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spacesquidlings · 4 months

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Luminaries: Deliverance

Hello beautiful people!!!! I recently commissioned a comic from @jadesnapart featuring some of my OCs in a scene for my currently untitled Luminaries project, and I have been absolutely enchanted by it!!!! Please take a gander at their beautiful art just below, and I've also included the scene the comic is based on underneath the cut!!!! I'm very proud of it, and it was the first scene that came to mind when I began rolling the idea of this part of the story over in my mind. But anyways, without further ado!!!!!

Again, the artwork was done by @jadesnapart who is just the most fabulous person, they're always so beyond kind and patient and working with them is such a treat. I really really recommend taking a look at their art if you can, the movement and colour and expression in their artwork always makes me smile and they've been one of my favourite artists!!!!!!

Scene this comic is based on just below <3

Scarlet stared at her hands, at the floor, her head hurting so badly she couldn’t think, couldn’t breathe.

“Marigold,” she said, her voice wavering. “I don’t even know my own birthday. When was I born?”

Marigold opened her mouth, then closed it. Scarlet felt her breath rushing from her lungs, and no matter how hard she tried she could not draw any air back. She could not breathe, could not think. All there was inside of her was the churning panic that she did not know when her birthday was. That she did not know where she had been. That she did not know who she was.

All she knew was the pounding headaches and her name and the fragmented images of people and things she wished more than anything that she could remember.

Her eyes burned, the world glowing silver and watery as tears spilled from her eyes. They burned her skin as they poured down her cheeks, rivulets of fire and smoke charing her face.

Her hands shook, and again she felt that burning, felt her body aching, like there was something deep inside of her begging to be released. She could feel it pushing against her skin, crackling in her veins.

And yet it would not come, it would not explode into the world, and she was left with an empty chasm in her chest. She was a dying star that had imploded on itself, had turned into a black hole that was swallowing the light and the fire. Stardust was little more than ash, and soon even she would be swallowed whole into the chasm that was splitting her apart, even as whatever was beneath her skin screamed for freedom.

She shuddered, unable to fight against the sobs that clawed their way up her throat, turning it bloody and raw.

Her hands shook as she tried covering her face. She felt so helpless, so useless. She couldn’t even remember. She couldn’t remember their names or who they were to her, she couldn’t remember anything but warm hands and bright smiles and laughter. She couldn’t remember anything but the ghost of their voices, so quiet now that she couldn’t make out the words they said as they surfaced in her memory.

She couldn’t even remember herself. Couldn’t remember what she was to these people, couldn’t remember who she was important to. She couldn’t remember what she loved or why she burned, why the sword slash hadn’t marked her, why she was always so desperate to fly and to fall.

But she couldn’t cover her face. Because there were hands at her wrists, drawing her hands away.

They were warm, gentle and uncalloused. Not like the hands of the fighters in her memory, not like her own hands.

She lifted her gaze to meet Marigold’s eyes, so dark they were practically black. They held her gaze, gentle and kind.

“Scarlet,” Marigold said, her voice low and soft. “What do you mean, you don’t remember your birthday?”

Scarlet opened her mouth, but nothing but another sob spilled into the air.

Marigold’s arms wrapped around her, but paused. “Would it be okay if I held you?”

Numbly, Scarlet nodded. She felt other sets of arms around her even as Marigold drew her close, even as she felt her friend rest her cheek on the top of her head.

She felt others. She felt sunshine and cool air, she heard glittering laughter, she tasted crackling ozone.

She felt warmth, from whatever people were buried deep in her heart. And she felt warmth from the strong surety of Marigold, who held her now.

“Scarlet,” Marigold said again, once the sobs had been loosed into the world. “Are you saying you can’t remember things?”

Scarlet nodded, her cheek squishing against Marigold’s shoulder. “I can’t remember most things. All I know is my name and that I’m here.”

Marigold hummed before pulling away.

“Scarlet,” she said, her voice lowering, her mouth set into a straight line. “I’m going to do something, and you have to trust me, okay?”

Scarlet blinked, confusion warring with the misery that slid through her like oil.

But she had no reason to mistrust Marigold. The gentle assistant who’d brought Scarlet a basket of figs. Who had accompanied her when she’d chased after the wild pegasus, desperate to taste the sky. Who carried treats in her pockets for stray cats and dogs. Who had a little beehive that always seemed to hum merrily just beyond her small cottage.

No, she could trust Marigold.

So Scarlet nodded, and Marigold moved her hands, placing them delicately against Scarlet’s temples.

She didn’t notice anything at first, but then she felt the gentle heat against her skin, pouring from Marigold’s fingertips. And then the heat grew stronger, to a temperature Scarlet knew was likely unbearable, and yet she did not feel herself scorched or burned.

