Happy Blorbo!
Tell me more about your political fantasy WIP! I find political fantasy so intriguing and yet so hard to write. What's the political system look like? What inspired it? Why doesn't the Prince have a name? And tell me about the main character! :)
Hello! Thanks for the ask!! Political Fantasy WIP is my first real attempt at political fantasy, and it's also a fantasy romance, so it's kind of a mix of the two genres.
The political system in the kingdom the story takes place in is kind of a mess. I made a post about it once, but I don't have the energy to go find it right now, so I'll just explain it again.
Basically, every single noble family (of which there are many) gets a seat on the Council. Said council then makes the laws. It's somewhat like the U.S. Congress if no one was elected, and there were dozens of different factions, and even those alliances were very changeable. So yeah, it's definitely a mess. There's also a King, but he still only gets to vote in the Mess. (Though I suppose he might have some kind of veto power, or at the very least tie-breaking power.)
I honestly have no idea what inspired this system. The idea just popped into my head one day, and I was basically like "wouldn't this be fucked up?" and decided to make it the system.
As for why the dear <Prince> doesn't have a name, the reason is that I simply can't decide on one. Similarly, the antagonist (though his role is minor-ish) is also unnamed.
The main characters are said <Prince> and Alora. Alora is a princess from a neighboring kingdom who was sent to visit the kingdom and perhaps form some political alliances. Also just see more of the world. Her kingdom is a much more traditional monarchy, where the monarch has the sole power. (Though they would also have advisors.)
Alora is very honest and open, and she tends to wear her heart on her sleeve. She's very passionate about the things she believes in, and is not afraid to let people know.
<Prince>, on the other hand, is closed-off and guarded in every way. Having grown up being prepared to be a part of the chaotic, scheming (and often self-serving) Council, he knows better than to put your cards on the table. He's initially wary of Alora simply because he thinks it's foolish of her to be so earnest about things. He's very much a realist.
<Prince> also has fire-based magic, but it comes with a condition. He has a scar/mark on his back that keeps spreading the more he uses his magic. (No one knows what will happen if it gets too big, but he's not eager to find out...) Using his magic is also very painful, but the pain is delayed. 12-24 hours after using his magic, he will be in pain, but at the moment he's using it, he feels fine. Which is dangerous, because the more magic he uses / the harder he pushes himself, the worse the consequences later.