#project: sloct

[marlowethelibrarian]

Chapter 5 of Raviaki Versus is On Ao3

A Summer Leagues Original Character Tournament Story.

The final fight against a blighted god. The conclusion of Ravi's journey in the Cross Tournament and their last chance for some kind of salvation.

Click here to read!

[marlowethelibrarian]

bound, ghost, and pain for whichever OC you like!

This is basically a perfect tee up for Ravi, from Raviaki Versus lmfao

CW: suicide and drugs and overdosing

so!

Bound- Has your OC ever been imprisoned or captured? What happened? How did they get out? Did the experience leave any scars?

BOY HOWDY. The set up for Raviaki Versus is that they got betrayed by their friends and locked in a cave and left to die, after being used as an unwilling sacrifice to contain a plague goddess.

They do manage to escape, because they receive an invitation to an interdimensional tournament that just portals them out, but not before they starve for a week in a lightless cave.

They're deeply traumatized by this.

ghost: Who or what haunts your OC? What happened? How do they live with their ghosts?

Even before they got betrayed and used like that they're haunted by the deaths of their mother and their alchemy master! Their mother was diagnosed with a wasting disease when they were young. Ravi started learning alchemy for the specific purpose of trying to cure her, but she died when they were 16, leaving them basically alone in the world.

The other death they're dealing with is their alchemy master, Malteous, who was like a thousand year old elven asshole. He ended up disgraced and dealing drugs out of a little shack. He taught them everything they know and he was abusive and he was the only family they had after their mother died. They hated him and they loved him.

Old, horribly depressed, and in quite a bit of pain, he committed suicide by overdose like three years after Ravi's mom died, confident that Ravi would be a proper legacy he could be proud of. This, unsurprisingly, did not actually make Ravi a well adjusted adult.

Mostly they've been dealing with it all by surviving as hard as they can and also being as useful as they can. They seriously haven't processed any of this, their life doesn't get less eventful after Malteous dies.

Oh, also the literal plague god who lives in their head haunts them too.

pain: What's the worst pain your OC has ever felt? Do they have a high pain tolerance?

Here's the snippet actually, from that part.

The sheer amount of mana she was pouring into them was almost painful, a blazing energy skimming the underside of their skin, sinking into their blood, their bones. Ravi strained, panting, as the magic peeled them open like a vivisection. They made a noise that made her clutch their hand even harder.

This is actually a healing. Lmfao.

They do not like pain, but they sure do have a high pain tolerance.

[marlowethelibrarian]

art by @saturnine-saturneight

Raviaki Versus / 48K

It’s the rib cage again. Ravi stares up at the pillars of white that protrude, teethlike, from dripping flesh walls, a cloudy red peeking through a wound in the ceiling like a sky light. The fleshy ground below wheezes under their feet, lungs struggling to fill. Ravi doesn’t quite remember falling asleep or how they got there, but like every other dream they’ve had in the cave, they’re lucidly aware of their unconsciousness.

Content warnings: gore, eye trauma, illness, mentions of suicide, mentions of child abuse, PTSD

Raviaki Silverspark, an uncouth and troubled halfling alchemist and the butt of a divine joke, gets one last chance to save their sorry life. They've been left in a cave with a rock rolled over the entrance to be used as a sacrifice to trap the plague goddess Irra.

In some stroke of strange luck, Ravi receives an invitation to an interdimensional tournament that if they win, they get a wish from the being known as the God-Eater. But only if they win.

This is part of the Summer Leagues Original Character Tournament! Out of three rounds, we are up to round 2, and I am a finalist for my league! It's been a ton of fun to write this and it's been turning into kind of a monster in terms of sheer complexity and emotion. One of my fellow competitors apparently went back and reread my round 1 three times.

You can check out my rounds either on ao3.org (linked above!) or directly on the OCT website. You can also explore the other competitors and their reference sheets, including my opponents, Scythe Bloodwerk and the team of Kiriata and Aztachronopilas!

[marlowethelibrarian]

Writing Share tag!

Tagged by @monstrify and @saturnine-saturneight!

Here's a snippet from pt 2 of the epilogue im writing for Raviaki versus.

Ravi sits on the cool leather sofa, clutching their cane in hand, their teeth set mulishly in place. The sound in the room is deadened by fabric. Carpet, definitely, from the give of the floor under their feet. Probably curtains too.  “I’m Dr. Lee,” says a warm female voice. “But you can call me Connie. What’s your name?” “Oh come on,” Ravi bites. “You know who I am.” “Well,” says the therapist, hesitating. “Yes, but I thought you might like to introduce yourself anyway.”  Ravi’s eye twitches and they hop off the sofa. “This is a waste of time,” they say. “I’ve got better things to be doing than yatter on endlessly about useless shit.”  The therapist sighs. “Well,” she says. “If you want to go, that’s your choice. If you would like to reschedule-”  “Not likely!” The only reason Ravi doesn’t storm out is because they have to feel for the door.  They can hear Angela sigh as they emerge into the waiting room. Ravi opens their mouth to make a smart comment when Varila says, “Pay up. I told you they wouldn’t last more than five minutes.”  Angela grumbles wordlessly and puts a clatter of coins into Varila’s hand.  Whatever they were going to say flees their brain. “Oh fuck you guys!” Ravi exclaims.

Tagging @leahnardo-da-veggie, @thegreatobsesso, @radioregine! no pressure tho ofc

[marlowethelibrarian]

Raviaki versus Snippet!

