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Ask me (:<

As many as you want (I love all of these).

We need more snippet ask games

Featuring my most recently used emojis.

⭐ share a snippet where a character is the best at something

💙share a snippet where a character falls out of love a little

✨ share a snippet featuring night time

🌈 share two lines that show the before/after of any growth a character made

📚 share a snippet where the character is being academic/is in an academic setting/is showing off their knowledge

🌳 share a snippet featuring nature of any kind

👁 share a snippet where the character is very visually engaged/a snippet with description

😭 share a snippet that will break our hearts

🐙 share a snippet where the character is being a brat/smartass

👩‍💻 share a snippet that you worked on for a long time or struggled with

🧠 share a snippet where the character realizes something important

🧢 share a snippet about clothes

🍇 share a snippet with food(or the palpable lack of food)

🎶 share a happy moment. ANY happy moment. You must have ONE.

💅 share a snippet showing a character embracing their lgbtqness

Enchanted Illusions: (Victorian Gothic Fantasy) Valentine Concordium's Journal Entries (part 1)

Valentine Concordium, Year 53 After the Great Dawn, October 20, nighttime.

The mansion is too quiet tonight, it … bothers me. Makes me restless, unruly thoughts stubbornly resurfacing again. So, I walked to the woods today, hoping that the night’s fresh air might give me some respite. There was a dead deer near the mansion, and the still-bloodied dire wolves that killed her were not far away. I hope I was able to scare them off for good. Being a fanged creature of the night has its perks, I will admit. But it so seems that only when it comes to being a source of fear. Strange.  

At least there were no holy Hunters this time. They haven’t come for me in a month now, maybe they’ve finally given up! I don’t want to fight them anymore, but I don’t want to die either. I wish Sebastian were still here. I miss him a lot. It’s lonely, living by myself in these wide halls - there’s so much history here but so much sorrow too. My sibling always had something to say, even if trivial, about anything and everything. It seemed foolish, at the time. Now I would give anything to hear all of that again.

I still have yet to get used to the silence. 

But alas… I wonder what has happened in the cities, it’s been a while since I last paid them a visit. It's strange, getting used to this new peace treaty, even though it was established over fifty years ago, even though that’s what my family always fought for. It feels, almost, unreal. But I rather like it. Bloodshed is pointless, and I’ve seen my fair share of it to want to banish such violence from my life forevermore. I was too young when the wars started, but in a way, I wish I had been more naive. I wish I could have been more naive, but that was never my choice to make, it seems.

I don’t know what has gotten me thinking about all of this again. Maybe it was the unbearable silence, or seeing the dead deer and its… bloody insides. I do not know. And I do not like it. 

In a more positive discovery: I hear there is a train station being built down at Griffin’s Port. I might as well pay it a visit, if that city ever becomes less… dangerous. I’m curious, honestly, about how such contraptions work. I’ve seen trains in books but I’ve never quite been near one, much less gotten to enjoy such mode of travel. It’ll be a new, perhaps enlightening experience - and I hope it might be fun, even. Few things are, nowadays, but I want to feel that joy again.

I’ve spent far too much of my recent time cooped up in the study, surrounded by old specimen books and my - admittedly morbid - childhood butterfly collection, and the cobwebs on the ceiling that have yet to be cleaned - which I still have yet to figure out how to do. Transfiguring into a bat while holding a mop proved, well, disastrous, to say the least. Maybe it's time that I … try to do something new. See the world outside this walls, and far from this forest.

But the Hunters are always there. Waiting. Just like they waited for Sebastian. I’m tired of hiding, but I’ll also not lie and say that I am not scared of what is to come. Things were never quite so uncertain before, and well, I was never quite so alone, before. 

I guess I’ll just have to wait and see what comes next, and hope that it is not quite as disastrous and bloody as everything seems to make it seem. Maybe there’s still something nice, about this world. Maybe. I don’t really know anymore. 

It is getting late. Or should I say early? Either way, maybe I should try and get some rest, clear my head of… all of this. Of whatever this is. “There’s always a new night to come”, Father always said. But that thought never seemed quite so burdensome before as it does now - what good is a new night, if it’ll be just as haunting and boredom filled as it’s predecessor?

I’ll wait, and sleep, maybe I’ll know the answer tomorrow. Likely not, though.

I have a "just because" question for you! One of the most memorable The Last Wrath characters I remember you talking about on your blog is Quinn, who has been forced to be a courtesan for the nobility due to being a prisoner of war, but tries to use his position to his advantage. How is Luciya's situation and approach similar? How is it different? Anything else you can tell us?

Thank you so much for the Ask, @clairelsonao3! I love talking about this character! I'm glad he (and Luciya) stood out to you in the story!

Also, for anyone else reading this, uh... mild TW for forced prostitution (that's basically a courtesan's job in Agrannor, but glorified and "fancy") and therefore mild, implied, SA. Nothing graphic, nothing that will be described here, but it is something Quinn deals with and has been implied to have happened in his past. (Mostly because he was forced into the position of a courtesan because the Morosyn Empire admired his beauty as a prisoner of war and that's the only reason they let him live).

