#ffxiv write

[ahollowgrave]

Once bitten, twice shy (idiom): used to mean that a person who has failed or been hurt when trying to do something is careful or fearful about doing it again. // i keep my distance but you still catch my eye.

There is a spark of flame not far from you. You close your eyes so you don’t roll them. You make a mental note: pray for patience.

“Please, don’t smoke in here.”

From the shadows of the hallway of the house your Aunt left you is a particular silence. A certain stillness that asks: ‘What the fuck?’

The flame is snuffed out.

And when no glow of embers is forthcoming:

“Thank you,” you are pleased with how soft your voice is. How pleasant. Despite the way your stomach twists in on itself.

Then, as coolly as you can: “Oh, great Aunt, I wish you would stop looming in the hallway.”

A grunt.

With the click of a heel, and another, and another, your Aunt Odile steps into your office. She leans against the doorway in that precisely nonchalant way that makes you certain she’s practiced it. Her raven’s wing hair is pulled up and stuffed into a perfectly mussed bun.

You are annoyed instantaneously.

“Hello, blessing,” she greets you. Her voice is a sun-warmed drawl and you adore the way she drags words out. Which irks you further. (You shy away from examining why.) Odile continued: “Sure wish you’d just call me ‘Odile.’ Picked it special and all. Or even just ‘Aunt’ if you must.”

Her head tipped down and her peculiar eyes watched you from beneath dark brows.

“‘Great’ makes me feel old,” she added and you watched her face - which is your face, but not - smirk in a way you have never. Would never.

You felt repulsed.

And guilty.

She was trying which you find outrageously frustrating.

She was only trying now. She could have been - should have been - trying the whole time. She knew about you the whole time. ‘Watch from afar’ she said. Why? What was so dangerous about a child that she had to watch from afar whilst you --

Your jaw is clenched painfully tight and you work it lose with a smile. “I’ll try, Aunt,” you put a heavy layer of false reverence on the title to imply the age anyway. It is a small and cruel gesture. And any pleasure you feel is lost in a rush of guilt.

Guilt that is wasted as Odile only looks amused, further vexing you.

You are left staring at each other. In the silence you watch Odile begin to do something horrifying: work her courage up. You panic.

“However, I’m exhausted. Could this wait?”

It’s not a lie, more a half-truth. You’re a terrible liar.

Odile straightens, expression folding into that too-easy smile. “‘Course. Was just swinging by to tell you night, anyway,” a lie and you marvel at the ease at which it is spoken. As she turned to leave she spoke over her shoulder:

“I am a patient woman, little niece,” there is emphasis on ‘little.’ A shot returned. “Walls fall down. ‘Tis one of the only things they can do.” It should sound like a threat, and it would, were it not for the thread of hope woven between the words.

Your smile if only to bare your teeth.

Something inside you growls in satisfaction.

As the click of her bootheels retreats down the steps, you decide that anything Odile has to work her courage up to say is not something you want to hear. Not now. Not yet.

Your anger cools immediately, freezing crystal clear and precise. Carved of ice. It sits heavily at the bottom of your heart.

#FFXIV Write #this one got a lil' away from me length wise #(thats what she said) #but it's not like terribly long #anyway #odette & odile #Odile #[& Love is too long.] #[Life is Too Short &] #complicated family dynamics ahoy!!!! #that is a WHAM! lyric yes

[the-sycophant]

FFXIV Write 2023 - Prompt 07 - Noisome

Words | 454 -------------------- Marlowe was the sort of girl who would sweetly insist that she did not like sleeping alone. Would bat her lashes, whine, coo and coddle her way into someone's bed. Would say she didn't take up much room if there was only one to share. If she couldn't, then she wouldn't sleep.  Or at least she tried very hard not to.

It always came in her sleep. 

The noxious fumes, the feeling of drowning no matter how much air you breathed in was familiar, the anxiety. The tightness in her chest. It did not always follow the same pattern, but it was always the same location. Coiling, ridged arcitecture along every surface beyond the raised flat platforms that squished under her feet as she climbed down, fingers and toes curling and clinging to the roughened edges. Her limbs shook. Wouldn't stop. Couldn't. Not sure from what. It didn't affect her, the poisons, but He did. She never saw His face, only heard His voice. Their voice? 

She wasn't sure.

Her grip slipped, bare torso pressing into the sharp notches and bruising her breasts as she tried to catch herself. Tried to calm herself. "Apples, agreeably, are amazing at attributing abundant and alluring admirations-"

The air was hard to breathe. Hurt her lungs. Mouth. She could taste the gaseous clouds on her tongue as she gulped over and over. Not enough. 

It was just a dream.

J̷͔͚̕͘u̴̩̐́s̴̠̲͌̐ţ̵̣͊ ̶̢̡͝͝ả̷͈̎ ̵̬̟͘d̷̮̄r̷̳̰̓e̴͇̱̔a̴̡͆m̵͕̦͌̕.̶̥͐ ̵̙͊

Even if it wasn't, the noisome air would have no effect on her person, but it still tasted just as disgusting as she remembered. A bare foot lowered into the sludge below. Thick, bubbling. Hot. Made her skin tingle. Thought it might eat away at what little hairs were left on her as that toxin came up to her calves, her knees, her waist. Came up in places it shouldn't have been.

Places meant only for her companions to adore.

Stop. 

S̷̋ͅt̵̞̀̏ö̸̙̪p̶͔̯̿.̴̳̈̑͜

She felt something slither by her legs. Coil around her. Something like sticky little kisses pressing against her thighs and stomach. She tried not to move. Couldn't stop shaking. Couldn't look up. Didn't dare to. Her fingers were going numb from clutching at her chest above the muck as she was slowly, so slowly pulled forward through it.

"My children...beautiful children...."

"C-copious cooked cabbage can continually contribute calories and can, coincidentally, cause completely credible comfort-"

A chatter and gnashing of teeth in a clickity click click from two mouths silenced her mutterings. She heard snickers, murmurs of others who had been there, watching. She could never see their faces. She wondered if they could see hers.

She hoped they couldn't.

She did not wish to see those that followed Him on their own accord.

