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MegaMaeve — Al - Wardrobe
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Published: 2016-12-27 10:32:10 +0000 UTC; Views: 573; Favourites: 16; Downloads: 0
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Description
Media: india ink, parker ink, water colors, white gel pen, golden inkThe Third Task of the OCT OC-training : to show off your character's wardrobe and specify it! I know I'm supposed to not put much info in the description, bit I'm afraid that this would mean not specifying clothing materials - oh well.
[More information about Al (personality and the basic setting of his world) can be found in the description of his Guess Who pic: megamaeve.deviantart.com/art/A…
Outfit 1: 'Standard wear'
Consists of a strong leather bodice over a long, linen shirt and pair of linen trousers, held together by a sturdy belt. Al also wears his pendant out in view as well as his jade earring, soft-leather (yellow) gloves and well-worn, secondhand deer-skin boots. His standard wear is part of the military standard outfit for off-duty teams, albeit he managed to get hold of orange-colored armor. He loves warm colors, and will wear them whenever possible - that being said, he has no fashion sense when left to his own devices, and he will ignore courtesies whenever, so it's a good thing that he finds his uniform most comfortable to wear. Al likes loose, functional, figure-less clothing.
Outfit 2: 'On Duty/Anon wear'
A thick woolen, mottled brown-green cloak and a black-oaken mask with blue detail - usually worn over either his standard wear or battle armor. This outfit is a military uniform, too, and is used on missions that deal with stealth, delicacy, or are so brutal it is important to keep the soldiers carrying them out unidentifiable.
Outfit 3: 'Battle armor'
Boiled leather (with green detail) over a chainmail vest that in-turn covers a linen shirt, woolen under garb, and two layers of silk (as to protect against chafing and arrows). The armor also covers his legs. He wears boiled leather boots over iron-clad feet, too. Al has to put up his hair as not to impair his sight, and he therefore has to show his scar. It's pretty intimidating, even if he himself doesn't like it.
Outfit 4: 'Formal wear'
His formal wear consists of a red silken shirt and a black leather vest. The dress shirt has a delicate, almost invisible patterning of brocade at the hem, and the vest is detailed with gold. He wears simple iron gauntlets.
The fur covering his shoulders is reminiscent of his immigrant-status, and reminds people of his origins as Ashfelian - a people, known for providing furs, that was almost wiped out in a massive military scandal, with Al being amongst the few survivors. Special note: it was Al himself who came up with this detail, and the Lord-Commander approved it, even if it was a bold move, especially at court...!
Al's pants are tight and nicely yellow, and his tight-length shiny boots do nothing to hide his figure. Al also wears the entire set of jade ear rings, and put up his hair, still covering his scar though.
Outfit 5: 'Sleep/casual wear' Also known as the "Put on trousers at least!!!"-outfit when worn in public.
Al sleeps in a long, linen shirt - basically, it's what he wears underneath his standard wear, only without trousers and bodice (and he doesn't roll up his sleeves as he sleeps either). His sleepwear doubles as leisure clothing too, much to everyone's chagrin at court.
The blame isn't on Al though - he doesn't own many clothes aside his standard uniforms and linen shirts, and as he has a fondness of loose clothing, this was the only viable option for down wear, really.
His training gear consists of the clothing you saw in the second task (so, basically his underwear, but when kept to a rigorous training schedule, it's nice to train in lose, short clothes!)
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Accessoires and Weaponry (especially weaponry) can be found in this small sketch: megamaeve.deviantart.com/art/A…
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Comments: 70
Thank you very much! 
'M always glad to bring a smile to someone's face~! ^^ Thanks!
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I enjoy him ruffling his hair in the last drawing.
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Thank you very much! 
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Mister Sleepy at the bottom is my favorite! Thick head, gappy buttons on his sark, scruffy legs, twitchy toes.... I bet his mouth feels like it's full of old glue, too.
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Thank you so very much!
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I like the cape the best, the rest is very well drawn.
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Thank you!
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I love his formal wear, there are so many details. And his happy expression is so sweet.
By the way, I'm envious of your boots-drawing skills - mine always look the same, no matter what I do.
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Thank you so very much!
Again, thank you! That's such a compliment!
I usually draw boots the same, too, but before I start with inking the sketch, I change up the top parts - e.g. the boots from his casual clothes only differ from his combat boots in that they differ at the top. Perhaps you could try experimenting with such designs, too?