I'm bad at warnings, but I think this covers it.

Let's get started with the answers, shall we?

Quinn Aurellen is one of the most complex characters in The Last Wrath as, despite hating his occupation and the nobility he is forced to entertain, he uses their greed and lust against them, turning their overblown pride into his own weapon of self-defense and war. He is jaded, cold, and bitter, but he is also extremely calculating and perceptive, with strong control over his emotions (wearing a mask/persona to the world that is entirely different from who he truly is). He is also older than Luciya (he recently turned 25) and a lot more experienced with what the world truly is. This gives him an advantage that she doesn't have (there is a reason why he is not only her best friend but a mentor figure as well), even though her approach to espionage (through lies and planting deceit) and her worldview are pretty similar to his, but not quite.

This already makes him - personally - a lot different than Luciya, who is a lot more reckless and emotionally driven, though equally clever. (She is extremely intelligent, but her anxiety and sense of justice sometimes get in the way of her scheming against her captors).

But let's compare their occupations to better answer your question.

How is Luciya's situation and approach similar?

Well, for starters, there is a difference that must be made clear: while they are both slaves and prisoners to the Morosyn Empire, their occupations could not be more different. It is dark.

Quinn is a courtesan. His job is to entertain the high-standing nobility of the Imperial Palaces, through dancing/singing but also by serving them in bed however they might like. He is there for their enjoyment, not his, (because as a prisoner of war, he is not considered an "Imperial Citizen" and doesn't have many rights under the Morosyn Law) and needs to always be "perfect". His beauty and his youth are his true shackles because the Morosyn nobles will never let him go free until the day when they finally grow bored/find a new darling, which is not likely to happen soon, sadly. So, whatever they ask, he must give them, and while he hates it, there is unfortunately not much he can do if he wants to stay alive.

Luciya is a lady's maid (which here means personal assistant supposed to do anything her Lady orders her to, there's not much friendship involved between her and her Lady) and a regular servant/household slave. She serves the iron-hearted High Lady Avaline, who has been her captor for the past four years, ever since Luciya's older brother (supposedly!!!) abandoned her due to debts to this noblewoman. Luciya's duties involve the general lady's maid duties (dressing her Lady, packing her bags, carrying things, etc.) and general work as a household servant around the Imperial Palaces. She has no similar "duties" to Quinn, luckily for her. She's just a regular cleaning slave.

Due to her Lady's explicit orders, no one can touch/harm her without the noblewoman's permission (as in Luciya is her "property", in the monetary sense, like a necklace or something shiny, because she is useful to her politically ) - Luciya is the only leverage the Emperor has to keep her brother, Fabian Anynth, in line as a Radiant Hunter and soldier, and they're not risking any unnecessary "harm/damage" to such a precious "tool." So she is "safe" in that sense, but her captor is as dangerous and cruel as a snake.

As for their distinct approaches to espionage:

QUINN: As mentioned before, Quinn uses his position as a courtesan to his advantage. Such an intimate occupation allows him to get quite close to some very politically important people, and their well-kept secrets. No one really watches what they talk about in front of a courtesan, because no one thinks he can truly be such a threat. That's where they're dead wrong. And that's precisely where he strikes. Due to having so many patrons, Quinn knows secrets from almost anyone and everyone involved in politics (because not only he has smooth-talked some of the more debauched nobles into trusting him, but he also has read all their journals, read their letters, and eavesdropped their secret conversations). There is nearly nothing he cannot discover, and that gives him power. He may not have his freedom, but the nobles are just as trapped in his web of deceit and stolen royal information. No one (except the Emperor) can blackmail him better than he can blackmail them. Because the Morosyn nobles were so haughty and high and mighty, indulging in their twisted fantasies because they simply could, they failed to notice they'd given the cleverest spy, Quinn, the tools he needed to bring them down.

LUCIYA: As a servant/part of the castle "staff" (of slaves), she can go almost anywhere in the Palaces without much suspicion being raised, with the guise of "cleaning something" or "following her orders", and no one will be much the wiser. She can sneak in and out through hallways, eavesdrop, and read through classified documents/letters. People don't really pay much attention to a servant, and that's what Luciya has to her advantage. Also, Luciya used to be a thief. And a good one at that. Fabian taught her many tricks to get in and out of places where she wasn't supposed to be, and she learned how to lie like a pro. No lock and key can quite stand in her way, not with her burglarizing/thieving knowledge. She is also fast and knows not to leave clues/traces of her espionage.

How is it different? Fundamentally, as explained before. Luciya's occupation is that of a regular household slave/servant. Quinn is a slave too but his occupation is as a courtesan. So yeah, there aren't many similarities in their "jobs", but they do have similar worldviews and similar techniques when it comes to espionage.

Anything else you can tell us? I told you here most of what there is to know about Quinn and Luciya's differences and similarities, so have some random facts about this duo instead now:

After they accidentally met when Luciya first arrived in the Imperial Palaces, the two slowly developed a strong friendship and became each other's most trusted confidants. Quinn really appreciated finding someone whom he could trust without the need to have any romance involved.