#ffxiv #ffxiv write 2023 #ffxiv write #ffxivwrite2023

[bloodstained-bard]

Prompt: Envoy (for FFXIV Write 2023)

trigger warnings for: blood, violence, and death Thanalan had always been a strange land to me. I had walked its paths a handful of times and each instance had always left me feeling a little somber. Perhaps it was the dry climate or the haggard faces I passed each day, or the way the land itself seemed to struggle under the weight of its own being. Cracked earth, grating sand, heat that invaded every pore until it felt like your soul was set ablaze. Yet one could find a certain charm in that struggle. The things that lived here were so vastly different from the denizens of the Shroud that even I, a fool, could appreciate how stubbornly life clung to its own survival. It was a brutal land, yes, but a beautiful one.

Tonight as I sat against a large boulder, my only companion as the light faded over the horizon, I found my gaze drawn to the distant glowing formations across the nearby mountains. Dizzying spirals of bronze and burning orange colored the sky like some beautiful, garish reminder of the Calamity's lingering scars. As the light of the day faded away those formations began to glow like a dimmer sun rising to light the world around it. I found my eyes tracing along the way the crystalline structure arched and coiled through the air, wondering how long such a thing might last as the turns dragged on. Would it persist long after we had all given our final breaths, or like so many other things, would it crumble to ruin as the weight of its own existence one day brought it to the ground?

Why did that matter to me, now? I considered how often I found my mind wandering of late as I continued on this journey. While I dipped a hand into the loose sand beside me, passing the grains between my fingers, and letting them sprinkle back to the ground I wondered. How long had it been since I truly considered the world around me? When had the people, the places, the things I saw become so secondary to me? I knew the answer. I remembered the very day, in fact. I remembered the way she tripped trying to separate me and the guard. I can hardly remember the words we exchanged, the insults slung at me, but I remember the way she tumbled when he shoved her. How she slipped back and fell, and how it sounded the moment her head struck…

A noise broke me from my somber reverie and my thoughts, distracted as they were, fought to focus on the moment. I’d missed the subtle shift of a body scraping across the underbrush. It was a fatal thing, letting your mind wander. Sometimes it came with a price. I barely registered the surface of the blackened, wooden shaft before the arrow cut into my shoulder and knocked me to the boulder. Pain sparked through my entire being and I gasped, reaching up to clutch my fingers around the exposed shaft. Warmth was already flooding across my fingers and the smell of copper with it.

“Ah, dammit…this low light gets me every time. Sorry about that I was aiming for the heart, but you know how these things go.”

As I felt my heart quicken and sweat begin to bead at my brow I turned, fighting to find the source of the voice. It didn’t take long before I saw him, and the next arrow he’d already knocked. I briefly considered reaching for my bow, but there was no time. Not that it would matter, my shoulder hung limp at my side with the arrow lodged deep as it was.

“Just hold still a moment will you? I don’t wanna waste too many of these.”

This time I was aware enough to shield myself when the arrow loosed. My movements, though, felt sluggish and heavy. I saw the glint of that horrid orange glow reflecting off the arrowhead and knew, from the way it arched cleanly through the air, it would strike me in the neck. I had only enough time to bring my palm up. The point sliced the leather, cut through my palm and found the second layer of leather. Its impact was enough that, as the point emerged through my hand my whole arm jerked back. Another pain came as the edge sliced my lip, and I tasted copper. 

The breath that escaped me came with a pained noise and I felt a distant shame surrendering to the feeling. My arm fell limp to my side and I felt pain arch up the length of it, penetrating my thoughts as I studied my would-be killer. A mish-mash of leather, and mail, a faceplate that obscured his face save for a pair of cold blue eyes. They stared at me half surprised, half annoyed that the second shot hadn’t finished the work.

“Ha, he wasn’t kidding. You really are one tough bastard, aren’t you? Ah well…just do this the old fashioned way.”

His voice was young, but biting. A midlander from his build, I reasoned. There was an awkwardness in the way he walked as he drew closer, as if the armor didn’t fit quite right, or perhaps he was injured. Whatever the case it didn’t matter. What did matter was the knife he pulled from his hip as he casually approached. 

“Who…are you?” I managed to choke the words out and realized how heavy they sounded, how dry my throat had become in those few moments.

“Ah that doesn’t really matter, does it? Just say I’m here to deliver a message, like a…last letter? Sure we’ll go with that. You angered some fellow real bad, mister. Mad enough that he wants you dead!” Closer now I could make out the way his eyes widened, and focused between breaths. Are you scared of me, I wondered? Or are you scared of what you need to do? Am I going to be your first?

“Heard something about a bunch of dead Wailers…was that you? You did all that and here I’ve got you stuck like a cactuar…ain’t that just something.”

He knelt down in front of me, reaching a hand up to grip my shoulder and a fresh wave of pain coursed through me. Blood flowed a little faster, staining this stranger’s hand, and nearly making me dizzy. 

“Now…do us both a favor, mister. Just sit there real nice, and I’ll make this qu-HRK!”

He’d gotten too close. The blade was still held back at his waist, not ready for the killing blow. If he’d had the sense to move it forward as he leaned in he would’ve blocked that desperate move. He could’ve sliced me in the belly or throat, and been done with it. *Amateur*.

“Like a cactuar…right?”

I watched the panic in his eyes as his mind fought to come to grips with what happened. With only a moment to spare I’d brought my injured hand up and slammed the arrow into his neck, just beneath the chin of his mask. The metal would’ve protected a strike, but his throat was exposed, vulnerable. Something vital inside was cut, and for good measure I wrenched my hand aside delivering a fatal blow. There were no more words after that, only the choking, gurgling sound of a man who’d already died but didn’t know it yet.

He collapsed forward onto me in a heap and released one final sigh. Then he went still, and my head rested back against the boulder as I fought to take just one steady breath. I don’t know why I found myself reaching a hand up to rest on the back of his head. My fingers brushed down his messy hair, and I found myself looking down at him. Young, too young to be doing this, I reasoned. Someone lied to you and set you on this path and this is where you ended up. Because of me.

