alchemist-of-thebes

[alchemist-of-thebes]

Always as it seems to be...?

So this may not be as helpful or applicable to anyone else as it was to me, but I've learned something tonight that's helping me a lot with my writing/editing, and I think it's going to be even more helpful as I practice.

While I've been editing my new story, there were a couple chapters where I found that I used non-committal phrases in my narration far too much. I'm talking right now specifically about phrases like "it seemed to be", "it seemed like", or some such. "Seems", "seemed", "appeared", etc.. I never noticed before how much I'd fallen into using these but once I did notice, boy it drove me bonkers. The egregious chapters/scenes were addressed, and I pressed on with the editing venture.

This "non-committal narration" stuck in my head though, and the more I thought about it the more it got under my skin. I'm sure that there are appropriate times and places for it, but this sort of wishy-washy story telling felt weak and, well, dissatisfying to me. So I went back to my story decided to take a closer look on a much broader scope and, using a search, highlighted every time I'd used the word "Seemed". I'm not going to say how many times it appeared, but I will share that is was mortifyingly excessive.

"Seemed" is such a simple and small word, but it's vague and when used improperly is a smokescreen for details. Looking at the places I've abused it, there are so many opportunities to make the story richer that were completely wasted by this one little word. The narration feels much stronger in many cases simply by changing "seemed to be" to properly assertive phrasing, "it was", "it did", and such. It's good to paint as clear a picture for the reader as possible, anything that should be clear to the characters/narrator should generally be just as clear to the reader.

More interestingly than that, though, is looking at these vague times as questions. If something "seemed to be dangerous", it seems much more fruitful to ask "why does it seem dangerous?", and if this is at all interesting or relevant this answer will replace the old "seemed" phrase.

Of course, "Seemed to be" is still a useful phrase. I don't see any harm in the readers sharing in the uncertainty when something truly is unknown or unknowable, and certainly not when the stakes are very low, but it should be used sparingly. Treating these vague phrases like the questions they are seems to be a good way to strengthen the narrative and enrich the story as well. It'll take some time to fix, and once I'm done snipping away at the "seems" I'll take a good look for other such offensively dull or wishy-washy phrases. I'm curious what kinds of words and phrases other people have caught themselves (or an author) using excessively, or indeed obstinately incorrectly. If anyone who happens to read this has a word or phrase that springs to mind from your own writing (or a favorite story), I'd be very interested to hear about it. It might give me a head start on finding the next part of my writing to hate - and then, most importantly, learn how to fix.

[alchemist-of-thebes]

I've had so much fun talking about our characters this year and working out how their stories intertwine. It's great to see Aspis get the spotlight for this year's OC week!

Little Velcia's cheering for him from the shadows. :D

KHOC WEEK 2024 Day 3 - Connections

Late for @khoc-week xD This year I'm focusing on Aspis, luckily he has a horrible temper and therefore very few connections.

Since he was literally separated from his older sister as a child and thrown by the Master of Masters into a society he didn't know, he never learned how to relate to people properly, he was misunderstood several times and learned to respond aggressively. even trying to be nice. MoM is a constant thorn in his side for this and many other reasons, but there's nothing much to do.

Despite his great work in his field, people continue to avoid Aspis, but he has still managed to make some solid connections: he is a trio with Lupe (Unicornis) and leonna (Leopardus), who stick with him since they were little.

They have a pretty funny dynamic, with Lupe who is perpetually relaxed and enjoys making fun of Aspis, then Aspis who is constantly yelling, stressed and angry about everything and tries to beat up Lupe, and finally Leonna who alternates between being the mature little mom who keeps them in line and the crazy girl who has to be contained by them.

Next is an excerpt from a story written by my dear friend @alchemist-of-thebes , I'm so grateful that he wanted to include my ocs as side characters. the story also features his adorable OC Velcia. She is a lovely goofy girl, who despite being incredibly emotional, manages to look past Aspis's bullying and feel genuine affection for him, to the point of calling him her brother. Aspis has basically had to surrender to this fact, also because deep down Velcia's affection does his Grinch-shriveled heart so much good. she doesn't realize it, but he would move mountains for his little sister.

Lupe leaned back, closing his eyes with a contented sigh. “Ah yes, I forgot how nice it was to be thanked. Aspis, you should try it some time!” “Oh, shuttup,” Aspis bit. He sighed in exasperation. “You’ve been a real pain in my ass all day, you know that? If anybody, I should be thanking your dogs.” Velcia couldn’t help but giggle at this, but seeing Aspis’ annoyed expression she found herself feeling conflicted about it. She stood up and walked over beside him, only to see him starting to scowl as he awaited whatever trouble was coming next. “Thank you, Aspis, for working so hard to find me. I didn’t think I wanted to be found, but I am very glad that you did. I just want you to know that… that I really appreciate you.” She paused for a moment, then wrapped her arms around him in a big hug. Aspis froze for a second and glanced at Lupe, who was gawking at him with wide, teasing eyes and a dopey smile, his tongue sticking out just enough to be incredibly agitating. It was an expression he knew all too well, as Lupe had spent several years practicing to make it as irritating as possible. His face turned a vivid red and he raised a middle finger towards, before coming to his senses and employing his second hand in the same fashion as well.

Lupe watched this barely-contained bottle of rage with extreme amusement, and decided to double down. “Aw, I don’t think I’ve ever seen him so happy. He must really need that hug, Velcia!” “Oh! I am so sorry I worried you so much,” Velcia exclaimed, squeezing Aspis tighter. Aspis’ anger began to petrify him at this moment, his rage such that his muscles seemed to turn to stone; there was only a deepening, furrowing scowl that spoke to an unholy revenge that would come later. Lupe chuckled at this, but this died out as he realized that despite all of this Aspis was in fact keeping his temper in check and his rage contained. Usually his friend would bite back with more ferocity than this. His teasing grin slowly faded as he looked down at Velcia. Now that Lupe was backing off a bit, Aspis gave an exasperated sigh and began to pry Velcia off. She stepped back none the wiser, and gave them both a beaming grin. Lupe adjusted his stance, putting his weight on his left leg with his arms crossed. He looked them over for a moment, trying to make sense of this odd pair. “So uh, if you don’t mind me asking, how exactly do you two know each other?” “Oh! Aspis is my brother!” Velcia said happily. “…You don’t say?” Lupe said, casting an inquisitive glance towards Aspis. “I didn’t know you had a sister, Aspis.” “Even your dogs should be smart enough to guess why that is,” Aspis said, shooting Lupe another warning glare. He tapped his foot, looking at Velcia’s great big smile. “More than anything else I’m her art teacher. She just happens to have a very active imagination.”

