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spectrallik · 1 year

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A Joyride from Beyond the Grave

Diving deep into my favorite troubled webcomic

Cover art for Caelum Sky Volume 1 by @alradeck

In the world of webcomics, 2022 felt like the year of the endless scene. No less than three artists I've been following got stuck in a lengthy, difficult sequence for months on end. One finally escaped a few weeks ago, one looks like he's found a way out and will be there soon, and one is still trapped with no clear way to fix what he's started.

That first one, Cælum Sky, fascinates me the most. Since its debut in 2019, it has been a strong contender for my favorite webcomic in recent years. But when it got stuck, it got stuck. It took over 100 pages and nearly 2 years to break free from its endless scene, and the frustration took a huge toll on both the author and the readers.

How did something this brilliant end up in such a rough position last year? What made this webcomic work so well in the first place, and what stopped working during that time? What lessons can I (and you) as writers learn from this artist's struggles and triumphs? In these next few posts, I will answer all of these questions.

Cælum Sky is based on an indie novel that was first serialized here on Tumblr in the mid-2010s. The story is centered on the two dueling leads. Neri, the red dino-looking thing, is an escapee from the underworld. Raziel, the guy with the white hair, is an angel who does the spiritual equivalent of pest control. When Neri reincarnates into a demon that is "haunting" (read: tearing apart) the home of a young widow and her spiritually gifted toddler, Raziel is sent in to exorcize the demon, and their worlds collide.

Cælum Sky builds off of its source material masterfully. From page 1, the tone and style are nailed down. Just like the protagonist, we're thrown into a world we know nothing about, right into the middle of a desperate battle for survival.

The action is beautifully chaotic, the pacing relentless, and the whole thing is rendered in this painterly art-style that's bursting with color and life. It's a bold opening statement: this comic will be a wild joyride, and you get to be on board.

After the first confrontation, the narrative shifts, and a few chapters are spent on Neri and the family. She is spiritually bound to the house, and so she has to find some way to figure out what she really is and make peace with the humans living there.

We figure things out at the same pace that Neri does. She becomes a sort of guide into this world. This is a great way to develop the narrative in a natural way while keeping the pace high. That tension, that mystery, is always there, but it creates space for deep character development along the way. That's so critical - plot is nothing without character.

By the end of Volume 1, we deeply understand who Neri is, as well as the humans in the house. Their stumbling attempts to understand each other make us feel for them. This all builds up to one of my favorite moments in any webcomic, and that's saying something.

So, to sum it up: the intense pace, strong character development and worldbuilding, and a mastery of tone and style are what make this webcomic so brilliant.

What I've shown so far covers the first 100 pages or so, and takes us to April 2021, when the endless scene began. However, there were a few cracks in the foundation that hinted at where things were heading. But this post is getting long enough, and I need to get to bed. So tune in next time where we'll get into the hard parts.

... by the way, I did mention that this webcomic has two protagonists, right?

This article is dedicated to the 50 bots following me. Because of you, I get to pretend I have an audience.

#webcomics #media criticism #caelum sky

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scrumpyfan43 · 7 months

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Just started reading Caelum Sky and I have no idea how deliberate this was but man it sure is an autism mood, the way everyone treats Neri (and the way she responds, for that matter).

#caelum sky #autism #op

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krisssssssy · 4 months

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petition to change the gameplay song in Episode Ardyn to Don't Stop Me Now

tell me this isn't the perfect song

and this song is great on a loop

#ardyn izunia #final fantasy 15 #ffxv #ffxv spoilers #episode ardyn #ardyn lucis caelum #ff15 ardyn #ffxv ardyn #i bet ardyn would love freddie mercury #ardyn is a queen fan i know it #this song exudes joy and ardyn was having so much fun #he's a racing car passing by like lady godiva #he's burnin thru the sky

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a-world-in-grey · 11 months

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Sola/Little Nox Dissidia au

@raven-6-10 @secret-engima

The promised trainwreck under the cut!

The Citadel's been a wreck of tension ever since Spitfire and the prince went missing. Abyssus yowling fit to wake the dead brought the on-duty glaives running to find Sola's bed empty, phone still on her bedside table and all her shoes still in her closet, all signs pointing to an unwilling departure despite a clear absence of any sign of a struggle.

They'd raised the alarm, checking on the rest of the royal family and their retinue-

-and found Prince Noctis' bed as empty as his sister's.

Then, while Citadel security was swarming like a kicked anthill, spearheaded by a blackly furious Marshal and King's Shield looking for their godschildren, those guarding the Crystal had sounded the alarm.

Which is when they'd found their missing royals, via the Crystal putting out a hologram of the two like something from a bad science fiction movie.

Tredd hasn't gotten a decent night's sleep in four days.

