Happy WBW! What Does The Ideal (or Stereotypical, Or Both If They're Different) Marriage/partnership

Happy WBW! 💜💌 What does the ideal (or stereotypical, or both if they're different) marriage/partnership look like in any of the cultures present in the world of your WIP? Is it about a powerful union of equals? Is it about chemistry and happiness? Is the end goal to produce kids? How does gender impact this, if at all? etc.! :) - @liv-is

Happy WBW Wednesday! Thank you for the Ask, @girlfriend-champion!

What does the ideal (or stereotypical, or both if they're different) marriage/partnership look like in any of the cultures present in the world of your WIP?

Well, this varies, a lot. So I'll try to explain this in a summarized way to the best of my abilities. Since it depends on the region - and varies according to the kingdoms within the region, let's start there:

In the Free Realms:

The marriage of a commoner (that is, anyone outside of a noble House or royal family), would typically be about finding the one you love and spending the rest of your life together. However, there are still exceptions, and even commoner families may marry off one of their kids when they come of age to a more powerful/richer/secure family if they are in an unstable situation. The ability to have kids may be expected (of both people involved) - especially in more strict kingdoms such as Kestrall or Ergyre - but it is not an obligation (when it comes to commoner marriages) nor the reason people marry.

When it comes to noble (or even more strict, royal) marriages:

Some nobles can marry for love - be it another noble of equal rank or even someone from a lower-ranking house (marriage between nobles and commoners is uncommon but not impossible) - there is usually the pressure of upkeeping the status and strength of the House, so they may either be forced into an arranged marriage or choose to marry someone for political reasons. The reputation of the person a noble can choose to marry is also of high importance and must be unblemished. Having healthy children is encouraged, and oftentimes a marriage can be broken off by the nobles' parents if the marriage fails to result in a healthy heir.

For an example of arranged noble marriages in The Last Wrath: young Lord Maeryn Renfelli - Innara's father - was pushed from loveless marriage to loveless marriage (by orders of the other members of his House) so that he could have "a worthy heir". (Secretly, the "failure" of his marriages was a scheme of his uncle - who wanted to prove the young prince as "incapable of holding on to a marriage and having an heir", so that he could be king instead). His first marriage that worked out was to a lower-ranking noblewoman named Evalinne, which was the one he really loved and married in secret (without waiting for the approval of the Council of Houses because he was tired of being controlled). They had their first child, Innara, which was his pride and joy - and whom he considered the heir to his throne, but the council still saw her as a bastard (even though, according to the Old Laws, the marriage was properly officiated). Evalline died tragically later on (evil uncle once again in action), and Maeryn - now broken-hearted and enraged - refused to ever be wed to someone else again.

The "Stereotypical/Ideal Marriage in The Free Realms" (the marriage people dream of having in Agrannor, even if they can't): A happy, flourishing marriage between two equals who love each other deeply, with healthy children, but not too many.

As for gender: it doesn't have much of an effect - unless it is one with the intent of having biological children (usually those are arranged). Same-Sex/Same-Gender marriages are common and openly accepted in the Free Realms (even between nobles).

Marriages between humans and non-human people (elves, fae, merfolk, etc) are legal - in most kingdoms with some exceptions - and usually accepted, though there is still some degree of societal prejudice around couples like this.

Children born out of wedlock are accepted in some kingdoms, but others still see them as only bastards. (There rarely are social consequences for mothering/fathering a child out of wedlock unless the individual is a noble in an arranged marriage for political alliance.)

In the Morosyn Empire:

The politics of marriage in the Morosyn Empire are similar to that of the Free Realms, and at the same time, not. While, when it comes to commoner and free citizen marriages in general, it is still about love and happiness, there are some core cultural differences.

They are far more strict about the expected behavior of those involved in the relationship, and there is far less social mobility when compared to the Free Realms. Marriage rites and ceremonies are also of high importance and must be followed through.

Marriages between nobles and commoners are heavily frowned upon, and marriage between humans and non-human people is illegal and will be treated as such (execution is the most common end for these couples if they are caught in the Morosyn Empire). Another marriage that is illegal only in the Morosyn Empire is the marriage between a free citizen of the empire (someone who was born and raised in the empire and has all the rights a citizen should have) and a courtesan (who usually is a prisoner of war and has no civil rights in the Imperial lands).

Arranged marriages are very common in the Morosyn Empire, and are an openly used tool between noble houses and royal families to gain political advantage, be it by annexing a conquered kingdom or brokering an alliance with a powerful one. The Emperor has the power to arrange marriages between the nobles under his rule, to create a political scenario that best suits him.

Gender does not impact marriage in the Morosyn Empire, as long as they're both non-magically talented humans. Same-sex marriages (even between nobles in an arranged marriage) is completely legal and allowed.

