I forgot to post this earlier, I'm calling it done. With this, my commission examples are officially completed. This is a scene from Tales From The Night Garden: Lemon Balm and a painted version of a lineart that appears as a part header in the book.
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March 29: If you took a picture of your book, what setting would you choose for the background?
A book nook with a window bench in a bay window at night, the moon filtering in. Fairy lights and pillows decorate the nook, with a blanket partially skewed off of the bench. Cozy, ethereal vibes.
Cypress would probably forgive someone when broken and bleeding on the floor from their actions. Acanthus, however, can hold a grudge for a very, very long time.
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I've been answering these about my artist portfolio project / novel I'm co-authoring with my best friend since the beginning of the year on socials. I was on a hiatus from tumblr during, so here's a dump of March's answers, beneath a Read More because this is going to be long.
The Prompt List:
1. Zero Discrimination Day: introduce yourself and your WIP/Story/book OR talk about discrimination in your life/story
Y'all know about my WIP and me by now so let's talk about discrimination in the story! Lemon Balm shows Witches in the USA being stuck in a position of servitude to the Wolf packs and Vampires being hunted to the brink of extinction, outside of the few with treaties and domains. Acanthus is one of the few vampires left in the US, and working to free Witches from the crueler packs and to safety.
Europe is far more focused on equity, and the world of Shadows in Europe isn't connected to the one in the USA outside of a few tenuous connections, and there's no real authority figure to make people fall into line. So, because of this, and lot of transgressions just go unchecked and fall into small skirmishes and wars.
A large part of the story is the Night Garden/underground, which is a series of paths that Acanthus established to bring people to safety. It's a network of free Witches, Wolves, and Vampires who work together to end the tyranny of the cruel packs.
2: Read Across America Day/Read An Ebook Week Begins. What's your favorite childhood book(s)?
I'd have to say Rainbow Crow, retold by Nancy Van Laan and illustrated by Beatriz Vidal. It's a retelling of a Native (Unfortunately I can't remember if it's across multiple tribes or attributed to a specific one) myth about how the crow became what it is. Here's someone reading it 🙂
3: Unpopular/Obscure trope that you enjoy
Uncommon tropes, you say? I'd have to go with "decaying city" or "corruption through beauty." Decaying city is fun because it brings a Gothic element to a decidedly non-gothic setting, and corruption through beauty is fun because it is a subversion of expectation as well as being an interesting thing to note in a morally gray or dark character.
4: any part of your story's world inspired by a book you've read?
Any book that has a resistance involved, fighting a power that doesn't realize how unjust it is. There are also elements of Gothic storytelling that I picked up from Anne Rice, but nothings directly influenced.
5: A GIF/Audio/Description of something you and your characters have in common
All of my characters have some form of depression and overthink things a lot, but especially Acanthus. Just a bit of me that can't stay away from my characters' POVs.
6: How would another character describe your MC?
I'm going to do this for Acanthus.
Cypress: A force of nature and the eye of my hurricane.
Corbin: Sexy. A bit of a stick in the mud, though.
Azalea: My dearest friend. I worry for them a lot, they tend to be far too depressed at the state of the world, and fall into self-harm. Their hurt runs deep, and I wish I could heal that for them.
Lykaia: A father figure, but don't tell them I said that.
Conan: They're alright, I guess. But they still piss me off.
Avery: Acanthus is badass, man. And they have good taste in music.
Shawna: A nosy leech who is way too invested in other people's business. I'd never tell them or Cypress that, though.
François: Weak and pathetic. A shell of the vampire that they could be.
Mallory: I adore Acanthus. They do so much for us, and they're honestly one of the coolest people I know. They could stand to be nicer to themself, though.
8: Internatiomal Women's Day & National Proofreading Day! Talk about a funny typo or a woman in your story
Esmeralda Garrison is a fucking badass. She is the owner of a Gothic bar in New York City (The Spirits Three) and a station on the underground of The Night Garden that provides sustenance to vampires in need. Es is a fierce witch with blood divination and water powers. She dislikes wolves more than anything at the start of the story, but she does grow to be less discriminatory over time. Es has been a free witch for a long time and works especially hard to give Witches and Vampires a place that is safe from attack or scrutiny.
9: Are there calendar quirks in your world?
We're real world adjacent, so anything to do with the calendar.
10: National Women & Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day: Which of your female characters would be a good doctor?
Azalea Barclay. She's an earth witch, which means she's a healer and literally can use her energy to soothe people's pains and fix their physical ails. She's also a fantastic listener in general, and puts other people's comfort at top priority.
