Luceti One-shots
Remember a few weeks ago, when I chose a few one-shot prompts at random for my four Luceti characters? Well, I finished just now! Yay! So here we go.
Characters: Respectively Yuan Ka-fai, Gelda Nebilim, Cheria Barnes and Oswald the Lucky Rabbit.
Fandoms: Tales of Symphonia, Tales of the Abyss, Tales of Graces and Epic Mickey.
Pairings: References to Yuan/Martel, Regal/Gelda and Oswald/Ortensia.
Warnings/rating: PG. Spoilers for Epic Mickey, I guess, if anyone cares about that.
Summary: Eight prompts for four RP characters!
Yuan - Flying
It had seemed like a good idea at first- Manipulate their mana with the aid of the High Exsphere to form wings. With those, they could cross the mountain ranges with far greater ease and travel faster. If one were to fly, there were no limitations and as long as they stayed above the clouds, they wouldn’t draw attention to themselves.
Yes, at first it was a good idea.
Then Yuan came to realize he was terrible at flying. The first few attempts were all right, but he didn’t seem to progress. In fact, in the following month his skills were somehow going downhill. He would crash into solid objects, lose altitude without meaning to, accidentally flip himself upside down… At one point, he’d gotten himself tangled in a tree. Kratos had to cut him out of his cloak in order to free him, while Mithos stood laughing on the ground and Martel tried very hard to hide an amused smile behind her hand.
One day, during another vicious training session, Yuan had accidentally collided with Martel. She wasn’t hurt, but it had left them both in an embarrassing predicament. As he lay there on top of her, his face buried in her chest to hide a furious blush, he had made a note to himself that he wouldn’t attempt to fly near her again. Also, that he would avoid flying in general if possible.
Two months later, he’d finally learned to fly well enough to keep up with the others without seriously endangering himself.
A thousand years later, he invented Rheairds and all was well.
Yuan - Perfection
Ever since he was young, Yuan had been taught to aim for nothing short of perfection. Perfection to suit the Ka-fai name. As a half-elf, he had to struggle relentlessly to reach the top and prove his worth- no flaws were allowed. It was a trait that stuck even after he had shed his last name. He wouldn’t falter in battle, he refused to admit his exhaustion after a long day of traveling and he trained his magic skills to the fullest.
Of course, he also found perfection in her. Martel seemed to have no flaws. She was beautiful, understanding, generous… Her healing magic was the strongest Yuan had ever seen and she was determined to reach her goals, just as he was. She understood him like no one else could, and so he decided to be with her forever. When he proposed, he offered her the perfect ring- one that had been hand-crafted by the most skilled Dwarven blacksmith.
Soon after, Yuan realized that his beloved did have a flaw; on occasion, she saw kindness where there was only hatred and violent intentions. When he saw her blood stain the ground, he understood she hadn’t been perfect at all. If she had, she would have seen the traitor for what he really was.
In turn, Yuan’s flaw was that he’d gotten his hopes up. The higher you go, the harder you come crashing down to reality. He’d let himself be bound by the emotion called love and so he had to pay the price.
Not just once. Shortly after he came to Luceti, Martel appeared before him again. Only to depart. And return again. And depart once more. She arrived a third time. Then she was bitten by a vampire she’d trusted and killed not long after, for that was the only way to save her. She’d come to trust a man named Yazoo, whose brother ran her through with his sword and left her to die a third time. Finally, she departed from Luceti, only to return half a year later.
Yuan suffered from a major flaw. He could never reach perfection, because he couldn’t bring himself to stop loving a woman he knew he was fated to lose over and over.
-
Gelda - Strive
From the moment she was born, Gelda’s life was written in the planet’s memory. She knew at a very young age she would become a soldier in the Oracle Knights, as that was foretold in the Score. What point was there in trying to evade her fate? It would happen either way and she would rather be the best than stumble her way into the army.
Therefore, she strived to become a soldier. She studied all the necessary classes vigorously, aiming for top grades. She made sure to get enough exercise, as knights needed to be in top physical shape. She practiced fighting with sticks when she could have been out playing with her friends. Yet, nothing gained more priority than honing her Fonic Artes. Magic was a soldier’s greatest weapon, or so she believed, and her ability to use the Seventh Fonon would only serve to advance her further up the ranks.
