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Zelos 22, Kohaku 18&19!
thanks yume!!^^
22: if you're a fic reader, what's something you like in fics when it comes to ths character? something you don't like?
you know, i feel like zelos is one of those characters i’ve never actually seen an interpretation of in a fic that didn’t feel in-character. like he so would fucking say that! i think this is because of how deeply his Problems are tied into his annoying behaviours - you really can’t take away one without disrupting the other. so people who hate him because he’s an obnoxious womanizer still have to acknowledge his trauma and people who love him because he’s so Deep and Complex still have to acknowledge that he’s a problematic jerk.
that being said, i really like seeing people explore his womanizing behaviours in fics in more depth. i read this fic probably not long after its post date, so like…9 years ago? and it’s stuck with me all this time as like, peak zelos. i think the idea of him using women for non-sexual intimacy was something i hadn’t really thought of before but made so much sense when i read this fic and i love seeing that explored in other ways by other people too!
as for dislike, again i can’t think of much…i guess it’d be erasing his womanizing completely, but i really haven’t seen that very much (if at all?) lol.
18: how about a relationship they have in canon with another character that you admire?
i’m a sucker for sibling duos and kohaku and hisui have such a fun dynamic! the overprotective older brother archetype is often annoying for its inherent sexism lol and i can’t say that’s not happening here too (especially in hearts r, if memory serves), but i mean…of course hisui is overprotective, just look at everything they’ve been through! something i really like about hearts is how in the early parts of the game kohaku is a passive actor but still dominates the narrative - hisui’s concern for her creates such interesting dynamics between him and the other characters (namely shing lol) because it’s clear how unbalanced he feels by the position she’s in, and i think it also sets a strong tone for how those dynamics play out later on when she does regain her spirunes and she actively encourages him to be less grumpy lol. i just think it’s neat how much it shows how much he actually relies on her, even though his whole schtick is being the dependable older brother that SHE can rely on. idk if this makes sense but yeah. them <3
my runner-up here is her relationship with richea. it’s SO interesting, and also a little ??? because wow, what a weird situation. there’s so much potential there to explore imo and i think the game kind of drops the ball with it in favour of developing the dynamic between richea and hisui, which…fair enough, but also kohaku is so intertwined in richea’s whole. everything. i just would’ve loved to see that expanded on more than it was.
19: how about a relationship they have in canon that you don't like?
this is kind of a random pick but chalcedony tbh. i feel like in vanilla hearts the other characters often became kinda secondary to shing when chalcedony was around and i’m not sure hearts r really fixed that by adding him to the party? idk maybe this is selective memory on my part but i just would’ve liked to see a more fleshed out dynamic between him and any of the other characters but especially kohaku, who is obviously pretty implicated in the initial antagonism between him and the party/shing. like it was definitely touched on but clearly not in a way that stuck out for me because i can’t remember any interactions they actually had lol. to be fair i didn’t get to the point of him joining the party in hearts r so it’s possible there are interactions i never saw that would sway my opinion here but yeah. it’s been many years since i played hearts so my memory is pretty fuzzy…maybe i should continue the replay i started a couple years ago haha
character ask game
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12, 31, 65 for the writer meme
12. How does receiving or not receiving feedback/support impact you?
I tend towards rarepairs, often in rare fandoms, so it’s like “yes I reached the three other people who care about this!!!” I try very hard not to get in my head about low feedback and I’m not always successful, but I am so happy for enthusiastic responses/kudos/reblogging/etc. Getting people into a rarepair is the best feeling in the world. And I am crazy lucky to be married to a wonderful beta so I always get support while writing, which is good because I am incapable of writing WIPs and getting other feedback during.
31. Do you start with the characters or the plot when writing?
First thing I come up with is a hook. Most of my writing is for exchanges so I already have prompts and characters to work with; eventually I come up with a scene or emotional beat and the general trajectory clicks into shape. Characterization comes waaaaay easier to me than plot, but the fic doesn’t really get going until I figure out why it needs to exist.
65. Tell us about what you’re most looking forward to writing – in your current project, or a future project.
I have an epic BG3 Wyll/Emperor fic slowly taking shape in my head, but I need a) thorough canon review and b) to finish my origin Wyll playthrough so that will take approximately a billion years. Someone request it in an exchange in a few months, maybe it’ll get me off my ass Otherwise my old fandoms never really go away so someday I’d like to finish that Tales of Vesperia Yuri/Raven identity porn I started or that Starman Shade & Sadie or that FGO Gilgamesh/Kingu and I really wish I could write more consistently!!!
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almost 5k of xillia 2 lore
Spoilers for all of Xillia 2, but is it really a spoiler if the game never even addresses it?
Some info overlaps with Taleslations’ post here which I recommend reading (they also have more stuff on Xillia 1).
I tried really hard to put this in some type of chronological order, but unless I list a specific year please don't take the order of events as canon. There are also some points at which the lore blatantly contradicts itself, but I am treating all lore as equally canon (no matter how much it annoys me).
That said, this is NOT an exhaustive resource, and I may have overlooked some details.
Sources:
PG = Perfect Guide
OWG = Official World Guidance (which includes five short stories)
SB = Scenario Book (more specifically, the “Family” short story, which has been partially translated here by yume-x-hanabi, who also provided me with the raws)
20th = Tales of Series 20th Anniversary Encyclopaedia
MG = Manga by Ryu Naitou (technically a different continuity but not much in this adaptation actually contradicts game lore)
Thank you to Temple of Tales for their full text datamine which made finding NPC dialogue a lot easier
Anything that isn’t explicitly cited is from the game, from the PG timeline on page 727, or I forgot to source it. Feel free to ask me for specifics, since I did read the vast majority of this via machine translation, and the game’s NPC dialogue is easily missable.
Thanks to @lastthroes and @yume-x-hanabi for their help <3
Milla Kresnik (~2000 years ago)
The Kresnik clan in Elympios descend from the members of Milla Kresnik’s clan who did not escape to Rieze Maxia with Maxwell in Primia 2011, and did not abandon Origin’s Trial. While Milla Kresnik is usually referred to as “progenitor”, “founder”, and “ancestor”, and the Kresnik clan are commonly referred to as her descendants and scions, it’s not exactly explained if anyone is literally related to Milla Kresnik, or if they’re using those words figuratively. All that is confirmed is that the Kresnik, Bakur, and Marta family lines are all descendants of the families within the original Kresnik clan 2000 years ago.
The Bakur and Marta families are both known branches of the Kresnik clan, but even for them the Chromatus ability is rare (PG 791, PG 795). The Kresnik surname has become common due to the old prestige associated with it. Some individuals, like Rideaux, belong to families that have no living connection to the main Kresnik branches, and thus aren’t aware of the significance of their watches (PG 741).
(Personally I headcanon them as all being loosely related, solely because it gives us this very funny family tree for Ludger’s family. And because for a power that only manifests for “one in thousands” of people… The odds sure seem to go up when both parents are part of the Kresnik clan…)
(Unless otherwise indicated, the information is cited from the first OWG short story.)
During Milla Kresnik's era, the Bakur family founded Spirius to complete the Trial (PG 728). However, Milla Kresnik is eventually betrayed by her clan, who sought to exploit the power of spirits for financial gain and the right to the wish that Origin would grant upon completion of the Trial. In the ensuing fight, she creates the very first Fractured Dimension, nicknamed by Spirius as the "Progenitor's Fractured Dimension".
Fractured Dimension No. 1
A world where the Kresnik clan never fragmented and the Schism was never created. As that world's Divergence Catalyst, she spends decades with her family collecting the Waymarkers.
