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Skiagraphia XVII: Part II (Patreon)

Published:
2016-02-01 07:37:55
Imported:
2026-10

Content

The second half of the chapter is here, or you can read the ENTIRE thing all in one file here!

Wheeeeewwwwwwwwwww.

Well, it's done! (and still in January, technically, in my time zone!) Or, almost done, there's still an epilogue. It just took about 8 years, 5 of which were spent on THIS BOOK ALONE, to finish.  After the epilogue goes up I will probably have a giant long rambling thing to say about the series but, for now, just enjoy the last chapter. :)

Files

Comments

W0llen

Omg I love this! I spent the whole day dragging my feet when it came to reading the second half of this last chapter because I didn't want this to end..! It was beautiful and I'm getting very emotional, to say the least.. Thank you for taking the time to create this world and these characters, and for sharing them with us!

Teromain

I'm glad you enjoyed it! There is a little bit left with the epilogue, and there will be lots more stories in this world, so only a little bit of it is over. :)

Alex

Ahhhhh, wow. This was so good. It was just SO amazing haha. And wow, that was an AWESOME fight scene. I love fight scenes so much. Nothing makes me happier than an intense combat scene and this did not disappoint! I loved the description of all the weapons, and the image I have in my head for Arirsanya's is awesome. I also liked that we get to see Keyd fight and even if he lost his oen he's still a solider. I'm glad we got to see Hahd for a short bit too! He seems like such a fun guy, like out of everyone in the story he seems like the kind of guy you'd want to go to the bars with, or something. I also loved the chance to see Kir in action. I'm sure I'm probably mostly imagined this, because I'm a Big Gay, but it almost seemed like there was a tiny little something between Dahne and Ansa, which I really liked. :0 Also I want to say I'm glad everyone, especially Rysa walked away from this fight OK, I got a little worried what with the cliffhanger leaving us with a sword at her throat. I'm really interested to learn how all the trails for the Worthy conspirators turn out. I'm also really interested in Rajhyon and what made him change his mind, and if he ends up getting tried/pardoned/what. For all that we've only seen him for just this little bit I'm already intrigued by him! I really liked the mood you set for the scene with the two of them in the tent--it really did have that feeling of a moment you're already nostalgic for. I know the exact feeling and it pulled at my hearstrings a little. And I may have teared up a little bit at just how intensely emotional that scene made me, both with the sense of something coming to an end but also with something beginning? And just how well written their relationship is. And I like how cathartic the tree scene seemed to be for Keyd. I like watching him slowly realize/recognize/accept that he has emotions through the story! I also like all the descriptions of clarbach/oenclar interactions, and just the sense of how strange things must feel/be for a lot of them. And I absolutely love that Rysa got to go and see her family for the first time in however many years--even if we didn't see it, it made me happy! The final scene is just a perfect, and hopefully, and happy, and just great. It left me smiling and sniffling for a while, not gonna lie. Anyway I will try and stop gushing now, but this was just so amazing and I felt the emotions were so well done and it felt so tangible and like everything was sort of building up to this chapter! I really, really enjoyed it and it made me really happy after a sort of exhausting day (: I'm looking forward to the epilogue!

