Mastodawn

Branwen OShea (she/her)

Inviting all #writers to join us for the fun and friendship of #WritingWonders. You can participate with a WIP or an already published book. Alina, Amelia and I have come up with some hopefully intriguing questions for January. Looking forward to seeing all your answers and meeting new friends this year. Here you go!
#amwriting

Jillianne Hamilton 📚Jan 1, 2023

@BranwenOShea These are awesome, thanks for putting this together!

Branwen OShea (she/her)Jan 1, 2023

@jillianne You’re welcome, but it’s not just me. Alina, Amelia and I host together.😊

Vicki Kyriakakis Jan 6, 2023

@BranwenOShea Thanks for this! This is fun. :)

Branwen OShea (she/her)Jan 6, 2023

@VickiKyriakakis You’re welcome! I can’t take all the credit though. It’s the brain child of Amelia and Alina too.😊

@BranwenOShea You know what? This fits well with my cry on Tungl for people to ask me about Blorbo From My WIP. I'll get right onto this after I stream today.

Branwen OShea (she/her)Jan 6, 2023

@internutter Perfect! And welcome to the discussion.😊

@BranwenOShea Prompt 1:

Does it have to be just one? I joke that my theme song is "You May Be Right" by Billy Joel.

As for my novel, the WIP is currently somewhere between "Jumpstarted" by Jukebox the Ghost and "Everything is Awful" by The Decemberists. With maybe a hint of "Accidentally in Love" by Counting Crows.

...stop me before I make another playlist

@BranwenOShea I really should tag #WritingWonders about this, too. Whoops. On to Numero Dos.

Where do I find inspiration for my stories: equal parts mad ideas and more than a modicum of spite. For instance: Having overdosed by osmosis on my Beloved's Hallmark Movie/RomCom Addiction, I realised how TERRIFYINGLY ABUSIVE most "romances" are. And started mulling over what a non-abusive romance might actually look like.

That in combination with an unfinished and unfinishable D&D campaign [Long story short - COVID happened] caused "A Devil's Tale" to commence.

The other contributing factor was me messing with ideas for #TaleFoundry

@BranwenOShea Tagging #WritingWonders for number THREE of my catching up with this meme. Bored of me yet?

What is my antagonist's worst fear? His son, heir, and hero of my book taking his power, the crown, and the foretold title of Thrice-Sworn King.

@BranwenOShea Tagging #WritingWonders for part four of this. Feel free to bother me with questions.

My MC's name is Kosh. Or rather, his nickname is Kosh. It gets more complicated the longer the WIP goes. His voice is a low, gravelly voice that could easily be a purr when he gets his flirt on.

And this, if I am lucky about it, is me when I read in his voice. [I hope it works]

@BranwenOShea and of course #WritingWonders for part 5 of my catching up on a meme about Blorbo From My WIP...

What does my MC wear on a typical day?

In what is fast becoming most likely to be Book One of "A Devil's Tale", Kosh is seen in a black hakama [the voluminous pleated pants that look like a skirt to the unwary] and a sleeveless gi top. The only ornamentation is a red belt that signifies which level he's in. This is referred to in-text as his "Martiallist Uniform" and denotes his position in the Order of Shadows.

@BranwenOShea Finally and at last, part 6 of catching up with the meme! #WritingWonders, I hope you have enjoyed what I have so far.

What is my MC's most treasured possession(s)?

Since his training in the Martial Arts, my lad Kosh wasn't permitted to keep a lot of things, and had to hide some stuff important to his identity from his Master at the Dojo. That said, the identity stuff is not particularly treasured. He looks after it because it's important and he needs it.

His one most treasured possession is something he hid in his homeland, before he was sent away to the Dojo. It's a small, tin toy figure of a Hellkin like himself. It was part of a larger set of tin toy figures that represented most intelligent creatures in the world. Originally, it held a sword, and had its 'skin' painted red. Baby Kosh snapped off the sword and clumsily painted it blue to match his own skin, thus making the figure a "friendly Hellkin".

He's still very fond of it now that he's fully grown.

@BranwenOShea Number 7 for #WritingWonders and the meme about Blorbo From My WIP.

