'HeartTheft' Chapter 8!
Added 2023-06-24 04:48:07 +0000 UTCOnly chapter so far with a finished colored illustration XP I dunno what that says about me.
Comments/critiques/reactions always wanted!
Comments
I noticed that Isodor lowers himself a lot than what he would really be capable of doing, he doesn't have much confidence in himself, I think this is part of someone who is innocent to the point of being naive, since he was raised in a church deprived of certain things, to avoid being able to have a better understanding of himself and others, this reaches a point that his belief in the church reaches such a high point that it blinds him, I can say that it doesn't reach the point of fanaticism, but it makes him unable to see the truth, but because he met Darcy it makes him start to doubt himself more and about what he thinks is right and wrong, this is my point of view until this chapter.
kovú
2024-12-22 23:54:29 +0000 UTCLove the story so far! My heart aches for both Malachi and Isidor, and the image evokes these feelings even moreso. Malachi may be a foil to Isidor but they also parallel each other in many many ways. I hope both of them are able to truly love themselves and find love eventually. I also noticed a small typo this chapter, “pouring over information” instead of “poring over information.”
helioleo
2023-10-29 21:51:57 +0000 UTCThe image is depicting Malachi's preferred methods to seek repentance... scourging (AKA self-flagellation or whipping). You'll be seeing it in a future chapter.
Trejaan Cavelion
2023-06-25 01:53:13 +0000 UTCWhat a delight to have three weeks of Rukis's chapters in a row! This chapter was fantastic. I don't expect there to be a new chapter next week given we will both be at AnthroCon and recovering soon after, but it was an amazing time to be had. This story has blossomed in the past few chapters. I was loving it but by chapter four I wasn't sure where you could develop it; the chase as-is couldn't have continued forever. These additional characters and folds in the story are really strong. The comment I didn't share last week is that I really wanted to see a visual depiction of Malachi. I wonder what this art is depicting. Is it him being punished? Or, was he forced to kill/torture his partner? Hm. I don't want to take away from the raw emotion of the piece. However, I must say... based on the depictions of him in the story, I imagined him being incredibly sexy... and yeah, he's fucking hot. (I promise that is not the only thing the image is evoking or has me thinking about!) I think the scene with him and Isidor was very well done. Not sure if you were going for this? But I assume so: to me, there was an undercurrent of mild sexual tension without there actually being any. It cleverly hinted toward Malachi being gay(?). This is due to the focus on touch and the way the dialogue played out. Part of me was hoping they'd experiment a bit, but it doesn't make sense for the story and characters at this time. You could certainly add to Isidor's guilt this way and the fact that Isidor was drunk made it more fathomable, but eh... it'd be hard to make it not seem out of character and I don't think that's where you are taking things. Now for my spoilery-speculation. If you haven't read Rukis's stories to their end, please don't continue reading. And don't read below unless you want my ideas about this story planted in your head. I hypothesize that Malachi will be killed in the future. Why? 1) Rukis's stories tend to have a theme of karma. If you look at Legacy, there's nearly a perfect 1:1 mapping of the characters that shed blood and those who died. Given Malachi's past, he aligns with this trope. 2) There is a general assumption that Darcy and Isidor are going to be in a relationship eventually. The question is how do you get to that point? Malachi's character has probably served one of its most important functions, which is to create an avenue for Isidor to come out. I can see how he might add to the story in the future, either becoming a counselor (though leaning a bit too heavily towards the 'sinner' perspective), a lesson, or a source of temptation for Isidor (probably not that last one. Gods, I'm sorry Rukis. Lol.) I don't know where it will go and I'm very interested to see how they'll continue to interact. (That might be cut short based on the end of this chapter.) Anyways, with Isidor questioning the church and the setup that Darcy probably isn't a killer, and that the church is hiding dirt about the artifacts, I expect there to be a falling-out of sorts to enable Darcy and Isidor's relationship. But Isidor is still too brainwashed at the moment. Malachi's rule-breaking may have helped with that, but I suspect that fuse was ended with Dolus. So: one of the ways to instigate a breakdown of trust for Isidor is for the church to take some radical action, such as killing Malachi or the family helping Darcy. Bonus points if Isidor has to kill him to prevent Farcy torture from goong too far. 3) The characters Rukis tends to kill are ones we have a lot of sympathy towards. But they also tend to make a mistake of some sort that certainly doesn't justify their death but is a causal factor. This whole outing with Isidor is maybe one of those 'mistakes'. 4) Were at chapter 8 with minimal bloodshed. Although I certainly don't want it to happen, I can't help but speculate. I suppose we'll have to wait and find out! :)
Viruleince
2023-06-24 18:01:27 +0000 UTCSoo... It seems like Malaci did sin - possibly with another man, and was forgiven. And Dolus is now thinking that Malaci was trying to influence Isi in the same way. I only hope that Malaci is not punished for taking Isi's confession. Atleast now Isi has an idea of how 'Men Do it!!!!', and it will be seen if this pop's into his dreams. Really loving this.
Marcwolf
2023-06-24 11:54:14 +0000 UTCReading this again after hearing you read the later chapters, really changes the dynamic with Dolus and with Malaci. Great job, Rukis!
Trejaan Cavelion
2023-06-24 05:35:16 +0000 UTCFind them Isi! YOU LOVE THEM!
Scandhoovian
2023-06-24 05:32:29 +0000 UTC
