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kentuckywrites · 2 years

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Imperium 3: Chapter 4

Lucem polliceor. (I promise the light.)

Rounding the stone wall separating Starr and the others from this flickering light, he laid eyes upon the answer, the answer to the light’s source. It was not something he’d considered, not for a second.

Sprinkle Sprinkle was far too close to the source for comfort, which ended up being a humanoid figure. Not a human, no, that much became obvious upon closer inspection. Their legs ended in points, and holograms kept their biceps connected to mechanical forearms and ball jointed hands and fingertips. Half of their face was missing, jagged holographic edges just barely hiding some sort of star-shaped object nestled in their head. Their entire body flickered with light, a faint sunset color, but Starr could tell immediately what was making this light so subdued. Blackened lines trailed over half of their body, snaking up the holograms and burning holes into the dress they wore. Were it not for the light, Starr would’ve assumed this figure was deceased, for their body was crumpled and wounded and showed no signs of recognizing other beings in their presence.

Vanala had stopped after taking a couple steps around the stone wall, eyes wide. “Is…no. Can’t be…”

Starr stuck to her side while Elma passed him, accompanying Sprinkle Sprinkle next to the body. She rummaged around in one of her pockets and took out her comm device, scanning over the figure’s body. Starr knelt down in the meantime, attention shifting between the body and Vanala.

“Do you…recognize them?” He asked carefully.

“...This is other entity Vanala came to Mira with,” She explained in a hushed voice, not quiet enough to avoid the earshot of Sprinkle Sprinkle and Elma but enough that she sounded shellshocked. “Never got friend’s name. Separated in the air after Vanala and friend sustained bad injuries. Never knew where they went, if they survived.”

A fragment of Starr’s dream reemerged, a figure barreling towards the planet engulfed in flames and trailing embers. The connection was obvious, but it presented a problem that he was becoming increasingly aware of. There was a prophetic nature to the dreams he’d had the past two nights, but there was something deeper to them, something he was having trouble understanding. The Disgrace had nightmares, plenty of them, but the planet never did. It had nothing to speak of in its unconscious, perhaps because of its own composition. But these dreams couldn’t belong to the Disgrace, no, they seemed too specific. And if the planet had no ability to dream, then…

Were these…memories?

“They’re alive, but gravely injured,” Elma pulled back, facing Vanala and Starr as she glanced between them and her comm device. “I’m not familiar with this species, but based on the bioscan…well, that’s all I can glean. It’s almost like the bioscan is unable to define what this being is, species or otherwise. I want to harbor a guess and say they’re mechanical in nature based on the construction of their arms and legs. If Lin were here, she could likely give a better guess, but…”

“But she is not here.” Starr finished the terrible realization, stepping closer and kneeling down next to the figure. His hand hovered over the figure’s forearm, the corrupted veins of darkness persisting down their frame. These weren’t like any injuries he’d seen before, but they reminded him of scars, permanent marks of battles lost - no, that was how the Disgrace saw them. Damn.

“Maybe ether can help?” Vanala suggested, finally coming closer.

“We can try,” Starr responded, lifting his right hand to join the left. There was only an inch or two of space between his palms and the figure’s arm, and with enough concentration, a gentle blue light began to intertwine with the figure’s dull glow. Droplets of water floated out of Starr’s gauntlets, drifting towards the figure, towards the veins persisting down their -

The figure coughed suddenly, weak enough that their body hardly moved, but strong enough to shock Starr and make him jump backwards. Sprinkle Sprinkle was the most unfazed of the group, eyes widening as they grabbed the figure’s other hand despite the wordless protest that Vanala gave. Starr watched as the figure finally opened their one eye, dull gray and pupiless, staring off into nothing at all. Their voice came next, staticy, broken, reminiscent of a crackling fire on the verge of death.

“I-Is s-s-s-ome-o-one the-e-e-re?”

Elma spoke first, her interest clearly piqued. “Hello. We’re sorry if we scared you, but we don’t mean any harm. My name is Elma. Next to me are my colleagues: Vanala, Sprinkle Sprinkle, and P - Starr.”

Starr flinched when Elma nearly referred to him as the Disgrace, but he supposed old habits would die hard. He didn’t have much time to linger on how that made him feel, however, as the figure tried to reposition themselves against the wall to sit up straighter. They hardly moved an inch, however, and Starr was too scared to help, lest they fall apart in his hands.

“Y-Yes…h-h-hang on-n-n. Le-e-e-t me se-e-e-e-e if I ca-a-a-a-n-n cor-r-r-ect my v-v-v-v-v-oc-cal set-t-t-t-ings-s-s.”

The figure shut their eye, and for a moment, there was silence again. When they opened their eye again, it was still incredibly unfocused, but their voice sounded much clearer than before. The crackling remained, however.

“That should sound m-much better. I-I’m sorry.”

“Friend should not apologize,” Vanala said, “Vanala just happy to see friend again. Thought for sure friend was dead after…”

“I…I should be,” The figure whispered, “I d-don’t…know how I’m alive, at least.” A beat, then even quieter than before, “I was a f-fool. I thought I c-could…”

Having gotten over the initial shock, Starr inched closer to the figure, remaining silent as they took a shaky breath, attempted a weak smile. “But wh-where are my m-manners…m-my design-nation is Eight. B-But…you can a-also call me Lumina.”

“Lumi! What pretty name!” Sprinkle Sprinkle said, in awe, “What pronouns does Lumi use?”

“O-Oh! S-She and her,” Lumina seemed surprised to have gotten such a question, tilting her head in Sprinkle Sprinkle’s direction, “Y-You sound so cute!”

“Lumina, are you able to see us?” Elma asked. The question was funny, really. She’d asked the same question when she found the Disgrace, with his eyes pupiless and blank. Lumina’s were similar, though there was a clearer unfocus to them.

Lumina tried to shift around to face Elma, but her new position meant that her gaze fell to Elma’s left, tilted downwards. “I…n-no. Not in the standard sense. I-I can see your e-ether signat-tures, but n-not what you look like. Y-Yours is really hard to see, Elma.”

“Likely because I’m a machine,” Elma realized, “I’m inhabiting a mechanical body known as a mimeosome. Vanala and Sprinkle Sprinkle are organic, and…”

“We are a mixture of both,” Starr finished, explaining himself, “We are mainly a mechanical entity created to mimic these mimeosomes, but are composed of organic material. You should be able to -”

“W-Wait.”