Another rush of pain pulled me from that thought, and in annoyance I shoved the body off my lap. He collapsed in an unceremonious heap while I did my best to roll onto my knees. I needed aid, and Drybone wasn’t far. I hoped they wouldn’t ask too many questions, but inevitably they always did. After taking a moment to search one handed through the man’s pack I found a folded note. The edges stained red as a trickle of blood soaked into the corner, but I’d read it later.

Getting to my feet proved difficult. Like the weight of the world was suddenly brought to my shoulders threatening to lay me low. Glancing down I saw just how much of me was stained in blood, my own and his. Sighing, I took one last moment to glance at the man…boy really, at his body and shook my head. I would tell them where to find him, make sure he received a proper burial. I wondered if he’d have afforded me the same courtesy but it didn’t matter. I’d ended the boy's life and he deserved that much at least, if for no other reason than having the courage to try. I wondered who had sent him to deliver that message, and would I get the chance to return it one day.

I limped my way back towards the settlement, down the dusty road passing the dried brush and the flowering cacti, passed the beasts who lingered in this oppressive place but eked out their survival one day at a time. Like them I had been cut and bled to take one more breath. Preyed upon by an opportunistic hunter eager for a kill. Would there be more? Possibly, but there was only one clear choice in whether to accept defeat or struggle for one more day. A choice I had made when I began this journey. To struggle was to live.

#ffxiv write #envoy #prompt #tw: blood #tw: violence #tw: death

[yzeltia]

FFXIVwrite 2023 24. Lionize

Characters: U'rahn Nuhn, Minfilia Warde Expansion: A Realm Reborn Rating: T Notes: Please don't hurt me. Prompt provided by @autumnslance

“Yahooooooo! Minfilia! Hey Hey! Let’s go out forrr a walk!”

U’rahn pushed through the doors of the Solar, ears perking as he watched the Atecendent become startled and fall off her chair as she tried to hang Tupsimati. Dashing forward, he slid under her and managed to catch her in his arms, chuckling a little as he gave her a grin.

“Thank you, Rahn. Though perhaps a knock before entering might do better for my nerves in the future,” she breathed out, moving to stand up from his arms.

“Sorry,” the adventurer apologized, folding his ears apologetically before getting a gentle pat between them, instantly flitting the back up, “Hey Hey! I can get the old man’s cane up there for you!”

“That would be most appreciated,” Minfilia hummed, handing the pieces back over to U’rahn.

The Miqo’te hopped up onto the chair once more, placing the pieces securely into the old frame, tail swishing about. Once sure it wouldn’t easily be loosed from its setting, he hopped down then clapped his hands together as he looked up at his work and did a little nod. Behind him Minfilia laced her boots then smiled.

“Did you ever meet Louisoix,” the Antecedent asked.

U’rahn closed his eyes, ears twitching a moment as he thought about it.

“I think so. Everything is still kind of fuzzy even without gramps’ spell…I guess I called him that? It sounds familiar. He was with mom when she returned to help take care of Titan and Levithan. Said a bunch of big words and patted my head and told me to grow big and strong. The usual stuff you say to kids. I didn’t really understand much other than my folks had to go fight the primals to keep everyone safe.”

“I see. I suppose you are not too much older than the twins are you?” “Oi Oi! Old enough that it matters! I’m no Mi’kitten. I’m a Nuhn!”

“Yes yes, so you’ve said,” the woman laughed, heading out of the Solar with the Miqo’te to head out onto the streets.

Together, the two wandered up the large hill of Revenant’s Toll, U’rahn walking with his hands behind his head while Minfilia waved to passerybys. As they found themselves in the Diamond Forge, a hoard of Doman children descended upon them, quick to jump all over U’rahn trying to see if he truly was as strong and indestructible as the legends hand come to say. The Antecedent put her hand to her lips, giggling softly as the Miqo’te was overcome then hopped up with a roar. The children screamed and scattered, though soon returned to gather around them to demand stories of their heroics. U’rahn of course was quick to indulge.

Minfilia watched as the young hero acted out his fight with Gaius, surprised he made sure to act out Violet and Jannie’s efforts alongside him in equal strides. As he mimed the final blows, the children were called away, only one stopping to have him sign a little Miqo’te shaped doll crudely designed to look a bit like U’rahn. He beamed then signed his initials on the doll’s belly before handing it back to the very excited Doman.

“It seems the mantle of hero has come to suit you well. I’m surprised. I had thought you to be a bit of a braggart but you really do value your friends.”

U’rahn folded his ears back, “Braggart? A Nuhn never takes credit for what is achieved by the tribe as a whole. I’d have been pancaked by Ultima if it were not for my sisters-in-light. I mean, I know my Echo protects my body for the most part, but all that magic…there’s no way I could have fought alone. And fighting Lahbreha, if Violet and Jannie weren’t there to keep my head level I’d have had a hard time beating up Big Bro Thancred too.”

Minfilia smiled as U’rahn nodded assuredly at himself as he crossed his arms. Whether he acknowledged it or not, she saw the maturity that had come from stopping the calamity. He was certainly not L’loamo’s little boy anymore. More and more he was becoming a fine young man, perhaps closer to obtaining the vision he had for himself with his boasted self-bestowed title.

“Well, I’m glad you didn’t beat him up more than necessary.”

U’rahn froze up then lowered his ears, tail drooping behind him. “Yeah…Sorry about that.”

“It is in the past. He is back on his feet and up to his usual antics again. Pray, do not worry yourself about what has passed.”

The Miqo’te turned, getting on one knee before the Antecedent and taking her hands in his, “Big Bro Thancred doesn’t mean anything by all that you know! He’s just a charmer. There’s only one person in his heart.”

Minfilia flushed deeply, pulling her hand free as she looked about, U’rahn making a bit of a scene with his gesture. She gestured for him to stand, head shaking as she led them around the corner and out of the populated space. The Hyur sighed heavily then put her hands on her hips as U’rahn lowered his head apologetically.

“Rahn, I am sure you mean well…but if Thancred has someone in his heart, then it would be best to leave him to come forth with his feelings on his own. Not make a spectacle out of them without his knowing.”