I love their dynamics xD The relationship between Aspis and Leonna is more complicated, as he grew up, Aspis has continually tried to hide his feelings for her, since apparently, Leonna has no intention of reciprocating them. Leonna has her fair share of problems, so getting attached to someone is not an option. Not yet, at least. In fact, the deepest part of her, the chaotic personality that comes out when she represses herself too much, gets along quite well with Asp.

The most important and troubled relationship in Aspis' life is his sister Nivea, now Invi, who to save their lives agreed to become MoM's apprentice, being manipulated and increasingly distanced from him. Aspis was left alone in a house designed for two, while Invi started a new life full of friends, leaving him behind, for the greatest good. At least, this is how Aspis sees it, a cult.

he loves his sister and for this reason he worries about her and ends up getting irritated and arguing every time they try to talk, which is difficult, since their relationship must remain hidden.

Here an hilarious scene about Velcia trying to figure out their secret relationship, again by Alchemist

“You tell me. How’d you find out about me and Invi?” Aspis asked. Velcia smiled awkwardly, she wasn’t really sure what he meant. “W-well, I didn’t think it was a secret…” Aspis’ brow furrowed, and he let out an exasperated scowl. “Guh… guess we were more obvious than I thought….” “Well, you told me that you work with the Foretellers already, and I always see you talking to Master Invi, so… of course, she’s like your boss, right?” “Boss?” Aspis repeated, his eyes opening in surprise for a moment. His demeanor quickly jumped back to his usual stern face, and he shook his head dismissively. “Yeah, my boss. Uh, yeah, real clever to figure out that secret.” Velcia stared at him blankly for a moment, but the longer she did the darker his scowl became, as if he were silently warning her to break her gaze. She did so, of course, but her mind still kept thinking. “Um… is that really it…?” “Why wouldn’t it be?” Aspis said, shaking his head. “Come on, I’ll show you the paintings.” “But I don’t think it was clever of me at all to figure that out,” Velcia said slowly. “And… I’m not sure why you would care about anybody knowing that.” “Drop it,” Aspis warned her. “Okay, I will,” Velcia said, taking a step to follow him again. She stopped short suddenly. “Only, the more I think about it, the less it makes sense to me. Aspis, what did you think I knew?” “Shut up,” Aspis groaned. “Okay, I will,” Velcia said. The two made their way to the staircase, and Aspis motioned her ahead of him. She ducked past him and took a few steps up, then turned around on the spot to face Aspis. They were right about at eye level now, and even before she opened her mouth Aspis knew it was trouble. “Are you and Invi in love?!” Velcia blurted out. Aspis practically exploded. “WHAT THE HELL?” he exclaimed, his arms shooting up into the air as he turned around and stamped back down the steps.

finally, a character who has neither a name nor a design, yet😂 for the moment it's just a role: he is the second in command of the Anguis team of which Aspis is the leader. he is the Aspis-Educated People translator and maintains public relations within the group, so much so that some young members do not even know that Aspis is the real leader.

[alchemist-of-thebes]

The Start of It All

I know, I'm sure all of you want to know how all this started. No? Well, you're finding out anyway. Cheers.

A little over a decade ago, I fell in love. A lot of great stories start out that way, don't they? We got married and moved out of town for his work, then shortly after found out I was pregnant with our first child. Now, I'm sure you're wondering what this has to do with fan-fiction and Kingdom Hearts, just stick with me, it'll all make sense.

My body didn't like being pregnant. It fought me every step of the way, but I made it through and 9 months later we had a baby boy! He was absolutely perfect, but I had to be placed on bed rest for a few months afterwards. On top of that, we didn't have any family in the area, my husband worked far away without much paternity leave, AND because of me being sick most of my pregnancy I didn't really get much of a chance to get out there in this new place to make friends. Leaving little ole me home with a new baby. Both me and this adorable potato of an infant, miserable in my bed, staring at the ceiling for months.

It didn't take long for me to sob about it to my husband one night after a particularly lonely day, and he suggested I try writing. I'd just recently discovered fan-fiction—I know, I was really behind the times—and had mentioned in passing the idea intrigued me.

We spent the next week talking about ideas and creating this rudimentary story and original character. Then one morning my husband left me a laptop on the bed before he went off to work, and I spent the entire day writing.

Guys, you, person currently reading this, it awoke something in me. I think I got three chapters posted in a single day and people were already commenting and cheering me on! It was like this little tiny community was already building and I was bolstered in a way I hadn't been in years!

Which, I don't know how people were so into it, because reading it now, golly did I now know what I was doing. Great pitch right? Telling you I have no idea why people like a story I wrote a decade ago? If you give it a read, you can tell me the hidden gem inside it.

Anyway, that beginning grew and grew over the years. I finished that book, True Friends, just before my son's first birthday. Then the following book, Third Beginning, a year after that. The third book is still in the works today. A lot has happened between all that time. I've been in over a dozen fanzines, started a reader-insert KH Imagine Blog and wrote over 100 entries for it in under a year, started a Kingdom Hearts OC Week Event, made SO many wonderful, incredible friends in the community, and even my amazing husband started writing Kingdom Hearts fanfiction set in the same universe as my character, Hinata. We have a whole little Hinata-Verse series going on and it's grown in so many ways that I could have never expected ten years ago.

None of this is here for me to brag or wave some sort of pride, it's just here to share a story. If you know me, you know that I view fandom and OCs as a special part of a person's heart. Their creation means something and this is what Hinata means to my life. And not just her, but every one of the OCs in her story and all the characters I've met in the community. It's a passion of mine and this is my space to share it.

Thank you for reading <3

[alchemist-of-thebes]

Weekend Story Snippet #8

It feels a bit misleading to keep calling it a "weekly" story snippet when I've been missing so many weeks this past month. I've still been posting my chapters (mostly) on time, but have just felt too burnt out to do much more.

This week I've posted Chapter 16 of my in-progress KH/FFXV fic "Return to Eos", following my character Velcia. With this chapter now uploaded, we are two-thirds of the way through the story. I have to admit, it is getting harder for me to find small snippets to share. There are lots of small little things that might be fun, but I was mostly wanting to do this to share my favorite parts - and this late in the story most of my favorite parts that aren't heavily spoiler-ridden are just a little bit longer than what I was hoping for. So I guess this is when I should start making use of that "after the break" thing I've been informed of. So, after the break, here is a somewhat longer snippet in which Velcia is traveling through Lestallum to reconvene with her party but ends up meeting someone else entirely.