Lumina let her head fall back onto the cave wall, rolling it towards Starr. It seemed like she was staring right at him, and the notion made him stiffen. She blinked slowly, her mouth pursing open as if the beginnings of a thought were dancing upon her lips.

“Y-Your ether…I’ve s-seen it before,” She breathed, “Wh-What did you s-say your name was?”

“We are Starr,” Starr reintroduced himself, caution consuming his very being.

“Starr…y-your ether is…th-there’s two separate strands combined into one,” Lumina tried to explain what she was “seeing”, but judging by how she was squinting, she was having a hard time understanding it. Either that, or she couldn’t believe it. Starr would’ve taken either reason to be true. “Th-There’s one I don’t r-recognize, but the other…th-that’s Aidoneus’s ether strand.”

…

What?

Starr didn’t move. He couldn’t. He could only look between everyone around him, the confusion and shock upon their faces, before he finally found the strength to address Lumina, to address her observation.

“We do not know of this Aidoneus you speak of. We admit to being a fusion, but one of the original parties was not named Aidoneus.”

“B-But…that ether is unmistakable!” Lumina cried, her hand flopping towards Starr in a futile attempt to reach him, “Aidoneus was th-there when w-we both fell…i-it put me here, in s-s-safety, while i-it tried to stop C-Corvhes -”

“Was that name of giant creature with horns?” Vanala pressed, “Vanala never ask its name, either…Vanala should be better with whole manners thing.”

“Y-Yes!” She said, “I n-never knew where it w-went after it saved m-me, a-and I thought it m-might’ve died, but…”

“We are not Aidoneus,” Starr repeated, softer this time, “We are not.”

“Th-Then…then how?...how do y-you have the same e-ether signature?”

Starr’s chest tightened, his breaths hollow and quick. Lumina had said it was only one of his ether signatures that reminded her of this Aidoneus creature, right? Was it somehow tied to the Disgrace, or the planet? Of course, of fucking course Lumina saw this ether strand within him, of course there was something about Starr that removed his own identity from him. When would he be able to be recognized as Starr and not someone else? Why did his very existence need to be tied to someone else, why couldn’t he just move on and be Starr, why why why -

Something plopped down on his lap and pressed up against his chest. Blinking once, twice, coming back to the cold reality of the cavern, Starr realized that Sprinkle Sprinkle had worked his way around Lumina and was now actively pushing his wing into Starr’s heart. They tried to push as hard as they could, but their size betrayed their success in the matter. Nevertheless, Starr knew what he was trying to do. It was a tactic Froyoyo sometimes used when Starr was panicking, a way to bring him out of his pained thoughts and force him to focus on something else. It had been jarring, the first time Froyoyo had done it, but it was effective enough that Starr never told him not to do it. And better yet, Sprinkle Sprinkle had never done this before. Froyoyo really had become a good influence on him.

“Starr better?” Sprinkle Sprinkle asked quietly, removing his wings and folding them around his body.

Starr nodded, incapable of forming a verbal response. He adjusted the mask atop his head, bringing the skull’s snout further down to obscure more of his face. The planet spoke, in that moment, and Starr had half a heart to ignore it. But for one sentence, he listened, and that was enough to stir him out of his woe.

I know who Aidoneus is. I will tell you more about it later.

Starr still didn’t entertain the idea of a verbal response, but he nodded again to indicate he heard, that he understood. Sprinkle Sprinkle jumped off of Starr’s lap, running to Vanala’s side. He looked proud of himself, but his aura was smothered by a very loud, very prolonged yawn. Vanala’s brow furrowed, putting one of her little hands on Sprinkle Sprinkle’s head and combing their fur reassuringly.

“We should make camp here,” Elma took note of the interaction, taking a proper seat and crossing her legs one over the other. “It appears Corvhesperikon can’t reach us in here.”

“It can,” Vanala said somberly, “But hasn’t yet. Hubbypon likely keeping it distracted.”

Through some demented act of the divine, after Vanala had said this, the walls of the cavern shook, small pebbles raining down from the ceiling. A screech echoed from outside, too far to be of immediate concern, but concerning Starr nonetheless. A little rock even managed to hit the top of his mask, and instinctively he massaged the dent, creating a small chip in the bone.

“We will take watch,” Starr told the group, “You all should get some rest. We will wake you if we deem it too dangerous to remain here.”

“Alright. Wake me next, when you grow tired,” Elma told him.

“Then wake Vanala!” Vanala tacked on. Sprinkle Sprinkle almost looked like they were going to repeat after them both, but Vanala quickly covered his mouth with her wing. “No watch for Sprinkle Sprinkle. More important for littlepon to sleep.”

“But -”

“No buts! Get shut-eye!”

She was stern enough that Sprinkle Sprinkle didn’t protest anymore after that. In fact, no one spoke a word.

Vanala and Sprinkle Sprinkle were the first to drift off, with Elma following hesitantly after. Starr could see the fatigue in her eyes, how she tried to resist. But ultimately, she wasn’t strong enough. She closed her eyes, and after a few minutes, they didn’t open again. Even Lumina had closed her one eye, her breathing far lighter than before.

Starr sighed, relieved for the peace and quiet. The planet’s promise rang true in his mind, a proposition of knowledge long overdue. Starr stood himself up, rolled his shoulders underneath his breastplate. Nothing felt sore or out of place, yet he still walked forward with a distinct feeling in his body, that of mental exhaustion rather than physical. He took two steps towards the way they’d all entered through when coughing from behind him stopped him dead in his tracks.

“W-Where are you…”

Starr turned around. Lumina’s voice was so weak, so small, as she tried to pinpoint where he was. Starr’s fists clenched at his sides, on the verge of a terrible decision. Ultimately his hands relaxed and he walked back towards Lumina, kneeling down right in front of her. This simple action made her smile with recognition, and he wondered if there was a time where her body had reflected the sunlight radiating from her joy.

“S-Sorry, I just…wanted to make sure you w-w-were okay,” Lumina apologized, “You seemed nervous.”

“We, um…” Starr double checked that everyone else was very, truly asleep before whispering his confession, “We are. It is hard not to be, with what is happening.”

“R-Right…I don’t think a-anyone said it outright, b-but it sounded like Corvhesperikon i-is back. I-I’m sorry I never asked about w-what was happening.”

