ff_exchange | September Chocobo Races: Free-For-All!

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September Chocobo Races: Free-For-All!

DOINK! Chocobo Races 2014
September Theme: Free-For-All!

Welcome to the 2014 Chocobo Races! Last year in the battle of the Espers/Eidolons/Aeons/GFs/Summons… we could go on… Team Shiva iced the competition! With a clean slate and only two teams fighting for the championship title this year, it’s truly anyone’s game! Will Team Cactuar blind us all with 1000 Fics? Will Team Tonberry step out of the shadows wielding a fine-tipped paintbrush? Only time (and your own enthusiasm!) will tell!

Let the races begin!

Administrative Bits

If you haven't yet chosen your team, make sure you sign up here if you want your work to count for points!
Confused? Need a refresher on the rules? Wondering how to post? Get more information about the Chocobo Races here.
You can browse the Chocobo Down list at any time!

How will the scoring go?

Any work posted this month will receive 10 points. Please be sure to follow our minimum quality guidelines outlined in the introduction to Chocobo Races - fics should be at least 500 words, and please use your best judgement for art and other types of media by putting in as much effort as you would for a ~500 word fic, if that makes sense :)
Don’t forget we also now award bonus points for works that go above and beyond the call of duty!
- +5 points for every 5000 words of a single fic
- +5 points for extensive coloring or shading in a picture
- +5 points for complexity within a single picture; i.e. backgrounds or multiple characters
- +5 points for multi-paneled comics
Remember that you have to be signed up for a team before you post your work in order to get points!

What prompts are eligible for this month?

Official Chocobo Down Database
Any prompt from a past Chocobo Races round
Any prompt left in the comments of this post! Yes, as of this year, the intro post for each theme period now doubles as the prompt post.

Some reminders for this round:

Please include the prompt you are filling somewhere when you post your work!

If you have a great idea that you’d love to see filled, that isn’t covered by anything already in the Chocobo Down Database, you are welcome to post your prompts in the comments of this post! Team players will earn points on any works they create to fill these new prompts, too.

To leave a prompt:

Please put the canon and character(s) in the subject of the comment. FFVI: Edgar & Sabin, or FFVII (OGC): Cid, or FFVIII: Rinoa/Quistis are examples.
Leave the details of your prompt in the comment. "Anything goes" usually isn't as helpful as you'd think — even if it's true! — so please try to add some optional details or ideas for people who might want a pointer. Since this is Free-For-All month, it's a chance to get adventurous, so let your imaginations fly!
You can leave as many prompts as you wish, although we would ask you to stick to 5 prompts to keep things manageable. If you do also fill a prompt or two this month, however, we invite you to come back and leave even more prompts of your own!

Ready, Set, Go! The September Chocobo Races are open!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

For the (maybe) first prompt of the round: inexplicably, unnervingly, impossibly, a Tonberry and a Cactuar find love! Give me something cracky and ridiculous.

I took advantage of the Fiend Arena in FFX-2 HD and came up with this!

Arena Buddies, E, 1760 words.

Edited 2014-09-01 21:18 (UTC)

Oh my god this is absolutely precious. (They want to play blitzball, aaaaaah...)

Thank you. The Fiend Arena is awesome. XD

This is completely adorable.

After seeing Terra aid the party so many times with her cure magic, Edgar gets the bright idea of repurposing his bio blaster to disperse curatives instead of poison. The results are messy and hilarious -- or not! Take it wherever you want to take it, though I'd love to see at least one character griping about their ruined clothes during the testing stages.

Plot bunny for adoption: I'm convinced that Aeris was as much an information seller as a flower seller. What if Barret had sought her out for information about Shinra? Or what if the Turks had asked her to spy on AVALANCHE? (Either way would be good, or if you have another idea, I'd just like to see some Barret + Aeris interaction of any sort.)

Edited 2014-09-01 21:20 (UTC)

Something Rachel-centric! I want to see her character developed outside of the fridge. What does she do while Locke is away? Does she work? Is she a student? What are her strengths & weaknesses, hopes & fears? Obviously Locke is welcome to be included in this story/art, but a solo character study would be awesome too! (Any genre/rating you're comfortable with is cool with me)

I would love to see any backstory on this fabulous dragon. :D Some ideas: How'd he end up in the Deep Sea Research Center? Why has he stayed there all this time? What are his origins? Why does he seem so hostile towards humans? How is he related to Tiamat (if at all)? Or you know, just contextualize his dialogue with Squall! Why does he fixate on "nature" in particular? What the heck does he mean by, "Have you seen the light?"

