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Week 13, 2023 - RP Prompt

Complete the sentence “I really wish I hadn’t …”, then write a piece about it. It doesn’t have to be true.

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Week 12, 2023 - RP Prompt

“You killed a man?”

“Yes.”

“You don’t seem the type.”

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Week 10 Prompt: Gossip

Prompt: Write a conversation between two people who are NOT your main character, and have them discuss your character. Are they friendly, supportive, critical, odious? Do they speak about that person in a way that is positive, or as more like gossip?

Solan’ri happily signed a story to his companion as they traveled into Quarrymill. The young duskwight was becoming more recognizable in the settlement, meaning more people were quick to recall that he couldn’t hear their cheery greetings. Still, he felt more at ease with a client or friend accompanying him on his rare trips to trade in the town. Today he led a chocobo that was burdened with fresh honeycomb, jars of fresh tree saps and syrups, and bundles of spring flowers and herbs. This first harvest would finance expansions on his summer gardens and he was signing rapidly with his bubbling excitement.

“Alright, wait here,” his friend laughed. “I will talk to the clerk about having the honey and syrup graded.”

Solan’ri’s head bobbed in understanding and he went to stand in the shadow of the stables. Daytime was not his favorite, as was the case for much of his kin, but he was resigned to conduct business with Quarrymill on their terms. It couldn’t dampen his spirits. He enthusiastically stood by the stabled birds and offered a bit of fruit to any of those that appeared interested. He chuckled quietly as they gobbled up the offerings, and was thoroughly distracted when a young hyur in dark clothing approached him.

“Excuse me,” the young man tested.

When he found that Solan’ri truly could not hear him, he hesitated. Ultimately, he decided to reach out and tap Solan on the arm. This caused the duskwight man to turn quickly and stare hard at the other man. Realizing, though, that the young man was not familiar to him, he forced a smile.

“Please don’t touch me,” he signed, testing to see if the hyur knew the language.

He did not, judging by the frown on his face.

“Sorry. A vendor told me I should talk to you…oh…you can’t…sorry…” the man started to look more boyish as he trailed off.

Solan’ri shook his head and waved off the apology as he fished a chalk board from his bag. With a bit of chalk he wrote down his thoughts in clear but hasty handwriting.

“I can read lips if you speak deliberately,” he wrote. “Can I help you?”

The man read the note and then nodded.

“You can, I think. I was told that you are an associate of the Twins Grimm.”

Solan’ri hated the nickname for his closest friends, so he instantly frowned and stole some of the younger man’s confidence with the expression. However, since he didn’t offer anything for the time being, the young man persisted.

“I was hoping to find the girl one. Uh…Violet? I think that’s her name. Like the flower? Funny that she’s named after a flower isn’t it?”

Solan’ri studied the man a moment before erasing his previous message and writing, “Why is it funny?”

The young man shifted a little and shrugged. However, since it was clear that Solan’ri would offer nothing until his question was answered, the man sighed and muttered at the ground a moment. Realizing that he wasn’t understood that way, he looked up again.

“Sorry. It’s just that…she’s a killer. Right? Like, a hired killer. A mercenary, I suppose. They say she’s been found bloody in the forest by people late at night and her eyes glow red with bloodlust. One person even said she’s not alive but rather she’s a vengeful wraith from Gelmorra…”

He trailed off and cleared his throat before getting back on track.

“Anyhow, I want to find her so I can ask her to sell me an axe. A guy at Druthers has a sword she made in her shop before she sold it and it is impressive. I want one like that so I can make a better impression on the companies in Gridania.”

Solan’ri’s entire store of optimism for the day was drained as he read the words from the man’s lips. It infuriated him that the gossip surrounding Violetta had evolved into such a demortalizing narrative that this stranger felt entitled to her labor after calling her a killer. With a soft growl that he could only feel, he erased the previous message and started a new one. After a moment, he erased that and wrote something else. It took him a full minute to finish his thoughts and he turned it over for the man to read it.

“Violetta and Valerian are the only people I have left. They are my family, if ever I am to have such a thing again. You would do well to not believe everything you hear or at least temper those tales with the more valorous tales of their service to the Shroud. Violetta is no longer in the Shroud, though, and her shop is closed. You are better off seeking a smith in Limsa than trying to hunt down Violetta. Excuse me now.”

When the young hyur tried to protest, Solan’ri simply turned on his heel and walked toward the clerks office. Surely his companion would be done soon with the paperwork and he’d be freed of his wares. He was looking forward to returning to his hovel in the shadows, but also considering sending a letter to Violetta to offset the foul aura of scandal that besmirched her name even as she made a life for herself elsewhere.

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Week 9 Prompt

Prompt: How often will your characters do things they dislike to please others? Does the reason matter more than the person or the other way around?