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I would be glad to follow the guidance of such a wise teacher.
By the way, another question - have you thought about a partner for the 6th task that will be coming in OC Training?
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Aw, I'm just glad to be of service~! Students like us should help each other out after all!
I hadn't thought of it yet - life's been keeping me a little busy, and I'm really behind on answering messages/commenting/OCT-stuff ^^' - BUT, if this is indeed the question, I would love to pair up with you!
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Yes, yes and YES! I got you and Al to partner up with me .
About some activities... hmm. I see that Al likes pastries and biscuits, and Karil loves his cookies and cooking in general, so maybe something in this line. Karil also likes to go to the town fair (food+fireworks+games = a dream come true for a kid!) where he personally knows some of the food and sweets merchants. On the other had as a seasoned warrior and a big-brother figure Al could give some pointers considering martial arts and close combat (or maybe torment Karil with a game of chess?).
What does Al like to do? What are your ideas about a group activities?
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I'm so excited that you're so excited to work with me! I'm so excited to work with you, too! (I've had my eye on Karil and his story for a bit now, as you might know, so this is so cool!)
I notified Zakuro-Kona that we're going to pair up for the sixth task!
Maybe we could do both! One of us can go with the fair idea, and the other one can go with the training concept?
As for the ideas: Al really enjoys visiting festivals (with his team or on his own, doesn't matter
Maybe Al could treat Karil to some snacks at a fair (or the other way around, with Karil knowing some of the merchants) as they watch fireworks light up the sky?
Of course, the very first idea that came to me, too, was them both practicing their martial arts~! Karil's elemental powers would definitely fascinate Alwen (and if the circumstances would have allowed it, Al would have loved to recruit the kid into his team, too
With Al being more experienced in combat, Karil might just learn some tricks or two from the older man. Maybe Al would learn Karil how to handle a blade, or help him with meditation?
There's nothing like training together after all~!
I was also thinking that Al might be able to help Karil with his studies - but as this is about sharing in favorite activities, I did not think this would be a good idea (except, maybe, if we can involve cookies somehow). Even so, perhaps Karil would enjoy telling Al some lore of his world? Alwen is very interested in stories, in myths, and the Tear(s) of Shalimar, as well as Karil's snake tattoo, would fascinate him immensely
Tell me what you think!
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I see that great minds think alike
I just love the idea of the kite festival ! It should be possible to combine it with food too. The sword training is very cool too - I just imagine Karil desperately trying to learn using a heavy sword under the guidance (and the little gratified smile) of Al .
Also I totally agree with the idea that one should do the martial arts and the other the festival. Which one would you like? I don't have much time to do both, so it would be nice if you already have a favorite.
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In that case, I think we've found ourselves two nice scenes for the oncoming task!
Both ideas are very appealing, and I must admit that I do not have a preference; the kite festival (combined with the food) sounds absolutely lovely, and the sword training would be both cute and cool. Seeing you've already dabbled into martial arts this training, would you like doing the festival? Then I would do the training - which means the both of us get to do something different from our usual works!
This is going to be great fun for sure!
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I would be happy doing the festival
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Ohhhhh!
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Amazing work putting such detailed thought into each piece, including fabric types gives you a sense of the weight and feel the clothes would have. In the image itself it easy to tell the differences in fabric through how you've coloured and textured them, and I do love how you've show in the lines how each piece sits, either loose or tight. I adore the expression that go along with the clothes XD They're such a wonderful character I love seeing each task~
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Thank you for your kind words, I really appreciate it!
I'm really happy you're enjoying Al so far, and I hope to keep your interest!
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Nice outfits you created her for Al
I must say that the second one appears quite mystic and I love that a lot.
The 4th he shows off very dapper c:
And he is just cute in his sleeping wear.
Amazing work c: I really enjoying it to follow Al a lot.
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Thank you so very much!
I'm really glad that you're interested in Al; he's a delight to work on, so I'm glad to share him with you now!
(Also, I'll comment on your awesome Falco sometime soon, too - I really want to do him justice when I comment on your art, so apologies if it takes a while... ^^')
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You are welcome!
And it's nice to see that you have such a enjoyment in sharing all with us c:
Again dw about slow commenting. I don't have the time by my self to comment on everything all the time 
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The outfits feel like well matched, and give a glimpse into the world the character belongs to. I like the formal one the most, he looks so dignified, but still as a nice person that would be fun to be around at a formal event! I also appreciate his jewelery!
