#FFxivWrite2022 prompt list

[sea-wolf-coast-to-coast]

Prompt #1: Cross

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#FFxivWrite2022 is underway – a daily writing challenge presented to the Final Fantasy XIV writing community for the month of September. You can join any time throughout the challenge with any prompt number!

Entries can be written on any online writing platform (tumblr, Archive of our Own, Google Docs, etc.). Submit the link and be sure that I have reading access.

Reminder: The 24-hour deadline does not go into effect until September 8th.

More about single word prompts here

Public spreadsheet to check your entries is coming soon!

Rules & Info || Prompt List || #FFxivWrite2022 || kofi

[dainty-baneberry]

3. Temper

“I like watching you do that.” Cid observed lightly. “Tis not particularly difficult.” 

She whom he watched replied, drawing the head of her ax across the whetstone in even methodical strokes. “That is not why I enjoy watching you do it.” Cid chuckled. Dainty did not look up from where she was sharpening her ax, her dark magenta and orange limbal ringed eyes never leaving the blade nor the whetstone. “I should think watching me temper a blade would be of far more excitement than merely sharpening one. Then, at least, there would be an excess of steam to liven things up a little.” “You don’t enjoy tempering blades…” “You’re right.” Dainty quipped, still without looking up. 

There was a reason she never quarreled with paying Gerolt Blackthorn his weight in expensive alcohol if it meant he did that unpleasant part of forging her a weapon of her choice.

“..you do enjoy sharpening your axes.” Cid finished as if she had not interrupted him. This occasioned the beautiful auri women to look up from her task, tipping her head slightly to the side to observe the Garlean man who sat near to her. It was a quiet evening the Rhlagr’s Reach, most of the Resistance were redeployed to menial tasks now that their war of freedom was long over and its aggressor lay in ruins. Besides the Ironworks and its Principal Engineer the cliff flanked settlement boasted only a handful of men and women too infirmed to travel far and those who were devoted to domestic tasks. “I do.” Dainty agreed after a moment of silence contemplation before returning to her task. She often spoke little and had a reputation for being very stoic. 

The fact she conversed even this much with her white haired, blue eyed companion would have betrayed the very deep affection she felt for him, had anyone been present to witness it. Were any of the Scions of the Seventh Dawn present they would have found it very interesting indeed that Dainty allowed Cid to remain in her company as she sharpened her axe. She was notoriously private and precious of her hard-won free time, as fleeting as it often was and as Cid had observed she enjoyed sharpening her blades. Spending time with them outside the battlefield, feeling every little notch and knick and flaw. The blade she worked now had been taken from a tempered Ixali warrior who had forged the blade from Garuda’s own pinion feathers. It had been woven with enchantments to prevent the feathers from dissipating into aether when the Primal fell and, in the low light of the Reach, it glowed a gentle blue green. Sharpening such an ax was a task for no ordinary hands. Only the one who wielded it in battle could manage its unique blade shape. No matter how lethal a weapon it was there was no denying that it was an awkwardly shaped one. For Dainty the task was almost sacred, learning each by touch alone, the weight and balance of each becoming as much a part of her muscle memory as the beating of her heart. It was reflected by firelight in her features, making Cid quirk a small smile at the corner of his mouth that Dainty missed as she once again fell into her task.

[higureryu]

Ffxiv Writes Prompt 3: Temper

A person's state of mind seen in terms of their being angry or calm.

improve the consistency or resiliency of (a substance) by means of a process involving heat or chemicals.

act as a neutralizing or counterbalancing force to (something).

Rhiannon took a deep breath and let her shoulders relax. Before her, the tension of the room could have been cut with a knife. She uncurled her tail from her waist, and got to her feet. "Alright. So our options have been laid out. I suggest we take a moment to consider them. Who would like tea?" There was a moment where she feared the....forceful debate...would resume, but thankfully the tension appeared to drain from the other bodies around the table at her suggestion. A couple of hands went up and she nodded, moving over towards the kettle. The ritual of heating the water, warming the kettle and cups, adding the leaves and letting them steep was one she had long ago memorized. None the less it was soothing to go through the motions.

She returned to the table, setting cups of the fragrant green tea before all of the participants of the discussion. One by one, the cups were drained. "So then, now that we have gone over everything, what should be the plan?" The debate picked up once more, but it was more a conversation now, less driven by emotion, and more by logic. A careful weighing of the scales of duty and action. "Alright, then that is what we will do."

[storms-path]

Day 29 - Fuse

They were gone. All of them, gone. Thancred. Estinien. Fareena. Y’shtola. Urianger. G’raha. Stalwart. Alphinaud. Alisaie. Sanda. All snuffed out, their souls and all, giving their very essence to light the way. To bring Arashi to her. But she couldn’t do it. Couldn’t go any further. Could take even one step more. Slumped on the ground, all she could do was clutch her crystal to her breast and howl.

