Author Archives: Illinia

Devil’s Due: Part 34: Accelerate

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Mannnnn I know it’s been so long since I had a chapter, but first I burned out on work real bad this year, and then Tharash/Aristheron came over to hang out for 3 weeks and we drove all over my province and it was really fun but I didn’t start feeling creative again until I’d recovered from that. So that’s why it’s taken so long. And unfortunately, my beta-reader is too busy right now to check everything, so I just have to hope it’s good enough like I did with the first 3/4 of this story. XD (He still helped talk me through some of the tricky plot bits though!)

Originally there was going to be another defecting Sith at the end of this chapter, just to show Thanaton losing his grip on his underlings, but that was one step too complicated for me.

Three more chapters until we’re done, let’s go! (and I’m not just saying that, they’re already mostly written, let’s really go!)

 

Part 33: Labyrinth

 

Part 34: Accelerate

Ashara met him back at the park, alone. “Are you okay? You met Thanaton, didn’t you? I sensed your feelings.” She frowned. “Still do, actually, now that I’m close to you again. What happened?” Continue reading →

FFXIV: Absolution

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It’s still strange to me how much of a cliffhanger 3.0 is compared to 4.0 or 5.0. Then again, 2.0 had a bit of a cliffhanger, with Bahamut’s roar, but even though Bahamut was in the trailer blowing up the world, it wasn’t like we’d already fought him once, and his quests ended up being the 8-man raids and not MSQ.

(Reminder: in the European medieval period, ‘small beer’ was not really considered alcoholic, everyone drank it, even children)

If you like Kekeniro and want to see much more of him from another angle, he’s a blatant expy of my tactician Ceniro from my FE7 fics.

With this, my 3.0 interpretation is complete. I’m going to take some time before getting into 3.x; I haven’t plotted out how the raids and 24-mans will fit into the timeline yet and I would like to just play the game again and see how it’s changed since… 3 years ago I last played? I’m not leaving forever, I’m really excited about the Dragonsong War, and Achiyo going back to the East in SB, and just how ShB is going to work with 8 WoL, to name just a few things.

Chapter 30: Unbreakable

 

Chapter 31: Absolution

Achiyo could not eat, could hardly drink a little water, so much was she filled with fear. It would not pass from her, no matter how she breathed, no matter that the healers all told her she was physically well and urged her to eat and regain her strength. She just couldn’t. Her stomach hurt, and not from any wound. Continue reading →

FFXIV: Unbreakable

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This chapter is of course named for the soundtrack of the Fractal Continuum – which is not the ARF, I am aware (the music of which is named Imagination). But while Imagination is all beautifully desperate and heroic and I love it, Unbreakable is one of the most kickass dungeon tunes in the whole game, maybe even my favourite dungeon theme (yes, even over A Long Fall (Twinning dungeon) – that name always reminds me of a ONE OK ROCK song…). Unbreakable makes me want to learn to play drums. But that’s gotta wait because I’m learning bass guitar first.

I wonder if Azys Lla is supposed to be pronounced in a Welsh fashion, with the double-L? Given that, for instance, the level 60 24-mans take naming inspiration from Gaelic (Mhach, Cu Chulainn) I don’t think it’s out of the question. In which case everyone’s pronouncing it wrong. : D

I feel like Thordan’s motivations weren’t really adequately explained in the game? Why he came to Azys Lla (so that his primal form could absorb the Warring Triad? I would have liked better clarification at the time, especially since you don’t fight the Triad until later patches), and what he intended specifically to do once he became a god. It would also have been nice to have a better idea of Lahabrea’s plan, but at least his goals are clear.

I enjoy the in-game canon that the WoL single-handedly one-shots Thordan and knights out of pure rage. (BFG Division starts playing) Continue reading →

FFXIV: On the Hunt

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So my grandparents gave me a bonus gift this year, so I used it to buy like 5 FFXIV books, including the first Ishgard artbook and both Encyclopedia Eorzeas! I have no idea when they will arrive but since I think the Encyclopedias are being reprinted they probably won’t arrive until I’ve finished HW. Sure, all the info is also on the wikis, but it’s nice to have it in book form to flip through. (Also the Primals Blueray concert, let’s go!)