If it's not the palpable worry radiating from the King racking up the tension, then it's the fact that the royal children have been summoned to a desolate world to participate in what's essentially a glorified death match on opposite teams, during which Prince Noctis is in nothing but his pajamas.

No one is ever again calling Sola's insistence on keeping her deployment bags in her armiger frivolous.

Though, if Tredd has to be completely honest, Sola's younger brother's lack of proper attire is only a fraction of what's causing the tension. No, the bulk of it goes to Spitfire's newest Uncle and now youngest brother. The once-Chancellor of Niflheim and Captain's kid. Captain's kid who's apparently the Crown Prince's clone, created from a sample Niflheim stole how knows how many years back.

Luche had dipped out to make a phone call to Axis, because those are Arra braids in Ardyn and Nox's hair, and Axis had completely neglected to mention that his recent adoptees were Lucis Caelums, leaving Tredd to watch Axis' clansmen on this fucked-up version of reality TV.

Nyx has been teaching Spitfire the Ulric Dance ever since her Rage a few months back clued them all into the fact that Spitfire's as Sky-born as anyone can get without being an actual dragon - and seriously, Tredd is this close to shaking Nyx, the idiot needs to adopt her already, for Ramuh's sake - so he's in the room whenever he's not sleeping. Which means Libertus is also here, making sure Nyx does take the time to sleep because the last thing any of them need is the twitchy Ulric doing something Dumb, aided by Abyssus literally carrying Nyx out of the room when it's time to catch some shut eye.

Crowe's anxiously watching her girlfriend fight off various monsters and champions, fingers plucking at the rubber band Crowe's worn on her wrist ever since the Burning. This hadn't been how Sola and Crowe had wanted Sola's family to find out about that particular relationship, but Crowe had adamantly refused to be barred from the room for a second until Sola came back.

Luche, like Tredd, is there as Axis' braided brother, leaving the rest of the Fourth Regiment to attend in shifts depending who's on break, with Pelagia and her Third Regiment counterpart running everything because Captain is also busy watching this clusterfuck.

The Marshal's not left since the whole thing started - has he even slept? - but the King and Shield have to leave for short periods to make token appearances lest the entire country learn the royal children have disappeared into the ether. Gladiolus and Ignis have to be forced out of the room for their studies, which has apparently resulted in temper tantrums worthy of a Raging Sola, but the two young teens have yet to convince the King, Shield, or Marshal otherwise so the process repeats every day without fail.

Sola latching on to her new uncle and brother isn't a surprise. She's Sky-born, they do that. Especially because for all that the ex-Chancellor is clearly missing more than a few lines to his sails, he equally as clearly cares for and is protective of his niece and nephews, despite his distaste for Regis and Mors.

Were it not for the danger to her brothers, Sola would probably be having fun. The chance to cut loose against other skilled fighters? No one looming over her shoulder, scrutinizing her every action and deeming anything not up to their standards as 'monstruous'? Sola would have loved that in any other scenario.

But Spitfire has two brothers to protect, and Tredd swears under his breath when Sola assigns herself to Noctis and Nox's guard team, instead letting Ardyn join the strike team. The self-sacrificing dumbass.

"Care to explain that?"

Whoops.

Tredd cringes away from the Marshal's displeasure, silently thanking the Storm-Father that the King and Lord Amicitia are off in an unavoidable meeting with one of the Councilors.

"Sola is better suited on the strike team, sir." Luche says politely, before Tredd can stick his foot further in his mouth. "She's not usually charged with guard duties in the field."

The Marshal eyes them both severely. "Izunia is stronger than Sola." He says sourly. The revelation of the former Chancellor's heritage and all it's unpleasant implications hasn't been fun for anyone. "He can take a smaller strike team, freeing more people to guard Noctis and Nox." Unsaid is the fact that neither Sola nor Ardyn will leave the princes alone with strangers.

"Yes, sir." Luche demurs. That had been the argument Sola used to convince Ardyn.

(Tredd hadn't thought anyone could be more protective than Sola of her brothers, but Ardyn has her beat by a mile. Ifrit have mercy on whoever tries to harm either of the princes in the future, because Sola and Ardyn sure as Pyre won't, and Tredd doubts there'll be enough of the moron in question afterwards to scatter their ashes.)

Tactically, the assignments have merit. As Tredd exchanges a glance with an equally grim-faced Luche, he knows tactics aren't what they - or any of the glaives - are worried about.

Spitfire doesn't do defense. It's not a matter of skill. Tredd wouldn't be worried if it was, skill they can compensate for.

No, the issue is that Sola's a damn dragon of a Sword. Her first, second, and third instinct when dealing with threats is to kill it. She can't do that on defense - her priority has to be Noctis and Nox's safety, even if it means letting her target escape.

