This is a bit of a lore nerd question but one aspect that's really interesting to me is that the spirits choose a Crown regardless of class background. And previous Crowns like Ardashir have tried to fund public institutions, such as the magic schools. But, wealth disparity and class hierarchy still seems to exist. Have previous Crowns from 'commoner' backgrounds ever tried to change the system on a large scale and failed, or has no one really attempted it for whatever reason (safeguarding their own power, pushback from nobles)?
I love lore nerd questions ✨
Crowns before have never truly made any attempts to overthrow Arsur's current social hierarchy, even when they came from humble backgrounds themselves.
This is because the Crowns of previous generations have not been in the position to make such a change, whether consciously or unconsciously. Even if they wanted to, they don't have the power to impose a revolution - the existence of the Imperial Court, the Mîrs, and the nobility ensure that. In order for the current hierarchy to be destroyed, the change has to come from the bottom up; the public, in other words.
However, most Crowns also have not wanted to do anything of the sort. Even the most progressive Crowns, such as Ardashir and Keybanû, have been reformists at best. You read in the story and in the codex entries about how the Schools of Magic were transformed to be class discriminating after Ardashir, and how Ivia was sold to Thallos after Keybanû; their successors broke both of their legacies apart.
This is because individuals can't change a system. Even exceptionally unique Crowns still operate in an environment that ingrains them with the rules and norms of the system, especially as they are usually prepared for the role at a young age by their predecessor. And on the occasion that they do try to change things, the nobility will stonewall them.
Take Ashadūna herself, the Crown who founded Arsur. She overthrew her father and ended the wars, but then instated the same system of monarchy that was in place before Arsur, with minor tweaks in regards to succession. This is partly because this system is all that she ever knew, but also partly because the founding of Arsur was still done by the ruling classes.
This detail is a bit tucked away in Chapter 8 as the Crown narrates her story, but they mention that Ashadūna first tried to rally the nobility into protesting against her father's reign, before she was disowned. Her supporters were first and foremost other Ardian nobles.
Even Arsur's founding itself was not a revolution. If anything, it was just trading in multiple monarchs for a single overseer.
First progress report of the year!! Hope everyone experiences a great 2023 in all areas of your life and that it’ll be much kinder to us than 2022 was ✨
It’s been a while since I posted a proper update on the blog since my writing pace has been erratic in the winter, but I’ve finally made enough progress to feel good about where I’m at with the chapter. We’re up to 27k words now, and I’m guessing the total word count for CH10 will end up being around ~40k words or so.
This chapter more than any other is making me consider how many variations I want to write out, which subplots can be momentarily set aside, and which ones need to be set up now rather than later.
The LI subplots currently take definite precedence, even though they’re a relatively smaller part of the chapter in comparison to everything else. I won’t give any spoilers, but some hints:
X is spiraling a little bit, making bad decisions, running away from their problems/solving them with violence. Extremely well-adjusted.
R is having an identity crisis of immense proportions after being hit with a revelation with the figurative force of an airplane crashing into a mountain.
A is seeing both their greatest hope and worst fear coming true without having any idea of how to stop it, the despair of powerlessness, etc.
D is trying to have an intervention with an old friend and instead is getting their heart shattered, and unfortunately therapy doesn’t exist in Arsur.
Please pray for all of them.
Anyway, to give you an idea of the chapter structure, the Crown’s training and tutoring classes averages around 7k words, the political section of the chapter is 11k words, and the remaining 9k is taken up by the LI POVs so far.
Final Draft Deadline
I’ve decided to pick out a deadline that I need to stick to in order to finish this thing before uni gets busy again: I’m intending to have the final draft for CH10 finished by February 1st!
Even if I can’t make this exact date and am a few days late, it’ll still give the betas enough time to proof read in order for all the early access Patreon/Ko-Fi releases to be in February. So if you’re aiming for early access, I’d plan it for February!
To make up for some of the radio silence on the blog with regard to updates, I’ll be posting various CH10 previews throughout the coming week that patrons have already had access to.
No spoilers, but here’s some very juicy ones in the mix 👀
As always, thanks so much for your patience and understanding, and stay tuned for more news and previews very soon 💖
A bonus story featuring X and MC meeting for the first time as kids in an alternate timeline where Ferzan is alive and is mentoring the MC as his succ...
Hey all, hope you’ve been well!!
Today I gifted longtime Patreon supporters who have been with me since I launched the page with a fun little bonus story.
Since this story isn’t available on the Patreon itself, I still wanted to make it available for others in some way, so it’s up for sale in my Ko-Fi shop!