“It is not your fault,” Starr reassured her, “But you would be correct. Corvhesperikon has reawoken and is attempting to track down Vanala to consume her ether. At least, we believe this to be so.”

“Y-Yggraliths will eat any ether-based e-entities…even p-planets,” Lumina shuddered, “Last time, A-Aidoneus and Froyoyo were the ones t-to defeat it. I…I was useless.”

“You were hurt, right? Before you came to Mira?” The image of a falling body, flames consuming every limb, tumbling towards Cocytios flared up in Starr’s mind once more.

“Y-Yes. B-But that was not Corvhesperikon’s doing. I-I…it was m-my fault. I did s-something incredibly stupid…”

“We doubt it was stupid,” Starr reassured her, “Elma believed that you were mechanical. Is there some way we could repair you?”

“I, um…n-no. Not through h-human means. M-Mira is home to humans, right?” She replied, “I-It would require one of my o-own kind to try and f-find me. But…but none of them kn-know I’m here. At least I-I don’t think they do.”

“Would ether be able to help? Vanala taught us some small healing spells -”

“I-I don’t think it’ll help. But y-you’re welcome to try. I c-can’t get much worse than this.”

Starr pondered the suggestion, Lumina’s complete resignation to a treatment that could end up harming rather than healing. He had no true way of knowing whether or not his ether would work, and even so, his powers were far weaker than Vanala’s. It was a risk he wasn’t comfortable taking, not when she was already this weak, this damaged, this close to death.

Yet despite this, determination bubbled up inside him, powerful and overflowing. Checking one more time that no one else was awake around him, Starr removed his skull mask, placing it over his heart in a makeshift salute. “We do not want to try something that might hurt you, but…but we promise to come back. To find a way to save you, to bring you out of this place.”

Lumina sniffled, and a small speck of stardust trickled out of her eye. It was the closest thing to a tear for her kind, he imagined. “Th-Thank you…”

“Now, please rest. We are going to scout the perimeter in case any indigens have also sought shelter in these caverns,” Starr made up a brilliant and believable excuse to stand himself up, repositioning his gauntlets so they didn’t pinch his gloves. “We will be back soon.”

“Okay…g-good night, Starr.”

Starr smiled.

“Good night, Lumina.”

And so her eye fluttered shut, her battle with sleep coming to a close. Starr watched over her for but a minute longer before turning back towards the outstretched cavern. He returned the skull to the top of his head, seeking comfort in the obscurity it brought him, then walked a fair distance away from their little camp, checking over his shoulder numerous times to make sure he wasn’t being followed.

Once he’d put enough distance between himself and the others, Starr stopped, standing perfectly still in the middle of a circular cavern that they hadn’t entered before. There was a small pool of water in the far corner, a gentle drip coming from the stalactites above it. Starr ended up sitting down by the water’s edge, a lazy finger pressing down on the surface, watching the ripples that formed. A memory of Vanala’s first time training Starr in the usage of water ether came to mind, a memory that he now cherished in hindsight but thought scary when it was formulating.

“If friend wishes to heal with water ether, then friend needs to heal, too. Come to terms with ripples and discover that, despite ruining perfect reflection, ripples are beautiful and necessary. No water is without ripples, and no being is without mistakes they wish to move past.”

It was a lesson he’d taken to heart, and one that he’d take with him to the grave. He was Starr, and he was damaged, but he could live with that damage. None of it could define him wholly and truly. His recovery, his moving-forward, would be the true key to his identity.

Mira’s voice then broke through the memory.

This is going to be a long story.

“We have time,” Starr said, “Start from the beginning.”

A pause. Then, the beginning.

Before I was Mira…I was Aidoneus.

#xenoblade x #Imperium 3: Chapter 4 #HI LUMINA HOW U DOIN #(this is a trick question she's doing very not good)#anyways uhhhhh yea have y'all ever thought about Mira's past #because I have :)#chapter 5 is gonna be BACKSTORY BABEY

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starryrock · 3 years

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My thoughts on all TWST characters before and after going through the chapters (currently started Chapter 5, I have not played the game. I just watch English translations on YouTube by Shella_BB.). Tbh, this is just me making fun of them all.

I will try to be vague to avoid spoilers, but just to be safe, here’s a disclaimer. !!Potential spoilers for Prologue-Chapter 4!!

[Prologue] - Before

Ace: I loved him before I really knew the story. He just screamed “I’m stupid and you’re stuck with me” and I think that’s sweet.

Deuce: Not much of an opinion on him. Prolly the voice of reason, heard parts of his backstory. Might’ve gotten stuck with us because he got stuck sitting with us at lunch.

Grim: Gremlin. Tiny gremlin that the fandom would probably hate, like most small, mascot things are. Not much of an opinion.

[Chapter 1]

Riddle: *Hall Of The Mountain King intensifying* “Um, actually. According to the encyclopedia of pslshdbsls-”

Trey: Seems calm but is actually feral or somethin. Idk, not much of a personality??

Cater: Tbh, I didn’t really know if he existed (along with Trey). Cutesy sparkly “I’m gonna call all of you ‘-chan’” guy that actually knows way more than he lets on. Previous dorm leader??

Chēn’ya: I wonder what he’s inspired by. You showed up once but I like your energy, funny magic man.

[Chapter 2]

Jack Howl: Doggo. Sir you’re way too tall to be a freshman. Cryptic existence. Where are you????

Ruggie: “Shishishishi” oh So he’s evil. He broke?

Leona: s,, sir your shirt,, Oh wait you there’s representation? Yoooo Pog. I like his fashion sense.

[Chapter 3]

Azul Ashengrotto: Mob boss. He literally looks so much like a mafioso. 100% would sell you out for $20. Probably weird obsession with Riddle or his Unique Magic. “Your UnMa is so strong... I want it... Lol jk. Just kidding,,, unless?”

Floyd: Feral twin. So completely unhinged. Looks like BSD Atsushi’s hair. Would Hotwire a go kart and attach some magic crystal to it so it goes 80 mph, all while singing Under The Sea and laughing.

Jade: I do not trust this man. Has to be equally unhinged. I do NOT trust that smile. One driving the cop car to catch Floyd. Not because it’s illegal, but he didn’t put on his seatbelt.

[Chapter 4]

Kalim: Sunshine child. Ily you so much. Babey. Wow he’s short. Is it the Sultan or Aladdin?