Interaction with other characters optional! I just want to see some more Bahamut.

Need more airsick meds, kiddo?

Prompt by

crankyoldman: Cid/Yuffie, preferrably a pairing but if you're severely icked by that friendship is fine. Cid cursing is fine, but please don't overdo it to the point of caricature. Extra ideas to get you going: Airsickness, stealing boxers, what DID Cid do during the Wutai War. Max rating: R. Art is highly encouraged.

Edit: tumblr | dA

Edited 2014-09-02 15:35 (UTC)

Aww, it's nice to see Cid's softer side! Very cute :)

I'd love to see these two becoming close during their travels together, whether during Sabin's route in the early game or after the party is reunited in the second half of the game. The two sharing a passion for exercise and meditation would be really cool, for example -- or they could bond over their awkwardness around machinery! Either way, I'd love to see fun friendship between the two, although if you can find a way to make it shippy, that would be fascinating as well.

Beatrix is deeply loyal to her queen even after she's clearly gone off the deep end -- what inspired that loyalty? What sort of person was Brahne before her husband's death and subsequent slide into madness? What sort of relationship did she and Beatrix share throughout Beatrix's service?

If going for something friendship-specific, I'd love to see the details of how Beatrix entered Brahne's service. If romantic or sexual, hurt/comfort in the immediate aftermath of Brahne's husband's death -- or at the very least, before Kuja shows up -- would be cool.

Always have had a lot of feelings about a father-sons dynamic with these three, considering they were the only ones who originally joined him in Balamb (and the whole knighthood and implied gunblade thing). Maybe general fluff back at the orphanage when they were little, maybe when he first brought them to Garden and how they adjusted to that (and him gradually not being "dad" anymore).

Edited 2014-09-02 19:41 (UTC)

Penelo's enthusiasm for dancing persists even as far as Tactics A2, where she's refined it into a style of combat unique to her. How long was she dancing her way through combat? I'd like to see something within the span of FFXII, with Penelo casting spells or whirling blades even in the middle of frenetic, dangerous combat.

So in the OGC, when you speak to Cait Sith while sitting around the Cosmo Candle, you get this tiny bit of intriguing dialogue: "I wonder how many years it's been... Gosh, it brings back memories......"

I don't think this is ever expounded upon in the Compilation (but correct me if I'm wrong; I'm not very familiar with BC!). The implication is that Reeve's been to Cosmo Canyon before, and I can only imagine that he's had words with Bugenhagen before about the Lifestream. Maybe Bugenhagen chastises Reeve for designing the reactors, maybe Bugenhagen unwittingly drops information how to better harness mako energy, maybe he warns Reeve away from using mako but Reeve doesn't heed him -- just something! I'd love a fic about this hypothetical pre-game encounter.

Prompt by

ukefied: Minwu/Firion. Mentors. Guidance. Renewed determination. (Can take place after Minwu's sacrifice, if a story bites better then.)

Hands (542 words) by ladytiresias
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Final Fantasy II
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Firion/Minwu
Characters: Firion, Minwu
Additional Tags: Mentor/Protégé, Magic Meta
Summary:

Minwu is always telling him that concentration is key, but Firion finds that his preoccupation with his newfound teacher is by far his greatest distraction.

Prompt by tinamachina: Modern-day AU. Edward von Muir, rock god!

EXCELLENT! Thanks so much!

Ahhh this is great! He would be an indie rocker with that acoustic guitar, wouldn't he! :P

Adding links:

dA | tumblr

Art: Morph
Fandom: Final Fantasy VI
Character: Terra
Rating: NSFW (nudity)
Prompt: Esper!Terra. Alone, just about any action shot (flying, fighting, using her magic) would be great. I'd also love to see something of her in a romantic context while in her esper form (see my Content Preferences for pairings I particular would like.) For that idea, anything from snuggling to a trip through the skies to some playful romping would be great!

Anything to do with this exchange in the Pharos at Ridorana:

Fran: Hadn't you best be off? That's what a sky pirate does. You fly, don't you?
Balthier: I suppose you'd better hang on then.

Art, scene expansion of the escape, reference back to it - whatever!

Art: Terra Unleashed
Fandom: Final Fantasy VI
Character: Terra
Rating: NSFW (nudity)
Prompt: I can never get enough of esper!Terra [. . .] Art-wise, I'd especially love a piece that captures her fierceness--the way she's this shining furry pink thing with claws, fangs, a wild mane, and a protective streak.