“What are you doing?” Scarlet asked, her voice little more than a whisper of a breath.

Marigold winced, her brow furrowing as the heat grew stronger still. “I’m trying to heal your mind.”

It was such an absurd statement that Scarlet didn’t want to believe her. To be able to heal without herbs or tonics was magic, and magic didn’t exist except in the bloodlines of the royalty. And it was practically nonexistent now, the queen’s heir apparently possessing no more than a party trick compared to those who had preceded her.

But something within Scarlet stopped herself. Because somehow she felt that there were much stranger things that she herself had seen in the world, stranger than the power to heal without medicines.

For a while there was nothing but the heat against her temples, but then Scarlet began to feel it seeping within her mind. Felt tendrils of warmth snaking their way through her muddled memories, reaching deep, deep within her.

And then there was heat, more than there had been before. There were fires flaring to life in her mind, illuminating the darkness that often swarmed her memories.

She saw blue eyes, golden hair. She heard his voice, heard him calling her name. Heard him calling out sunbeam as he laughed, as he cried. She saw blood on his hands, saw him hunched over a computer. Saw herself reaching towards him, laughing as her heart ached at seeing him again, calling out his name. Calling out to Xander.

Xander.

She saw someone knew, deep blue ocean eyes, graceful movements as she moved around the kitchen. Looks of annoyance, firm hugs, laughter that filled the room. She saw blue and gold, saw wings stitched to a suit of blue, saw her dancing through the clouds. She felt a hand in hers, a promise on both her and the woman’s lips. Promising to Corrina that they were family.

Corrina.

She saw green, heard bright, shining laughter. She could smell the ruined food, hear the shouts of outrage and the rapid footsteps as she was chased through the house. She saw a hand in hers, her hand squeezing the woman’s, swearing to keep her safe. She saw plants on the windowsill, in pots scattered throughout the house, coaxed to life with her care. She saw cards thrown on tables, more laughter from the woman as her emerald eyes sparkled. As Iris swore up and down that she hadn’t used her telepathy to cheat.

Iris.

Another set of green eyes, not as sharp as his sister’s. A twin face swimming into her vision, shrieks of laughter as a prank was executed. The food on her tongue tasted burnt and salty, even though she knew it was meant to be sweet. Felt her being poked in the middle of the night, scared witless before Wes’ eyes came into view again, cackling as he ran from the room before she thought to kill him.

Wes.

She felt salty ocean waves splashed against her face, a challenge dancing in the air as sweat clung to her skin. She saw dark wide eyes right before they vanished, a whispered breath guiding her to the people robbing the bank. A camera flash, a joking comment as Scarlet was defeated by the woman in every video game they owned. Flora pumping her fist into the air as she defeated everyone once again, only to fall later in laser tag against Scarlet.

Flora.

She tasted ozone, heard the thunder boom across the sky as the ivory-haired woman summoned her lightning. The air glittered in violet and periwinkle and mauve and silver. The glitter was cast across a canvas, delighted chattering spilling from the woman’s lips as she set her paintbrush down, telling Scarlet why she’d wanted to paint the image the way it was. Light brown hands twisting ivory hair into a messy bun when she agreed to take a drop-in ballet class with Corrina and Scarlet. Bab’s fingers stained with graphite as she sketched out a scene Scarlet told her about from a dream she had.

Babs.

Engine grease in the air. Oily hand prints on the walls of the garage. He rolled his motorcycle into the garage, muttering about needing to buy new parts. Slate grey eyes that reminded her of the island sky in the fall. Quiet evenings when she was so drained she could hardly speak, sitting silently, but not uncomfortably. Books pressed into her hands to be borrowed; he was always recommending books and magazines to everyone. And he was always the first to know when the stars would be brightest, when meteor showers would cascade across the sky. She heard Ryu’s voice in her mind, telling them all to pile into the van, to head into the middle of nowhere so they could spy and wish on the stars.

Ryu.

Pale green eyes flashed through her mind, the fire illuminating this person banking for a moment before raging stronger, because she needed to be remembered too. For both her and Scarlet’s sakes. Wavy auburn hair, laughter that Scarlet now knew had been fake, and then laughter that was so warm she knew it had to be real. Her body burned in agony, smoke choked her lungs, but then there were those eyes again in the darkness of space, and a hand reaching towards her, and Scarlet knew that the smoke had only been a distraction, that there was more to Raven, if Scarlet was willing to reach back.

Raven.

The true memories came next, burning through her like wildfire. The dying star sparked, before flaring within her chest. She was no longer ash and darkness and a starving void that would swallow her whole. Each memory burned bright and strong, rushing through her mind until her head ached from the life she had lived.