Grief. Rage. Fear. All overwhelming, all crushing, all smothering. She wallowed in them, too much of a coward to embrace them and move on. Her friends, her family, all wrenched away from her. Without a trace, without even thinking about how it would break her. What good was a guiding light with nobody to guide? What good was a sword without a hand to wield it? What good was she, curled up at the end of everything, weeping and wailing like a useless little child.

Nobody came for her. Not Meteion, not one of the loporrits, nobody. Nobody kneeled in front of her. Nobody took her face in its hands, forcing her to stare blearily into its eyes. Nobody stared, said nothing, just stared. And Arashi saw.

Saw a world. A world, flourishing under gentle night. Saw a people. A people, moving from strength to strength after having the weight of the end lifted from them. Saw nations. Nations rising together in co-operation in times of crisis and peace. Saw it all anew, through the eyes of one who had watched it all unfold. Saw the woman. The woman at the centre of it all, blinding light stripped away to reveal a young, tired au ra, deep purple hair blending into red cut into a messy braid, tightening her makeshift armour and reaching for a massive sword at her back. Saw her pale skin, her paler scales, her lightning blue eyes, her wary gaze, her tight lips drawn into a tighter smile. Saw her get beaten again and again, suffer horror after horror.

Saw her get up. Again and again and again. To face them down. To win. To bring light to a world in dire need of it. To bring salvation.

And knew, despite everything, that it was still her.

Nobody stood as Arashi climbed to her feet. Nobody nodded in approval as she began to slowly, so very slowly, forge ahead. Nobody put their hand on her shoulder.

Nobody said, “If you need a push, I’ll be right there behind you.” And then nobody was there any more, and Arashi was once more left alone to face the end.

[golden-mediocrity]

Channel

***Warning for self harm, violence, blood.***

The plush chair seemed to hug his form, something he had not been very accustomed to lately, the emptiness that had been consuming him from the inside was trying to fill it's own void.  Try as he might, the every-present pounding of his heart could be felt in his head and he attempted to isolate the sound's vibration in his horns, but it was no use. He channeled all he could of himself, his feelings, his emotions, his very soul into that point, desperately needing to silence the yelling of ten thousand voidsent screaming in discordant operatic melodies, giving a feeling of flesh rent from bone and tendon, but instead, applied to the inside of his mind unraveling his brain.

His blood boiled and he could feel the emptiness of the void overtaking every aspect of his senses. Mizuhiro struck out with clawed hands, and slashed at his own flesh along his chest and arms, causing rivulets of blood to follow in their destructive wake.  He could feel each and every ilm as they ripped through, he dug deep enough down to part muscle from vein, expose arteries that were normally hidden.  Even with as much pain and horror as it manifested in his mind, he still felt more in that moment, more than in recent memory.  The blinding white hot pain that pulsed in his vision, momentarily caused the screaming of the void to get washed out, the tinnitus in his horns rang out with every sawing cut and tear.  The hot drip-drip of blood tapping on the stone floor sounded like the second hand of the clock as the time of his life continued to tick on by.

There was no music, only the screams, but even with so many of them calling him home, he felt the thumping of a drum beat, the raising of another scream began to resonate separately and purposefully.  The wailing began to overtake the chorus of the rest, and it's familiarity haunted him, stabbed at his heart.  It was as if his entirety was spinning, round and round and over and over, causing his dizziness to increase.  He needed to know where it was coming from, this low guttural growl, harmonizing on it's own with itself, with a scraping blood-curdling shriek that echoed like a bat locating it's prey in the darkest of caverns, he could feel the hard pangs of hunger welling, driving him to feed, nothing was clear, his vision all a blur... He took one step, then another, and another, and on and on...

It didn't matter where he looked, walking along the nearly empty streets of the Goblet, but there were beacons out here, signalling for him, coaxing and calling him home, like the sirens of old, demanding sacrifice of ship and sanity, to crush them both on their rocky shores.  Mizu could feel the smashing of his will and rationality against the sharpest of objects, a slivered, shattered anvil, wrapped in barbed wire, ripping apart his lucidity and all reason... The rise of the chorus had matched his screaming now, pulling the ten thousand cacophonous voices into one, coordinated, identical song... The burst of white light had sprung forth in front of him, the beacon lit and answered, he bolted quick and dexterously to capture it in his arms, claws digging deep into it's flesh, along with his horns and teeth goring the entity of light, cutting it open and allowing him to feed freely on the pure fount of aether he had seized for himself.  

