so, i was gonna jump on @starwright 's open tag [here], but @firesidefantasy tagged me on it [here] before i could do it. it's a really good picrew, and it was very fun
i'm tagging @lizardperson @elkieselkiewrites @vauhna and @ace-malarky plus open tag for anyone who wants in
You can use this picrew as your profile picture or in any other way that isn't commercial. You can edit it slightly, like putting a color la
i did the main cast of Elegy to the Desperate Stars, so you can find them under the cut
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đDragon: What is one thing your character would protect at all costs?
ooo, this is such an interesting questionx tysm!
i have some very interesting answers for you from Elegy To The Desperate Stars
Aira and Ele want to protect each other. they are extremely dedicated to this, and it actually puts them at odds with each other on occasion, as they don't always agree on what's dangerous. they also sometimes step over each other's agency, as they go behind each other's back to block the way to danger
Beriel wants to protect his heritage and identity. it's already tough as-is being the kid of a Livi's host, but being a rich merchant and a noblewoman's firstborn on top of it? hellish. of course people need to legally know he exists, but Beriel hasn't gone by her actual first name since she was twelve. and also, she shapeshifts very often and very publicly, because that's not a thing shirevis can do so she couldn't possibly be her parents' son
Dani wants to protect his own peace of mind. he has had enough of loving people and getting burnt for it, so he's just stopped. he has his five people and he's fine, thank you very much. trying to care for someone new would simply be setting himself up for pain. (and then Aira and Ele enter the picture)
and then, two more really interesting answers from the two antagonists
Sonia. Sonia wants to protect her sense of self. unfortunately that sense of self has been weaponized by the bbeg, so it requires her to be the smartest, it requires her to be useful, it requires her to the prettiest, it requires her to fit in and be invisible but also to be exceptional. and Sonia really can't do all of that
and then Laura, Aira's mother. she wants to protect her pride. she has this facade of everything working out just fine and of being fully in control of herself and her surroundings. but it's just that. it's a facade, and it's very hollow underneath, and that's all she tries to protect. what's beneath the facade is fully on its own
i was tagged by @cat-esper for this [find theirs here], and i'm tagging in return @lizardperson @firesidefantasy @elkieselkiewrites and @ace-malarky, plus open tag for whoever wants in
your lines are:
A line you're proud of
A line inspired by a friend
A line showing off your world
A line with double implications
my lines are:
A line that's a lie
A line that's a confession
A line that's funny
A line that's painful
have some passages from the old draft of Elegy to the Desperate Stars (the new one is still in prep phase TwT)
a line that's a lie
Eleonora huffs and flicks her arm harshly enough that Aira feels it through the jacket. «Good enough. But you need to tell me these things. Or one of these days youâre going to land yourself in big trouble with no help.»
Aira chuckles, even though her mind is going right to the Lanthorn. «Right, yeah. Canât have that.»
Gods, Eleâs gaze nearly burns as she narrows it on her. «Yeah,» she says, and Aira can hear the suspiciusness in her voice. «Which is why weâre telling the others as soon as we can.»
«What, no,» Aira exclaims, startling a couple of nearby pigeons. She whirls around, only to find Ele with an impressive glare. She shivers. «Iâm not saying we donât tell them at all, Iâm just saying⊠Look, Zhan and Krin and the others Iâve talked to have all been nice and really helpful and itâs not like we tell each other private stuff, yâknow? And itâs not like I think theyâre idefexi. I just wanted a way to check, yeah?» she says, sending a hopeful look at Ele.
Ele doesnât budge. If anything, she looks even more skeptical. «Oh really? Would you let me stay in the room while you talk to them then?»
Aira opens her mouth, but interrupts herself without a sound. She grimaces.
a line that's a confession
The silence hangs. Leo raises a hand and tucks a stray hairlock behind her ear. His eyes land on the marks on her cheek. «What woke you up?»
«Thatâs complicated.»