“Yeah Yeah. But…I just want Big Bro and you to be happy. Urianger and Moen too! If someone doesn’t say somethin’ you might miss your chances! Someone else could swoop in and charm one of you. And then what? Someone would be left hurt,” he sighed, wrapping his tail around his leg.

“If it is meant to be, then I am sure someone will eventually speak their heart,” Minfilia assured him, face still a bit red.

“Yeah, but if it’s Urianger I dunno if anyone will understand him.”

The woman let out a laugh as U’rahn watched, grinning at himself soon after. Finding a bench, the two sat down and watched the aetheryte below, adventurers and traders blipping in and out. After a moment, Minfilia broke the silence.

“You are rather preoccupied with love lately. Is there someone you fancy?”

U’rahn blushed a little and cleared his throat, tail swishing out behind him.

“I wanna be like my old man. Before I go fulfill my duty, I’m gonna have a great love like he did with my mom. The huntresses are great and all…but that between them and a Nuhn is a different kind of love than having someone special. I think, when you’re with that special someone, it’s supposed to feel kinda like magick. And you can see it with others…I kinda see it with you and Big Bro…and Moen and Urianger too. Maybe one day I’ll have that with Shtola as well…I’m sure she’ll feel it…maybe.”

The Nuhn closed his eyes and smiled, turning his face up toward the sun. Minfilia looked to him, for a brief moment seeing his mother in him. The Antecedent touched her heart, remembering L’lolamo having said something similar to her when she was a girl. 

“How do you know when you’re in love? Well, it feels kinda like magick.”

She sat for a little while, thinking about sitting with the Warrior of Light talking about the conflicting feelings in her heart over Thancred who she’d seen as a brother up until that point and how they twisted her up inside. Feelings she’d still hadn’t sorted out some five years later. 

“Well, if it is magick like you said…perhaps we should both make an effort to be more honest with our feelings. Why don’t you tell Y’shtola how you feel first? Perhaps one of the four of us will work up the courage by example.”

U’rahn’s face burned with embarrassment, “Tell…Shtola? N-No no. I couldn’t. I still have just a little more growing up to do. We’rrre both still young!”

Minfilia leaned back, staring at the Miqo’te in confusion.

“U’rahn, how old do you think Y’shtola is exactly?”

“She said twenty–three.”

The woman grit her teeth, withholding a laugh the best she could less she have to correct him and earn the lady Archon’s ire. Shaking her head, she let out a content sigh then looked up.

“Well then, I’m sure we’ll have plenty of time too to figure out what is in our hearts. With you rooting for us, I’m sure one day we might find our ways to one another.”

#final fantasy xiv #ffxiv #final fantasy 14 #ff14 #ffxiv oc #ffxiv miqo'te #ff xiv #u'rahn nuhn #minfilia warde #ffxivwrite2023 #ffxiv write #ffxiv write 2023

[devil-you-know]

Prompt #2: Bark

Woe be the tides on the morrow When the hound is set loose from his chain The cries of a maid drawn to sorrow As her lover bears crimson stain He set sail at dawn with a smile And bid her await his return Yet sunk to the depths by a mile Neath the swell of the oceans churn Woe be the tides on the morrow When he spied the black at sea For the hound did howl, teeth bared to swallow That maidens sweet lover with glee

#ffxiv write #ffxiv write 2023 #ffxive prompt #bark #pirates

[punches-and-cream-puffs]

6. Ring

She still remembers Home. And after recent events, it's been even clearer in her mind. The Ring, as the others had called it, hardly a home to most of the others. She hadn't understood back then, but oh, how she understood now.

Dark and deep below the desert sands, where sunlight couldn't hope to touch, the Ring itself was the arena. Large, round, with high walls to keep the fighters in, and the viewers safe in their raised seats. Hard, sand-dusted stone floors, died in myriads of brown from years of dried blood and viscera. Floors she had played on during her training, finding shapes in the day's splatters between her exercises. How excited she had been, back when she was small and new, to know that she'd one day fight there, and it'd be her name they were chanting.

She remembers the Ring, and all that she did there. Or some of it, at least; so much of it is simply blurs of color in her mind now. Blurs of color, cacophony of screams and cheers blending into an incoherent mess. But how proud she had been back then. So proud to be fighting there, with the ring of viewers singing her praises as she wore the crimson colors of her opponent.

She remembers the Ring, her home....her former home. She cannot go back, she cannot return to that life, to that darkened cell deep below the earth. She cannot bear the thought of losing her friends, her loved ones, the sun and sky and trees and life she's come to love so dearly. But she might not have a choice, if she's to keep others from returning to that fate.

She is not the only one who remembers. Screams and gasps in the night as memories torment her friend, the shaking mess he's left in after his dreams take him Home. The way the Ring had left him broken, in body and mind, in ways that might never heal.

It kills her to even consider going back, but she's terrified. Because if they've found her, they've found them. And...and she can handle going back better than them. And she's terrified of what she might find there.

Or rather: who.

#ffxiv #ffxiv write #ffxiv write 2023 #ffxivwrite 2023 #drabble #she's fine #it's fine #it's totally fine #She'll be okay for sure for sure #don't think she can power of friendship her way out of this one

[bananarose]

FFXIV Write #5 - "Barbarous"

5. Barbarous

adjective

uncivilized; wild; savage; crude.

savagely cruel or harsh:

The prisoners of war were given barbarous treatment.