Teromain

Ahh I love your comments they're always so long and nice to read! It's always just great to hear what works for people and what stands out. Fight scenes are SO hard to do, and I always appreciate well-written ones myself, and I'm glad you liked this one! You'll probably like the commentary for this chapter because it'll be WEAPONS EVERYWHERE; all of them are based on real ones that are generally East Asian or Middle Eastern inspired; Arirsanya's are very similar to a real type of Indian push dagger called a katar. And Keyd can definitely still fight, and I did want that to be seen…even if now he won't have much of a reason to (which he won't mind). Yeah Hahd is like, that one guy that /everybody/ knows and nobody dislikes and is just easy-going and cool. He's not that much younger than Darban (12 years, which is not much for clar) so he's actually been a soldier for a pretty long time and knows a LOT of people, he just never cared to get promoted. Most of the people he brought to the fight with him outrank him by a lot, because they're his buddies from training. Most of these characters have never been seen fighting, actually! Or even what their weapons are (it's probably not surprising at all that Kir is an archer). Which I know is kind of weird, for a story about a war (well, it's more war politics than war) but I do have a couple notes on why that is in the commentary. There was a little thing there between Dahne and Ansa actually. :) It was actually more obvious in an earlier version. But it seemed out of place to have too much focus on it right THEN, but what stayed in is still pick-up-able (if that's a word), I think. Alan's just too much of a doof to notice it himself, haha. There's going to be a lot of one-shots and side-stories for this series that'll take place before, during, and after it, from various characters' POVs, and the Worthy trials will be one of them. What happens to Rahjnyon (and Gannekein too, since he's still in jail) will definitely be included in future stories. They just couldn't fit in this book! Well, they could, but this book is already like 4 books worth of book. Which is also why I skimmed through Rysa meeting her family again LIKE A HUGE CHEAT, but there just wasn't room for everything. In rewrites, which I almost 100% am sure at this point that this book will be two books (and a lot cut out also), that scene will be expanded a lot more. And more weird oenclar/clarbach tensions will be at the center of the five-years-later story with Rhet and Ansa; that story has a couple main plots in it and that's one of the biggest ones. Keyd is just at the very start of his accepting-his-emotions journey. He still has really intense things he's pushing away and trying to forget about (like his mom, especially), but he is getting better! Having a halfway-traumatic childhood didn't help him much. The epilogue is just kind of short cute and semi-sappy little thing but I'm looking forward to posting it pretty soon here. :)

Alex

Oh man I'd imagine fight scenes are hard, especially ones where there are a lot of players to keep track of. And yes, ah, weapons commentary is right up my alley! For someone who has never wielded a weapon (not for lack of trying to find someone to teach me, though) in her life I'm really into weaponry :P that and military history are just the two most fun things to read about, I feel like. and yay, sometimes I imagine things between female characters that aren't there because I get hopeful and I'm glad it wasn't just me. Even when one character is canonically gay I still have a moment of "... was that there or do I just really want lesbians," haha. that makes me really happy! and awesome, I'll look forward to finding out what happens in the trails! And I guess going to jail probably actually worked out for Gannekein because then he didn't get pulled even more into this whole plot.

A. Mori

Oh man, so many feels. I had to stop reading a few times towards the end because I was getting a bit teary-eyed. ;_; I can't believe there's just the epilogue and then this series is over! I remember when I first started following your work and there was only the Skiagraphia prologue on FictionPress. Everything about this second half of the chapter was brilliant; the exciting, fast-paced fight at the beginning with all the cool weapons; Hahd, Dahne, and Kir's heroic and awesomely dramatic arrivals; Darban's brief but determined reappearance; everything they've all worked so hard for finally being achieved and the treaty being made; the incredibly moving scene where Keyd and Alan go to see the trees, and Keyd actually allows himself to acknowledge and display some emotions; Rysa getting to do what she must have thought impossible and being reunited with her family; and finally, the beautifully hopeful note it ends on. The amount of detail, world building, and hard work that you've put into this series are absolutely astounding. Very few authors put as much thought and effort into their work as you do. You've created such a wonderful, in depth world full of rich, diverse histories and cultures, languages with their own fascinating rules, and most of all, amazing characters who are so believable and well-written that it's impossible not to like and care about them. I feel like Alan, Keyd, Rysa, and all the others are old friends who I've been on an epic journey with, and I very much hope to see them all again in other stories you write. TL;DR, thank you for writing this fantastic, fantastic series and for sharing it with us. I feel privileged to have read it. :)