«ThenâŠÂ» Leo trails off, looking towards the window that faces the forest. He sighs. «What did vie show you?»
Aira looks at him. His gaze is both far away and right on her. She gulps. «Vie was trapped. There was a sigil, and I copied it to free viem. IâŠÂ» she shakes her head, clutches at the highlighter. «I did magic, Leo. I actually did it.»
Leo smiles and gently ruffles her hair. «And it freed viem?»
Airaâs voice is breathy in her throat. «Yeah. Vie showed me⊠some things. I didnât understand them. But she made me feel the sigil again, and she showed me this, and then everything collapsed. And I know this is important. Thereâs⊠a clue here. I just donât know what it is.»
«It will probably come to you easier if you get some rest,» Leo says.
Aira looks at him. She shakes her head. «No. No, I donât think I can go back to sleep. I⊠Itâs allâ Fuck,» she interrupts herself, looking away. The mana from the forest reaches out, brushing over her. She shivers. Her eyes land back on Leo. «Can you feel it?» she whispers.
Leo looks confused for a second, but then his shoulders slump. «I can.»
Aira sucks in a breath. She forces her shoulders to lower, but the tension doesnât leave her spine. «How long?»
«A while.»
«LeoâŠÂ»
Leo looks at her. His eyes are so sad. Framed by slowly whitening hair, he looks older than he is. «Twelve years.»
a line that's funny
Despite the gray and humid atmosphere, the place is really pretty. And busy too, with plenty of people moving along the main street both in groups and on their own. Itâs not as busy as back in July, on that one occasion that Aira destroyed her sense of taste on some skewers, but itâs still enough to liven the mood by a lot.
It's made way different by Sonia at her side, brushing close the way she does in university, with quiet suggestions and giggled commentary. It's unusual but... nice? Though, Aira has seen Ele glance back with furrowed brows multiple times.
Itâs Daniele, who for all that he acts posh and classy has the manners of a brute, that snaps his fingers right in Airaâs face while Sonia is whispering something about a cat cafe. «Bet you you canât handle a bowl of tteokbokki.»
Aira immediately whirls around to face him, Sonia completely forgotten. «You know what, fuck you. Bet you you canât.»
«Oh yeah?» he says, completely impassible. No. No, almost lazily, with his hands carelessly in the coat pockets as theyâve been since he threw the empty bubble tea cup in the trash. Heâs so infuriating.
«Yeah. Put your money where your mouth is, bitch.»
a line that's painful
A little ways away, under the noise of the crowd, a voice whispers. «Oh Tahila.»
Aleji turns to glance a little ways behind where Aira came from and freezes.
It shouldnât surprise them, but Leonardo feels older. He doesnât look much older, though thereâs specks of gray in his hair and crowâs feet at the edge of his eyes.
But though he may look in his mid thirties, Aleji just gets caught into the manâs eyes. Theyâre nearly ancient, heavy with something like fear and sadness and something Aleji canât tell, and thatâs terrifying. Never has Aleji not been able to read peopleâs emotions. Not since thirteen years ago.
But then Leonardo is walking closer, and Aira and Ele are still talking to each other and Aleji canât ask for help. They can just freeze, because thereâs magic surrounding Leonardo that theyâre sure wasnât there last time, and he has a large black umbrella that shouldnât make him seem as intimidating as he does.
Leonardo stops in front of them, just a step away. Heâs shorter than them, though that doesnât take away from his presence. Aleji can barely meet his eyes, a warm brown so dark that itâs nearly black.
That doesnât stop Leonardo. «Itâs really you,» he whispers. He reaches out with a hand, and stops an inch from Alejiâs face. Aleji doesnât move. They meet Leonardoâs eyes. Theyâre watery, and filled with grief and hope, and he lays his hand on their cheek.
