Comment on A Mote of Possibility

  1. Tommy (Guest) on Chapter 5 Sat 22 Dec 2018 09:09PM UTC

    Ajaja I take back what I said last chapter, THIS one is my favourite so far Jesus Christ I love it:

    Okay first off I love the setting and the worldbuilding, it's giving me very Fullmetal Alchemist vibes and I think it fits really well with the kind of place the Empire could become/is becoming while the Nein are at sea, and the idea of the Cobalt Soul working against the empire from within is veryyyyy interesting

    I'm also a big fan of the way you handled characterisation in this chapter given you were only working with three of the nein. A lot of the time we do see warmage!caleb portrayed as borderline evil, completely broken to Ikathon, basically a winter soldier. And that's a perfectly valid characterisation but I think I do prefer how you've written him here as still having that sentimentality that's at the core of his character. I'm also a big fan of how you've done Beau-the-expositor; I like the idea of Beau going full secret agent and trying to bring down the empire as an extension of the distaste we saw with the Knights of Requital. Tbh though I'm more curious about Nott - I totally understand you didn't really have space to explain this in story but did you have her backstory planned out? Like how did she get to be not only Caleb's trusted and loved ally but an official member of the empire? Would she still be working towards her goal of becoming a halfling, and does that drive her to help Caleb, or did he save her from something? Does Ikathon know about her? Sorry for all the question, I'm just very curious!!

    Anyway this is another fuckin ace chapter, AND I'M SO KEEN FOR THE NEXT ONE OH MY GOD

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    1. SwissArmyKnife on Chapter 5 Sun 23 Dec 2018 03:05AM UTC

      Thanks! I'm thrilled you liked it. Several people mentioned looking forward to this one, and I was hoping it would go over well despite it being the bleakest of the nine chapters. This IS how I imagine the empire based on the tantalizing little hints Matt has given us. For me, everything EVERYTHING changed during that moment when the tower fell, and then that army marching over the hill...brrr. Just, I really want the Nein to go back to the Dwendalian Empire. There is so much going on there I want to know about. But, I mean, I guess more levels are better before they crash into that disaster. :)

      Anyway, I'm glad you liked this take on Warmage Widogast. For me, a Caleb that hasn't got sentimentality isn't really Caleb. I'd like to think that's one of the reasons he broke in the first place, and though he and Trent would certainly consider it a weakness, it's my biggest hope for him, honestly. Nott was the reason I went the direction I did. I had to imagine a world where they were TOGETHER in this situation, and I couldn't bare him cruelly exploiting her. Do I have backstory? Yes, absolutely. Trent does know, and he isn't shy about using that to his advantage. Basically, I imagine a lot of suffering. :(

      Thank you again for commenting. I'm always excited to see your name pop up so I can hear your thoughts. Next chapter IS 28 PAGES LONG (Mooooolly, why?) Look for it he day after Christmas!

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