One would be hard pressed to label Violetta or Alice as people pleasers, but each of them for different reasons. In Violetta’s case, she is just not overly fond of getting close to people and pleasing them may encourage them to stick around her too often. This is not to say Violetta does not act to help people at times when she would rather not, but her motivation certainly isn’t to please people.

Alice, on the other hand, will happily love bomb the people she wants to keep close to her, but is unlikely to do things she dislikes just to make people happy. She’s still trying to get a grasp on appropriate levels of affection to match her relationship with friends, and this can sometimes come off as people pleasing, but in reality she is just trying to secure people as HER people.

Holly is a bit of the odd one in my current main cast of characters, because he will do things he dislikes to please others, but it is more about the reason than it is about the people. He desires to be admired and appreciated and he has found that the fastest way to get people to speak positively of him is to be a bit of a butt kiss at times.

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Mirror

Mirrors always have something new to say. Each time I pass a mirror, I'm a different person. I'm a young inexperienced adventurer. I'm the doting daughter. I'm the faceless bard. I'm the girl no one remembers.

I wanted that.

Why don't people remember me? It's simple, they're busy with their own lives. Who's going to worry about a young woman who didn't even tell them my real name? It's not their fault. I lied. Being a storyteller is partly being a liar as well.

"Pern." A woman called from outside the room I was in. That would be Leey, a lovely woman I had met while traveling. My travels had been needed after my fall. I needed time to think, time to rationalize what I was feeling. It was better to do that alone, with less risk of letting out my secrets.

"Coming!" I called donning a sing song voice.

The room I was currently sleeping in was all in order, and while it would look normal, I could sense a shadow just waiting behind the mirror. It watched me, not judging me but studying me with the childlike curiosity that I had come to know from it.

'You're in no real danger.' It whispered in a soft voice.

I relaxed and nodded at its advice. It hadn't steered me wrong yet. Not since I found it months ago.

Opening the door to my room I pulled on my best most animated smile. "Ready for a night on the town?" I asked and leaned against the door. I'm taller than most other Hyru women and normally I would try my best to shrink myself, but not with Leey. She didn't care I was a head taller than her.

Leey while small, she was also the opposite of em in all other ways I could imagine. She had soft blond hair, dark eyes, and pale skin, the sort of pale that reminded me of how I looked when I hadn't been allowed to be outside for ten years. It was a sick time, a time I never wanted to relive. "You're the one who wanted to do it." She said and while she smiled I could see the distress.

When I had met Leey she had sworn that she was a homebody, but then lamented she never got to do anything. I took that as her challenge, she wanted to leave home. She wanted to see the world, she needed someone to kick her into motion.

I took her arm and pulled her down the hallway and into the main tavern. There was a group of bards already hard at work playing some music. I took pulled her on a near by dance floor and spun us around. "Come on, we'll start with a dance, drink a little, then ask some one else to dance with us."

While I was spinning I knew I wasn't graceful. I was no dancer, but I didn't have to worry about that. I wasn't the focus. Leey was. I was the catalyst, she was the star of the night. Around us folks were glancing in our direction. I noticed one of them was an attractive enough looking man and I guided us closer, almost running into him.

The man steadied Leey and when their eyes met I wanted to grin. Their moment came, and it passed. I watched only a foot away before the man cleared his throat and glanced to me. "Are you alright?"

"I'm just clumsy," I said, waving my hand and laughing. "I'm going to get some drinks. Leey, want some?" I asked 

Leey was still looking at the man her dark eyes transfixed on him. Maybe her story was going to be that of love? She could have a romantic night and tell me all about it the next day. "Yeah, some wine?"

I tapped the side of my nose knowing what she wanted and rushed away before anyone talked to me. They would remember me as a wisp of a figure, one easily forgotten. I was here to reflect what they needed and not be seen for the dangerous metal underneath.

At the bar, I ordered our drinks. I got myself water, drinking would fog the mind and I didn't need to be as foggy as their own remembrance of me. I took up the drinks and noticed Leey was laughing with the man when I turned. Taking my time, I counted. Watching and waiting was part of the game. Letting no one know me was part of the game.

No one really wants to know a Beast.

After counting back from sixty, giving them a whole minute alone, I started back and offered the wine to Leey. She was blushing when she took the glass. 

"This is Mikal." She said gesturing to the man. "And this is Pern."

I smiled as brightly as I needed to. "Do you have a dance partner tonight Mikal?" I asked.

The man opened his mouth looking at the dance floor then to Leey. "No, i was just passing through."

"So am I." I shrugged. "What a surprise? This place is so great to meet people and then move along. I think I'm going to sit down for a moment, it's warmer here than I thought it would be." It's another lie but I want Leey and Mikal to have all the time they need.