In ND 1989, at the age of twenty three, she had already become Locrian Colonel and commander of her own division. She was appointed the head of a secret project by Fon Master Evenos himself- She was to research the Planetary Fonic Arte. It was the height of her career and all her hard work had paid off.
In ND 1991, disaster struck. An experiment with the Planetary Fonic Arte went awry and several Oracle Knights died at her hands. It had been written in the Score, but Gelda hadn’t been told- she hadn’t known. All her life, she’d been destined to become not a prodigy, but a murderer.
That was when she gave up on the Order of Lorelei. She destroyed her research, quit her job as an Oracle Knight and resigned to live in Keterburg, the city where she was raised, taking on a job of school teacher. No doubt, this too had been foretold in the Score, but she didn’t care. She would never attend another Score reading again. If her fate had been decided for her, that was fine, but she would no longer strive towards it. She would only accept it.
Gelda - Barren
In a very literal way, Gelda had been granted a second chance. She’d lived her life in Auldrant until she was finally released from the Score’s hold by death. Then, by a stroke of luck that most others would refer to as a curse, she found herself in Luceti. Here, she could live once more.
The differences between the two worlds were startling. In Auldrant, her prospects were rather bleak- as barren as the empty silver plains outside Keterburg. Despite no longer following the Score on purpose, she knew that every choice of hers was still prophesized. There was nothing she could do that was of her own volition, because every decision had been foretold either way. It was like being in a prison with invisible bars.
And then there was Luceti. Opportunities appeared everywhere, like the trees growing all around the village. A vast forest of options, each one exciting and new. There was no greater power controlling her actions anymore. None that she knew of, at least, and that was enough to soothe her. The world was more vibrant- more colorful. Her work brought her even more joy and she even found love.
Despite this happiness, she knew that she would one day have to leave Luceti and return to her rightful place. The one destiny that she could not avoid, even with all that newfound freedom, was the barren wasteland of the afterlife.
-
Cheria - Grave
Tears wouldn’t stop streaming down Cheria’s face as she stared at the tombstone before her. They were gone. They were really both gone. It all seemed so unreal, especially for a girl her age. To think that both her parents would never be there for her again… It was just too much.
A tight pain developed in her chest and she gasped for breath, scrunching her eyes shut. More and more realizations kept hitting her. Never again would she play the piano with her mother. Never again would she sit on her father’s lap. Never again would her mother make dinner, humming under her breath while her father sat at the table, reading a book and drinking tea from his favorite mug.
She was all alone. Left to combat her illness by herself. The names of her parents were engraved on that tombstone forever. They were never coming back.
Harsh sobs escaped her and her lungs burned. She didn’t even notice she’d fallen to her knees. Didn’t even notice that Frederic had approached her until he placed a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him, her vision blurred from the tears. He handed her a handkerchief and whispered soothing words to her, assuring her that he would look after her from now on, but it was no good. She didn’t want a grandfather, she wanted parents.
She cried for what seemed like hours on end, squeaking and gasping, until she could cry no more. Mopping her eyes, she saw Lord Aston and his family standing in the distance, waiting for her. Lady Kelly, Asbel, Hubert… They were all there. They’d been waiting for her all this time, not once complaining. Feeling ashamed and slightly guilty, she took Frederic’s hand and allowed him to lead her away from the grave.
Cheria - Celebration
Cheria was used to celebrating her birthdays alone. … Well, she was never truly alone. She did have her grandfather there. Lady Kelly and Lord Aston would also give her their best wishes, and even Barry, whom she met at the age of 13, dropped by to congratulate her each year. These visits never stopped her from feeling lonely, though.
Every year, for seven long years, she would hope to hear from either Asbel or Hubert, only to have those hopes crushed. Shortly after she’d turned eighteen, she met both of them again and they’d set out on their journey along with the others. They’d had some crazy adventures in the span of half a year and grown closer once more.
Still, despite their reunion, she hadn’t expected her friends to remember her birthday. Especially not in a place like Luceti, where time flowed differently. Her official birthday was May 17th, but that had passed without too much thought in the Luceti calendar. If she’d kept track of the days correctly then today, several months after she’d arrived in Luceti, would be her true birthday.