Jamil Viper: Lol Nice name. You seem oddly calm for someone inspired by Jafar. I like your hair-

[Chapter 5]

Epel: Soft boy? Please don’t be another uwu im a soft boy character that doesn’t speak much at all. I wanna see you swear.

Rook: I do not like you. For some reason, I just do not like your vibes. Is it the hair? I think it’s the hair. Hhhhggg,,, you’re just so off putting. Your expression puts me off for some reason, I swear it’s the hair-

Vil: Holy crap he’s pretty. His dorm outfit design??? I’m love. Designers went definitely tried to make one of the most attractive characters, not surprised.

[Chapter 6]

Ortho: Baby. Tiny child man. Ily but your existence also hurts. I want to protect you.

Idia: I was introduced to him with his backstory with Ortho. BRUH THAT HURTS. You good? Definitely depressed.

[Chapter 7]

Malleus: Does he curse someone??? He never gets invited to anything, he’s gonna snap. I bet you. Tiny bit salty because it still reminds me a bit of Descendants, just Maleficent being the strongest.

Lilia: Tiny man. I like how you wear your outfits + your hair. Still someone not much opinion, but my friend who introduced me simps for you soooo....

Sebek: Loud. Loud. Loud. You just seem so angry all the time. Somehow reminds me of the Madame Trunchbull from Matilda. Just the expressions and kinda the energy.

Silver: Who are you????? Where are you??? What do you do? Uh, nice, hair????

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umishiqu · 4 years

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Scarabia chapter is over and I’m screaming at everything rn hold on-

(sorry if I’m stuffing this rant down anyone’s throat, because I’m realizing people get annoyed with it and I’m sorry but,, scarabia brainrot ;;;...)

(spoilers for chapter 4 under the cut!)

Sad there’s no magic carpet :,( but oasis maker saves the day!! Still mysterious as ever as to why oasis maker is called a blessing other than um. Being a blessing to the Country of Hot Sands. But yes Azul enjoys it! (if you wanna hear me rant about oasis maker pwease dm cause I,, now have some thoughts and I can’t keep my mouth shut ;;...)

Also no mention of kidnapping happenings or poisoning in post-OB backstory but that means slow burn character development for Kalim possibly later on, so I’ll take it

Also Kalim’s guilt kills me on the inside :,,( guy says that he has anemia, but I’m wondering if that’s acc just Jamil giving him an excuse for his hypnosis. Mainly cause he himself says that he’s not bad at PE, which he really would be bad at PE if he really did have anemia,, but the anemia could explain a lot other things, other than that little tidbit,, either way, that means, again, slow burn character development! (But just,, his voice wavers, and how he says that Jamil can have the dorm leader position and Kalim will just go home is just,, Jamil you couldn’t talk to Kalim at all about this? Really?)

And scarabia duo is still killing me on the inside :,,,( Jamil wanted revenge cause of how he had to be below Kalim all the time and couldn’t objectify his hate to anyone but Kalim, but he also couldn’t sincerely hate Kalim for everything he is esp. when he’s the one who’s been encouraging him at all, all their time together. Jamil also loves his family apparently but in the way that he doesn’t like what they make him do but he also realizes that his parents are in the same position as him (hence why he screams, in his fit of anger, how he’s gonna free both him and his family). The only other person I can see that he personally hates but has to deal with is Crowley. I literally just see Jamil as a stubborn, kind of selfish tsundere,, Do I like Jamil more than I did before? I mean a lot of what I personally thought about him (not standing out so that Kalim is above him, having to adhere to tradition and such) was basically confirmed with the recent chapter.

But coming personally on my thoughts on Jamil cause he’s a contradictory character rn in the discord,, he is really really easy to sympathize and relate with, esp if you compare him to the less-realistic-outlook-on-life Kalim from Scarabia. And Kalim’s banquet fevers aren’t easy to deal with. My younger brother who gets more credit than me in,, literally everything drags me to play around on electronics sometimes and usually I just wanna sleep, but I can’t and usually just l just give up when playing with him cause I should look like he’s winning (fun thing is that he’s 2 1/2 years younger than me, and also a lot taller than me). I have to let him throw punches at me and when I do one little thing like tell him to stop, it’s into the dark room with me. So I can appreciate Jamil’s stubbornness for his plans and ideals to overthrow Kalim, esp cause I was more or less conditioned to be helpful to other people. Not that I’m complaining because beig helpful to others is something that I’ve noticed rewards you in a good way,,

With all that being said,, the way he acted and went about with this crossed a lot of lines. At first, I thought the reason why he would hypnotize Kalim so that Jamil could become dorm leader + the other stuff mentioned above is so that Kalim can be seen as having a personality/morale worse than him. Or at least, less cheerful. But then Jamil goes in and with Kalim’s happy personality, cheers up everyone and helps them wth their troubles while in the oasis. And I’m here and I’m just,, if you hate him for that personality so much why do something like that?? (He can’t admit that’s what people acc like about Kalim, and he decides to take one of his few positive qualities that gets people attached to Kalim and just,, wreck it. I was,, very very mad, but I didn’t rant about it cause I knew I’d yell unreasonably in the discord chat.) Revealed at the end, Jamil literally doesn’t want to be friends with anyone and I’m just,, sigh. And also,, the students only agreed with Jamil that Kalim was an incompetent dorm leader after Jamil hypnotized Kalim into doing all those things, not before. Before? They acc loved Kalim because of how kind and gentle and thoughtful he was to others, even though he can be kind of hopeless and random and a bit irresponsible to them sometimes. And these were all qualities that Jamil apparently hated, not because they were anything bad that’s supposed to be a front for secretly mocking everyone, but because he personally was confused as to why Kalim’s so freakin carefree as a character when Jamil himself isn’t. (As Azul said, it’s very easy for people to become envious of Kalim, and that’s already confirmed with how quickly the Scarabia dormmates’ opinion changed of Kalim after he takes them out to march to the oasis and after Jamil keeps mentioning the Asim family.)