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Thank you so very much for your kind words!
He'd probably be a pretty interesting guy to hang out with at formal events, especially because he's fairly relaxed most of the time and not unwilling to have a little fun even during formal practices. Glad you like him!
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It's amazing how well thought are the materials his outfits are made of. I can almost smell the tanned leather and feel the sleek softness of silk reading this. The colors are also wonderfully put together. I love his jade earrings, jade is among my favourite minerals 
That's so sad his people suffered a genocide, what was the reason? The word "scandal" suggests it was something very unexpected and dire, does Al crave for revenge? He doesn't seem like one who does, but maybe he hides his grudge deeper than it shows.
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I know this reply is a little late, but still: thank you for your kind words!
Jade is one of my own favorite minerals, too (so I was a bit biased when I designed Al, that's for sure). I'm also very glad you picked up on the minimal decoration of his clothing and accessories. He does have some nice things, but not many, and he's rather careful with those, too.
As for the reason of the genocide, it ties in with those bloodline abilities I mentioned before (in another comment I will reply to shortly
Al and his brother are from the county of Ashfell, which had some fairly prospering towns due to economic fortunes: there was some mining in silver, and a booming trade in furs and ivory. The nobles of the county did not possess a very prominent bloodline, but they did get to call themselves kings and queens, so that was pretty neat.
Bloodline abilities weren't the focus of magic in Ashfell after all: the people of Ashfell were proficient in another type of magic - Ancient Runes. By writing down these complex letters (or rather, signs), by combining them in special patterns, and giving them a little 'spark' of magic, even peasants and commoners could plow and sow lands with a snap of their fingers, or win a war with the clap of their hands (in theory, of course).
Ancient Runes were a mighty power, and as tensions began rising high between nobilities and monarchs, the Lord-Commander Balder deemed wielders of those Runes to be far too dangerous. For the sake of safety, he needed those people to disappear, so he took out the entire county just to be sure - the attack did not last longer than a week and it burned the entire county to the ground. There had been no negotiations nor warning, and later on it was described as a bit of a scandal. (Some people say the ones who gave the order for the attack wanted silver and were jealous of Ashfell's prosperity, others say they wanted to prevent a war by destroying knowledge of Ancient Runes - and most people have no clue why it happened in the first place).
As for Al, he didn't have the slightest inclination as to why the genocide happened in the first place - finding out the reasons why dominated his life before he joined the military, and at learning of Balder's involvement with the genocide (amongst other things), a horrid grudge made itself home in his mind. Funny thing is though, it doesn't often show
Neither his behavior nor his character hints at a vengeful mind, and he's generally fairly gentle in disposition, even if he can be rather intense sometimes. Who would guess he's out for blood...? He's definitely concealed his grudge well, that's for sure.
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You're welcome
That's a pretty unnerving story indeed. Let me guess, Callen was/is one of the highly skilled Ancient Runes writers? Glad he survived. So they weren't able to defend themselves because they didn't see it coming? If they used it only for peaceful farming purposes, how other sovereigns could tell they'd be a threat?
Balder's reaction does sound a little... rash, I can't believe he really ordered such a genocide out of simple safety reasons given he's not some blood thirsty monster. So far he gives a vibe of not really evil person. It sounds more like panic-driven decision. As if someone threatened him. Other nobles? (Probably I'm overthinking, but it sounds like a nice twist plot.)
Also I must admit it sounds a little unrealistic that the whole army able to burn a county to the ground would sneak unnoticed overnight 
I'm horribly nitpicking and I sincerely apologize for that 
I still wonder whether Al will eventually execute Balder. On his Wish drawing, I tried to leave it an open option because I'm entirely unsure what's really going on in his head. 
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I absolutely LOVE your 'nitpicking', actually!
(And in the case of the Ashfellian Scandal, I really should have guessed that giving you the short explanation instead of the long one would result in more questions
This will be a bit of a long reply, so please bear with me!
First, I'll answer the part on Al's betrayal and the possibility of executing his (former) superior, though, if you don't mind!
You phrased his inner conflict really well (I find the 'monster vs human being' to be a beautiful dichotomy - and there's quite a bit of that in the story indeed), and basically, it is what it all comes down to.