Kevin Wotipka

I think it's amazing that you've managed to put together this whole series before you even turn thirty. Considering how long it is, I don't think you've been slow at all. And you gotten some point across well along the way: That a person doesn't have to mighty to be powerful (Alan); That poor leadership, even with the best intentions, can lead to the worst of consequences (Maedestin); That ignorance and prejudice can turn even a saving grace into a curse (the clar in general)—we're liable to see quite a bit of that ourselves in the next fifty years or so as the discoveries of science are put to (more) evil ends, and God knows we've seen it happen with the concept of religion, despite the best intentions of its originators; that a good friend will always have your back (Hahd, Rhet, Ansa, Kir and all the rest) even if they think you're funny and weird; that one doesn't have to forget to forgive (Alan, of course, and everyone who knows what Alan did in Nocturne)–I especially liked that little scene with Hyesetsjen, and that Alan wasn't at all apologetic about it either. I think they'll get along well, eventually. And so many other little moments and lessons woven into the web of the story that make it such a rewarding read, even if it is approaching A MILLION WORDS by now. I know you think you've asked a lot of me in proofreading these long chapters, but like I said before, don't ever be afraid to ask. It's a pleasure to help you out with them. It's worth the time.

Teromain

Yeah this one had a LOT of players, so I really had to keep track of where everyone was, what they were doing, what they could actually do at any time (helped that Alan only sees small parts of the fight at a time). And at least some of the people weren't named and Alan wasn't sure how many people there actually were, so that made it a little easier. But it's like creating weird choreography without having actual people to work with, haha. Lots of weaponry commentary for sure, I find it all really neat and interesting too, even though the only weapon I've ever handled is a bow. Which are probably my favorite anyway. :) Ansa's half of the five-years-later story will have even more relationship stuff (won't say with who though haha). But she will get some romance. And yeah Gannekein would've probably DIED if he got involved in this, because he was only like a year into training and has no oen marks and would've just gotten slaughtered, if his dad hadn't already used him for something else that might've gotten him killed, since obviously Arirsanya is not above doing that. He has reasons for this, they're not GOOD reasons, but to himself it's justifiable how he treats Gannekein.

Teromain

And Skiagraphia started at the end of 2009! So it's been a while, haha. I'm glad you stuck the story, since I know there were some times in there I only updated once or twice a year. -_- I'm really glad you enjoyed this chapter. Last chapters are always pretty hard, I actually find endings harder than beginnings! Which is often why I write them first, so I know where I'm going with the story and the place it needs to reach. The final scene has been written for several years, though I did change/edit/polish it occasionally, it's always been the same scene generally since 2009/2010. And fight scenes are always hard too, especially when the main/viewpoint character is barely fighting at all. I really love this world and universe and I'm glad other people do to, because I will probably write stories in it for forever. And a lot of them will include all these same characters, so even though this story is ending, these people will definitely be around for a while. :) Especially Keyd's POV which, obviously, is the same stretch of time and events and people. A lot of my effort is going to go into the rewrites first and Keyd's POV second, and after that I have three of four stories to pick from to work on, all of which are novel length! I'm just really glad people have enjoyed this series as much as they have, since it's been a lot of fun to do.

Teromain

Well it did take almost all of my 20s to do, so I suppose that works out! I was about 21 when I started plotting it out/writing the first book. And I won't considered it /totally/ finished until the rewrites are done, but at least the story is told! And the whole series is about 850k right now (using the old word count from Chiaroscuro), which IS really ridiculous, and that doesn't count deleted and alternate and extra scenes I've written and shared. Almost half of that is just Skiagraphia itself, which is why it's very very likely getting split into two books (since even with all the cuts I KNOW I can do, it will still be far far too long for just one book). I'm really glad you've enjoyed it (and don't mind proofreading endlessly long chapters!) and that other people have too. People telling me it's worth it to read really makes me happy, because that's all I really want to do, is write things people enjoy and maybe get something out of. Which is why everything I've written has been free and why I feel like a jerk now thinking about trying to publish it and not letting people see parts of the story, but ugh, have to make some money somewhere, somehow. I wish it could all be free forever but sadly it just can't work that way.