Jamil’s had 17 years to harbour resentment against Kalim, but he’s also had 17 years to truthfully bond with Kalim, which he decided not to do because again. Stubborn. That’s why I can’t really say that Jamil’s just made one mistake (which was the entirety of scarabia chapter), especially the little hint drop that Jamil’s been hypnotizing Kalim even while they were younger and used anemia as an excuse for Kalim’s drowsiness. Anyway, the fact that Jamil’s been the one teaching Kalim magic, but even he didn’t know Kalim could summon a river and was genuinely surprised for a bit says a lot about how much of Kalim he can’t read, which he also mentions in his personal stories that Kalim is unpredictable. And fact is that Kalim can read Jamil’s emotions like an open-book, but couldn’t connect the dots until after he realizes how much Jamil’s hated him says something too. And when I say “realizes”, I mean “chooses not to ignore” how much Jamil’s hated him. Like,, it’s not like Jamil sleep-talked his backstory to Kalim while he’s passed out. Nor does anyone acc see the backstory except for the viewers + Jamil. And this can explain why Kalim didn’t really change how he interacts with Jamil at the end, if he knew the hate was coming but just didn’t want to acknowledge it. Then again, he does have limitless optimism here so there’s that.

But,, we’re talking about the only person Kalim’s ever trusted at all, betraying him and going off in one of the worse ways possible. I’m with the tweels here, I’m a bit mad because after what Jamil did, Kalim had no excuse to not get angry with him. He didn’t even get to punch him smh, but he did call him traitor so babey steps. Octavinelle teaching Kalim to be a little more harsher has me very very happy. (But miscommunication is strong in Scarabia, and with slow burn character development, I can see Kalim getting gradually more and more self-destructive poison anyone? chapter 5? and internally cynical and Jamil gradually regretting the time lost between them because, also according to the end of Scarabia, he doesn’t really mind an optimistic Kalim because like Kalim only had Jamil, Jamil really only has Kalim now after the tomfoolery he pulled in this chapter.)

So do I like Jamil more now than I did before? Kind of,. I had hopes for Scarabia (I’m sure a lot of people did with all the hyper analysis we did :p) But,, Jamil literally just got me angry this whole chapter. The backstory was nice, and Kalim praising Jamil and Jamil telling Kalim to stop (the way he screams ;;..) everytime gets me going. But esp with that piece of information, hating and blaming Kalim over something neither of them could change just,, recked them both. I can’t blame Jamil for building up resentment, but I can’t blame Kalim either for wanting to believe they were friends because he was trying to make the most out of their situation. Until Kalim realized the only way to do that was to just tell Jamil to stop being his servant and start off as equals to be true friends now. To which Jamil says no to the second notion profusely, but he also implies he’d rather be with Kalim than wth Azul, so. No more master/servant dynamics. And the ending was written off so sloppily but I think it was supposed to leave Jamil’s true feelings about Kalim end off on an ambiguous note imo. Again, sloppy, but sure.

Kalijami/Jamikali just seems really really toxic to me now, and I figured it would end up like that which is why I ended up reading other Scarabia ships (very into flokali and kaliver rn :p). I don’t usually see Japanese media fleshing out happy characters all too much, but with Kalim as literal Scarabia poster boy even tho he doesn’t represent the villain, I can see what direction they’ll take to develop Kalim now. Hopefully not how they developed Soma. (Ofc I wanted overblot!Kalim but,, I’m personally glad they didn’t do it rn, y’know? And the fact that we didn’t get introduced to an RSA counterpart for Scarabia at all has me,, thinking some things now...)

...dm if you want me to rant about oasis maker and rsa cause please I need to feed someone ;0;

#twisted wonderland #twst spoilers #ch 4 spoilers #scarabia spoilers #rant #my thoughts

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f1uffy-turtle · 3 years

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Fanfic Writer Asks

[SOURCE: criminal-minds-fanfiction: Most of the writer ask posts I come across are only like ten or so questions long so I thought I’d try to make a longer one because we like talking about our writing! Feel free to reblog!]

I got this from @wickedobsessed101 and copied and pasted the questions so I can fit my own answers too. You can find the post I got from them here.

1) How old were you when you first starting writing fanfiction? I started around 2011, so I was around 13 years old at the time.

2) What fandoms do you write for and do you have a particular favourite if you write for more than one? I am currently writing for The Owl House fandom, but I am intending on broadening my scope to She-Ra as well as Lord of the Rings, Zelda, and ATLA bc gay fantasy brain go brrr.

3) Do you prefer writing OC’s or reader inserts? Explain your answer. I prefer to write original characters myself. Y/N stuff is not exactly my forte. It gives me more control as to how I know the characters will act depending on their own characterization and backstory.

4) What is your favourite genre to write for? I actually really prefer to write really tense stuff, despite my misleading username. I live for the conflict of the moment and it does lean into some pretty angsty stuff sometimes. I mean, look at Soul Bound. However, I also do like writing light-hearted comedies as well as some fluff whenever I can get around to it. My heart yearns and so too must the romantic tension.

5) If you had to choose a favourite out of all of your multi-chaptered stories, which would it be and why? I really only have one that is published, but it is definitely the one that I do like the most. Soul Bound was originally a story that was going to stand on its own. It was set in a world that I created meticulously from the ground up, taking inspirations from Lord of the Rings, Legend of Zelda, ATLA among other things. I do have other multi-chapter projects in the works that I absolutely love, however out of my published babies, it's SB 100%.

6) If you had to delete one of your stories and never speak of it again, which would it be and why? The Legion of Lenny Faces was a crack fic that I just posted for funsies. I wouldn't mind getting rid of that.

7) When is your preferred time to write? Since I am starting to work again, I'm thinking about starting work on my writing around 2PM. It's normally around that time that I start anyway, so it works out.

8) Where do you take your inspiration from? Movies, music, sometimes even my own songs that I write. Inspiration really comes from anywhere that hits me. However, it hits especially hard whenever I make a playlist for a particular mood that I want a story to have.

9) In your xxx fic, what’s your favourite scene that you wrote? In Soul Bound, my current favorite scene that I have written was the scene in the chapter Confrontations with the scene between Amity and Odalia. I essentially channeled everything I ever wanted to say to my abuser into Amity's words and it was the most cathartic thing that I ever wrote.

10) In your xxx fic, why did you decide to end it like that? Did you have an alternative ending in mind?In The Bean that I wrote for April Fools, while it definitely is a crack fic, I still wanted it to read like an Owl House episode or at least an Owl House short. However, I did think of an alternate ending in mind where the bean just kept on multiplying until it flooded the entirety of the BI. However, That would mean by those rules, duplicating all non-living things on the isles.

