Wip: Realms Of Loss - Tumblr Posts - Page 2

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

Happy WBW!

💀 - How do people in your world think about the dead after their passing? Do they celebrate them, mourn, or honour them in some way, or are they gone and not mentioned?

🏛️ - Does your world have old buildings? Ruins?

Happy WBW!!! Thank you so much for the ask, @pluttskutt! I'll answer this one for my WIPs Enchanted Illusions and Realms of Loss!

💀 - How do people in your world think about the dead after their passing? Do they celebrate them, mourn, or honour them in some way, or are they gone and not mentioned?

IN ENCHANTED ILLUSIONS:

The treatment of the dead depends/varies on which of the many cultures present in Ansburke we're talking about (though the city's cultural landscape is divided/shared mostly between humans and Myths - magical beings - there are many cultures within those groups, and many different kinds of Myths, from faeries to vampires and even banshees).

The most predominant ways people think about/treat the dead in the city of Ansburke are very similar to the way people viewed/treated the dead in the 1800s, and in some aspects, even in the modern day. There are funerals and mourning rites (which, again, vary according to which fictional human or Myth culture the person hails from), as well as some celebrations - during which the deceased's loved ones may or may not invoke a deity/god to protect the spirit of the who died while on their way to the afterlife.

Most people are buried in graveyards or crypts - much like the ones we know today - though some prefer to be cremated and put into urns. In Ansburke, most common funeral choices and rites are similar to those commonly associated with the actual IRL Victorian period, especially regarding the "grieving etiquette" and rules, but there are some very unique alternatives too.

For example, in this world, Selkies and Kelpies return their dead loved ones to the sea - since they themselves are born in the sea, respecting the cycle of life is crucial for their spirits to properly pass on and it is sacred to their kind. Selkies and Kelpies believe that when the deceased person's soul reaches the open sea again that spirit may be reborn in the next 100 or so years.

Vampires - or at least those who are born vampires, not turned - consider death an unfathomable tragedy (since they are supposed to live forever, being killed certainly seems unnatural to them), and often mourn their dead loved ones for centuries or even eternity. They guard their loved one's final resting ground viciously and do not take kindly to uninvited guests trespassing on their crypts, even if by accident. To vampires, the death of one of their kind is a crime that must never be forgiven.

Faeries/Fey Folk hold huge parties/celebrations in memory of the deceased, during the days and even weeks after the funeral. In their ceremonies, they typically light an enchanted kind of lantern that can burn bright for weeks, lighting the sky of the vicinities like multicolored stars.

As in IRL, most people in Ansburke continue honoring their dead and keeping that person's memory alive in special ways that mean something to them.

In the main cast, for example, Cailean Telkerly, a half-selkie, collects and fixes broken pocket watches as a sort of remembrance for his dead older brother, who really loved his job as a clockmaker's apprentice. Another example is Marcus Kallihan, who lights a special candle every year on his deceased parents' wedding anniversary.

IN REALMS OF LOSS -

Now this is where things get tricky to explain, but here we go. In the world of Realms of Loss, most of the continent has been ravaged by a curse that even the Far Reach's wall can't keep at bay. So, a common - and very much warranted - fear amongst the population is that the dead won't quite stay dead or may become easy vessels for the corruption to consume/dominate. Thus, the most common funeral rite is creating the deceased on a funeral pyre (sometimes just a pyre, other times a boat, much like a Viking's funeral), to prevent the curse from adhering to the now-dead body. Details regarding the mourning period, size of the pyre or even duration of the ceremony depends on the person's social class - peasants may have a simple funeral pyre with materials they can acquire from the woods or afford to buy, while royalty has entire ceremonies and celebrations tied to their funeral and usually have tremendously large pyres. After the death of the King or Queen, it is tradition for the entire kingdom to go into a mourning period for around two weeks, and there are laws to ensure this time is honored.

When it comes to it, however, on the kingdoms of Avillore or Sarythea, no matter the person's status, accomplishments, or power, they all become ash in the end - as no one wants to become a soulless husk wandering the Lost Lands for eternity.

Another important aspect - since the Celestial Courts have such a prominent role in the kingdom's daily existence and are worshipped far and wide, someone might request a blessing from a specific Celestial their deceased loved one worshipped in life. And on some special rare occasions, the Celestial might actually give their blessing to the person.

🏛️ - Does your world have old buildings? Ruins?

Both the worlds of Realms of Loss and Enchanted Illusions have plenty of ruins (especially in Realms of Loss, where much of the continent's former glory has been worn down by time and war), or at least buildings that fell into disuse/abandonment. Many of those ruins play some kind of role in the story or at least are explored by the Main Characters in some way - for example, in Enchanted Illusions, Thaddeus found an abandoned fortress in the catacombs of Ansburke and refurbished it to be the headquarters of his operation.

"Proud of" Tag

I was tagged by @pluttskutt, (here), for this one! I'm catching up with my tags after taking a bit of a break the past few weeks (due to health reasons, which I've now recovered from), so here we go!

Rules: Post a snippet you’ve written that you’re proud of and tag 5 people. This snippet can be from today, last week, last month, or five years ago, it doesn’t matter! Show us what you’re proud of 💗

[...] "What are you doing?" Teivel peeked through the bars of the cell, suspicion written in his features as he watched Lucian shakily fumble with a key bunch.

"Getting you out of here."

The young man answered with fierce determination, already moving to unlock the rusted lock. Teivel couldn't help but gasp, horror dawning on him at this recklessness - he reached through the gap, holding onto Lucian's wrist and stubbornly keeping him from turning the key.

