When Desdemona was a child, Ilus Station was new. The air, fresh. The corners, sharp and newly fused. But now, those same edges were rounded from the constant brush of fingertips. Every breath tasted familiar because she had exhaled the same air at another time, months or moments before.
That familiarity was what crushed the hopes others her age entertained. Go to Earth. See the Mariner Valley. Taste water from Enceladus.
No. Des planned to stay on Ilus Station. She planned to keep wearing her shiny black armor, and she planned to live her life out there. Because it was familiar.
“Curses Dark and Fair” Character Moodboard - Morrigan Úlloird
The Queens of Apfel were not known for their kindness and generosity, but instead for being merciless and without a heart. And none were more crueler than Morrigan, whose wicked reign had pushed the kingdom’s borders further across the continent and whose people would never hazard a rebellion. As Queen, she married a rich Lord’s son for both his influence and inability to stand-up to his wife’s cruelty. Together the couple had a set of identical twin daughters: Snow White and Rose Red—the former being the eldest. Her husband would succumb to a mysterious illness just as the girls were coming of age, leaving the princesses to be raised predominantly by their nannies.
Then during the winter of the girls’s sixteenth winter, Queen Morrigan too would begin to fall ill, similar to her dead husband. As the snow began to melt the next season, the Queen would go to bed and never wake, falling into an endless sleep that no healer could wake her from. Many believe that the Queen was poisoned, but and inquiry was never made and Her Majesty was moved into the tallest tower where the royal healers would continue to observe their former Queen.
The crown would be passed on to Morrigan’s oldest daughter Snow White, who at sixteen would prove to be a much more considerate Queen, but with an equally wicked heart. Her reign would be cunning as she continued her mother’s determination to dominate the continent. Rose Red, the second daughter, would train with the royal army—also known as The Huntsmen—eventually commanding the entire army.
For @homesteadhorner Moodboard Monday: Sovereignty
This is a wee bit very late, but I didn’t want to miss a Monday, so better later than never right?
It finally came in! The illustrated, hardback of @gailcarriger Soulless one of two books—the other being Dracula—that I read at least once a year for the last several years. An amazing and favorite book of mine, and what got me into Victorian steampunk and inspired my own maybe one day novel of the same genre!
GENRE NA FANTASY — MATURE CONTENT VIOLENCE AND GORE
WIP PAGE CLICK — CHARACTER PAGE CLICK — TAG CLICK
I finally got around to writing what I would like to be the introduction, or maybe part of a chapter, for Curses Dark and Fair. It’s very very rough, but I wanted to get across that this was going to be a dark fantasy and minor retelling of fairytales. This is the most of written in sooo long, and I am so proud of myself, even if its gonna need an edit or two or two hundred...
The night had brought thick gray clouds that thundered and growled as they rolled over the valley. Brona listened to them overhead as she stood at her stove, preparing a late supper of stew for herself. She had worked a busy day in the fields with her sisters, all the while trying to keep a young daughter entertained throughout her labors. At the end of the day, mother and daughter were both exhausted from a day of chasing one another through the wheat fields. Little Peggy was in bed now, but Brona had stayed up to bake some sweet bread as a treat in the morning.
Brona moved closer to her cackling fire, turning tired eyes to her dusty ceiling as another clap of thunder shook the homestead. For once, she was thankful Peggy was such a heavy sleeper. A warm smile tightened across her lips. Then just as quickly it faltered as three heavy thumps rattled her door.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
Another three fell heavily against her door—then silence. Sweat beaded at her floured brow, despite Brona standing next to the fire. Thunder shook the house again, masking the shaking murmur of a voice.
“—ona...” she heard through the door. “Brona...” the voiced murmured, so loud through the petrifying silence.
She bit her lip, and clapped her hands quietly over her mouth and nose—Brona didn’t trust her quivering breath to keep her hidden. The door banged against the hinges this time, and she almost feared jumping out of her skin.
“Brona my love...”
Tears trickled from the corners of her eyes. She didn’t know when she had started crying, but it was hard to smother the sobbing through her fingers now.