Meeting Xander, knowing she loved him, her first apartment, the frost on the windowpane that had started this all. The ice sculptures she had made with Xander in those first days before her life had become this. The abandoned warehouse Raven had set ablaze, the smoke that clogged her lungs. Her sister’s arms as she held her tight. Flora promising to keep an eye on her while Scarlet was gone.

Fake IDs Xander slapped together getting them on planes, Corrina’s eyes as they met for the very first time. Chasing Raven across the world and finding Iris on her heels too, searching for her brother. Wes, who had been so relaxed when they’d rescued him that Scarlet had thought she’d been dreaming.

The near-deadly wound Xander had suffered, Raven stumbling backwards, her eyes wide and terrified. Xander’s hand in hers as she felt life pouring into him, his wound healing all on its own as Scarlet glowed beside him, refusing to let him go.

Storm clouds and missing people, Raven vanishing into the night as Scarlet let her go.

Peace, for a moment, until Babs had been chased, stolen into space, and they had followed after her.

She saw moments from her life, from her childhood, her sister right after she had been born and Scarlet had cradled the mewling newborn in her arms. Fights over who got the top bunk when they were older. Stitching together a stuffed animal she loved that had been torn during a fight.

She saw her school, felt the agony of tests and how her mind could not wrap around the numbers and the knowledge, and felt it fade as it sunk back beneath the surface of her memory. She felt the scrapes on her knees as she was shoved against the asphalt, as she was smacked in the stomach while she’d hung from the monkey bars, her skin tearing as she fell to the sharp, rocky ground beneath her.

So much, she saw so much, she felt so many things. But as her memories were illuminated by the light that Marigold poured into her mind, she felt the star in her heart bloom. Her skin burned, but it did not hurt, did not ache.

Instead, as if in answer, the light in the room pulsed, flared bright as she began to glow, becoming sunlight made flesh.

She felt her last memory before she fully remembered it. The plan that had started to fail, the missiles that had pummeled against her, turning her mind murky before their momentum propelled her into the black hole that had formed behind her.

And then there was nothing, truly nothing until the moment her eyes opened and she found herself in this strange new world.

Scarlet gasped, the world around her gold, and Marigold pulled her hands back, her eyes wide as she gaped at Scarlet.

The light continued to pulse, filling the room until it was near blinding. And then slowly, Scarlet spooled it back towards her. She called her light back, and it sank back beneath her skin, until only a gentle glow radiated from her. She could have turned it off, could have sent it deeper within her, held it tight against her heart, but she didn’t want to.

She was loath to hide her light, after losing it for so long. She wanted to feel it warm her body, wanted to feel it skitter across her arms and dance through her hair. She had missed it, hadn’t realized that the ache had been from her light trying desperately to break through whatever spell had been cast on her mind and her power.

But she had it now, and she was not letting it go.

Marigold continued to stare, her gaze sweeping across Scarlet, taking in the glow, the way her eyes churned with starlight and sunfire, the way it wove through her unbound hair.

Marigold blinked. “Do you remember anything?”

Scarlet couldn’t stop herself from smiling, laughing as she felt the memories and the people that filled her mind and her heart.

“I remember,” she sang, true joy dancing in her heart as it never had since she’d awoken here. “I remember everything.”

#OCs: The Luminaries #the luminaries saga #my ocs #the luminaries #ocs: luminaries: deliverance

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skelezomperman · 4 months

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Revising A Tale of Star-Crossed Knights - Chapters 18 and 19

Link to Chapter 18: https://archiveofourown.org/works/39015690/chapters/105269472

Link to Chapter 19: https://archiveofourown.org/works/39015690/chapters/105690093

These chapters are grouped together because they both cover the time period from Erinys' death up until the beginning of Thracia 776. And not so coincidentially, these are the most filler chapters of Part 3. The rest of Part 3 is nonstop because it covers basically the entirety of the second half of Genealogy in the span of 7 chapters. There wasn't really much I changed with these chapters, though I considered cutting the scene where Asbel gets Grafcalibur at the beginning of Chapter 19. I believe I did cut a scene in Chapter 18 with Finn and Nanna because I thought it served no real purpose other than to just give Finn an appearance...it flows better to have that chapter focus only on the Silessean kids.

Honestly I do find that I don't really like that C19 tries to have the three main characters (Finn/Ced/Fee) all have their plots develop at the same time, but I didn't feel like trying to rewrite the chapters so that they would all be segregated. It's a bit messy that they get split up between each other, but at least it doesn't last too long until Ced and Finn reunite.

Original A/N for Chapter 18:

Welcome to the beginning of Part III! The long night of Jugdral is beginning to end as the seeds of rebellion are sowed across the continent.

I decided that this chapter would mostly focus on Ced. Ced has the journey to go to Northern Thracia for the first time in search of his father. Fee tries to dissuade him but Arthur (!) convinces her to let Ced go. I like the Arthur-Fee friendship and it's something I really want to develop over the rest of Part III.