How does your MC cope with stress? Since Kosh is Devilborn [he looks like a blue demon BTW] he has encountered assorted micro-aggressions all his life. Some are merely background noise as far as he's concerned.

For the rest, since he refuses to act like other people tell him he should act ["I am not a (BAD THING) Teufel."], there is sarcasm and snark.

LOTS of sarcasm and snark.

I haven't written it yet, but there is a planned stress for him that he will not deal with well at all. As in, worse than sarcasm and snark. He'll be barely holding on by the end of it.

...the boy needs therapy.

Branwen OShea (she/her)Jan 7, 2023

@internutter Poor guy! Must be hard to be a blue demon. Are demonborn common in your world?

@BranwenOShea Number 8 for #WritingWonders

Name one scent that evokes pleasant memories in your MC.

Bold of you to assume that Kosh HAS pleasant memories. lol. For reals, he hasn't had the world's most joyous life experience, but there is a delicacy native to his homeland that he has literally waited his whole life to actually taste.

It brings to his mind memories of the people he loves.

Branwen OShea (she/her)Jan 8, 2023

@internutter I hope he gets some of whatever it is.

@BranwenOShea Oh yeah I have a whole Bit about it :D

Branwen OShea (she/her)Jan 8, 2023

@internutter Perfect!😊

@BranwenOShea Part 9 for #WritingWonders

Name one person your MC trusts the most. Why?

(chuckles about the concept of Kosh and trust) My lad's had a lifetime of being browbeaten out of trusting literally anyone. He spends most of his life being on guard against random attacks.

Before he learns that he HAS friends, the only person he was willing to trust was his fiancee. Because if he couldn't trust her, there's no point in living another day.

Cheerful bloke, my Kosh(/sarcasm).

All of that said, he actually winds up trusting "Rauchig" despite their book-long mutual antagonism. Because "Rauchig" will tell Kosh he's being an asshole/idiot without any fear. That said, there's still a lot of salt in their relationship.

@BranwenOShea Part 10 of this #WritingWonders challenge

How would your MC's closest friend/confidante describe your MC? That would be Kosh's younger brother, Spitebane. After they finally meet. There's not many people Kosh is prone to trust, and with good reason.

After they get to know each other, Spitebane describes Kosh as, "Bitter, paranoid, and incapable of trust... but having seen what he deals with, who would fail to be so?"

Branwen OShea (she/her)Jan 10, 2023

@internutter Poor Kosh!

@BranwenOShea I've said it before and I'll say it again. The boy needs therapy.

@BranwenOShea Number 11 for #WritingWonders

Introduce your antagonist. [I have to go for the biggest one, and just for funsies, I think I'll do it in improvised prose]

He had found his Papa! Papa was in the big room with all the fancy people and the Important Chair. He looked down from a high balcony on the entire scene, at all the people in their puffy clothes and glittering pretties.

Papa only wore a rather plain gold crown that had spikes on. As for clothes, Papa's wore a simple white shirt, and plain white hose. Rather ordinary trews and long vest in red velvet.

There was someone held by soldiers. Somebody who'd been bad. It made Papa get up from his regular chair and step all the way to the Important Chair.

He put both hands over his mouth, because this bit always terrified him. When Papa sat THERE... it got frightening.

It filled the whole room with a blood red light. No shadows. And Papa was a dark shape in it.

It was scarier than whenever Papa looked in on him in the nursery, when he was a dark mountain of a man in the doorway.

Even when he was making words in his office, Papa was angry. He never smiled.

"Kormwind Arachis Felbourne Whitekeep, THERE you are," Mama scooped him up and held him close. "You had me scared half to death you'd come to harm. My darling boy."

He clung tight to Mama and whined, "Papa scary..." His tail wound around Mama's arm, and he could see his blue hands against her red dress. He reached one up to touch a tear on Mama's pale pink cheek. "Don' cry? I be good."

...oOo...

Damn near thirty years later, the Earl Valiant Stormwight Hallowfine Whitekeep had not changed. Always scowling, always precise. Even when everything was under his complete control, he never smiled.

He kept his hair short and his face bare, all the better to keep it in check. He kept everyone in terror of his anger.