“Let me come in...” the voice outside moaned, and it took all of Brona’s breaking willpower to keep from shouting back.
“Let me in...” Thump. “Let me in.” Thump.
Brona prayed he would go away—or better yet, that this is was only a nightmare she hadn’t woken from yet. But it wasn’t, and the man on the other side of her door grew more demanding in his voice and attacks on her door. However, Brona knew as long as she stayed quiet and unheard, this would end soon.
But then pattering footsteps came from the loft above and a blond head poked over, “Mommy...whose at the door?” Her child’s voice cut through the silence like a knife, and Brona tried quickly to quiet her half-asleep daughter with her terrified eyes.
“Peggy...” the voice whispered, and she saw the recognition cross her daughter’s face, “Let me in...let me in.”
“Papa?” Young Peggy’s voice pitched with excitement, “Mama, let Papa in! He’s come home!”
Brona screamed, “Peggy no!” But it was too late.
A smell of decay wafted through the cracks in the door, and the hinges creaked as it swung open, slamming into the wall with a gust of wind from the storm. Brona could barely believe her eyes. Silhouetted by the night was her husband, just as she remembered him. Dressed in his regalia, he stepped heavily into their home, one foot stomping loudly against their floor—the other dragging.
Brona backed into a table. “Peggy run...” she cried, but she didn’t hear her daughter budge.
“Peggy run!” She managed enough fear into her last words to scare her daughter into action, and then her former husband was upon her.
Brona remembered being told of his death a fortnight prior, how she had yet to break the awful news to their only daughter—but now she would know. Peggy would watch as the creature that was once her father tore away her mother’s throat with his gnashing teeth and as he began to devour her face. Soon more men came crawling into the home smelling like death and also eating her mother.
Peggy ran to her window to escape the noise of bones breaking and the chomping of meat. She flew open her shutters. The stench of rot and fire was in the air as the village was in chaos. The young girl was surrounded by the dying screams of her neighbors, doors splintering, and the failed attempts to fight back these blood thirsty creatures. They too had been seduced by the voice of their loved ones, not knowing they were letting in a monster.
She scaled the side of her home with the help of a rickety old ladder her father had put together for her. Peggy’s bare feet touched the cold dirt, and her bearings were shaken by the night and the chaos. She ran into her neighbor’s garden shrouded in shadow, and suddenly felt her footing slip beneath her. Peggy wouldn’t know until the break of dawn, but she had slipped and fallen face first into the ripped remains of her childhood friend.
I know I’ve had some links up for my Curses Dark and Fair wip page, but now it is officially filled out and includes a link for the character page as well.
Astrid—queen, wolf-mother—was the tempestuous leader of the Volk Tribe, a bloodline of howlers and gnarling teeth. Torbjörn the bear-king, a grizzly leader to the Bähr Tribe. One Hunter’s Moon the two proud and fierce leaders came together to unite their bloodlines. Under the full moon, teeth were bared and biting, claws scratched. The wolf-mother and the bear-king would accomplish a first for their kind—a mix of the bloodlines, a child.
Fenris was sitting in the shadows, away from the flames climbing into the night sky where a circle of his tribesmen sat—but not far enough to avoid hearing the lore speaker tell the story of his parent’s consummation—a tribe tradition every Hunter’s Moon. The first of a mixed bloodline—one wolf, the other bear—he was an enigma. And for that the tribes gave him a sense of superiority that never felt rightfully deserved.
By nature he was his mother’s son, and by appearance he was the splitting image of his father. But who was just Fenris?
The bonfire’s light was suddenly smothered by a dark figure.
Fenris looked up with his eyes alone, acknowledging his father with a simple nod and then returning his attention to the mindless whittle project in his hands. Torbjörn sunk onto a carved log beside him, not speaking or doing anything for a few long moments.
“So you’ve made up your mind?” his father’s voice was always a growl when he spoke, whether it was intended or not.
Pausing his knife for a second, Fenris sighed, “You won’t change my mind.”
