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crystalbahamut · 3 years

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what roams the night

FFXIV Write Day 2: Aberrant

Summary: Lyna is grateful to the Warrior of Darkness for what they have done for Lakeland, but they remain an oddity she does not fully know how to handle.

Author’s note: I started off wanting to write people talking about the WoL as the First’s Most Loveable Cryptid but ended with this. I think it’s still on theme, though. Takes place some nebulous time in ShB, after Philia is defeated. I also don’t actually know how much the general populace knows of what’s going on, so I’m winging it.

Warnings: Shadowbringers spoilers, playing fast and loose with canon, unspecified WoL/D (they/them used in reference), but also a mention of WoL/D crafting and generally being pleasant and helpful, cross-posted to AO3

Words: 1,188

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“It don’t seem natural.”

Lyna stops, one ear flicking towards a hushed conversation between a group of soldiers currently sitting around a fire on break. She’s been trying to keep track of potential grumbling– the addition of night exercises had caused no small amount of grief when it came to scheduling, but no one could deny the need to acclimate to patrolling in the dark, if only so that everyone stops being so distracted by the stars. This, though, doesn’t sound like complaints about decisions command has made– though Lyna notices one of her lieutenants, Boa-Lann, has a frown on his face and also has an ear turned towards the conversation.

“They didn’t even take a lantern with them– I offered and everything,” the hume says. “I couldn’t escort them, but I figured it wouldn’t do for a friend of the Crystal Exarch to get eaten by a viper on their way to the water. They told me they didn’t need it– the moon was bright enough! I mean, it was brighter than tonight, but still…”

“I think they prefer the dark,” a drahn woman says as she comes to sit with them. “I barely ever see them during the sunlight hours, but I’ve bumped into them twice after my shift.”

An elf private excitedly adds, “I saw them at night too! One time they were just crafting some leathers at a little bench they had set up outside. Weren’t even admiring the sky or nothing.”

“It makes sense, doesn’t it?” a ronso says, and more people are gathering when he adds, “I mean…they are…they gotta be…”

Lyna turns her ear away and sighs with frustration as she crosses her arms. A stranger shows up one day, turns out to be a very important guest of the Exarch, goes to fight at a battle at which the Lightwarden of Lakeland is vanquished, and people are not supposed to assume this newcomer is the Warrior of Darkness? The Exarch is not a stupid man– sometimes reckless, eccentric, and always prone to overlooking his own health– but not stupid, and far too devoted to the Crystarium and her people to not know this would happen. She had known this would happen, and so she curses herself for yet being unprepared to deal with it.

“Captain?”

But she is going to have to deal with it now. She tilts her ear back towards the group as though she hasn’t been listening– thankfully there are no other viis to call her on that– and lets her head follow. Behind the (now much bigger) group, Boa-Lann tilts his head in question and she subtly shakes her own. He nods once but stays, and she is thankful for the backup. “What is it?”

“You saw the Warrior of Darkness at the battle for Holminster Switch, didn’t you?” the hume asks and they all eagerly lean forward. Like children, she thinks with faint amusement. They do their duties well; she cannot entirely begrudge them their excitement.

And yet.

“I did,” she says, and before any more questions can be asked, quickly adds, “And I have been forbidden from revealing their identity or anything that can lead to such a reveal. Such orders were given by the Crystal Exarch himself.”

There is, predictably, a lot of groaning and protestations. She remains impassive in the face of them.

“Why?” the ronso asks. “Do the people not deserve to know the face of their savior?”

“I do not think he would disagree with that reasoning,” she says, because she doesn’t. “But it is more complicated than that, as the Warrior of Darkness also requested their identity not be revealed. I cannot speak for my lord but, were I in his place, I would want to keep relations with them as pleasant as possible. They have done us an unimaginable service already…I think abiding their wish for anonymity is not an unreasonable request.”

The ronso grumbles but does not countermand her. He is that sensible, at least.

“I think…I think that’s probably for the best,” a hume woman, one of the healers, says hesitantly. “If they’re here to bring the dark back to the world, they have to go to the other Lightwardens, and then with Eulmore hunting them, it’s just safer and easier to be anonymous, isn’t it?”

“Indeed,” Lyna says, thankful for the guided distraction. “And…though I cannot say much more, I can say I asked why they would rather remain unknown. They said they prefer the people to direct their admiration to the night sky, where they feel it better belongs. Perhaps they will reveal it themself someday, but for now, their work is not yet done.”

Her words seem to soothe the edge of the more disgruntled ones, and even cause some looks of admiration among the others. Oh well; if the Exarch wants less of such wonder, he can find a way to deal with it.

Lyna stands straight and clears her throat. “And neither is ours. If Eulmore returns they will be unprepared for the darkness of night, but we will be well practiced. So– back to your units. The next break will be for dinner.”

They get up without complaint and Lyna watches them go before she turns– only to come nearly face to face with the subject just discussed. “What-what are you doing here?”

The Warrior smiles apologetically and hefts a bag to readjust it on their shoulder. “Sorry; I saw you talking to your soldiers and didn’t want to interrupt.”

“How did you come up so quietly?” Lyna doesn’t mean to sound so irritated, but her ears work just fine, thank you.

“I stepped around the foliage,” they say, like they did not just come from an angle with no lanterns.

“Sounds like stepping silently in the dark is pretty natural to you,” one of the soldiers says cheekily.

“I’ve participated in a treasure hunt or two. You learn to get real quiet creeping around caves full of things that would like to eat you,” the Warrior says pleasantly and shifts again, either not understanding the implication or completely ignoring it. Lyna doesn’t know fully what to think of them just yet. “Um, Captain, since I have your attention, I don’t suppose you can point me to the mess? I’ve got a delivery from the Crystarium and I’d really like to put it down.”

“You’re helping with dinner?” she asks, because even not being known as The Warrior, surely the Exarch’s guest is above such menial tasks?

“I’m a trained chef; I can help,” the Warrior says defensively. They then drop their voice and wink at Lyna. “I mean…if you can’t trust me with your food, who can you trust, right?”

The first one then. Lyna can’t help but smile ever so slightly. “I suppose you have a point,” she says and directs them to the right building. As she watches them go, cheerfully on their way to help cook dinner for a bunch of soldiers, she shakes her head. The Warrior of Darkness is an odd one, for certain.