--- As she came past one of the side-alleys a large figure suddenly rushed out and crashed into her, the pair of them tumbling to the stone-paved street in a frenzied confusion. Velcia sat up quickly, rubbing her head as she looked towards the strange man who'd run into her.

He sat up slowly with an embarrassed expression, picking up his dark-black hat and placing it back over his brown, scraggly hair.

"Ah, terribly sorry for the trouble, madam," he said hastily as he scrambled back to his feet. He leaned over, offering his hand to help her back up.

Velcia looked up at him, noting his odd attire. He wore a long gray trench coat over what appeared to be suit pants, with a pair of scarves around his neck. It was a complicated and flamboyant looking affair, but his earnestly apologetic expression won her trust and she reached up, taking his hand and regaining her footing with a refreshing ease.

The man gasped as she stood, motioning towards the charm around her neck. "I am so terribly sorry, such carelessness on my behalf is inexcusable in any circumstances, but to have so inconvenienced an Acolyte of the Oracle-!"

Velcia, who'd been brushing the dust off her clothes, lifted her head to him with some confusion. "A what?"

"Excuse my presumptions," the man said with a respectful and deeply humble bow. "I couldn't help but notice the Tenebraen rune adorning your chain. As it is a symbol associated with the Oracle, I naturally assumed an affiliation."

Velcia glanced down to the charm around her neck. "The Oracle… Oh, do you mean Lady Lunafreya?"

"The one and only," the man told her. "Pardon my fascination, but am I correct to presume some connection between you?"

Velcia smiled at the curious man. "Well, of a sort. I have yet to meet her in person, but she has been helping me work towards a mutual goal. I'm afraid our relationship isn't any more than that."

The man's eyes lit up with interest. "Ah, I see. Well, the more people Eos has working towards the end of the darkness that plagues us, the better."

Velcia nodded. "Indeed. If you don't mind me asking, who are you?"

He chuckled softly. "I assure you, I am a man of no consequence. A traveler, passing through on a journey to see the world before it ends. Though, perhaps with help such as yours the world may yet live a while longer."

Velcia tilted her head curiously. "That is the hope."

"Well, don't let someone like me keep you," he said, bowing earnestly and removing his hat, flourishing it out to the side. "You've got a lot of work ahead of you."

"Y-yes, I do," Velcia said, her mind spinning. Her skin felt clammy, and though everything about the man in front of her seemed friendly enough, the longer they talked the more she found him deeply unsettling.

"Another time, then," the man said, spinning around on his heel and beginning to walk away.

Velcia shook her head and turned around, back towards the market.

A low voice spoke, as if right beside her ear. "Time's running out."

Velcia's hair stood on end and she whipped quickly around to see who had said this, but there was nobody in sight.

--- Of course, I would hope that anyone familiar with FFXV should be able to guess who this odd yet somewhat menacing figure is. Though not the primary antagonist of this story, Ardyn's influence is pivotal to the plot and his actions have surprisingly far-reaching consequences for someone who downplays himself so heavily. If you would like to read more of this chapter, or this story, here are links to where you can do so! Archive of Our Own - Chapter 16 Fanfiction.net - Chapter 16 Thanks for stopping by!

[alchemist-of-thebes]

Weekly Story Snippet #7

Back again with another story snippet. Unfortunately I missed posting a story snippet last week, even though I did get Chapter 12 up I was just not feeling well and didn't do a snippet for it. For this week's snippet of Chapter 13, Velcia, Noctis, and friends are traveling in the recently-recovered Regalia; heading north to get a new part for the airship. There are a couple fun parts of this scene that I like, but I think my favorite is this bit:

---

Noctis gave a knowing smirk. “Just like Ignis. You know, we’ve caught him trying to cook in the middle of a battle a few times.”

Velcia cocked her head with an expression of disbelief. “Surely not…?”

“Allegedly,” Ignis said, raising a finger into the air. “I will make no comment on the matter.”

“You… you actually…?” Velcia said, covering her mouth to hide her surprised smile.

“You’ll not find any evidence to support such claims,” Ignis said simply.

Prompto shook his head. “Man, I tried getting pictures, but he’s too quick!”

Velcia sat there for a moment, face scrunched as she pondered this. “No, I don’t think so… you all are joking with me, aren’t you?”

Noctis dropped back into his seat with a quick spin. “Well Iggy, you win again.”

Ignis said nothing, but in the side mirror Velcia could see the hints of a victorious grin at the edge of his mouth. Now she wasn’t sure what to believe.

--- This is, of course, a reference to Ignis' "Quick Recipeh" or "Godspeed Cooking" skill that can be unlocked in FFXV after beating his DLC. It's such a funny and quirky thing, and I thought it would be great fun to reference it, if only in passing, somewhere. Their road trip banter presented an excellent opportunity. If you would like to read more of this chapter, or this story, here are links to where you can do so! Archive of Our Own - Chapter 13 Fanfiction.net - Chapter 13 Thanks for stopping by!

[alchemist-of-thebes]

Weekly Story Snippet #6

A little later than usual, but I am back again with a snippet of Chapter 11 of my story "Return to Eos". Unfortunately, Fanfiction.net seems to be having problems today, so for now I can only post Chapter 11 on AO3 - I'll get in on FF.net whenever that decides to work. (EDIT: It works!) In this chapter, Velcia and Noctis' crew are finally on their way to try to confront the great Heartless Adamantoise, and it is from their new airship that Velcia is finally able to see the monster for the first time. --- A swirling maelstrom of dust and debris rolled across the land for what seemed to be miles, the jagged peaks of a sharp, tall mountain jutting up from a calm space in the very center. Though this calm space seemed free of wind and dust, there was a sickly purple tint to it that shrouded the base of the mountain in a thick fog. Streaks and flashes of lightning skipped across the tops of the clouds, rushing out from the mountain in the center.

Velcia swallowed hard at the sight of it. “S-so, the Adamantoise is hiding somewhere in that mountain, then?”

The others looked between themselves, then Ignis adjusted his glasses and spoke up in a voice that was quite deliberately softened. “Ah… Miss Velcia, the Adamantoise is the mountain.”

Velcia’s face paled, a chill washing over her as her eyes locked onto the titanic creature that lay ahead. “The entire mountain…?” she whispered.

“Indeed. The mountain serves as the Adamantoise’s shell. It lay dormant here in Leide for so long that most believed it truly was just a simple geological feature, the tales of its true nature widely disregarded as little more than ancient mythology… but that is not the case, as you can see for yourself,” Ignis explained.