“Who says I want to?” Torbjörn retorted. “Your mother wishes for me to speak to you and alter your decision...” he continued, catching a viperous glare from across the fires, “I however, want you to do what you think is best for you.”
This was a surprise for Fenris. “You’re letting me join the Huntsmen?”
A chuckle boomed from his father, “What is the point of creating a unique child as yourself, to only rule over you?” Fenris looked at his father—really looked at him. The scars and furrowed brows, a long dark mane of hair and an unruly beard—the bear-king. “I want this to be your life Fenris, my son,” Torbjörn squeezed his shoulder with large calloused fingers, “Not ours.”
Every time you see this post on your dash, open up your WIP and write one sentence. It doesn’t matter if the sentence is good, makes sense or works perfectly with your story. You can go back to edit it later.
Congrats, you made some progress on your WIP!
Make sure to reblog to help fellow writers make progress on their wip!
Whilst working on my fantasy series, I realized I know nothing about castles. I’ve seen plenty of castles, but the actual vocabulary for the parts and structures of a castle—not so much. I couldn’t find much on Tumblr itself for references, but maybe I didn’t look hard enough. None the less, I decided to post whatever I research into a series.
Please feel free to let me know if anything should be added, what sort of castle research you're looking for, etc.
In this post—under the cut—I’m covering the main exterior structures of a castle, with some minor interior inclusions, such as a dungeon, etc.
Allure/Wall-Walk
A walkway on a wall
Made it easy to move quickly between towers
High position let sentries watch for approaching enemies
Defenders could use as a platform to fight against enemies
Important security features in castles
Accessed via: ladders, wooden stairs, and other towers
Paved with stone slabs
Chemin-De-Ronde: wall-walk that spans around entire castle
Arcade
A covered passageway with arches along one or both sides
Blind Arcade: row of arches supported on columns, either free-standing or attached to a wall
Bailey/Ward
A courtyard enclosed by the outer wall of a castle
The area below the motte
Food and animals were stored here
There were inner and outer baileys
Used for exercise yards, parade grounds, and occasional corrals
Courtyards
Barbican
A walled passage projecting from the front of a gatehouse
A fortified outpost or gateway
Any tower situated over a gate or bridge, used for defense
Confined approaching enemy to a narrow front, leaving them open for easy attack
Protected castle entrance
Bartizan
An overhanging corner turret at the top of a tower
Supported by corbels
Crow’s Nest
Almost always located on the highest points of a castle
Allowed a warder to see all around
Bastion/Bulwark
A structure that projected outward from the curtain wall
Each corner of the curtain wall has a bastion
Long walls had a centered bastion, or multiple
Allowed defenders to cover dead ground (blind spots) and provide crossfire for the curtain wall and adjacent bastions
Battlement
A low, protective wall along a walk-wall or the roof of a tower with crenellations for shooting through
Often had openings called murder holes (machicolations) in floor to allow missiles or burning objects to be dropped on attackers
Berm/Berme
The level area between curtain wall and the moat/ditch
Intended to reduce soil erosion to keep wall from collapsing
Kept debris from wall from falling into or filling moat/ditch
Curtain Wall
An outer wall that surrounded the bailey and/or castle buildings
Walls were often connected by a series of towers to add strength and provide better defense for the castle grounds
Designed to protect castle
Arrow slits were often built into wall for defense
Average height was 30 ft
Varied in sized: 6-20 ft thick, ~30-45 ft tall, and ~1,500 ft long
Draw Bridge
A bridge built to span a moat/ditch that could be raised or lowered at will
A removable ladder in towers to reach second floor, and prevent intruders
Sometimes had a turning bridge that pivoted in the middle to prevent entrance
Drum Tower
A round tower built into a wall, usually connecting stretches of exterior curtain wall
Dungeon
Simply a single plain room with a heavy door, or whose only access was via a hatch/trapdoor in floor of room above it (oubliette)
Were under the keep, or gatehouse in later centuries
Fausse Braie
An exterior rampart, outside of and parallel to the main rampart, and considerable below its level
Forebuilding
A building attached to the keep guarding its entrance