Balder has done some unforgivable things (e.g. approving the scandal, and several years later, taking over Al's farm - which essentially led Al down the military path), yet Balder also very much is a human being, with human motives, and human attachments. And Alwen does understand that. Al both respects and loathes the man, and that's where his internal struggle begins, as in short: Balder is Al's motivation to live (he's literally given him a job so he can get by, and the prospect of revenge is what keeps Al up and about).
There will be betrayal, and Al will get his vengeance one way or another - but not even Al is sure just in what way he wants his revenge served. He definitely wants to execute Balder - he wants it so bad he can sometimes taste his revenge already, even years prior - but at the same time, he isn't sure whether he can pull through with it. He wants to, and he wishes for it, and he's imagined it so very often - but what is he going to do when it's all over? He never thought of anything past his revenge, and then suddenly he has to, and he has no clue on how to proceed with anything.
(Here's a bit of a spoiler though: when Al does make Lord-Commander, he keeps putting off executing Balder at first. Let him live one more day. One more week. One more month. He cannot forgive Balder, but he cannot kill him either, even if it is out of a (misplaced?) sense of loyalty of some sorts. When it comes down to it, Al can't do it - although, he isn't that far off from doing it, and it would only take one more push for Al to willingly jump off that slippery slope...) (I kinda don't wish to reveal more, as I'm spoiling so much already X'D Hope you don't mind...!)
Now, onto the main topic~
Ashfell was a rather small county indeed, caught between mountains and the notorious Blackoak Forest (I really, really still need to find better names). It was a fairly isolated place, but prosperous enough to develop some bigger towns that were attractive to some (more daring) merchants.
Balder's decision was a rash one, more fueled by emotion and panic rather than reason (and I'm thrilled you picked up on that despite the minimal information I've given on Balder's character! ) - and I'll be spoiling some more right now (but this time, about the main plot of the story) but about three years prior the scandal, another county had been wiped off the map completely when a dragon SUDDENLY APPEARED OUT OF NO WHERE, literally burned down those lands, and then DISAPPEARED again. After the fact, all evidence pointed to it being a summoned creature, and there'd been no trace left of the summoner, the true culprit of the heinous crime. (Apologies for being vague, but I have to keep some secrets sometimes )
The county that had been wiped off the map during the 'dragon incident' was the home of Balder's wife, and young son. Balder found out they'd been killed weeks after the fact, as he'd been away on a campaign on the monarch's orders, and although he was able to move on rather quickly (aka: not at all, but he's an expert in the Art of Ignoring Things). Rumors went around that the summoning had been a poorly done attempt on Balder's life and home, and of course, this reached his ears, too. Terror struck - who was the culprit? were there multiple culprits, perhaps? would they strike again? when would they strike again? what kind of threat even if this? were there more things in store? would they be able to summon creatures other than dragons? if yes, what kind of horror-?
The threat, the death of his family, the pressure of other nobles, and the wars that broke out between counties all caused him to act quickly - too quickly - in the Ashfell matter.
Ashfell and the summoning are connected if you squint after all: there is no known bloodline that can summon any living creature, and Ancient Runes are accessible to anyone (from Ashfell, that is) and are fairly unpredictable power... The summoning surely was caused by the abuse of Ancient Runes, and seeing Ashfellians guarded their knowledge as if it was sacred (which it was, btw), surely the culprit(s?) must've been from that place.
Balder, set on preventing another summoning from happening ever again, gave his word and ordered the preparations for a siege that would go down in history.
As for the Ashfellian Scandal, I'll admit that some of it is rather fuzzy in my mind still indeed, but I think I'll be able to reply properly at least somewhat, and hope to answer your questions!
First off, some more explanation on Ancient Runes: there are some simple combinations that cause good fortune, or enhance the strength of oxen specifically, or ones that ward snails from gardens, but there are also more complicated combinations that can, indeed, be truly dangerous - amongst them summoning, or the enhancement of human strength at will, or impenetrable defensive shields.
The more simple Runes are known to pretty much anyone native from Ashfell, as they are part of everyday life, but the intricate, special combinations are known to very few people - the king and his family, educated mages and doctors (and some very clever 'ordinary people' if they managed to figure out how to combine the Runes properly).
The art, however, was considered sacred, and not readily shared with non-Ashfellian people - thus causing a massive misunderstanding with, well, the rest of the known world.