But in few, short moments later, the song ceased, the beacon fell dim and dull, along with everything that he had been conducting, the orchestra stopped, instruments clanged to the ground.  He crouched over the poor man, body now shriveled and desiccated, his aether fully removed so much that only a blood covered shell of what he had been remained.  There was another scream, a mortal one this time, one that shredded vocal chords and throat-flesh in a horrific display of regret and sorrow.  The Himaa dropped the corpse and stood above, tears streaming down his face along with the blood that trailed down his extremities, "No... no.... no......... no............," he continued to repeat over and over, his black-lit eyes glowed as they sought a way to escape.  He was flooded with self doubt and mortification at his actions, he had been past all of this, hadn't he? He had fallen asleep, something he had been doing more and more lately, and woke up as if from a nightmare that just didn't stop when his eyes opened, and revealed the fact that he had done this, he had let himself go, allowed his weaker nature to prevail...

He could not hold back the floodgates of pain and regret, but knew he needed to run, there was no explanation for what had happened other than the obvious, and he needed to distance himself from it as soon as humanly possible.  He picked up his feet, one after the other, faster and faster and finally until he found the end, he vaulted over the railing and down into the chasm, sliding with the rocks, and he prayed desperately he would not stop until he hit the abyss.

[izakaya-jinh]

2. BOLT

FFXIVWRITE2022 Prompt 2: BOLT - a short, heavy arrow shot from a crossbow

Keisho counted the ironwood chests with care as the dock laborers moved them from the ships to the well-guarded interior of the warehouse behind him. Making a note in his ledger of each chest’s number from the stamped metal plates upon their sides, the merchant compared the list against the manifest he had been presented.

“Thirty-four long chests, twenty-seven short chests. Manifest stamped with the seal of the Xifeng Manufactory’s chief artificer. Half payment rendered upon contract agreement, remaining half payment to be rendered upon receipt of goods at Raikoto. Everything appears to be accounted for.”

The merchant carefully stamped the relevant papers with his own seal and slid them across the table along with an envelope. As his counterpart examined the contents of the envelope, Keisho waited patiently, his lips curled in the least sincere of smiles.

Finally, the other merchant gave a grunt of acknowledgement and stuffed the documents into his robes.

“I have confirmed all payment has been rendered as agreed in the contract. Our business is concluded.”

Keisho nodded. “Very good. In that case, I wish you a safe return to Hingashi.”

“Until next time.”

As soon as the other merchant had returned to his ship, Keisho immediately gestured for a pair of guards to shut the gates that separated the warehouse yard from the rest of the island’s harbor.

After making his way into the warehouse where the chests had been moved, he whispered something to the captain of the guards.

“Everyone outside, now!” The captain barked the order and led several others through the warehouse, rounding up the laborers and confirming all had exited the building. Once clear, the captain returned to Keisho, who quickly nodded.

Closing the warehouse doors behind him, Keisho proceeded to the section of the warehouse where the newly delivered chests had been placed. He withdrew a key with an unusually complex design from his sleeve and inserted it into the lock on one of the long chests.

As he lifted the lid, a thick smell of wood, metal and oil greeted him. From within the chest, he lifted a folded crossbow – one of several that were carefully stored in padded compartments. Unlike most crossbows, these appeared to be made with an integrated magazine in a fashion like those once used by infantry in the warring era before the Rijin clan lay claim to Yanxia. After fixing the weapon’s arms in place, he then set it down and unlocked one of the shorter chests nearby.

Inside the smaller chest, dozens of black lacquered boxes were tightly packed together. Keisho could faintly feel a rattling within as he removed one, although any such sound was so faint as to be nearly imperceptible. Unlatching the box from one end, the lid sprung open to reveal a stack of crossbow bolts. Behind the bolts, another compartment labeled with the Yanxian character for poison contained a vial just wide enough at the mouth to accommodate the tip of a crossbow bolt.

Keisho removed several bolts using a specially made tool that had been clipped to the lid and snapped the box shut. After picking up the crossbow, he swept up a spring-loaded lever from the magazine and locked it into place. A swift motion dropped the bolts from the clip into the magazine and Keisho set the magazine lever back in its closed position. With a quick push and pull of another lever on the underside of the crossbow, the weapon’s string pulled back into a firing position.

Sighting down the length of the crossbow, he took aim at a large wooden support column several dozen yards away across the warehouse floor. With a squeeze of the trigger, the bolt shot out and embedded itself in the post with a solid thud. Keisho quickly pumped the draw lever once more as another bolt simply dropped into place through the magazine. Another squeeze of the trigger. Another thud. Again. Repeat.

When all the bolts were spent and the magazine empty, Keisho crossed the warehouse floor to examine the post they had struck. He’d fired seven bolts, and seven bolts stuck out from the post in a group spread no more than three inches across.

The merchant stared at the crossbow in his hand. Even in a world filled with magic, there were times that a quiet and deadly efficient tool of war could shine. Equip enough assassins, rebels, and other shadow warriors with such weapons and one could easily imagine the havoc they might wreak. Put them in the hands of the common people and one might even find them to be a potent force for revolution. One merely needed to find the right enemy to wield them against.