Normally contained a staircase leading up to first floor of keep
Often held a small chapel
A keep’s equivalent to a castle’s barbican
Garden
Located in bailey near the kitchen
Has several sections: fruit trees/bushes, cooking herbs, medicinal herbs, vegetables, cooking flowers, and medicinal flowers
Often accessed through stairs from kitchen
Gatehouse
Main entrance/exit to castle
Once a simple doorway with a heavy door that could be barred shut
Now a portcullis (a heavy iron grate) that can be lower and raised
Had vaulted ceilings with murder holes
Side walls had arrow slits
Usually located in curtain wall
Location where enemies often attempted to breach
Had twin towers on either side for protection
Could have up to 3 floors:
Ground Floor: contained the guards room and sometimes a prison
First Floor: contained quarters for the guards and the castle constable as well as the mechanisms to control the portcullis
Second Floor: was a storage place for weapons
Defended by a barbican
Guardroom
A room used by on-duty guards
Likely stored weapons
Guards did not sleep here—they had barracks in the gatehouse, a tower, or under the keep
Hoarding/Brattice
A covered wooden balcony projecting from the top of a tower, a curtain wall, and used to defend castle
A temporary, shed-like wooden construction placed on exterior of ramparts during a siege
Had holes in floor to allow defenders to see enemies and attack them from above
Later replaced with murder holes
Hornwork
An indépendant earthwork located in front of and separately from the castle’s curtain wall, but within range to be defended
Front of hornwork had a curtain wall and two half-bastions, one on each endpoint
Sides are long and parallel to each other
Back was crescent shaped and faced castle’s curtain wall, built low so invaders couldn’t take shelter there
Forced invaders to begin siege farther away
Provided defenders with opportunity to destroy siege lines
Keep/Donjon
The largest and strongest tower in the castle
Great Tower
Was self-sufficient
Served as final refuge during a siege
Square or rectangular in shape, sometimes round
Walls could be ~17 ft thick
Windows were styled for archers, not viewing, such as arrow slits
Soldiers would keep watch from roof
Where lord and his family resided
Basement: held storerooms, barracked soldiers, and dungeons
Ground Floor: entrance to keep, held guardroom and kitchen, where servants/soldiers spent most of their time, or slept on the floor
First Floor: held the great hall, the lord conducted his business here, where banquets and court was held
Top Floor: held private chapel for lord and lady, where lord’s family slept, where lady of castle spent most of her time with her ladies-in-waiting doing various activities
Staircase: interior staircase would spiral all the way from the ground floor to the roof
Lunette
A fortification shaped like a half-moon or an arrowhead
Similar in appearance to a bastion, but did not have “wings” of castle wall connected to it
Either a separate structure, or connected to a curtain wall
Back was often open
Later became a redan
Moat/Ditch
A deep ditch cut into the bedrock or earth around the main part of the castle, usually filled with water
Filled by nearby lakes, rivers, or springs; sometimes by changing the direction of flow to go into the ditch
Most had an inlet and an outlet, rather than being self-contained like a donut
A dam in the outlet would control water levels
Made of rocks, or earth
Invaders could not tunnel under moats because they would collapse under weight of water, could not swim across because it was too deep and made them targets for archers
Had sharp sticks—bungy sticks—placed in moat to prevent people and animals from coming across
Dry moats were still hard to cross because they were deep and had steep sides
Ranged from 3-30 ft deep, and ~12 ft across
Motte
An artificial earthwork mound on which a castle was built
To create: a wide, circular ditch was dug with earth and stone thrown up into the middle in successive, reinforced levels in order to create mound
Sometimes a natural hill or summit was used instead
Oubliette
A windowless chamber whose only entrance was through a trap door in the ceiling, which opened into guardroom above and was too high for prisoners to reach
Prisoners were lowered by rope into the oubliette, same for food
Was used rarely for prisoners, those placed here were intended to be forgotten
So tiny, moving around or turning at all was impossible
Shaped like a cylinder
Completely dark
Sometimes the oubliette was below ground level, thus water would seep through the ground and fill the space making survival impossible
Starvation hole
Parapet
