WIP INTRO: Enchanted Illusions

WIP INTRO: Enchanted Illusions

Tag - # wip enchanted illusions

Genres

victorian fantasy, adventure, mystery, gothic fantasy

Status

Work In Progress

Themes

justice, love, coming of age, truth, conspiracy, prejudice, unexpected friendship. perseverance, corruption of power, change, individual vs society, kindness, mythology

Synopsis

The violent war between humans and mythical creatures is over, it has been for over a century, and human society has adjusted to welcome those they shunned for so long. Magic is no longer outlawed, and the world has thrived and progressed over the years, coming into a golden age like none seen before. But beneath the surface, all is not what it seems - as their world grew, so did the inequality within it. Though peace has been achieved, in the bustling grim streets and daily lives of the capital city, the war remains - silent and changed to exist under the gaze of all, but it is there, seeping through the cracks of a barely resolved conflict, mixing with growing prejudice. And from those cracks, rose those who would see this budding, frail balance between nations crumble. Beneath their city's perfect surface, a cruel secret society aims to undo all that has been achieved, fueling the populace's prejudice for one another and slowly taking control of the city's political landscape, looking to profit from the start of another conflict, despite the unending efforts the land's diplomats. To prevent this underground scheme from causing another war between humans and myths, it is now up to a group of city-bound misfits caught in the crossfires to investigate a centuries-old conspiracy and defeat the well-hidden Hemlock Society, hopefully in time to maintain their land's hard-earned peace.

With their city trapped in a careful political dance between good and evil, can these misfits defeat the shadows of their own past when it comes knocking down their door?

I will be participating in event, Winter Nano with this WIP!

@crowandmoonwriting

Thank you so much for the tag! I'll go with some of the main cast from my WIPs Enchanted Illusions and Realms of Loss for this one. I hope I got this right!

As matches for your OCs (respectively) - from Enchanted Illusions

Ambrose Prosper- He likes optimistic people, and those who can match his absurdly high energy level (in the sense he rarely ever feels tired of constantly doing stuff or never feels overwhelmed and likes an intellectually stimulating company). However, he tends to overlook his own safety and needs while being so focused on his goals and studies and new inventions, so having someone who can offer him support and remind him to take breaks/care for himself, would help a lot.

Clarence Van Sterlling - Your OCs short temper might take him aback at first, but if there's someone who is persistent and patient once he decides he wants someone's friendship, that's him. He is a very sheltered vampire and has trouble navigating social cues- sometimes to his own peril - so having someone to protect him during those moments is great, especially because he is more than willing to furiously protect his partner should need be.

Harriet Sharppe - Oh boy, oh boy, does this girl like to have someone to talk to or share stories with. She is very extroverted, and since she spends most of her time in her mansion with her very introverted and quiet cousin, she has a lot of pent-up talking-energy and stories she wants to tell.

For the next person to find a match to - from Realms of Loss

Viktoras Aeravi - He is an honor-bound bastard son (which means he has some heavy emotional baggage no one else knows about) and is determined to bring peace to his father's lands while in exile. He likes people who have a moral code (as in, someone who wouldn't betray or lie to others), brave and kind people, plus anyone who is light-hearted/has a good sense of humor. Viktoras might be a bit conflicted about his feelings and insecurities at first, but as soon as he gets to warm up to that person, he becomes a hopelessly romantic and loyal partner.

Prince Archyvel - Personality-wise, Archyvel is a good person, but his upbringing, made him slightly vain and very unprepared for the real world - though he is determined to do the right thing. He likes someone with confidence, who believes in themselves (mostly because he wants to be able to cheer them on, which is a very "golden retriever" side of his personality) - he falls in love fast, and is very nervous about it (since he is afraid of actually showing his feelings and it not being mutual). He would be a very doting partner if given a chance.

Adaria Vytris - Due to how her oldest brother raised her, Adaria became someone who believes in being the most efficient/cutthroat in the room, and considers any hesitation or uncertainty as a weakness - this allowed her to survive in the ruthless outer cities they grew up in, but made her a rather mistrusting and very skittish person to actually get emotionally close to. This means, when it comes to any kind of relationship, she has no patience for those who can't keep up with her goals, and neither does she suffer fools, but is someone incredibly sweet (in an awkward way) and ruthlessly protective once the person proves themselves worthy of her trust and time - and if they can have the patience to actually see through her emotional walls, she is actually very kind.