They didn't stop me as I returned to my seat, plopping myself down satisfied with my work. It wasn't my most flashy setup. But it told more of a story than what they would have. One day they would get to tell people how they met, bumping into one another. I will be closer to a fairy godmother who is written into one scene and then forgotten. Leey is lucky I don't have access to magical slippers, or I would have set her up that way.

It's a lonely life, being the mirror. Being the one to reflect what people wish to see. Being forgotten is safer. No one remembers the image they want to see. They will remember the difference, the outsider who sticks out. Being normal, being one of them, it's how I can survive.

I wonder if anyone else remembers me? Anyone important?

My water is savored, each sweet clean drop reminds me I don't have to worry about where I'm getting fresh drinking water. The days where I was hiding in the wood are over. The people looking for me, they probably wouldn't know me if they saw me. if any of them are still alive.

The last one who saw my face, I saw an arrow go into the side of their head. Killing them instantly. If any of the others still lived, they must think I'm dead as well after what happened. There was no way they would know I had survived, that I had managed to do the impossible.

I think somewhere, in our family history, we were told we were people who could do the impossible. Will I get to do the impossible? Will I get to be like one of them? The one the story is actually about. The witch, the wolf, the Beast, can I be any of those. Or am I the mirror?

"Pern!" Leey shouted half an hour later. Her face was flush but she was holding up some paper. "I got his address to write him!"

In my heart, warmth seeped in. Honest warmth, the warmth of knowing I had done something right. One day she'll realize I didn't give her an address for myself. One day she would wonder what happened to the bard who had introduced her to Mikal. But today, I was here, the side character to her life. The one who was happily playing along as she lived her best life.

"That's great!" I got up from my seat and offered her a hug. "Are you going to keep talking to him? It's not a problem if you do. I need to check on something at the stable."

Leey was blushing again her eyes darting back to the man. He was standing awkwardly against a wall, waiting to get my approval. I offered a wave.

"I'll talk to you in the morning?" She asked.

"I want every detail." I squeezed her hand and gestured for her to go to him. Once she turned and they were fully engrossed in their conversation I drank the rest of my water and walked to the stairs leading to my room.

It was time I left.

She'll go looking for me in the morning, but what she'll find is a note. When I get to my room I pen it.

Leey,

I had to go, family issues came up. I hope you had a wonderful time with Mikal. If I pass through I'll contact you.

Pern.

I placed the letter on the nightstand and glanced to the mirror. I was dressed for a night out, but on closer inspection no one going out would be wearing travel boots. My room was fully packed and ready to go. A second look, it would be like I had planned this.

'Why did you leave so early?' The soft voice behind the mirror whispered.

Putting my pack on my back I shrugged. "Because my part in her story was over. Let's head out." I reached my hand out, but the shadow behind the mirror was gone and outside I could hear the calling from its main form. Of the black Chocobo that had stayed glued to my side. The only being who remembered me was the only one who asked me questions I wanted to answer.

I snuck out the back of the tavern so Leey and Mikal didn't notice my escape. Out near the back gate, the Chocabo waited, her head cocked to one side, and around her neck was a thick opulent bow I had bought for her.

'Where are we going now? Will we get to go to the beach? I want to see a ship!' She said her voice only audible to me.

I smoothed her feathers under my hand, though they were silken, they didn't feel like real feathers. They felt like whatever she thought feathers would feel like. "I need to head north, while doing this is fun, it's not helping me locate my brothers."

The Chocabo nodded her head as I got on the saddle. 'We get to see the snow!'

A shiver crept through me. We would get to see the snow, but now it was safer to be so far north. I wasn't being hunted, and if I was lucky, I'd get to make more headway in my search.

[thegraveyardcompany]

           YOU COLLECT SCARS BECAUSE YOU WANT PROOF THAT YOU                ARE PAYING FOR WHATEVER SINS YOU HAVE COMMITTED   

[thegraveyardcompany]

Week 11, 2023 - RP Prompt

Mirrors always have something new to say.

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Week 10, 2023 - RP Prompt

Write a conversation between two people who are NOT your main character, and have them discuss your character. Are they friendly, supportive, critical, or odious? Do they speak about that person in a way that is positive, or as more like gossip?

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Week 9, 2023 - RP Prompt

How often will your characters do things they dislike to please others? Does the reason matter more than the person, or the other way around?

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A promising lead

Elissaria shot another arrow at the target, the motion second nature to the viera who’d used the bow since a child. One after another the arrows followed each other into the center of the target. Muscle memory drove the movements, only the viera’s flickering eyes gave evidence that she was paying close attention to the target’s center. 

Her quiver empty, Eli moved to the target and began to pull the arrows one by one, reloading the quiver with practiced movements. A soft chime had her tapping the receiver, “Yes?” she answered as she began to walk to where her chocobo stood patiently waiting.