Kosh remembered wanting to cheer his father up. It had taken him years to realise that his existence as both heir and Hellkin had made all that bitter hatred fill his father's heart.

And despite everything, he still loved this man. He STILL wanted to ease his anger.

It would take a gods-wrought miracle to actually do it and still be breathing. Kosh did not have that capacity.

He had to at least try and loan his father some dignity. He could not announce himself here, in front of his father's Barons.

With a purposely thick accent, Kosh re-iterated, "I am havink message for ze Earl. Ears only."

"Out with it," snapped Valiant, not even looking up. "I'm not walking into a closet so an unwashed primate can whisper in my ear."

So he put his blue hand right next to Valiant's far more human one. He pitched his voice to carry to the whole room.

"Hallo, Papa. Time for the dirty laundry to come out, nein?"

There never would be anything less than animosity between them. Kosh grinned in the face of his father's rage.

[Of course, the actual text of the WIP is different. I had an intense desire to show off]

@BranwenOShea Part the 12th of #WritingWonders sharing meme

What does my MC and antagonist have in common?

Family. A curse. A family curse [Kosh jokes that he IS the family curse] and the administration of a mountain realm that has eternal internal bickering from various factions.

@BranwenOShea Part 13 of #writingwonders

Where does my MC feel most comfortable? Kosh has put up with a LOT and is therefore also USED to a lot. He's well accustomed to just... dealing... with whatever.

That said, in the end parts of the WIP, Kosh will eventually find comfort lounging in a wing chair with a good book and a glass of wine. And, of course, the arms of his most beloved wife. [Yes, he gets married eventually. Its a long and complicated path to domestic bliss though]

Branwen OShea (she/her)Jan 13, 2023

@internutter Quote the turnaround. Good for him!😊

@BranwenOShea Part 14 of the #WritingWonders meme for this month

Does my MC show their true self to others or wear a mask?

Both? Both. Both is good. [/meme]

Kosh has taken an oath to tell the truth, which he does. However HOW he tells the truth is the trick of it. So he's completely honest about things... BUT

He wears a smile like a mask between his true feelings and the rest of the world. Showing off as many of his pointy teeth as possible like a challenge to anyone who wants to start shit. He doesn't let anyone know they've hurt his feelings because he knows damn well that that was their goal.

The mask falls off around his friends. When he acknowledges that he has friends, of course.

As I said before, my lad has been through a LOT. And he needs some therapy.

@BranwenOShea Part 15 of the #WritingWonders meme that lets me talk about Blorbo from my WIP...

How does my MC feel around other people? CONSTANTLY ON GUARD!

Kosh has had a literal lifetime of being "put in his place" by the machinations of others, followed around by the local cops, and sundry other microaggressions. Treat him kindly, and he'll be twitchy all day about how this could be setting him up for a humiliation.

He does EVENTUALLY learn how to relax and enjoy social time, though. So there's that.

Also, once he gets married, he goes from "zero" to "the full Gomez Addams Experience" with his wife.

@BranwenOShea Part 16 of the #WritingWonders Blorbo From My WIP meme

What does my MC find fun? TLDR version - Security Breaches. He's an Adept in the Way of Shadows, so sneaking around is like a fun hobby. Of course there's a whole Thing about not using the front door, so one of his favourite things to do is sneak up behind the guard at the door who would ordinarily prevent him from getting in.

...this becomes a problem when he takes up his rightful position in charge of his homeland.

Branwen OShea (she/her)Jan 16, 2023

@internutter Hahaha!

@BranwenOShea Part 17 of #WritingWonders thing that lets me talk about Blorbo From My WIP

What's a typical meal for my MC? When we meet Kosh, he generally eats a ration pack per day. The bare minimum to keep body and soul together [I can hear him in my head like, "Bold of you to assume I have a soul." Dude. Get help]

He's been living in minimalism for about twenty-five years so he's not that interested in feasts.

...which becomes a problem when he returns to his homeland and the role in society he's entitled to. And it gets worse when [SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS] and he [SPOILERS SPOILERS] until [SPOILERS].

Those who love him encourage him into healthier habits.