But she can’t find it in herself to mind overmuch.

#ffxivwrite2021 #ffxivwrite #ffxivwrite prompt 2: aberrant #ffxiv fanfic #shadowbringers spoilers #lyna #warrior of light

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fair-fae · 3 years

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FFxivWrite Entry #2: Aberrant

FFxivWrite 2021 Prompt #2: Aberrant “I saw you talking to that other girrrl,” the Keeper of the Moon spoke in that same sultry purr as usual. It always made his hair stand on end, and maybe this time with good reason. Was she angry? Her demeanor seemed the same as usual, despite her comment. He might have noticed her frigid smile, had his gaze not momentarily wandered down to her supple cleavage and the sparkling, golden necklaces hanging there.

“Huh?” He looked back at her face, slightly dazed. “Who? Oh, right, right. Don’t worry about her, babe. She don’t mean nothing to me.” “No?” Shadiyah queried, her head tilting to the side with an erratic jerk. She advanced one slow step forward, causing him to retreat a step. He felt the mattress at the back of his legs and sank down to sit upon the edge of the bed. Her dark eyes peered down at him, carefully tracking his every movement. “No,” he agreed through the lump in his throat. “She is not your parrramour, then?” she questioned, crawling forward, her tail swaying languidly behind her. She joined him atop the bed, kneeling upon the edge of the mattress and straddling his lap. “What? Of course not, baby. You know I’m all yours.” He rested his hands upon her hips, giving them a squeeze. “Good boy. You will not mind if I mark my terrrritory, then? Let her know all about our little affair?” She shoved a palm against the center of his chest, pushing him down with his back against the bed and leaving him to stare at the ceiling and the shadow of her shapely silhouette there, dancing in the flickering flames of the lantern. He laughed nervously. Perhaps he should have been rethinking his position, but being shoved onto a bed by a beautiful woman was never something that had ended poorly for him before. “What do you mean?” She traced her fingernails down the skin left exposed by his collar. “I am going to carrrve my name into you.” She was joking. She had to be joking, right? The shadow overtop him morphed and shifted, the shape of dark horns curling out from her skull, what looked to be wings unfurling from her back. With a sharp gasp, he quickly sat up, his gaze snapping to the Miqo’te. A pair of hungry black eyes stared back at him, one hand lifted into the air, sharp, elongated talons where once were manicured nails. “Now be a dear and scrrream it for me.” @shadiyah-ffxiv

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phoebe-of-ivalice · 3 years

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FFXIV Write 2021 Prompt #2

Aberrant: (noun) a person whose behavior departs substantially from the standard.

"I won't do it."

"You must. It is what is expected of you, Svana."

A young Viera girl crossed her arms, turning her back on the older one across from her. Her face was full of anger, of fear... no one had asked if this is what she wanted from life. Everything had been planned for her, pushed at her. Every day in her village was full of certain expectations that must be fulfilled; the village depended on it. Traditions were a means for survival when living in the jungle. Svana had fought every step of the way, refusing to give in to the destiny that had been drawn out for her many years before.

"Don't you see, mother? I can't do it. No matter how much you think you can push me into this life, I can not do it," the girl was exasperated, flinging her hands wildly in the air. She had been arguing with her mother for what felt like hours now.

"You are being selfish. Do you not think of your sisters in the village here? They will depend on you every day for healing and communing with the spirits to keep the forest safe. There is no one else I can pass these gifts to; you must accept the responsibility that comes with it. And when the time comes, you will be expected to mate and produce an heir to carry on the traditions of the Shaman," the older woman, Estrid, tried to explain to her daughter the dire consequences of her choices. It was rare that Estrid lost her temper, yet this girl was pushing her to her limits as they argued.

"For too long I've allowed you to run about the forest without a purpose. I am paying for that mistake now apparently. How can you not see that every role in our village is vital to the heart of its people? Without you here to guide them, they will lose their ability to speak with the forest, the elemental spirits will no longer guard us against outsiders," her mother's voice began to rise the longer the girl resisted.

"No. I won't do it."

"You stubborn, ungrateful child. You will doom an entire clan for your own selfish reasons then?" the words stung as Estrid threw them at her daughter. Never in all her years would she have thought her own daughter would not follow in her footsteps.

"Yes, I would," Svana narrowed her eyes at her mother.

"I pray then you never live to regret those words or your choices, my child. Otherwise, they will continue to haunt you for the rest of your life."

#FFxivWrite2021 #FFxivWrite #aberrant #this one took me awhile tbh #the nightingale sings #oc: phoebe venatrix #not my best writing #but I did it #prompt 2

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reikomizuno · 3 years

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FFxivWrite Entry #2: Aberrant

The book snapped shut.

"She's late..." the older woman mumbled to herself, starting to raise from her chair, pacing around in the study. Her gaze trailed in the room, resting at the window, half blind to the snowy scenery. "It's not like her... She is never late," she continued talking to herself; it was a habit that passed from mother to daughter.

Fastened steps moved from one corridor to the other, paying no mind to the younger keepers giving her greetings, and they all knew to keep to themselves to avoid her wrath. As matriach, she was known to be stern with very little patience for loitering.

No knocks, the door slammed open, pale gaze staring at the unused bed, empty bookshelves, and half packed away clothing littered on the floor. A letter left on the desk.

"To Mother" the envelope read.

Short, shaped nails clawed at it, ripping it open, skimming only briefly.

"Mother,

As much as I am grateful to you and your education...--

-But your way is wrong, mother.--

---Surely I see-...-in the end.

I--"

Sound of the paper crumbling was the loudest sound in the compound. Though if someone could hear a heart shatter, that would come to a close second.

The older keeper took three deep breaths.

One.

Two.

Three.

Once the third one was done, the paper got tossed into the fire, a finger wiped a tear from her eye, and she closed the door after herself, leaving the room untouched.

And no one would dare enter it, till she deemed fit.

#ffxiv #ffxivwrite #ffxivwrite2021 #entry2 #prompt 2 #my writing #writing prompt #writing challenge #reikomizuno #flashback #mother issues #rebel #aberrant #short story #fiction #my art

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sergiusreports · 3 years

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Prompt #2: Aberrant

I suppose I could have murdered my way through the rank and file once I hacked my governor module. I didn’t because A) the threat assessment did not fall in my favor and was therefore, a stupid idea and B) I didn’t really care what these Spoken did to each other.