It's not impossible. Not when she's got help.

And yet Tredd can't shake the feeling that this isn't going to end any way but badly.

Tredd's right.

Two days later, everything goes to Ifrit's Pyre in a gift basket.

The strike team is away, trying to complete whatever the objective is that will send them all home.

(Ardyn is a force of destruction to contend with, tearing through enemies like they're tissue paper, making the King pale with an anguished epiphany he refused to share.)

The ambush catches everyone off guard. The strange dragon-like creatures swarm the protective detail. The healers push Nox and Noctis behind them, the champions better suited for close quarters combat struggling to keep the creatures off their more vulnerable companions.

In the commotion, Tredd doesn't see what sparks it, but he sure as Pyre sees when Spitfire loses it.

A low snarl rips from her throat, gaze and focus narrowing down on the threat in front of her.

Crowe swears. "Pyre-damn it all, someone back her up-"

But none of the other champions are watching Sola's back. They're too busy with their own battles, too busy keeping the kids safe. They don’t notice how Spitfire's been drawn away from the rest of the group, don't see the blind spot left vulnerable without a glaive or Abyssus there to cover her.

If Sola's family hadn’t known before, they've sure as Pyre realized it now. It's impossible to miss the glaives' reactions - Luche's grim certainty, Libertus' hand a physical restraint on Nyx's shoulder, Nyx's hands clenching and unclenching as he resists the useless instinct to grab his kukris and throw, Crowe's snarling at people who cannot hear, the way every muscle in Tredd's frame coils as he fights off the Fury rising like a wave-

-and crests, as Spitfire staggers, the attack she doesn't see ripping through her. Magic erupts throughout the room as Sola's eyes widen and her face twists in an agonized cry that has no breath to voice.

Sola hits the ground, and Nox s c r e a m s.

Ghostly weapons tear through the remaining creatures, a constant stream of light and steel that is nothing like any armiger they've seen. Champions startle as weapons pass through them harmlessly only to shred the creatures around them, until nothing remains.

The healers rush to Sola's side, but even from here, Tredd can see that it's bad. Really bad - he doesn't know if Spitfire's going to make it even with three healers and her own regeneration trying to save her life.

There's another burst of magic and Ardyn arrives, terrified and protective - Nox's magic must have alerted him, but Tredd doesn't know what the ex-Chancellor can do that the healers can't, Lucis Caelum magic just doesn't heal…

Ardyn takes in Nox, boneless with exhaustion and sobbing in Noctis' hold. Noctis, trying to keep it together. The champions doing their best to shield them from where Sola is laying on the ground between the healers.

(None of them can see it in the blue of the Crystal's hologram, how Sola is too pale against the shock of red hair haloed around her face, nearly indistinguishable from the blood staining the grass.)

Something in Ardyn's spine steels. He strides forward, ignoring the champions' attempts to keep him back, shedding his upper layers before he kneels and gathers Sola against his bare chest.

(The scars hit Tredd like a sucker punch. They've all seen some gnarly scars, no one survived the Burning unscathed, but these… these are torture scars. Torture scars and death blows and the glowing sigil of the royal family that can't be anything other than a brand.)

(The King is white as a sheet. Tredd wants to throw up. Parents are supposed to support you, not… not this.)

(Six, no wonder Axis kept Ardyn and Nox's heritage a secret. That Ardyn is able to trust and care for any of his Kin is astounding.)

It's not until magic rises from Ardyn's skin that Tredd realized what's happening. That he realizes what the tint of the Crystal's magic had disguised. But he's seen Spitfire heal others dozens of times out in the field, he recognizes this shaping of magic, and Ardyn is so much stronger than Spitfire-

It doesn't make it any easier to watch as Ardyn's skin splits, his blooding pouring out to join Sola's painting the ground. Doesn't make it any easier to watch as his wounds close, Ardyn gasping and trembling from more than just pain as he curls over his healed but unconscious niece, even as Noctis and Nox barrel in to comfort him.

Tredd's almost relieved when the Marshal turns to them and demands, "What the fuck just happened?"

As one, every glaive turns to Nyx. He's the only Chief present, he's the only one who can make the decision to share Galahdian lore with Outsiders as he has been with Sola.

Nyx stares a few moments longer at Sola's too-still form, hands flexing. Finally, he turns to face the Marshal and the King, expression dark as a thunderstorm. "We call it the Draconian's Rage."

"We?" The King's eyes are sharp. Tredd thinks he sees something of the warrior the King must have been when he visited Galahd twenty years ago.

"Galahd. The Draconian and the Infernian weren't the only Astrals to Bless humans. The magic disappeared long before the time of the Founder, but we still Remember." Nyx glances back to where the healers are fussing over Sola and Ardyn and Nox. "You have the Draconian's Blessing. But the Draconian isn't human."