Branwen OShea (she/her)Jan 17, 2023

@internutter "Bold of you to assume I have a soul."🤣🤣🤣

@BranwenOShea Part 18 of the #WritingWonders meme about Blorbo From My WIP

What are some of my MC's core values? Justice. He'd say as much instantly. Having witnessed and experienced injustice at every turn (and worshipping a deity who's supposed to side with justice) he's all about justice. From calling out people on various hypocrisies through making sure true villains get a comeuppance to tipping the balance in favour of the underdog.

Branwen OShea (she/her)Jan 17, 2023

@internutter Nice!

@BranwenOShea Part 19 of #WritingWonders thing that lets me go off about Blorbo From My WIP. Yay!

Describe my favourite side character and their relationship with my MC.

Ooooh boy. On one hand, I'm like "Don't make me choose between my babies" but on the other... ooohhh... Kosh has got himself some complicated relationships.

Spitebane Whitekeep: The baby brother who didn't know he WAS a baby brother until Kosh turned up to rescue him from a disaster of his own making. Then he had to go rescue Kosh or suffer the consequences of a family curse. "Complicated" sums it up, but the relationship goes from adversarial through jealousy to admiration and then settles into a kind of genial sibling rivalry.

Cordelia Bellarin: Romantic lead. Not like all the other romantic leads. Just play "I won't say I'm in love" from Corporate Mouse's Hercules for most of it. I think "fond exasperation" encapsulates the endgame here.

Master Bai: Septacentenarian Elf with an assload of prejudice. If Kosh wasn't a Hellkin, he would be very pleased to call my lad the best student he'd ever taught. HOWEVER... what is there is seething resentment between them.

Earl Valiant Whitekeep: Kosh's father. Much to his regret. BOILING HATRED!

"Rauchig": Commander of wild magics and occasional foil for Kosh. "He's a paranoid asshole, but he's MY paranoid asshole." Reluctant respect.

"Sapphire": Dragon-kindred warrior. "Someone hurt him. I am going to find out who it was and smash their nose in." Soft on Kosh, but knows it's look-don't-touch between him and her.

"Lapis": Kobold on the side of law and order. "What do you know? There IS such a thing as being too honourable." Trying to keep Kosh grounded is almost a full-time job.

Tallo: One of the servants in the castle who's also like ten. "M'Lord needs help remembering to eat. He's way too busy with everyone else. I have to kick him to put a fork in his mouth."

@BranwenOShea Part 20 of the #WritingWonders meme that lets me talk about Blorbo From My WIP

How dangerous is my world? What are some of the dangers?

Alfarell is a world in which adventuring is a career, and heroes rise from all corners, so there are a LOT of dangers. Nevertheless, society persists. There's a need for heroes because:

* Dragons
* Monsters
* Vermin of unusual size [yes that's a Princess Bride reference]
* Dire Beasts
* Prophecies
* and of course various political factions doing wars at each other

Just to name a few.

Branwen OShea (she/her)Jan 20, 2023

@internutter Yup, sounds pretty dangerous! And I love the Princess Bride reference.😂

@BranwenOShea Part 21 of #WritingWonders meme regarding Blorbo From My WIP

How fair is my world? Most unfairness comes from prejudice. When you have a group of people like the Hellkin, it's almost natural to have that sort of suspicion roaming around.

If someone is walking around looking like a firkin DEMON, you're bound to suspect them. As Kosh would put it, "People like you make people like me pay the price for sins that were never ours."

There are also Unwelcome Peoples. The species that are generally less accepted into various societies. Goblins, Trolls, Orcs, Ogres, etc. They, and Hellkin, are classed as "Monsters" and attract an unfair amount of prejudice.

Which leads to various people from the Monster/Unwelcome group getting a HUGE chip on their shoulder.

There's two ways to go when the world hates you for being who you are: Roll in it and be worse than everything they say you are, or spend your soul away fighting it with everything you've got.

Small wonder Kosh defines himself by what he is not.

@BranwenOShea Part 22 of the #WritingWonders meme that lets me talk about Blorbo From My WIP

Describe a ritual or tradition from my world.