I may do the same thing with all the snippets I’ve been writing over on Patreon and make them accessible for purchase as bundles, but we’ll see how it goes first.
Rating: General
Pairing: Ashti/Crown Zareen
Genre: Romance / Fluff
Warnings: None
Word Count: 917
This is my emotional support fluff about my emotional support wlw <3
Read it on AO3
The bedroom is bathed in golden dawn—all the Crown’s vibrant silks and fineries glittering as the shadows play across the surface. The air is sharp and cold, but its harsh bite is made dull by the luxurious furs draped across the bed.
Beneath the furs and blankets is a rich heat, the sort that melts the stresses of the day away and weighs the bones of the weary down into restful sleep. It draws a sigh from Zareen’s lips as she feels her being come to consciousness—and yet, she could drown in unquenchable sleep if she’d only let herself.
At her side, the steady presence of her Soul, Ashti, brings a smile to her face. Wakefulness has not found her yet, and Zareen finds herself grateful that her bleary golden eyes may take in the soft lines of her lover’s sleeping face. The long dark lashes that just barely tickle her cheeks, the dimple that hides at the corner of her lips—it is all too much for Zareen whose heart is filled to bursting with an aching that only intensifies as she stares in silence. She wants to close the distance, to forsake the blood that courses through her veins and replace it with her.
With a hesitant hand, Zareen reaches her fingers out across the short span between them. Her fingers come to rest upon Ashti’s cheek, ghosting over her skin. With the tentativeness of one who is attempting something forbidden, she allows her thumb to caress warm skin. She boldly rests her palm along Ashti’s jaw, careful not to disturb her, as once she does, she risks shattering the moment, risks sending her beloved tumbling back into the circus of her daily life.
And, oh, it is love. Nothing but love, pure and heavy as honey, that drowns the still beating drum in her chest. She can taste it in the words she holds at the tip of her tongue, that she must not let spill lest they propel the two of them into reality. Alas, not even the authority of the Crown can halt time and leave them as they are in the morning’s ethereal glow. Ever a fickle antagonist of love, time moves forward, and moments end.
Calloused fingers close around Zareen’s hand, they gingerly move her hand down over Ashti’s lips and a kiss is left at the center of her palm.
Smiling green eyes open slowly. “Were you watching me sleep?” Ashti’s voice is still thick with sleep, rumbling out the back of her throat.
Zareen frees her hand, revealing the wry smile beneath it, and rests it against Ashti’s shoulder. “I was, yes,” she admits, pressing her cheek into the pillow. “You’re quite lovely just like this, Ashti darling.”
Ashti is taken aback. She presses her lips together into a line and averts her gaze for a moment before bringing the heat of her eyes back onto the Crown. An amused smile plays at her lips. “High praise coming the loveliest woman these eyes have beheld. I must be the luckiest woman alive to be able to grasp such radiance in the palm of my hand, even for a just moment.”
It is not the first time Ashti has flustered Zareen so, and if the Spirits favored her, it would not be the last. Yet, each softly spoken word at her lover’s lips never fails at throwing her heart into a frenzy. And much like a child playing a game, Ashti grins like she’d won. Language has completely abandoned Zareen. The words she’d been holding in dissolve, the letters scattering like flower petals on the wind.
“Ashti…” she attempts, and it is all she can attempt. That is the last and only word which springs to the front of her mind no matter how desperately she searches.
Ashti’s hand comes to rest on Zareen’s cheek. She moves her index finger to trace a line from her eyes, down her hairline and along her jaw until her fingers are cupping Zareen’s chin. “We don’t have to speak, my Soul,” she says softly.
There is a rush of wind as Ashti tenderly pulls their faces together—or perhaps Zareen is imagining it. Perhaps it is the ocean of Ashti’s presence that rushes onto the shore, sweeping her into the depths. She feels it in her hair and under her skin, lighting up every single nerve in her body. In a flurry of animation, Zareen returns the kiss in kind, arms wrapped around Ashti’s neck, legs hooking her in under the sheets.
Ashti laughs into the kiss, moving to place a peck at the corner of Zareen’s lips and then another higher upon her jaw, just under her ear. “Easy,” she mumbles into her skin. “I’m not going anywhere.”
This does not ease the Crown’s grip on her lover. She buries her face in Ashti’s shoulder, placing a small kiss on her collar. She curls her fingers in the fabric of Ashti’s shirt.
“But how long will this moment last?” The question is small, muffled against Ashti’s shoulder.