Nyx turns back to the King, storm-blue locking with armiger-blue. "The Astrals aren't human, and sometimes their Blessed aren't either."

The King's lips thin. "You're saying my daughter isn't human." Treading on dangerous ground - the King's never taken kindly to the rumors painting Sola a monster.

"Physically, she is." Nyx says, steady as the cliffs against the storm-swept tides. "In her soul? Her instincts? She's no more human than I am."

That startles the King. "You are-?"

"Ramuh's. Storm to Sola's Sky."

There were rumors that the Ulrics were Ramuh's Blessed. Coeurl-Kin. Shape-changers and Wind-Walkers and as Black as the storms in their souls.

Tredd never thought he'd hear the rumors confirmed. This is Clan History. Private Clan History only ever shared with Clan Allies. If that.

"We thought you knew." Tredd says, trying to buy some leeway for Nyx. Tredd can't reveal that he's also not-quite human. Not without his Chief's permission. He might be able to get away with telling Sola - it's only a matter of time before she joins the Clans - but King Regis? Tredd would be in serious trouble. "You have thousands of years of history. Family customs as unique as any of ours." Customs catering specifically to those non-human instincts, Tredd doesn't say.

Tredd suspected otherwise after Sola's Rage in HQ. Sola didn't know anything about her Rages, only that she'd get so angry she couldn't think beyond needing to kill something. She was terrified that she'd try to kill anyone near her, hence her retreating somewhere secluded until she could regain control over herself. When she'd come out of her Rage to find Nyx and Tredd at the end of her weapons, injured but otherwise in one piece, she'd been horrified that she might have tried to kill them.

She hadn't known that she wouldn't. That even in the deepest Rage, her instincts would recognize the difference between hers and threat. Sola would never harm an innocent bystander. Not on purpose. Not unless they provoked her first.

So Tredd had suspected. He didn't want to believe it - how could the Lucis Caelums not have any information of the Draconian's Blessed? He knows Mainlanders don't keep Tales like the Clans do, but they do keep records! Sola cannot be the first Lucis Caelum to be Skyborn!

But no. The royal family has no clue.

What a mess.

"What does that mean for Sola?" The Marshal asks while the King processes Nyx's revelation.

"She's protective." Crowe says. Tredd snorts at the understatement of the century. "She'll react violently to anything threatening her Claimed. Lethally, if she can - Skyborn don't like leaving threats alive to try again."

"Prince Noctis and Nox are her only vulnerable Claimed. Prince Nox has his uncle to protect and care for him, which will satisfy Sola's instincts." Because nothing short of an Astral will be able to get past Ardyn to harm Nox, and even then Tredd would still put his money on Ardyn. "But Sola's Sword to Prince Noctis, and the oldest and strongest of his Retinue. She's his primary protector. Not being allowed or able to kill anything threatening him will stress her instincts."

The Marshal grimaces, glancing at the King and Shield. Tredd wonders if he's thinking about how Sola came to join the Kingsglaive. She'd eventually told them the circumstances behind her joining their training, one night out on deployment. Knowing now that Sola's Skyborn, that was a really Stupid decision on the King's part, banning Sola from protecting her disabled brother. The King was lucky Sola didn't try to sneak out of Insomnia after them.

"When she's under a lot of stress, she'll lose her grasp of human language." Tredd tells them. Tredd's never had that happen to him, but he also knows that as far as Seaborn instincts go, his are fairly tame. Sola, unfortunately, is way out on the extreme end of the scale. "Sign language she can comprehend, and that empathic thing she does with her magic. She'll lose her words before she Rages, so if it's that bad don't bother talking to her. She won't hear it."

Another glance between Sola's relatives. Six, how many signs had they missed?

Tredd determinedly ignores it. "When she's Raging, either give her space to work through it or spar with her. Sola won't hold back, but she won't try to kill you. But if you need to step out of the fight, make it physically clear that you surrender. Weapons away, hands down and open, on your knees and throat bared if you have to."

The King frowns. "That seems… dangerous."

"Not with Sola." Nyx says before Tredd's temper leads him to say something snarky and unwise to the King. "She'll always recognize her own."

"Shit's starting up again." Luche suddenly says.

Everyone turns back to the Crystal, conversation tabled.

For now.

