AWAY FROM HALLOWED GROUND (Working Title) - WIP Intro
Genre: Dark Fantasy, Gothic Fantasy
Status: Planning & Writing First Draft; Subject to a lot of change in the future probably
CW: Blood, murder, violence, religious trauma, manipulative relationships (not between the main cast), mental health issues. Others that may be added in the future.
Themes: Forging your own identity, gods and goddesses, the idea of being special versus not being special, love as devotion, breaking or following expectations, finding yourself
Vibes: Stained catholic glass, blood on snow, cracked statues, light so bright it's blinding, silver necklaces, the glint of a knife, bruises and bite marks, abandoned churches, graveyards at night, a single light in the dark, torn and dirty white dresses, rumpled shirts
Comic Sans WIP intro
Synopsis
All his life, Theodore Agnelli has been waiting to turn eighteen. As the High Prophet of the Messengers of Zakel, he’s been waiting for the chance to prove himself as the chosen savior of the people.
Instead, on their eighteenth birthday, they make a shocking discovery that shakes what they’ve known as truth down to his core. Now on the run from the organization he once called home, Theodore, desperate to prove himself, finds himself banding together with three others who also are determined to meet the God of Death, Zakel.
As they travel across a barren, war-torn wasteland, he quickly finds himself drawn to Silas Payne--an abrasive yet passionate soul, whom he finds a kinship with. But Silas’ own obsessions are just as grand as Theodore’s, and Theodore finds himself increasingly desperate to prove himself as worthy to ascend. Will the truth be what he wants, or will Theodore--and Silas?--crash and burn?
Charming and loyal, Theodore has been waiting for the chance to become the Chosen Savior of the God of Death, Zakel, for almost a decade. However, in light of a shocking truth, he finds himself on the world's most insane cross-country road trip to find Zakel.
His new companions are keeping him busy for now, especially Silas, but it won't be long before Theodore's desperation starts to get the better of him. The question is what will happen after that.
Silas Payne - The Devoted Saint - Cisgender Man (He/Him) - 19 - Bisexual
A well-traveled but macabre man, Silas believes himself to be the chosen right hand man of the God of Death. In an attempt to gain recognition, Silas has traveled across the wastes as a serial killer, sacrificing his victims to Zakel in hopes to prove his worth while looking for the God of Death.
Although he originally teams up with Theodore for simplicity's sake, soon Silas finds himself drawn to Theodore's charm and passion, taking an intense interest in the other man. But will this interest give him everything he's asked for, or will it bring him to ruin?
The nameless survivor of a brutal attack against her home town, Paya seeks revenge on the God of Death and his followers for what happened. But their demeanor starkly contrasts the brutality of their goal, able to see the good in any given situation.
Originally, Paya doesn't care for Theodore, seeing them as having a hand in the attacks against her home and her people, and only begrudgingly tolerates their presence for the knowledge they have. But as time goes on, Paya starts to find out there may be more beneath the surface as Theodore starts to decline.
Camilla Navaroo - The Lost Ghost - Trans Woman (She/Her) - 22 - Lesbian
More than anyone else in the group, Camilla knows what rejection feels like. The illegitimate and secret daughter of the God of Death, she has spent her entire life in the shadows, waiting for recognition that hasn't come. Now, she's done waiting, and is ready to march up and demand that she not be forgotten.
The oldest one in the group, Camilla finds herself at odds with Theodore, both of them fighting for the role of leader. However, she respects Theodore's tenacity and determination, and can emphasize with the feeling of being rejected.
Characters - Antagonists
Elizabeth - The Grand Bishop - Cisgender Woman (She/Her) - 45 - Bisexual
The leader of the Messengers of Zakel, The Grand Bishop is seen as the matriarch to the town of Kathados. She is the one who declared Theodore to be the High Prophet, and has spent her entire life working in the service of Lord Zakel.
But underneath her gentle facade lies something truly wicked, and it is her actions that send Theodore spiraling down a path of doubt and desperation.
Hunter Rask - The Forgotten Heir - Trans Man (He/Him) - 19 - Straight
Due to his mastery over magic, Hunter has earned a high-ranking position as the Head Defender of the town of Kathados, protecting the town from outside threats and responsible for training the soldiers even at his young age.
However, despite bearing the Mark of the Etheri, Hunter has been passed over for ascension in favor of Theodore. But with Theodore no longer in the Grand Bishop's good graces, he hopes to finally prove his worth to her and become the Chosen One of the God of Death.
Characters - Secondary
Dante Verden - The Third Priest - Cisgender Man (He/Him) - 42 - (Repressed) Gay
Theodore's guardian and caretaker, all he's ever wanted was for them to live in a safe and peaceful environment. Although he knows the truth behind the Messengers of Zakel, even Dante couldn't have predicted the plans that the Grand Bishop had in store. All he can do is do whatever it takes to keep Theodore safe.
Hey, Quill, happy STS! Which of your characters is move to the other side of the world the moment something goes wrong?
Happy Storyteller Saturday!
Ah, you mean Dione. Who is. Legitimately on the other side of the world from where she grew up. Because something went very, very wrong, and yes, she’s currently on the run partly because of it. Oops.
In general, though, Dione is likely the most... cowardly of my characters. She doesn’t like facing the consequences of her mistakes, and that’s led to a whole lotta guilt on her part.
