HEY EVERYBODY I HOPE YOU LIKE INTERVIEWS because we've got another classy lady stepping up to the hot seat for an exclusive Ask Icy Taco interview! This time around, GLQ's character
volunteered her time to chat with yours truly about herself. All credits go to GLQ for her patience and quality answering skills.
And now, without further ado...
: *sits in interviewer's chair, clicks professional interviewer's pen* "Well, let's get started, shall we? So, Starla...uh, is that your full name? Or...title, or whatever?"
Starla: *She sits in the chair across from TB, her hands in her lap as she looks around the room. Then she looks at TB as he asks his first question.* "My full name..." *She bites her lip and hesitates for a moment.* "My name is Starla Ocard. That's my married last name. Just 'Starla' is fine, though."
: "All right, Starla it is. So, would you mind telling us a bit more about your background? Where you came from, what your childhood was like, that sort of thing?"
Starla: *She's silent for moment.* "Well, my childhood... wasn't very peaceful. I was born on an island and I spent most of my childhood there. My parents traveled there before I was born to protect some very powerful artifacts that they had discovered. They raised me alone for most of my childhood. There were other tribes of monsters on the island most of them left us alone, but I didn't really visit them with my parents. My parents... were wonderful. They not only kept me safe and fed, they kept me happy and taught me as much as they could. I remember all the times I spent with them... And then..."
*Starla pauses for a moment, frowning while her eyes drift to the side as she remembers.*
Starla: "...Then one day, my parents... The Shadows had found and sent a Shadow Tiger after them, in want of the artifacts they found. If I weren't away from them while playing a game, just outside the glade, I would've been killed. But I remember turning around about to head back just in time to see Corpolat tear their throats out..." *She stops for a moment, a pained look on her face. She's silent for some time.* "...I... Ran away from there. The Shadows didn't bother to track me; they figured that with my parents gone, I may as well be dead. And... If it weren't for the Star, I think I would be."
*After a moment of silence, she blinks.*
Starla: "I didn't mention the Star, did I? It's what I follow. Others call it a god, of sorts. It's what gave me the light powers that I have, in exchange for my service. After my parents died, it's what guided me, though I didn't learn I had light powers until later. The Star's help combined with me visiting tribes frequently aided me greatly. But... It was still very difficult. It's a miracle I survived at all during all those years. And then one day, the Star decided to... explain things to me. It unlocked my powers and taught me things before it told me to leave to island, and find my fate elsewhere. It took me a long time to travel there--most of my time was spent on merchant ships that found me--but then I came to the continent that is now the closest I have to home. It was where I met my husband and where we began our adventures."
: "Well, that's, ah..." *sniff* "...a very touching story. Ahem."
: "So on a lighter note, why don't you tell us about your husband? What's he like?"
Starla: *She's solemnly quiet at the first part. Then she seems to brighten up a bit at the question, a small smile appearing on her face.* "Well, like I said, I met him on the continent just before we started our adventure together. We grouped together to save the world, but as time went on, he became more to me than a friend. We've saved each other multiple times throughout the quest. When it came to doing something good or protecting others, he would do anything. He's so... noble. And he always seems to make things better. If it weren't for him... I'm not sure what would've happened after our first adventure..."
*She clears her throat.*
Starla: "We married a short time after our first adventure together. We lived together for a short time before another evil threatened the world, but even when things were quiet, we couldn't help but lend our swords to aid others. Our lives are not peaceful at all right now, though. So we battle evils together."
: "I see..."*nods* "You mentioned something about a 'Star' earlier; could you elaborate on that a bit more, please? Does your husband follow this Star as well?"
Starla: "No, he doesn't. I don't plan to convert him, though. It's more of a personal thing for me. Basically, the Star chooses a follower to help do their deeds. I don't know exactly what it wants, but I know it serves the greater good. There may be other Stars like them with similar powers, but I don't know of any outside mine. It's the one responsible for my light powers. It's my source. ...Hmm, I don't know how much more I can elaborate, unless you ask me something specific."
: "Well, that's a fine answer. Good enough for me, anyway. Let's change course a little bit here; you've sort of been able to observe a little bit of what goes on around the Taco, right? So, what's your opinion of the Taco; do you think you'd fit in well there?"