Art: Pirate Band
Fandom: Final Fantasy V
Character: Faris, Lenna
Rating: G
Prompt: Faris. I would love something that explores her as a pirate captain. Whether it be her before game, or if it's her during game and trying to reconcile that with this whole quest business, or after game, when she finally returns to the sea. I'd love to see her interactions with anyone else (especially Syldra!) and I'll admit to having a fondness for Faris/Bartz and Faris/Lenna.

To Hold It All Together
- In the Tower of Babel -- with no end in sight -- Rosa balances keeping her comrades alive, keeping her worries under control, and marshaling her resources.
(note: bit of violence in here)

Prompt from

crankyoldman:
Rosa and the dirtier aspects of being a white mage. Something with her in battle, how she handles it without getting (outwardly) emo about it. If post-game, some bonding with Porom would be especially nice. If during the game, some bonding with Rydia. Emphasis on the fact that battle isn't nearly like what you play in a videogame, especially if your job is to heal people primarily.

Written for an old prompt by

jack_of_none. I'll archive it later and add it to the collection; gonna poke at it a bit first...

ETA link

You cannot tolerate Scarmiglone's behavior any further.

Granted, being newly dead and risen is an acceptable excuse for crankiness, and few would know that better than you. Still, it has been too long. He moans constantly, even more than his situation would warrant. His moping has become frankly unbearable.

You would ask one of the others to speak with him, but they would know nothing of empathy for such a being. You remember little of empathy yourself, but at least you have some experience with his plight. It has been a long time since you walked among the living, your body as solid as a boulder and as mighty as stone itself.

He barely notices you as you approach him, too busy with his mumbles and his self-loathing. "Once I was the spark of life within the soil," he muttered, his back to you. "Once I was every green and growing thing that sprouted from the earth... and now look at me. Look at me...."

You clear your throat, pointedly. "I beg your pardon."

He turns to look at you, his empty eyes staring from beneath patches of gray-green hair. "You," he says, more loudly. "My elder has come to lecture me, I suppose."

"Of course." You haven't the patience to sugarcoat the truth for him. "Self-loathing is a waste of time, Scarmiglone. Turn that hatred towards those who would destroy us."

"How can I, when I am already destroyed?" he said, gritting his teeth. "You should understand. You are not who you once was. How can you look at yourself, and not dream of the days when you lived?"

And you suppose he has a point - you are little more than a broken skeleton now, stripped of your muscle and flesh and wrapped in bloody robes and black magic. You must admit, you do miss being alive from time to time. You miss the raw power, the presence, the weight of it.

But giving into commiseration will only encourage his griping. Instead you close the distance between you, and drive your talons into his shoulder, just below the jutting spikes. He hisses and glares up at you, his eyes darkening to bloody red. "What are you doing!?" he growls.

"Demonstrating an advantage to our condition," you say, and with your free hand you grab at his cheek, cutting into the grey and corpselike flesh, flaying it to ribbons.

He falls upon you with a gibbering howl, biting and stabbing. Cloth is torn aside, and bones shatter and fall away as his strength overcomes them. but you have power of your own, and with a touch you make his flesh blister and char, falling away with a mere touch. He moans as he falls apart but does not relent, tearing at your ribcage and pulling bones free with pops and cracks. The pain is sharp and fierce and flows through your ruined body, so strong that it verged on pleasure, and you can see from his twisted grin that he is enjoying it, perhaps more than you.

You are on the verge of destroying each other when you push him away, a shockwave strong enough to send him flying. Ichor and bits of corpse-flesh are everywhere, as are fragments of bone. "What," he begins, his voice echoing.

"Wait," you say, and you can already feel the magic starting to work. The bones are regenerating, and you watch as your power pulls them back to your body and knits them back into you, cementing them into place. It is not warm, not the way healing would have been while you lived, but the shocks of completion still make you hiss with the memory of pleasure.

The same thing is happening to him; you can see it, the rents in his flesh knitting together. The ichor and flesh around him falls apart into dry dust, and he leans back, eyes slitted, as his body returns to its twisted former state.

"You see?" you say as you regain your will to speak. "No need to fear death, young one. We are invulnerable. We can do as we please."

"Ah," he says, opening his bright eyes again. "I... am not convinced. Show me again."

He thinks he is being subtle, but his artifice is as clear as day to you. You chuckle. "Another time," you answer. "Provided that you stop groaning, hmm?"

"Fine." He scowls, but you've convinced him; you can see it in his white, eager eyes.

You can't help but chuckle as you walk away. You still have your silver tongue, even though it rotted in your skull long ago.