1, 29 and 49 if you haven't done them already, please!
i. do you listen to music when you write?i dont!! i find it really hard to focus on writing while i listen to music, but i definitely listen to music to get inspired to start the process
xxix. favorite villaini cant really think of anymore than i havent already talked about alsdkfj
xlix. which character would you most want to be friends with, if they were real?this is like asking whos your favorite child its CRUELthe first character that came to mind was morgan because he’s literally the number one best friend anyone could ask for. loyal as fuck, can read people well, will not hesitate to cut a bitch, and very, very pretty.
“Are you drunk?” Kali asked, leaning against the door frame and staring the girl up and down.
Lani giggled and shook her head.
This was, of course, a lie. Lani had never been this drunk in her life.
Actually, she’d never been drunk in her life, end of story.
“Jesus,” Kali muttered. She pushed the door open and stepped back inside. “Get in here.”
Lani stumbled through the door and walked after Kali. Words were falling out of her mouth like a waterfall but Kali had no idea what any of them meant.
She had every intention of giving the girl some water and packing her off to bed when she felt two short arms wrap around her waist and a soft cheek press against her back. Kali stopped walking and pushed the girl away. “Don’t even thi- woah, woah-”
Lani stumbled back and tripped over, falling until Kali’s strong arms caught her. “Easy, easy. I’ve got you.”
Kali tried to stand her up again, but Lani toppled back over. Kali shook her head in annoyance.
“You are the worst drunk ever.”
Lani giggled and clung to Kali’s shirt.
“S’okay though yea- ‘cause you care ‘bout me, so’s’it okay?”
Kali rolled her eyes and hoisted the girl up over her shoulder. “Shut up.” She carried her through to the living room, where she was promptly dumped onto the couch.
“Make no mistake, Angel. You’re only here because I don’t need you throwing up outside and pissing off my landlord.”
Lani rolled onto her back and smiled up at Kali.
“No. You care ‘bout me.”
Kali rolled her eyes.
And if there was a smile on her lips as she walked away, well- Lani wasn’t going to remember it anyway.
masterpost | latest drabble | want to join the tag list?
21. What is one of your character’s biggest fears? How would they react when dealing with this fear?
tbh, isaac’s biggest fear would be being alone. and not just alone at home or something like that (he’d just jack off) but completely and totally alone. he would need to call someone or bring someone over because total loneliness is what he’s terrified of.
27. If your character was going to get arrested, what would be the most likely reason for it?
lmao isaac would probably get arrested for public indecency or some shit like that. he’s definitely not going to do anything ILLEGAL, per se, but he’s also not cool enough to do something like graffiti. nah, he’d probs get drunk off his ass and flash half a dozen people lol
🐉 For my oc cary: Blonde hair, amber eyes, fire magic, wears pantsuits (think amy from b99 but black and white) hair in ponytail, intellectual, mom friend, internationally screaming, distrustful of others
I’d say Cary is a medium muted golden coloured dragon with amber coloured eyes, large scales, looks almost metallic. Breathes fire, of course. Is distrustful of humans and other animals, can become aggressive if pursued, but cares for her young and her family and close friends fiercely. Can break out of almost any trap she may be put into— through cunning and smarts and tricks.
Blood Red: Favourite piece of dialogue from your wip
Okay.... so this is from draft three, of which i only have about 10k words, and it’s super fucking meta but it always makes me giggle because it takes me back to the original desire when i wrote the first draft which was to have fun with the genre, and technically it’s not a piece of dialogue but a piece of a conversation, and i’m POSITIVE i’ve posted it before but oh well lmao
“You’reright, I have. I’ll put you in my phone as ‘brooding and mysterious man that seemsto be the romantic interest, who the protagonist should definitely run away from and never speak toagain’.” She'd read enough fiction in her younger years. Of course, only at theschool library. Her parents would have never approved of such immoral books.
“A little wordy but if you think it fits."
Mina tossed the card back at him. "I won't need your number."
"Are you saying I'm your romantic interest?"
"Not a fucking chance. I'm saying you're mysterious and mean andcontrolling." She swung the door open. "This is me running, by theway. And we won't be speaking again."
Happy sts! What languages do/would your characters like to learn if they got the chance?
OOKAY SO FUN FACT
QUILL DIDN’T REALIZE ORIGINALLY BUT LIKE.
PRETTY MUCH EVERYONE OF THE CAST IS AT LEAST BILINGUAL.
Listed in the order learned, with asterisks marking their best:
(Disclaimer: when I say “sign language”, I base it on American Sign Language with some twists, as this isn’t so much an official language as it is one created out of necessity.)
Celestine: Ancient Greek, ██████*, Sign Language, (Castilian) Spanish*, (spoken) English. Celestine doesn’t really like bothering to learn languages despite the amount she (doesn’t know she) understands. If it was easier for her, maybe written English?
Dione: Russian*, Church Slavonic*, limited ██████, limited (Castilian) Spanish, Sign Language*, English*. She’d love the chance to learn (Middle or Archaic) Vietnamese, since she had family who spoke it, but never had the opportunity to learn herself.
Colin: French*, English*, scant understanding of (Latin American) Spanish. He learns basic Sign Language throughout the series, though~ And I think Colin would love to try learning just about any language he could, really.
Phoenix: English*, Gaeilge. Phoenix would enjoy the opportunity to learn the language of her Great Aunt’s birthplace, but because her and her siblings were separated from her family and home much too early, they don’t actually know where her origins are. .n.