An exploration of my character Aurelius S'teel, during his time as a conscript in the Garlean army

TW: canon typical violence

Masterlist

Aurelius shivered, his fingers cold as they wrapped around his gunblade, clutching it as though his life depended on it… because his life depended on it. So far the weapon had served as his saving grace, and spelled the end of many a ‘savage’ he was tasked to…  Being a member of the Garlean army was hardly what he saw when he envisioned his future, training with the other young viera among the trees he called home. That training, to become another protector of the forest, doomed to live out his days in solitude and violence - that training was nothing in comparison to what he had witnessed in his time as a conscript. To say that their practices were cruel was like saying the sky is blue. Of course the sky is blue, but it’s a lot of other things too. The Garlean soldiers were cruel, uncompromising; but far too many of them came from similar backgrounds as Aurelius, someone in the wrong place at the wrong time and consequently swept into a war that was not theirs, or worse - forced into service to the enemy of their people.  Keen eyes sought out his target, a shape in the distance deftly darting between cover - but far too obvious to Aurelius’ practiced vision. He had been tasked with tracking another soldier, another conscript like himself, who had run off under the cover of night. The fool had thought to return home, warn his family about the machinations of the army, Aurelius thought - but with a wave of an armored hand he was sent to dispose of the traitor, and he would complete his duty.  As though - because - his life depended on it. Moving unseen, nothing but another shadow under a moonless sky, Aurelius stalked his prey. He caught up too easily; the man really never did have a chance, did he? Sharpened steel met with the soft flesh of the other soldier’s throat, tearing through with a sickening splatter of blood, killing him with hardly enough time for him to realize what was happening. That was the only mercy Aurelius could show - bringing his marks to their end quickly - without risking seeing his own so soon. Merciful behavior was frowned upon, and would get him killed in the end. This he had realized early on, when he yet wielded his spear from home, and before his hands were irreparably stained in blood.

#ffxivwrite2023 #oc #ffxiv oc #ffxiv original character #ffxiv non-wol oc #original character - Aurelius S'teel #i'm still working on his lore but this prompt was made for Aurelius #so i just jumped in and wrote this and i'm really happy with it #ffxiv write #ffxiv writing prompts #writing prompts #my writing

[voidling-ffxiv]

4. Off the Hook

There was no way she was getting out of this one. Absolutely none, especially since the sun had already began to sink below the horizon by the time she'd found herself home, quickly shaking the flowers and petals from her hair.

Cover story, fast....fast... A dusting of snow tossed over herself, packed along her shoes. Cover story: She went exploring, and she got lost. Simple. No details to mess up, and it was a believable tale. Would she get in trouble? Of course. But it was a lot less trouble than what she anticipated for the latter. And it wasn't -technically- a lie...

Her mother would be much less worried about her getting lost here, than getting stuck there, in the land of everspring. Her getting in less trouble was just a bonus.

Quietly, she made her way into the house, feet carrying her to where her mother was. She was tempted to hide, to flee...but....her mother was probably worried sick. She'd only intended to be gone an hour, maybe two... not this long.

She raised her gaze up to the manor, enjoying what very well might be her final tastes of freedom. She'll miss you, gentle wintry breeze, and gentle kiss of snowflake against her.... Farewell, dear sunlight, farewell burgeoning moonlight... She sighs as her dramatic internal soliloquy comes to an end, before turning to head into the manor to face the music.

-------

Quietly did the voidling slip back into her lair, her haven, her room, the door slipping quietly shut behind her.

She hadn't expected the hugs. Or the forehead kisses. The worry, though....that had killed her. She was quick, quick, quick as a race chocobo to assure her she was fine. She was okay. See? No harm, please don't worry, she was alright. She just got turned around, please don't be worried. It's okay, it's okay, she's sorry; she forgot her linkpearl.

All in all, it could have been worse: A weeks grounding, and the lecture of a life time.... frankly, knowing just -how- much her mother had been worried was worse than any of that. She could survive a week in her room, and a week without candy or sweets. Besides, she had painting to do.

#ffxiv #ffxiv write #ffxiv write 2023 #ffxivwrite #ffxivwrite2023 #ffxivwrite 2023 #drabble

[thedarknesssings]

FFXIV Write 2023 Master List

Week One

Prompt 1:  Envoy - Inheritance Prompt 2:  Bark - No Light Here Prompt 3:  Free Write - Friendship Prompt 4:  Off the Hook - Gunshot Prompt 5:  Barbarous - Devil's Tax Prompt 6:  Ring - The Darkness Blessed Prompt 7:  Noisome - New Bargain

Week Two

Prompt 8:  Shed - Viper Problems Prompt 9:  Fair - Fire and Ice Prompt 10:  Free Write - Haunted Prompt 11:  Once bitten, twice shy - No Risk Taken Here Prompt 12:  Dowdy - Confidence Prompt 13:  Check - Fury's Grace Prompt 14:  Clear - Fairy Tales

Week Three

Prompt 15: Portentous - House Courcelle Prompt 16:  Jerk - What Goes Around Prompt 17:  Free Write - One Could Hope Prompt 18:  A fish out of water - Shallow Prompt 19:  Weal - Lost Chance Prompt 20:  Hamper - Back in the Light Prompt 21:  Grave - Burn

Week Four

Prompt 22:  Fulsome - Two Birds Prompt 23:  Suit - Classified Prompt 24:  Free Write - Wheel and Deal Prompt 25: Call it a day - The Lies that Bind Prompt 26:  Last - Tangled Webs Prompt 27:  Sole - What You Know Prompt 28:  Blunt -

Week Five

Prompt 29:   Contravention - Prompt 30:   Amity -

#ffxiv write 2023 #ffxiv write #master list #prompt list #ffxiv #writing

[fair-fae]