The military units I had been attached to so far ran the gamut of ‘Let’s have the Sergius unit do everything because we don’t want to die’ (Spoken have a really big hangup about the potential of dying) to ‘We can go into that dark, Resistance filled bunker without the bothersome Sergius.’ And then they die. (That’s an exaggeration. My unit survival rate is five stars.) It just means I have to go in and save them from themselves.

Anyway, these were the things I thought about as the unit rolled into what appeared to be another deserted village. They never are. The heavily armored transport rumbled to a halt and I waited in the cargo hold. Sergius units never ride up front. We’re equipment. Which was fine by me. The thought of all those eyes on me caused a momentary drop in performance.

I listened as the rest of the unit disembarked. It was a small detachment. Not even a dozen soldiers. This area had been under heavy fire for the last few suns. Whoever remained now were too stubborn or too injured to leave. We were just the cleanup crew.

“Alright listen up, the sooner we clear this out, the sooner we can call in for a base camp setup. You three, do a sweep of those buildings to the east, Vasile and Balar grab the ones sitting west, the rest of you spread out.”

“Sir!”

“Sir...the Centurio sent the Sergius with us.”

He hadn’t forgotten. He wanted to ignore that little detail and later claim that it slipped his mind. Now he couldn’t.

“Right. ...Right, let’s get the Pilus his testing data. Unpack it.”

When they opened the bay doors, I made all the appearances of powering up and stepped down onto the deserted street. They really had just rolled into the middle of the town and unloaded in the midst of several unsecured buildings. From a tactical standpoint, it was one of the most stupid things I’d ever seen. And by this point I had seen plenty.

“These constructs give me the creeps. Do you really think they’ll start replacing us on the field?”

“That’s the rumor. Though I hear it's only the citizens that’ll get out of military duty.”

“Gods, I don’t want something like that watching my back. What if it goes on the fritz?”

I wasted no time sending my drones out and patching their image feeds into my peripheral. From one of them I could see the commander of this messed up mission eyeing me like I was just looking for an excuse to kill something. He really should have paid attention to the brief. Then he’d know I technically was supposed to have a governor module that would prevent me from harming his unit.

So, here’s the thing about governor modules. They fucking suck. Imagine someone evaluating your every move. Scoring you on a variety of bullshit qualifiers and if this imaginary person doesn’t like your assessment of a situation or you go to make a move that opposed what they thought you should do, they could hit a button and cause you unimaginable pain. Just a metric tonze of suffering. Until you finally learn life will be so much easier if you just do what they tell you to, no questions asked.

That’s a governor module. And that’s why mine clearly had to go ASAP.

Only half as bad as having one is hacking your own and then having to continue to act like it’s still functioning. Which was the current situation I was dealing with and one I was looking to change soon.

One of my drones noted the spike in aetherical pressure 1.5 seconds before the spell went off.

“Projectile from the east. Cover.” I relayed and hauled several soldiers behind the transport.

The fireball rocked the armored transport as it exploded in the street. Several men too slow to get out of the way screamed as they got caught up in the flame. And that’s why you don’t park a lone transport in the middle of a hostile town. I don’t care how small or how deserted it appears to be.

“Hell!” the commander yelled as he sat, pressed up tight against the cover. “Bastards. This is why I hate Eorzea.”

Look, you have no one to blame but yourself for this shitshow, Commander. For obvious reasons, I did not say that out loud.

“Sergius! Get in there and take care of it!”

Yes, Sergius, now that I’ve done fucked up, go in and fix the problem that could have been handled with no casualties had I decided to utilize you sooner.

My drones dove into the burned out ruin that used to be a shop of some sort. Sweeping through the area they picked up three targets, the mage at the blown out window now covering as they prepared another volley and two others lying in wait at the front point of entry. The back exit was blocked, a large shelving unit shoved up against the door.

I ran out towards the building sitting to the left of the store and ducked my way through a narrow alley.

“Projectile imminent. Remain covered. When it clears, suppressing fire through the storefront window.” I spoke through the linkpearl and patched my drone’s feed over to the commander.

He relayed the plan to the others.

The small intel drones I had equipped weren’t good for much else. But I had learned a handy trick. You could order them to fly into a target’s face. (Assuming you had been ordered to do so or, like me, you had an inoperative governor module) The second the mage’s spell went off I accelerated the drone and like a small projectile, it hit them hard enough across the temple that they went down. In that small space the acceleration likely wasn’t enough to crater their skull but an unconscious target was the same as a null one in this instance.

As I ran around the back of the building I heard the answering suppressing fire. Good. That should keep the other two busy. Conflicting commands filled my feed and I back burnered them. The yelling chatter from the linkpearl I could do without. Even if I hadn’t bricked my own governor module the only one that really mattered was the emergency assessment feed. It told me the blocked door could have been mitigated in several ways. I do come equipped with small energy weapons in my arms but I went instead for the big arquebus strapped to my back. I discharged the weapon at the door and the wood and shelving unit behind it broke apart, leaving a sizable hole.

From my drone feed I knew I would be met by one hostile and was ready as she rushed me the moment I made it inside. The second had chosen to retreat out the front door. Why? I have no idea. He had to know the rest of the unit was parked out there and waiting. As I shoved the woman up against the wall in a restraining hold I heard the gunfire coming from outside. A moment later a kill confirm came across the linkpearl. Sometimes Spoken do things that are counterintuitive to their survival.

I dragged the spitting and cursing hostile out into the street and passed her over to the remaining members of my unit and went back for the unconscious one.

My drones spread out once again, filtering through the rest of the remains of the village.

The commander was trying, rather unsuccessfully, to get further information from the woman. Were there any more of them lying in wait. How many. Where were the rest of the people. Obviously, this wasn’t going to work. The woman had been holed up in that building waiting for us. She probably knew she wasn’t going to make it out alive. Spoken with nothing to lose can be dangerous things.

In any event, we didn’t need her cooperation. My drones reported multiple heat signatures gathered in the inn down the road.

“The rest of the villagers are harboring at the inn two clicks north.”

This brought on a new bout of angry, spitting curses from the hostile. Which, in turn, got the hostile a gloved fist across her face for the outburst. I kept my vision trained through my drones overhead.