A. Mori

Yikes, that means I was still in college when you began posting Skiagraphia! It's crazy to think it's been that long, it doesn't seem like it at all. But even if you'd only updated once or twice a year for the whole story, I still would have stuck with it. Your writing is more than worth it. :3 Writing the ending first is a really good idea - you can often tell when an author obviously had no idea where their story was going. And I've always found you handle fight scenes really well, especially, as you said, when Alan often isn't directly involved. You focus on the important information and actions rather than confusing things with lots of flowery, irrelevant descriptions (which is a problem I often come across in the sci-fi/fantasy genres), so it's always clear where everyone is and what they're doing and I find it very easy to visualise how the fights are playing out. Yes, please do write stories in this universe forever! Then we just need to find a way to make you immortal... :D

Teromain

Yeah it really shouldn't've taken this long! But the years I updated 1-2 a year I was super sick and working at the same time so barely had energy for stuff; I'm amazed I actually got ANYTHING posted, although those years do have a big dip in how productive I was.

lonealien

That was a really great way to wrap up the series! I loved how all their friends were there in the end. I also liked the little details, like Kir's epic bow and Ansa & Dahne's moment. I'm also relieved that Darban is okay and that Rysa got reunited with her family. Considering all the crap they've gone through, it's nice to see a happy ending. But congratulations on almost finishing this giant series! (Even though I do hope you keep writing stories in this setting)

Potatoe

This was such a good ending! I'm really glad nobody awesome died. I like that throughout the story, Alan remains a believable hero. He does a lot of good and is very important, but he doesn't suddenly become a badass action hero when it's convenient. Man, I've been reading this thing for so long. Not quite from the beginning, but since book one! Thank you for many years of incredible fiction and I look forward to the rewrites and Keyd's story and whatever else you put out.

Teromain

Thanks you! And I have a LOT of things planned to write for this world/universe, and a lot of them will include these same characters (in bigger or smaller roles) so even though this part is over (almost), the whole ride isn't. I'm glad people want to see more in this world too because it really has endless possibilities.

Teromain

Yeah I really wanted to make sure than Alan never pulled a better-alien-than-the-aliens--which happens SO MUCH in this kind of SF--but that he stayed important, so generally he ended up being a catalyst or a tool that was important to starting or encouraging events but that other still-capable characters took the lead with. And he was absolutely never meant to be a soldier or good at fighting. Book one was posted originally in just 7 weeks back in 2008, so even if you didn't start reading right at the beginning it'd be /really/ close to the beginning! I'mg lad you're looking forward to more things, because there's definitely going to be a lot of more things. :)

Brianna

So much to say about this last chapter- Alan described the clash pretty succinctly with the word brawl. I had to laugh at Kir's excitement at seeing Alan had survived and it was adorable when Alan felt he had to give Kir and Darban privacy. Rysa's family reunion, I wish I could be a fly on that household's wall. I am sure if we could see it there wouldn't be a dry eye left. Essentially aside from the fighting leaving me on edge, the majority of the chapter had me gleefully rejoicing over old friends making reappearances. Aside from the epilogue, will there be any short stories with Rysa? I know you've got a Darban and Kir WIP, but I would love some more Rysa too. :)

Teromain

Kir actually didn't expect to see Alan there at all, and once he realized he'd been in the middle of a big fight, he really was surprised/relieved to know he was okay and not hurt because...obviously Alan's not a soldier and not prepared for this kind of thing. I really wish I could have included a much longer scene with Rysa's family, but the story is SO LONG and I just had to get this chapter finished and I know I totally skipped over it, and maybe I will do a side/short story with the actual reunion because it was extremely anticlimactic after everything. But Rysa has an entire novel-length story planned for her! So there's definitely going to be more Rysa stuff in the future; it starts off when she's a youngish teenager and so includes several years where she was still living with her family and in Uillad.