His thumb is exactly over the scar that crosses his eye under the glamour. «What did they do to you?»
thank you so much @aalinaaaaaa. this looks incredibly fun :D
Rules: use this site to generate some incorrect quotes for your characters and share them
i'm tagging in return @lizardperson @elkieselkiewrites and @askyaphelion plus open tag
i picked the Elegy to the Desperate Stars crew to put myself back into the headspace to write them. find them under the cut
â”
Aleji: Underestimate me. That'll be fun.
â”
Dani: I'm not doing to well.
Beriel: What's wrong?
Dani: I have this headache that comes and goes.
*Aira enters the room*
Dani: There it is again.
â”
Beriel: Now, Aira, all of us are doing this because we care about you, okay?
Dani: Except for me. I just wanted to see the look on your face.
â”
Ele: I'm going to ask you to be respectful.
Aira: I will politely decline.
â”
Beriel: I'm hot, Iâm tall, I'm gay, and I'm on my theatre kid arc.
â”
Dani: What do I get?
Aleji: A night of fashion, mischief, mayhem, and possible death.
Dani: Ooh, check, check, and check; not sure about that last one.
Aleji: It won't be you.
Dani: I'll get my coat.
â”
Ele: I refuse to apologize for being weird or off-putting. Thatâs actually your problem. Iâm having a fantastic time!
â”
*the Squad cleaning up*
Aleji: Pick up the nearest piece of trash and throw it away.
Dani, to Aira: Aight, which bin do you wanna go inâ
â”
Beriel: Okay, but if you're not gay then why are you always holding my hand and kissing me and telling me Iâm your girlfriend?
Ele: Dude- Its satire!
Beriel: THAT'S NOT WHAT SATIRE MEANS!
â”
Aleji, putting their hands over Dani's eyes: Guess who!
Dani: It's either Aleji or the cold, clammy hands of death.
Aleji, putting their hands away: It's Aleji!
Dani: Dammit.
â”
Aira: Did you have to stab them?
Dani: You werenât there. You didnât hear what they said to me.
Aira: What did they say?
Dani: "What are you going to do, stab me?"
Aira: Thatâs fair.
â”
Beriel: How long do you reckon itâll be until Aleji finally snaps and commits murder?
Dani: Iâve been going through life assuming itâs already happened at some point and itâs just that no one was ever able to trace it back to them.
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đ¶ share a happy moment. ANY happy moment. You must have ONE.
hm. a happy moment. in the book about grief and gaslighting. hold on. i think the closest to a happy moment i get is here in chapter 22 â Penumbra â when Leo and Ele find out Aleji is engaged
Aleji is just done putting down the glasses when Leo comes out of the kitchen, with a number of water jugs and napkins floating after him like a line of lost ducklings. âOh good, you guys are done. Go wash your hands. Bathroom is exactly were it used to be, Ale,â Leo says, pointing at the room with his head.
Aleji follows after Aira and Eleonora, and pauses just a second. Theyâre⊠not sure where to put the ring. They canât keep it on, and they canât put it on the shelf like they do in the shop or at home because there is no shelf. And they donât quite trust the counter. Prita has lost many rings that way.
âEverything okay?â Aira asks as she dries her hands. She looks at them, and her eyes flash with understanding. âOh. I can hold that for you if you want me to? Yu put an anti-slipping charm but I didnât trust it either at first.â She nods over at the counter. When Aleji looks over, her rings are laying there innocently.
Theyâd⊠rather not though. âCould you?â
âSure,â she says, passing the towel to Ele and quickly slipping on her rings. She holds her hands out to them then. Aleji hesitates just a moment before slipping their ring off and giving it to her.
She doesnât move her hands at all as she makes space for them, though she does tilt her head to look at the ring. âItâs really elegant.â
âIs that a black opal?â
Aleji looks back through the mirror, and finds Eleonora looking at it intently. âYeah.â
Eleonora hums. âWell, thatâs fancy.â
Aleji glances over at her. Behind them, Aira does the same. âYes, thatâs kind of the point.â
Eleonora furrows her brows. As she passes them the towel, she keeps glancing between them and their ring. Until her eyes light up. âOh my God, Iâm an idiot.â
âGood morning, Ele, itâs half past one, are you awake yet?â Aira teases with a grin. She offers the ring back to them the second Aleji puts down the towel.