Starla: "Well, I was there for quite a while. Then..." *She looks off to a corner, frowning a bit.* "...Well, it may be a while before I return. I'd go back if I could, but I can't." *She looks back up.* "Originally, it seemed... Odd. Everything is so different from what I'm used to. Not just in what can be done, but in...
What's the word... But in
how things are done. The courts where I'm from compared to my experience with it here..."
*She bites her lip.*
Starla: "It still shocks me on occasion. Mostly though, I don't regret coming; I've made some good friends here, despite me being from a completely different world. So despite what happened in November..." *Her arm twitches and she is silent for a moment.* "And despite me still feeling out of place on some things... I still like it here. It's nice to talk to the people at that place."
: "Yeah, 'different' is certainly the word for this place."
: "...Uh, sorry if this is an uncomfortable subject, but could you tell me a bit about 'what happened in November?'
I wasn't around back then..."Starla: "......" *She bites her lip.* "Last November... I was killed in the forest. Murdered... They were able to revive me with Phoenix Down, just in time.
Thankfully... People like Lang were investigating the case trying to find out who killed me. In the process, Godot was falsely accused... And I believed them..." *She shakes her head.* "I said it was during November, but it didn't end until early December, when we had a Hearing. We were able to find out who really did it. But while the culprit
was punished..." *Her eyes go dark at the thought. She pauses for a moment, reflecting before sighing.* "I hope they didn't keep record of everything in that case..."
: "Oh dear, I'm sorry to hear that. I apologize for bringing those memories up. Hmm, this isn't turning out to be a very cheery subject either. Uh...hm." *clears throat* "Well, why don't we talk about your hobbies for a bit. What do you like to do in your spare time?"
Starla: "Hmm... My quest doesn't leave me a lot of time for hobbies. But I did have some time on the Taco. So..." *She thinks for a moment.* "Well, even though I fight a lot in battle, I still like to practice using my sword. Especially when I'm not doing things, it feels more... energizing. I guess I'm just used to fighting so much. As for other hobbies... I like reading. I read regular books, but if I'm trying to learn something, I'll be reading some thing more along the lines of that. For example, ever since I came here, I've been trying to learn Spanish. So I spend a few hours a day reading Spanish books learning that. And then sometimes, I just like walking through the forest, despite it's dangers... And... I can't think of any more off the top of my head."
: "Hmm. You know, you seem to be pretty focused on combat. Would you say you enjoy the sensation of fighting, or do you regard it as a necessary evil? Or somewhere in between?"
Starla: "Mm... I never really thought about it..." *She is silent for a moment as she gets her thought together.* "Though I like sparring, fighting is more like a necessary evil for me. I have to face a lot of monsters, Shadows, and any evils. Like I said, my life isn't very peaceful, so fighting is more like something I'm used to. I face enough creatures or factions wanting to attack or kill me that I have plenty of opportunities to use my sword, so I never got to really consider whether or not I enjoy it... I guess I do a little, though I don't know why. During what free time I have, I like hunting for food, or if that's not needed, I spar, or if no one's around, I practice battle moves. Still, I never force anyone into a fight. ...Well, unless they deserve it... But that's a different thing altogether."
: "Interesting perspective. I guess it would be bad if you didn't enjoy combat, seeing as how it's a near-constant presence. Hmm, I wonder...you said you use magic, right? Do you prefer using sorcery or steel to...resolve conflicts?"
Starla: *Nods to the first part. She then looks contemplative at the question.* "...I think I use swords more. Light isn't fatal on everything that attacks me; most of the time, I only use it either against Shadows, or I use it to blind them. I can do other attacks, but usually, it's my sword that kills them, unless they're Shadows. I guess I also got into the habit of it when... When my magic doesn't work as well. Besides, I..." *She shakes her head, deciding not to mention that.*
: "Uh. Okay...You, uh, you kill a lot, do you? How do you feel about that?"
Starla: *She looks mildly annoyed for a moment.* "I don't kill innocents, nor do I kill anyone who is good." *She sighs.* "That said, putting aside the monster issue, there are a lot of people I've fought that just have no mercy, or would gladly kill others. And then there are some situations like with the Shadow Army where I'm forced to fight, even if we're trying to make peace with them.
Trying and failing... The only people I've really killed without them being casualties of an army have been people who would've destroyed the world, or done some other serious crimes. I have no regrets about killing them, as the world would be much worse off if they weren't killed."