Edited 2014-10-01 02:40 (UTC)

Prompt: "Aeris. I would love anything that shows her being her normal, awesome, flawed self. It can be before, during, or after game, AU, anything. Also, something that shows her relationship (whether it be happy, sad, romantic, familial, or anything in between) with the Planet, Yuffie, Red XIII, Cloud, Tifa, Marlene, Elmyra, Tseng, Reeve, Cid, Barret, or Vincent would be awesome." --

mako_lies

By Candlelight (2008 words)
Fandom: Final Fantasy VII
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Aerith, Red XIII
Summary: Aerith and Nanaki find each other in the dark.

---

Prompt: "I really, really love Red XIII/Nanaki - he was always on my team along with Vincent or Cid. Because of that I'd love either fic or art of either just Red, or either/both of the other two interacting in some way with him. For fic, a conversation, Red teaching one of them something maybe. Any canon you want." --

thousanth

Close Encounters (2715 words)
Fandom: Final Fantasy VII
Rating: Teen and Up Audiences
Warnings: Author Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings (extremely vague violence)
Characters: Red XIII, Vincent
Summary: Quiet nights give way to disquieting company. In the mountains of Nibelheim, Nanaki and Vincent practice the fine art of not quite speaking their minds.

For an old prompt by sister_coyote: Locke/Celes. My favorite thing about this pairing is the way the two of them have to struggle more with themselves than with one another to make it work...

The Dialects of Breathing (7606 words) by Vrazdova
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Final Fantasy VI
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Celes Chere/Locke Cole
Characters: Celes Chere, Locke Cole
Additional Tags: Missing Scene, Character Study, POV First Person, Pre-Relationship
Summary: The journey to Narshe is only made more difficult by walking on tiptoes.

Edited 2014-09-29 01:19 (UTC)

Jockeying (719 words) by Wallwalker
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Final Fantasy VII
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Barret Wallace/Aerith Gainsborough
Characters: Barret Wallace, Aeris Gainsborough
Additional Tags: Ficlet, Slice of Life, Mid-Canon, Gold Saucer, Silly, Team Cactuar
Summary: Aeris and Barret in Chocobo Square. (Mostly an excuse for Chocobo Race meta.)

For

mako_lies. Prompt: "Aeris. I would love anything that shows her being her normal, awesome, flawed self. It can be before, during, or after game, AU, anything. Also, something that shows her relationship (whether it be happy, sad, romantic, familial, or anything in between) with the Planet, Yuffie, Red XIII, Cloud, Tifa, Marlene, Elmyra, Tseng, Reeve, Cid, Barret, or Vincent would be awesome."

Edited 2014-09-30 17:10 (UTC)

Out of the Mists (1186 words) by owlmoose
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Final Fantasy X-2, Final Fantasy XII
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Yuna (Final Fantasy X & X-2), Balthier
Additional Tags: Crossover, Flirting
Summary:

Yuna meets someone new on the Farplane.

Inspired by a prompt from

lescafenix, requesting a meeting between Yuna and Balthier.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

September Chocobo Races: Free-For-All!

Any canon: Cactuar/Tonberry

Re: Any canon: Cactuar/Tonberry

Re: Any canon: Cactuar/Tonberry

Re: Any canon: Cactuar/Tonberry

Re: Any canon: Cactuar/Tonberry

FFVI, Edgar

FFVII, Barret (/&) Aeris

FFVI: Rachel

FFVIII: Bahamut

Art: Cid/Yuffie, FFVII

Re: Art: Cid/Yuffie, FFVII

FFVI, Cyan (+ or /) Sabin

FFIX, Beatrix (+ or /) Brahne

FFVIII: Cid, Seifer, Squall

FFXII: Penelo

FFVII: Reeve & Bugenhagen

FFII: Firion/Minwu (Old Prompt Fill)

[FFIV] Filled Prompt, Edward, Art

Re: [FFIV] Filled Prompt, Edward, Art

Re: [FFIV] Filled Prompt, Edward, Art

Re: [FFIV] Filled Prompt, Edward, Art

FFVI: Terra

FFXII: Fran (+ or /) Balthier

FFVI: Terra

FFV: Faris + Lenna

Fic: FFIV -- Rosa

Old Prompt Fill: Advantages (FF/FFIV, Lich/Scarmiglione, NSFW)

[Fills] FF7 - Aerith & Nanaki; FF7 - Nanaki & Vincent

Fic: FFVI - Locke & Celes

Jockeying (FFVII, Barret/Aeris, Everyone)

Out of the Mists (FFX-2/FFXII, Yuna & Balthier, G)