Now an old woman, Milla Kresnik eventually sees the collection of all five Waymarkers. As her grandson Kurt Will Kresnik's powers surpass her own, it is his life that is used to create the Waymarker of the Strongest Chromatus. This Waymarker is delivered to Milla by Kurt's fiancée and mother of his unborn child, Lara Lalla Travis. Upon assembling the Waymarkers, Chronos appears and asks for something to serve as proof of their pact, referring to the phrase said by spirits before they cast artes. Although anything could be used as proof, Lara, devastated over her fiancé's death, assumes Chronos means yet another human sacrifice, and kills Milla with her sword.
In this moment, Milla realises her world is Fractured, and the Trial would never able to be completed since the Land of Canaan only exists in the Prime Dimension. She asks for Lara's life to be spared, and dies believing that someone in her clan in the Prime Dimension will one day complete the Trial, humming the Hymn of Proof.
The Divergence Catalyst inside of her transfers to Lara's unborn child, who would never be born in the Prime Dimension, since in the Prime Dimension, Lara Lalla Travis' family were part of the Kresnik clan who left for Rieze Maxia. As a result, this Fractured Dimension develops the lore that the creation of the Soul Bridge requires a human sacrifice.
(Remember Xillia 1 lore, where the House of Travis carry the middle initial "L." such as Nadia L. Travis. These are holdovers from Elympios' middle names. See Taleslations' post here.)
Contradiction: In the Perfect Guide, the creation of the Soul Bridge is instead described as the soul of a Level 2 or higher Chromatus user entering the cycle of reincarnation to unlock a path to Canaan (PG 725) and makes no reference to Chronos or any "proof" whatsoever.
Bisley, Cornelia, and Claudia (30-15 years ago)
In the present day, the Bakur family is the leading branch pursuing the Trial.
Primia 4275
Marvin Orta Kresnik, the head butler of the Bakur family, is joined by his daughters in service to the Bakurs. Cornelia Wi Kresnik (20) becomes a tutor, and Claudia Il Kresnik (16) becomes a maid. Bisley is 13 years old at the time. A year later, Cornelia (21) is discovered to be the Key of Kresnik.
Primia 4277
Julius Wi Bakur is born out of wedlock to Bisley (15) and Cornelia (22).
Teenage Julius later recounts that Claudia (18 when Julius is born) is the one who looked after him, and he recalls her cooking tomato pasta for him, and that his feelings for her might have been like that of a lover. (SB)
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Bisley's father dies and Bisley becomes CEO of Spirius at the age of 20. He marries Cornelia, legitimatising 5 year old Julius. (OWG 36, PG 727)
Primia 4283
One year after their marriage, Cornelia is targeted by Chronos for being the Key of Kresnik. Bisley used Cornelia's Key power to fight him, but Cornelia dies at 28 from the use of this power. It is implied Bisley reaches a Full Chromatus in this battle, earning him the title of "Victor" as well as the Waymarker of the Strongest Chromatus Bearer. Bisley seals his Chromatus away to avoid becoming a Divergence Catalyst (PG 738). As he wants to complete the Trial himself and can't do that if he becomes a Waymarker (PG 740), he instead uses other people to search for Waymarkers and destroy dimensions.
At some unspecified point in time, Bisley establishes the Department of Dimensional Affairs, a secret unofficial department that is unknowingly the source of Spirius' top innovations, heavily implied to have been taken from Fractured Dimensions. The department's purpose is to destroy Fractured Dimensions, with those of a Level 2 Chromatus or higher being specifically tasked to seek for the Waymarkers and the Key of Kresnik (PG 729). The department uses a machine called the Kudlak, developed by Bisley, to detect Fractured Dimensions. This replaced the prior method of using spyrix. To the public, its purpose is to eventually control the weather. It can be seen inside the Spirius HQ.
Experts in Spirius' numerous fields are known as agents, and the top-most agents are given ranked titles via a system divised by Bisley. The only rank explicitly named is "Crown", which is known to the public and viewed as the highest ranking of agent. Julius is the only named person with this rank. There is, however, a hidden rank even higher than the Crown, "Victor", which is held by whoever holds the Waymarker of the Strongest Chromatus Bearer. In the Prime Dimension, the rank of "Victor" belongs to Bisley.
At some unspecified point in time, a female Crown Agent from Spirius manages to infiltrate Milla Kresnik's Fractured Dimension, and sends back information about the creation of the Soul Bridge, but communication ceases and she never returns. Fractured Dimension No. 1 eventually gains too high of a depth to be accessed even by a Level 4 Chromatus (see "Chronos Limit"). (OWG 163)
Speculation: Given Bisley is credited with the Victor/Crown/etc ranking and he became CEO 23 years ago, and Rideaux and Julius learn about the Soul Bridge 15 years ago, it can be inferred the above occurred between 23 and 15 years ago, but that's just my speculation. Don't think too hard about how this got replicated in other Fractured Dimensions. Also don't think about how Cornelia died in other Fractured Dimensions either when there is only one Chronos in all of existence. (OWG 63)
Primia 4284
Claudia falls pregnant with Ludger, whose father is Bisley. She discovers her son will have a Chromatus due to an ultrasound showing the watch. With her father’s Marvin's help, she disappears and goes into hiding, believing that Bisley will use Ludger for his Chromatus. Marvin also leaves the Bakur family’s service (OWG 41, PG 727). It isn't said who is taking care of Julius in the interim, though he is still living with Bisley (20th 476). This is also the year the Zenethra falls into Rieze Maxia, so sometime before this Julius may have met with Alvin.
Primia 4285
Claudia gives birth to Ludger, who shares her hair and eye colour, and remains in hiding with him for the next five years. Julius is 8 years old. As Lara Mel Marta is said to be Ludger's age, it can be assumed she was born around this time as well (PG 797).
Note: Some accounts say that Ludger's silver hair is inherited from Bisley, which is one reason why Victor dyes it black. In the short stories, Ludger's hair is instead said to be similar to Claudia's. Could be both though!
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When Julius is 11, he meets 12 year old Rideaux, and activates his Chromatus and starts destroying Fractured Dimensions. At some point he suggests to Rideaux that since the Fractured Dimensions are doomed to be destroyed, they can do anything they want while there (OWG 164). They begin games to see who can kill more Fractured denizens.
Primia 4290
When Julius is 13, he realises the limitations of his Chromatus power, comes to believe that Bisley sacrificed Cornelia, learns about the Soul Bridge, and possibly the truth of the Divergence Catalysts (20th 467). He unintentionally finds where Claudia is hiding with Ludger. It is ambiguous if Claudia realises who Julius is, but Claudia mistakes him as working for Bisley to take Ludger away, and so attacks Julius with a blade. Julius kills her in self-defence (OWG 41, PG 727). Ludger witnesses his mother’s death and suffers amnesia, forgetting everything about his life with her (PG 740). Claudia dies at the age of 31.
According to the game, Julius did not immediately adopt Ludger after killing Claudia. There are 11 destroyed Fractured Dimensions between the log where he implies killing Claudia and the log where he decides to adopt Ludger. It could be inferred that Ludger was with Marvin during this time, and Ludger simply forgot who he was when they met again during the game.
According to the “Family” short story in the Scenario Book, the Soul Bridge is never a factor in Julius adopting Ludger, Julius takes him in immediately, partially out of obligation to Claudia, and partially just to keep him hidden from Bisley so he won’t find out about Ludger’s watch.
According to Rideaux’s account in the game, Julius left Bisley’s custody after Cornelia’s death. He would have been 6 when it happened, but the 20th anniversary explains that it was because, around the time he learned about Ludger, he discovered Cornelia’s death was allegedly due to Bisley sacrificing her.