She returned from her volunteer work at the clinic to find the house seemingly abandoned. Just as she’d expected. She gave a soft sigh and strolled into the living room, only to receive the shock of her life.
A loud bang sounded somewhere behind her, as an enormous party popper blasted loads of confetti into the air. Four men shouted “Happy birthday!”, while a certain Anmalcia girl shouted “Yeehaw! Surprise!” while striking a pose. Sophie, who was a little slow on the uptake, imitated Pascal’s pose and called “Yeehaw” in a remotely blank voice.
Cheria was surprised all right, because who would expect anyone else to count the days until her birthday like that? It must have been Hubert’s doing. As it turned out, everyone had chipped in to prepare the party. There was a cake, there were decorations, there were presents, there were snacks… But more importantly, there were her friends. Asbel, Hubert, Sophie, Pascal, Richard and even Isamu were by her side, celebrating her nineteenth birthday. That was all she could ever have wanted.
-
Oswald - Stare
Oswald was always very prone to watching things. He would watch his own cartoons and relive those glory days. He would watch the humans in the world beyond as they forgot him and fawned over the mouse. He would watch Ortensia as she tended to her garden and he would watch the stars with his kids. He would watch Pete shouting at people as they passed and he would watch the Beetleworx build a glorious kingdom for him and his people.
Forgotten as the Wastelanders were, they could still observe. No longer a show, but still an audience. It’s what they did best.
Oswald could only watch as the flood of Thinner washed over the land he had built, demolishing homes and dissolving entire plots of land. Fantasy Land was hit the worst- there was nothing left by the time the Thinner had drained away. And Oswald could only watch as the Shadow Blot appeared in his world, attacking his people and destroying whatever buildings were still standing in the mayhem. He watched as the Mad Doctor turned his back on him- on all of Wasteland- taking the Beetleworx with him.
Then he decided that he would put a stop to that. Forgotten hero or not, he was still a hero in the core. So he had tried to defy the Mad Doctor and in turn, the Shadow Blot itself. He was ready to risk his own life if it meant protecting his home and the ones he loved.
Yet the cost for sealing the Shadow Blot away was the one he loved the most.
So Oswald returned to watching. From the top of Mickeyjunk Mountain, he looked out over the ruins of his land. He saw his grieving people, attempting to rebuild what they had lost. He kept a close eye on the jug that now contained a monstrosity- a monstrosity which continued to send its little minions marching across his kingdom.
He could do nothing but stare.
Oswald - Hold
Oswald never knew how to appreciate what he had until he’d lost it. He used to have quite a large number of dear friends back in Wasteland. He’d had Ortensia, his animatronic pals, Horace, Clarabella, his many kids… He got along fairly well with Pete Pan, the Gremlins and the ghosts in Bog Easy… All those people were people he should’ve held more dear than he did.
Then he lost Ortensia and he distanced himself from them even more.
He used to have quite a few precious things, too. He had a house, a beautiful castle, a locket that symbolized the love shared between himself and Ortensia, a remote that controlled the Beetleworx… Those were also things he should’ve held more dear than he did.
When the Thinner flood washed over Wasteland and the Mad Doctor turned on him, most of those things were destroyed and the locket was lost.
Oswald spent years in isolation, mourning his losses. Then the Mouse appeared and reluctant as he was to admit it, he felt a spark of hope. Hope that maybe, just maybe, he’d be able to regain everything he once had. That he’d be able to hold his bunny kids, the locket and even Ortensia herself again. Because if anyone could fix the mess that Wasteland had become, it was that legendary Mouse that everyone had come to love, right?
Things went from better to worse and just when Wasteland seemed completely doomed, Oswald arrived in Luceti. Here, he gained a lot of new things. He found new friends, a new home and even a new father to replace the one that had abandoned him so long ago. If he could just get enough people in Luceti to love him, he was sure he’d regain even his heart.
But they were only replacements. Deep down, he knew this wasn’t right. He still yearned for his old friends, his kids and the love of his life. Despite telling himself he was better off in Luceti, he still longed to return to his rightful home. No matter how much of a mess it had become, Wasteland was his land and the people there were his people.