11: Strongest female character in the story
This is actually really, really hard to answer. There's a lot of strong female characters in our universe. But the strongest? I'm not sure. I'm going to tentatively say Coryn, because she built a solid, kind territory after a devastating loss. She rules with care and an intensity that's hard to miss.
12: GIF, Audio, or description of what your MC would do if their best friend committed a crime
Acanthus would be entirely unphased. The existence of the night garden is a crime, so they wouldn't care unless it hurt someone, and since their BFF is Azalea, that would never happen. Cypress, however, would probably be horrified and try to figure out how to get Avery to make things right within reason.
13: Side story you loved writing
In Lemon Balm-- Writing about Conan and Acanthus' past was really fun. But if we're talking on a larger scale, there's a scene in a prequel WIP with Acanthus and Nocturne, an old lover, where they find a bunch of Nosferatu in a cave. It complicates things, needless to say.
14: Free Friday, OR the role of colors in your story
Color, plant names, and gardening terms pop up a lot in the narrative. Color largely comes in in the Night Garden code. Flower language is also dependent on color and the Night Garden codes use a lot of flower language for code stand ins.
15: character with a green thumb
Acanthus. One of their main hobbies is gardening.
16: character green with jealousy
I don't know if there's anyone who's really jealous in Lemon Balm. Maybe Junior? Cypress has some jealousy issues when it comes to Acanthus feeding on others later in the story, but it's not overwhelming.
17: St. Patrick's Day Snippet -- "luck" or "green"
This passage, also known as 'my vampires are queer allegories' AND an essay on why Walmart sucks --
Acanthus' POV
So long as I hid my eyes, I could pass easily in human spaces. My skin was a little too pale in fluorescent lights; Cypress’ reaction at the Manor was proof enough of that. But having just fed, coupled with the modern Gothic appearance that I had fostered in recent years, the glares I would get in modern society would only come at the derision of miscreant children. I was lucky that I was 21 when I was turned; it made falling into fashions easy, and people rarely questioned attractive young people of any gender (short of the bigoted “What are you” I had hurled in my direction from time to time).
Grocery marts were one of the only places that I rarely blended in. They were a special type of hell, crafted to perfectly push on the insecurities that lurked in my mind. Did I ‘pass’? Was I ‘human’ enough? It was maddening, thinking of going into the cold, dead place, and when I’d had the vampiric equivalent of a salad. There would be so many people in close proximity, in the most awful, noise-expanding acoustic nightmare of a building. The smells would swirl together in a distracting soup, different flavors of blood pulling me this way and that.
18: Fate or Destiny in the story
There's a running theme of choice throughout all of the story. Acanthus and Cypress are bound by a magic thread, but they choose to enact on that; there's never a thing that forces them to stay together, or feel like they have to be around. Same with the bound pack members-- they're never forced to stay in the pack, they always have an element of choice.
19: gif or audio of how lucky your character feels.
Cypress: Acanthus:
20: National Native HIV/AIDS awareness day and the first day of spring: Allergies or ailments in your story's world
Anything real-world applies, but also -- werewolves have a weakness to silver that leaves them feeling heavy and sluggish. Silver also delays healing, as it doesn't stop the regenerative powers wolves have, but significantly slows it down, and can cause irritation in wounds. Wolves also are more susceptible to normal allergies, but we haven't expressly said that in the text of Lemon Balm (limited knowledge of the narrators and all that.)
Vampires have to be careful with salt water, because it can make them really sick from salt poisoning. Vampires also can be affected by any poisons that lace blood streams. Certain types of vampires have an allergy to the sun instead of spontaneous combustion ( like Acanthus, who is a type of vampire called an Anesh in our world), and will crack apart and crumble after an exceedingly large amount of sun. There's a rumor of vampires being allergic to werewolf blood, but it's proven fake in the story.
I've been answering these about my artist portfolio project / novel I'm co-authoring with my best friend since the beginning of the year on socials. I was on a hiatus from tumblr during, so here's a dump of January's answers, beneath a Read More because this is going to be long.
The Prompt List:
Introduce yourself and your WIP/Story/Book
Artemis Quinn here (most people online call me vamp). My current WIP is a contemporary dark fantasy, called Lemon Balm: Tales From The Night Garden Vol. 1. We hope to have it published by the end of the year.
Cypress Borne has a relatively easy life in New York City before they're bitten by a dog and life turns upside down. Two years of tests, therapy, and a life that's spiraling down the toilet later, he decides to pack it up and move upstate to an abandoned church away from the noise and people. Little do they know, the church isn't abandoned, but rather occupied by a vampire, hoping to die and rotting in a coffin.