FFxivWrite22 Entry #5: Cutting Corners

FFxivWrite 2022 Prompt #5: Cutting Corners “Yeah, yeah, of courrrse it’s the good stuff. Best fogweed you’ll find in Thanalan,” C’therin announced proudly, hands upon her hips as the finely dressed, young Lalafell held the bundle of herbs in his tiny hands, inspecting it closely. “Mmm… I don’t know. Why does it all look different?” the skeptical nobleman asked. “Oh, duh, it’s a blend. Different strrrains. That’s how ya make sure ya get the best high,” the Miqo’te stated with pure confidence, matter of fact. “And it’s safe…?” he questioned cautiously. “‘Courrrse it is!” she asserted cheerily. “Safety is our top priorrrity.” She bent forward to bring herself closer to eye level with the diminutive man, her lips slowly curling into a toothy grin, a flash of white standing in contrast to her sun-tanned, dirt-smudged skin. “Do I look like the kinda perrrson ya can’t trust?” She did look entirely untrustworthy… but that was exactly the sort of person you could depend on for your drug purchases, right? Or so thought the young man barely out of his teenage years as he complied and slipped his free hand onto his pocket, retrieving a sack full of entirely too much gil and handing it over to Therin. “Okay, okay, here… and you… won’t tell anyone, right?” Her too-wide grin did not falter and she pledged, “M’lips are sealed.” She’d already turned her attention away from the small man, opening the sack of gil and beginning to pull the coins from it one by one, counting her profits. “Right, right, ummm. Pleasure doing business with you, then, uh… Ma’am?” He bent into a stiff and formal bow, lingering awkwardly for a moment before his gaze darted this way and that for any witnesses, and then he hurried off as fast as his little legs would take him. No sooner than he had disappeared, an Ala Mhigan woman dressed in ragged clothes rounded the corner of Pearl Lane, casually approaching the familiar Miqo’te. “Runnin’ drugs now, Kitty?” she offered in way of greeting. C’therin scoffed. “Ya really think I’d sell my own fogweed? I snatched some herrrbs an’ shit from the Quicksand’s kitchen,” she explained, quickly shoving the purse of gil into her pocket for safekeeping. “Rich kids ‘round here ain’t know any better.” @kitty-ffxiv​

#ffxiv #ffxivwrite #ffxivwrite22 #ffxivwrite2022 #ffxiv write #ffxivwrite 2022 #2022 #my writing #writing #fiction #short fiction #drabble #writing prompt #writing challenge #c'therin sapa #c'therin #therin #kitty #sapa #entry 5 #prompt 5 #cutting corners #cutting #corners

[the-sycophant]

FFXIV Write 2023 - Prompt 08 - Shed

Words | 368 -------------------- Long fingers slid down hand carved images of intricate mountainsides and folklore, of prancing karakuls wearing crowns made with local flora. He made a comment on the fine craftsmanship as a finger circled along the smoothed ridges, where it was worn down from where others had done the same. He said something about the age of the inn, its history. 

It did little to improve her mood. She hardly heard him over the blood rushing though her skull in throbs. Slow, painful throbs. Echoes of her mistake traveling down each vein, deep aches where no hands could properly soothe. 

Her feet were delicate things, soft and pampered like the rest of her. The boots she had worn - had stolen - were much too big for her, she realized now. Rubbing and chafing, annoyingly biting at her ankles from straps tied too tightly to keep them on. 

How far had they traveled through such terrain? In such poorly made gear? She was too stubborn and too stupid to swallow her pride to tell him that she had made a mistake. "I'm fine." She had said to him. Said it to herself too. Over and over even up to when she no longer felt her feet. Couldn't feel her legs squeezing around the saddle of the chocobo.

The air on her flesh was fire, burning every nerve with such a radiant heat that she felt her entire body pulse with a sickening fever. She cried into his shoulder, dry tears and hiccupping sobs as he attempted to peel away wool socks without taking too much flesh with it. He had to soak her in the tub to remove her trousers, run the water cold as she tried to keep from passing out.

It was a necessary thing, their way of travel. She supposed she should be grateful she had a bed to sleep in tonight. No scratchy straw and rusted nails poking through the unstable skeleton of some unburied old barn or empty shed. No need to bury under the snow like some sort of rodent to keep warm and hide from whatever it is they hid from.

She didn't even remember him lying her down into the mattress.

#ffxiv #ffxiv write 2023 #ffxivwrite2023 #ffxiv write

[bloodstained-bard]

Prompt 6: Ring (FFXIV Write 2023)

Set Two Months prior to Envoy

—-

We are fated, you and I, to meet at the edges of the world and beyond, aren’t we?

The city was cooler that day than it had been in days. Dust still hung in the air, but the oppressive heat had abated to something bearable, at least. Most of the people wandering about carried on with their day in better moods than he’d seen in almost a fortnight. It was enough to leave him with a smile despite the growing nerves twisting in his chest. That familiar sensation had built the past few days culminating in him navigating the stone hallways from the Exchange and into the deeper heart of the city. Here the echoes of voices and the looming fountain bled together in a cacophony of sound that surrounded and invaded the senses.

It was a dizzying place to be in for even a moment, but days had passed since he’d arrived. Information, goods, and now one final piece of business had called him away from the shelter and comfort of his distant woods, away from her warmth. He reasoned that leaving was worth the risk, even for a short while, to try and discover who had set them on this path of destruction and murder. What had been a joyous few months had turned into a pitched battle for survival that had forced his small clan to retreat to their own home, to shelter behind wooden palisades and question what each day would bring. Ruin, or safety?

Banishing that somber thought, Vanric’s boots carried him deeper still until he found himself standing before the merchant's stall. His commission had been submitted weeks ago by courier, and now the moment of truth had come. “Ah, Mister Retelle was it? Welcome back sir, I assume you’re here to pick up your order?”

Nodding as he drew close, Vanric laid a hand to the edge of the counter with a glint in his eyes, and an uncharacteristically jovial smile to his lips. “I am. I know you said it would be another day but I thought one extra wouldn’t hurt. So…?”

Sileas’ smile was confirmation enough and after a bit of digging, she retrieved a small, wooden box and laid it onto the counter.

“I have it just here for you, sir. You know…I don’t often make a habit of asking but the particular nature of this commission, I have to ask is it..?”

A conspiratorial light drew into the Elezen’s gaze as he peeked back at her and he idly brushed a finger across the surface of the box. Unable to keep from glancing inside he slipped the top open, and felt the breath leave him in a sigh. His expression sobered, and his fingers hovered above the small gift inside for a few moments.

“Sir..? Is everything alright?” Drawn from that brief reverie he glanced up at once, surprised by his own absentmindedness. “Forgive me, yes, it’s…perfect. Exactly as I envisioned it…I just…seeing it in person..Thank you, and please pass along my thanks to the rest of the artisans. This…well I’m sure you hear this quite a bit but this means the world to me. Thank you. Now I just need to get it delivered.”

He watched her raise a hand to stifle the little laugh that escaped, and the warm smile veiled behind it. With a gracious bow of her head she wished him well along with a hope he’d return to do business with them again. As he slipped away, through the dizzying spirals of the inner courtyards, the stone pathways leading out into the morning sun, he tucked that small box away keeping it safely nestled in his satchel. It would take another two days to return home, but now that he had everything he needed, they’d pass swiftly enough.