A low protective wall along a wall-walk, bridge, or roof
Does not have crenellations like a battlement
Portcullis
A wooden or iron grill that could be dropped to bar a gateway or raised to allow passage
Moved strictly in a vertical direction
Occasionally used to trap attackers inside the barbican
Postern Gate
A secondary gate or door, often located at the rear of the castle in a back wall
Gate was often connected to a small guardroom, that then connected to the bailey
Located in concealed location, allowing occupants to come and go inconspicuously
In case of a siege, used as a secret exit for troops or send out a messenger, otherwise it was barred
Used by tradesmen and servants during peaceful times
Built for one person, unmounted to pass through
If possible, built on steep hill with access from a footpath required
Sometimes required a password to be let through
Rampart
A defensive wall with a broad top, a walkway, and a stone parapet
Raveline/Demilune
A triangular fortification or earthwork located in front of the curtain wall, with in range to be defended
Allowed defenders to attack enemy before they can reach the curtain wall
Forced attackers to start siege from further away, and allowed defenders to defeat siege line
Functioned the same as a hornwork
Redan
A small raveline
Often made of earthwork, but stone and other material could be used
Designed like a lunette, but shorter
Tower
A tall narrow building, either freestanding by itself or else connected to a larger building
Unlike turrets, towers touched the ground
Provided access to wall-walks, lookout points and sleeping quarters for the garrison
Were square, d-shaped, or round
Turret
A small tower projecting out of a main tower, usually used as a lookout point
Did not touch ground
Allowed defenders to provide sheltering fire to the adjacent wall during an attack
Roof was usually circular with various kinds of apex
May have a staircase if turret is taller than tower
Question for those who like to stalk others writblr wip pages guilty as charged character pages. Do you like a full cast or just the main few? I personally love a full cast but I also know I personally have a huge Game of Thrones like cast so I don’t know about everyone else. Any opinions?
May I ask how/or if you made the map for your wip? Also your wip sounds amazing, and your cat is puurfect!
Thanks for the ask!!
To make my map I first used a map generator. I use Azgaar’s Fantasy Map Generator. Then, after playing around with some of the settings, I exported the file and threw it into photoshop where I could move some of the islands and make the water look less distracting.
One thing I strongly encourage while making your map is to keep in mind what type of geography and cultures would be in those types of places and if the borders make sense. Maybe your map inspires your world building or maybe you are trying to fit your worldbuilding into a map, either one will work, but just make sure you think it through before you settle on a map. I probably went through 15-20 versions of a map before I settled on the one I have now.
P.S. Thanks for saying my wip sounds amazing. It means a lot. Also, my kitty says thank you as well!
“Thorne & Perri” Character Moodboard - Professor Feathers
“Do you not grasp the consequences of what I—we’ve accomplished?” his voice carried through the leather and metal of his avian mask, seductive and articulate as he curled his splayed fingers into a tight fist of triumph.
He smirked and his eyes continued to glow as he waved his arms across the expanse of his laboratory, one she was intimately familiar with.
“You—but a sickly dying girl,” the Professor reminded her. “But I rescued you from Death’s boney grasp, didn’t I girl? I accomplished with you what scholars and scientists spent centuries of their pathetic paltry lives trying to do.” He paced in short thoughtful strides, growing excited as he continued to recall his achievements against the mere man—against God.
“Of course I had a little help, but well...” Professor Feather had slits for eyes in his mask, and they focused on her, “I refused to share the power.” Suddenly he stomped up to her, cold leather fingers curled around her throat. “They could make all the Fool’s Gold with the philosopher’s stone all they wanted—if only it had just been that—they all might have survived that night of enlightenment.” His grip tightened on her, “but that wasn’t all we created that night.” Both his hands were around her throat now.
“I found immortality—the Elixir of Life. I am the one and true alchemist in this dreary world, and only I will choose who will live forever.”