For the first time in a long time, Ravi simply has nothing to do. They have no potions they need to brew, no meals to scrabble for, no preparations to make. Even the extended boredom of the cave was cut with existential dread and terror. But here, they have food and drink, not that they need it. They have light. They are no longer hours from death and the part of them that had not stopped screaming since the rock rolled over the entrance of the cave is now cauterized. Blood marks the time as it drips steadily to the floor. Uncertain, they glance at their wounds, still bleeding steadily. They are leaving droplets of blood on the white tile floors, but the wounds aren’t hurting anymore, nor does the loss of blood seem to impact them in any concrete way. So, they simply watch. The blood goes from a few drops to a puddle, to a lake, red tendrils rolling through the valleys between the tiles. It blankets the floor, it crawls up the pillars, it drips from the ceilings,  and Ravi watches as the whole place begins to stink of rot, the food softening to sludge as red seeps into it, the bath blossoming with blood.

[marlowethelibrarian]

im gonna be done with my round 3 draft before the judges get back to me with round 2 critiques lmfaooo

The opposing bracket had one person default so i know who my opponent is. Game on, Varila, dimension hopping bunny girl versus Raviaki gone bad.

It's been five days and im 10k words in

[marlowethelibrarian]

Updated Ravi's OCT profile!

A lot has changed since I first uploaded it, i mean look at the before pic

[marlowethelibrarian]

i think probably one of my favorite things about Ravi is that for a character that's been through a lot of tragic circumstances, they spend very little time on brooding or pity or even despair.

they sort of just. Go. They see a problem and they go try and solve it. They're 90% spite by weight, and they'll fix it or die trying.

[marlowethelibrarian]

i think if i look any more at raviaki versus i might explode. i should just post it.

[marlowethelibrarian]

i really do like this one particular tone to hit where genuinely horrible shit is happening and then also something incredibly stupid happens.

like that one panel in dungeon meshi where the demon is breaking out of the dungeon and laios gets turned into a monster but he's also thoroughly delighted by it and everyone needs a moment to process how stupid the whole thing is.

that thing.

[marlowethelibrarian]

SLOCT Snippet: 👁️👁️

“Hello Reader,” says the God-Eater, her yellow eyes focused on yours, smiling as she floats gently through the space between. Iridescent bubbles of possibilities float by you, the images within flashing too quickly for your mortal eyes to catch. “I hope you’ve been enjoying the show.”

You nod, or you don’t. It is, after all, your choice.

“You must think it easy to manage a performance like this with the sort of power I wield,” she sighs, arch, as she examines a single rainbow bubble.

You shake your head, or perhaps you do not.

“Well it’s not,” she complains either way, ignoring your answer. “Entertainment is a skill, you know. There are so many factors in play when it comes to maintaining all these worlds and sometimes they just—“

She snaps her fingers and the bubble pops.

“I can only do so much,” she sighs. “As you know, the story you have been watching so far has been… tweaked. I’m sure you agree that Raviaki Silverspark versus Kiriata Chorral was a show worth the trouble, but there were some unfortunate ripple effects.”

[marlowethelibrarian]

Ok I've been taking a break from writing these last few days but

Round 2 of SLOCT is almost over

I have to shift into OCT mode. RAVIAKIS BACK BABY. I have to update their ref from scrungly alchemist to possessed demi-god covered in blood

[marlowethelibrarian]

Trick or Treat!

Just answering my shit late oops. Thanks for the ask though!

Have a late Halloween Treat!

This is an illustration from Raviaki Versus! It's my opponent, Scythe holding a Ravi who is in disguise for various shenanigan reasons.

[marlowethelibrarian]

FRIDAY SATURDAY KISS TAG!!!

thanks to @gioiaalbanoart for the tag!! a few days late lmfao.

This is from Raviaki Versus! It is also, a terrible very gross kiss!

The hall was draped in dark curtains of rot, a lace train of dark red, pulsing like a living being, a living being that both was and was not Irra, who was a shape, and the shape was a human woman with someone resting their head in her lap. The whites and the greys and the pinks of the hall had been swallowed up, the heart-throne still pumping but muffled. “You’re so big now,” they say. “You’re very sick,” she murmurs, combing their hair back. “It has made me stronger.” “Oh right,” they say, for once, not struggling away from her touch. “How are you doing?” she asks them. “Tired,” Ravi whispers back. “I’m so tired.” “It is alright,” she promises, “I will help you.” And this time, when she bends to touch her rotting lips to theirs, they don’t flinch back.

[marlowethelibrarian]

Trick or treat!

A treat! A treat for you!

Here's a sketch i threw together for Ravi's party members!

Look at them all happy and together

Hope things don't go horribly in the end!!

[marlowethelibrarian]

Out of context writing share!!

FROM LIKE 2 WEEKS AGO

Thanks @gioiaalbanoart and @saturnine-saturneight

“What happens if I refuse?” they asked, frowning. The two nobles exchanged glances. “You don’t,” Prince Asterion said. “You will be coming with us one way or another. You would be serving out your sentence with us, rather than the mine.” Ravi frowned. “If you really want me for a quest,” they said, their voice a warning. “You don’t want to force me.” “Are you threatening us?” the prince growled. “No no,” Ravi said, hastily. “Of course not. But let’s be clear about our bargaining positions, yeah? You’re right- I’m the best alchemist you’ll find outside noble circles, and for whatever reason, you don’t have enough pull to get one of those. You want me invested in whatever you’re doing or I’ll find ways to slack off or get distracted or whatever. I’m a no-good convict, right? But I’m telling you right now I respond well to incentives.”

from Raviaki vs!