#doamg

@awritingcaitlin​ tagged me for last line(s), thank you!

“You invoked Telos of Dëis,” Nikovali said. “Did you forget how he was brought to heel?”

Khailus rolled his eyes. Telos of Dëis had been manipulated into marriage by Albiso III of [somewhere].

“I did not,” he said. “Is this your method of proposal? I have to decline. I’m still recovering from our last marriage.”

WIP INTRO: THE DEPOSITION OF A MINOR GOD

now with fun bonus content!

“Our petty arguments alter the course of history,” Khailus said. “Thousands of people who shouldn’t know our names. We’re not any better than them.”

“Arguably we’re much worse,” Nikovali said. “But we don’t have anyone to answer to. Only each other.”

BASIC INFO

genre: high fantasy

audience: adult

pov: third person limited, alternating characters

status: first draft

setting: the island of Iottiko (that’s iottiko, not Lottiko), which is divided into two kingdoms

themes & tropes: the price of immortality, the cost of war, the return of magic, lgbt+ characters

content warnings: violence, offscreen SA, suicidal implications

For four hundred years, the island of Iottiko has been ruled by two immortal kings, one in the north and one the south. Four hundred years ago, they had a terrible fight, warred to split the island, and have not spoken since. But a usurper from the mainland has deposed the Northking and, failing to kill him, sent him as a prisoner to his old enemy, the Southking.

CHARACTERS

of the south:

Khailus, the Southking (1300~, he/they)

Maria Elena Sahidur, Khailus’ seneschal (62, she/her)

Lady Corinna Gresis, Khailus’ offical mistress (29, she/her)

the nobility of the south; the Varminus, Fakilius, and Gresis families, among others

of the north:

Nikovali, the deposed Northking (1300~, he/they/she*) 

Damien, Benedict, and Illya, Nikovali’s paramours (42, he/him; 30, he/him; 24, he/they, respectively)

the nobility of the north; the Pudrich, Harsowar, and Hadwis families, among others

foreigners:

Marcesi Morolus, usurper-in-the-north (38, he/him)

Emissary Mospian, the usurper’s ambassador to the south

(*while Khailus and Nikovali both consider themselves man-aligned, they’re shapeshifters, and Nikovali temporarily changes gender during the story)

thank you @oh-no-another-idea​ for tagging me! my words are violent, fist, murder, and black

violent:

“How would you kill him?”

“In this climate, at this time of year? I think I’d just stake him out somewhere and let the cold get him.”

“That’s pretty good,” Nikovali mused, “Not violent enough to make up for what I’ve suffered at his hands, but nice and slow. I want it slow. I want it to take a long time and I want it to hurt.”

fist:

Nikovali ended up sleeping in Khailus’ bed, and for the first time in weeks he slept through the night.

When he woke up, he was nose to nose with Khailus, and for the first time in centuries, he was treated to the sight of Khailus’ face in peaceful sleep, with his fist tucked under his chin and his eyelids flicking with dreams.

murder: (none, which surprised me, so instead we get killed)

“Gods can die,” Nikovali said. “Gods can be killed.”

“A slow death,” Khailus managed to reply.

black:

Nikovali placed two markers on the part of the map that showed the continent, close together, one black and one white. He touched the black one with the tip of his finger. “We were born here,” he said.

Khailus peered at the map. “No?” he objected, “Where’s the river?”

“It dried up,” Nikovali said. 

and because i think it’s funny, bonus violence, from my notes:

???[violence. They win]

i’ll tag @awritingcaitlin​ @pinespittinink​ @tananaphone​ @legiomiam​ and anyone who wants to play, tag me!

i owe a last line to @awritingcaitlin​ @pinespittinink​ and @oh-no-another-idea​ so i’m combining!

“Did you find out why he looks so emaciated even though the fall of Catinar was not a fortnight ago?”

“He was in the hands of cruel men,” Khailus said.

Maria Elena fussed with her hair veil. “You make sure he eats,” she said.

Khailus concealed a smile. Maria Elena had the grandmother’s instinct to feed.​

@legiomiam​ tagged me, thanks! my words are: treasure, shift, yawn, object

treasure(r):

The Southking’s council consisted of Maria Elena; Corinna, who spoke for the aristocrats; General Catoti, who spoke for the army; Admiral Fakilius, who spoke for the navy; Lady Caesi Ursindari; Lord Arsargan Varminus; Lady Teraz Dondian; and Danus Titiavat, his treasurer.

shift:

Khailus’ advisors shifted uncomfortably when he invoked the Lake of the Eye. The lake was in the center of Iottiko, and the island in the center of the lake was both the location of the oldest ruins of the first peoples to inhabit Iottiko, and the site of Khailus and Nikovali’s legendary seven-day duel. Most people regarded it as one part sacred, one part cursed.

yawn: none :(

object:

Nikovali placed two markers close together on the part of the map that showed the continent, one black and one white. He touched the black one with the tip of his finger. “We were born here,” he said.

Khailus peered at the map. “No?” he objected, “Where’s the river?”

“It dried up,” Nikovali said. 

i’ll tag @legiomiam​ (reverse uno) @awritingcaitlin​ @pinespittinink​ @sentfromwolves​ @tananaphone​ and anyone who wants to play, tag me!​

thank you @oh-no-another-idea for tagging me! this is actually three up because it’s been very slow lately but progress is progress

“He thinks your fairy boy can help him kill you.”

“He’s mistaken,” Nikovali said, “for many reasons.”

“Not the least of which being that the boy is loyal to a fault,” Ip agreed.

a double event!! @awritingcaitlin tagged me twice for step, look, broken, warm, and song, plus plan, blink, swore, small, and run

❗️tw for torture/physical abuse under ‘broken.’ it’s a character talking about the past and it’s not graphic but i think it still deserves a tw