Vivienne isn’t actually ice-aspected; she’s Umbral Earth (Althyk, December birthmonth) and I headcanon that Fray is lightning-aspected. So when Alain mentions elements he’s really speaking more poetically.

Chapter 28: At What Cost

 

Chapter 29: On the Hunt

Cid had been enlisted into the chase, naturally, as the archbishop had left upon an airship heading into dangerous territory, and who better to aid them than the man with an airship and no fear of danger? The engineer was delighted to bear them on another adventure, and sailed them cheerfully into the Sea of Clouds to the far north. Continue reading →

FFXIV: At What Cost

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Achiyo’s theme songs are Bibliophobia (for in-game tracks) and The Legend of Ashitaka (for out-of-game tracks). They maybe don’t fit the asskicking that happens in this chapter, but I thought it was worth a reminder. : )

As a pipe organist myself, the Vault’s soundtrack made me nearly cry with happiness when I first heard it because it’s so beautifully Baroque (I was seriously freaking out musicgasming all over the place haha). A videogame piece for organ that treats it seriously and not just a trope for “intellectual bad guy”! I mean, it doesn’t even sound specifically like videogame music, and I think that’s one of the great things about it. It sounds like heavy Buxtehude, tbh. IT’S SO SPARKLY. I really want the sheet music. I tried transcribing it myself but there’s so much reverb it’s really hard to hear a lot of the individual mid-range notes. Though it’s also so cool how when you go to higher floors of the Vault you hear less and less of it, just the bassy pedal notes that would naturally carry farther, it’s a great detail, I love it. I also appreciate how Soken weaves the organ into random other soundtracks (and bagpipes, my other favourite niche instrument, though I don’t play that) purely for the timbre.

And then I cried with sadness, obviously. Continue reading →

FFXIV: Victory Achieved

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Hey guys! I know it’s been forever since I uploaded… I’ve been trying to finish Devil’s Due, because there’s only 3.5 chapters left in that… but I’ve headed (deliberately) so far away from the source material that I’m basically writing original fic, and it’s really complex and hard and I’m too busy to brain it through. So I’m coming back to something more relaxing.

So you guys know the video on YouTube where (among other things) some people test the bite strength of a T-rex as portrayed in the classic Jurassic Park movie? Now imagine that strength test for Nidhogg. :3

I actually didn’t mean for Lilidi to get so involved? But she’s not the sort of person to sit around when people she cares about are in danger. I’m actually not sure how that’s going to develop! I didn’t make a plan!

Next chapter is the one everyone’s been not waiting for… Some of my readers have referred to it obliquely, saying they’re not prepared, and that was years ago… you prepared yet? Just kidding, no one’s ever prepared. (Liam O’Brian voice: you are not prepared– wait wrong game) Continue reading →

Devil’s Due: Part 33: Labyrinth

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Oh my god, I had this chapter mostly finished three months ago and I got so hung up on the Selonians. I think this is my third version of the scene? I’m pretty confident about this version.

The final scene in the chapter is inspired by Run by Disturbed : D

Who knows when the next chapter will be out!

 

Part 32: Battle of Wits

 

Part 33: Labyrinth

Jeik had hacked a random speeder for him, and he drove it recklessly. He hadn’t really practised in months and it slid across the road dangerously, made worse by his twitchy overcorrecting. His breath came quick and his hearts thudded distractingly; Darkness was with him, his anger and fear taking over, but it only aided his reflexes; it didn’t tell him how to drive.