And Keisho knew only too well who his enemy was. Once these are in the hands of our comrades in Yanxia, the bloodletting will begin, he thought to himself with a grim smile.

[ainarosewood]

Fools

@sea-wolf-coast-to-coast​

FFxivWrite2022 Day 23 Prompt Pitch

A’rhinn sat at his usual table in the Seventh Heaven sipping an ale trying not to choke with laughter as he listened to the fresh off the carriage adventurer attempting to convince his mates to go along with his mad scheme to deal with one of the morbols in the tangle.

That particular beastie nicknamed Voluptuous Vivian had been plaguing Revenant's Toll of late luring unsuspecting folks into her maismic maw.  Needless to say the adventures guild had put a hefty bounty on the beast’s head but as of yet no one had been bold enough to attempt to go after the man eating morbol.

This young fool of a hyur full of more gumption than sense thought he had a foolproof plan to take on the morbol.  But it was definitely lacking in actual planning for the way the idiot was telling it Vivan would be the only morbol to contend with.  He was forgetting that the place was crawling with more of them and while not as much of a nuisance as Vivan had been it was stupid to ignore their presence.

“You’ll get your mates killed going after her like that,” the Miqo’te stated after taking a large swig of his ale.

“And just who do you think you are?” the hyur asked, whirling on him, “I don’t see you going after the beast!”

Finishing his ale Rhinn looked at the lad and nodded, “Aye I haven’t yet.  Mostly been busy dealing with a few primals that decided to rear their ugly heads so, a problematic morbol in an isolated outpost has kinda been low on the priority list.”

“What are you playing at you trying to say yer the Warrior o Light. Ha don’t make me laugh” the boy scoffed.

His buddies to their credit were trying to get his attention but the young hyur was too busy trying to look big and bad to pay attention.  They overtly recognized him and were appalled that their friend was trying to cause trouble.

“As a matter o fact boy I am,” Rhinn replied standing and staring the boy down, “And like I said your great ‘plan’ will get you and your friends killed.  You're ignoring the fact that the tangle is crawling with morbols.  Many of whom, while not as big or notorious as Vivian, are still dangerous in their own right.  Ignoring them will get you killed.” 

The young Hyur just shrugged, “Those beasts are small fry, nothing to worry about the prize is Vivian, that's what any adventurer worth a name should be aiming for.  Even the supposed Warrior of Light.”

Rhinn just shook his head, “Listen lad glory will get you nowhere if you're dead.  Those “small fry” are still an obstacle to take into account of needing to deal with.  They still got the same noxious breath o any morbol and will knock you on your ass and hinder you in a fight.  I’m trying to save you and your friends from a sticky end.”

“If I wanted your help I would have asked for it Tia,” the Hyur sneered.

Rhinn just shrugged, “Fine, take offense if you will but the guild has lost enough random fools seeking glory and not thinking before they go.  You want to get yourself killed in the Tangle, be my guest.  I’m sure the morbols would enjoy the meal.”

“Why you,” the hyur snarled, lunging at him.  The Seeker simply stepped aside and the boy stumbled, whirled and drew his blade.  His table mates jumped forward and grabbed the fool, disarming him and pulling him back.

By that point all of the experienced adventurers sitting in the Seventh Heaven stood and were staring menacingly at the boy.  Struggling against his mates he snarled, “What? What's got you all so pissed?”

An Elezen warrior stared the boy down stating, “You just drew steel on the Warrior of Light boy.  Do you think any of us would just stand by after all he’s done for the realm.”

The boy stared at her in shock then sneered, “You expect me to believe that this” he waved in Rhinn’s direction, “Is the Warrior of Light?  He’s just some stray Miqo’te that probably lost a fight with his Nhun and decided to tuck tail and run.”

Rhinn just snorted at the boy then asked, “Lad, have you listened to any of the stories?  It’s not like it isn’t mentioned that I am a Miqo’te.  I think there's at least, what, three bard songs that have descriptions no?”  

He had turned toward the wandering minstrel who loved to haunt a small corner of the Seventh Heaven and the hyur simply nodded, shaking his own head at the fool.

Turning back at the restrained hyur he stated, “Is it because I pointed out the huge flaw in your plan that you want to be so uptight or did a Miqo’te steal a girl o yours a while back?

This got most of the tavern chucking and then the hyur snarled and struggled against his friends’ hold.  Overtly infuriated that he was the technical butt of the joke.

 Rhinn just shook his head, “Like I said I was just trying to save your sorry hide by offering advice as an experienced adventurer, you don’t want to take it fine.  But I'm not going to stay silent and have the guild have to inform yet another fool's family that he died for glory.”