But fate can be as cruel as it is giving…

He’d come to her that day clad in traveling leathers, bow at his back, and a small box held in one hand. What words they shared in parting were spoken letting the wind carry them to the horizon, and the gift was offered. Within a thin wooden box, in a bed of soft lavender cloth, was an earring that glinted in the morning light. A small bar of spun silver twisted together to form a pointed loop, at its top a trio of crimson flowers. 

Their surface was vaguely reflective, the tempered glass drinking in the light to give the appearance of morning dew on the petals, and adorning each in the middle was a single lavender-colored pistol. Beneath the flowers lay a small bronze chain that hung loose, a single strand of crimson hair braided along its length. A tiny translucent crystal shaped like a teardrop clung to the end of the chain glittering in the morning light, and drinking in the glow to cast various colors within. 

“We began on separate paths.”

A hand rose to gesture towards the silver band, following its path to where the loop began.

“And together were wonderful…now we move on separate paths again.”

He slowly curled his finger to follow the diverging path that wound to beneath where the flowers bloomed.

“To one day join again and fulfill a promise. You showed me there is more to the world than the walls I surrounded myself with and called it freedom. I intend to know this new world, to gaze upon it with fresh eyes, and one day…return to you with those stories and make good on my word.”

He drew a breath, swallowing only once before speaking again.

“Until then keep this with you. If you ever have need of me..no matter when, or where, or why…you need only speak to it and I will hear you, and I will come. Until we meet again..”

One final gesture was left; a small kiss laid atop her head in a bed of lavender, a small breath, and then he turned to take the steps that would carry him into that new world.

#ffxiv write #ffxiv write 2023 #ffxiv #ffxiv roleplay #ffxiv rp #ffxiv stories #ffxiv writing #my oc #prompts #roleplay

[emc2beans]

#FFXIVWrite2023 Day 13: Check

A merry band of teenagers bring back some strange machines in the hopes that an adult can identify them.

(This is a continuation from the Day 8 response.)

Dragging a sled loaded with unknown machines and devices across the frigid landscape of Garlemald was neither Llewellyn’s nor Syden’s ideal workout, but based on how sore and tired he was after their return to Camp Broken Glass, it certainly felt like one. Even so, they were just as interested to discover the nature of their find as the rest. Dire was especially excited, having run off to find Jullus as soon as possible. They managed to find both him and Maxima during a free moment. 

“So, we found a bunch of stuff, and we were wondering if you could tell us what it is.” Dire explained, leading the two men to the loaded sled. They pulled back the tarpaulin covering the equipment with an energetic flourish. 

“Er, this is… certainly something.” Jullus said as he picked up a metal wedge covered in dials and sliders. 

“If I am not mistaken, this is radio broadcasting equipment.” Maxima smiled, looking over the haul. “At least, some of it is. I believe the rest of this could be meteorological in nature.”

“Why would you use a radio to talk about meteors? Are they that interesting?” Syden asked, curious. Maxima chuckled as he sorted the radio equipment from everything else. 

“No, no. Meteorology refers to the study of weather patterns. You must have found a weather reporting station or a research outpost. Either way, they would have used a radio broadcast to alert the citizens to impending severe weather.” He explained. 

“Do you think any of it still works? The radio stuff, at least. Or do you not know how to use it?” Dire still looked excited. 

“Being able to anticipate and communicate information about bad storms and cold fronts would be of great use to the people in Tertium, and to us as well.” Alphinaud mused, already planning out further uses for this new asset. 

“Well, I did dabble a bit in amateur radio production during my student years.” Maxima looked a little embarrassed to mention his old hobby. “But I worry that if we start a new broadcast, we may frighten people here considering what happened with the Tower of Babil.” Dire deflated a little bit. 

“Well, perhaps we could just ask people how they feel.” A’mina suggested. “They would probably like an easier way to find out things that are going on.”

“It’s an idea worth pursuing.” Maxima nodded in agreement. “When you next distribute rations to the refugees, you should ask them how they would feel about us starting a radio station. Regardless, we would still need a broadcasting tower, unless there’s one already attached to the camp here…”

“We can check!” Dire was practically bouncing with excitement again. “What are we looking for?” Maxima then gave a brief description of what a radio tower would look like before Dire ran off to start looking. The others began moving the equipment inside, sorting it by purpose, as they waited with bated breath for whatever idea Dire had gotten into their head to start to come to fruition. 

To be continued probably

#ffxiv oc stuff #ffxivwrite2023 #ffxivwrite #ffxiv write 2023 #ffxiv write #writing stuff

[yzeltia]

FFXIVwrite2023 30. Amity

Characters: Gaius van Baelsar, Keith Summers, Avilina, Allie, the citizens of Terncliff Expansion: Endwalker (Spoilers for Shadowbringer Patches) Rating: G for Goofy Notes: At the bottom. Keith continues to be Gaius's punishment

Gaius coughed as smoke filled his apartment, grabbing for Heirsbane as he pushed out his door. 

"Sound the alarm! Assemble the other volunteer fire force," he yelled out into the night, shielding his face as lights flashed in his face, "Hells! We're under siege!"

As his eyes adjusted, the staccato of an electric keyboard rang out over the city, followed by a small murmur of cheering from those gathered at his favourite reading spot. Keith's voice crooning through what Gaius now realized was artificial fog. The lights centering on a crane with Keith hung on it, the Garlean groaned.

"🎶 I got myself a notion

 And one I know that you'll understand

We set the world in motion

By reaching out for each other's hand

Maybe we'll discover

What we should have known all along 🎶"

Gaius pushed through the crowd as Keith sang, glowering as the Gyr Abanian was lowered enough to gently take Avilina's hand in his own as he stepped onto the marble railing. The singer spun the Auri girl in his arms as he continued to sing on.

"🎶One way or another

Together's where we both belong 🎶."

The Garlean stopped short as he watched Avilina and Keith start to dance together and sing, finding himself beside Allie who watched quietly with the crowd.