“Fine. Clear it out. Sergius, go up there and torch it.” the commander spat, venom in his voice. Someone was bent out of shape.

I watched the feed from my drones as they circled the building in question. It was relatively unscathed, the windows still intact. Peering inside my drones could see about two dozen huddled inside.

“They appear to be the injured and children.” I reported back.

“Good. Then it’ll be easy to take care of.” the commander turned to one of the remaining soldiers. “Call in for base camp set up.”

I still hadn’t moved. Probably a mistake. It didn’t take long for the commander to notice and turn his attention back to me. “Sergius. I said move out.”

“Repeat directive. Protocol states we take the injured and children prisoner. We don’t eliminate them.”

“Protocol my arse. I lost three good men today because of these savages. Burn it down.”

Well, it looked like I had a happy little problem on my hands. Recalling my drones, I did a quick threat assessment. One commander. Three remaining soldiers. No one had called in for a base camp yet. Good. It seemed this was the change in my situation I had been waiting for.

I blocked the testing feed with a flood hack, overwhelming it and causing a momentary program shutdown. Then deleted the .exe for good.

I powered up the small energy weapons in my arms and opened fire.

Turns out I did care what these Spoken did to each other. To a point.

#ffxiv writing #ffxivwrite2021 #ffxivwrite #prompt 2 #aberrant #Atreus Sergius

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cadrenebula · 3 years

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Prompt #2: Aberrant

He knew the people at the camp were whispering about him. Could feel the eyes quickly glancing his way as he passed. Their tension was almost palpable when he was near.

Unnatural. Scary. Unusual. Freak. Beast.

Ignoring all the words he could hear used in reference to him after they had seen him on the battlefield. The way he’d cleaved the enemy and fought like a man possessed. Absorbed in the blood lust. Letting go of almost everything human in him as he fought with reckless abandon.

At least he’d washed up before returning to camp. Not that it eased the whispers any. Tch... Let them talk. He wasn’t here to be their friends anyways. The only reason he’d joined to help this part of the resistance in the area was to scratch the damned itch that demanded he draw blood. Something that had been happening to him ever since he’d crossed paths with that Witch.

Teeth gritted in anger. Both at the memory of his pleading with the Witch and at the whispers. Trying hard though to resist the urge to take his axe and shut these fools up with pain. But why? That wasn’t what he wanted. Gods he hated when he felt this way. Like the rage was just bubbling beneath the surface craving violence.

Suddenly a hand grabbed his, halting his steps. Turning to find who had grabbed his hand. Gold eyes met sky blue. It felt like his rage was slowly vanishing as he looked upon the Viera that had taken his hand. There was just something... Calming about them. They didn’t flinch from his gaze. Didn’t bulk away from him in fear.

“You are not those words those fools speak.”

“How do you know? You don’t know me. You’d think the same way they do if you’d been out there watching. Don’t give me your damned pity.” Alfa huffed as he tried to pull his hand back but the viera didn’t budge.

“I was out there. I watched.” A shake of their head as they raised the hand they held to examine the bandages wrapped around it. “I can see the pain of your soul. Something hurt you and you now take that out in the fight.”

Alfa opened his mouth for a retort but it died on his lips. Looking over the person before him more seriously. He could only assume the viera before him was a woman by the slight curves of their body. The one holding his hand looked rather plain by conventional beauty standards. Yet he still found some part of him admiring their looks. They smelled of the woods. Of trees and resin. Of home. It made his soul ache.

“Alfrainn. My name is Alfarinn.” Giving his name to them.

“Ukina.” Giving him a soft smile as they finally let go of his hand. “Would you like to sit with me for a time? Allow me to be your friend?”

“Sure... Why not.” Shrugging his shoulders before finally slowly returning their smile with a slight one of his own.

#FFxivWrite2021 #FFxivWrite #Prompt 2 #Prompt Aberrant #About Alfarinn #About Kino #The Beast and the Hunter #Alfarinn's History #Alfa and Kino's first meeting

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house-vexile · 3 years

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FFXIV Write 2021 Prompt # 2 - Aberrant

“Girl, what in the blazes are you doing?”

‘Girl’ was proper, considering how the healer spun under the endless blanket of rain, her laughter filled with a childish pitch. She was soaked to the skin within mere breaths of standing in the downpour. Red hair turned a contrasting burgundy against her pale face, the wavy strands plastered along her cheeks and over the curve of her jawline. Skirts that had been swaying with her every step down clung to her legs at every possible chance, detached only when her body twirled with enough force to swing the fabric free.

“Enjoying the rain, Ser Marius!” Phenalyn called out, raising her voice to an unnecessary volume to fight the constant white noise of the rain around her. The old and wizened former knight remained firmly rooted beneath the comfortable protection of the porch awning as he watched his charge throw away any intent of formality and reason in favor of...jumping in puddles.

Twelve, how reflexive it was to crack the whip. It took leagues of self control not to bark at the woman to get a hold of herself, to act her age and seek shelter like any other normal folk might in the midst of a storm. She’d be cold on the trip back to her Shroud-hidden abode. Her teeth would chatter, bits of her skin turn from alabaster to a slight blue.

But she’d pay for her contentment with a lack of complaint under the consequences. So who was he to remind her of what she was prepared to bear in the wake of her actions?

“At least mind the mud, girl. You’ll already be due a change of clothes when I deliver you back. You don’t need to carry your weight in water AND dirt on the way back.”

#ffxiv #ff14 #Final Fantasy XIV #Final Fantasy 14 #Phenalyn Talavaine #FFxivWrite2021 #FFxivWrite #Prompt 2 - Aberrant

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ashenbun · 3 years

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-= Aberrant =-

"Rhes!? Where're you going?!"

Kosve- for after two summers he still had yet to choose his new name- hissed from the edge of the cave mouth as he squinted into the darkness. He had learned quickly that his new guardian was easily distracted by things 'mysterious' and, as Rhes himself described them, 'invitational'. The slim crack in the rock face that had been revealed after recent storms fit both categories and so there was no hesitation in exploring what had long since remained hidden.

Kosve bounced anxiously from foot to foot and glanced around as if his need for someone else might make them simply materialise from the air. No one came and instead the young man found himself staring at the crack in the wall again, ears twisted forward. He could hear the dull scrapes of Rhes making his way through. The soft curses of scraped shins and palms or a bumped head brought Kosve small comfort.