11) Have you ever amended a story due to criticisms you’ve received after posting it? I split an entire chapter into two pieces and rewrote another one just because of criticisms that made complete sense to me. In all honesty, I did blame the burnout, however all of that and the small break I did take helped a lot to reinvigorate my love for this story that I am writing.

12) Who is your favourite character to write for? Why? Skara. 100%, she is babey and I love her.

13) Who is your least favourite character to write for? Why? Gonna be honest, while I love King as a character, I don't exactly like writing him. I feel like if I wrote him as more of an active part of the story, it would detract entirely from the whole thing. Second would be my OC, Robert Almade solely because I feel like he can be much more fleshed out, but also because there are parts of his character that I did write that just don't make complete sense to me. This should be worked out later.

14) How did you come up with the title for the xxx? - You can ask about multiple stories. For Soul Bound, I literally asked a Discord server for ideas because all the titles I did think of were shit XD. However, I recently came up with the title for my Skarlow punk band AU, Skara and the Wallflower, based on the book/movie The Perks of Being a Wallflower as well as band names in general.

15) If you write OC’s, how do you decide on their names? I normally think about the themes the character embodies and how they may change and grow throughout the story, and then I translate specific keywords into different languages and trim them in a way that sound like a name.

16) How did you come up with the idea for xxx?[Ask me about a specific story]

17) Post a line from a WIP that you’re working on.“Oh, sure! Protect me from him, but let Amity take the brunt of it and possibly die? What if she is dead, Eda? What if I can’t see her again?”

18) Do you have any abandoned WIP’s? What made you abandon them? I'd rather not talk about it.

19) Are there any stories that you’ve written that you’d really love to do a sequel to? Possibly I may have one for Skara and the Wallflower if I feel up to it, however Soul Bound is going to be a one-and-done deal.

20) Are there any stories that you wished you’d ended differently? Yes!

21) Tell me about another writer(s) who you admire? What is it about them that you admire? @lunanight2012 @quirkquartz @descendantofthesparrow

22) Do you have a story that you look back on and cringe when you reread it? Any story that I haven't published.

23) Do you prefer listening to music when you’re writing or do you need silence? I do listen to music just to set in the general mood and once I get going, I can go either with or without it.

24) How do you feel about writing smutty scenes? I can write smut. However I don't ever feel comfortable publishing smut. It really just isn't for me.

25) Have you ever cried whilst writing a story? YES! I ABSOLUTELY HAVE!!!! SO MANY TEARS BECAUSE OF THE ANGST!!!

26) Which part of your xxx fic was the hardest to write? This most recent chapter was actually the hardest to write because I was already so scared when writing Scrying of the Soul that when I started writing this one, I didn't know how to settle down with this whole thing. I knew Luz needed to process her trauma before I introduced the ghost, but exactly how I felt like I had trouble with.

27) Do you make a general outline for your stories or do you just go with the flow? I have a varied mix of ways I outline. Yes, I do have a list of bullet points about what major plot points go where, but really that's all that comes together before I start writing. Soul Bound is completely plotted out in the very broad strokes, but the rest is just improvisation.

28) What is something you wished you’d known before you started posting fanfiction? That writing would be the single most fun thing that I have ever done and to be fair while I do want my stories to be the best they can be, just the fact that I'm getting them out there makes me happy.

29) Do you have a story that you feel doesn’t get as much love as you’d like? Gonna be honest, my one-shots don't get a lot of love, but it is entirely understandable.

30) In contrast to 29 is there a story which gets lots of love which you kinda eye roll at? Ya know, Imma just say a song title that I wrote that many people love that I've grown to just not like. Ticking Time Away.

31) Send me a fic recommendation and I’ll post it for my followers to see! (The asker is to send the rec, not the answerer)Yeah, sure!

32) Are any of your characters based on real people? The way I characterize Odalia is based on a mix of what is already established. That and a heavy doseage of my abuser and their mindset. Which is kind of why it felt cathardic writing that scene in Conflicts.

33) What’s the biggest compliment you’ve gotten? Honestly, whenever I make a revision and it is heavily praised by either a reader if I edited an already published chapter or a beta reader if I had revised a particular scene they didn't like. I thrive off of any good critique and it makes me want to do better.

34) What’s the harshest criticism you’ve gotten? I mean there are people who wouldn’t read just because what I wrote was a ghost fic, but tbh it wasn't even that harsh.

35) Do you share your story ideas with anyone else or do you keep them close to your chest? I normally share with other writers when I'm really excited so I can bounce ideas off of them, however specific story elements I keep close to my chest because that part feels like my personal touch moreso than the general idea.

36) Can you give us a spoiler for one of your WIP’s? HAHA NICE TRY BEYOTCH YOU JUST HAVE TO READ IT!! (Other than the fact that Amity does get her body back, but that's already been promised.)

37) What’s the funniest story you’ve written? The BEAN

38) If you could collab with any other writer on here, who would it be? (Perhaps this question will inspire some collabs!) If you’re shy, don’t tag the blog, just name them. I would honestly be willing to collab with anybody from the Good Witch Society on Discord. As well as my partner which we already talked about quite a few ideas that we had for stories.

39) Do you prefer first, second or third person? So, I do love writing inner monologue, however if I was ever staying in one character's perspective, it would just feel way too limiting. I prefer third person omniscient so I can at least give the reader insight into what's going on in everybody's heads.

40) Do people know you write fanfiction?IRL, yeah. But I have established that I am using this to exercise my own writing skills.

41) What’s you favourite minor character you’ve written? Emira I would actually consider a minor character in the grand scope of my story, however I absolutely adore writing her.

42) Song fic - What made you decide to use the song xxx for xxx.I write my own songs and to be completely fair, it was really spontaneous in Soul Bound, but I found out a plot point that could definitely weave in extremely well within the story.

Skara and the Wallflower being a punk band AU will definitely be a songfic with all original songs.

43) Has anyone ever guessed the plot twist of one of your fics before you posted it? Actually, nobody has ever really guessed a plot twist yet.

44) What is the last line you wrote? This really can't be good.

45) What spurs you on during the writing process? I already really adore the stories that I write and my goals are to write them and get them out there. I think about how the characters react and how things can go wrong in a way that makes sense.

46) I really loved your xxx fic. If you were ever to do a sequel, what do you think might happen in it?[Ask me for a specific story]

47) Here’s a fic title - insert a made up title. What would this story be about?[Ask me]

48) What’s your favourite trope to write? Friends to Lovers, hands down.