After deciding to adopt Ludger, Marvin helps Julius alter their family registry, marking Ludger and Julius as his foster children (PG 727) , with Ludger being listed as an orphan abandoned at Zorya General Hospital and adopted from Rodo Private Orphanage (OWG 168, credit: yume-x-hanabi).
Julius changes his name from Julius Wi Bakur to Julius Will Kresnik, though Rideaux still remembers and enjoys calling him by his old name to make him mad (OWG 163).
Speculation: It is unclear if Ludger's middle name was changed as well, since Julius and Elle both inherit their mother's names, so Ludger might have been "Ludger Il Kresnik". Alternatively, it may have always been "Will".
Ludger and Julius (15 - 3 years ago)
The two move into Freres Apartments together. Ludger enrolls in school and Julius continues working as an agent in the DODA. It is unclear if Julius had a formal education outside of working for Spirius. Ludger's school costume and the landlady refer to Julius having gone to school, but the “Family” short story outright says Julius doesn’t go to school as a teenager and the 20th anniversary describes Julius as working at an age that couldn’t be called adult (20th 445). Due to Julius' work, Ludger is often left alone at home (SB).
At some point, Julius suffers a burn to his hand after protecting Ludger from a boiling pot. He begins wearing a glove to hide the scar.
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When Julius is 15 and Ludger is 7, Julius starts wearing fake glasses:
In the "Family" short story, he does it partially on Rideaux’s suggestion that he hide the expression in his eyes. After scaring Ludger and seeing his reflection in Ludger's eyes, he starts wearing glasses so he'll look less scary and blend in better.
In the OWG short story, Rideaux derisively wonders if Julius is wearing glasses to impress a girl, and has no idea where they came from.
Julius also becomes an official agent of the Spirius Corporation (PG 727) and joins the Communications Department.
Ludger burns his hands while trying to cook pasta for Julius, causing Julius to realise how much Ludger cares for him. Julius decides instead to protect Ludger from the Trial.
Note: In the "Family" short story, this unfolds differently, instead of burning his hands, Ludger cuts his hands practicing to make dinner and has been hiding it using a glove that matches Julius'. In that adaptation, Julius has told Ludger about Claudia's cooking, and the two compare Ludger's pasta to hers. Julius also meets a future Fractured version of himself who talks to him about Ludger.
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(Unless otherwise indicated, the information is cited from the second OWG short story.)
When Julius is 16 and Rideaux is 17, they are assigned to destroy Fractured Dimension No. F41BF together.
In this world, 8 y/o Ludger is still living with Claudia and has all his memories, making him the Divergence Catalyst. Rideaux is completely unaware of Claudia’s connection to Julius, only reporting that Prime Claudia is listed as dead. When he attacks Claudia, she attempts to defend herself with a knife. Julius intervenes, but when Rideaux suggests killing Claudia and making Ludger watch, Julius beats him unconscious and then goes to kill Fractured Ludger. When Rideaux awakes, Julius is bleeding from his eyebrow, a wound that eventually becomes a scar. It’s unknown if it was Fractured Claudia or Fractured Ludger who attacked him.
Julius falsifies the information on this dimension and lists Claudia as the Divergence Catalyst.
It’s worth noting Fractured Ludger is implied to be humming the Hymn of Proof, suggesting Claudia taught it to him, and thereby suggesting Julius also learned it from her side of the family. Fractured Claudia is also seen carrying ingredients to make tomato pasta.
Primia 4297
At the age of 20, Julius becomes the Director of the Department of Dimensional Affairs (PG 727). Publicly, he remains affiliated with the Network Development Division inside the Communications Department. He is eventually credited with helping develop the GHS, including its portability, apps and the tracking system.
At some point, Ludger dyes his hair partially black in order to look stylish. (OWG 24)
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When Ludger is around 17, Nova accidentally gives him a gift that she meant to give to Julius. Assuming Nova had confessed to him, Ludger confesses to her in turn but is rejected, causing him to run away from Home. Julius finds him with Rollo, and the two adopt him.
Victor and Elle (~10 years ago)
(Unless otherwise indicated, the information is cited from the third OWG short story.)
In Fractured Dimension No. F41DB, Ludger lives a similar life to Prime Ludger. He recounts that as a child, Julius found a cicada shell and gave it to him, telling him it was a lucky charm that protects children.
Primia 4305 (F41DB)
At 20 years old, the Ludger of this world meets a violet-eyed girl named Elle, who has been commanded by an unknown person to seek the Land of Canaan. They collect the Waymarkers together, and like Prime Ludger, he befriends Jude and the party. However, the final Waymarker lies in Elle's home world, another Fractured Dimension with a depth of 254 and a deviation of 0.05. Ludger is presented with an unknown choice that did not happen to Prime Ludger (OWG 62), and his choice results in violet-eyed Elle's death, but he successfully retrieved the last Waymarker. Ludger subjectively believes that Elle died hating him, and frames himself as having betrayed her.
Despite collecting the five Waymarkers, he is unable to reach the Land of Canaan due to being in a Fractured Dimension. He quits being an agent and transfers to a normal department in Spirius, heedless of Bisley, Jude, and the others' attempts to resolve their situation. He falls into a deep depression, but finds hope again after meeting and falling in love with Lara Mel Marta, a woman who has the same violet eyes as the Elle he lost. When they go on their first date, he has the title of managing director.
Note: There is nothing in Xillia 2's lore itself that states that violet-eyed Elle is another Fractured Ludger's daughter, or that Victor knew his child would be Elle if he married Lara, unlike Prime Ludger. Maybe he named her after the Elle he travelled with, maybe he always knew, or maybe he didn't know until she grew up to look identical to his first Elle. It's never really said. Tales of Asteria goes the route that violet-eyed Elle is Ludger's daughter, but it also has a much more different setup where she coexists in the same world as green-eyed Elle (which itself is a whole can of plot holes).
Primia 4307 (F41DB)
At the age of 22, they're married and Elle Mel Marta is born with the powers of a Key of Kresnik and a Chromatus watch, the location of which is unknown (PG 738).
Jude and the party wish to use Elle's power to negotate with the Prime Dimension, while Bisley believes the power of the Key could stop their world from being destroyed, and that for the sake of completing the Trial, Elle should be handed over to the Prime Dimension. Ludger argues against using his newborn child, and in turn Bisley uses his political and business connections to force everyone to his side, such as threatening Jude's spyrix production. Although Julius attempts to mediate between Ludger until the end, he remains most concerned for Ludger as his brother. While Jude and the others don't necessarily agree with Bisley, they can't say that he's wrong either, similar to the events of the Julius Ending (OWG 62). Ludger believes that everyone thinks he can just have another child if he loses Elle, but as Lara is unable to bear another child after Elle, this is not possible. He also holds a grudge against Julius for something he said.
During negotiations between Ludger and Jude and the party at Ludger's house at Lake Epsilla, Bisley ambushes them with a special team of agents to take Elle. Ludger tries to kill Bisley in return, but is stopped by his friends. Without hesitation, Ludger kills Jude, Alvin, Leia, Rowen, Elize, Julius, and Bisley. Gaius is the sole survivor, and retreats with heavy injuries. Ludger sinks their bodies to the bottom of Lake Epsilla.
In this fight, he reaches Level 4 Chromatus, inheriting Bisley's Waymarker as the Strongest Chromatus User. This deviation causes him to be possessed by the Divergence Catalyst of F41DB, which had previously possessed something else (OWG 62). He also begins transforming into a Divergence Catalyst himself due to his overuse of the Chromatus. He takes Julius and Bisley's watches (PG 738), and after giving his watch to Elle, is using Bisley's watch when he fights against the party in Chapter 12. He renames himself to Victor, after the rank he's achieved.