With that he simply went to the bar, paid for his drink and headed out stating, “How about some o you bring this welp out to the tangle and he can see how to properly go after a beast like Vivian?  Any with an actual lick of sense want to give me a hand with the beast?  I doubt she will be much trouble but I am not a fool who goes after something like that on my own.  You can divy up the reward for it.”

“What now you're gonna steal my kill?” the boy snarled

“No,” Rhinn responded, “I am going to save your life by dealing with the thing and help Revenant's Toll not have to deal with it any longer now that I actually am free to give my aid.”

The Elezen who had admonished the boy stepped up offering her blade and two other seasoned adventurers joined him as well.  One of the Hrothgar grabbed the boy by the scruff and marched him out and motioned for his mates to follow.

“You will learn a lot watching this so best pay attention,” he stated, “Rhinn is the best and one every adventurer no matter their experience should listen to.”

With that he marched the boy out with a tail of young adventurers following and they stood at the edge of the tangle and watched as Rhinn and his party cut a path through the morbols to Vivian and then brought her to her end.

[nosafeharbour]

Day 14: Attrition

For prompt Attrition, as part of FFxivWrite2022. Post-The Sorrow of Werlyt.

“It’s Albi’s nameday tomorrow.” Cid points out matter of factly.

The two of them are sat at opposite ends of a makeshift desk within the hangar at Terncliff. Between them are varying sheafs and stacks of papers — reports sent both to and from the Alliance, old town records of conscripts and citizens, Ironworks ledgers — of which most of their daylight hours had been spent steadily working through and organising. They had said little to each other aside from what was necessary for business, so the remark from Cid strikes Gaius as out of place.

Gaius hums in acknowledgment of having heard the statement, but says no more. Though he would be unable to elaborate on the feeling, he thinks that it suits Albi, to have been born at the end of the year during the cooler months. Despite her warmth in demeanour and battlefield prowess both, she gives the impression of someone forged in the cold. He lets the thought drift off as easily as it had arrived, returning his attention to the supplies list in front of him.

It’s only when he feels eyes on him does Gaius look up, finding Cid’s gaze locked firmly on him. It was hard to ascertain the expression on his face, but jovial it was not. Gaius’s face instinctively frowns slightly in response, defining well worn paths of wear on the lines of his face.

“Yes? Why are you telling me this?” He asks.

“Because,” Cid responds, tone kept purposefully devoid of whatever emotion caused him to bring this up. “I’d expect you to do something nice for her.”

Gaius can’t help but raise an eyebrow, choosing again to refrain from a reply in hopes of further elaboration. Cid takes the bait, and half heartedly shrugs with one shoulder. “Take her to dinner or something.”

“Take her to dinner..?” Gaius parrots back, the unexpectedness of the notion catching him off guard, making him sound somewhat dumbfounded. “What exactly do you think we are?”

Cid breaks his stare simply to roll his eyes, feeling more in this moment like he was talking to an oblivious father than he could ever recall. Considering the man in question, the feeling was almost comforting in its normalcy. “I don’t know, and frankly, I don’t wish to know. But gods know you’ve given her enough grief. Give her a nice surprise instead of a dreadful one, for once.”

Gaius bites down on wanting to comment on Cid’s exasperated use of “gods” — it was a habit he’d heard several ex-Imperials pick up during their time in Eorzea, and he dreaded the thought of one day becoming susceptible to it, too — and mulls the thought over. He had shared many evening meals with Albi. Rations and simple fare cooked by campfire while on the road, foods bought from vendors and taken back to their rooms, warm meals at the Terncliff inn. But he was not so much of a fool to misunderstand Cid’s intent, nor disagree with the point he raised.

“I’m not sure if she’d welcome such an offer from me. You, or even Nero, would be better suited for such.” He settles with, his eyes returning to his papers, though not focusing on the words.

It’s Cid’s turn to hum in thoughtful acknowledgement. “I wouldn’t be so sure.” He remarks, tone lighter than before. Gaius isn’t sure what to make of it, and feels grateful when Cid continues, not waiting for a reply. “Just offer to take her for a meal at the inn. She’ll appreciate the sentiment.”

It strikes Gaius then that Cid knows Albi — truly knows Albi. He is aware of the closeness of their friendship. Despite the closeness Gaius likewise shares with her, it is more often than not a mockery of intimacy. A warmth in her bed and a blade at her side did not make him a companion in the same manner; he doesn’t know her tastes, or how she’d react to such a proposition. But he trusts Cid’s judgement, and thinks that maybe he would like to spend the time with her, away from the pretenses of their duties.

She has chipped and worn away at him over the passing moons, in return for the gouges he had taken out of her hide in years previous. The sediment of it clung to them both, grit and weariness, and to frame it with exchanges of goodwill now, rather than violence, was a new and foreign language to them all.

“I’ll consider it.” He ends with. Cid seems to take it as a victory, and wordlessly returns to his work.