49) Can you remember the first fic you read? What was it about? To be completely honest, the first fic I read was a Zelda fic. I forgot what most of the plot was about, but it did involve Link and Zelda going into Termina and meeting up with this original character who did everything he can to fuck with the both of them. It's very vague, but I absolutely loved it and I never remembered it updating.

50) If you could write only angst, fluff or smut for the rest of your writing life, which would it be and why? I'd have to cave and say angst. I like to have conflict in my stories, but I never like to have it be complete brooding. Just some light trauma, you know?

If you wanna read my stories, they’re all right here: F1uffyTurtle

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comicteaparty · 5 years

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December 17th-December 23rd, 2018 CTP Archive

The archive for the Comic Tea Party week long chat that occurred from December 17th, 2018 to December 23rd, 2018. The chat focused on Lovespells by Ryan & Sage.

Featured Comment:

Chat:

RebelVampire

COMIC TEA PARTY- WEEK LONG BOOK CLUB START!

Hello and welcome everyone to Comic Tea Party’s Week Long Book Club~! This week we’ll be focusing on Lovespells by Ryan & Sage~! (http://lovespellscomic.com/)

You are free to read and comment about the comic all week at your own pace, so stop on by whenever it suits your schedule! Remember, though, that while we allow constructive criticism, our focus is to have fun and appreciate the comic. Below you will find four questions to get you started on the discussion. However, a new question will be posted and pinned everyday (between 12:01AM and 6AM PST), so keep checking back for more! You have until December 23rd to tell us all your wonderful thoughts! With that established, let’s get going on the reading and the chatting!

QUESTION 1. What has been your favorite scene in the comic so far? What specifically did you like about it?

QUESTION 2. At the moment, who is your favorite character? What about that character earns them this favor?

QUESTION 3. Do you believe that Esther will eventually confess her feelings to Maria? What do you think it will take for that to happen given Ether’s shyness about it?

QUESTION 4. Given some further hints, do you believe Maria’s own feelings towards Esther are changing? How do you think Maria would react to a confession from Esther? Would a confession ruin their friendship?

snuffysam

only at the end of chapter 4, but loving it so far! here's my current answers... 1. definitely the scene at the end of chapter 4 where Maria asks Esther for more lessons/to hang out as friends. We already know what Maria's there for ahead of time, and I eat dramatic irony like that for breakfast. Also, the reactions of Maria's friends who see Esther's obvious crush. 2. Hmmmm Maria. She's this super cheesy knight type, and that's me babey.

3. Yes, and it will be an accident.

4. Just from what I've seen so far, Maria's feelings towards Esther have changed. The relationship started out super professional from Maria's point of view (Esther is just helping her level up her magic. strictly teacher/student) but now she sees Esther as a friend. At this point... I don't think Maria would find a new tutor after the confession like Esther thinks, she's too professional for that. But it may put a dent in their friendship if the feelings aren't reciprocated.

decademic

omg, blitzed through it again because I love these slow burn lesbians and their wonderful relationship~ honestly couldn't ask for more! the art's amazing, the story is paced so well, the panels honestly are on par with paranatural levels of forethought and care, just ooo! I love them!!! onto the questions... 1: oh gosh, I can barely choose! the first meeting, when Maria shows up at Esther's house with her friends and they see how oblivious Maria is, the critical hit scene...throw a dart, I love it. 2: I'm gonna have to say Esther, she's so relatable by nature, and her actions are so pure intentioned. the love potion instead of elixer moment was such a cute nod, I got heart eyes and pledged my soul immediately. 3: I want Esther to start to confess, but Maria stops her and confesses instead! cue teary eyes and a first real kiss~ 4: Maria needs to identify this feeling as love; real love, before anything in the relationship can move forward at all. therefore, there has to be some realization on Maria's side sooner than later to make it work. Esther would probably chicken out halfway through the confession and confuse them both, which is why I'm gunning for Maria to do it~

RebelVampire

QUESTION 5. What do you think happened to Esther in the past that caused a healing spell to give her a permanent mana siphon? Do you believe Esther will reveal whatever happened to Maria? What might be the consequences of Esther telling her or keeping it secret?

decademic

gosh, good question...

so I guess 5: Esther hasn't been holding back, per se, about her affliction, she was upfront about it to the nurse, and has answered Maria's questions, so I don't think it's a 'secret', but more of a bit of backstory that may be a bit hard to relive. none of this answers the question of what the affliction is but I'm sure that'll be addressed, I'm sure of it

snuffysam

I don't think it's anything particularly sinister or mysterious, just, like... some uncommon disease. like magic polio.

though i suppose it either has to be something difficult to explain or something with a big stigma attached to it?

RebelVampire

QUESTION 6. Do you think we’ll see the paladin who scolded Maria at the tournament again? Why do you think he seemed particularly critical of Maria? What role might he have to play in Maria’s life (and Esther’s by association)?

RebelVampire

1) i really enjoyed the scene where maria was with her friends and referred to esther as lovely and all maria's friends are like O/////O. i enjoyed it not only for the significant character development maria is showing, but also the sheer comedy in how oblivious maria is to anything to do with love. 2) maria. i like her intense honesty that is balanced by her flawed obliviousness to a lot of the things around her. i think its a combination that makes her extremely endearing as a character. 3) i think the clock is ticking. esther is clearly terrible at hiding it and stuffing her feelings down. and i think one day maria is gonna be like "i love this thing" and esther is gonna be like "oh yeah i love that thing almost as much as i love you." like maybe not that exactly, but i dont think esther will overcome shyness. i think its gonna be a pure mortification accident moment cause esther will be lost in her own brain thoughts.