#ffxv #Shadow of Heaven's Light #Little Nox verse #dissidia au #fusion #aka everyone gets to see what happens when a feral Lucis Caelum #doesn't have anyone to watch their back #This Is Why LCs Have Shields #Nyx will probably catch some flak from the other Chiefs for revealing Galahd Culture to Outsiders #But most Chiefs will - grudgingly - agree that Regis deserved to know about the impact of the Draconian's Blessing on his line #Nyx doesn't reveal any other Culture other than Clan Ulric being Storm Blessed #And Nyx has full authority over that decision as the only Chief Ulric #The other Chiefs don't necessarily agree or like his decision but they can't rightly contest it #Nyx does not reveal that the Wanderer had a daughter with an Ulric and that there were a lot of Ulrics descended from said daughter #The magic died out after two generations but the instincts did not #so Ulrics had both Storm- and Sky-born in their Clan which is how Galahdians actually know about Sky instincts #But Regis doesn't need to know that

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chippersweetbaby · 4 months

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some photos from on top of the arches

#noctis lucis caelum #chocobo #chocobo medals #arches #rock of ravatogh #up high #fields #world #road #in the sky #final fantasy xv

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fisherman-fight · 3 months

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ROUND TWO

NOCTIS LUCIS CAELUM from FINAL FANTASY XV vs ESTELLE BRIGHT from TRAILS IN THE SKY

PROPAGANDA:

NOCTIS - "Fishing is the only thing this emo prince gets excited about." "FFXV is basically a fishing game with an rpg strapped to it. noctis literally levels up and gets exp by fishing at different spots on the map. he loves fishing, and would sit there for days if he didnt have other things to do." "Suggests changing his name to Noct Gar at one point. Catches a fish bigger than he is in one quest." "His relationship with fishing is more fleshed out than his relationship with his wife."

ESTELLE - "Estelle can compete in fishing duels with various NPCs to become head of the Fishermen's Guild. she enjoys it a lot and is very good at it, and her affection for fishing is remarked on as part of her personality. assuming you do all the fishing sidequests, Estelle ends up with the title of Legendary Angler, the greatest fisherman in the country of Liberl. (plus she's just a fantastic protagonist in general.)"

#sorry for this massive sfw sasuke style image. not sorry enough to resize it though #noctis got like 9 million submissions omg there was so much good propaganda to sort through.. four was as far as i could narrow it down #i don't go to Final Fantasy but i like his outfit :)#final fantasy xv #ffxv #ff15 #final fantasy 15 #noctis lucis caelum #estelle bright #estelle trails in the sky #trails in the sky #PLEASE TELL ME Y'ALL AREN'T USING THE ABBREVIATION 'TITS' FOR THIS LMAO #fishticuffs

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skytsunrose · 7 months

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Noctifa edit! Saw a week for them on twitter/X so thought make something for them ❤️🥹 totally cute together. They are in Seventh Heaven celebrating together ❤️

#noctifa #noctis x tifa #noctis lucis caelum #tifa lockhart #ff15 #ff7 #final fantasy #crossover ship #sky's edit #multishipping #multishipper #shipping

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oathofpromises · 9 months

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My heart found solace in your radiant sun.Through the tapestry of existence,entwined,Destiny's threads weaving our souls as one.

#— ❛❛ //Final Fantasy XIV¦I will tell you a tale. A tale of a world on the brink.・「 Main Verse」#— ❛❛ //Final Fantasy XIV ¦ Crystal hearts entwined beyond time and space・「 Exarch and Lady Exarch Verse」#— ❛❛ //Final Fantasy XIV ¦ Beyond Everything I will always chose you my heart・「 Mako and T'sori Verse」#— ❛❛ // G'RAHA TIA ¦ Your love will be the compass of my heart ・「 Diademreigned」#— ❛❛ // CRYSTAL EXARCH ¦ Across time and space I will always love you・「 Diademreigned」#— ❛❛ // STELLA CAELUM & CRYSTAL EXARCH ¦DYNAMIC・「You are my star the one I can ill afford to lose」#— ❛❛ // LADY EXARCH & CRYSTAL EXARCH ¦DYNAMIC・「You are my heart. The brightest Star in my sky」#— ❛❛ // STELLA CAELUM & G'RAHA TIA ¦DYNAMIC・「The vicious cycle was over The moment you smiled at me」#— ❛❛ // REFLECTIONS IN THE CRYSTAL ¦ Stella Graphics・#I just;; Love them alot..all of these forms of them have loved each other across so much #not free to use #don't repost

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haveyoureadthistransbook · 3 months

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Sky and Dew by Novae Caelum

goodreads

In the Hallows, words are magic, and words can kill. Sky took a vow of silence and left the world above to keep her city's magic alive. Now, she wanders the Hallows as an acolyte of the Lost Emperor - an unseen legend from another world whose words fuel the magic above. But when her lover breaks their vow of silence and falls deathly ill, Sky must descend to the deepest depths of the Hallows to beg the Lost Emperor's help. What she finds, though, is a tragedy that spans centuries, and Sky will stop at nothing to make it right.

Mod opinion: I haven't read this one yet, but it sounds interesting.