“I can’t… I could never…” Velcia whispered under her breath, in awe of the incredible size of the beast. “Even the mighty Titans of Olympus are small, compared to this!”

--- This scene was one of the earliest concepts that I had when I was considering what to do for this story. The imagery of it, and thinking of how Velcia would react to finally seeing such an unfathomably large adversary, really sold me on the idea of doing this whole Return to Eos story. It ends up being a small thing, overall, I suppose, but the concept really inspired me. If you would like to read more of this chapter or this story, here are links to where you can do so! Archive of Our Own - Chapter 11 Fanfiction.net - Chapter 11 Thanks for stopping by, and have a great weekend!

[alchemist-of-thebes]

Weekly Story Snippet #5

Hello again! I'm back with another snippet from "Return to Eos", this time from Chapter 10. This chapter's a bit of a "Calm before the storm" sort of time, where the group is working hard to make preparations to go out to battle against the Heartless Adamantoise. Velcia has been helping supply some enchanted materials for the master mechanic Cid, and this snippet is from the part where he finally reveals to her what he's been using her enchantments for.

---

It was all Velcia could do to not hop with excited anticipation as Cid led her back to his workbench, where he proudly presented a device that seemed to Velcia to be the most amazing box with pipes sticking out of it that she ever saw; even if she couldn’t begin to understand what it was.

She leaned in towards the machine, looking at the switches and knobs, and then turned to Cid with a smile she hoped was large enough to both convey her enthusiasm and hide her confusion. “It’s incredible!” she told him.

Cid chuckled with a wry smile. “You ain’t even know what it is yet, do you?”

Velcia’s face flushed slightly, but she kept her smile. “I don’t, but I’m sure I’ll like it anyway.”

Cid proudly reached out and patted the device. “Well, this here’s a Magitek machine, I reckon.”

“Magitek?” Velcia asked in surprise, leaning over to inspect it closer once more. “It doesn’t feel like the other Magitek machines.”

Cid scoffed. “Well, it’s a bit crude compared to what the Nifs are doing nowadays I’ll grant ya, but a machine what seamlessly blends yer magic and our technology is Magitek in my book. I reckon this is closer to how they used to make ‘em anyways, before they started using whatever dark magic it is they’re taking advantage of now.”

--- If you would like to read more of this chapter or this story, here are links to where you can do so! Archive of Our Own - Chapter 10

Fanfiction.net - Chapter 10

In addition to the snippet, I have another simple little drawing I've done. This one is not related to the snippet shared above, but is instead loosely based on another part in this chapter where Velcia is brewing a large potion with the help of her Keyblade.

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great weekend!

[alchemist-of-thebes]

KH OC Week Day 7

I almost can't believe @khoc-week Day 7 is here already. But it is! Day 7: Happily Ever After

◾What awaits your OC at the end of their journey?

KHx-Era Velcia:

In the stories told thus far, the KHx-Era Velcia’s ending has many known key facts - that she is rescued from the Keyblade War, starts a family, and passes down her now-powerless Keyblade as an heirloom.

There is more to her story, though. Her first several years on Olympus are spent working through the pain and trauma of the war as she comes to terms with it all, and though she finds herself on the world of her dreams there is a part of her that always feels missing. Despite this, she is able to grow past these struggles.

KHx Velcia’s story is one of healing, growth, and finding peace. A girl who’s never felt as though she belonged anywhere or with anyone finding her forever home, learning how to make herself work as a person, and eventually learning that not all of her sacrifices were in vain. It is much too early yet to reveal anything of her eventual spouse, but this relationship ultimately brings a completion to her heart and helps inspire their future generations.

KHII-Era Velcia:

Velcia’s life is peppered with tragedies and difficulties that leave her struggling with loneliness, insecurities, and misconceptions about herself and the kind of life she will be able to have - but these difficulties are not her destiny. Though her stories are still being planned, and written, and written again, my hope is that her character arc can be positive and fulfilling. 

I don’t want to give away too much of my plans for the end of her journey, but what I will say is that Velcia will succeed, and that her struggles help to fuel the growth she needs to ultimately earn herself the sort of life she didn’t dare to dream of as a humble alchemist of Thebes.

Artwork!

At a point in her journey, a form of the “Modern” Velcia is able to meet with her KHx-Era Ancestor and in that short time their hearts form a powerful bond. After this meeting, the “Modern” Velcia finds that the power of a living Keyblade has awoken within her heart, and her ancestor’s ancient heirloom Divine Rose takes a new form known as “Love’s Inheritance”. Though this is not the end of either of their journeys, this bond between them and this Keyblade are instrumental stepping stones towards both of their “Happily Ever Afters”.

This particular piece of art is done, yet again, by the wonderful @amyhayanora, and it’s one that I’ve greatly admired for some time now. It depicts the “Modern” Velcia holding her new Keyblade, Love’s Inheritance, and if there is anything that I feel perfectly captures the loving, peaceful grace that is the future for her it is this picture.

Thanks for stopping by! And a big thanks to the @khoc-week crew for running the event again, and also thanks to everyone else who participated! It's been so fun!

[alchemist-of-thebes]

KH OC Week Day 6

Yowza! Coming in late after a long day is my sort-of-short Day 6 response for @khoc-week.

Day 6: One Choice, New Life

◾Is there a choice that changed the course of your OC's life? How would things look if they had chosen differently?

KHx-Era Velcia:

Unfortunately I still have very little actually written for this Era’s Velcia, and something of this nature is bound to have a much better answer further down the road as I explore her story more thoroughly. Much of her life has been mostly beyond her control and she has found herself to generally be rather reactionary - but her decision to befriend Balthazar and truly invest in that friendship ultimately is responsible for the chain of events that lead to her eventually escaping the Keyblade War and coming to live in Olympus. Without this relationship, there would be no happy ending for her - and there would be no other Velcia for me to speak of.

On that note -!

KHII-Era Velcia:

There are two major decisions that changed Velcia’s life:

First, her decision to go help Hinata and Sam track down Thaanix. This decision led her to an adventure and a journey the likes of which she’d only ever heard of in stories from her family. This adventure helps to teach her to start overcoming her fears and misconceptions, and is the first time she begins to start truly making the kinds of close friendships she has always desired. If she had not gone it is likely she would have stayed on Olympus her entire life, making potions and living by herself. Her nights would be spent alone on her balcony, gazing wistfully at the stars, and wondering what lies out among them….