4) maria's feelings are definitely changing. no doubt about it. as for a reaction to esther's confession...honestly maria is so dense i wouldnt be surprised if she just could comprehend a love confession. gets told "i love you" and shes like "i love you too....youre a dear friend." once she realizes though, i kind of feel like shell...limbo turn down esther and tell esther shes not sure how she feels. then decide and couple will be created. as for ruining their friendship, eh, therell be tension maybe? not friendship ruining tho cause maria is just too nice for that. 5) I'm gonna assume that it was some sort of injury to be honest. cause esther did mention wanting to be an adventurer and i could see esther being overenthusiastic and trying something dangerous and winding up permanently injured because of it. or poisoned maybe. thats also an option. but regardless the curitive magic came with a price. i think esther will tell maria the full story someday, and i think it will bring her and maria closer. and consequently cause maria to get ultra defensive against those questioning esther's honor. 6) i do think we'll see that paladin again, and boy am i looking forward to it. i want to know more about him cause i think the dynamic hed have with maria would be awesome. i think as far as role goes, he might be the one to challenge how maria handles herself as a knight and her general love obliviousness. because maria's friends and esther all kind of either find it endearing, support her, or just accept that is part of her. whereas i think this paladin could be the one to ask her if she isnt hurting others by being so oblivious to love while constantly giving everything of herself. or something like that.

snuffysam

ok i'm caught up i'm not sure about the paladin. because yeah maria's friends aren't exactly helping move this relationship forward but... why would the paladin do any better? he just seems like a jerk to me.

maybe he shows up again and gives maria something extra to vent about to esther?

also, apparently his name is marcus? at least that's what the cast page seems to say, it's hard to tell without pictures lol

thisintermezzo

I co-write this comic and aklsjdkjhffjk it's so cool to see people actually seriously talk about it??? Thank you so much for this. We almost never get actual responses--which is pretty normal for most comics; feedback is just hard to get, haha--so this is super novel and hugely appreciated. If you want to ask me anything, please feel free. Otherwise, I'm just going to spectate here and there. (Also, now that I have Discord again, I can try to similarly contribute to chats about people's comics!!)

snuffysam

welcome! this is a really cute comic! if I may ask a question - what was originally on this page?: http://lovespellscomic.com/post/162477687227/hey-this-post-may-contain-adult-content-so-weve

it was after a bunch of guest comics so i'm guessing it was another guest comic? but tumblr deleted it so i have no idea

RebelVampire

QUESTION 7. Do you believe Esther’s magic tutelage of Maria will pay off at a critical juncture at some point? How might Esther’s own skills change due to contact with Maria? How might their changing relationship affect their professional lives?

thisintermezzo

I can't tell, haha. I actually don't know what the page before that is, even, since the "back" button is gone. Tumblr is lame and didn't notify us of any of the flagged posts, so I have no clue what else has gotten randomly deleted. :U Tapas would have it all, though.

Thanks for letting us know, though! o/

RebelVampire

QUESTION 8. Do you think Maria’s friends will play a role in Esther and Maria’s budding relationship? If so, what role will they play and how might their own relationships with Maria change?

(the archive for the chat on Psychteria is up! @CalimonGraal https://comicteaparty.com/post/181287718835/december-10th-december-16th-2018-ctp-archive)

RebelVampire

@snuffysam sometimes strangers are more helpful than friends in certain contexts. cause friends can come with a lot of biases. but eh it was just a thought

7) I def hope esther's magic tutelage pays off. Though not sure when since the tournament seemed like the most dangerous thing to happen so far. but if maria goes on a mission for sure shes gonna be pulling out that crit move esther taught her and save the day. albeit alternatively i could also seeing it going the opposite. wherein maria tries and fails hardcore. and then esther has to hug and comfort her and tell maria its okay. as for esther's skills, i actually think any change is gonna be less related to magic and more esther is gonna learn like how to express her feelings better or something. but this is something i dont forsee happening until they get together. 8) i dont think the friends are gonna help. rather, i think after maria and esther get together maybe that theyre gonna hurt the relationship in a way. in that theyll get jelly of maria spending more and more time with esther. cause while maria sees esther a lot, theres clearly more freetime maria has she could spend with esther instead of her friends. and i could see maria doing that cause as nice as maria is, shes extremely inexperienced in this area. so i think shed put esther first way too hardcore at first and the friends would have to say whoa there hold your horses. i think at the end itll strengthen their bonds though cause itd give maria a better understanding of some of the experiences her friends have maybe. idk. im spitballing.

RebelVampire

QUESTION 9. If Esther and Maria do date, how do you believe that will go? What relationship obstacles might the two have to overcome in order to make their relationship work? How will the change affect the course of the story?

Delphina

Oh noooo, cute magical girl AND lawful good swordy girl having adorable crushes on each other. I might have to jump into this one.

1. My anime roots are showing, but I love a good "you don't have to refer to me with honorifics" scene. Also any time Maria carries sleepy Esther around is adorable.

2. Maria's hard not to like. I'm also a sucker for strong intense ladies who wanna do the right thing always.

I'm not so great with the speculation-type questions, but it's a great comic and I'm looking forward to what happens and hope that things go smoothly in both the romantic and magical arenas! The writing is very sweet and pure and the character designs and great environments complement them nicely. Really can tell there's a lot of love in this story!

RebelVampire

QUESTION 10. What are you most looking forward to in the comic? Also, do you have any final thoughts to share overall?

Delphina

I really enjoyed the part where Esther was explaining her sketches about adventuring to Maria. Esther has mostly been a reactive character - she gets orders and reacts, she's asked for help by Maria and she reacts, she sees some kids in trouble and she reacts, she gets low on MP and reacts. But that was the first time we saw what she wanted for herself, and how she views her role, and it really helped make her feel real and more proactive. I hope we see more of what Esther wants and who she is in the future!

RebelVampire

9) I think they'll have to deal with the usual relationship challenges. balancing work life, balancing other friendships, accepting that maybe they dont know each other as well as they think they might. but i think theyll manage. esther especially i think is gonna have to learn to be more open like how she was about her desire to be an adventurer. 10) I'm looking forward to seeing paladin returning and revealing why he's in this story in the first place and butting heads with maria. and then esther being "it's okay baby hes just a big ol' meanie"

snuffysam

i just really want to see more of the comic. it's super cute, the characters all lovable... i need more.

RebelVampire

COMIC TEA PARTY- WEEK LONG BOOK CLUB END!

Thank you everyone so much for reading and chatting about Lovespells this week! Please also give a special thank you to Ryan & Sage for volunteering the comic and creating it! If you liked Lovespells, make sure to continue to support it via some of the links below!

Read and Comment: http://lovespellscomic.com/

Ryan & Sage’s Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/lovespells

Ryan & Sage’s Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/lovespells

Lovespells’ Twitter: https://twitter.com/lovespellscomic

#ctparchive #comics #webcomics #indie comics #comic chat #comic discussion #book club #bookclub #webcomic book club #webcomic bookclub #comic tea party #ctp #lovespells #ryan & sage

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