[whitherliliesbloom]

FFXIVWRITE2022 ☆ MY FILLS ☆ PROMPT LIST (tba) ☆

01 CROSS - light the way to a new horizon illya & the wandering equinox // pirate au // 2,112 words in spite of the clap of thunder and the battering rain, the captain watched as the girl stood undaunted as a beacon of light, determined to guide their ship starward to succor

02 BOLT - brocades, brooches and fresh spring buds illya & mint // post-6.2 // 2,941 words in spirit of the upcoming festivities, mint requests the aid of the one of the few yanxian friends she knows to pick out a suitable qipao for her - and hua liya is all too eager to help

03 TEMPER - when the crows cry yingmammon // endwalker // 1,890 words there’s a reason why a flock of angry, crying crows are called a ‘murder’

04 HEAR (free) - boundless, your tale overflows illya & friends long lost // post-endwalker // 3,593 words against her better judgement, illya pays the aetheric sea another visit, carrying with her more than a few parting words - “tell me, was your journey a good one?”

14 ATTRITION - lives apart emet-selch // endwalker // 920 words returned to the aetheric sea, hades realizes the height of his ignorance

[hear-feel-think]

I think I’m gonna upload my FfxivWrite2022 fics to AO3, all edited and cleaned up, and I’m not gonna do it in prompt number order or the order I wrote them because it jumps around a lot. Canon timeline order would obviously put some very spoilery things very early, so instead, I’m gonna do spoiler order as seen here. (Also you may notice that some of the prompts I haven’t listed as done in the Masterpost, but that’s just because I cheekily did them as Extra Credit without actually including the prompt word lololol I’ll change the posts eventually.)

[ffxivaltaholic]

~FFXIVWrite2022: Master List~

Week 1: Prompt 1: Cross | Ame Prompt 2: Bolt | Jellal Prompt 3: Temper | Dalain

Week 2: Prompt 4: (You Pick) Seeds | Diarmune Prompt 5: Cutting Corners | N’akani Prompt 6: Onerous | Tsirae Prompt 7: Pawn | Isanii - TW: Violence/Abuse Prompt 8: Tepid | Zhira Prompt 9: Yawn | N’akani Prompt 10: Channel | Isanii

Week 3: Prompt 11: (You Pick) Change | Jellal Prompt 12: Miss the Boat | Tsirae Prompt 13: Confluence | Diarmune Prompt 14: Attrition | N’akani Prompt 15: Row | Zhira Prompt 16: Deiform | Isanii Prompt 17: Novel | Tsirae

Week 4: Prompt 18: (You Pick) Reflection | Jellal Prompt 19: Turn a Blind Eye | Ame Prompt 20: Anon | Isanii Prompt 21: Solution | Diarmune Prompt 22: Veracity | Tsirae Prompt 23: Pitch| Zhira Prompt 24: Vicissitudes | Jellal

Week 5: Prompt 25: (You Pick) Dedication | Ame Prompt 26: Break a Leg | Dalain Prompt 27: Hail | Diarmune Prompt 28: Vainglory | N’akani Prompt 29: Fuse | Dalain Prompt 30: Sojourn | Isanii

Once again I am very happy to have completed the entire list.  The last week was difficult as I was away on my honeymoon, but I got it all caught up by the final day!  It was fun to right, especially with a new character to use.  Thank you @sea-wolf-coast-to-coast for everything and once again providing a fantastic month of writing! I hope you have a relaxing October! <3

Previous Years: FFXIV Write 2021 FFXIV Write 2020

[sea-wolf-coast-to-coast]

FFxivWrite2022 Recap & Winners

11,165 total entries were submitted in 2022!

This includes all entries that were submitted via the Google Form, including late entries (and excluding duplicate entries).

Which brings us to 42,721 total recorded entries since we began this challenge in 2017! 

And, we had 105 volunteer artists in 2022!! Which means that there are 105 prize-winners!

A breakdown of the stats + announcement of the Participation Prize winners are below the cut ~

Want to see all public entries? Here’s a link to the Master Spreadsheet. This omits entries that people requested to keep private between them and I.

Total Participation Year to Year:

Prompt Participation by Year:

NOTE: The big dips are Make-up / Extra Credit Days. Lots of folks choose to take a break over writing Extra Credit. Legit!

Prompt Breakdown by Week:

Submissions by Day:

NOTE: Day 7 was the day before the 24-hour deadline went into effect. Hence, the big ol’ spike.

Submissions by Platform:

Participation Prize Winners

Winners were selected via a random raffle dice roll made by each of the artists and span all online writing platforms, including Tumblr, Ao3, Google Docs, and others (like Twitter). This writing challenge is not a contest - no one’s work was being judged for length, skill, etc. The prizes are based on participation only!