Victor dyes his hair black to avoid association with Bisley, as well as cutting ties with the clan/family, and to prevent Elle from recognising him (OWG 61). The mask that he uses to hide his Catalysation contains an arte that prevents F41DB's Divergence Catalyst that is possessing him from revealing itself (OWG 62).
Having deposed Bisley, Victor takes full control of Spirius and becomes the new CEO. He uses the DODA's resources to recalculate the location of violet-eyed Elle's Fractured Dimension relative to the Prime Dimension, concluding that the coordinates of his own relative to the Prime Dimension is a depth of 254, and a deviation of 0.05, identical to the coordinates between F41DB and violet Elle's world. He supposes that she may have been aiming for the Prime Dimension when she landed in F41DB instead. He also infers that there's a difference in time between F41DB and the Prime Dimension.
After the massacre at Lake Epsilla, Lara's mental state deteriorates. She has memory lapses, such as reliving her first date with Ludger, before remembering the massacre and rambling about Victor's murders. The picture on Victor's shelf with the two of them and a younger Elle was taken in a moment where she was in a better state (OWG 62). She dies when Elle is too young to remember her. Afterwards, Victor decides to send his daughter to the Prime Dimension, just as violet-eyed Elle was.
Rollo dies at an unspecified time after Lara's death. Due to Elle nicknaming him Tatty for his tatty fur changing, she doesn't recognise him in the Prime Dimension. Victor buries him in the backyard, and his tombstone is visible in-game.
Present Day
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During the events of Xillia, Spirius continues collaborating with the Elympion government on the Otherworld Reactor Project in order to retrieve the lost Waymarkers in Rieze Maxia. However, after Jude and Milla dispel the Schism themselves, they change their stance from anti-Rieze Maxian to pro-Rieze Maxia. Around the same time, Marcia, who had opposed the Otherworld Reactor Plan, becomes Chancellor, and her pro-Rieze Maxian government has a good relationship with Spirius (PG 728).
The events of the "Bipolar Crossroads" manga occur.
Ludger fails the Spirius entrance exam at the age of 19. He begins having nightmares of Julius killing him (MG).
Primia 4305
After having submitted over 100 job applications, Ludger finally lands a job at Trigleph Station's cafeteria (PG 729).
Some time before Ludger becomes an agent, Fractured Dimension F41DB is detected by Spirius in the Prime Dimension. It's given the nickname "Victor's Dimension".
The agents who attack Victor at the start of the game do so after being misinformed that Victor is the Key of Kresnik (PG 736). The shock of witnessing this attack triggers Elle's Key of Kresnik powers and causes her to jump into the Prime Dimension (PG 737) due to her will to reach the Land of Canaan for Victor's sake. As the Land of Canaan only exists in the Prime Dimension, her powers draw her there.
Speculation: Given that Victor in F41DB already has control of his version of Spirius, and that F41DB is already known to Prime Spirius, it's possible the agents who attacked Victor were from the Prime Dimension.
Sometime before Ludger's first day, Vera suspects Julius of tampering with the family registry. With Bisley's approval, she investigates (OWG 168) and ultimately corrects it. This draws Julius' attention, who boards the Striborg train outside of his duties as an agent (PG 737), in order to bribe or force her to secrecy, causing Rideaux to alert Bisley and Vera that Julius is acting suspiciously. However, this fails, and Bisley becomes aware of Ludger's existence (OWG 35, PG 737).
Chapter 1
In the Fractured Dimension that Elle unintentionally draws Ludger and Jude into on the Striborg Line, Fractured Julius is the true perpetrator of the terrorist attack and hijacking. In this world, Ludger admired Bisley, who won Ludger over to his side. Despite Julius' warnings, Ludger refused to listen to him and the two of them became estranged. Julius finally decides to collude with Exodus to assassinate Bisley. The dimension seems to be of a high depth due to its time difference. (OWG 62, PG 741, MG)
Ludger's job offer at the station is rescinded due to the Oscore attack (you will never believe what is the ONLY piece of lore to address this directly, credit to kikaromi and neoncaptor).
Chapter 15
It is speculated that Rideaux may have created Fractured Dimension No. F432E (999 998), but the details are unknown. (PG 732)
Julius' Fractured Dimension is speculated (OWG 51) or confirmed (PG 732) as No. F432F (999 999). It is a world without Elle.
Ludger Ending
Ludger has become the CEO of Spirius and meets 20 year old Lara Mel Marta, the new chairwoman of the Rugen Consortium, who has succeeded the position previously held by her grandfather (PG 797).
Miscellaneous
Ludger’s sword motif is due to his favourite brand being “Blade Union”. They are the manufacturers of the swords he’s given during the Spirius examination, since the company works with Spirius (OWG 69). In the Ichiban Kuji manga story, Julius also buys him mugs from that brand. Tangentially, the swords on Bisley’s suit are due to the sword motif of the Kresnik clan. (PG 709)
According to unused NPC dialogue, Julius got into communications technology in order to speak more with Bisley. (Japanese fans have corroborated this line’s existence in-game, but it’s impossible to access that NPC at this point in the game, and I can’t replicate it even on a JP disk. It could probably be hacked in if you edited your save position, but I haven’t tried yet.)
Do you know why Julius took such an interest in communications technology? It’s because he wanted more chances to talk with his busy father! Isn’t that just the sweetest thing?
ユリウスが通信技術に興味を持ったきっかけ、知ってる?忙しいお父さんと、もっとお話がしたかったからなんだって! 泣けるわねえ~
Keys of Kresnik are automatically Chromatus users, and thus are born with Chromatus watches (PG 731). As mentioned earlier, it’s unknown where Elle’s watch is, and the same source acknowledges that violet-eyed Elle’s watch is also unknown (PG 738).
Ludger’s watch is brass. Julius’ is silver. Bisley’s is gold. Rideaux’s is platinum with a red accent. Its suggested their appearances have to do with their owner’s personalities. (OWG 62)
The “Chronos limit” is a distance at which the power of the Primordial Great Spirits breaks down. This is why it is impossible to enter Fractured Dimensions with a depth above 255 (recall that depth measures distances between dimensions). It is speculated that this is why violet-eyed Elle couldn’t reach the Prime Dimension and was instead lost in F41DB, since her dimension relative to the Prime Dimension is calculated by Victor as having a depth of 508. The deviation is immeasurable. (OWG 163)
As mentioned earlier, the Soul Bridge is created when a Level 2 Chromatus user or higher dies and enters the cycle of reincarnation, unlocking the path from the inside (PG 725). Once the Trial is completed, the soul that created the Bridge joins the cycle of reincarnation normally. The souls of Divergence Catalysts are also returned to the cycle of reincarnation. (OWG 63)
Though never shown, female Chromatus users and male Keys of Kresnik exist (OWG 63).
Below a Level 2 Chromatus, one can only enter dimensions up to a depth of 100. Since Waymarkers are usually in high-depth dimensions, this is why all Level 2 Chromatus users are focused on finding Waymarkers. By Chapter 14, the only people left with that level of Chromatus are Ludger, Julius, Rideaux, and Bisley.