She is love, again—love, itself—who presses her lips into Zareen’s hair; her warm exhale of breath which caresses the freckles on her forehead. She feels her tender hand resting at the base of her neck, tracing circles into her skin. And into the chill of dawn, a chill that digs into the furs and pokes through their defenses, the answer is spoken.
You feel it so clearly, a blaze of fire within his veins connecting him to you and you marvel at the realness of the heat. It's as if you were holding a flame in your hand.
Really loved this scene bc it was so vivid in my mind... anyways go read A Tale of Crowns
What about they crave to hear the most? (By the MC)
Another anon also asked:
What is the phrase that the ROs needs/wish to hear?
I'm not going to state what they want to hear from the MC the most, as the LIs themselves don't even know that at this point in the story. To state it now would be a spoiler for their routes!
Also, this might hurt you just the same as the other ask, just warning you in advance lol. Not all of these phrases are possible for the LIs to hear, as you'll see in a moment:
For A, from a loved one who disappeared years ago: "I'm here."
For R, from Lady Zerya: "I'm proud of you."
For D, from their mother: "This is not your burden to bear."
For X, from a loved one who passed away years ago: "I forgive you."
some of y’all have been acting real entitled in @ataleofcrowns’ inbox/comments for too long, from questioning why she won’t write a platonic only route for a ROMANCE game, to expecting her to do the work of unpacking racism on her game blog of all things, to now hounding her about fixing the choices you made with your rule and with your LIs.
tbh it’s so aggravating to witness bc i know cherry has not spent the past few years on crafting a narrative masterpiece for the convos post-release to be loudly derailed by complaints from people who demand to be spoonfed.
the atoc LIs aren’t the same kind of mc-obsessed trope frankensteins that infest the IF genre. they’re characters with agency and motives and distinct personalities. and the game itself is about navigating the tumultuous situation of being a ruler that is stepping into their role without preparation. we’re not even halfway through the plot yet—it’s inevitable that a brand new crown makes mistakes with their rule and that the exploration of a romance not be smooth sailing all the time.
what y’all can do instead of being pressed that a game with meaningful choices actually executes on its promise and rudely making that cherry’s problem is truly get to know the characters and the world. enjoy the narrative ups and downs for what they are and recognize what a gift it is that the story exists in the first place. go ahead and send THAT type of energy to cherry.
hello omg that r/crown prompt was so soft and well-written i just... if it's not too much trouble, would you consider writing one for x/crown but with the prompt, "you can call me whenever you want... even if you don't have a reason to." 👀
thank you for such an inspiring prompt, anon! i literally created my X romancing crown just so i could read the route and fill this prompt. 🥰
i hope y’all enjoy crown navid, who is my love letter to @ataleofcrowns’ X 🥺💌
ps. i have an atoc sideblog now! askbox is open for r/crown and x/crown prompts over at @sorcererrezan 💛
—
Navid finds out about Xelef’s return to the city via a messenger from the Crescent Blades. Apparently the Pale Sword himself saw it fit to give advance notice, though whether it is because he is the Crown or because he is Navid is still elusively up for interpretation.
I know I said the public release would be September 19th, but technically it’s already the 19th in my timezone so I thought, why not drop it at midnight?
With the public release of this new chapter we’re diving into courtly intrigue as the Crown becomes accustomed to their new day-to-day life:
Meeting the Imperial Court, as well as the different factions and political agendas at play
Choices that will influence the Crown’s reputation, and one that may even be locked off depending on previous decisions made. Did you prioritize the public, or forget about them among all the commotion?
Variants of how your chosen love interest will react to your Crown, depending on previous relationship choices your Crown has made. Do you have a low relationship, or a high one?
Two branching routes that each have three different variants depending on what your Crown chose with regards to security and safety. Will you get the best outcome and save lives, or the worst outcome and see casualties? Perhaps somewhere in between?
The love interests are also on the move, some of them quite literally…
A few additional changes made to the game overall:
Note the updated content warnings!
Changed the name mentioned by Mîr Lîlan during A’s Chapter 7 romance scene, if you choose to eavesdrop on them. I won’t mention it here to avoid potential spoilers.
Due to issues on mobile and the itch.io app, renaming your saves manually will no longer be possible if you use the in-game save menu. The game will automatically save with your Crown’s name, the chapter you’re on and the LI route you’re on if applicable.
Existing saves may show “CH0” if you load one up that was made in the middle of a chapter, but once you pass through the start of a new chapter, it should correct itself. In other words, it’s not a bug!
Of course, it’s still possible to rename your saves if you Save To Disk, which is what I always recommend over using the in-game save menu.
