Notice Me, Reader! Tag

Notice Me, Reader! Tag

Thanks for the tag, @tabswrites!

Rules: Share 3 (or more!) small details from your WIP that you feel have gone/will go unnoticed. (You can choose whether or not to share why the detail is significant!)

I'll share some sneaky details from Tales of Wilted Flowers and Realms of Loss (:

Tales of Wilted Flowers -

Lorelai's name means "alluring enchantress", and usually a name with a meaning related to sirens that lure people to their doom. That name fits well the way the kingdom views her House, as "conniving traitors", but also has a hint of mystery that implies that not all is what it seems. (The idea for this name also came to me after listening to Loreley by Blackmore's Night)

As the title of the story would imply, many of the characters have flower motifs - some of which may appear in clothing motifs, symbolism, or actual flowers in the story. Flowers are usually tied to meanings of rebirth, hope, and something that is thriving. Wilted flowers indicate that something is amiss - perhaps their environment is sickly as well. Rylisan's flower motif is daisies. Xarian's flower motif is the nightshade. Think about that as you will (: Both have multiple meanings for the characters at hand.

When Neoma'ka is introduced she is trapped in a complicated situation. This parallels her backstory, which revolves around her being "trapped" within her family's expectations of her. It also implies that she is trapped, emotionally, by her own hands - for as long as she does not come to terms with her past.

King Tieran Kallasen's story as well as his past friendship-turned-rivalry with Arcturus Wildwood was vaguely inspired by the actual Arthurian legends. Tieran is a twisted version of King Arthur, while Arcturus is inspired by Lancelot.

Once again, the "flower" motif, but subtler: Arista Bryar's surname is a variation of the word briar - which means wild rose. Roses are innocent flowers usually hailed for their beauty, but their thorns can cause a lot of pain. As it turns out, Arista might be more thorn than flower when the story starts. I also chose her surname as "Bryar" because in Ravaryn faeries are known for having nature-inspired surnames, and she is a half-fae (vampires are faeries in this story). She is also associated with the color ember red, or blood crimson - respectively, "like her father's eyes or the rage in her heart."

Multiple character backstories in this WIP deal with the theme of being unjustly judged and shunned, being othered and cast away by other people - be it by being called a bloodthirsty aberration, a scoundrel, a dark magician, or a traitor, when that's not true. It's also a story about those characters learning to love themselves no matter what society thinks about them.

Realms of Loss:

Kassien's symbol (which is in his actual insignia in the story) is the Sea Serpent (the legendary monster). Those creatures are associated in mythology with the ungovernable power of the oceans, chaos, and the mysteries of the unknown.

When Gwain Vytris is first described in the story there's the phrase "his grey cloak frames him like the closed wings of a hawk". Hawks are birds associated with intelligence, adaptability, and freedom, while also being birds of prey capable of causing serious danger to those they hunt. It's a pretty ominous, somewhat hopeful imagery for our angry boi.

The name Drystan is a variation of Tristan, a name that means "sorrow, or one who is sorrowful". Considering Drystan's backstory in this book, I think the name is pretty accurate.

Sara Kallary's story is very much a "person vs fate" story in which she questions whether she was born destined to be a vile monster like a certain relative of hers, or if she can choose and carve out her own path and destiny.

Nesrynna is known for her unique necklace, which has an amulet that is actually a music box. This has two meanings, both are correct: 1. she chooses to look for beauty and hope in unlikely places, 2. she is stuck in the pain of her childhood, and what it could've been if nothing had gone wrong, she never let go.

Tagging - @oh-no-another-idea, @sm-writes-chaos, @steh-lar-uh-nuhs, @writernopal, @elshells, @cabbojage, @jay-avian and @rickie-the-storyteller

Me, to myself, trying to write:

It's just a first draft, it's just a first draft, it's just a first draft, it's just a first draft, it's just a first draft, it's just a first draft, it's just a first draft, it's just a first draft, it's just a first

Write the book you want to read. The book you want to live in, too! - Anne Rice

Badly Summarized WIPs Poll Tag!

Thank you for the tag, @pluttskutt (here)! This is a really cool game!