Yamamoto speculates (as in, this is not meant to be taken as official canon), that depending on how the wish to destroy Fractured Dimensions was executed, Fractured Dimension No. F4240 (1 000 000) may have been created by Ludger or Elle and remain in existence through their respective endings. (OWG 63)
#tales of xillia 2#ludger will kresnik#julius will kresnik#elle mel marta#victor (tox2)#fractured elle
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I told @latte-cosmico that I've decided from now on to start collecting screenshots when people take digs at my writing. Names blurred, but... I tend to block, bottle up, and not talk about all the shit that happens. Latt suggested, "maybe also screenshot the good stuff? That doc with negative comments might get at you at days" Which is sound advice. ...That's actually something I've done. I hope I don't put anyone on the spot (I rarely blurred out names or anything, since they're kind comments, although some of these are anon anyway), I'm going to post some screenshots I have already taken of comments on AO3 or asks from the past that have really touched me. I think I have a few things on my phone, but you'll have to settle for what's tucked away on this computer.
And this last one is @yume-x-hanabi translating a comment left in French for me, since I only understood parts of it. I wanted a proper translation from a living person (I even offered to pay her to translate it for me but she declined lol)
These aren't the only comments I took screenshots of, but I'll admit I haven't done much of that lately. I should probably get back into it... Thank you. If you see yourself here, you don't know how much you've worked to lift me up against the tide of negativity. It means a lot to me. I don't know if I'll survive enough to keep writing, honestly, but... I do wish that for myself. I do wish I could have more time to work on my stories and share some for free, publish some others, and survive financially. As it is, I've got to fight disabilities and chronic pain to work weekends, then spend a day or two a week just recovering physically from that. ;A; That's why I wanted to publish, why I keep pushing my Patreon. I happily share things for free, but I need money to live to the next day. It's tough and scary, and I think being in constant pain makes that even worse.
#yes mostly Seasons but it's my most popular and most talked about story at this point#I think I share more info and background on it than I do my other works...#even now I keep telling myself to shut up and not share things I wanna ramble about bc I'm afraid I'm just annoying everyone
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WIP meme
Thank you @lanxyuu for the tag! I've mostly been working on commissions recently so I can't show anything much... But I have a couple that's been lying on the bench..!!
you may or may not recognise this hehe
Otherwise, I had this sitting in my folders for the previous FE art scuffle, but it's been so long that I will probably have to uh... submit it for the next art scuffle 8'D
Life has been insanely busy due to changes in household, so I've had to focus on commissions and other work, instead of doing self-indulgent fun stuff.... But I really hope to get around to the latter soon!!
Tagging @barbieburnanator @yume-x-hanabi @meltypancake @cross-mountain @larachelledrawsfe and whomever else who wants to share their WIPs!!
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Tales of the Abyss Special Fon Disc #7: Count Gardios' Amazing Daily Life
Translator: @yume-x-hanabi Subber/QC: DimensionSlip
A look into Guy's life after his return to Malkuth. Takes place during the timeskip in the middle of the game.
#tales of the abyss#guy cecil#jade curtiss#peony upala malkuth ix#drama cd#GUESS WHO UNEARTHED A DRAMA CD TRACK THEY SUBBED ALMOST A DECADE AGO#but somehow never got around to posting it#thank u mz for reminding me this exists
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I love the Naruto World so much that I wish I was in it, I want to be a female Senju princess who's a god child to Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki.
I'll love to be the last child of Tsunade Senju and Jiraiya Ogata, be the Sixth Hokage after saving the Leaf with Naruto Uzumaki, and is the main romantic interest of Sasuke Uchiha, a former student of Orochimaru Yashagoro.
I want Naruto to have a sibling, so I chose Deidara cause Uchiha Clan heirs tend to be rivals with Uzumaki Clan members and I don't to replace Hanabi for somebody else, so Hinata got a big sister now...how about Yume for the name...yes.
My name should be Misako, have a big sister named Akira who's the main romantic interest of Itachi Uchiha, and is the Chosen One with elemental bending powers as the Light Avatar who must destroy the Dark Persona.
I shipped myself with Sasuke, NaruHina for life, NejiTen, ShikaTema, SaiIno, KibaTama, ShiShi, ChoKaru, LeeAma, KankuAka, SoraKae, GaaMatsu, AsuKure, KakaHana, JiraTsuna, MinaKushi, Orochimaru X OFC, Itachi X OC, MY AU!Deidara X OFC!Hinata's Big Sister, ToneShion, IruAya, SuiKari, Sakura X OMC, GaiKao, KoteAnko, KabuGure, HayaYuga, IzuShizu, YamaYuki, ObiRin, Rin and Obito will be still alive, my dad's not gonna die too, Asuma deserves to live for his daughter, Neji stays living, etc.
There's ten tailed beasts from zero to nine; Satori the Reibi, Shukaku the Ichibi, Matatabi the Nibi, Isobu the Sanbi, Son Goku the Yonbi, Kokuo the Gobi, Saiken the Rokubi, Chomei the Nanabi, Gyuki the Hachibi, and Kurama the Kyuubi.
I want Team 02 [Yoruha - Hikaru, Nayumi, Migaku & Sakura], 03 [Gai - Neji, Tenten, Lee & Kaede], 07 [Kakashi - Naruto, Misako, Sasuke & Hinata], 08 [Kurenai - Kiba, Tamaki, Shino & Shiho], and 10 [Asuma - Choji, Ino, Shikamaru & Akane].
Sakura need to be shipped with somebody else rather than Sasuke, she was falling for him and broke her friendship with Ino for his heart.
If I was her, I'll choose my friend over my crush and keep my bond.
Misako got three childhood friends; Naruto, Hinata, and Sasuke...it's that clear and simple.
Misa doesn't like fan boys at all like Sasuke don't like fan girls, they're from enemy clans and are best friends who's secretly betrothed to each other as a way to form peace to both family trees.
Watching all episodes and movies, I've learned many shocking plots and twists throughout my childhood.
Itachi's an amazing big brother, I wish Naruto has a brother and I gave him one...named Deidara rather than Menma cause I see that alternative future son of our ramen lover if he was married to Sasuke.
I want Naruto to have his first kiss with Hinata, which leads to this scenario...what if Misako was between both him and Sasuke during the episode where they were finding out their teams.
Misako will kiss Sasuke...again, here's the catch, they shared their first kiss at a young age cause they liked each other and can see their futures as a badass power couple.
Itachi had already predicted that his little brother was in love with Misako...like he was with Akira, Akira will prevent Itachi's death and tell Sasuke the real truth herself with her baby sister by her side.
I've read a fanfiction on Wattpad that has an original female character portraying as Nezuko Kamado, her name was Misa, I loved it and saw the major changes they've done...it was glorious...shout-out to the author.
I know one way to make Sasuke feel overprotective to Misako like she's understanding with him, I've made three characters we know as original characters named Hikaru, Nayumi, and Migaku.
Hikaru will portray from Toneri or Seimei, Nayumi will depict from Shion or Sawaii, and Migaku...I got something for him...Yoichi or Ren.
Misako and Akira, two sisters with their father's white hair, their mother's brown eyes, their father's red markings, and their mother's beautiful looks and gorgeous figure...I got their character portrayals...Heinrich Prinz (Akira) & Eugen Prinz (Misako).
Indra & Asura was in love with the Kishimoto Sisters named...Luna & Kira...
Kira will be the light that guides Asura to the Sun and into the Spirit World for a bright star.
Luna will be the shadow that escorts Indra to the Moon and get him away from the Phantom Zone for a dark cloud.
The sacred ancestry continues to Madara Uchiha's lover and Hashirama Senju's wife...Mito Uzumaki & Himiko Hyuga.
Years have passed, I want Misa to become the Light Avatar since the Dark Persona was her complete polar opposite...they're destined lovers.
I honestly want Misa to have two sons and daughters; Daisuke (OMC: Haruto Uchiha), Mikoto (OFC: Amara Senju), Yuta (OMC: Isamu Senju), and Sayuri (OFC: Kiyomi Uchiha).