Acanthus Sylene has lived a long life, and has lost the spark for it. Embroiled deeply into the politics of the World of Shadows, they have abandoned their duties to The Night Garden, a refugee path they forged. But something changes when a lost, scared, ignorant werewolf shows up on their door.
Both are looking for answers, but somehow, they find each other. In the process, they may have put their lives -- and potentially the Night Garden -- at risk.
(Skipped days 2 and 3)
4. Are your characters optimistic/pessimistic about the future and why?
Most of my characters skew pessimistic, largely because of the circumstances they're sitting in. Acanthus is cautiously optimistic until a particular canon event that leaves them numb. Cypress struggles with optimism, but does their best to keep a positive outlook.
5. Event that shaped your characters-
Oh, boy. This is super spoiler-y so continue with caution.
Cypress' father left before they knew him, and their mother is an on-again, off-again drug addict. Growing up with one absent and one negligent parent gave them the personality they have; fix everything and don't admit when you have problems or ask for help.
Acanthus' first companion was captured and burned at the stake in front of them. This leads to them starting the Night Garden.
6. MC's favorite memory--
Cypress' favorite memory is Acanthus and Cypress' first game of tag. Acanthus' favorite memory is their dance on Cypress' birthday.
7. BFFs/LI/Side Character's favorite memory
Acanthus and Cypress' are both MCs AND each other's LI, so let's go for BFF's favorite memory. Avery's favorite memory is Acanthus jumping up on a table and singing pirate shanties with the pack.
8: gif, audio, or description of how your characters feel about their past.
Cypress:
Acanthus:
9. How did your MC and your BFF meet?
Welp! Avery may or may not have been passed out, bleeding next to a lake.
10. Free Friday/Share a Snippet
I wanted to be able to stand in a crowd without getting heart palpitations over the thought of some disembodied cough. I also wished, more than anything, to be able to leave this position, but what was I going to do? It’s hard to interview for something that would let me work partially remotely with a six figure salary. Here I was trapped by my own 401k as a prisoner to my own comfort. What a paradox.
11. Are your characters content with their lives at the beginning of the story?
I'd say that Cypress is content until the inciting incident. Acanthus is not content, but is complacent. They've resigned themself to a life of isolation and loneliness. They don't show up until later, but Azalea loves her life, and so does Avery. Lykaia and Conan hate their lives for different reasons but they're definitely not content.
12. Best advice a character gives your MC
Azalea to Cypress (paraphrasing) - You and Acanthus aren't so different, stop sulking and try to talk to them. They may surprise you with their answer.
Azalea to Acanthus - “The phone still works, Acanthus. Please, take it. It’s still serviced. My phone numbers are programmed within, and we can keep a faster and better track of each other this way than with letters.”(Azalea's kind of the voice of reason in this book, I'm realizing.)
13: Something unique about my story's world that I like
Not one "faction" is universal. There's people within the groups of witches, within the groups of vampires, and within the groups of wolves that don't agree with the status quo and actively try to change it and help each other.
14. Describe your world using only one sense (smell)
Vampires all have the smell of decaying leaves when they're trying to be threatening, sharp and sweet. Acanthus is Oakmoss and the crystal clear stream running through the forest, and petrichor. Cypress is cedar, campfire smoke, and whiskey. The packhouse smells bright and clean, and the kitchen always has the lingering smell of bread and lemons.
15: GIF/audio or description of your characters' thoughts on extraterrestrial life
Cypress would have an existential crisis and ignore its existence for months.
Yes, it's based on the four elements, light and shadow. Anyone can be a Witch, and these powers are latent in most people, but not everyone can awaken their power. Once awoken, magic can make someone nearly immortal.
Earth witches are healers, but they can also reverse their powers to drain. They tend to be proficient with potions and can read auras, because they can pick up on the vibes of a person really well through vibes of a person really well through energy transfer. Their Night Garden code is Sage.
Fire witches are incredibly destructive and as a result are very rare. That particular magic seems to be a recessive gene, and not many witches have the fire gift in the first place. Fire witches need to be very careful of their emotions or their powers can lash wildly out of their control. Their Night Garden code is Woolflower.
Chaos witches (AKA light) have the power of retaining important knowledge and amplifying others' powers. This may seem trivial, at first, but it's incredibly useful. One of the most important chaos witches to the story is incredibly proficient in poisons, and uses this power to track down a certain poison used against one of the characters. They can also read auras, and a lot of them tend to focus on practical forms of magic (potions, protection spells, kitchen witchery.) Their Night Garden code is Fireflies.