Rules: Pick a bunch of your WIPs and summarize them as badly as possible

Tagging - @oh-no-another-idea, @writernopal, @tabswrites, @rickie-the-storyteller, @steh-lar-uh-nuhs, @little-peril-stories, @clairelsonao3, @jasperygrace, @jay-avian, @forthesanityofstorytellers, @aziz-reads, @doublegoblin, @gummybugg, @autumnalwalker, @olivescales3, @junypr-camus, @ashen-crest and @stesierra

I don't know about you guys but i really miss seeing "high fantasy" dragons in media, high fantasy dragons are like Smaug (The Hobbit), Draco (DragonHeart), Saphira (Eragon) and Spyro (Spyro the Dragon games franchise) for example, they have their own free will and cannot be controlled, they are highly intelligent and capable of speaking and even writing or drawing. It seems the version of dragons that has taken over is the animalistic and realistic version, that are basically huge dogs that can breath fire, bring back intellectual dragons that like to make riddles to fool intruders, bring back grumpy dragons that live isolated from everyone but they are actually lonely and in need of a friend, bring back the loyal and brave dragons that are willing to sacrifice themselves to save the ones they love, dragons that will talk to you about the mysteries of the world and the universe, JUST BRING BACK HIGH FANTASY DRAGONS GODDAMIT

sorry I missed WBW, but here's Funny or Fluffy Friday!! mind talking about something funny and/or fluffy in your wips? snippets welcome!!

Yay! Thank you so much for the cool ask, @ashen-crest!

Funny or Fluffy Friday - In the spirit of this day, I'll give you both a funny and a fluffy snippet from my WIPs!

Funny - Enchanted Illusions

(Context - Augustus Grimmure and Harriet Sharppe finish dealing with some unsavory company on a train ride. The necromancer and the girl have vastly different definitions of what "funny" means.)

"My, my. It seems people in this town are so uptight! They just don't have any sense of humor anymore!" Augustus dusted off and adjusted the lapel of his bloodstained white dapper suit, shaking his head with mock disappointment.

Harriet stared at him with a deadpan expression, blinking. "Augustus. You made the dead guy tapdance." She groaned, glaring at the necromancer, hoping her friend would get the message. He didn't.

Instead, he threw his arms open wide with a childish gasp of protest, a sly smile on his lips.

"And it was hilarious! I frankly don't see what all the fuss is about."

Fluffy - Tales of Wilted Flowers

(Context - Just about to reach the kingdom of Allanar, Eiralis and Rylisan have a peaceful day, and after spending a day in town, they go to a local meadow to have some time to relax by themselves. Eiralis braids Rylisan's hair.)

They sat together in the meadow, gentle silence flowing between them with the soft spring breeze. It smelled of wildflowers and dead leaves - to Eiralis, it smelled much like home.

After so many fights and battles, so much running around the kingdom, this was a welcome moment of reprieve. Rylisan was quiet, beside her, their shoulders close but never touching. The elf seemed intently focused on his task at hand, polishing his sword with great care, engraved silver glimmering in the sunlight.

She watched fondly the flowers dancing in the wind and noted how strands of silky blond hair seemed to frame Rylisan's face, though occasionally they flew in front of his eyes. Eiralis heard him mutter a swear in elvish as he pushed the strands away for the third time, brows knitted in annoyance.

"May I...?" She reached forward tentatively, gently. Rylisan startled slightly, the words spoken suddenly popping the bubble of silence. He stared at her for a moment, taken aback by the question until he understood her meaning. Then he nodded, though a bit hesitant, dropping the blade he'd been polishing.

"I, um - Of course."

The human girl smiled, gingerly taking the bothersome strand of hair and parting it into three, and then slowly, but gracefully, started weaving it into a braid. As she worked with practiced ease, she noticed Rylisan's eyes following her movements - unsure, at first, but then, slowly, there was a glint in his eyes - trust, she recognized.

When she was done with this one, Eiralis moved on to the other side, wrapping both braids so that they met at the back of his head, and tying them together with care. As the hair fell into place, she plucked a daisy from the meadow and wove it into one of the braids. "All done!" She said with a smile, moving back to where she'd been sitting. "Now the hair won't keep getting in your face."

Rylisan looked up, reaching up a hand to the braids, fingers just barely brushing it. His eyes met hers, and surprisingly, he smiled - not his trademark scowl or a polite grin, but a genuine, beaming smile.

"Thank you."