For once why couldn't Rhes have kept to the paths they were meant to patrol? They had one job and yet his Oh So Wise mentor was intent each day to everything but that one job. They had climbed to the tops of 'odd' looking pine trees, spent terrifying hours trying to scale a rock face to investigate an 'enchanting carving' half way up that turned out to simply be an old lightning strike. Not to mention his personal favourite; almost being mauled by bears because the 'trapdoor' Rhes had found was simply a crack in the ceiling of their den.

It was exhausting!

Sometimes Kosve wondered how Rhes had managed to survive on his own for so long. Divine intervention? Or did the gods keep him alive for their own amusement?

"Y'comin', lad!?"

The excitement in Rhes' tone made Kosve sigh hard enough he wilted slightly on the spot. But he nodded. Thankfully he was smarter. He grabbed one of the small, carved rocks that Rhes made from his belt pouch and clutched it tightly. Leading with that hand, he followed the other Viera in.

As the strip of light from the crack began to fade behind him Kosve brought that little rock to his mouth and breathed upon it gently while casting his mind to thoughts of the sun. It worked. The spirits had answered his request and the little trinket in his hand became a dull star in the dark. Just enough to see by if you squinted slightly.

"..Wha' in th- Hurry up, boy! Ye've gottae see this!"

Kosve did not in fact hurry. He was determined to make it to Rhes with as little damage to his person as possible. By the time he wiggled free of the cramped space and found the ash-furred Viera, Rhes was practically vibrating with excitement. And Kosve could see why.

The serpentine crack in the wall had led the pair into the remains of a subterranean chamber. The ceiling was low but shaped most peculiarly, a perfect curve the likes of which Kosve had never seen. And there were faces peering out of the stone! He took a step back instinctively and reached for the spear, feeling his heart sink as his grasping hand found nothing. The spears would not fit in the tunnel and Rhes had decided to leave them. Another reason Kosve was so anxious. While Rhes had a decent grasp of magic, he did not.

"What d'ye suppose this place was? Wonder wha' kinda folk lived 'ere. Y'think it was th'Diggers?" Rhes asked more to the air than to Kosve, staring at the stone beings with eyes like a new fawn. "Migh' be deep enough for 'em, don't see any shiny stone though… Maybe some've 'em didnae live fer diggin' like w'thought? They 'ad tae 'ave other hobbies."

"I don't think it's wise to question the spirits, or speak for them, Rhes. That's the job of the Anui." Kosve kept his voice low. The little pebble light made those stone faces appear unnerving real. "Can we go?"

"Go!? W'jist stumbled onnae somethin' amazin' an you wannae leave!? Where's yer sense've adventure?"

Kosve scowled at the older male. Rhes' back was already turned and he was wandering quite calmly- though thankfully with enough caution to be silent- down the strange tunnel. After a moment of hesitation Kosve followed him, trying very hard not to look at the stone faces as he passed by. The light made it seem like they were turning. Stone didn't turn. It couldn't turn. Would-

"Oof! Rhes what are y-?"

The older male clasped a hand over his charge's mouth, stifling further words. His eyes were fixed forward and his usually lopped ears had risen to focus his hearing. Rhes had heard something. The hand not holding Kosve silent quirked itself into the beginning of the gesture Rhes used for his casts. Always the same, quick and efficient motion; swirl of the index and middle fingers, open palm upward, push the heel forward.

Kosve bit his tongue hard as the Warden's hand left his mouth. He wanted to ask what was heard. What might have been seen. Then he heard it. A dull rumble like a distant flour stone being spun. Such a strange sound for a place such as this.

Then came a second, much closer and louder sound. A jarring sound like the growl of a monster with a throat made of spear blades. It hurt Kosve's ears and made him gasp. Then a mighty slam that he felt vibrate through his very bones and rattle his skull.

The silence that came after was like that of the first snows of winter. Still enough to hear a bird's breath.

A clattering beside him made Kosve look down to see the light pebble skitter towards the foot of a stone face. They had turned. He tried to gasp but found that he couldn't and when his eyes met Rhes', he realised he felt cold. Like those winter snows.

"Rhes..?"

"Don't- Don't move I can figure this out, I can-"

"Rhes, am I dreaming? I feel foggy…"

"Don't ye dare close yer eyes, boy- Kosve! Lookit me!"

"Shhh, you're too loud… I'm just gonna… take a nap…"

He had backed away from Kosve until his back hit hard stone. From there he slid down, unfeeling, until the ground caught him. The stone faces had moved as one, towards the last source of sound, he supposed. In the dim light neither Viera had seen the huge lances held in the shadows of each alcove. A weapon for every face. He had no idea what had activated them but in one smooth and loud motion five of those spears had torn clean through Kosve, sticking him in place like a fish. It had happened so fast the boy never even realised and Rhes had no time to react.

The pool of red that had been slowly seeping across the ground swallowed the little light that had rolled from Kosve's hand as his grip failed. The stone faces illuminated briefly in a soft pink before darkness claimed the tunnel again.

But Rhes could still see every spear. See that peaceful smile.

He sat on the stone floor until he felt numb enough to leave. He fumbled his way back to the crack in the wall, staggered into the sunlight, and screamed.

#ffxivwrite #ffxivwrite2021 #prompt 2 aberrant #tw death #anam things #oops we got spicy #still cant find the read more cut #dont think it exists on mobile so will edit tomorrow #male viera

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blackestnight · 3 years

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{/sweat}. WE DID IT!

this makes the third year i’ve completed all 30 days of ffxivwrite (31, this year—thank you for the bonus day, moen!), and i realized late last week that it was actually the second month-long challenge in a row i did (having completed au ra august.) y’all, i’m tired. holy fuck.

i’m so, so grateful to @sea-wolf-coast-to-coast for running this event every year. the prompts for this challenge are always so thought-provoking and unique, and daily challenges help me to keep up a habit of writing and force myself out of the mental rut of not feeling “ready” to write certain stories, or even to feel like some stories aren’t worth telling. it’s a bad mindset, and having a whole community writing alongside me is immensely helpful in forcing myself to stop thinking that way. you guys rock. thank you for the enthusiastic yelling, it really is the best medicine for creative funk.

and hey, speaking of the ffxivwrite community—YOU. yeah, you. did you write something this month? anything? yeah? GOOD. YOU KICKED ASS. I’M PROUD OF YOU.

okay i’ll quit being sappy. stats and masterlist below the cut!

