story updated

[owlmoose]

"A Guardian's Legacy" officially makes its return from hiatus with the posting of this chapter.

It took me awhile to get back into the groove of this but I think I succeeded. We'll see how future chapters go but I think this one came out reasonably well. Onward...

Comments

I

[kunstarniki]

I have begun reading and can see why you found it difficult to put this on hold while visiting the Confessional and why you found it difficult to re-enter. It is astonishingly complex and detailed. I am sure total immersion is the only way you can write so accurately. Brava!

I keep forgetting - how is your shoulder?

Re: I

[owlmoose]

Are you actually reviewing every chapter?! Wow! :) I'm glad you're liking it so far.

I have a timeline already, for my own reference; I started pulling it together as soon as I decided I was going to write this story, then filled in gaps and blanks as I went along. I could never have kept all this straight without it. I did wonder whether you would find the Paine/Baralai relationship jarring. I have my reasons for choosing that direction, which I think come clear later. I also have my reasons for writing Kinoc the way I do. I never thought much about him before, but the deeper I get into this story the more fascinating I find his character. The bit about the coat is actually from Japanese samurai tradition, but the portrait in the Hall of Guardians is my own invention.

I

[kunstarniki]

Kinoc is rather eggy looking and I have never been able to warm up to him. I truly love the coat/sling explanation and thank you for the reference. I eagerly await the reasons for Paine's connection to Baralai.

I hope you get the bondage implement adjusted to your greater comfort.

Re: I

[owlmoose]

I eagerly await the reasons for Paine's connection to Baralai.

Well. I think I've justified it pretty well within the world of the story, but here is the *real* reason. When I first started writing, I hadn't made very many decisions about the future thread. I don't remember for sure, but it seems likely that I'd assumed Paine to be involved with Nooj because that relationship is so natural in my mind. But then I wrote the bit where Paine admits her family relationship to Auron, and when Yuna asked her if anyone else knew, the name that popped out of her mouth was Baralai. I turned that over in my head for awhile, decided that it worked, and went with it. So it was really a case of the story having a mind of its own!

I

[kunstarniki]

LOL I am the last person on earth to find that odd, being continually surprised by what is whispered in my ear. It is probably just as well Baralai took the role since I am certain had she and Nooj set up a household they would have had to hire servants. I cannot see either of that pair making meals or doing routine chores. Paine obviously lucked out.

Re: I

[owlmoose]

had she and Nooj set up a household they would have had to hire servants

So true. Can you really picture Nooj cleaning up the kitchen and making tea in the background while Paine and Liss chat in the living room? :)

I pulled out FFX this evening and played through bits of Operation Mi'ihen, for research and to immerse myself in characters and atmosphere. But I also found myself thinking about what we now know is going on in the background, in and around that cave...

I

[kunstarniki]

Knowledge is a dreadful thing, g-d wot. Do you think we have established the fanon by which all other fics will be measured? It was a hell of a lot of fun, wasn't it?

Re: I

[owlmoose]

It was. So very much.

Paine knew what she was doing when she claimed Baralai as her mate

Ah, well, it didn't exactly go down like that.

You may recall that I once told you that I've killed off Nooj in the background three times. Twice in my Confessional follow-ups, and in one other instance...

I

[kunstarniki]

Here? My poor dear lad.

Re: I

[owlmoose]

I know. I'm sorry. As I've said before, I don't particularly *like* it, but it was what the backstory seemed to demand. Paine doesn't seem right without some tragedy in the background. I don't regret the decision. But I do miss having him around.

I

[kunstarniki]

I assume you did not go the 'hanged, drawn and quartered' route. That description almost did me in yesterday. Particularly the precise anatomical bits.

You must have taken note Ms Gabaldon is even harsher on her creations than are we.

Seriously, you are right about Paine. It is difficult to account for her attitudes without postulating some great sorrow(s) in her past. I am grateful to Square/Enix for her because I would have gone into a diabetic coma before ever meeting Nooj had P been as unrelentingly sweetly perky as Y and R. She was the only one of the trio I would bear to think about from the beginning.

Re: I

[owlmoose]

I remember that bit vividly, and it still gives me the shudders to think about it. Gabaldon is unquestionably a harsh mistress.

Nothing that tortuous, no. To be honest, I haven't decided exactly -- I have a vague sense of what probably happened but don't have the details settled in my mind. All I can say for certain is that it was against his will.

The time between "Chasing My Past" and the AGL future may well be my next story, unless our collective muse gets ahold of me first.

Thanks for the lastest review. Your criticism re. that Tidus scene is fair, and you are not the first to make it. I've tried to come up with some way to fix it and have never gotten very far. I suppose I could cut it, but it's the only Liss scene in the chapter and it needs one.

I

[kunstarniki]

That sort of thing is the devil to deal with. One needs an excuse and needs it now! That was how I got stuck in the trite explanation for the DeathWish thing. It is only now, I am hacking my way through his psychological thickets to a more satisfactory (I hope) reason.

I like the way you say 'collective muse'. Heh!

I

[kunstarniki]

Nooj cleaning up the kitchen and making tea in the background while Paine and Liss chat in the living room? :)

I rather think he would have been dissecting something smelly and nasty and letting the dishes wash themselves. And certainly not making tea. I never saw him as much of a drinker but he would expect the tea to be made for him and served properly too. I do not think he is a chauvinist, however; he would not mind if the servitor was male or female, so long as he did not have to do it himself. I also do not think he would have liked his routine disturbed by an unexpected dinner guest. Yes, Paine knew what she was doing when she claimed Baralai as her mate.

Re: I

[owlmoose]

Oh yes, the shoulder. I'd say it's mostly unchanged. My range of motion does seem to be improving slightly. The bondage implement is not sitting well the last couple of days for some reason; I may need to adjust it. Thanks for asking!