âThank you,â they whisper to her, and she just smiles in response.
âWell, itâs not my fault most engagement rings use diamonds and not other stones,â Eleonora continues right on, making way out of the bathroom.
âWhy are we talking about engagement rings?â comes Leoâs voice from the living room. Heâs staring down at a large fluffy black cat with a pair of vibrant green eyes, who has perched itself on a cabinet near a group of potted plants.
From behind them, Aira pushes them forward. âUh.â
Leo just looks at them. Then his eyes light up so happy that it makes Alejiâs heart ache. âAre you serious? Oh, thatâs amazing,â he says, quickly walking over.
Aleji blocks their ring with the other hand, but Leo doesnât try to take their hands. Instead he pulls his arms around them and hugs them. âDo they treat you well?â he asks.
Aleji hides his face in Leoâs shoulder and blinks back the tears. How Leo manages to be so thoughtful, theyâll never know. âYes. Sheâs amazing, Leo, Iâ I donât even know how to put it into words.â Not in ways other than âI wouldnât be here without herâ but theyâre not going to say that.
âGood. Iâm glad,â Leo says, patting their shoulders. âYouâll have to bring her around then someday, yeah?â he laughs.
Theyâre trying. Vili, theyâre trying so hard to make that possible. Aleji smiles. âYeah, definitely.â
Leo steps back and laughs, while Eleonora high-fives Aira. Yes. One day theyâll manage to bring Luz around. She would love these people.
so. happy, with a bittersweet note. that's literally the closest i get. the other candidate was a scene in the cemetery on the aniversary of Aira's twin's death. enjoy that information
Hey Azzy, happy STS! Can you tell us about something that you're really looking forward to working on in the near future? Is there a scene or chapter coming up that you're really excited to write? Is there a project you're looking to start, or even just a time of year you feel particularly inspired by?
hey Jas, happy STS to you!
i haven't been working on the wips much, though i'm hoping to start again once classes are back in session and i have a regular schedule. ideally that means i'll be finishing Elegy to the Desperate Stars sometime in the winter. if not that however, i have been working on an outline for In Destiny We Trust (Not). when i start writing depends entirely on whether i can get some energy for EttDS or not. if i can work on that one, IDWT(N) will go after, but if that's too much to dive right back into then i'll start on IDWT(N), much to your delight
aside from that, in terms of writing i have a couple of lore/worldbuilding posts in the works that i can't wait to share. truly funky stuff, but i have to wait for the right time / to have the right materials before posting. also some of the stuff there has spoilers for the campaign and i know at least one of my players has been keeping an eye on my tumblr (i'm looking at you mae. i'm making eye contact. the answer is october). but lately i've been having more and more the cast of The Mortal God in mind, which at the moment is distinctly unwelcome, but what can you do?