#sky and dew #novae caelum #polls #trans lit #trans literature #trans books #lgbt lit #lgbt literature #lgbt books #nonbinary #own voices #to read

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alradeck · 1 month

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I did a dumb animation of Neri acting like the Carno from Prehistoric Planet and set it to club music here, if you wanna check out my budding Youtube channel!

#animation #dragon #furry #art #illustration #demon #caelum sky #monster #dinosaur #animals #caelum #cute

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caelum-sky · 1 year

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I’m gonna start posting all the pages on here since twitter’s imploding. I’ll try to do 6-7 pages at a time (We’re currently on 209)

Read the whole thing without waiting: https://caelumsky.thecomicseries.com/

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/m/CaelumSky

#Caelum Sky #comic #graphic novel #online #dinosaur #demon #angel #exorcist

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risarchives · 2 years

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so so so we're all aware that caelum’s name means heaven or sky, right? now imagine two scenes connected by a match cut transition where in the first scene, we’re witnessing freelancer, gavin, and caelum spend halloween together in the prime universe. caelum jumping up and down the sofa because cookies! candies! fun fun fun! and freelancer, with a smile on their face, reaching up to him so he would calm down a bit and also not break their couch, you know. gavin stands there, peacefully smiling, watching them. this is his peace, his haven. then it cuts to vindemiator and imp!freelancer solemnly watching the night sky together, with freelancer quietly stretching their arm skywards to pretend as if they're touching it, holding it. this is the closest thing they have to tranquility. once it crumbles, they're left with nothing.

#as much as i refuse the idea that the r.asmr storyline will ever work well as a film as it does in this medium #this idea is achingly beautiful #caelum (sky) is never in the imperium but. also always up there. fl just can't reach him :(#i wonder if vindemiator is in any relation to imp*caelum (i assume he's in aria)#imagine him just being relieved that caelum isn't here for any of these harmful experiences #and then looking at freelancer just thinking. he would have loved you. so much #their empathy. their drive. their kindness #. stab me #empathy lives here and it's not caelum this time #an empathy that makes his heart ache #because **does he deserve this? does he deserve caelum? freelancer?**#wooh the angst #redacted asmr #redacted freelancer #redacted gavin #redacted caelum #redacted vindemiator #redacted imperium #redacted audio #echotober #rambles

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betweentheseaandsky-if · 2 years

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What is the sorcerer planning to do if we don't achieve our goal?

Taking you as theirs. Having an Heir to Atlantis in their debt is quite a lofty thing to have.

It would just be a shame if they ended up falling for the very pawn they wish to use.

#between the sea and sky #caelum lancaster #caelya lancaster #anonymous #asks #ask

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a-world-in-grey · 2 years

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Sola/Blood of My Blood - Coming of Age IV

@secret-engima in which Sola gets to silently threaten someone, discovers a mother's intuition is a terrifying thing, and spots something surprising.

Sola knows she can't rescue Noctis from everyone who wants to talk to him. It would send entirely the wrong message about Noctis' mental health and capability to those watching.

There's also just too many people.

Fortunately, Ignis is even better at politics than the rest of the Retinue, smoothly deflecting those undeterred by Sola's sharp looks. Half those looks are directed at Aedes, who, for all that he shares his sister's intelligence, does not have a fraction of her social grace and often lets his curiosity override his sense of tact.

Not that Gladio and Prompto aren't helping. For all that Gladio doesn't have Ignis' silver tongue, he's always been good with people. Good at picking out trouble, and he turns that skill towards engaging certain individuals in conversation before they can bring up unwise topics. Prompto is simply being his usual self - sunshine smiles and eager enthusiasm drawing those curious over Noctis' Heart like moths to a flame.

The fragile peace doesn't last. Sola doesn't expect it to.

So when Plenus Egestas opens his Pyre-cursed mouth and Sola feels Noctis go rigid from five seats down, she lets her red lips curl into a toothy smile, and ignores the nobles flinching further down the table.

They've been flinching at her smile for fifteen years.

"I fail to see why you are all so surprised. Members of the Royal Retinue have come from all walks of life." Sola says, pitching her voice to easily reach those eavesdropping. Her gaze doesn't waver from Lord Egestas. "Gilgamesh had neither wealth nor status when Somnus took him as his Shield. Marshal Leonis was a soldier before he became His Majesty's Sword."

Uncle Cor is not impressed with the sudden attention aimed his way. Attention that hurriedly shifts elsewhere when he narrows his eyes and all but dares them to say something.

A nonchalant flick of brightly painted nails catches and brings that attention back to her. "Diversity brings perspective and understanding. It encourages growth. Discarding others as superfluous because they lack our privilege is… breathtakingly shortsighted."

A single raised brow, a slight tilt of her head, and a small smile - Sola's expression of polite interest does nothing to hide the sheer lethal intent burning in her eyes as she stares down Plenus across the table. "Unless you disagree, Lord Egestas?"