*She sighs.*
Starla: "I do have some regret when I'm forced to kill misguided members of an army. But... They wouldn't have stood down. I don't look forward to those fights, but I don't have any choice there. Especially when I remember that I'm wanted dead by some factions, namely the Shadow Army. And then as for innocents... I'd never forgive myself for that."
: "Okay, no worries, this is a judgment--free zone. It sounds like a lot of evil people want you dead, though; have you made a bit of a name for yourself where you come from?"
Starla: *Sighs.* "Okay... I really don't like to kill people, though."
*She is silent for a moment.*
Starla: "I have... We've battled a lot of things in my short span here. But most of them are had because we pick fights with truly evil beings."
*She pauses for a moment.*
Starla: "The longest enemies I've had are Tyl and Corpolat..." *She twitches.* "Corpolat for... Many reasons... And Tyl is just insane. My other enemies I didn't experience until after I left the island. The Shadows were the first enemy I experienced, and our group was banding together to defeat the Shadow Lord. The regime at the time were constantly sending Shadows to stop us in our quest, so we got quite a few enemies from that. And then during our next adventure, my brother-in-law turned on us, though I can't say I entirely know why; it's hard to tell with him. And now there's the Keeper..." *She looks to the side for a moment.* "No... I'm not going to talk about the Keeper..."
*She's silent for a moment before she looks back up.*
Starla: "And now there's the current Shadow Empire... We didn't really have many enemies left, since it turned out most Shadows didn't like the Shadow Lord. But then they were convinced of a crime they thought we committed that didn't do, and they began attacking us. And now they're doing more evil things, and they pinned many more crimes on me since..." *She shakes her head.* "So they want to kill me so much more than the others. But their whole goal seems so... misguided. I only wish parleys with them would work..."
*She sighs.*
Starla: "It's just a buildup of our actions over time. The more I adventure, the more I learn that you can't avoid having enemies, even where you least expect them. But most of our enemies are the evils we're trying to defeat. The Shadow Empire's vendetta against us is just..." *She seems to have a sad look on her face.* "...Unfortunate. I'll be honest when I say that I don't want to be enemies with them..."
: "...Hmm. What
are shadows, anyway? The way you talk about them, it doesn't sound like they're human...And you sympathize with them, despite their vendetta against you?"
Starla: "The Shadows aren't human. They were living once, but... if their souls are close enough to some sort of Shadow Magic or if they are killed by a powerful Shadow, then their souls are twisted and tainted with dark magic until they become a Shadow themelves. They still look sort of like themselves in that they'll be the same species and have the same facial features, but they're darker and more ghostly while still being corporeal. After that... They aren't human. They have some of the same personality traits as humans, but they're more likely to be greedy and power hungry if they're pushed too far..."
*She shakes her head.*
Starla: "But that doesn't mean they're all evil. I didn't know this when I first started my adventures, but I eventually learned that there are plenty of good Shadows in the world. It's just that they're more likely to have corrupt leaders, like the Shadow Lord. That aside though, I'm still friends with some Shadows. As for their vendetta... That's just the Shadow Empire. The Shadow Rebellion doesn't think the same way towards me. But the Empire just... Needs to realize the truth. I don't like what they're doing and I don't like their actions, and I want to stop them from going too far. But I just... We need their help for greater evils. And besides... ..."
"It's complicated..."
:
(Hmm, no magatama...) "I'll take your word for that. Let's see, I think we've got space for one last question here...ah yes."
: "If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?" ((And with apologies to the Fourth Wall; what would you change about the way she's written, GLQ?))
Starla: "About me? Well... There are so many things I would change... If we just stick to one thing... I would change how I get angry, so that people wouldn't get wrongly hurt because of me..."
((No no, Starla, those are super fun to write. xDD *Bricked.* I would want to change a number of things on her story as she's a
really old character. xD But at the same time, I don't want to ret-con anything completely and entirely. (Except for minor details, like "age when this happened".)))
: "I see. Well, thank you for your time, Starla. I'll get this typed out and printed right away. Anything else you want to add before we end today?"
Starla: *She bows her head.* "It's not a problem. And no, I can't think of anything else right now..."
: "Very well, it's been a pleasure talking with you Starla."