Gloomy in Pastels

I've made progress on BotP this past year.

I took BotP off Royal Road because I knew I couldn't finish the edits in a timely fashion (my last job sucked up every ounce of time/energy I had). I also just don't think my demographic is on Royal Road; it seems that a lot of reader expect Tolkien-influenced fantasy, and I'm writing isekai-influenced fantasy. However, BotP is so niche that I just can't see it working as anything besides a web novel. I'm still trying to determine how and where I should host it.

Months after taking BotP off Royal Road, I finished my first rewrite/edit, and put everything in a master document.

I've search+replace'd a few words to make the time period feel more 19th century, gave Maddie piss-poor grammar, and otherwise made the Sotexan characters more folksy.

Currently, I'm combing through the doc to make sure the poor grammar is restricted to uneducated characters, casual-proper grammar is given to non-Sotexans, and the highly-educated are given formal grammar.

In act 3, I'll need to make some major edits that reflect changes I made to the magic system.

On that note, I've been cycling through various ways to keep my notes together. I've tried WorldAnvil, I've tried making my own website, I've tried a combination of software (OneNote, MindMaster, Scrivener), I've tried keeping a series bible in Word, I've tried making a physical series bible - basically, nothing can encompass everything I want/need to do. At this point, I'm just gonna start throwing things on a side blog and hoping for the best. I still might move to my own website eventually, but only after I've ironed out the fundamentals of my worldbuilding.

Since I’m trying to regain enthusiasm for BotP, I thought I’d start sharing some excerpts again. This is from the new version of chapter 2.

Mistress Dia returned to the horses, who were braying something fierce. It wasn’t long before Mistress Dia was hopping into the box, and the horses ran like Odix was on their heels. Er, hooves. They disappeared up the dirt road, and I suddenly realized there were no stables in this town. Not a single one.

I pulled my new coat up and buried my face in its warmth. Alone, with my head buried in darkness, I took a deep breath. Then I dropped the coat, straightened my back, and hurried along. I didn’t want to keep the High Elf – Amadens, as Master Cabitor had called her – waiting.

The plaza was much closer than I’d thought. Just over the creek – so shallow and thin there wasn’t even a bridge – and down the hill a few paces. The western side of Infinite Falls was much nicer than the eastern. It was easy to see why. The western half of the city held its namesake: a river that was cut into an infinite waterfall by the tall magical barrier that separated Sotex from Contaterra.

Despite its intrigue, the border was downright eerie. I’d always heard that animals hated Atorium’s borders, but Infinite Falls was empty of dogs and cats and cattle and sheep. I’d always thought it was the wild animals who hated it. Birds, deer, boars, and the like. But it seemed that no one in this town could keep domestic animals, either. Nevertheless, it seemed us mortals were drawn to such unusual phenomena. From the buildings along the river, it was clear that wealthy Sotexans often traveled here.

Thanks for the tag, @winterandwords! Words: table, chair, door, wall.

Table

I sat up and rubbed my weary eyes. They were sore and crusted over. Like I’d been crying in my sleep. Again. I dragged my body out of bed and threw open the curtains. It was still dark, and the chicken alarm hadn’t gone off yet.

I pulled myself away from the view of the sleepy Moon City. I lifted the alarm off the end table, narrowing my eyes as I studied its design. I had to admit that it was a handsome piece. But it was still the most obnoxious item I’ve ever owned. It made me wish for my father’s lack of conscious. The ability to piss freely, without worrying about the people standing downwind.

But I would never be as cold and cruel as Crutas Agriso. As much as I hated the damn cock, I would never destroy it. I would always rise at its crow. And I would always ride out to Mulberry Bluffs, where Ludos waited for me.

Chair

Master Astorem shoved the door open and stumbled into the classroom. His copper hair was disheveled and his glasses teetered on the tip of his nose. Heavy purple bags weighed down his drooping eyes. He dropped a stack of books on his desk and yawned. Then threw himself into his wooden chair. He laced his fingers together and rested them on his belly. Then he closed his eyes and fell asleep.

Door

I looked down to see footsteps in the dirt. Many people walked through this barn, it seemed. But only one pair of feet had been bare. I followed the tracks to a storage closet, where the grooms kept their tools. I threw open the door and found Zia sitting on the floor, holding a chicken in her arms.

Wall

I looked up, and the realization hit me. This wasn’t some weird central shop. It was a shrine. Dedicated to a goddess in pink. On the back wall, painted in vibrant colors, was a mural of a soft-looking woman. She had large doe eyes, a crown of pink braids, a darkened nose, and round deer ears. Her pretty pink lips were pulled into a warm smile, and her eyes were twinkling with pink gems. She held a baby doe in her chubby arms.

All around me, there was humming. It was distant. Almost buried beneath the sound of the screaming wind and the ocean waves and the seagulls. But she was still there. Still singing.