After her return from helping Hinata and Sam, Velcia found herself in possession of a curious old book with some confusing implications that seemed to indicate that, somehow, she herself was responsible for saving her ancestor from the great Keyblade War. Though she didn’t realize it at the time, her decision to chase down answers to this dilemma ultimately ended up having a far greater impact on her life than she ever could have expected; as she ended up having the powers of a living, functional Keyblade bequeathed to her. This sets her life on a new path that she could never have seen coming.

[alchemist-of-thebes]

KH OC Week Day 5

Day 5 already! It's been so cool to see what everybody has been posting for @khoc-week.

Day 5: Light or Darkness

◾What does your OC align with?

KHX-Era Velcia:

KHx-Era Velcia’s opinions of Light vs Darkness are complicated, but she is herself a Wielder of Light through and through. Her view of the Light vs Darkness is somewhat unformed and naive, and first seeing only the black-and-white picture of good vs evil and Wielder vs Heartless, before finding friends that use Darkness for good and discovering that the Reverse Medals provided to the Wielders of Daybreak Town harness Dark Magic for good. She ultimately finds a small amount of amused satisfaction at the irony of being able to use Reverse Medals, which generally were adorned with depictions of “Bad Guys”, to do good things.

After the Keyblade War, her opinions were further confused - the overwhelming Darkness that destroyed everyone she’d ever known would have been a clear damnation of Darkness to her, if not for the fact that she was saved from this very war by an unusual Heartless. Despite this, encounters with or memories of Darkness would invariably haunt her with memories of the final days of Daybreak Town and though she would understand that there are caveats, she would generally wish to have nothing to do with Darkness at all.

KHII-Era Velcia:

Having both seen and suffered terrible losses from the destruction of Darkness, both by Heartless and Dark-aligned Keyblade Wielders, Velcia is firmly set to doing everything she can to help fight against the Darkness and protect others from the damage it can cause. She is, however, vehemently opposed to the Heartless and the dark Keyblade Wielders who would use their powers to hurt others - an opposition so deeply rooted that she can lose sense of her own self-preservation should the situation grow too desperate.

However, Velcia understands that not all that is darker is Darkness; and sometimes these black magics and spells can be put to good use to help in places or ways that may not be possible otherwise. So, while she generally has a great distaste for using them, she makes sure to keep well-versed in and capable of using a variety of Dark Magic spells should the need ever arise. 

An interesting example of this holistic approach to magic comes from Velcia’s ability to invert spells. This is not an inherent ability that comes without effort to her, rather, her understanding of the fundamental nature of the magic energies and construction of the enchantments allows her to change aspects of the spell to reverse this effect. For example, Velcia is able to invert a healing spell like “Cura” and instead cast a “Decay” spell, which as the name suggests causes the target to begin to rapidly degrade and break down. This particular example is, of course, a rather horrifying sort of spell and not something she casts unless left very little other choice against creatures like the Hydra. These inverted spells can sometimes have effects that are very similar to those produced by spells of Dark Magic, but are not fueled by darkness and can avoid some of the pitfalls of using Dark Magic at the general trade-off of differing effectivity.

Also this week, I'd like to share another piece of art commissioned for me by an old friend! The artist is named Enmoire, and I actually loved it so much we got it printed on a canvas to hang on my wall IRL.

[alchemist-of-thebes]

Weekly Story Snippet #4

Right in the middle of KH OC Week, here comes the next snippet from my current story-in-progress "Return to Eos". For anyone just here, this story follows the "Modern" Velcia in a journey to Eos (FFXV) set very shortly after KH3. In today's chapter, Velcia finds she needs to travel to a nearby forest to find ingredients to brew some special potions to help prepare for the journey to battle against the Heartless Adamantoise. Ignis accompanies her, and helps her to gather resources.

---

Velcia couldn't help but giggle at the sight of Ignis holding one of the truffles quite close to his face, inspecting it closely and nodding to himself in approval. He glanced over at her for a moment. "Something wrong?"

"Not at all," Velcia replied. "I just find it so fun that, even though our passions are so different, they still seem to have quite a bit in common."

Ignis raised an eyebrow, and he looked at her somewhat more deliberately now. "Passions?"

"I'm sorry, I meant with my potion-making and your passion for cooking," she clarified.

Ignis' face scrunched up momentarily, as if caught quite off guard, but he recovered and replied in a somewhat lower voice. "Truth be told, Miss Velcia, I have very little passion for the act of cooking itself."

"No! Surely you must?" Velcia gasped.

"It's true. I initially invested myself in learning to cook solely for the sake of being better able to serve my King. It wasn't until much later, after making a meal for Prompto, that I came to find any joy in it. That was more a satisfaction in having brought happiness to people through my cooking, rather than enjoying the cooking process itself," Ignis explained.

"But you seem so…" she trailed off, still somewhat stunned in disbelief.

"Enthusiastic? Yes indeed. I've learned to greatly enjoy sharing my food with others and have, after much practice, come to take great pride in my work. I always look forward to sharing and serving," Ignis told her.

Velcia shook her head slowly. "I would never have suspected!"

Ignis cracked a smile. "Well, it is not something I tend to discuss. Mum's the word, as they say. As long as I can serve my King to the utmost of my abilities, I am satisfied with my endeavors."

"I see…!" Velcia said, quite thrown-off by this revelation.

---

Truth be told, I was surprised as well to learn Ignis' little secret here - a detail revealed by the game's director in an interview. It's the sort of thing that feels like it accentuates some really interesting depths to his character, and so was the sort of detail I really wanted to make sure to include at some point! If you would like to read more of this chapter or this story, it can be found here: Archive of Our Own - Chapter 9 Fanfiction.net - Chapter 9

Thanks again for stopping by! Make sure to check out @khoc-week and see what other cool things have been created and shared by others!

[alchemist-of-thebes]

KH OC Week Day 4

Another day, another @khoc-week prompt!

Day 4: Alternate Universes

◾What would your OC's role be in an AU? Examples: Soulmate AU, modern, fantasy, scifi, etc.

KHx-Era Velcia:

An artsy, mousy bookworm in most any circumstance, the KHx-Era Velcia would not likely be found anywhere near the action in most AUs unless she were desperately trying to get away from it. For example, in a setting where a man who has spared no expense has cloned animals of a jurassic nature and placed them into an ill-fated theme park, she would probably be found hiding underneath the kitchen counter desperately hoping she can avoid the notice of the rather hungry raptors who’ve somehow learned to open doors. 

In settings where she is able to find a companion to help support her, she is able to blossom into a rather effective support role and provide valuable information and access to research and knowledge. Her fascination with libraries and archiving information help her excel in remote support, as long as she won’t need too heavy a grasp on technology.