i've also been hard at work on the classes for the custom TTRPG and i am this đ€đŒ close to start limit-testing with the more batshit-insane of my idiots
speaking of, i have been working quite a bit on art. i've got a bunch of creature design references in the works, plus some character full-body art and the start of the map for Asglen. which. it's a lot. it's a commercial-administrative city that spans 5 hills, with territory expanding north to a less hilly area. it's divided into fifteen administrative municipalities which i have been carefully placing and designing for max psychological warfare during the campaign. it's my baby, and i love it, but holy fuck
azzyyyyy can you talk about Sonia? whats her deal? đđ
ah, i should have expected this. your love of toxic women is well known
so, Sonia. she's... definitely a character i should have included in the list of problematic characters, but i didn't really think of her much at the time as she's a book 1 exclusive. as for her deal, her deal involves a lot of being a triad of narrative foils with Aira and Dani, so expect the two of them to be mentioned a bunch as well
[tw for mentions of dubious consent and drugging]
for starters, Sonia is the main antagonist of book 1. she's a course mate of Aira's in uni, but Aira knows her because she used to be class representative with Ele (whom Aira is soulbonded to) back in highschool. and Aira has held a grudge for forever because during their highschool graduation Sonia accidentally fell on Ele and made her fall down the stairs. Aira's been convinced Sonia did it on purpose since (she did) but has no proof nor motive so she got called paranoid a lot for it
aside from this tidbit of backstory you get really early into the book, here is more information. Sonia is an enchantress, which is a specific type of mind mage specialized in altering people's emotions, but also can slightly alter people's perception of the world around them. that's a trick she uses a bunch to make people not notice when she slips up about not being fully human
speaking of, she isn't fully human! she's half deri'keriji on her mother's side, which means that under the glamour she wears 24/7 she cuts her claws short and has a (very pretty actually) pair of horns. most people who know she's magic think she's shirevi, but that couldn't be more wrong (she mirrors Dani in that)
as for her deal, she is a fear-driven character, and that makes her so fucking interesting and dynamic to me as she can go so far just by putting her fears right there in the corner
and this is where she acts as a foil to Dani and Aira in that her fear reflects Dani's resignation and Aira's determination. the three of them are all outsiders, but where Aira is determined to not let people's prejudices and ideas of what's allowed stop her and Dani has given up on being accepted by anyone beyond his close circle, Sonia clings desperately to any scrap of affection and approval thrown her way and she is willing to do anything for more
so in the past, fresh off of acquiring abandonment issues because of her mixed heritage, Sonia clung to the one figure in her surroundings who was both a) mixed and b) outspoken: Vez. and Vez is Dani's guardian
and let me tell you this, Sonia and Dani were actually friends (and later genuinely together) at first. their feelings were real, and Dani's more casual affection was great for Sonia while at the same time Sonia was an incredibly supportive part of Dani's inner circle
but
Sonia is completely and totally controlled by her fears and insecurities. and Dani is notably both also extremely platonically affectionate (just in quiet ways, like cooking for someone or helping them brush their hair, or taking care of them while they're sick) and very very very asexual and sex repulsed. you can imagine how Sonia took the multiple rejections to anything more than some light making out
this is what leads to Dani's pov in The Sweetest Of Them All. and that leads to Sonia and Dani's explosive and violent and horrible breakup that leaves actual ashes and scorchmarks in its way. it was so destructive that the people around Dani put him back on suicide watch (he has a history of bad mental health) but Sonia had none of that. in fact, Sonia was alone, and vulnerable, and had a very obvious exploitable weakness as a promising mind mage
when i tell you, that is some premium free real estate for the bbeg of the series, who needs a way to get rid of enemies (political and not) in a discreet enough manner that said enemies won't even notice. one such nuisance is someone on earth who has the potential to be a threat and ruin said bbeg's plan but isn't yet there. still, better to take care of things when they're not a problem yet and so Sonia is tasked with getting Aira out of the way. how? well that is up to Sonia for as long as Aira is not a problem
however if you're familiar with Aira you may know that she is very aroace. attraction is not contemplated, and even if it were Aira actively hates Sonia at first. so Sonia's usual tricks don't work and she needs to use a far heavier hand
trying not to spoil how things get to that point, i think it's obvious that it becomes necessary for Sonia to pretty much drug Aira with love spell-adjacent magic considering the state Aira is in throughout both The Sweetest Of Them All and Follow My Lead (my other piece with Sonia). however, if you think people around Aira haven't noticed you'd be sorely wrong
problem is convincing her she's under a spell. as you can imagine, Sonia is not very in favour of letting Aira go
p.s. sorry this took so long. my thoughts about Sonia are already non-linear at best, and exam season is making me extra slow