Now, as the county is rather isolated, there was not much fear of being attacked - they had some wealth, but not enough for others to be jealous of (right?), they were prosperous, but not enough for others to envy them, right? The borders were well-guarded, but the rest not so much.
And even though Ashfell had its own king, it was still part of a bigger kingdom (The Divided Kingdom of Holori - which Balder (and eventually, Al) serves, btw), and as such, it wasn't unusual for military patrols to arrive. They came and they went, sometimes collecting taxes, sometimes just passing through. Balder's army arrived in stages.
There were several troops that had settled on the outskirts of some towns, a literal year before the main attack were to take place - investigative troops, which had been stationed mainly to see whether the Runes were truly a dangerous power (and sadly, it was deemed so). Other troops passed the borders into Ashfell, but instead of truly leaving the place again (as they appeared to do), they stationed themselves within the Blackoak Forest, where they were provided by the neighboring county. Other fractions of the army were stationed in the neighboring county itself. As such, the attack force grew slowly but steadily, and although some suspicion in Ashfell began to arise at the arrival of so many odd people over the course of the (final) year, there was no reason to view it as a threat.
In the last few months, parts of the military began stationing at the borders - which worried the Ashfellian border patrols, but as they were essentially part of the same army, surely there was no reason to be worried (and those who were too vocal about their worry tended to disappear. So better not be vocal about it. News did never reach the king...)
The main attack was launched on a festival day; many Ashfellians had gathered together to celebrate the annual Name Giving (- granting each child that had reached the age of ten an Ancient Rune that was to be their 'name rune'), and guards were at an all-time low.
The Ashfellian border guards were annihilated fairly quickly, overwhelmed by their own comrades from Holori - so much backstabbing, there was no time to write protective Runes - and the folk celebrating Name Giving never did expect an attack on their lives by trained soldiers - no Rune of Good Fortune or Warding Snails could have protected them. And even if they did escape the first wave of attacks, there was nowhere to go - the mountains and the Blackoak Forest were dangerous territory respectively, and it was basically out of the frying pan into the fire.
Balder's forces had a hard time overwhelming experienced writers of Ancient Runes, but as they too had not expected them, the complicated sequences were hard to get finished soon enough, or were weak in power - Ancient Runes might be powerful and strong when finished, but they had not been used for quick combat purposes in a long time, and an unfinished writing does absolutely nothing. Not useful, apparently, not very useful.
The king's family had been taken hostage when the attack began, which prevented them from acting out as well, and as such, most prominent powers in the county had their hands tied and got wiped out.
Some people escaped the fray, especially those from the more isolated towns with no immediate Holori troops in the vicinity managed to get away (amongst them Al, Callen, and their friend Flanagan).
Aka: the summoning problem did NOT get resolved, and instead ended up breeding even more paranoia and hate. The Ashfellian Scandal is a scandal for a reason, it was a massacre.
I hope this INCREDIBLY LONG reply answered some of your questions - I'd understand if this is a lot of information to take in all at once - but thank you, sincerely, for your interest! I truly appreciate it still!
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Well... welcome to the OC-Training textblock lords council. Seems you've taken over the leadership for a while
Awww yiss, I love this dychotomy too, humanity vs inhumanity! Characters who struggle with such dilemmas are so interesting. I often refer to it in my characters' stories as well (Aevie is a shining example).
I'm dying to know what will be Al's ultimate decision, hope to learn it from the finished story so that you don't need to leak more spoilers.
Hmmmm okay, then it seems Balder was indeed in luck for Ashfellian leaders not to be able to see through the trap. Over a year of increased military activity on their borders and they were clueless. Even assuming it was an ally, I suppose their diplomatic corps should have inquired about the reason of additional forces stationing on their borders and why they weren't informed. Then it was intelligence forces' duty to find out the truth regardless of what they were told officially. Could it be such an unfortunate coincidence they failed on so many levels? ...Probably yes, and probably that's how kingdoms and countries fall, no idea.
However it sounds a bit as if the situation was designed to serve the plot. Not the plot emerged from the situation, but the other way around. Maybe I get this impression because I don't know all the details yet, but so far that's what I get. Most readers probably won't see anything wrong with it, but some might get the feeling that something is off. Various experienced writers often advise not to underestimate reader's intelligence. 