KHII-Era Velcia:

In nearly any universe where Velcia can be found, two things stay constant: Her desire to grow her understanding of her fundamental knowledge of the world around her, and her drive to do everything she can to apply this knowledge to help others. In AUs where magic can be found, she will always be found with a strong magical affinity. In the terms of a Final-Fantasy styled magic-class system, Velcia is quite firmly in the Red Mage class tree.

In Universes without Magic, her interests are likely to diverge greatly. In a Sci-Fi or Modern setting she is likely to be a tech scientist. In a Medieval or Fantasy setting with more restrictive rules towards magic she would likely be found working with medicines or potions. And then, of course, there are a few rare universes where she would be found as a very, very particular chef. Castlevania AU! One fun little tangent I’ve been exploring the last few weeks, after playing through a couple of my favorite old Castlevania games (Rondo of Blood and Circle of the Moon especially!) is a Castlevania AU version of the "Modern" Velcia; where I’ve tried to adapt her over with a couple of the same basic beats. In this version of the story, she still lives in Greece with her father, a well-known magician who used to travel across Europe before his daughter was born. One day, a cult looking to revive Dracula appears and tries to enlist her father’s help and, when he refuses, he is murdered and the Anthes residence is burned to the ground. The young Velcia manages to escape with her life and severe burns to her legs, and once she is healed she redoubles her efforts to learn her father’s trade and becoming a capable magician in her own right.

As time passes, she finds that this group has stayed in Greece. Monsters that nobody has seen before have begun appearing and terrorizing the lands, and certain supernatural individuals (Vampires!) are slowly taking over and manipulating things behind the scenes. Understanding that she is not equipped with the knowledge or tools she needs to defeat them on her own, Velcia travels up North to try to enlist the help of the legendary Belmont clan and rid her home country of the cult of vampires and monsters that now work in secret to revive their dark lord.

But, of course, that’s just a little tangent. I’ve got so many other stories to write, I probably won’t get around to that. I… I shouldn’t, right? Right…?

I might.

[alchemist-of-thebes]

KH OC Week Day 3

Here we go again, time for Day 3 for Velcia (KHx) and Velcia (KHII-Era)! 

Day 3: Friends or Lovers

◾Is your OC paired with someone? Who is important to them?

KHx-Era Velcia:

Owing to her own strange circumstances, upbringing, and the generally peculiar nature of her personality, KHx-Era Velcia had quite a few acquaintances and many touch-and-go friendships, but it wasn’t until she met a young man named Balthazar that she was able to find any real stable connection to someone else in Daybreak Town. Reserved and a bit odd in his own right, Balthazar was nonetheless capable in many ways that Velcia wasn’t and was very unaffected by her many more intrusive personal behaviors and habits that some considered a little harder to deal with. The two are the best of friends and inseparable - and each of their unique circumstances and the unfortunate carnage of the Keyblade War means that they have very little interest or capability to evolve their relationship further than that.

While the existence of her KHII-Era descendant does of course rather singularly assure that this hapless KHx-Era Velcia is eventually able to make a proper romantic connection and start a family of her own on Olympus, there is currently no information to be found as to the identity of her eventual sweetheart. (Though it is something that will absolutely be covered in a future story down the line)

KHII-Era Velcia:

When Velcia was young, she had several friends in Thebes but was closest with her cousin, Denerre. As she grew older, her Grandmother began to tell her of their family’s history and along with these stories came a very unexpected insistence that Velcia was not truly a part of Olympus or its people, and that she was meant to be greater than them. This sort of self-important mindset shocked the young girl, and it was one she and her father soundly rejected, but regardless the thought persisted in Velcia’s head that she did not belong. Passive-aggressive comments from her Grandmother both about and in some cases directly towards Velcia’s friends led her to eventually withdraw mostly to herself and keep her friendships private; though her hardy cousin Denerre was fine to shrug off the abuse and stick by Velcia’s side.

After tragedy struck and Velcia lost both her father and cousin during the events of KH:BBS, Velcia (14 at the time) began to live with her Uncle and Aunt and after some particularly cruel and manipulative comments from her grandmother she distanced herself from this poor influence. These cruel sentiments stuck with her all the same, and going forward Velcia found herself too afraid of losing others to be able to entertain relationships on any deeper level. While she would make a great many friends at the University where she and her Uncle studied, these friendships would generally fizzle out as her friends would move on to other things. Of course, it should come then as no surprise that the idea of becoming romantically involved with anybody was a prospect entirely off the table.

Thankfully for Velcia, once she meets Sam and Hinata she manages to quickly become fast friends with them on their travels, and she cares for them very much. While she is quick to pour everything she can into helping her friends, it takes a long time for her to learn to let them in to help her in return; and it’s not until after making a mistake that nearly costs Velcia her own life that she begins to really entertain the notion that she should be accepting of their affections as well. Still, it is a concept that takes some time and practice for her. Hinata, Sam, and a few others end up becoming great lifelong friends for her from this point. Additionally, I suppose I would be remiss to mention that on this journey she also meets with DiZ. Though they are not entirely on the same page at first, as the two grow to understand each other better their mutual passion for academia and general scholarly ways form a common ground; and she begins to look up to DiZ, and later his true self Ansem the Wise, as a mentor.

A couple years later (In the story I’m currently posting!), Velcia returns to the world of Eos (FFXV) and spends quite some time traveling with Noctis and his friends, and there finds herself opening up and learning a lot more about friendships, relationships, and what a healthy system of mutual support feels like when she is able to properly drop her personal defenses and open up.

[alchemist-of-thebes]

KH OC Week Day 2

Little late in the day, but better late than never? Anyway, on to Day 2! Day 2: New World ◾What would it be like if your OC visited a world they'd never seen before? As I did for Day 1, today I'll have short bit about both Velcia (KHx-Era) and her eventual descendant, Velcia ("Modern" KH Era).

KHx-Era Velcia:

For the KHx-Era Velcia, the experience of truly visiting a new world is rather more muddied. Daybreak Town is not her true homeworld, and although she does not remember much aside from fleeting memories of her true home she is never able to to really shake the fact that she isn’t quite in the right place. Further complicating her perspective is the fact that, as a Wielder of Daybreak Town, she has visited many of The Master of Master’s Projected Worlds created by the Book of Prophecies. While she still finds each new world to be incredible in its own right, it isn’t until she finally ends up in the true world of Olympus that she learns how much more satisfying the real thing can be. And so, in the end, her reaction to visiting an entirely new world really changes depending on where she is in her life. Prior to the Keyblade War, any new world would be met with the same drive and determination to learn and document everything she can. She is driven to see things, draw them, to learn more or less how it is and how it works, before bustling off to take one more little nibble off the plate of infinity that is the unknown.