I'm giving Naruto another son and daughter; Menma (OMC: Soha Uzumaki) & China (OFC: Naruko Uzumaki).
If you're confused with the names of the following OCs I've planted, search for their names on Google to get some clarification...it took me a few tries and I've finished.
Comment down below, reblog, anything you wanna do...go for it.
Do not report me, this is just my ideas...something I wanna do for my fanfics in the future.
Sayonara guys...believe it!
Also...who will win between Roman Reigns and Jey Uso?
If nobody wins and unexpected twists happen, who will return?
What if Damian Priest changes his mind and cash in on Roman, if not...on whoever wins between Seth and Finn?
Who will beat Dominik's ass and strip him from his title?
Will Santos dethrone Theory?
Can Ricochet take down a jackass?
Will Gunther stay undisputed?
Who will be Rhea's opponent?
Who will walk out as Women's Undisputed Champion?
Will Iyo win or lose her chance?
Will Shotzi get revenge on Bayley?
Can LA Knight conquer the Battle Royal?
Will Shayna kick this transphobic bitch's ass out of wrestling for good?
Will Solo join his brother?
Will Cody end Lesnar?
All these questions and more will be confirmed tomorrow night at Detroit...watch Peacock now, get your tickets, and get ready cause it's ride or die this year on 2023.
Let this tribal combat...commence.
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♡☆♡☆♡☆♡☆ intro! ☆♡☆♡☆♡☆♡
hiya! my name is katt, and i am an adult selfshipper. that just means i ship myself with characters i like! some people take it lightly or do it just for fun, but i genuinely view myself as being in a relationship with some of my f/os (fictional others)! And I love each of my partners dearly.
my pronouns are they/them, and i selfship from multiple sources, but most are anime. I am non-sharing with some of my f/os, and sharing with others, it depends on which one! if i am non sharing with one of my f/os, it means that that are only in a relationship with me, and they only love me. they are not in relationships or loving any other selfshippers, no matter what those people may think! my f/os love me and only me! ♡
the characters i WILL NOT share are going to be in bold italics like this. any others are fine! i am fine with any other yumes/selfshippers interacting, as long as you understand my boundaries!
all that being said, feel free to send me a dm or an ask if you'd to ask or tell me anything! I am willing to make exceptions sometimes, and I'm always willing to answer questions!
without further ado, here is a guide to all of my oc x canon ships, and selfships!
♡ Shouta Aizawa × Hanabi Chozuki ♡
sweet_skull_sketches
♡ Floch Forster × Casper Aradius ♡
justatitanshifter
here are some other oc x canon ships I have that are NOT selfships!
♡ Osamu Dazai x Serenity Wolf: Serenizai ♡
♡ Doppo Kunikida x Amelia Blair: Kunelia ♡
♡ Ranpo Edogawa x Kit Fraisier ♡
♡ Ainosuke Shindo x Juniper Akaibara ♡
I also selfship with:
♡ Kite (HXH)
♡ Castiel (SPN)
♡ Gabriel (SPN)
♡ L Lawliet (Death Note)
♡ Uzui Tengen (KNY)
♡ Giulio Gandini (MHA)
♡ North (DBH)
♡ Armin Arlert (AOT)
♡ Strawberry Cream Cookie (CROB)
♡ Vash The Stampede (TriStamp)
♡ Millions Knives (TriStamp)
♡ Astarion (BG3)
♡ Bertholdt Hoover (AOT)
♡ Marco Bodt (AOT)
<< to be continued >>
♡ Fix-It-Felix Jr. and Sergeant Calhoun (WIR)
♡ DJ Music Man (FNAF: SB)
♡ Daisuke (Mouthwashing)
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Miraitabi Summer Mixtape:
Σ for Σummer 🌻🌊
Disclaimer: All songs here belong to their respective artists! And since this mixtape was made under the impression of a travel diary, I highly recommend to watch in chronological order... Therefore, are you ready? Pack your belongings and let’s gooo!
Bon Voyage 𓇼 ⋆.˚ 𓆉 𓆝 𓆡⋆.˚
“... A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step...”
6 AM — DAYBREAK ✶ FRONTLINE
Performed by
Yuuya “ARROW” Kanata
youtube
Covered & arranged by: If | Original by: orangestar ft. IA ❈ Let’s start it with the queen of summercore vocaloid songs: orangestar
9 AM — Kaisei (Clear Weather)
Performed by
Yuuya “ARROW” Kanata
ANGE
youtube
Covered & arranged by: FantasticYouth (Onyu x LowFat) Original by: orangestar ft. IA ❈ FantasticYouth my beloved... There is also the rap parts where LowFat-san incorporates various references to orangestar’s other songs —One of it being “Daybreak Frontline”, the previous song of this mixtape (Sources / Translation)
10 AM — DESTIN4TI★N
Performed by
Yuuya “ARROW” Kanata
Asahi “SWEET-T” Tomoharu
youtube
Real Title: ともに (Tomoni) | Original by: WANIMA Covered by: Araki, Gero
1 PM — Dear you, 夏めく
Performed by
Yuuya “ARROW” Kanata
youtube
Real Title: Hana ni Bourei (Ghost In A Flower) Covered by: soraru | Original by: Yorushika ❈ 夏めく (Natsumeku) in Japanese means “It feels like summer” usually implying that the season is beginning… And also the alias of a certain someone important to Miraitabi’s leader
5 PM — That Dream Within A Dream
Performed by
Yuuya “ARROW” Kanata
youtube
Real Title: 夢のまた夢 (Yume no Mata Yume) Covered by: Araki | Original by: Mafumafu
// ALERT ALERT: The sun is going down
“Hey, wakes up sleepyhead! Isn’t it almost time for the festival?!”
7 PM — 夏祭り🏮 (Natsu Matsuri)
Performed by
Yuuya “ARROW” Kanata
Asahi “SWEET-T” Tomoharu
Saigo “Tsukumogami” Futugami
ANGE
youtube
Covered by: Amatsuki, 96neko, Eve, soraru, luz Original by: JITTERIN’JINN & Whiteberry
⊹₊ ✶⋆ Uchiage Hanabi?
7:30 PM — Uchiage Hanabi ✻
Performed by
Yuuya “ARROW” Kanata
ANGE
youtube
Covered by: Amatsuki, 96neko Original by: DAOKO x Kenshi Yonezu ❈ Loves other versions too, but this one is special... With genius kain-san’s mix, you can even hear fireworks in the background
But you know,
Fireworks aren’t the only lights of summer
Now with a shining lantern in your hands
Let’s send off our regards
To somewhere far faraway...
9 PM — 燈花会 (Tokae)
Performed by
Yuuya “ARROW” Kanata
youtube
Real Title: Hyakka Ryouran (A Sea of Lanterns) ❈ Although it’s my intention to refer this song to the one astounding festival in Nara (picture below), actually according to the fan assumption (Source / Translation); looks like this song has an implication to the artist’s hometown, Fukushima, which also hosts the “Tōrō Nagashi” where people will light and float the lanterns down the river or the ocean in order to commemorate for their lost ones. Meanwhile, both of these festivals are the ceremonies held around the days of Obon —The traditional Buddhist holidays dedicated to honor ancestral spirits and pay respect to the dead. ❈ Also to people who follow paralive, are you perhaps familiar with this voice?