"Oh. No, no, no." He shook his head, lowering his voice after his words echoed around the hallway "You're a fool, they'll catch us before we're even out of the dungeons and then we'll both be stuck here. Please, just go back, and we'll just pretend this never happened. It's not worth the risk, not for me."

Lucian looked up in disbelief but did not pull his wrist away from the other's grasp. Instead, he spoke with a reassuring smile.

"It is worth it because of you, not the other way around. We need to try. I'm not letting them kill you - I couldn't care less what my father thinks, and even if I end up tried for treason, at least that way I'll know I'll never be like him."

Teivel sighed, dejection and exasperation mixing in his voice. "We're going to regret this. Even if we escape this place, something will go wrong - that war out there kills everything in its path. I won't be able to keep you safe, and neither you me."

"What if I told you there's a way to stop that war? You know the old tales as well as I do - the curse out there isn't just that, it's a prophecy. 'The Dead God's heir will be flame that'll spark a new dawn', that scroll said." Lucian spoke, hurriedly, like an anxious scholar with too much to explain and not a lot of time. He looked over his shoulder and down the hall, checking if the guards hadn't come down for their usual patrol.

He took a deep breath before continuing. "My father's soldiers are seeking him, and he hates wasting troops. If they are making such an effort to find this guy, then it's because the prophecy is real - and if we find the prince before they do, we can change things, maybe even stop the war."

"So you're suggesting that we put our fates in the hands of your people's fairy tales, and hope we won't just get captured or worse?"

Teivel asked, nearly angry, though there was a glint of something else in his eyes - something that showed that he, as much as he feared to admit it, wanted to hope that maybe, just maybe, there was a sliver of a chance that things wouldn't end in bloodshed this time.

"No. What I'm saying is that we take this chance, we don't know when another will show up." Lucian gestured around, their bleak surroundings emphasizing his point. "Maybe the stories are true, maybe they aren't, but that doesn't matter - my point is, I'd rather put our fates on the uncertainty of what's out there, than on the certainties we have here, certainties like the executioner's blade that's waiting for you tomorrow morning."

Just as Lucian paused, a telltale creak echoed through the hallway - the iron door atop the stairs slowly swinging open. The guards must've realized the keys were missing, and they'd be here any minute. Lucian felt Teivel flinch, tightening his hold on his wrist for a second, before letting go.

Lucian turned the key, opening the door. "If we're going to do this, the time is now. What do you say?"

Teivel looked at him and then up the hallway, where the guards would inevitably appear in a blink. He shook his head, almost not believing what he was about to do, before stepping out of the cell. "You'd better have a spectacular plan." [...]

Tagging (gently): @little-peril-stories, @oh-no-another-idea, @clairelsonao3, @i-can-even-burn-salad and @starlit-hopes-and-dreams

Hello! :D

Topaz: What is the main conflict of your wip?

Thank you so much for the ask, @i-can-even-burn-salad! I'll answer this one for all my WIPs!

The Tag Game!

Enchanted Illusions: A corrupt secret society seeks to cause another civil war between humans and mythical creatures, whilst murdering those who find out about this true intention. The main characters must stop them and expose their machinations before the chaos in Ansburke gets out of control.

+ BONUS - Augustus, the book's resident necromancer, must face the dire consequences of his deal with the Deamon Deathbringer, as he is torn between his past choices and his newfound love. He needs to make a decision and find a way to break his deal, but any wrong step may put his and his loved one's souls in danger

Of Starlight and Beasts: A scorned Queen seeks revenge on the realm she blames for the death of her lover, but this goal of hers has long since become tainted by her wish for conquest as she became just as murderous as those she battled in the past, generations ago. The main characters must stop her dark magic from conquering and destroying their land for good.

Realms of Loss: A continent divided into two kingdoms, after the fall of the Old Gods, has been trapped in a centuries-old war against one another for centuries - battling for power and survival as the Celestials' power wanes. When this war awakens an insane dead god and puts into motion a crooked prophecy, the "Chosen" prince must fight his fate and prevent both kingdoms from destroying each other.

Tales of Wilted Flowers: A group of outcasts, shunned, forgotten and betrayed by society throughout their lives, find themselves as the only ones willing to take a stand against a sadistic dark sorcerer and the corrupt royal family of the kingdom Wenhorn. In order not to die or meet a terrible fate, these unlikely heroes must stop their kingdom's "beloved" King from bringing back the magic of a long-since banished spellcaster.

The Last Wrath: As the Secret Court, a bloodthirsty cult that feeds off of the souls and magic of common people, returns after a long time being considered only legend, some specific individuals find their personal goals tied to not only surviving both the war between the power-hungry Morosyn Empire and the Free Realms, but also preventing this ancient court from "rewriting history in blood."

Mutant Inquiries: In a cyberpunk, near-future dystopia, mutant super-powered teens face a conspiracy involving an authoritarian government, illegal human experimentation by the PHANTOM Industries, and the truth about their own mutant existence. They become vigilantes in order to expose the truth, but find that there is much more at stake than just sticking it to authority and that their own lives are on the line.

Supernova Initiative: The most wanted intergalactic thief must steal a top-secret experiment, that was lost to so-called zealots in a faraway system, to evade being imprisoned after breaking into the Junction's most secure vault. Meanwhile, diplomatic relationships between factions and galaxies grow strained.

Lies Untold: Two brothers must race against time to evade their kingdom's royal "inquisition" after the King makes their little sister a target to be captured. In their attempt to stay alive, being hunted down while their land faces the punishing wrath of a curse that was very much the King's fault, the siblings also must face their family's past and make the right choice.