Thank you for all your patience and support, I hope you enjoy the new chapter with the nearing end of this summer 💖
For those that are unfamiliar with the game
A Tale of Crowns is a high fantasy romance story, told in the form of a text-based interactive novel with choice mechanics. The setting is inspired by Kurdish culture as well as other historical settings in the Middle East such as Ancient Persia, but it also draws heavily from other cultures and countries in the region.
Your character is native to Arsur, a vast empire overseen by a single ruler known as the Crown. Unlike traditional monarchies, however, the title is not inherited through blood. Whenever the Crown dies, their famed golden eyes pass on to the one chosen by the Spirits of this world to be the new Crown. In this story, your MC takes on that role.
There are four different love interests to choose from, whose genders will be customized to suit the preferences of your Crown. You can find more info about them on the blog page!
Also note that this current version of the game is safe for those 16 years and older.
Like the premise so far? Play it and give it a try! The entire game is free!
If you enjoyed the game, please reblog! Share it with your friends! Recognition and reader interaction is just about the only thing I get in return for creating it ❤️
hi! feel free to ignore this if you don’t want to answer/too spoilery, but i was curious:
do the ROs have any pet names or names of endearment they would call their partner in a relationship? what about being called? i’m looking forward to playing the update this weekend!
Hope you had fun playing the update! I won't specify exactly which endearments the love interests might use or might want to hear: you'll find that out later on in the story ;)
But I do have some ideas on the topic which you might enjoy reading about:
I think X might surprise you on this point. Obviously, they give the Crown a nickname, and they also casually use endearments like "my love" or "my darling" when the relationship is platonic. For X endearments are not reserved for romance, but are easily used; sometimes it's even used merely to add flair or flavor to their style of speaking. If anything, for X in a romance, using their partner's name rather than an endearment is more of a sincere expression of affection or attachment.
As for being called endearments, X doesn't have any particular preference. Similarly, though, if you really want to express your love for them, using their name instead of endearments is much more effective and better received.
For R, I think they would love being called endearments by their partner (as you may have guessed from how much they enjoy the Crown's poetic compliments) rather than using endearments themselves. They would find it a little embarrassing with the Crown specifically, but instead of endearments, I can see them being the type to express their affection in clear terms.
They both love being praised as well as enjoy praising others, and similarly, they would have no qualms giving compliments to their partner or saying "I love you" on a regular basis. Verbal affection is definitely one of their most preferred ways of expressing love.
For A, they aren't one to typically express their affection with words, so I can't see them using endearments often or even casually. However, it might surprise you that they would actually like being called romantic endearments by their lover: it's something they like to receive rather than to give. It's the same with praise or compliments, it's not their own method of expressing affection but they do really like receiving it.
The way A shows they love their partner revolves more around quality time, being near them, enjoying their company, etc rather than using words. Though they do use them, of course, just comparatively less; it's not their preferred love language for giving affection.
For D, I think being called romantic endearments wouldn't do much for them. They prefer to simply be called by their name, but when it comes to using endearments themselves, they don't have any problem with it if their partner enjoys it. If anything, they'd be very liberal in using endearments when they notice that their partner likes it: the same with giving praise, saying "I love you", expressing affection verbally, etc.
It's not so much about the words for them as it is about being able to do something nice for their lover that meets their needs, which makes D feel good for meeting their needs as well. Similarly, in terms of receiving, having their lover do something nice for them is the way they appreciate being shown affection the most.
Last year I decided that I’d work towards launching a Patreon in the spring, and today I finalized all the last details. While I’m working on the next chapter of the story, I’ll also be posting bonus content for patrons to enjoy in between!
Things you can expect posted on my Patreon:
Exclusive access to patron-only Discord channels
Weekly progress reports
Development sneak peeks
Monthly Character Q&A
(Bi)monthly character snippets
Early access to chapters ranging from 4 days to 2 weeks
You’ll be able to read through the character snippets from a separate game file on itch.io where you can customize your Crown and the love interests to reflect your main game!
I’ve already posted the first character snippet - R’s POV during the Crown’s nightmare scene in Chapter Three, as was decided by the polls earlier in the week. You can find the previews under the cut!
As always, even if you don’t join my Patreon, I’d like to thank you for all your support 💖
My Patreon page was mistakenly flagged as having adult content on it, but I contacted Patreon and got it removed today! I learned some countries don’t allow donations if a page features adult content, so I thought that was important to clear up.
Also, the launch has gone insanely well and totally surpassed all my expectations, so as a thank you I’ll be releasing an extra character snippet this month for all my patrons featuring one of AToC’s fan-favorite side characters, Tûjo!
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