Themes: Religion, good vs evil, family, love and sacrifice
Trigger warnings: Abuse, violence and torture - physical and psychological, mental health - self-harm, suicide, trauma, religious themes, homophobia
Brief Synopsis:
Jealous that he was not chosen to rule over Hell, Isaac, twin brother to the devil, has created a trial for humanity to endure to earn their right to live on earth for it's not enough that Jesus died for their sins - they must earn that sacrifice.
After thousands of years, Isaac decides it's time for his game to end and he chooses a twin to prep for the job - Katherine.
Katherine's twin brother, Oliver, is called into the game, and that night her best friend, and woman she loves, Megan, vanishes, taken into the game without having been called. Katherine is called into the game after three hard years and is determined to bring her loved ones home.
Rules of the game:
Everyone plays, no exceptions
People are Called in by Isaac at any point in their lives and must enter then
One vial (object that allows transfer between the realms, controlled by Isaac) between twins - they leave together or one remains trapped
The only way to end the game forever is for a twin to withstand the Utopia and wake up. The Utopia is a dream world where you face the temptation of your deepest desires. If a twin does not have a vial because they've been left behind by their sibling they are unable to ever wake up making it virtually impossible for the game to end unless it's what Isaac has intended.
-----
There's a whole lot more with character dynamics which are a big part for me.
Isaac sees how his realm affects those who have suffered trauma and takes them in as, what Lucas called them one time to be funny, "pets". He guides them and shows them their strength. When Isaac takes Megan from Katherine, he keeps Megan as one of his pets due to the trauma and abuse she suffered in childhood.
Isaac always calls in one twin first and offers them their vial as means of escape in order to test their loyalty. If they choose to leave their sibling behind, the abandoned sibling is offered refuge in Isaac's house or a spot in the Utopia to live a peaceful life - for there is no worse torment than knowing your sibling has abandoned you. Through this he meets Will who he falls in love with and is part of the reason why he chooses to end his game.
Come along to find out more about characters that have consumed my every waking though for the past six years.
No, you see, I wish to be an author. Not in marketing. Or an influencer. I wish to tell my stories, be told I did a fantastic job, and then go back to my hovel to scribble some more. I am delicate of constitution and awkward in crowds.
Trying to post on tiktok to do some kind of book promo/general intro things to put myself out there while I'm waiting to see if I'm gonna hear back from any agents or not is giving me secondhand embarrassment
❤️ (heart) - Who is the most important person to your character? To what lengths would they go to protect this person?
💔 (broken heart) - Who has your character hurt most? Physically or emotionally? How did it feel? Do they regret it?
🌹 (rose) - What does your oc find attractive in other people? Are these traits found in their friends and/or romantic partners? Are they found in themselves?
🎈 (balloon) - What does your character do at parties? Are they a wallflower or a party animal? Do they go with friends or alone?
🍷 (wine) - Does your oc drink? What kind of alcohol do they enjoy? What are their drinking habits? What kind of drunk are they?
❗️(exclamation point) - What was the scariest moment of your character’s life? Does it still affect them?
🥩 (steak) - Does your oc have any coping mechanisms? Healthy or unhealthy?
🥀 (wilted flower) - How does your character deal with stressful situations? Is their fear response fight, flight, freeze or fawn?
🍓 (strawberry) - Does your oc believe in anything? Are they superstitious? Religious? Atheistic? Has anything in their past made them this way?
💋 (kiss) - Is your oc a good kisser? Have they kissed anyone before? Do they even enjoy kissing? What was their first kiss like in comparison to their most recent?
🍒 (cherries) - Does your character have a best friend? How long have they known each other? What do they like most about each other? How did they meet?
🚨 (siren) - What’s your character’s relationship with the law? Have they ever been arrested? What for? What are their opinions on law enforcement?
💄 (lipstick) - What does your oc think of their face? Do they have a positive or negative opinion? Do they wear makeup? Do they have a skincare routine? What traits do they like most about their face?
🍎 (apple) - Does your oc go to school or take classes? Did they go to college? What was/is their favorite subject? Did/do they get good grades? Did/do they enjoy school?
🐞 (ladybug) - What does a perfect day look like for your oc? What do they do? Who do they see?
☎️ (telephone) - Does your character know anyone’s phone number by heart? Do they prefer calling or texting? Who’s their favorite person to call/text? Do they have any typing quirks?
🥊 (boxing glove) - Has your character ever been in a fight? Did they win? Do they fight often? Are they professionally trained or self taught? Do they enjoy fighting or only do so when necessary?
🧣(scarf) - What comforts your oc? Is it an item? An action? A person? Whatever it is, how any why does it comfort them?
👠 (heels) - How does your oc dress? Are they stylish or casual? Do they keep up with trends or do their own thing? Do they prefer designer clothes or going to the thrift store? Do they have a signature item of clothing?
🍄 (mushroom) - Does your character like being in nature or do they prefer the indoors? Do they have any outdoor hobbies like camping or fishing? If they prefer the indoors, why?
🩸 (blood) - Is your oc squeamish? Are they disturbed by the sight of blood? Have they ever been in a situation where they had to overcome being squeamish?
✂️ (scissors) - Has your character ever cut their own hair? What about someone else’s? How did it turn out?
🎸 (electric guitar) - What’s your character’s music taste like? Do they have one or two artists they play on repeat or do they have a varied and eclectic collection of music? Do they like mainstream artists or prefer underground musicians? What genres do they enjoy?
🎒 (backpack) - What items does your oc usually carry? Do they have a bag or just keep everything in their pockets? Do they carry a lot or a little?
🪓 (axe) - Does your oc have survival skills? Have they ever had to use them? What would they do in an apocalypse? Could they survive?
I've nearly finished all my edits. Now is not the time for my brain to decide it wants to try rewriting the full draft but in first person to see what happens.
But also I rewrote a good chunk of the opening chapter and it feels like there's more character voice coming through than with the third person.
"you're the writer, you control how the story goes" no not really. i wrote the first sentence and then my characters said "WE WILL TAKE IT FROM HERE" and promptly swerved into an electrical fence.
please note that when i say 'i wrote this in a week' it actually means it completely vacated my mind for 6 days and then on the 7th day i was possessed by a bolt of maniac intensity and wrote the entire thing in a day