Prizes are a simple black & white portrait of the winner’s character. Most are shoulder up but the artists are free to take liberties if they’d like. Prizes are not commissioned work, so ultimately it’s the artist’s choice for what they’d like to do for the piece. Some artists (not all) accept commissions and might be open to colorizing a prize piece, after it’s been posted, at their normal rates.

All of 2022′s winners will be contacted directly by their volunteer artist. If you are a winner and your artist has been unable to contact you after 2 weeks of trying, you will forfeit your prize and another participant will be chosen to take your place, so make sure that your inboxes are open and keep an eye out for new discord friend requests.

As always, there are a few whose artists needed to drop out for personal reasons, and that’s ok! In those cases, the winners will be carried over into 2023′s pool of winners where another artist will pick up their prize and complete it.

If you are on the below winner's list, make sure that your inboxes are open & keep an eye out for discord friend requests!

*NOTE: Discord usernames have had the #numbers removed for privacy purposes. Winners are presented in alphabetical order by provided contact username.

_dawnforged

Adelle

Aerix

aetaliaffxiv

alisterj

alizesthira

allycryz

alymae

AmiFFXIV

ariesdraco

Arisa_Haneishi

asciangrandpa

Aster

AstrienLuna

Beanmom

Bexy

Bones

Brightside

brodiekins

buffnamazu

Captain SaveABro

carbecex

casualcatte

CelticFire_

cosycerise

cureblush

Dalantia

daneari_

Dark Commander

darkangel_mya

dirgeofgelmorra

Dis

Discord! Ajenjo

Djill

dragons-bones

Duskfire

e-dragoons

eliseofsoleanna

elizabethrobertajones

Entropy

escherstrange-ffxiv

evacybele

fantasy-so-far

farfromdaylight

GatchaHell

gererrin

Granny

grumpy-limsan-customs-cat

Haila

hanurel_ivars

Hashiru

Heaki

Hobi__14

Houserosaire

HyphenYaeger

Kai

kali_sazo

Kedare15

Khepri

kihtsae

Kyorgra

lemurescythes

Lethe_FFXIV

lilacknifecat

meepsthemiqo

meximango

MissEliza

Mitheithel

NatAshWrites

Newt

nonisland

noodlebeans

NovusPrime313

OkamiLuna

opheliaglorfindal

Oscar Mild (they/them)

PenguinZero

podima17

punishededen

rhalgr

Rhiann

Rivkah94

ruenis_

SanmickTiare

savvybunbunny

scrollsfromarebornrealm

sirdolraan

slowmoded

Soaringtalon

SPERM WHALE RAILGUN

Spikewerks

Sprite

superribbon

syrcusgardens

Tanwen

Tavard

TheStumpedOne

Usagi_Mitsu

vikkabby

Weezled

whispersafterdusk

xivsleepinglion

yokasaris

Youko

Zoe_Daxa

Congrats, winners! 

We’ll see you next September for FFxivWrite2023

Rules & Info || Prompt List || #FFxivWrite2022 || kofi

[dainty-baneberry]

2. Bolt

An acquaintance of an acquaintance was very desirous to make her acquaintance. Dainty knew the drill by now.

There was always someone who wanted to make a “friend” of the Warrior of Light. Her scaled tail swished along behind her as she strolled through Thavnair’s coloured streets. Red, oranges and lush jade greens popped out at one, dazzling the eye no matter which way they turned in the vibrant city. Over-head dazzling blue skies and brilliant gold sunshine picked up the azure blue and gold tilework designs in the floors and walls. The Warrior of Light was quite at her leisure for once. With the Scions of the Seventh Dawn in supposed retirement and only an occasional errand to run for Tartaru Dainty was quite enjoying filling up her days with frippery and jape. Idyl time was not something she could ever have claimed to have a plethora of and, if she was honest, that final battle at the edge of the universe had done more damage to her than she cared to admit. Extra time to rest and recover was much needed and well appreciated. Even still Dainty had ever been prone to restlessness. She grew bored easily and had expensive tastes besides. Acquaintances of acquaintances very often sought her out due to knowing the location of treasure that was far too dangerous for any but her to attempt to step foot. Her petite, slender form was dressed as a Thavnairian dancer but the jewelry she wore had come from the vaults of the Mad King of Ala Mhigo himself.

A small “commission” for assisting Alphinaud and Arenvald in claiming the rest.

Few recognized the lauded Warrior when she was out of her war leathers and unaccompanied by any of the other Scions. Au Ra were common in Thavnair, as one of its founding peoples. She was also a private person, who did not give interviews nor allow pictures of herself to be published willingly. As such very few people realized the pretty, pink haired au ra currently strolling around Radz At-Han was the Dainty Baneberry who had so recently saved not only the city but the entire star itself.