Xalek had called from his own base to report the attack really was underway, and that Lord Skar was causing a lot of damage. Even Xalek was having trouble with him. Not good. Jeik and his Mandalorians would be able to take the other base in its current state – he’d killed or crippled anyone foolish enough to attack him, and there were not many personnel left after that – but that meant he had nothing to bring to defend his own except himself. Continue reading →

DA2: Please Stay Part 6

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Climax and then schmoopy epilogue stuff! If you like metal, I was listening to Unstoppable by Ad Infinitum when I wrote the final fight with Meredith. It doesn’t perfectly fit either Reid’s character or the situation, but it’s a badass, inspiring song, and I love it. : )

I actually at first did not kill Anders… and then halfway through Lowtown decided that was OoC for Reid. He is descended from my Sith Inquisitor character Murlesson, he does have a ruthless streak, even if virtually everything about his character has been softened and warmed by being in completely different circumstances. So I reloaded.

I actually still like Isabela, and next time I’ll get her approval up higher (with the console if I have to) so she’ll stick around for the ending. : ) Just giving Reid a little wish-fulfillment here.

 

Part 5

 

Kidnapped

“I suppose it was too much to hope that you wouldn’t have come here,” said a voice, and Reid looked around from Carver’s still body to see the friendly-ish Templar Thrask approaching him. “Though I can’t understand why you side with Meredith now. You showed me we can stand up to her. When I realized you had risked your life lying to protect these mages…” He gestured towards some vaguely familiar figures Reid dimly recalled from years ago. “Please, Champion. I have nothing but respect for you. It’s Meredith we must see gone.”

“Who the hell said I side with Meredith?” Reid demanded. “Isn’t it fairly common knowledge I’m an apostate? The only reason I’m here in any sort of hostile capacity is that you kidnapped my brother. Let him go, and we’ll talk.” Continue reading →

DA2: Please Stay Part 5

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Middle Ground has some ridiculously unrealistic dialogue, but this is my dumb fic so it says things that I want to hear. Also I had to keep toning down the fight, because Reid really could go off in dangerously intense ways.

When I played the game, I didn’t import a DAO save (for one thing I’m not sure where my Elizabeth save files are) and so I picked the Mahariel Warden pre-set to just jump in and get started, in which Alistair is king. And that was going to be useful, because as Reid gets into in this set of scenes, he’s starting to feel the pressure intensely enough to think about giving up. So Alistair was going to be very helpful in making Reid feel like he ought to stay to the end of the game. However, in Elizabeth’s game, Alistair is still a Warden. So I wrote two alternate scenes – one where Queen Anora asks Reid basically the same stuff as Alistair (which is my headcanon), but I also wrote one where Warden Alistair asks – and that one’s kind of more fun? So both of them are here for your entertainment.

I feel Merrill’s story arc really fumbles the landing. Hard to fix without going in a completely different direction.

Part 4

 

Anders

The sewer was as horrific as ever, and Reid was getting suspicious. “Anders, you’re really going to drink a shit potion? Really?”

“Would you balk at this if it were you?” Anders asked.

“I don’t know,” Reid said. “You sure owe me, though.”

“I do,” Anders said. “Though I think I’m going to ruin it: I know it isn’t my place to criticize, but… Are you sure about Fenris?” Continue reading →

DA2: Please Stay Part 4

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Meeting Carver in the Deep Roads with Nathaniel was really unsatisfying.

References Elizabeth Cousland, my DAO Warden.

Yes, I did do Alone with just Reid and Fenris. Since it was on Easy mode, I could do it for the RP.

The Smile part was inspired by a joke one of my friends told me once.

Part 3

 

Bullying

“Your master must have been a terrible man, to make you hate mages so,” Merrill said.

“He is a terrible man, and he’s not dead,” Fenris said shortly.

“We’re not all like him,” she said, coaxingly.

Fenris didn’t even look at her. “How often I hear that, and yet, how often I find it’s not true.

“The Keepers are different. They exist to preserve the old ways, and to protect our people.”

His glower deepened. “And none of them would ever fall prey to a demon. Or perform blood magic.” Continue reading →