Prologue — Σ of Σummer (Tomorrow Still Goes On)
Performed by
Yuuya “ARROW” Kanata
Asahi “SWEET-T” Tomoharu
Saigo “Tsukumogami” Futugami
ANGE
The members of “SPECTRA” Band
youtube
Real Title: Summertime Record Covered by: Ryushen, Saegusa Akina, Hakase Fuyuki, Higuchi Kaede, Hoshikawa Sara, Mashiro, Lain Paterson, Nishizono Chigusa, Machita Chima, Lize Halesta, Inui Toko, Watarai Hibari, Genzuki Tojiro Original by: Jin ft. IA (Kagerou Project)
And finally, Sayonara our dear Summer,
As ephemeral but astounding as the spark of Senko Hanabi, here the season has winded down to an end...
Thank you for watching!
Hope to see you again in the next season...
But eh... Whose season is there?
➤ Also, credit the dividers by: @cafekitsune and @firefly-graphics
#hypmic oc#hypnosis microphone oc#nara division#miraitabi#yuuya kanata#asahi tomoharu#saigo fuyugami#ANGE#Σ for Σummer#summer mixtape#yuuya’s summer project#summer 2024#credit the divider by cafekitsune and firefly-graphics#Youtube#hmm apparently there is a myth that you shouldn't go to the waterfront during obon#but with this schedule... it means they are visiting the sea on the same day? I will leave this as a superstitious plot hole then#but guess they are well-protected by the spirits of their lost loved ones...#asian do have many superstitious myths more than you think#one more tidbit: the cover photo is actually taken by me
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@lordofcalamity & @yume-x-hanabi, here's the Ludger app from the Kyun Chara set, as promised.
Hope it's insightful!
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🍱🍢🍥
🍱: do you read your own fics?
answered here! but tl;dr, yes i do :p
🍢: have you ever gotten hate on a fic?
not really? i've gotten criticism that at the time felt really hateful, but even then it's only happened a handful of times. i've gotten comments like "this made my depression worse" or "this made me feel awful" LOL but it's like...that's not really hate because i know my work is not necessarily sunshine and rainbows. it's still rude and i'm not sure why you'd tell anyone that, but i wouldn't consider it genuine hate
🍥: what’s your favorite fic you’ve written?
oh god this is such a hard one. i have 183 fics on ao3, for reference hahaha. i'll go with a smaller scope and just look at my pokemon fics, and as much as i love my big multichaps, i actually want to say my favourite fic is sound sleepless because it was fun to explore so many different characters and dynamics in a single fic, and also it was very satisfying for me to be able to like...put together all the different traits ash has throughout the full run of the anime and Make It Make Sense (to me, at least)
fic writer asks
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💫💞
💫(What is your favorite type of comment/feedback?) Hands down it's "you made me ship this." I gravitate towards rarepairs and yesss I've snared another one! I also love quotes commenters like, "this made me cry," emojis, yelling about my faves, incoherent shrieking, etc.
💞(What's the most important part of a story for you?) The characters and their emotional beats. I tend to think of the emotional high points of the story first, and when it's a plotty story, it doesn't click until I figure out how it fits in with the journey the characters are taking. As for the other factors mentioned: 1. Plot: I usually don't have a huge plot focus but sometimes a cool idea pops in fully formed. 2. Worldbuilding: I do not build shit! This goes with my lack of original writing--I wanna play with existing stuff, little desire to make new things. 3. Technical stuff: I'm a stickler for this and the 1500 drafts I do catch most of the errors. 4. Figurative language/prose: I AM TERRIBLE AT THIS I just beat my prose into shape and occasionally come up some cool terms of phrase.
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So five thousand years ago (July 2022) I got the raws for the last three chapters of the Scenario Book short story from Yume and while I refuse to acknowledge Chapter 5, the last two chapters are still GREAT in a vacuum and @chuchushoot's comment reminded me that the scenario book actually does a really good job at demonstrating just how different ludger and julius become from their child selves
If you haven’t already, please read @yume-x-hanabi’s translation of the first four chapters here. I am skipping Chapter 5 for the time being but I will summarise.
Also friendly reminder of Ludger’s POV on the pasta thing here.
Machine translation as always, but thank you to @lastthroes for giving it a quick look over back in July <3
Chapter 5
15 y/o Prime Julius meets 25 y/o Fractured Julius, who basically runs down the whole future development thing to Prime Julius, and Fractured Julius is aware he’s the divergence catalyst. He’s able to reach a Level 3 Chromatus without using Ludger’s watch. Fractured Julius identifies Prime Julius' age because he doesn't have a scar on his eyebrow. They talk a little about Bisley and Rideaux, and Fractured Julius assures Prime Julius that Ludger will never recover his memories of Claudia. Prime Julius eventually does kill him.
Chapter 6
After completing his mission report to the Department of Dimensional Affairs, Julius was back out on the streets of Trigleph. The only differences between this dimension and the Fractured Dimension he had just destroyed was that the poster on the wall read the year 4292, and the tomato market had not been wrecked.
As he approached his home, a warm and gentle scent wafted over him. Quietly, he entered the apartment and found Ludger cooking alone. He was wearing an apron, his left hand covered by the glove, and stirring a boiling red sauce in a small pot.
"What are you doing?"
"Um..."
The stirring stuttered to a stop, and his seven-year-old little brother turned to face him.
"Julius... Welcome home."
"I thought I said that cooking was forbidden."
Ludger turned off the stove and covered the pot with the lid. Usually, he would wonder about Julius' expression, while immediately starting to tidy up, but not today. Today, instead of looking away, he stared directly at Julius.
"I’m sorry, I didn't listen to you…"
Julius noted a small change in his brother.
"But... But my teacher at school said..."
He watched his brother try to muster up the courage to explain himself.
"My teacher said, "When I'm tired, it makes me really happy to come home and see my family has made a warm dinner for me.""
"..."
"And you seemed really tired lately... and..."
"And?"
"And… You said that cooking is for people with free time who stay at home all day and don't work. And... I've always had free time."
Julius couldn't respond, and fell silent. Ludger carried on.
"So I bought a little pot using the money you gave me..."
Looking, Julius realised there was a new, small pot on the stove that he’d never seen before.
"I thought if I had something I could handle better, something like you getting burned wouldn't happen again..."
So that was why he wanted the money. Julius had jumped to conclusions, assuming that Ludger had had the same intentions as Julius himself when he was young and asking his father for money. The difference between that and his younger brother’s kindness made him feel something he hadn’t felt before. Then...
"And the knife?"
Ludger hadn't expected that response. He paused for a moment.
"Uh... I bought it. My teacher at school taught me how to use it. I practiced a little every day, and now I know how to properly cut vegetables with it."
"Is that so?"
"I can't cut things in the air like you can, but..."
On the cutting board, there were neatly sliced pieces of garlic and onion.
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you about it."
Julius faced his brother once again.
"But... It's not store-bought, I made the tomato pasta myself. I want to eat it together with you. So please, let me finish making it."
For the first time since they started living together, Ludger showed his brother his strong will.
"Ludger, you..."
Julius’ eyes fell to Ludger's tightly clenched fist. Then he realised.
"Let me see that."
He grabbed Ludger's left hand suddenly.
"Ah--"
Ludger resisted, but soon Julius had removed the glove from his small hand.
On Ludger's fingertips were a number of cuts. The glove Ludger had supposedly purchased to mimic Julius' was, in reality, only used to hide that Ludger had injured himself while learning to use a knife.
"You--"
At a loss for words, Julius fixed his eyes on Ludger's. His face was reflected in his little brother's eyes, and he remembered he wasn't wearing his fake glasses at the moment.
Julius' expression mirrored the one on his brother’s face.
"... It's not bad."
For the first time, Julius felt that this little boy was his brother. From the bottom of his heart, he wanted to protect his only "family". Just like the version of him ten years in the future said...
"So how long until it's ready? I'm starving.”
Realising this was Julius giving his approval, Ludger burst into a smile.
"It's almost done!"