Tagging: @doublegoblin, @oh-no-another-idea, @sm-writes-chaos, @aziz-reads, @clairelsonao3, and @gummybugg

Tag Game: OC Speed Dating

I decided I'd try out coming up with a new tag game, I think thats something I'm allowed to do?

So I'm going to to put some of my OCs forward and say what they look for in a person. And then, the next person can pick some of their OCs who might be a good match for them (Don't worry, it's just for fun). Then put something that OC might look for for in a person, for the next person to find a match for?

So if I say: Zhu Lin - Lin is cheerful and energetic, and likes to look out for people. She'd be looking for someone who needs someone to support them, so she can offer that support to someone.

Jacinda Caçador - Jacinda is a bit short tempered and has trust issues because of her past. She would be looking for someone patient who can bear with her as she warms up to them, before becoming their vigilant guard dog.

Naveed Sahin Hassan - Naveed runs a bar, in part because it lets him meet a lot of people and hear their stories. so he'd be looking for someone with a lot of stories to tell, who doesn't mind sharing them, and generally likes to talk a lot.

And then I'll tag: @ember-writer, @thatndginger, @mysticstarlightduck, @dogmomwrites and @fleurtygurl, if you fancy joining in on this one?

SONGS Tag Game!

I was tagged by @mysticstarlightduck! Thank u <3

Rules: put 5 songs you actually listen to, then tag 10 people.

From my On Repeat playlist on Spotify:

The Horror and the Wild, by The Amazing Devil

Call Me Little Sunshine, by Ghost

Mad About You, by Sting

The Trail (from The Witcher III), by Marcin Przbyłowicz

Runar, by Danheim

I'm tagging (no pressure!): @winterandwords, @writernopal, @skyderman, @pluttskutt, @sam-glade, @chromehoplite, @insipid-drivel, @cljordan-imperium, @starlit-hopes-and-dreams, @elshells

OC vs. Cockroach

Alright I had to jump on this one stat LOL thanks for the tag @mysticstarlightduck see their post here!

Rules: Rate your OCs on how well they’d fare against a cockroach

I'm going to do the casts of AASOAF and M.O.W for this one!

AASOAF

Mariel: 7/10 Mariel grew up on a farm so she's pretty used to seeing creepy crawlies around. That said she can't keep her cool around them like she can with rodents and other types of pests so she is definitely the sort to be startled by one, and call for help if there is someone nearby. Otherwise, our little lady is bucking up and dealing with it on her own.

Axtapor: 10/10 A big part of Lizardfolk diet is eating bugs including roaches. While they aren't his favorite, he's known to indulge from time to time because the wings have a nice crunch to them *chefs kiss*. So he just manhandles them whenever they're around and down the hatch they go!

Fay: 0/10 Fay grew up impoverished in the slums of a place called Saltend and on more than one occasion discovered roaches in her bed, clothes, food, hair, blankets you name it. Safe to say she was traumatized after being surrounded by them for so many years. She is definitely calling in for backup if she sees one.

Wilkes: 10/10 Even though he's a Lizardfolk, he doesn't eat roaches. Rather, he despises them because Fay hates them so he's become quite the exterminator on her behalf. He can hit one from across the room with a throwing knife and has done so on many occasions. I should add, that he also doesn't let his adoptive parents eat them either. The Sikthax-Seymour household is a roach-free zone 😤

M.O.W

Hartim and Lexlar: 20/10 So these two are from The Oasis Heartlands which is mostly jungle ergo, LOTS of bugs to eat. They hunt bugs for fun and roaches are no different but they are a little bit more sadistic with roaches than other creepy crawlies. Lexlar will catch a bunch, enough to fill a jar, and then set them loose in an enclosed area, like a room for example, and let Hartim just go nuts trying to catch and eat them lol. Then the same thing vice-versa, Hartim will catch a bunch and release them for Lexlar. They claim it's a speed trial but they're really just playing with their food lol.

Tagging (gently): @outpost51 @sparatus @teamdilf @commander-krios @void-botanist @silverslipstream @captain-kraken @moonluringfrost

WIP Intro - Realms of Loss

Tag - # wip realms of loss

Genres - dark fantasy, medieval quest, high fantasy, war

Status - Outlining, Work In Progress

Themes - war, revenge, loyalty, duty vs honor, the impact of cruelty, politics, lies, survival, betrayal, love and family, choosing one's destiny, fate vs will, prophecy, siblings, oppression, inequality and neglect, valor, forgotten histories, and sacrifice.