"🎶If we listen to each other's heart

We'll find we're never too far apart

And maybe love is the reason why

For the first time ever we're seeing it eye to eye 🎶"

Gaius grunted as the two pointed to their eyes then each other before finding himself pulled in by Keith. Spotlight on him, the man felt himself freeze in terror, only pulling out of his state by Keith giving him a little nudge as he continued.

"🎶If a wall should come between us

Too high to climb, too hard to break through

I know that love will lead us

And find a way to bring me to you

So don't be in a hurry

Think before you count us out

You don't have to worry

I won't ever let you down (nothing's gonna stop us now) 🎶"

As Keith and Avilina went into the chorus again, Gaius tried to make his escape, finding his route blocked by the orphan children jumping and cheering. In a panic, he looked to the ledge and then to Keith. Grabbing the other but scruff of his outfit, he chucked him over the edge, the music cutting out with only the sound of Keith screaming

"WAAAAAHOOOHOOOHOOHOOOEEEEEeeee" before splashing.

The crowd gasped a bit, looking at the Garlean as he tried to catch his breath. Swallowing, he straightened up, brushing at his house coat. Catching the frowns of the children up front, he looked to Avilina as she looked over the ledge, letting out a sigh of relief as she watched Keith swim toward the hanger.

"What is all this madness," he asked.

"An Amity concert to celebrate our friendship with Eorzea," the girl answered, "And that was our main act."

"Of course Summers would-," the man grumbled, hearing the whispers of Terncliff people behind him, "How much longer did he have?"

"We just started sir. It'll be some time for him to climb back and the crowd seems a bit restless," Avilina said, looking to Gaius expectantly.

"No. Hells no. Running the fun was not my intention but I'll be damned if…," Gaius growled before looking back to the crowd and then to the concerned looking orphans.

With a sigh, he relented to buying time for Keith to return. Face red and eyes upward he began to belt out the first song that came to him.

"🎶 Oh give me a home. Where the buffalo roam,

 Where the deer and the antelope play.

 Where seldom is heard, a discouragin' word, 

and the skies are not cloudy all day. 

Home, home on the range 🎶"

The man wished Ultima had taken him out now more than ever, hearing the kids giggle at his off key tune. He dared glance toward Allie who watched quietly, though a twinkle of amusement seemed to flicker in her eyes.  Finally he found himself looking out at a wet Hyur beside her, emerald eyes gleaming with delight as he bellowed out the song before wandering forward to sing with him, gesturing to the crowd to join in. The whole of the crowd filled Terncliff with the folk song, united now more than ever in friendship, and a bit in the former Legatius’s embarrassment. Notes: Song 1 2 1 by Tevin Campbell Song Home on the Range by Brewster Higley

#final fantasy xiv #ffxiv #final fantasy 14 #ff14 #ffxiv oc #ff xiv #Keith Summers #gaius van baelsar #allie #avilina #terncliff #ffxivwrite2023 #ffxiv write 2023 #ffxiv write

[katalinhunter]

Fair

"Hey there, anyone in?" Katalin called one more time before opening the door. There was a fair bit of clanking going on so maybe they hadn't heard?

It actually looked more like a shed on the inside than she had expected. Which, okay, fair enough. Not that she was really sure what to expect but something in between a workshop or more a sales display? This was just storage.

Tools, some recognizable some not, all meticulously clean without no signs of rust and only the faintest patina of age. Bags of this that and the other, none of them labeled. Neatly stacked cans of paint and less well-maintained brushes and trays. What looked to be four bags of glitter, maybe 50 ponze each. Gardening shears.

Finally she found the source of the clanking though. Well, where it was emanating from. A trapdoor, obscured from the entrance, was propped open and the noises were coming from inside. So down, down would be were the workshop was.

The banging died down suddenly with a great hiss of steam serving as its punctuation. She could hear an argument of sorts below then a metallic thud.

"Heya, I'm here, had an appointment?"

#ffxiv #ffxiv rp #ffxiv write #ffxiv write 2023 #prompt 9 fair #skirting the edge of using the prompt here ah well

[punches-and-cream-puffs]

5. Barbarous

To so many, she was simply Teagan. Sweetness and smiles, warmth and sunshine. Arms and doors open to all, an overflowing font of kindness and friendship and love; never where there strings or requirements. A kind soul, a warm one, ever ready to help, to listen, to bring a smile to one's face and to shine light on the darkest of days.

But there was another side to the coin; the way that smile could be so cold, a chilling icy slash across her face. The way those pale blue eyes could flicker to a cold, silvery glint in the light. How easily the hands she offered in friendship could be delivered through the ribs, cracking their way through to caress one's heart before she offered it it's lethal freedom from the cage of bone and sinew that kept it trapped. How differently that laugh could ring when she was painted in the crimson hues of those unfortunate enough to cross her path, the mirth and playfulness a dreadful contrast to the gore and viscera she bathed herself in.

She didn't deny her side; so long had it been her identity. Her pride. Her source of joy. A beast of their making, their dear blood-stained doll. How hard they had worked on her, eighteen years molding their perfect killer, their most valued asset. And their efforts had paid off. Eighteen years of dancing their macabre, sanguine dance, of painting the white of her dresses red in their screams, their cries for ungiven mercy. Eighteen years of gleefully tearing through her enemies, dancing to the tune of cracking bones and the melody of tearing flesh, of screams dying into rattling sighs.

Some days, it comes back to her, as she kneads her dough or rips open a fruit. And she can't deny, this part of her is still alive, still thriving, still there when it's needed, ready to come to the forefront. But, as she reminds herself, she is so much more than that now.

Her hands can do so much more than destroy, than harm.

Her hands that create; food full of the warmth and affection she'd longed for when she was younger, that she could give freely to those around her. Her hands that could now seek those of others, to hold, to connect. Instead of hurt and harm, they could offer comfort and succor and healing.

But some days it comes back to her, and all she can see is the red. And no matter how hard she scrubs, it will always leave it's stain.

#ffxiv write #ffxivwrite 2023 #ffxivwrite #ffxiv write 2023 #drabble #tw: blood #tw: gore