The rest of the journey is just...a journey. Ced rediscovers his ancestral homeland and that's great, but the big point here is Lewyn's encounter with Ced. It's the big reveal to the audience that Lewyn is still alive. Lewyn points out to Ced how foolish the plan is and he redirects him to go join the Magi. Ced is so awed that he follows Lewyn's requests even though he had previously been stubbornly locked onto finding Finn and he *should* have a lot of questions for Lewyn.

The last part is mostly about tying up some ends as to integrating with the broader plot of Jugdral - re-introducing Asbel and introducing Karin especially. And giving Finn a little scene too because I don't think he needed to be completely excluded from this chapter.

Chapter 19 will correspond to the beginning of FE5 and FE4, so see you then.

Miscellaneous notes: Paola's death is a scene I had conceived of before starting this chapter. There's no deeper meaning other than the pegasus being broken-hearted now that her owner is dead. "Lady Regent" - just made up stuff, although if you recall in an earlier chapter Lewyn did not become "King" until his coronation. Needed to explain away Ced being allowed to leave Silesse. Project Naga calls the C-rank light tome just "Light" like in the Tellius games. I personally dislike that so I stuck to the "Lightning" name used in every other FE game. For a moment I thought about having an encounter between Lene and Ced in Dahna but I didn't wish to bloat the chapter. I was having difficulties getting started on this chapter anyway. I don't plan on Julia and Ced becoming close friends, though she'll probably be friends with Fee. The "because you just told me" line is ripped off from Sonic Adventure 2. That's kind of cringe but that's alright. Lewyn not sleeping is actually inspired by a comic by Jadesnapart which you can find here: https://jadesnapart.tumblr.com/post/157387711668/boy-do-i-love-julia-and-her-weird-dad-is-he-ok

Original A/N for Chapter 19:

Originally I was going to condense the entirety of the first half of Thracia 776 into one chapter. But I realized that there's just so much content that I can't really do that.

There's three different plotlines here, all of which have are tangentially linked in some way. The first, the one that is front and center, is Ced's journey with the Magi. Ced still has the goal of wanting to find his father in the back of his head but working with the Magi has become his top goal. We see a bit of his new friendship with Asbel, then we have the conversation with Asbel when he sends off Asbel to find Leif, and we also see some insight into his thinking. He deliberately puts off trying to meet Finn.

Then there's Finn's journey. Finn covers the first events of Thracia 776 that we see in the game. He's worried about Leif taking charge and being insistent on fighting the Empire head-on, but he has to acquiesce to Leif since Leif is the lord and Finn is the servant. Finn faces feelings of regret to leave Leif (and Nanna/Mareeta) in Munster but he comes to terms with the fact that he couldn't have done more.

Finally we have Fee. Fee, worried for Ced, decides to go set out to look for him. She's initially hesitant to do that when a full year hasn't passed but then the news of Seliph's rebellion reaches her. In the original game Fee goes by herself with Arthur, but in this story I have Hermina, Hawke, and Karin accompany her. Originally in the planning stages for the story I envisioned Hawke going with Ced but I realized that the story would flow better if Ced was on his own. For this chapter I also initially wanted Karin to travel and meet Ced like she does in Thracia 776 but I decided mid-chapter to not do that - it wouldn't make much sense for a squire to travel all the way to Leonster on her own and I honestly forgot to integrate her into the scene that corresponds to FE5 Chapter 4.

About the length of the chapter, I wanted the chapter to actually end with Finn reuniting with Leif and Nanna (i.e., FE5 Chapter 7) and Seliph meeting Fee and friends (i.e., FE4 Chapter 6). But I target chapters being in the 3k-5k words ballpark and this one was well over that length so that's going to get pushed to Chapter 20. Instead, I indulged myself by making a scene introducing Altena. That interaction (as well as a couple in the next chapter) is borrowed from a previous story I wrote, Divine Wind, Earth Lance - but the plotlines in that one will have to get changed since that is based on Ced being Lewyn's son.

Miscellaneous notes: Clonfert - I literally just pulled up Ireland in Google Maps and picked a name that I thought was nice. I was lazy. The villa to the south of Munster that Finn wants to visit is Dryas'. Am I foreshadowing a relationship between Arthur and Fee? Find out later... I initially wrote the name of the fort as Fort Kelves like in an earlier translation of FE5. I honestly do not care for calling it Fort Kerberos but I generally try to stick to what the newest fanslations say, so I stuck with Project Exile's name. Tina mention...I might try to sneak her into a later chapter, not sure. "His Thracian Majesty" is Travant's style to emphasize that Travant claims the entirety of Thracia, not just the South.

Feel free to kudos/comment as always and see you next week :)

#skele's authors notes #a tale of star crossed knights

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