Having healthy children is also important to the Morosyn Empire, very important, as much as it is in some arranged marriages in the Free Realms. But what is even more important to the Morosyn Empire is the policy towards children born out of wedlock. In the Morosyn Empire, children born out of wedlock (be it on an affair or between two unmarried people) are heavily frowned upon and can have some consequences (such as the lost of political status or even the loss of money, belongings, etc), even if they are commoner. And the child will forever be considered a bastard and outcast.

The "Stereotypical/Ideal Marriage in the Morosyn Empire: (the marriage people dream of having in Agrannor, even if they can't): A powerful union of equals, with respect and happiness that will lead to the thriving future of the family while respecting the orders of the Empire.

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Eve's weird question time: I wanna fight people. I am bringing Lila the op sorceress and Beatrix, who will probably bite. Which two ocs are you bringing to the fight?

Thank you for the Ask, Eve! (@your-absent-father)

If our OCs were to have a fight, I would absolutely bring Julyan Ashiren and Vallerius Zyndrosar.

Because here's the thing:

Julyan is not only a fire mage, no, he is a literal sun mage (a Sunscryer, in technical Agrannorian terms) - he carries the full power of the sun in his blood at all times, and not in the stereotypical sense of "Oh pretty boy with delicate light powers, how cool is that he controls the light" no no no (though he is very pretty, his powers aren't) - I mean it in the most dangerous, uncontrollable and unpredictable way possible, capable of great destruction if he decides to use his power's full potential. An ancient might older than the lands, coursing through every fiber of his very being, the power of the most vital and ruthless celestial body held at his fingertips. That is dangerous. Incredibly so. He can burn someone to a crisp with a flick of his pinky finger - (he chooses not to, because he is good and kind, and does not want to cause harm to anyone. But still, he has the ability to do so, at any given moment by the end of the books, after he learns to master and control his powers - because in the beginning, it was a very unstable and rocky road to learn.)

NOT ONLY THIS BUT... Julyan's parents were war heroes, which means this boy knows sword fighting and the general use of weaponry like a pro. Also, after his family died, he had to defend himself and his siblings alone, which means he knows some very dangerous street fighting and will beat someone up if they try anything threatening - even without his powers.

As for Vallerius, though he hates his magical affinity and rarely uses it, trying to keep it contained at all times, he is a Nightshaper Mage - which literally means, he holds the power of the night (the moon, the darkness, the stars, the cold, everything) in every way possible. Not only that, but this boy is the son of a Fallen One (for context, Fallen Ones are mages who are already born with dark magic, powers twisted by the corruption of the magic sources their blood is connected to. Literal dark mages by nature, though many are actually good people who choose to try and use their powers for good). This means he is unaffected - to some limited extent - by dark magic and most importantly, though at a great physical cost, he can and will use dark magic for combat purposes should he ever need to (though it does make him hate himself even more than he already does, but that is a whole different issue).

All I can say is, good luck to anyone that tries to threaten or challenge these two!

Happy STS!

Today, I'm asking writers to take two of their OCs from one of their WIPs (two MCs or hero and villain, etc.) and switch them, so they're now playing each other's role in the story and/or life in general. For The Last Wrath, you have quite a few to choose from, so feel free to pick more than one pair! How would they cope? Would they survive/thrive? Would they not last a day?

Happy Storyteller Saturday! Thank you for the Ask, @clairelsonao3

Take two of their OCs from one of your WIPs and switch them, so they're now playing each other's role in the story and/or life in general. How would they cope? Would they survive/thrive? Would they not last a day?

Wow, what a cool Ask! I love it! For the sake of being more challenging to myself and more compelling to those who read this post, I will choose characters who have vastly different life experiences. This will be fun, lol.

The Switches that Wouldn't Work:

Bryn Seperi and Nadinne Ahmirah:

If those two switched places, it would be so chaotic, omg. Nadinne probably wouldn't last a day living Bryn's life, and even if she did, she would probably not make it through with a sane mind. (I mean, he is literally one of the most dangerous mercenaries in the continent, plus, his life is basically a compendium of very brutal traumas from a very young age, and that's bound to screw someone up, even more so if that person is as sweet and innocent as Nadinne). Bryn living Nadinne's life on the other hand, would probably enjoy it a lot, and feel right at home amidst the nobility, though he'd yearn for some kind of fight or challenge to break through the monotony of everyday life in the nobility. (It is worth noting that Bryn was once the son of a powerful and wealthy general from the Borderlands, who was very close to the royal family of the kingdom he once lived in. So, before Bryn lost everything very early on, he did get a taste of a life much similar to the one Nadinne has). His brashness and aggressiveness would likely get him into a fight with someone important and he'd likely be cast out of the noble circles very quickly.