Luciya Anynth falls in love with Cassander Fynn, the rebel spy who works at the behest of the free-fighter Princess Ellinor Dallantes from Arkellya. She and Quinn were only best friends, more like siblings than anything else really.

Luciya spent the last four years believing her older brother - Fabian Anynth - had abandoned and left her for dead as a slave to High Lady Avaline to become a famous Hunter. At first, her act also revolves around her wanting some revenge on him for supposedly doing this. But in fact, his act of joining the Imperial army was the only reason Luciya was still alive - and she will soon discover this.

Quinn's only weak spot/vulnerability is his five-year-old nephew, whom he raised as his adoptive son after his older sister died in a tragic childbirth (and the child's true father, a mageborn, was killed in the Imperial gladiatorial fights). Quinn became the child's only family, since both his sister and brother-in-law had died in quick succession. He doesn't tell anyone about this though, so most of the nobility assumes Rowen (his nephew) is his son from some random patron from out of town. Luciya and Cassander (plus the Head Servant of the Palaces) are the only ones who know his nephew's backstory.

no fourth option. you have to pick.

Some slightly different wordlbuilding activities

Ones I haven’t seen as often but apply myself. 

1.- Bedtimes stories you tell to children, or lullabies. They can be based in location or species. They can tell us about the world, history, beliefs or something specific about a creature. It can be fun to think of their origin, how they’ve changed over the years and both the meaning that was lost and the meaning that was added. 

2.- Fashion choices. I often let fashion be different for different creatures. I usually create a practical outfit that makes sense historically within the context of my world and then evolve it until I get to the present day of my story. Preferably splitting of into branches and allowing more options. It can tell us about a specific species, about their history and about how the climate has changed, or how they moved locations at some point and had to adapt their clothing to a new climate. 

A very simple example of this from my own book would be the mage’s cloak! Link to a longer post about it. Basically, mages would wear a simple one piece fabric that was easy to then set an illusion over, no wasting time mixing trousers and tops. Over time some mages stopped using illusions, seeing the outfit as acceptable. It became a staple, you saw the cloak, that wasn’t a human but a mage. And then younger generations began personalising the material, instead of boring black, white or brown they started using floral patterns, adding in cool sleeves or hoods! 

Initially, it was practicality, but it evolved. 

3.- Think about what each species does for fun! I often read YA fantasy where the stakes are so high there is no leisure, no downtown, no fun, no hobbies. But this is a great opportunity! What’s popular in your world? Books, plays, board games, long walks, playing sport? Seeing characters just chill can be a great change of pace and allow for some insight into their lives and the world they live in. 

4.- What is imported? And why? Sometimes imports are just practical, we don’t have wool here (unlikely, sheep are literally everywhere, but you get the point), wool is good for clothes, we import it. But other times it’s more complicated. 

Perhaps a species moved across the country at some point, but they were accustomed to a certain type of tea, fruit for certain festivities, so on, so on, and habit dies hard, so, importation becomes a thing. 

So those are my four world-building tips for today. I’ve said it before and will say it again, there is no master list, not check list, world-building is something you can figure out as you go in most genres (some epics may requiere more prep time). What’s important is to keep track of what you’ve said and stay consistent, but you don’t need to know everything before going in. 

As usual,  check out my book, stories I’ve written plus other social medias: here.

How’s your world coming along? 

WIP'S THEMES TAG

Tagged by: @tabswrites

Rules: Bold the themes that appear in your WIP (and italicize those that are loosely covered) then tag 10 people.

I'll do this for my main WIP The Last Wrath

THEMES:

addiction | beauty | betrayal | change vs. tradition | chaos vs. order | circle of life | coming of age | communication | convention vs. rebellion | corruption | courage | crime and law | dangers of ignorance | darkness and light | death | desire to escape | dreams | displacement | empowerment | facing darkness | facing reality | faith vs. doubt | fall from grace | fame and fortune | family | fate | fear | fear of failure | free will | friendship | fulfillment | good vs. bad | government | greed | guilt and forgiveness | hard work | heroism | hierarchy | honesty | hope | identity crisis | immortality | independence | individual vs. society | inner vs. outer strength | innocence | injustice | isolation | knowledge vs. ignorance | life | loneliness | lost love | love | man vs. nature | manipulation | materialism | motherhood | nature | nature vs. nurture | oppression | optimism | peer pressure | poverty | power | power of words | prejudice | pride | progress | quest | racism | rebirth | relationships | religion | responsibility | revenge | sacrifice | secrets | self-awareness | self-preservation | self-reliance | sexuality | social class structure | survival | technology | temptation and destruction | time | totalitarianism | weakness | vanity | war | wealth | wisdom of experience | youth

Gently Tagging: @the-arigen, @clairelsonao3, @writernopal, @exquisitecrow, @cabbojage, @rickie-the-storyteller, @your-absent-father, @liv-is, @doublegoblin, @anoelleart and OPEN TAG (anyone else who wants to do this)