Shadow witches can read intent and are pretty good diviners. These are the seers and the spies. They can tell the truth of a matter based on their powers, and they can tell when someone is hiding something. They also can feel when danger is approaching. Their powers are very heavily reliant on instinct. Shadow witches are also excellent manipulators and can bend people to their will, much like vampire mesmers. Their Night Garden code is creeping ivy.
Water and blood witches are also diviners, but they are more about fortune and personal growth. They can control the flow of water and weather, and the most powerful of these witches can read fate within blood. Those powerful enough to be blood witches can also direct the flow of blood and use these abilities to completely decimate their enemies. They are some of the most feared witches, along with shadow witches. Their Night Garden code is Bleeding Hearts.
Wind witches are the last element and, much like fire witches, can be incredibly destructive. They can also control elements of the weather and, when wind and water work together, it can be disastrous, or life saving. Some stronger witches can control the temperature of their winds and mimic the burn of fire witches. Their Night Garden code is Lavender.
(Skipped the 17th)
18: How did you develop your MC's fears when writing their character?
My co-author was the one who developed Cypress, so I'll stick to Acanthus. One of their main traits that they started with was loneliness, so I thought a good internal conflict would be that they also had a fear of abandonment. They're constantly at war with the dichotomy of wanting to be close to people, but pushing them away so that they can't get hurt. In some ways, Acanthus is also terrified of people getting to know them, and then once they're comfortable enough in their truth, the person getting bored/uncomfortable and then turning away and leaving them. This comes from the thought of vampires being an allegory for queerness -- it's a common trauma that a lot of LGBT+ people face, to lose friends, family, and otherwise, once they stop hiding who they are.
19. Would any of your characters be a fair ruler in your story's world?🤣 Let's just say this is a spoiler and that some particular characters try.
20. Any fight for social change in your story?
Absolutely. There's an element of dismantling the system quietly from within (The Night Garden itself), and an element of personally getting involved to change something you feel is unjust. There's also an Overarching theme of change starting by challenging tradition.
21. Inspiration for injustices in your story.
There's a massive civil rights disparity in the real world that likes to pretend it's about tradition. We took that and added elements from history of segregation, xenophobia, and forced co-dependence between groups of power and marginalized groups to create the power dynamic between wolves and witches.
Vampires are an outlier that are disliked by the system, but somewhat benefit from it, and are too divided to band together as one unified force due to infighting and bad actors. Essentially, the injustices mirror real world injustices, and if you squint, you can probably see what those are if you're an activist or knowledgeable enough.
22. GIF/Audio/description of what gives your characters hope.
23. Any real life names or locations in your story?
Tons. NYC, Saratoga Park, Central Park, Halsey Ave, Gardiner, New Paltz, Catskills, Chicago, Lomira.... The story is contemporary dark fantasy set in our world, so plenty of real-world places pop up.
(Skipped the 24th)
25. Biggest Difference between you and your MC/Characters
Well, the biggest difference between me and Cypress is that they're a bona fide jock and enjoy exercise. The biggest difference between me and Acanthus is a bit harder; I'd say probably that they're very confident in their own inner power and what they can do, and they waste no time using it when they need.
26: Did anyone you know IRL influence aspects of your characters?
Yes. There are bits and pieces of people we know and love in all of our characters. Cypress holds a lot of my co-author's fiance, and there's a character later on in the series who is based on my husband. The rest are less direct, but still take elements.
27: Funny moment with a side character
There's a moment towards the end of Lemon Balm where Cypress gets attacked and has his leg burnt, and after, Avery and Acanthus are trying to convince them to stay put by playing Go-Fish. This results in Cypress and Avery chanting for pizza until Acanthus reminds them that ordering takeout to an abandoned church when they're supposed to be undercover might be a bad idea. (And then makes them pizza.)
28. Do your characters believe in destiny?
I won't speak for Cypress (they're mainly my co-author's character), but I believe that Acanthus doesn't. If they believed in destiny, then a lot of their own work and merit would be entirely discounted, and a lot of their grief would be justified in ways that they wouldn't be able to stomach.
29: GIF about the lunar new year or how you feel about 2025.
30: Any side characters get their happy ever after?
In book 1, no. But there are some things that happen through book 2 that result in Avery and Lykaia both eventually getting happy ever afters, and Azalea has the potential for one, and Conan eventually even gets potential. So like.... Eventually?
31: January Wrapup--
It was a month that thoroughly kicked my ass. I had to slow down because of wrist issues, but I also got a lot done, too, despite not completing everything on my list.
finished the professional edit of the first half of Lemon Balm part 1.