It set Dainty a little on her guard then that the Gentleman awaiting her at Mehryde’s Meyhane seemed to recognize her instantly, as she was absolutely certain she had never seen the fellow before. She had seen and helped so many in her career as an Adventurer but Dainty was certain she would have remembered this man. For one thing he was obscenely fat. For the other, a small bolt of recognition shot down Dainty’s spine as she approached him, he had the same dark magenta coloured eyes as she did. She had never met another with the same eyes as she although, as an Au Ra she was possessed also of bright candle light orange limbal rings.

Her eyes narrowed in suspicion, noting this new acquaintance bore the tell tale marble like third eye of a pure-blooded Garlean and although his hair was clearly thinned and grayed in his advanced age there were clear signs it had once been bright platinum blond.

“What can I do for you?”

If he were yet another idiot Imperial planning to take umbrage with the Eorzean Alliance’s actions in the Capitol she had far, far better things to do.

“I need not much.” The fat Garlean man rumbled, lowering himself back to the seat he had risen from when she approached by use of a sturdy wooden cane and the edge of the table. “Only a little proof that some small piece of Jade survived beyond my idiot son.” At this he withdrew a large mens locket on a broken silver chain from his pocket and offered it to Dainty. She did not hesitate to take it, rightly or wrongly she had never thought to question when something was handed to her. She opened it with nimble fingers, revealing a small but skillful painting of an aura woman who bore no small amount of resemblance to herself. In fact, were it not for this memoria being possessed of jade green eyes she and Dainty might wholly have been twins. Even the candle light orange limbal rings they shared in common.

Dainty gave her skirt and tail a small swish, then sat herself at the table, still regarding this new acquaintance with slightly narrowed eyes. “Tell me more about Jade and this idiot son of yours and I may be able to assist you.”

[higureryu]

FFXIV Prompt 2: Bolt

1: to move suddenly or nervously

2: to move or proceed rapidly

3: to break away from control or a set course; to dart off or away 

4: to break away from or oppose one's previous affiliation

5: to produce seed prematurely Before the Calamity.

Munkhtsetseg paused, tail stiff as she scanned the room. The other children in the workhouse had their heads down, focusing on their tasks. She carefully set the half-finished quilted haubrek down, and eased off the stool. No one payed attention to the small auri child as she snuck towards the door. ".....blackie. If they catch you, they'll take dinner from you again." The voice was soft, and the young raen boy didn't look up from his needle and thread. Munkhtsetseg shrugged. "Not first time. Old man promised show herb." "Alright." She grinned, front teeth missing, and bolted out the door. Once clear of the workroom, she ran as fast as she could towards the ramshackle building on the edge of village that passed as the medicus's office. The bamboo screen of the door should have been replaced the last rainy season, but the imperials hadn't allowed the old man the time to do it. So it stuck. And stuck hard. She groaned as she leaned her shoulder into the door, finally getting it to slide open enough to allow her thin frame to pass. The room was an odd mix of modern magitek and archaic yanxian tools. Piles of dried herbs lay side by side with beakers and crucibles. The smell of stale sake wafted from a pile of bark bound books to create a heady mix. Munkhtsetseg frowned as she shook her head. "Master. Drunk sleep....in books bad." A shaky hand rose from the pile, waving her off. "Oh hush blackie. Help me clean up and pack." "...pack? Promised herbs." "....I did didn't I? Sorry, but plans have changed. I need to move to a new village. They want me reassigned."

Munkhtsetseg wilted, tail drooping. ".....oh. No...no herbs?" "No." The old man paused as he sat up, robes falling loosely around his aging frame. "....actually. Want to travel with me? I can probably talk them letting me adopt you as an apprentice."

The drooping tail went bolt upright as her head came up as well, eyes sparkling. ".....promise?" With a chuckle, the old man got up. He dusted himself off and nodded. "I think they owe me at least that much. Alright then. Help me pack and we can get out of here."

[sea-wolf-coast-to-coast]

Prompt #2: Bolt

Submit your entry here: https://forms.gle/SxFpwkKPLqnUwAYD9

#FFxivWrite2022 is underway – a daily writing challenge presented to the Final Fantasy XIV writing community for the month of September. You can join any time throughout the challenge with any prompt number!

Entries can be written on any online writing platform (tumblr, Archive of our Own, Google Docs, etc.). Submit the link and be sure that I have reading access.

Reminder: The 24-hour deadline does not go into effect until September 8th.

More about single word prompts here

Rules & Info || Prompt List || #FFxivWrite2022 || kofi

[sea-wolf-coast-to-coast]

FFxivWrite2022 Results Coming Sunday,  10/16

Friends! Once again, I have to thank you all for your patience <3 I’ve been working overtime on a massive project at work and haven’t had a chance to dive into writing challenge questions or results. My project wraps up this week, and then I can focus on writing challenge stuff!

I will announce #FFxivWrite2022 winners & share stats on Sunday, 10/16!