After the Keyblade War, after the horrors and dust have settled and she’s begun to adjust to life in her new world, however, little Velcia’s frenetic nature would come to focus into something more personal and passionate. Though she’s unlikely to ever become a people-person, her relationships with the people she sees and the world around her would grow to have a much slower pace and a deeper appreciation. If she were to visit a new world at this point, her countless stacks of pages covering a large range of topics would be replaced with more neat and organized subjects of considerably greater depth, and her focus would be to learn and find the heart of what makes each place uniquely special.

KHII-Era Velcia:

The first new world Velcia gets to visit and really truly explore is Eos. Coming from Olympus, a world with nearly no technology, she finds herself constantly impressed and amazed by the marvelous machines and society that they have built. Despite this, she finds herself more engrossed in learning as much as she can about the properties of magic on this world and devotes much of her time to learning the fundamental construction of several Lucian Spells - even on other worlds, her thirst for knowledge and love of learning are hard to set aside. The first several New Worlds she visits are during her travels with Hinata. Velcia grew up hearing quite a bit about the “World Order” (Or at least, an approximation thereof), but her understanding of this is put into a bit of a conflict by the requirements of their mission. Velcia does her best to respect each world, though ultimately tries to defer to the decisions made by DiZ or Hinata in most cases.

Having very highly attuned magic senses, Velcia comes to find that the way she remembers each world best is by the unique sorts of magic each world is imbued with - much like some may remember a location, food, or event by the smell, sounds, or flavors. The base magical elements of each world are similar, but the way these elements are used by the locals is seldom the same from one world to the next; and learning about these is generally her favorite part.

Being a potion-maker by trade, she also finds herself very interested in each world’s local plant life and other sorts of materials that are naturally saturated with magic properties, or those that can be imbued easily with it. It takes some time for the notion to come to her, but she does eventually start trying to collect especially interesting or unique plants or seeds from worlds when she finds she has the time or opportunity. Someone, someday, is going to need to have a discussion with Velcia to teach what an ‘invasive species’ is. Also, I have this picture from a few years back of this Velcia wearing the outfit she got when she traveled to Eos for the first time. This picture was commissioned for me as a present, and was created by an artist called Benvey.

That's it for me for Day 2! Thanks again for stopping by, and thanks to everyone else participating in KH OC Week - it's been so fun to see everyone's stuff and be a part of it after all this time. :D

[alchemist-of-thebes]

KH OC Week Day 1

Hello! How fun that KH OC Week is finally here! Actually, even though I've known about it since it started, I've never actually taken part in it. But I'm trying it! I'm trying so hard! I've been writing for a very long time, but only started dabbling in KH-related stuff because of @hinataoc. My characters were really originally mostly made to help support her characters and her stories, but the ol' writing bug would bite me every here and there and eventually I started writing little stories and adventures of my own for them. I've got a few now, but this week I think I'll just focus on the two OCs that started this journey for me. So... uh, here we go.

Day 1: Introductions

◾Tell us about your OC!

To start off my first OC Week, I’d like to introduce two of my characters - Velcia and Velcia! …Wait, what?

Yes, I’m afraid that it may seem a bit confusing at first. Both characters share the same name and very similar appearances, but they are in fact very different people! So let me introduce them both and tell you a bit about each one.

First, credit to the amazing @amyhayanora for the wonderful art of these two for me! She did such a good job of bringing them to life.

Now, to get started! On the left we have the first “Velcia”, who lived in Daybreak Town as a Keyblade Wielder up until the Keyblade War.

KHx-Era Velcia:

Her true name is “Valencia Florere”, but when she arrived in Daybreak Town all alone at the age of 3 years old she was unable to pronounce her own name properly. Nobody in Daybreak Town could have known otherwise, and so her mispronunciation “Velcia” was how she was known. For just this one introduction, I’ll use her ‘real name’, though don’t expect her to recognize it!!

As a toddler, Valencia was rescued from the Lanes Between Worlds by The Master of Masters, who did not deem fit to provide to anyone else an explanation of how she ended up there. Not having the faculty to raise a babbling baby, The Master of Masters created a digital data world modeled after Enchanted Dominion. This snippet of a world was completely devoid of danger, and it was here that Valencia was raised alongside a digital Aurora by the Good Fairies.

Pleasant and peaceful though it was, being raised by digital facsimiles of real people does tend to leave one a little odd, and by time Valencia was old enough to leave this fictional nursery she was quite an odd girl indeed.

Shy, awkward, and almost entirely lacking in social skills, Valencia was nonetheless an aspiring artist who quickly honed her craft as she worked to document as many Wielders and events in Daybreak Town as she could as a sort of reclusive self-styled historian. Her fingers and hands usually have pencil smears on the sides from all her drawing. She does wipe them off constantly, but she’s also drawing constantly so it’s a bit of a self-defeating endeavor.

She doesn’t try to be annoying or obnoxious but has a vague sense that there are things that she does that bother other people that she can’t really seem to change. This leaves her with a bit of a lack of confidence, but she’s always so eager to learn more and add more things to her books she pushes past her awkwardness anyway. 

Poor Valencia is terrible at fighting and quite a pushover, who did her best to stick to the periphery and hope nobody would notice her working quickly to sketch them into one of her many books. It wasn’t until she finally met a young man named Balthazar that she was really able to find a stable friend and companion. 

Valencia found she had a strong affinity for the World of Olympus, dearly loving everything about it. Of all the Projected Worlds, Olympus was where she spent the most time and as soon as she was able she bought a set of Olympian Robes from the Moogle in Daybreak Town; but stuck to wearing her more familiar boots, pants, and other various accessories. She didn’t know what her true homeworld was supposed to be, but she hoped beyond hope it could be Olympus.

The events leading up to the Keyblade War were nearly as devastating to Valencia as the War itself, and during the war she was struck with what should have been a fatal blow and left for dead - but a very odd thing happened. An unusual Heartless appeared on the battlefield and whisked her away from the chaos, bringing her to Olympus and healing her before ultimately being destroyed.

Now living on the world of her dreams, Valencia eventually managed to put the traumas of her past behind her and start a family. Her now-powerless Keyblade and the name “Velcia” were both passed down through the generations, and each time one “Velcia” passed away the next-born daughter received the name and the heirloom Keyblade, and after some time that brings us to…

KHII-Era Velcia

Velcia Anthes, daughter of Hephestus and Ioanna Anthes, was raised in Thebes as a Potion-Maker and Alchemist by her father after her mother mysteriously vanished when she was two years old. Named after her Keyblade-Wielding Ancestor from her mother’s side, Velcia received the Heirloom Keyblade and grew up hearing stories of wielders from her grandmother and marveling at the tales.