If I were in Balder's shoes, I would try something else, more diplomatic and actually making use of intelligence corps - this way you introduce more intrigue, and the modern-thinking minds fed with Game of Thrones and such would probably be more engaged. I would start from finding out how much Ashfell values peace. If they do, I would start spreading rumors - that a great danger lies in county of Ashfell and in hands of their people, thus other counties are worried for their safety. Basically make them dangerous monsters in minds of people. Backed by terrified voice of society, I would give them an ultimatum: Ashfellians must delegalize their Ancient Runes, give away all wielders and stop teaching it to people, otherwise they should expect consequences. Kind of like Germany had to fully demilitarize after the II WW. If Ashfell wants to avoid bloodshed they will cooperate. If not - well, it's fully legal war. I don't think they want it, even if they possess their abilities, because even if they win, they devastate other counties. It seems to me it's a lose-lose situation for them.
Now I'm not a traumatized military commander who must deal with magic that caused his trauma so I'm probably thinking more rationally, but I wonder if it could have any chance to work out. Maybe if he had some smartass advisor around. He's not alone, right? There are those other nobles who are envious of Ashfell's secrets. They probably want their knowledge, even if they don't go around telling it to everyone (at least I wouldn't do that).
With this idea you can still keep the genocide (however that sounds 
Not sure if what I say makes sense given the details I don't know yet, but I guess it would add a whole lot of mess and dynamic into the world post-genocide. No one is safe anymore, because anyone can be a Rune wielder, which is both power and weakness now. (But that's just me, stories I touch usually turn into destruction and hopelessness.
The case that made the Lord of Ignoring Things panic is the last thing I'm entirely not sure how to deal with. Personally, I try not to give my characters too much power. I'm already feeling like I'm overdoing it with primal energy, but it has its limits (if you're curious, there's a new additional paragraph at the end of the setting guide ). Sure, if someone enrages the mysterious summoners they can just go and destroy the world with dragons. It's a plot device that I wouldn't like to deal with as a writer though. I would just feel it's a never-failing escape plan, if something goes wrong, I just take an ace out of my sleeve. However I'm not familiar with further details so that's just based on what I've learned so far. No need to describe more to me, I want some suspense too
Those are of course raw ideas and loose brainstorming, but if you pick anything useful out of it, go ahead and help yourself.
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To think I wasn't even aiming at getting a seat at the council in the first place...!
Your love for characters who struggle with their humanity, and the perception thereof, indeed seems to be quite clear in Aevie, and Isil as well (and Jeor, too) - Isil's struggle with her heritage as half-Sigelian was depicted quite nicely during the previous round of the OCT, and I'm currently still figuring out Aevathross' struggle; primal energy seems to be an elusive beast, and I've yet to understand what it is exactly
- ahem, I'm getting off track XD
I do have a lot of trouble not spoiling anything - especially because you seem to grasp the way I wish to handle my story incredibly well
Your commentary on the genocide and its shortcomings in writing is so incredibly helpful! The funny thing is, it was one of the few parts that remained of the incredibly old story I had come up with at first, years ago! It wasn't written for Alwen, actually, but more as a backdrop of the setting itself - in all truth, it was not until much later Alwen as we now know him was created! XD (He wasn't tied to the Ashfellian Scandal in the slightest, and instead was a charismatic gang leader who was mostly part of the story for comic relief - oh, how things changed... for the better, I genuinely believe XD)
Perhaps that's where I came short: I'd been stuck with the same idea, and though some things changed over the years, I hadn't thought to examine it at its roots!
Your ideas actually fit the setting of the world better too (e.g. with some Ashfellians surviving, practicing and teaching their arts in secrecy and this being... troublesome in the eye of some), and I'm currently playing with your suggestions and some new concepts! (It's a bit ridiculous how excited I am about this, actually...)
Further incorporating ideas like The Just War ("legitimate 'reactionary' violence" people can justify anything for themselves) and Othering a society in the Ashfelian Scandal seem like interesting paths to tread, which only makes things more tragic...
Either ways, it'll take a while before I figure out this new development - it needs a lot more thought, that's for sure - but thanks to your advice and suggestions, I'm sure this will be quite a bit more interesting!
(As for being able to withstand critique - you can't learn if no one ever tells you where you go wrong
I'm not sure if I'll be able to do anything more than to keep asking you simple questions about your own world (to satisfy my own curiosity, actually), and I hope that you'll get the feedback you need and deserve!