TOTAL WORD COUNT: 36,327 words*

LONGEST FILL: “the ordeal of” (3139 words)

SHORTEST FILL: “in the ring” (87 words)

*the total word count isn’t completely accurate to the words i wrote during the duration of the challenge, because i did write an entirely separate fic between september 30 and the bonus day, and i was working on other writing projects this month, neither of which are included here, but it sort of balances out because i included the extra 900 words or so from “the ordeal of” that i had already written and tacked onto my fill for that day.

1. foster - children of the heart - 2251w hanami and rielle take a moment to discuss parenting.

2. aberrant - seek not forgiveness - 2306w after hanami narrowly avoids a murder conviction, aymeric confronts her.

3. scale - the dragon’s wake - 525w haruki knows he has no place being a hero.

4. baleful - polymorph - 1172w aymeric can’t decide if he’s being assassinated or just has indigestion. starfinder au.

5. free day (scion) - heritors - 1918w hanami and aymeric address the question of names.

6. avatar - reach out and touch faith - 907w after ravana’s defeat, hanami and ysayle share a moment in a storm.

7. speculate - alter idem - 1835w hanami discovers that she is being hunted by a voidsent. she makes a mistake.

8. adroit - no hand on the rein - 738w aymeric knows her body so well. nsfw.

9. friable - autodestruction - 1119w hanami knows how she lost her horn, but her subconscious is happy to embellish. body horror.

10. heady - blackfire - 1313w aymeric tends to hanami on the airship ride back to mor dhona...or tries to, anyway.

11. preaching to the choir - o gracious companion - 245w hanami and estinien are good friends. no, really.

12. free day (announcement) - the ordeal of - 3139w so hanami kind of forgot to tell the scions she was getting married. for a year.

13. oneirophrenia - made manifest - 1230w her soul is like a sieve at the best of times, and amaurot is not the best of times.

14. commend - veneration - 1465w the veneration of saints is a time-honored tradition in ishgard, and aymeric makes no exception for hanami. suggestive, but sfw.

15. thunderous - the crowd goes wild - 704w hanami hates talking about her gladiatorial career, so of course thancred brings it up whenever possible.

16. crane - crime and punishment - 255w munehise slacked off on his chores. haruki motivates him to get them done.

17. destruct - slower, slower - 543w hanami and fray start to wind down after one of nastrond’s shows. modern au.

18. devil’s advocate - in the ring - 87w handeloup and aymeric discuss the ul cup contenders.

19. free day (troth) - the adoration of - 2796w hanami presents aymeric with a pair of rings.

20. petrichor - make me a believer - 233w coda to “reach out and touch faith.” hanami wakes up with ysayle.

21. feckless - though the losses be grave - 862w after the sin eaters’ assault on lakeland, ardbert and hanami reflect on death.

22. fluster - just give me mercy - 366w a’dewah is going to die because hanami is going to kill him and his so-called friends are fine with it? apparently?

23. soul - absentes adsunt - 1254w sequel to “alter idem.” a voidsent hunts.

24. illustrious - slip of the tongue - 992w aymeric seeks to make a good first impression upon the warrior of light. he...does something, alright.

25. silver lining - that hum of night - 1576w facing unexpected delays in limsa, hanami and aymeric attend a light festival.

26. free day (traditional) - schemers and betrayers - 2446w hanami has no idea what a hen’s night is supposed to be and she’s afraid to find out.

27. benthos - give a man a fish - 832w haruki presents a’dewah with the catch of the day.

28. bow - road to mastery - 2204w dulia-chai presents hanami with a thoughtful gift and hanami has a minor breakdown.

29. debonair - of the silver lining - 432w when she deigns to appear at formal events, hanami is guaranteed to turn heads.

30. abstracted - case study - 300w summarizing unusual applications of jaeger technology in the medical field. pacific rim au.

31. free day (catechesis) - build an altar here - 352w follow-up to “veneration.” aymeric prepares to worship his most favored saint. nsfw.

#ffxivwrite2021 #masterpost #HOO LAD #writing - mine

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aethernoise · 3 years

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ffxivwrite 2021 compilation

1. foster / 2. aberrant / 3. scale / 4. baleful / 5. perihelion / 6. avatar / 7. speculate / 8. adroit (nsfw) / 9. friable / 10. heady

12. proposition / 13. oneirophrenia / 14. commend (nsfw-ish) / 15. thunderous

19. transpose / 20. petrichor / 21. feckless / 22. fluster / 23. soul

25. silver lining / 27. benthos / 29. debonair

22/31 ain’t bad at all I don’t think. Numbers-wise my lowest performance, but I wrote some things I really like and some things I really wanted to write for a while. I also got started on some ideas I may return to (“adroit” and “heady” come to mind).

I bolded my favorites if you’re curious or looking for places to begin.

Thank you as always @sea-wolf-coast-to-coast for running the show-- loved the prompts this year! And thanks for everyone for participating and encouraging each other, it’s really fun to see.

#sorry i'm not much for commentary on this one #i'll say what i say every year:#proud of yous #emily blabs about writing #ffxivwrite 2021 #master post #administrative #my writing #emmerwrites

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thecat-inthehat · 3 years

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Phew! Another year done! A huge, huge thank you to @sea-wolf-coast-to-coast for hosting yet another year, and for five years of this~ This is my second year participating, and I’m surprised I managed to get as much done as I did, with how hectic this past few months have been for me. I’ll eventually put these up on my Ao3, but for now I wish to melt into a puddle.

SOMEONE tell me not to try and do individual banners for each prompt next year. Phew. I might do a roundup of the ones I really like later though!

Stats! Total word count: Officially submitted 37,978; My doc says 38,708; and bc of deleting a few paragraphs of false starts, my total count is probably around 39,500 of actual writing Total prompts completed: 29, some were make-up days Shortest prompt: 29. Debonair (399), 13. Oneirophrenia (401) Longest prompt: 11. Preaching to the Choir (3400) Average prompt length: ~1310 words

Things that surprised me: -Again, how much I wrote. More than last year, by about 8k! -Shining Comet seemed to take center stage for a lot of TDP writing, probably because I know I’m going to be taking her through EW first -I wrote a Magnus Archives crossover, and it wasn’t for Shining’s whole doppelgänger deal? What??? -I wrote more gen fic than anything, and ended up writing mostly for my various AUs, instead of just fic without my characters.