Synopsis -

A land forsaken by the gods, abandoned to a fate immersed in strife and forgotten magic, divided between warlords fighting for power and conquest in the remains of a ruthless and scarce world. Two kingdoms stained by the past of a bloody betrayal, trapped in an age-old feud, as chaos and war grow ever stronger outside their walls.

Life is perilous in this world, where only the strongest survive. Some are lucky enough to reside in the still-blessed inner cities of Sarythea, or Avillore, where the massive stone walls keep the encroaching darkness and war at bay, idyllic oasis in the midst of a wasteland. Most, however, are not so lucky. To those born in the ruthless and forgotten outer cities, life is a matter of who can strike first, and strike the fastest - hesitation means death.

When an ancient cursed prophecy and an army thought to have long since fallen tip the scales of this fragile stalemate, destruction seems imminent - if not inevitable - for this gods-forsaken realm.

Among many points of view, however, there might yet be a spark in the midst of this overwhelming night. A prince, born of the last blood of the gods. But with the fate of everything hanging in the balance and his life tied to a curse, will this spark be what brings back light, or the wildfire that'll bring the realms' final ruin? He will do anything to fight against his dark destiny, to bring back hope to his beloved late brother's kingdom in the midst of the growing chaos and encroaching enemies - if he can first survive those who want to see him murdered, or turned into a weapon. To do this, he'll need allies, and when the entire world is against you, beggars can't be choosers - a group of outlaws just might be his only chance.

This is the other WIP I'll be working on during the Winter Nano event!!!

@crowandmoonwriting

Happy STS! I'm asking about friendships and platonic relationships today, and I remember reading a snippet you posted about Evangeline and Ambrose from Enchanted Illusions. You mentioned they become best friends when Ambrose clumsily tries to steal an artifact from her mansion. Without being too spoilery, how did you decide to have them meet this way? Why did they become friends? What else do you like about their dynamic?

Happy (Late) Storyteller Saturday! I hope you don't mind my answering this a day late, I got a bit caught up on writing one of my WIPs! I love these questions.

Without being too spoilery, how did you decide to have them meet this way?

The main reason was that this was the most organic way I could think of to have these two characters from vastly different backgrounds meet, but also, there's an actual plot-related reason for this. Without exposing too much of the story - the person who hired Ambrose to steal that artifact also happens to be a serious enemy of Evangeline's family (it's worth noting that Ambrose didn't know this, he didn't even really know the person who hired him), and this unexpected connection between the duo allows Evangeline to discover a complicated conspiracy/assassination plot against her father, and allows Ambrose to finally get the chance to prove his skills as they kinda set out to ensure that conspiracy doesn't happen.

Why did they become friends?

Well, they're both incredibly intelligent but awkward cinnamon rolls with very specific interests/hobbies (who also happen to be similar). Evangeline wants a way to experience something more than her sightly suffocating noble life and Ambrose wants the chance to be the adventurer he always dreamt of being, but also pay a complicated debt. Evie wants to defeat her family's enemies before it is too late, Ambrose needs to pay his debt to the Hemlock Society (who also happen to be those enemies of hers) before they kill him (the very reason he accepted to try and steal a priceless artifact from one of the richest families in their city). At first, it's more of a "we are stuck in the same mess, so we might as well help each other", but it slowly turns into a real - and quite frankly wholesome -friendship.

What else do you like about their dynamic?

I think they match really well, as while their interests and hobbies are similar, their personalities couldn't be more different. This kinda makes for really great banter material! Evangeline is reckless and oftentimes impulsive, most of her ideas and plans being spontaneous or downright improvised, and who never really learned the concept of consequences or that planning is a thing - the personification of flying by the seat of her pants with feral confidence. Meanwhile, Ambrose is an anxious lil bean who prefers to plan every step of the way before he does something and second-guesses his decisions at least thrice before acting. So it leads to some situations where Evangeline is like "Let's do this! (has the worst, most dangerous idea on the planet which somehow works out)" and Ambrose is like "This is going to go wrong in so many different ways, please don't ..."