Skylie really seems to be a tad autistic to me, if more high functioning than Blomi of Folkvar. This is from the perspective of me, a clinically diagnosed high functioning autistic who ALSO writes and peruses fanfiction/fantasy incessantly. Seriously, I'm seeing a LOT of me in her. I'm actually making a fanfiction mostly centering on Cyana and her sneaking out, but Skylie (And Lazuline) are major supporting characters! It's on my AO3 of the same name as my Tumblr!
I'll take your experienced word for it! I declare autistic Skylie canon!
---> READ DARKWINGPHOENIX'S FANFIC ON AO3 <---
I just read your fanfiction, and I'm so impressed with the way you utilized the lore! You also characterized Indiga's family very well, they're all behaving pretty much the way I imagined. That little interaction between Cyana and Marine was perfect! I also like the way Cyana and Lazuline confide in eachother. Cyana trusts Lazuline like the mother she wishes she had. Even though they have their sisterly squabbles from time to time, they do share a common enemy: their overbearing parents. This is something they bond over, as they are both hiding secrets from them.
I realize this is only the first chapter but it's already so good, you've got me eager for more!
Here are some relevant lore tidbits that may or may not be useful to you:
-In addition to hand-copying Traditional Lindist texts, Lazuline also recruits the help of literate slaves to do it for her. The work is tedious, but the slaves are eager to do it because these texts are anti-slavery in nature, and spreading them to the public may help guide Evangelite culture in that direction one day. These texts also support women's rights and magic use for non-commoners, which are all things that Modern Lindism opposes.
-At some point, Lazuline's slaves learned to carve stamps out of wood or other scrap materials to make copying the texts faster. Each stamp contains one page of text. Obviously Lazuline must keep these stamps hidden when not in use.
-There are many illiterate people (especially slaves) in Evangeline Kingdom. So, Lazuline also spreads the texts by mouth. She does this by reading Traditional scriptures to groups of goblin slaves, then selling those slaves to masters all over the kingdom. Since goblins never forget anything they learn, they can recite these scriptures to other slaves they encounter while they work.
-Evangelites believe homosexuality is a literal disease that is spread by sexual activity between the same sexes. They believe victims cannot be cured, so they must be executed to contain the spread. However, exceptions are made for minors (in Evangelite culture this means under 16 years of age for humans), who are instead sent to special clinics to "treat" their disease (essentially conversion therapy). Evangelites believe there is a chance to cure the disease while the victim is still young, but once they are adults, it is too late.
Practically, this is meant to serve as a lesson to young gay Evangelites to shape up and pretend to conform, or else. It also offers mercy to children who contracted the disease through no fault of their own, such as in cases of sexual abuse. Less mercy is shown for adult victims, who are expected to "know better" and "protect themselves". Yes, victim-blaming is a rampant issue in this culture...
-Wealthy adults can also wiggle their way out of the death penalty by buying their way into special adult institutions, marketed as "quarantine centers" to keep the homosexual "disease" from spreading. The price is steep and they can never leave, but it does spare them from death. The royal family would certainly take this route with Cyana, and though these institutions offer cushy accommodations fit for the wealthy, the thought of being confined to them forever horrifies Cyana. These places are basically golden cages. Residents are closely monitored and all sexual activity is forbidden. Visitors are allowed, but they are watched the whole time to make sure there is no disease spread going on.
I imagine if Cyana's parents found out she was a lesbian, they would go on a rampage trying to find out who gave her the disease, and a lot of innocent slaves, castle staff, and townsfolk (especially the women Cyana hangs out with) would be executed without trial. I mean, just look at how they treated Saphirra's husbands: all imprisoned for life based on nothing but their daughter's accusations!
This fact alone scares the hell out of Cyana, so she is very careful not to get caught. She knows any woman she dates is in danger just by associating with her, and it plagues her with fear and guilt. This is why she dreams of just fleeing her kingdom entirely one day.