.
Ludger brought the tomato pasta he'd made for Julius for the first time to the dining table. His secret practice resulted in a well-presented pasta topped with beautiful red sauce and basil leaves.
"Thank you for the food," Julius said, then reached for the fork.
Ludger watched, heart pounding, as Julius silently took a bite of the hot pasta.
Despite noticing that Ludger had a keen eye on Julius' reaction, Julius said nothing. Eventually growing impatient, Ludger asked:
"How is it?"
Julius deliberately paused before answering.
"It's delicious."
"Really?"
"Yes. It seems you've inherited your mother's talent."
"Mom's... Hm, what did mom's pasta taste like?"
Julius took another bite to verify the taste.
"Your way of seasoning and cooking the sauce is very similar."
"Wow," Ludger said, happily.
"It's very similar, but... There is something different about it."
"What? Tell me, Julius."
At his little brother's shining eyes, Julius recalled an old memory and answered.
"I think the difference is… She used more tomatoes."
"More tomatoes?"
"Yes."
Ludger tilted his head to the side.
“Your pasta is going to go cold,” Julius said, before continuing to eat.
Remembering his own plate, Ludger hurried to start eating.
"Um, Julius, where are your glasses?"
"...Does it look weird to see me without them?"
"No… It's just been a while since I've seen you without your glasses. I think you look good with or without glasses, Julius."
"Then I guess it looks good today."
Chapter 7
Thirteen years later, Julius was 28 years old, spending busy days as Spirius' Director of the Department of Dimensional Affairs.
It was the morning before he left for work. Having finished getting dressed, he stood in front of the mirror in his room. He always put on the fake glasses last. As he picked them up, a thought occurred to him.
The calm eyes of his Fractured self, ten years in the future. Julius looked at his own eyes in the mirror, and suddenly realised something.
"When he'd said I hadn't been scarred yet, he was talking about..."
The scar on his left eyebrow. The memory of what had caused it almost resurfaced, paining his heart.*
"Julius, breakfast is ready!" Ludger called from the kitchen.
"Coming!"
Putting on the fake glasses, Julius stepped out of his room.
.
Ludger had set breakfast on the dining table, and the smell of freshly brewed coffee was in the air. Beside the table, Ludger was filling Rollo's food bowl with a conservative amount of Kitty Krisps.
Rollo waited, motionlessly, for the food.
"That's a pretty small breakfast," Julius remarked.
"Meow."
Rollo didn't seem very pleased either.
"He's on a diet," Ludger said.
"What?"
"Only because you keep feeding him canned food when it's not time for a meal. Don’t you think he’s gotten fat?"
Julius picked Rollo up and nuzzled their noses together.
"He's saying you're fat, but you look perfectly healthy to me, don't you, Rollo?"
"Meow!"
"Stop that, if a cat's fat it's because of the owner. Do you know how dangerous it is to a cat's health if they're overweight, Julius?"
Ludger's lecture continued on, but Julius found his scolding pleasant. He took a sip of coffee and murmured that it tasted good, then diligently listened to his brother’s lecturing.
Rollo gave a spoiled cry, and rubbed his face against Ludger's leg. Seeing the cuteness, Ludger's expression relaxed, and his rambling preaching stopped.
The typical morning scene made Julius happy. To protect himself, Ludger, Rollo... this irreplaceable little family, he would make any sacrifice. He finally understood the words of his Fractured self from ten years in the future.
"...No."
The present me is already three years older than he was. I’m the older one. That’s a strange feeling.
He sighed, then suddenly laughed.
“Hm?” Ludger tilted his head in curiosity.
"Nothing, nothing at all. Come here, Rollo."
"Meow!"
Rollo purred, attentive.
* = Reference to the second Official World Guidance story "His Scar", where 16 year old Julius enters a Fractured Dimension with Rideaux. 8 year old Fractured Ludger who never met Julius is the Divergence Catalyst, and either Fractured Ludger or Claudia inflict the scar on Julius in self-defence.
#tales of xillia 2#julius will kresnik#ludger will kresnik#i do mean to share that story too. i have it done i just need to clean it up more#v#x2#ceci n'est pas une traduction#mtl:x2
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Last Sentence tag game
RULES: Post the last sentence you wrote (fanfic / original / anything) and tag as many people as there are words in the sentence. Tagged by @falconhonour - thank you for the tag! "He wasn’t lost to the fog and the automatons." Hmm, tagging (if any of you want to do it, ofc) @twocatstailoring, @yume-x-hanabi, @flamingo-bubbles, @wreckedhoney, @drippingwords22, @squidlykitten, @foxs-howl, @apoombeam, @lyingmuse
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Maybe it's due to not having spoons (fibro and the heat are getting to me bad), but my mood is up and down, and my feelings about Seasons are going up and down with it?
I'm like, "Oh this part is cute and I'm excited to share it!" and "Cal, shut up, please, you're being annoying. Keep it to yourself!" No one has said I'm being annoying. I just get super self-conscious now, bc... history of being told I'm annoying. Also, it's rather recent that I'd tell my now-ex that I was excited about something - that I'd finished a first draft or gotten a map drawn - and she'd respond with stuff like, "Did you see the witch Bath and Body Works diffuser?" (I had to beg her to congratulate me. I would do so for her when she had accomplishments, but mine? Meaningless.) Back to Seasons, though. I've been anxious that it's too long. I'm not out to set some arbitrary word count limit here. I mean "Was this really necessary, or did you just get too self-indulgent, and now you have too many loose ends to tie up?" (This is exacerbated by my writing out of order and fearing I'll forget something by the end.) That's just my brain, there. Worried that I was excessive and have made a mess, rather than a coherent story. I'm also worried that I sound so egotistical now that I'm finding joy in talking about my writing/characters. (This ties in with the first issue, that I should "shut up" haha...) I had such a weird process for years. I enjoyed the process of creation, but I... thought I was shitting out garbage. Characters, writing style, story, everything. Someone once told me years ago that I wrote nothing but man babies, and someone else later said the same thing. Second person also said my writing style induced their synesthesia so they couldn't stand to read my stuff. There have been other things, those are just some examples. It's so painful. I don't feel like I can become a better author if I don't have helpful criticism, but I've certainly had the destructive stuff launched at me. I'm still working on myself. I was only 13 months ago I got self-conscious and decided to stop sharing any of my writing publicly, so I locked up everything on AO3 in a private collection, I deleted or hid everything on google docs and other sites. And I struggled to finish Rascal (which I posted the final chapter just a few weeks before that and then ended up locking it up, haha), and now I'm struggling a bit with Seasons. I don't always struggle with ending stories, but... sometimes I do, and it definitely sinks my mood. I'm lucky in that some people have found my writing and been supportive. I'd be fucked if I didn't have @yume-x-hanabi being so supportive and nonjudgmental. She's a good writing buddy. And I have another friend who also just checks out my writing despite meeting her through fandom as well, even picked up Seasons despite the heavy content. ;A; That's a blessing. But sometimes I'm still working on saying, "No, I do love myself and these things. It doesn't matter what other people have said. They're a few people. They were mean. They don't define you or your work." Still, it sneaks up on me and leaves me scared that I have more work ahead. That I need to get better and better now, because if I want a career out of this, I'm going to have to bust my ass. And it's funny... I do enjoy the process of writing, I love building characters and writing stories and creating lore. I just wish after it was all done, I wasn't fearful that I just hot-glued a bunch of steaming shit together, and I refuse to see it...? XD; (Sorry that's a disgusting mental image, but... it wouldn't hold together, is my point.) Anyway, sorry if you read this for rambling so much. It's kind of negative. I gotta cheer up. ;A;
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