Emryc Thorne and Julyan Ashiren:

NAH DON'T LET THESE TWO SWITCH LIVES, FOR THE LOVE OF EVERYTHING - It would go so horribly wrong so incredibly fast. Emryc is not built for caring for children, in any way, and Julyan can't do a heist to save his life. Emryc would take the siblings with him to a tavern/store and then promptly forget they were with him until two hours later when he goes "OH SHIT - Where those kids at?". Julyan would try to rob someone with a very shitty plan of "How To Heist" and then feel so bad about it that he'd be caught before he even left the person's property, like, he'd trip every possible alarm and make so much noise that he'd be like "Just arrest me already will you? I don't know what I'm doing, and I really don't want to know."

Myrah Faron and Nethen Fahris:

This is what I call: A Disaster Waiting To Happen. Are you kidding me? Myrah has zero comprehension of how to keep her thoughts to herself and will cuss out a noble if they as much look at her the wrong way. Plus, if she saw someone she cared about die the way Elain died in front of Nethen, she'd lose control and it would end up with either everyone around her dead or her being executed next. Likely both. She lacks completely what it takes to be a political manipulator - she's too blunt, wild, and ready to speak her mind in very clear terms should she need to. Meanwhile, Nethen living Myrah's life would likely end just as badly. I mean, what let Myrah survive was her fierceness and lack of restraint, but Nethen is a very calculated guy - he thinks too much before acting, and if he led Myrah's life, that would be his downfall right there. He overthinks too much, and in that situation, that's precisely what he could not afford to do. It wouldn't end well for either of them.

Trystan Grayspear and Helios Maevel:

It would end in chaos. Helios does not know anything about fighting - unless, very vaguely, in self-defense - so he would make for a pretty disastrous knight. Meanwhile, while highly intellectual and book smart, Trystan does not know anything about being an alchemist - he knows the names of every potion and of every component, but ask him to put them together and you get an explosion in your hands. So yeah, chaos ensues if they switched places.

The Switches that Would Work:

Jamie Tellian and Isolde Kierah:

Both are knights-in-training, both have a strong sense of justice and both fight to keep their respective families safe, the only difference is their background (Jamie was a very poor street kid for most of his life before getting the chance to train as a knight while Isolde grew up wealthy and sheltered as the daughter of a Royal Knight of Faravvia), but other than that, their personalities are pretty similar. They would cope very well with switching places.

Darian Caelestis and Innara Renfelli:

Though their personalities are vastly different, their backgrounds are largely similar. Both are noble children who grew up in the midst of conflicts (though different kinds of conflict) and who joined the rebellion by accident while trying to make things right. Plus, Innara is very close to her family (who are everything to her) and Darian largely wants to make his dad proud of him again. Another interesting point - both have a fascination for alchemy and though Innara only buys the potions she needs and Darian always makes his own potions, they're just as nerdy about it.

happy sts!! what are your favorite/least favorite parts of plot structure? like what's your favorite part of a wip (the beginning, rising action, climax, etc.)? & are you a fan of the 3 act structure or similar plot organizing devices or do you just wing it

Happy Storyteller Saturday! Thank you for the ask @cabbojage!

What are your favorite/least favorite parts of the plot structure?

Oh, this is a good one! And a complicated one at that lol. I really do love many parts of the writing process as long as I am having fun writing it, but, if I had to choose which ones are my favorites and which ones are my least favorites then:

Favorites: The Inciting Incident (I guess I just love seeing the protagonists' life turning into chaos and then writing their following decisions/reactions. Plus, it is literally the event that really gets the story going, and the one event that creates a "point of no return" for the MC) and the Rising Action (especially around the middle! I just love seeing the plot come together, the character's plans start to fall into place, new friendships being formed, enemies being made, etc lol). The Climax/Final Battle is always incredibly compelling to write, especially if it includes some form of a face-off against the villains or an unexpected turn of events/reveal of some sort! It is always great.

Least Favorites: I don't actually hate these but, um, the Beginning, Falling Action, and the little bits and moments between plot points that exist to connect them but when not much happens (not the Build Up or Set up, which I adore, but those oddly calm moments where usually things have already fallen into place and things are going slow). While those moments are necessary, and I do like writing them, I feel that this is the point where the plot meanders and where it feels like it takes forever to get to the "good stuff", you know? Especially if those slow scenes are needed in full and I can't just skip them or shorten them.

Are you a fan of the 3 act structure or similar plot organizing devices or do you just wing it?

I am a fan of the 3 act structure, as well as a few other ones, such as the 7-act structure, but I only use it as a guideline to help me establish the "Core Scenes", which are the bones on which the plot will then be built upon. Then, once it is done, it is a matter of populating that fictional world with additional cast members, minor plot points, and subplots until the plot is all done! There is always a lot of brainstorming (more of just picking a document and braindumping the ideas and stringing them together like a crochet piece), daydreaming (with music to set the vibe and inspire me, I always make character or WIP playlists for this reason, and pretty much every character of mine has a "signature song", which helped me figure out who they are), and creation of character profiles/moodboards, as the plot slowly thickens into one cohesive thing in the end.