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Glad you got interested this much in my characters
As to what exactly does primal energy do, I like to imagine it's an ultimate godlike creative/destructive power, the relict radiation, the initial creative chaos. However humans aren't gods, so they cannot grasp this power fully. They can grasp it to some extent. Nobody really knows why it touches some people, they know however what makes them survive and use it to help them survive (haven't given this part much thought just yet, it's still a pool of raw ideas).
I think you might have better idea of what it does to Aevie's humanity after I finish his Anger task. (I decided to use the story of why his team fell apart to illustrate it. It's not a nice story, as you probably already figure.)
I'm really happy I could cause some brainstorming in your mind and challenge your old ideas!
I'm excited that you're excited! I can't wait to see what you will come up with!
Now, just when you thought I'm done nitpicking...
I have a thing to ask about your setting, specifically geography, because I put two facts together and I'm curious if you omitted the same thing I did in past with my Ekkenians, who are also dark skinned folks. Given Ashfell lays in the north, how come Ashfellians are dark-skinned? Is it because this part of your world is situated on southern hemisphere, or is there another worldbuilding explanation for this? I bring this up because at some point in life (after watching this TED talk ) I learned skin color is strictly connected with amount of UV radiation emitted by the sun. At least in OUR world. You can probably think of any excuse as to why your guys have dark skin and live in north. Like, their sun just doesn't emit UV radiation or anything.
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His clothes look wonderful! I love the coloring!
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Thank you so very much!
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aaah I love him more every drawing you post~
He looks great in his formal wear! And the history behind it is hella interesting~
Seriously all these outfits look great (and I'm impressed you do these all traditionally!) and lol he basically sleeps nude, I love it
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Thank you so very much! I'm so happy you're interested! (It really means a lot to me, gosh! XD) I spend quite a bit of time on designing his outfits - the formal wear especially - and I plan on revealing some stuff on his background sometime soon, too~
I used to do some digital artwork, but then my tablet broke and I never did return to it, so that's why I keep on working traditionally, even if I'd love to apply some cool effects digitally someday XD
He basically sleeps nude, yup. He'd spend the day like that, too, if no one would fling his trousers at him, that is~
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Of course, I'm really diggin your story that I've seen so far~
YESSS good I wanna know more XD
that suuucks! I mean if you have like 50 bucks there's the monoprice tablets~ they're pretty nice and run cheaper than mainstream tablets!
I feel that, Al, keep sleeping nude!! lol
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very nice , i especially like his lounge pose
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Thanks!
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you did a great job on everything. I really love the coloring in this, its very well done and look's like it could have taken a long time, I can see that you put a great deal of time in your work and it really paid off. I love it!!
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Thank you so very much for your kind words!
I've worked quite a bit on Al's designs indeed, but as it is something I enjoy doing, I would gladly do it again
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Woah, I love the Anon costume one so much. 
Wait, anyway, are there any signs like emblem, patch, or maybe color scheme to distinguish the rank of every soldier/officer?
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Thank you! Glad you like the designs (and that you like the Anon design especially!
That's a great question actually!
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Oh Sweet! Sweet imagination on the clothes. Loving the coloring.
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Thanks!
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Thank you so very much!
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Oh, Wow! These outfits are completely amazing! I like his battle armor a lot, it looks so sturdy, and the details of the ringmail must have taken ages. You draw folds in fabric so excellently, I really admire your talent!
He looks so cute! Especially in his formal wear! I love that one so much!
You did so wonderfully here, you must have really given a lot of thought into the clothing of your world! ^^
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Thank you so very much! I'm glad you like their designs!
I had a lot of fun designing his battle armor - especially because I'm quite interested in (medieval) martial arts, and got to design something that would both be practical as well as pretty cool!
I'm so glad you think he's cute, too!
Al's story (and the art you're seeing right now) are all based on a little novella I wrote a short while ago, and I'm currently reworking it so I can draw it into a comic - which is why there's quite a bit of detail put into the clothing! Great you noticed that, too!
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You are most welcome!!!
That is great! Medieval martial arts? Fascinating! What brought your attention to them? I'm glad that I could make you smile!
He is! Very cute! ^^
Ah, that is a good idea! I can't wait to read your comic!! I've often thought that I would write novels and for select stories I would make comics for them as well!
You are most welcome! I try to pay as much attention as I can!
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