The Marked (WIP)-- Update 07/16/25

Ok if I am getting this right, the light affinity is given to someone that is a people pleaser and does not what to step on anybody’s toes even if said people mean harm or conflict on another person

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Not at all. Though if you disagree with the light affinity option you don’t have to choose it.

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Author, all I am trying to say is that you got the whole light affinity requirement to have it messed up, if you are gonna give light affinities to certain options then don’t disregard the ones that also deserve it, like you did with the option of Mc trying to stop venali attack with the sole intention to protect fellow classmates from harm

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The other options regarding Randall don’t have the same responses. Which is why each option gives completely different points to different stats. Trying to stop venali doesn’t give light affinity points either. It’s listening to their reason for causing a disruption and being able to understand why they did it.

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Fighting to protect people from harm, no light points

Trying to teach a kid to avoid bullies or conflict, no light points

Listening to everyone’s problems, being sympathetic to them, and using the power of friendship on chaotic or evil people that can cause pain with no regard for others, light points

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Okay. Again, I’ve explained it. If you don’t like it or take issue with my storytelling, you don’t have to play it. I have no issue with that.

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Bruh I am just stating facts here, don’t shoot the messenger, your storytelling I love it especially the part with the parents getting arrested and making me bawl my eyes over the conversation before arrest and after it, I got no beef with you

If it helps, light affinity is more along the lines of giving of yourself to the point of foolishness/recklessness. It requires not looking past the sacrifice you are making. Is that a good thing? Hell no. But that’s kind of the point; light is not good, not particularly wise, and does not encourage either self-preservation or the greater good. To heal with a light affinity you have to give up your own life force. That’s not the kind of thing that someone who can think clearly through the consequences of their own actions at the point they make the decision to take those actions can willingly do.

Do I like that? No. I’ve made the same arguments that you’re making upthread. Do I understand the reasoning for it enough to play it anyway? Yeah, I think I do. The point that sticks with me enough to play it anyway is the attempt to divorce the light and dark attributes from our traditionally enforced perception of light=universally good/uncorruptible and dark=corrupt/universally evil.

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Sorry. It wasn’t my intention to start another debate and I did miss the bit about giving. Though I do feel it’s rather unintuitive to readers. But as a writer, you have final say. Besides, I prefer water or fire anyway. :sweat_smile:

How do I get the Light ability? Like, what choices do I have to specifically make? I got it once in the previous update and then forgot how, and I absolutely need it for one of my MC’s :persevering_face:

Here

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Is there any way to do it without giving money to the bully?

Yeah by getting into the fight thats mentioned im not certain though what steps you need to take for those options to trigger though.

Brotha you can’t say you’re “stating facts here” to the author of the story who tried to explain it to ya. They ain’t got no beef with you either so idek why you mentioned it, they were clearly patient with you.

And like, this is my interpretation (so obviously I can be wrong), but I think your “facts” are more “opinions.”

Light and Dark in this story aren’t about the “Good” and “Bad” in a moral sense, (as AnneWest mentions). Moreover, as Xepheris said, it’s self-sacrificial for “Light.” So even though being “merciful or righteous” is generally seen as “Good” traits, it doesn’t necessarily mean “Light.”

From what I’ve seen, it’s about

  1. Sacrificing something beneficial to yourself, to someone else. Whether it actually benefits that person? shrug
  2. Burdening yourself with someone else’s suffering (either accepting it or attempting to relieve them of it).
  3. It also includes being open to others and feeling for them versus closing yourself off and being reluctant to show emotions. (Likely, although I’m not sure, it probably also means you have to be this while not expecting to gain anything beneficial to themselves from it.)
  4. They also don’t have the tendency to “Take” things that can be beneficial to themselves.

So, using this logic
“Fighting to protect people from harm, no light points” → They are “Taking” the safety for someone by “Fighting.” In certain (I repeat, certain, not all) situations, they could also not be considering the other side (or even the person they’re protecting. You can protect them, but what happens when they’re left alone without their savior around?)

“Trying to teach a kid to avoid bullies or conflict, no light points” → Could be the middle one, but this doesn’t require any person to “Give” anything. Like, a negligent parent could tell their child to just “not fight the bully and avoid them” without needing to lift a finger. Not very self-sacrificial, is it?

“Listening to everyone’s problems” → A willingness to accept the burdens of those problems. (I don’t think this by itself necessarily means “Light,” think trying to do something to alleviate those problems may be required)

“being sympathetic to them” → 2 and 3. I also don’t think this is necessarily 100% Light and would be per dependent on the situation.

“using the power of friendship on chaotic or evil people that can cause pain with no regard for others, light points” → This never happened…so…there’s like literally no factual basis for this.

Anyway, sorry if I’m beating a dead horse here, but eh

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bruh you are literally optionally being friendly with a fellow classmate that got no issue using they power unchecked and getting others injured in their political drama meltdown but I am gonna stop here before we do another round of this debate, all I wanted was to literally tell newcomers what to expect when approaching the light path, i didn’t lie and author didn’t deny, the author has already set what direction having light gonna be, I am not gonna argue with it anymore

I too hastily made a post that wasn’t really clear, my bad, anyway. Also, it’s fine that you want to inform the readers about the Light path, but you also debated and argued with the author about their Light path as well. So, it didn’t feel like you were just telling newcomers what to expect :confused:

I do want to point out though:

You don’t get any Light points for being “optionally friendly.”

What you do get Light points for, is this:
"With this abrupt closing statement, you take a glance at the silent (Venali). Is that what made (Venali) so angry? Not being able to control which direction (Venali’s) life will take?

(Venali) keeps turned to the side, offering you no clear view of (Venali’s) expression.

Is that reason good enough for the disturbance (Venali) caused?"

Choice that gains you Light Points: “Of course it’s not. But, I understand why (Venali) did it and I do feel a bit bad for (Venali).”

Here, the “Light” option still completely understands that the disturbance they caused is wrong. BUT, they have the capacity to be open with their mind and understanding to someone who hurt them.

You also get Light points for apologizing to Venali after the fight, same reasoning as above but including the fact that apologizing points them to the exact opposite direction of “fighting people to protect others” and rejects the aspect of themselves that did fight.

Blah, anyway, sorry as well, I’ll stop too :melting_face:

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There is nothing wrong about arguing/debating or expressing opinions that is constructive on certain topics especially with said person is the author, it would have been bad if me or the author fling insults at each other but we did no such it, and bruh no one hurt venali physically or emotionally, venali just got that tantrum and we come along optionally choosing to soothe the beast

I like the story :blush: its cute but deep

Would maybe adding stat and ability descriptors/indicators help avoid some arguments over such things?

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For future reference then when you want to discuss something about the story, I don’t think the above quote was a constructive way of speaking, and it posited the author in a way that made them seem like they were doing something rude when they weren’t.

Also…

Like I said, the options that result in Light points were after the scenes where MC tried to stop Venali physically (not during or before). Did we succeed? Nope (maybe there is a way to succeed but like I haven’t tried all the routes).
In any case, we weren’t trying to “smoothe the beast” because
A: we still thought that what they did was wrong
B: we were apologizing for our actions (fighting Venali), not condoning theirs.

If I’m incorrect, please inform me.

And, I really need to learn a way to type things with less sentences. I also said that I would stop (╥﹏╥)

Sorry again, whatever reply is next, I won’t reply to it (unless it’s to apologize for being wrong on something).

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Thank you, I’m glad that you like it. But considering how it continues to be argued on even with detailed explanations, probably not. I won’t be discussing it anymore though. If anyone has questions about other things, wants to discuss the updates or has an issue with a bug, I’m totally here for that.

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