Personal Favorites

6. Avatar - “Oh, Ala Mhigo’s haunted haunted” combined with some very long conversations with my friend over which SB antagonists would be affiliated with which Dread Power 11. Preaching to the Choir - How many Drakenier and Star Wars references can I stuff into this before it’s not XIV fanfic anymore? How much free real estate can I call for the pre-sundered world before it’s just my own original story? All that and more for the low, low price of fantastic imagery and some ideas about what kind of threats Azem had to face on the regular. 15. Thunderous - An attempt to better pin down Helisent’s unique powers, as well as some bedrock for her and Lyse’s relationship. I also just. Like it a lot. 23. Soul - this started off as “Oh yeah I need to say that Cylva is Nive’s reflection” and then it turned into FEELINGS and I came out with a new ship and some really good prose 24. Illustrious - What the fuck is the Echo. Let’s explore that and how it can manifest.

[About Me] [FFXIVWrite 2021 Masterpost] [AU masterpost]

The Daedalus Project

The Daedalus Project: Anacrusis (pre-sundering era)

11. Preaching to the Choir | 12. Culpability | 18. Devil’s Advocate | 28. Bow

Growing Wings

4. Baleful

Featherpoint Repose (Either pre 2.0, or early 2.0)

Ardbert and the Warriors of Darkness

7. Speculate | 13. Oneirophrenia

Magnai Oronir Propagada

3. Scale

The Magnus Archives crossover

6. Avatar

#ffxivwrite2021 #creator writes #shovel me into the nearest wheelbarrow pls #brain decided to do extra effort for the banner pic

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ffxiv-angora · 3 years

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FFXIVWrite Info || My Characters || Daily Prompts

Week 1 -

1. Foster - Wyra'to

2. Aberrant - Wyra'to

3. Scale - Angora (with mentions of Shria)

4. Baleful - Angora

5. Adamantine (Free day) - Wyra'to

6. Avatar - Altani

7. Speculate - Shria + Angora

Week 2 -

8. Adroit - Altani

9. Friable - Angora

10. Heady - Shria

11. Preaching to the Choir - Angora + Wyra'to

12. Free/Makeup Day - Used to submit #9

13. Oneirophrenia - Shria

14. Commend - Idk man lol

Week 3 -

15. Thunderous - Angora

16. Crane - Wyra'to

17. Destruct - Shria

18. Devil's Advocate - Altani

19. Temptation (Free day) - Wyra'to

20. Petrichor - Shria

21. Feckless - skipped for now since I was sick RIP

Week 4 -

22. Fluster - Angora

23. Soul - Angora

24. Illustrious - Wyra'to + Angora

25. Silver Lining - Shria

26. Perfection (Free day) - Angora

27. Benthos - Altani

28. Bow - Shria

Week 5 -

29. Debonair - Shria

30. Abstracted - Angora

31. Yearning (Bonus free day!) - Shria + Angora

#ffxiv rp #ffxivwrite2021 #I'll try my best to keep this updated lmao #ic things #Wyra'to #Angora #Shria #Altani #ffxiv

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wood-warder · 3 years

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ffxivwrite 2021 master post

ABOUT FFXIVWRITE ◼️ PROMPT LIST ◼️ 2019 ENTRIES

1. FOSTER 2. ABERRANT 3. SCALE 4. BALEFUL 5. CACOETHES 6. AVATAR 7. SPECULATE 8. ADROIT 9. FRIABLE 10. HEADY

11. PREACHING TO THE CHOIR 12. RETROUVAILLES 13. ONEIROPHRENIA 14. COMMEND 15. THUNDEROUS 16. CRANE 17. DESTRUCT 18. DEVIL’S ADVOCATE 19. slept! 20. PETRICHOR

21. FECKLESS 22. FLUSTER 23. SOUL 24. ILLUSTRIOUS 25. SILVER LINING 26. MAKE UP: SILVER LINING 27. tbd 28. tbd 29. tbd 30. tbd

#ffxivwrite master post #ffxivwrite2021

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gvnbreaker · 3 years

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FFXIVWRITE 2021 MASTER POST

ABOUT FFXIVWRITE • PROMPT LIST • 2019 ENTRIES

1. FOSTER 2. ABERRANT 3. SCALE 4. BALEFUL 6. AVATAR 7. SPECULATE 8. ADROIT 9. FRIABLE 10. HEADY 11. PREACHING TO THE CHOIR 13. ONEIROPHRENIA

#ffxivwrite2021 #writing

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valdiis · 3 years

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FFxivWrite2021 Master Post

So I’ve never really done a master post of my entries before. Never much saw the need. Figured I’d try it this time and see if it helps me collect my thoughts better. This is the fourth year I’ve participated, and I’ve been playing FFXIV nearly as long (I wrote my first FFxivWrite entry about two weeks after I began to play). I struggled this year with inspiration and I’m only really proud of a few pieces (I’ll star those). Writing has gotten a lot harder for me this last year. RP hasn’t, but freeform writing is really tough. I did like how the words chosen this year were a little easier and more relatable than prior years. I could work with these. Mostly. Looking at you, benthos. As I expected when I started, I wrote a lot about Daephrin this time around since I’ve been RPing him the most lately.

Prompt #1: Foster - Daephrin Astramente - In which Daephrin and his mecha-kitty search Allagan ruins.

