elidizenos cuts down Meteor (the canon WoL), while on the right, an interpretation of a Meteor-like Azem (as I think he might have looked in ancient times) lays dying in the Final Days, with Hyth cradling him in his arms and Emet-Selch in the far background facing off against the beast that had dealt the mortal blow.

#vierapril #vierapril26
Day 00 / Bonus post -- Introduction
(All other gposes will be in the master post, but this one is a little different since I'm setting up the Hyth AU.)

In two different universes and timelines, two different meteors fell from the stars. This is the story of both of them.

Credit for the prompt lists I picked between & number picked. I only allowed myself free spaces from one list, so I picked the third for convenient timing.
(Yes, that's 31 total, I have a Day 0.)

1: www.tumblr.com/humblemoonca... (12)
2: bsky.app/profile/alex... (10)
3: bsky.app/profile/foxy... (9)

A list of Vierapril prompts chosen by me, Feline, as follows: 00 - Introduction 01 - Sunrise 02 - Wounded 03 - Calamity 04 - Grief 05 - Cyber 06 - Darkness 07 - Glamour 08 - Stars 09 - Field of flowers 10 - Radiant 11 - Hand Holding 12 - Fear 13 - Generations 14 - Waterside 15 - Spring 16 - Cosmic 17 - Shade 18 - Scions 19 - Free 20 - Light 21 - Alone 22 - Physical Touch 23 - Canon weapon 24 - Black and White 25 - Dark 26 - Free 27 - Alive 28 - Whimsy 29 - Hear, feel, think 30 - Sunset

#vierapril #vierapril26
Picked from 3 lists this year. Originally I was planning to do all of them across my 3 main viera, but that burned me out like crazy and I'm hoping to also do a May challenge of my own making, so I really can't afford to burn out this year.

Credit & daily images in replies.