For all that Sola despises him, Plenus is no idiot. "Of course not, Your Highness."

Liar.

But that topic is very firmly closed, and Sola's not about to reopen it. There will be other opportunities to try to nail that slippery menace to the wall.

The rest of dinner passes uneventfully save for Prompto swooping in to rescue Noctis from his dessert. Sola immediately jumps in on the teasing, telling her little brother to consider this a lesson in not betting anything he isn't prepared to lose.

Only for Tredd - because he's an asshole - to say with a sly grin, "Like that entire package of baked goods Ignis sent you seven years back?"

Prompto chokes on his forkful of cake.

"Would these have been the ones 'very well-received'?" Ignis asks, arching a brow at Sola while Gladio snickers and Noctis grins. Prompto's too preoccupied drinking water to clear his throat to join in.

Sola scowls. "Unfortunately."

"What'd you bet it on?" Gladio asks.

"Now that's-" Tredd pauses at Sola's narrowed eyes and backtracks immediately, "not my story to share."

"Good save."

"I like my kneecaps where they are, thanks."

"Doesn't everyone?" Sola agrees brightly.

"The moral of the story," Libertus says, before she and Tredd can start their usual banter. Ah, yes, she forgets how few outside the Kingsglaive are comfortable with a soldier’s brand of humor. Aedes is looking a little unnerved. "Never bet anything you aren't prepared to lose, clearly define all forfeits, and never embarrass a lady in front of an audience."

"Wise words." Regis interjects, looking highly amused by the shenanigans.

It’s not much longer before everyone finishes dessert and Regis stands, leading the exodus from the banquet hall to what is privately Sola’s favorite ballroom.

It is one of the summer ballrooms. High ceilings and a wall of open doors to keep the heat from stifling the crowd. The ceiling painted to mimic the glory of the night sky as seen on the Summer Solstice, painted back before the light of the city drowned out the breathtaking view now only visible beyond the Wall.

There is a… mechanism of sorts, Sola knows, that makes the ceiling glow as if it really were the night sky. The Clever added it, years after the room's construction. The fresco itself was commissioned by the Wanderer.

Something Sola didn’t know until she gained the Wanderer’s memories. As well as another fact that had Sola dragging almost a dozen glaives from the Fourth to the ballroom in the dead of night near the end of summer, flipping the mechanism on, and listening as the glaives laying on the floor gasped with sudden recognition at the Galahdian sky above them, as seen from Ramuh’s highest temple, at the peak of Galahd’s tallest mountain.

Of course, it's one of Uncle Cor’s least favorite ballrooms, if only because arranging security to his satisfaction is a nightmare. Sola knows, Captain and Uncle Cor used this ballroom as an example when they were training her in security formations before she took over as acting-Captain. So many angles for a sniper to take advantage of…

But security is Uncle Cor’s concern tonight. Even the glaives are reporting to him tonight, which would’ve prompted no few grumbles a few years ago. The glaives do not answer to the Crownsguard, not even the Marshal. Except Captain marrying and having a kid with Uncle Cor has somehow made him Captain-by-proxy when Captain is unavailable, but only because Captain has explicitly ordered the glaives to report to Cor in her and Sola’s absence and because Cor put in a lot of effort to earn their respect.

That the Crownsguard now reports to Captain in Cor’s absence just reaffirms that Aunt Tiz and Uncle Cor are Insomnia’s best power-couple.

No, instead Sola allows her husband to lead her onto the dance floor for the opening dance alongside Noctis and Alere Operis.

It is somewhat rude, for Sola and Libertus to steal attention from her little brother at his Coming of Age. But there’s no hiding the skill and grace at which Sola and Libertus glide across the dance floor, the blue of their tartans and the gold blazoned on black drawing and holding the eye compared to Noctis’ black and Alere’s dark violet.

It’s not like Noctis cares.

The dance ends soon enough, and Sola and Libertus retreat to the side of the room. The nobles waste no time descending upon them. Young ladies - and several older ones - drawing her Retinue away for a dance, succeeding or failing to various degrees. Nyx pulls out his most charming self, Luche is impeccably polite, Axis silently annoyed, and Tredd less than silently annoyed. Libertus and Sola are able to avoid dancing with anyone else. Protocol forbids asking a married Lucis Caelum - or their spouse - to dance.

Papa isn’t the first Lucis Caelum to refuse any dance partner other than his wife. More than a few persistent courtiers in past centuries have gotten rather pointed refusals. In one notable case ending with a brooch pin through the offending courtier’s hand.

Dragons aren’t known for sharing.