“Curses Dark and Fair” Character Introduction - Fenris Bähr
Son. Huntsman. Shapeshifter. Fenris is content with staying quiet and in the shadows of his peers. The son of two Chieftains—one for the Bähr Tribe and the other for the Volk Tribe—his loyalty is both split and strained between his parents. Leaving his life as a Chief’s son behind, he eagerly left for the Apfel Kingdom to join the Huntsmen Army. There, he thrived as a knight and quickly ascended through the ranks to become part of the Commander’s—heir apparent Rose Red—inner circle.
His prowess and stamina has also helped Fenris grow as a shapeshifter, taking on his mother’s form—a wolf. Although as a wolf, he is far more larger and intimidating than his brethren, traits he has inherited from his father.
Fenris keeps to himself either by reading in the orchards, or training outside of schedule. His duality as a Huntsman and an heir to his parents’s tribes has Fenris unsure of his future—or where he belongs in the world.
For @yourocsbackstory Week 1: Introduction
Hope I’m not too late!
“Curses Dark and Fair” Character Moodboard - Calypso Nereides
As a daughter to a King, royal blood ebbs and neaps through her veins, but as the spawn of a King’s affair—a princess she’ll never be.
Forbidden was the surface, a world she was so desperate to escape to—a place where she could belong, without a title as the King’s bastard. This would require breaking her father’s rule of never seeking out the Sea Witch—her mother—but Calypso was born with a rebel heart and no love for her father’s rules. The Witch granted her wish, a life above the sea, but the cost...
Her mother’s corpse shriveled on the shore. Skin and bones fell away as coral and crabs and fish, returning to the sea with each wave of the rising tide. Her father’s fury then turned to Calypso. She would stay in the world she so loved, but be forever bound to the deep seas. By day she would sail the Endless Sea—waters lost in time—but by night, Calypso must return to the dreaded deep, or suffer a fate like her mother’s.
Just as I’m ready to announce another character page is ready for another one of my wip, I find a new theme that I like better than the one I’m using! Why so many creative theme makers out there!!??
Hi there! First, amazing blog, this will come in handy once I tackle my victorian set project, but my ask concerns another project of mine—so moving along. I have a character A that refers to character B with a pet name, which I'd like to be a flower. So A has a predatory obsession with B, because A is a vampire and B has special blood. A never uses B's name, instead he uses a pet name. So I guess the basics is, are there any flowers that can relate to that, blood, desire, etc.? Thanks :)
Hello soulless!
You’re absolutely at the right address for Victorian flower meanings. That’s an interesting question, I know desire exists as a meaning, but for the most part, it’s part of a specific meaning like desire for riches. So I’ll only write down the ones that do fit your character’s purpose. Blood doesn’t come up at all as a meaning and neither does obsession, but I doubt the Victorians were free from it, so I figure we should find something.
arum – ardour, zeal
cacalia – adulation
dew plant – a serenade
fleur-de-lis – flame, I burn
heliotrope – devoted attachment/affection, devotion, I turn to thee, intoxicated with pleasure, I love you, the intoxication of love, faithfulness
ipomaca – I attach myself to you
ivy (tendril around a bouquet) – may I, I desire
jonquil – desire, I desire a return of affection, affection returned, love me, sympathy
mallow (syrian) – consumed by love, persuasion
rose (coral) – desire
sunflower (dwarf) – your devout adorer, adoration
tuberose – dangerous love/pleasures, le plus loin le plus cher, voluptuousness
vervain – enchantment, superstition
violet (blue) – love, enchantment, faithfulness
– Mod Jana
Disclaimer
This blog is intended as writing advice only. This blog and its mods are not responsible for accidents, injuries or other consequences of using this advice for real world situations or in any way that said advice was not intended.
Hey! I feel like I don’t follow enough people, so could you reblog this if you’re a writeblr, please? Any genre, but especially if you have WIPs that are:
A reminder that mental illness isn’t your fault and neither is struggling with writing because of it, either because you can’t come up with any ideas or because you don’t have the motivation or concentration to write.
Write when you can, if you can. And when you can’t, it’s okay. Take a breath. Try again later.