He’d return to them some day and help the Mouse to save them all. Until then, he would hold them close in his heart- well, if he had a heart.
Characters: Respectively Yuan Ka-fai, Gelda Nebilim, Cheria Barnes and Oswald the Lucky Rabbit.
Fandoms: Tales of Symphonia, Tales of the Abyss, Tales of Graces and Epic Mickey.
Pairings: References to Yuan/Martel, Regal/Gelda and Oswald/Ortensia.
Warnings/rating: PG. Spoilers for Epic Mickey, I guess, if anyone cares about that.
Summary: Eight prompts for four RP characters!
Yuan - Flying
It had seemed like a good idea at first- Manipulate their mana with the aid of the High Exsphere to form wings. With those, they could cross the mountain ranges with far greater ease and travel faster. If one were to fly, there were no limitations and as long as they stayed above the clouds, they wouldn’t draw attention to themselves.
Yes, at first it was a good idea.
Then Yuan came to realize he was terrible at flying. The first few attempts were all right, but he didn’t seem to progress. In fact, in the following month his skills were somehow going downhill. He would crash into solid objects, lose altitude without meaning to, accidentally flip himself upside down… At one point, he’d gotten himself tangled in a tree. Kratos had to cut him out of his cloak in order to free him, while Mithos stood laughing on the ground and Martel tried very hard to hide an amused smile behind her hand.
One day, during another vicious training session, Yuan had accidentally collided with Martel. She wasn’t hurt, but it had left them both in an embarrassing predicament. As he lay there on top of her, his face buried in her chest to hide a furious blush, he had made a note to himself that he wouldn’t attempt to fly near her again. Also, that he would avoid flying in general if possible.
Two months later, he’d finally learned to fly well enough to keep up with the others without seriously endangering himself.
A thousand years later, he invented Rheairds and all was well.
Yuan - Perfection
Ever since he was young, Yuan had been taught to aim for nothing short of perfection. Perfection to suit the Ka-fai name. As a half-elf, he had to struggle relentlessly to reach the top and prove his worth- no flaws were allowed. It was a trait that stuck even after he had shed his last name. He wouldn’t falter in battle, he refused to admit his exhaustion after a long day of traveling and he trained his magic skills to the fullest.
Of course, he also found perfection in her. Martel seemed to have no flaws. She was beautiful, understanding, generous… Her healing magic was the strongest Yuan had ever seen and she was determined to reach her goals, just as he was. She understood him like no one else could, and so he decided to be with her forever. When he proposed, he offered her the perfect ring- one that had been hand-crafted by the most skilled Dwarven blacksmith.
Soon after, Yuan realized that his beloved did have a flaw; on occasion, she saw kindness where there was only hatred and violent intentions. When he saw her blood stain the ground, he understood she hadn’t been perfect at all. If she had, she would have seen the traitor for what he really was.
In turn, Yuan’s flaw was that he’d gotten his hopes up. The higher you go, the harder you come crashing down to reality. He’d let himself be bound by the emotion called love and so he had to pay the price.
Not just once. Shortly after he came to Luceti, Martel appeared before him again. Only to depart. And return again. And depart once more. She arrived a third time. Then she was bitten by a vampire she’d trusted and killed not long after, for that was the only way to save her. She’d come to trust a man named Yazoo, whose brother ran her through with his sword and left her to die a third time. Finally, she departed from Luceti, only to return half a year later.
Yuan suffered from a major flaw. He could never reach perfection, because he couldn’t bring himself to stop loving a woman he knew he was fated to lose over and over.
-
Gelda - Strive
From the moment she was born, Gelda’s life was written in the planet’s memory. She knew at a very young age she would become a soldier in the Oracle Knights, as that was foretold in the Score. What point was there in trying to evade her fate? It would happen either way and she would rather be the best than stumble her way into the army.
Therefore, she strived to become a soldier. She studied all the necessary classes vigorously, aiming for top grades. She made sure to get enough exercise, as knights needed to be in top physical shape. She practiced fighting with sticks when she could have been out playing with her friends. Yet, nothing gained more priority than honing her Fonic Artes. Magic was a soldier’s greatest weapon, or so she believed, and her ability to use the Seventh Fonon would only serve to advance her further up the ranks.