The coronation of the Earl of Whitekeep is an exercise in traditions. The Earl-in-waiting exits the castle at a specific door to walk the ancient boundary that has since been eclipsed by the growing capital. It's still called Wall Street.

The Earl walks this road without jewellery or finery. Just wearing his regular clothes. He has no guards and no protection [The actual road is heavily guarded and would-be assassins are foiled by the crowds], so the people can see that he is just another person. Just like them.

Following his clockwise walk through Wall Street, he re-enters the castle to light the Blood Throne in front of as many witnesses as can cram themselves into the Court. He accepts the crown and the allegiance of the Barons. He also dons a long, large, heavy cloak as a symbol of the responsibility he has to bear.

He's not meant to carry it alone.

Traditionally, the new Earl asks his extant parents and two others to help him carry this burden and be his advisors as he adjusts to his burden. He and the cloak-carriers, the Barons, and some other members of the court walk BACK along Wall Street, counter-clockwise, to show the people the new Earl.

Only once he's back inside does the Earl, his Barons, and new advisors head towards the Carved Keep to witness the Earl take the Oath of the Keep. Putting his blood to a charmed stone and swearing to uphold certain values.

Another wrinkle in this tradition is that the Earl is offered a knife by a celebrant. It's gaudy, gem-encrusted, on a velvet pillow, and heavily poisoned. The Earl is meant to ask a trusted friend for a new/humble blade.

Once the oath is sworn, the Keep rings a note heard throughout the realm, the stone accepts his blood, and it's officially official.

@BranwenOShea Part 23 of #WritingWonders thing that lets me talk about Blorbo From My WIP

Are any of your characters artistic or musicians?

Kosh CAN draw, but he doesn't devote a lot of time to art until [SPOILERS] and it becomes part of his therapy.

He ends up creating the absolute thirstiest portrait of my main heroine whilst also being totally PG.

...it doesn't help as much as people think it would.

@BranwenOShea Part 24 of #WritingWomders meme regarding Blorbo From My WIP

Does food play a role in my book? Yes, yes, and hell yes.

My MC is 31 before he manages to get himself a treat meant for children. One local to his homeland. He spends a majority of the early chapters eating only rations and not trusting food from many other people. There's even a couple of flashbacks where he practically starves himself to prove a point.

And when [SPOILERS]... it breaks him so badly that he doesn't recognise FLAVOUR. Then when [SPOILERS SPOILERS] he finally gets to appreciate everything he's missed out on in life. Which includes good food.

@BranwenOShea Past 25 of #WritingWonders thing regarding Blorbo From My WIP

What tropes do I use in my story? Here's the ones I can think of, though there's doubtless more.

1. Antihero (possibly also inverted and lampshaded)
2. Arranged Marriage
3. Beautiful All Along (subverted)
4. Damsel Out of Distress
5. Distressed Dude
6. Not Like Other Girls
7. One True Love
8. Romance Cover Scene (I have at least one good one)
9. Action Girlfriend
10. Almost Kiss
11. Battle Couple
12. Beast and Beauty
13. Courtly Love
14. "Dear John" Letter (subverted)
15. Fantastic Romance
16. Fool For Love
17. Grow Old With Me (planned!)
18. Hands On Approach
19. Happily Married (also planned)
20. Intimate Artistry (planned)
21. The Lost Lenore (but only for a bit)
22. Make-Out Kids (planned)
23. The Mourning After (see 21)
24. Official Couple Ordeal Syndrome
25. Post-Kiss Catatonia (planned/inverted)
26. Rescue Romance
27. Train Station Goodbye
28. True Love's Kiss (planned)

And yes I did go through some of TV Tropes to find these.

Branwen OShea (she/her)Jan 24, 2023

@internutter These are so interesting. Never thought of some of these as tropes until you mentioned them. What is the Dear John trope?

@BranwenOShea The "Dear John" Letter actually happened in real life as well as in drama.

Soldiers overseas in the war [I think as early as WW1] got letters from their sweethearts, often not using their actual name. It boiled down to, "Dear John, I found someone else and you're dumped."

It's the Breakup Letter. Now possibly being the Breakup Email. Or Breakup Text Message.