Coming from a family of scholars on her father’s side, Velcia is keenly interested in learning everything she can about the fundamentals of both magic and potion-making; and her devotion to learning magic hit an all-time high after her father and cousin were killed by Vanitas during the events of KH:BBS. 

After this, she was taken in by her aunt and uncle who helped her to stay strong and focus on her studies as they worked together to overcome the pain of losing their loved ones. Thanks in no small part to their support and the integrity of her father, Velcia is kind, graceful, and has every bit of the elegance that her KHx-era ancestor lacked; but most of all she is driven and determined to help anybody she can, especially if it means they can avoid the sorts of losses she dealt with growing up.

Thanks to time spent participating in events at the Coliseum when she was younger, Velcia combined her effective if rudimentary physical fighting skills with her growing array of spells to become a competent red mage who was very confident in her magic abilities. In her mid-twenties during the events of KHII, Velcia thought that her life as a potion-maker was perhaps all she would ever be.

One fateful day she meets a visitor from another world named Samantha, and almost the next thing Velcia realizes she’s being asked to come use her magical powers and knowledge to help Sam and Hinata chase down a dangerous Replica called Thaanix. This, it turns out, is only the start of her adventures…

--------

That’s about it for my introductions! I will include answers for both Velcias going forward for the rest of the week, but will likely have more information and pictures posted for the Modern-Era Velcia as I have more stories and art for her. Truth be told, the picture above is really the only proper picture of KHx-Era Velcia I have! Thank you for reading these little bits about my characters, I really hope you’ve enjoyed them.

Anyone who would like to read any of the stories I've written can find them either on my AO3, or on @hinataoc's Fanfiction.net page (which also has a plethora of other very good stories by her that you should check out). Archive of our Own Fanfiction.net

In addition, I have been in the middle of posting a new story about the Modern-Era Velcia called "Return to Eos", with a new chapter posted every weekend. I'm trying to post a little snippet of the chapters here on Tumblr as they go up, so if you are interested you can keep an eye out for those, too. Lastly, thanks very much to the @khoc-week crew (small as it may be this year) for hosting this event. :D

[alchemist-of-thebes]

Weekly Story Snippet #3

Hello again, I am here with another snippet from my current story "Return to Eos". This story is a a KH/FFXV crossover story focused on my OC Velcia, who has been sent to Eos to help Noctis & Friends to help stop the Heartless from destroying their world. Since arriving, Velcia's been having difficulties each night when trying to sleep and on several nights has awoken in something of a panic - tonight, she finds that Ignis is up as well and the two talk a bit. In this snippet, Velcia spends a short time explaining her troubles to her friend. --- She looked up at the sky, watching the stars twinkling faintly behind the thin mist that seemed to envelop the planet. After a few moments of consideration, she spoke up softly. "If I may, Ignis… I have been struggling with something since I've arrived that I'm not at all sure how to handle. Would you mind if perhaps I were to ask for your thoughts on the matter?"

Ignis grinned, a twinkle in his eye as if he'd been waiting patiently for just such a question. "Not at all. How may I help?"

Velcia took a deep breath, interlacing her fingers uneasily as she began. She explained to Ignis about the Station of Awakening, the little Star inside her Heart, and the Darkness she'd found inside plaguing them both. Ignis was quite attentive, and though he was not familiar with any of these matters he would regularly have her pause and rigorously define and explain each new word and concept.

Such was Ignis' thirst for detail that Velcia found herself feeling she was beginning to understand and come to terms with these events a bit better, and the more she explained the more she found herself eager to hear his thoughts on the matter.

Finally, her recounting of events came to her most recent nightmare. "...and then, just as it did last night, the Star cried out for help as the Darkness burned and melted from it," she said, shivering uncomfortably at the memories.

Ignis' hairs stood on end, and he shivered as well. "I admit, it does create a rather haunting image." --- If you would like to read more of this chapter or this story, it can be found here: Archive of our Own - Chapter 8 Fanfiction.net - Chapter 8 Thanks for your time! I hope you enjoyed this little snippet and have a wonderful weekend. P.S. It is almost time for KH OC Week and I hope you are as excited as I am. I hope to have many little things to share for it.

[alchemist-of-thebes]

Weekly Story Snippet #2!

Hello again, I am here with another snippet from my current story "Return to Eos". This story is a a KH/FFXV crossover story focused on my OC Velcia, who has been sent to Eos to help Noctis & Friends to help stop the Heartless from destroying their world.

In this snippet, the group is returning back to their temporary base after a couple days of travel and fighting. Poor Velcia hasn't had a good night's sleep since arriving because every night she is pulled into her Heart's Station to battle with a growing darkness there - and in today's snippet, these are begining to catch up with her.

---

Velcia held on tightly to her Chocobo, Ginger, as she bounded along, the strain of the day and the sleepless nights catching up to her. Her head ached and her eyes felt heavy, and she shook her head to try to stay focused.

Ginger was the first to notice something amiss, as she felt Velcia begin to slump and slowly slide towards the side. The attentive Chocobo slowed down with a concerned series of squawks and turned her neck to support Velcia. Ignis heard this and turned back to see Ginger slinking to the ground, cawing towards the others in a plea for help as she did her best to lower Velcia gently to the ground.

He turned his Chocobo quickly around and jumped down beside Velcia when he arrived. "Miss Velcia, are you alright?" he asked, with no response. He turned her head towards him, noting as he did that her eyes were closed but moving rapidly as if in an intense dream.

He tried to wake her to no avail, the rumbling in the ground intensifying the urgency of the situation. There was no time to wake her nor was there time to stop, so he picked Velcia up from the ground and set her on his Chocobo's back. Ginger follow Velcia closely, and used her head to help hold her in place as Ignis climbed up behind her.

"Thank you, Ginger," Ignis said. He pulled Velcia up into a sitting position in front of himself and carefully wrapped his left arm tightly under her breastplate, then spurred his Chocobo. "Onwards! We have no time to lose!"

---

If you would like to read more of this chapter or this story, it can be found here:

Archive of our Own - Chapter 7

Fanfiction.net - Chapter 7

Also, I have started drawing a bit for the first time in quite a while and couldn't help but make a picture loosely based on the snippet above. It's not colored or anything, but it's something.