The only exceptions are when Uncle Cor or any of her boys - Ignis, Gladio, and Prompto may be Noctis' Retinue, but that doesn't make them any less hers than her little brother - come to ask for a dance. Cor, Noctis, Axis, and Tredd steal her for a couple dances each, eager to escape the socialites. Prompto and her share a surprisingly fluid Altissian waltz, given the blonde's tendency to trip over his own feet, and then Libertus is there to sweep her away for the next three dances.

Sola strikes a delicate balance between the dance floor and talking with the court. Enough time for the nobles to ask their questions about her marriage, but short enough that they feel they need to hurry before Sola's attention is drawn away once more. Few of the nobles deign to speak with mere refugees, Sola's Retinue or not, which leaves only Uncle Cor - who is hardly one to engage in what he deems pointless gossip - Papa - who clearly indulges his eldest child and her whims - or Noctis and his Retinue for them to seek answers from.

Of course, anyone insinuating anything to Noctis risks taking their lives into their own hands. Duels of honor have been declared over less. No one has actually followed through on such a challenge in almost two hundred years, but the tradition is still legal. Sola wouldn't put it past her brother challenge someone if his temper snaps. Frankly, anyone stupid enough to push Noctis to that point deserves it. As she told her Retinue when she gave them permission to call the nobles on their bluffs: either the morons need to put their money where their mouths are or learn to keep their mouths shut.

Nyx returns from a quickstep with Copia Egestas, who is dressed in an eye searing combination of yellow and orange and sequins - Six, why are sequins coming back, Sola hates sequins, they're itchy - a pretty floral clip keeping her blonde curls out of her face but leaving them free to tumble over bare shoulders. "Your Highnesses," She greets, "I wanted to congratulate you on your marriage."

"Thank you."

"I see the Marshal is fending for himself tonight. Captain Drautos at home, then?"

Six bless Copia. No further questions about her marriage, no questions about Noctis. Sola smiles and Libertus turns back to his conversation with Veris Colere about differences between Galahdian and Lucian varieties of crops. "Yeah. Unlike Uncle Cor, Aunt Tiz isn't part of the King's Retinue, so she can skip out and spend the night with their son instead." And Dyn, with Abyssus and Cyrus as back up just in case, and to keep Dyn company if he misses his father. Noctis is rarely separated from Dyn for great lengths of time, so no one is quite sure how well either of them are going to take it.

Captain hasn't sounded the alarm, so hopefully that means all is well on that front.

Letting her gaze drift over to another socialite - twitching at the bright glittery pink coeurl print, who comes up with these designs - trying to flirt with Uncle Cor, Sola scoffs. "Not that her absence will spare the airheads."

Copia follows her gaze and snorts, the sound entirely unlady-like. "Sweet Shiva, there are still people dumb enough to try that? Don't they remember what happened to the last ones?"

"To bold for her own good." Sola says, dismissing the woman and turning her attention back to Copia. She trusts her Retinue and the glaives pulling security to note names and faces. And maybe start planning vengeance on Captain’s behalf. Captain shouldn’t have to busy herself with idiots. It’ll make good training for the rookies specializing in covert operations. They’ve got a few Arra and Tibiae and a particularly devious Praesidium that’ll leap at the opportunity to practice their sabotage skills. "How's little Mira? She turns seven soon, doesn't she?"

"Just shy of a month." Copia says wistfully. "Seems like yesterday I could still rock her to sleep."

Sola understands that feeling. Noctis grew up too fast too.

A couple brushes past, and Copia steps close to Sola to allow them past. She doesn't withdraw right away, and her voice drops until only Sola can hear her over the crowd and music. "I also want to congratulate you again. I don't know when you plan to announce it, but if you have any questions in the next months, feel free to ask."

Sola blinks at Copia, stunned. How-

Copia smirks, drawing back again. "You're glowing, Your Highness." Her eyes drift through the crowd, and her expression softens. "I have experience with that."

"Indeed." Sola laughs softly, even as she spies Mira's head of blonde curls among the small group children surrounding an elderly man by one of the benches lining the hall, enraptured by whatever tale he's weaving for them with dancing hands and words… Wait.

She knows those movements. Those are Keeper movements, who-

No. There's no way.

Why is the Storm Father at her brother's Coming of Age?

#ffxv #Shadow of Heaven's Light #fusion #Blood of my Blood verse #Sola Lucis Caelum #Libertus Ostium #Noctis Lucis Caelum #Chocobros #Kingsglaive #Copia Egestas #I have hcs about the Wanderer adding subtle Galahdian touches to the Citadel #The Clever is the only person who ever noticed the fresco wasn't depicting Insomnia's sky #and went out of his way to figure out the details #Sola still terrifies most of the Court #she's accepted it and now uses it when she needs to make a point #besides it's not like the Court is wrong #Sola ripped out a man's throat and she's absolutely willing to do it again

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