Branwen OShea (she/her)Jan 25, 2023

@internutter oof. That’s harsh.

🍕⚾🖖Jan 25, 2023

@internutter @BranwenOShea
That may be my favorite website in the entire internet…=)

@ixtlidekami @BranwenOShea Best site for Wiki Walks

🍕⚾🖖Jan 25, 2023

@internutter @BranwenOShea
I've been there for "days". It's simply so much fun…=)

@BranwenOShea Part 26 of #WritingWonders meme regarding Blorbo From My WIP

Are there any characters with chronic health issues in your story? If anxiety counts, you can count Kosh. If not... I had not considered that angle regarding my novel.

Vanessa MacLaren-Wray Jan 26, 2023

@internutter @BranwenOShea Anxiety is definitely a chronic health issue.

@BranwenOShea Part 27 of #WritingWonders meme that lets me speak of Blorbo From My WIP

Are there human rights issues in your World? If so, does my MC ever address them?

TLDR: Yes, and yes.

Kosh's homeland was founded by a dozen escaped slaves and has been in a quasi-regular war with a slaving organisation ever since. His family motto is "Never again in chains" and the oldest laws include "No one held in chains."

I've mentioned earlier that there's some prejudice regarding Hellkin and other Unwelcome Peoples, and Kosh has been pretty much fighting that since he understood what it was.

When he [SPOILERS], he will do everything he can to stamp out slavery and at least dampen the forces of prejudice.

It's not completely successful, nothing ever is, but he does have some successes.

Branwen OShea (she/her)Jan 26, 2023

@internutter Go, Kosh! 😊

@BranwenOShea Part 28 of #WritingWonders meme regarding Blorbo From My WIP

What sort of diversity exists within my cast of characters?

Well, I have two characters related to dragons, and one that's a sort of bird-humanoid, the MC resembles a demon, his romantic interest is part Elf, so I'd say "ecclectic" is the word for that.

I have ecclectic diversity in my cast.

@BranwenOShea Part 29 of #WritingWonders meme regarding Blorbo From My WIP

If my MC had three wishes, what would they be?

1. An increase in understanding and empathy between antagonistic forces, building over time, until hate ceases.
2. An end to greed.
3. For Greatfather Langeven [read: Fantasy Santa Claus] to visit all good children regardless of species.

Branwen OShea (she/her)Jan 28, 2023

@internutter Great wishes

@BranwenOShea Part 30 of #WritingWonders meme regarding Blorbo From My WIP

How is death handled in my world? Depends on the culture. At least in Whitekeep [Kosh's homeland] the dead are usually cremated to save on space. Some scatter the ashes, some keep them in urns.

Since Hellkin don't burn easily [or sometimes at all], they're interred in niches cut into the mountain stone for at least two years and, if necessary, transferred into an ossuary to be tucked away elsewhere.

As for mourning, those who miss them are expected to wear dark colours for as long as they feel the pain of that loss.

There's a wrinkle regarding Hellkin mourning traditions which I will put behind censorship because self harm content.

Hellkin traditions, such as they are, include having their wedding band burned into the outer part of their horn so they can never be unfaithful. Some also say that the process is the last pain they should feel now that they have a lifemate to ease their sorrows. However, if that spouse dies and leaves the Hellkin behind, they saw off the horn their ring is on because the reminder is too painful to bear.

Branwen OShea (she/her)Jan 30, 2023

@internutter That’s so sad.😔

@BranwenOShea Part 31 and final of this month's #WritingWonders thing regarding Blorbo From My WIP. Tomorrow? Next month's thing.

Is my MC an introvert or an extrovert? There was a time in Kosh's life where he would have easily been an extrovert. Kosh at ages 4-10 was trying to be friendly and greeted people with a smile [given those pointy teeth, that may have been a mistake] and he still tries to learn thing about people and make friendly overtures.

Friendly overtures from someone who looks like a devil are often read as threats, alas.

So my lad has had the extroversion beaten out of him by life and is now a paranoid and suspicious sort, careful of every ground he treads on.

Branwen OShea (she/her)Jan 31, 2023

@internutter 😔