In ND 1989, at the age of twenty three, she had already become Locrian Colonel and commander of her own division. She was appointed the head of a secret project by Fon Master Evenos himself- She was to research the Planetary Fonic Arte. It was the height of her career and all her hard work had paid off.
In ND 1991, disaster struck. An experiment with the Planetary Fonic Arte went awry and several Oracle Knights died at her hands. It had been written in the Score, but Gelda hadn’t been told- she hadn’t known. All her life, she’d been destined to become not a prodigy, but a murderer.
That was when she gave up on the Order of Lorelei. She destroyed her research, quit her job as an Oracle Knight and resigned to live in Keterburg, the city where she was raised, taking on a job of school teacher. No doubt, this too had been foretold in the Score, but she didn’t care. She would never attend another Score reading again. If her fate had been decided for her, that was fine, but she would no longer strive towards it. She would only accept it.
Gelda - Barren
In a very literal way, Gelda had been granted a second chance. She’d lived her life in Auldrant until she was finally released from the Score’s hold by death. Then, by a stroke of luck that most others would refer to as a curse, she found herself in Luceti. Here, she could live once more.
The differences between the two worlds were startling. In Auldrant, her prospects were rather bleak- as barren as the empty silver plains outside Keterburg. Despite no longer following the Score on purpose, she knew that every choice of hers was still prophesized. There was nothing she could do that was of her own volition, because every decision had been foretold either way. It was like being in a prison with invisible bars.
And then there was Luceti. Opportunities appeared everywhere, like the trees growing all around the village. A vast forest of options, each one exciting and new. There was no greater power controlling her actions anymore. None that she knew of, at least, and that was enough to soothe her. The world was more vibrant- more colorful. Her work brought her even more joy and she even found love.
Despite this happiness, she knew that she would one day have to leave Luceti and return to her rightful place. The one destiny that she could not avoid, even with all that newfound freedom, was the barren wasteland of the afterlife.
-
Cheria - Grave
Tears wouldn’t stop streaming down Cheria’s face as she stared at the tombstone before her. They were gone. They were really both gone. It all seemed so unreal, especially for a girl her age. To think that both her parents would never be there for her again… It was just too much.
A tight pain developed in her chest and she gasped for breath, scrunching her eyes shut. More and more realizations kept hitting her. Never again would she play the piano with her mother. Never again would she sit on her father’s lap. Never again would her mother make dinner, humming under her breath while her father sat at the table, reading a book and drinking tea from his favorite mug.
She was all alone. Left to combat her illness by herself. The names of her parents were engraved on that tombstone forever. They were never coming back.
Harsh sobs escaped her and her lungs burned. She didn’t even notice she’d fallen to her knees. Didn’t even notice that Frederic had approached her until he placed a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him, her vision blurred from the tears. He handed her a handkerchief and whispered soothing words to her, assuring her that he would look after her from now on, but it was no good. She didn’t want a grandfather, she wanted parents.
She cried for what seemed like hours on end, squeaking and gasping, until she could cry no more. Mopping her eyes, she saw Lord Aston and his family standing in the distance, waiting for her. Lady Kelly, Asbel, Hubert… They were all there. They’d been waiting for her all this time, not once complaining. Feeling ashamed and slightly guilty, she took Frederic’s hand and allowed him to lead her away from the grave.
Cheria - Celebration
Cheria was used to celebrating her birthdays alone. … Well, she was never truly alone. She did have her grandfather there. Lady Kelly and Lord Aston would also give her their best wishes, and even Barry, whom she met at the age of 13, dropped by to congratulate her each year. These visits never stopped her from feeling lonely, though.
Every year, for seven long years, she would hope to hear from either Asbel or Hubert, only to have those hopes crushed. Shortly after she’d turned eighteen, she met both of them again and they’d set out on their journey along with the others. They’d had some crazy adventures in the span of half a year and grown closer once more.
Still, despite their reunion, she hadn’t expected her friends to remember her birthday. Especially not in a place like Luceti, where time flowed differently. Her official birthday was May 17th, but that had passed without too much thought in the Luceti calendar. If she’d kept track of the days correctly then today, several months after she’d arrived in Luceti, would be her true birthday.