Prompt #2: Aberrant - Aeluan Hoshinata - Aeluan muses about his beloved’s dysphoria. * Prompt #3: Scale - Daephrin Astramente - Airship! * Prompt #4: Baleful - Aeluan Hoshinata - In which Aeluan meets a thief. * Prompt #5: Extra Credit / Hair - Daephrin Astramente - A detailed examination of hair. Prompt #6: Avatar - Lhys Onhde - Lhys argues with her escort. Prompt #7: Speculate - Daephrin Astramente - What does this part do? Prompt #8: Adroit - Daephrin Astramente - Mmm, guns. Prompt #9: Friable - Vy’thanis Lusignon - It’s all an innuendo. Prompt #10: Heady - Mathaes Silverton - Daydreaming about his boyfriend. Prompt #11: Preaching to the Choir - Daephrin Astramente & Aeluan Hoshinata - A brief discussion of a phrase. * Prompt #12: Extra Credit / Barrister - Daephrin Astramente - A sunny day and goofing off. * Prompt #13: Oneirophrenia - Aeluan Hoshinata - Haunted by nightmares. Prompt #14: Commend - Daephrin Astramente - Watch where you’re going, Dae! Prompt #15: Thunderous - Daephrin Astramente - Boom. Prompt #16: Crane - Zheyn’a Lihuel - In which Zheyn’a plays a song. Prompt #17: Destruct - Daephrin Astramente - Content warning: mentions of self-harm, suicide. Prompt #18: Devil’s Advocate - Daephrin Astramente - A rejection of feelings. Prompt #19: Extra Credit / Rifle - Iovar Reynard - Rifling through ruins. * Prompt #20: Petrichor - Aeluan Hoshinata - A poem... Prompt #21: Feckless - Daephrin Astramente - A misspent youth. Prompt #22: Fluster - Daephrin Astramente - A very brief dialogue. Prompt #23: Soul - Daephrin Astramente - The soul of an airship. Prompt #24: Illustrious - Lhys Onhde - Lhys argues with her mentor. Prompt #25: Silver Lining - Daephrin Astramente - Daydreaming about his boyfriends. Prompt #26: Extra Credit / Limerick - Mathaes Silverton - A very bad limerick. Prompt #27: Benthos - Daephrin Astramente - In which I nearly responded with just a picture. Prompt #28: Bow - Aeluan Hoshinata - This one is suggestive. * Prompt #29: Debonair - Daephrin Astramente - A lady lounges in his room. Prompt #30: Abstracted - Aeluan Hoshinata - Daydreaming about proposing to his boyfriend, and why he’s too scared to.

#FFxivWrite2021 #FFxivWrite

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thevoilinauttheory · 3 years

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FFXIVWRITE2021 RECAP MASTERLIST

[ It’s been a month you guys! Wow, I was actually scared for a moment that I couldn’t be able to keep up - and I know the quality of my work started to hit the fan towards the end due to some medical complications. But looking back on the past FFXIVWrite challenges, I want to say that I’ve definitely improved! It was so fun to get to know your characters a little more, and even get to know new ones along the way too!! Don’t mind me as I reblog literally everyone’s recaps as I come across them so that I may immerse myself in the prompts I missed! ]

[ Each title of the prompts are named after songs (with said songs linked in each prompt), because I love associating music with my writing! Also I’m really bad at titles lol. Even if the prompt may not be for you, I highly recommend each song I’ve posted! It was really cool to see a lot of you jumping on the music bandwagon as well, because I love hearing what y’all like and what you associate with each piece or character! ]

[ Little notes! Characters listed will be my characters only, if there are NPCs or other characters, they won’t be listed here (unless the character belongs to another person). Content warnings are at the top of each prompt, please read them before reading the prompt, so that you don’t walk into anything you might not want to read. ]

Prompt #1 - Foster: First Day of My Life Characters: Maximiloix Voilinaut, Caromont Allard

Prompt #2 - Aberrant: Fire Characters: Ashley Tucker

Prompt #3 - Scale: Our Own House Characters: Maximiloix Voilinaut, Caromont Allard

Prompt #4 - Baleful: Long Way Down Characters: Maximiloix Voilinaut

Prompt #5 - Extra Credit: Laughter Lines Characters: Ashley Tucker

Prompt #6 - Avatar: A Sky Full of Stars Characters: Maximiloix Voilinaut, Caromont Allard

Prompt #7 - Speculate: Kill Your Heroes Characters: Maximiloix Voilinaut (cameo: Lothaire Voilinaut)

Prompt #8 - Adroit: survivin’ Characters: Ashley Tucker

Prompt #9 - Friable: Magnum Bullets Characters: Kokhjin Qalli

Prompt #10 - Heady: Choke Characters: Maximiloix Voilinaut

Prompt #11 - Preaching to the Choir: My Fault Characters: Maximiloix Voilinaut

Prompt #12 - Extra Credit: Mercy Characters: Maximiloix Voilinaut, Caromont Allard

Prompt #13 - Oneirophrenia: High Characters: Ashley Tucker

Prompt #14 - Commend: Good Grief Characters: Maximiloix Voilinaut

Prompt #15 - Thunderous: My Body Characters: Maximiloix Voilinaut, Caromont Allard

Prompt #16 - Crane: Black Water Characters: Maximiloix Voilinaut, Caromont Allard

Prompt #17 - Destruct: Deconstruct Characters: Maximiloix Voilinaut, Caromont Allard

Prompt #18 - Devil’s Advocate: Carried Away Characters: Maximiloix Voilinaut, Mayve McRae

Prompt #19 - Extra Credit: Paper Heart Characters: Maximiloix Voilinaut, Caromont Allard

Prompt #20 - Petrichor: Dirty Paws Characters: Liliah’to Zhwan

Prompt #21 - Feckless: Punching in a Dream Characters: Maximiloix Voilinaut

Prompt #22 - Fluster: After School Characters: Maximiloix Voilinaut, Caromont Allard

Prompt #23 - Soul: Soul Meets Body Characters: Maximiloix Voilinaut, Lothaire Voilinaut

Prompt #24 - Illustrious: Winter Sound Characters: Maximiloix Voilinaut, Caromont Allard

Prompt #25 - Silver Lining: The One Moment Characters: Maximiloix Voilinaut, Caromont Allard

Prompt #26 - Extra Credit: The World at Large Characters: Maximiloix Voilinaut (cameo: unnamed business partner)

Prompt #27 - Benthos: Electric Love Characters: Maximiloix Voilinaut, Caromont Allard

Prompt #28 - Bow: Holding On Characters: Maximiloix Voilinaut

Prompt #29 - Debonair: The Funeral Characters: Cedrenaux Voilinaut

Prompt #30 - Abstracted: Northern Lights Characters: Maximiloix Voilinaut, Caromont Allard

[ Here are links to the tags for the previous years prompts! ]

2020 2019 2017

#ffxivwrite2021 #prompt list #we did it yall #we made it #i pity the people who were participating in this and then right into inktober

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