She listened intently, hope burning in her chest with each word spoken. She gave a soft “I will,” before both ends went silent. Hefting herself in to the saddle, she rode toward the closest aetheryte. Her fingers twisting the link pearl and then speaking, this time with a firm tone.

“I have a lead, I’m on my way back to Ishgard. Meet there within the hour if you’re available.”

With that Eli cut the comm, and prayed to all twelve gods that the information was solid and the company would be on its way to bringing Kuri home.

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Week 4 RP Prompt

There’s nothing like the emptiness of finishing a long project.

In the wake of completing Siegwulf’s armor, and also getting an initial prototype for Kal’sin’s shield produced, Violette was left with idle hands. Holly had been an amusement some days, and S’keseh was good for a philosophical chat if he was in the mood, but after the breach in the vault, Violetta found herself lacking distractions. She wandered the house during the day and at night spent her time tucked away. She lacked direction and focus and her mind kept turning to Kuri. She knew the auri woman was strong enough to hold on while they desperately searched for leads but without a distraction the cursed Viera’s day dreams were frequently destructive.

As she crested the stairs to the second story of the company home, she found that the life form there was not S’keseh, but rather the strange little hyur woman Alice. She considered turning around to escape notice, but Alice was far too sharp for that.

“Hi, Violetta,” the woman greeted.

She sounded different.

She sounded…sad?

“Hello,” Violetta offered in return.

The pale woman stood awkwardly by the stairs and watched as Alice retrieved some fish food from a cubby by the sofa. Alice climbed up to a vent at the top of the aquarium and opened it with a rake pick. She spoke as she fed the fish a few morsels from the jar.

“I won’t be up here long. I just want to make sure the fish are well fed and looked after until Kuri gets back,” Alice said.

Realizing that Alice’s mind was in much the same place as her own, Violetta moved closer as she nodded.

“She’ll appreciate it. It will be good news for her to have when she returns.”

“We haven’t heard from her in several days,” Alice sighed. “I am worried that it decreases the likelihood of ever seeing my friend again.”

Violetta frowned at the pesimissism, but it made her reflect on the foundation of her optimism. She was quiet while Alice closed the vent and returned the food to the cubby. The hyur woman even started to leave when Violetta stepped into her path and shook her head.

“Given your past, I can understand if you have a tainted view of faith, but I must ask. Do you hope for things? Pray? Do you have faith that something will happen so long as you believe?”

Alice shifted uncomfortably and Violetta sighed and stepped away again. She interpreted the gesture as discomfort with the aura of misfortune and void that clung to her, but Alice was sharp and quickly explained her uneasiness.

“I don’t know how to have faith right now. All I can feel is cold fury that someone has taken my first friend from me. I want to hurt them. Kill them in ways so painful they will see their gods and weep for rescue from mortality. But…that is all I really feel right now.”

Violetta subtly bit the inside of her lip to keep from smiling at the woman. She understood the feeling much too well but didn’t dare share such a thing with the younger woman.

“I asked because…I don’t want to seem like I am patronizing you. We’re all processing these events as best we can. Kuri is beloved by the entire company. She is strength in the foundation of who we are as a group, and her absence is deeply felt by all of us. I know we will find her, because she is strong and she will hold on until we can. Death will not suffer any of us to drift off into the darkness without a hell of a fight. So, even if you don’t place faith in the gods, place your faith in Kuri. And try not to let the threat of loss control you.”

Alice stared in awe for a moment. When Violetta spoke, there was so much certainty and conviction in her tone, it was hard not to feel just a little inspired to faith. The moment passed though, as realism crept in. The words were pretty and stirring, but they would mean nothing if the company failed to get to Kuri in time.

“Thank you, Violetta. I will reflect on this,” she offered before scurrying off before her doubts cracked through the practiced mask she wore.

Violetta watched the girl go and sighed. She turned back to the aquarium and watched the fish lazily circle in search of more food. Her mind would carry her away and she would daydream some more, but the distraction would be fleeting.

At least until she felt familiar arms wrap around her.

@thegraveyardcompany @kuri-ejinn @never-trust-theliving

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Week 8, 2023 - RP Prompt

We must be careful whose hand we take. We are so easily led.

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Week 7, 2023 - RP Prompt

How does your oc respond to an apology from someone who shouldn't be the one to apologize?

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Week 6, 2023 - RP Prompt

The real betrayal was knowing that even when the rest of the world didn’t believe in me, the people I loved didn’t either.

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Week 5, 2023 - RP Prompt

Write a blurb about the most complicated relationship in your story. What makes it so complex? How do the actions change the way the characters feel about each other?

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Week 4, 2023 - RP Prompt

There’s nothing like the emptiness of finishing a long project.

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Week 3, 2023 - RP Prompt

What is the worst cabinet/drawer/corner in your character’s home? The least organized, pain to open, stuff popping out drawer. What goes in it?