#ratracechronicler

I cannot control how the world works. Its gears turn far too high above my head. But I can try to keep them turning, to ensure they never catch and grind to a halt or strike sparks to a flammable floor—because when they stop, people die.

“You don’t deserve this. It never should have been a lost cause.” I hesitated over the last fragment holding it together, seeming to feel the buzz of electricity running through my hands. She was still alive, wasn’t she? If I stopped now, the Tether might stop too.

I stabbed it, and my hand went straight through. “I’m sorry.”

thank you!!! i am LATE getting to the rest of these but i finally have a day off so

from seven of sorrows, redux, redux: 

[Send me an OC name and I’ll give the pros and cons of dating them!]

@absolute-nonsense-scribblings and @andiwriteunderthemoon also requested Captain Io!

One of these options has a chance of leaving you in the water.

Pros of befriending Captain Io:

Badass captain lady. Just. Yeah.

Will teach you how to defend yourself

Ask her about pretty much any topic and she’ll give a deeply informative lecture about it

Has many connections and can easily... uh. “Convince” people to listen to you

Is very respectful of fellow collectors of knowledge and will honestly be as intrigued as you are if you rant about your favourite things (though she may not show it)

Brews amazing tea

Your room will never be dirty or disorganized again

Cons of befriending Captain Io:

Is irritated by the slightest of messes or unexpected events

Very blunt about things

Do Not Touch

Doesn’t read emotions very well (or express them well herself)

Scary

Always working (A “break”? What is this “break”?)

The Absolute Worst™ when it comes to comforting people

Oooo this is actually a tricky one!

Curlicue: 

*pretends I have the vocal range to belt When You Wish Upon a Star*

Thanks for sending in this ask, my lovely friend! Sorry for the delay: hadn’t realized I’d reblogged the ask game it came from lol I was so confused why there were all these stars in my inbox and didn’t put two-and-two together until today.

___

Ordinarily, I would say your fancy shmancy three-star ask wouldn’t merit three whole facts (and we all know I could babble on forever with just one star), but in this case, I have a trio I can talk about easily enough. Let’s do some facts for the Merchant Triad: Carmila Ramos, Cesar Ramos, and Emerico Castillion!

Carmila’s fact isn’t so much about her backstory or abilities, but more so about how she is written. I felt ill at ease with how I had portrayed her for a long time now. I couldn’t balance this hope of having this woman who could be respected in business enterprises with this girl who still secretly dreamt of a fairytale ending. She was SO unlikable in the last draft because she was either being a snobby brat or an emotional wreck. This draft, I attempted something different!

I don’t know how familiar you are with Final Fantasy VII or its recent remake, but I was inspired by the redirection they did with Aerith Gainsborough’s character. They somehow balanced someone who was pretty but not gorgeous, effeminate but not dainty, mischievous but not conniving, playful but not lackadaisical. It was the exact vibe I wanted for Carmila! While a lot of her actions plot-wise have stayed the same, I rewrote Carmila’s personality and dialogue, and boy is she infinitely more relatable and lovable now!

Speaking of love, Carmila’s got herself a little lover: Emerico Castillion! Or, as everyone else calls him, Rico...which is ironic, considering he is anything but rich. Emerico is this lovable goofball with surprising charisma who truly wants to do well for his girlfriend and her family. You’d expect this boyish charm to result in an affinity for wrestling, violence, dueling, etc. but Emerico has actually become a borderline pacifist. Sure, he’ll spar with Cesar with some wooden weapons. But put a real blade in his hands and you’ll catch him making some quip or excuse to get it out of his grasp as soon as possible.

Last but not least: Cesar Ramos! The most responsible one of this group by far, Cesar handles all the smithing but would have their business dead in the water if he ever had to interact with a customer. He has no social graces...whatsoever. Yet it somehow landed him with the world’s sweetest wife! But before they became merchants, Cesar enlisted in the military against his will. The years he served there were filled with strife, but Carmila claims he’s never happier than when out on the open seas - and Evelis’ Armada is rarely off of it. Still, he came back with a chip on his shoulder regarding pirates, though he claims there’s no specific reason. Carmila knows there must be more...

___