She returned from her volunteer work at the clinic to find the house seemingly abandoned. Just as she’d expected. She gave a soft sigh and strolled into the living room, only to receive the shock of her life.
A loud bang sounded somewhere behind her, as an enormous party popper blasted loads of confetti into the air. Four men shouted “Happy birthday!”, while a certain Anmalcia girl shouted “Yeehaw! Surprise!” while striking a pose. Sophie, who was a little slow on the uptake, imitated Pascal’s pose and called “Yeehaw” in a remotely blank voice.
Cheria was surprised all right, because who would expect anyone else to count the days until her birthday like that? It must have been Hubert’s doing. As it turned out, everyone had chipped in to prepare the party. There was a cake, there were decorations, there were presents, there were snacks… But more importantly, there were her friends. Asbel, Hubert, Sophie, Pascal, Richard and even Isamu were by her side, celebrating her nineteenth birthday. That was all she could ever have wanted.
-
Oswald - Stare
Oswald was always very prone to watching things. He would watch his own cartoons and relive those glory days. He would watch the humans in the world beyond as they forgot him and fawned over the mouse. He would watch Ortensia as she tended to her garden and he would watch the stars with his kids. He would watch Pete shouting at people as they passed and he would watch the Beetleworx build a glorious kingdom for him and his people.
Forgotten as the Wastelanders were, they could still observe. No longer a show, but still an audience. It’s what they did best.
Oswald could only watch as the flood of Thinner washed over the land he had built, demolishing homes and dissolving entire plots of land. Fantasy Land was hit the worst- there was nothing left by the time the Thinner had drained away. And Oswald could only watch as the Shadow Blot appeared in his world, attacking his people and destroying whatever buildings were still standing in the mayhem. He watched as the Mad Doctor turned his back on him- on all of Wasteland- taking the Beetleworx with him.
Then he decided that he would put a stop to that. Forgotten hero or not, he was still a hero in the core. So he had tried to defy the Mad Doctor and in turn, the Shadow Blot itself. He was ready to risk his own life if it meant protecting his home and the ones he loved.
Yet the cost for sealing the Shadow Blot away was the one he loved the most.
So Oswald returned to watching. From the top of Mickeyjunk Mountain, he looked out over the ruins of his land. He saw his grieving people, attempting to rebuild what they had lost. He kept a close eye on the jug that now contained a monstrosity- a monstrosity which continued to send its little minions marching across his kingdom.
He could do nothing but stare.
Oswald - Hold
Oswald never knew how to appreciate what he had until he’d lost it. He used to have quite a large number of dear friends back in Wasteland. He’d had Ortensia, his animatronic pals, Horace, Clarabella, his many kids… He got along fairly well with Pete Pan, the Gremlins and the ghosts in Bog Easy… All those people were people he should’ve held more dear than he did.
Then he lost Ortensia and he distanced himself from them even more.
He used to have quite a few precious things, too. He had a house, a beautiful castle, a locket that symbolized the love shared between himself and Ortensia, a remote that controlled the Beetleworx… Those were also things he should’ve held more dear than he did.
When the Thinner flood washed over Wasteland and the Mad Doctor turned on him, most of those things were destroyed and the locket was lost.
Oswald spent years in isolation, mourning his losses. Then the Mouse appeared and reluctant as he was to admit it, he felt a spark of hope. Hope that maybe, just maybe, he’d be able to regain everything he once had. That he’d be able to hold his bunny kids, the locket and even Ortensia herself again. Because if anyone could fix the mess that Wasteland had become, it was that legendary Mouse that everyone had come to love, right?
Things went from better to worse and just when Wasteland seemed completely doomed, Oswald arrived in Luceti. Here, he gained a lot of new things. He found new friends, a new home and even a new father to replace the one that had abandoned him so long ago. If he could just get enough people in Luceti to love him, he was sure he’d regain even his heart.
But they were only replacements. Deep down, he knew this wasn’t right. He still yearned for his old friends, his kids and the love of his life. Despite telling himself he was better off in Luceti, he still longed to return to his rightful home. No matter how much of a mess it had become, Wasteland was his land and the people there were his people.
He’d return to them some day and help the Mouse to save them all. Until then, he would hold them close in his heart- well, if he had a heart.