Author: Ariel Paiement

Work-In-Progress Wednesdays #22

Ariel Paiement

This week’s WIP Wednesday is an excerpt from the latest chapter of Pathway of the Moon.

~~~

LEO tried to catch a glimpse of Foren as he and Amadeira were dragged from the cabin into the woods beyond. The moon shone down in silver-white on the ground and dappled the faces of the antagonizers who surrounded him. Not a friendly face in sight. Had Foren given up on helping now that their plans had been blown apart? Or had he too been discovered and locked away to await sentencing?

His mind drifted to Alrian for a minute. She’d be undergoing the preparations of an Equinox Bride right now. Hardly anything enjoyable. But he’d have to leave her safety to her now because he couldn’t do anything for her. He wasn’t even sure he could do anything for himself without risking Amadeira. That wasn’t an option, and fighting his way free would leave her vulnerable. He couldn’t protect her and himself while going on the offensive. Not against this many enemies.

So he let them drag him along without making a fuss. Beside him, Amadeira was silent, but when he looked over, he caught the glimmer of her tears on her cheeks. She glanced at him and tried to offer a smile, but it fell seconds later. He groaned. If his hands were free right now, he would take her in his arms and wipe those tears away. He’d comfort her until she no longer wept or felt fear. But his arms weren’t free, and he had no comfort to offer. Not when he didn’t have the first clue how they were supposed to survive this.

He’d have to make it up as he went along. There wasn’t exactly another option at the moment. He’d reevaluate their position when they reached the Pathway. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. Maybe Kiarhsu would only have him flogged instead of putting him to death. They needed his blood, but they didn’t need to kill him for that.

Which brought up another problem. He didn’t want them to open the Pathway at all. And his blood could open it. They weren’t likely to give him a say in what was done with the blood spilling from his veins later on when they bled him under the full moon. Shame, really. But what villain would give his hostage a chance to voice an opinion? It just didn’t work out well. Best to keep them quiet.

He swallowed back a laugh. What was he doing? He should be thinking of ways to escape, not letting his mind ramble to every absurd, obvious thing it could find to dwell upon. This wouldn’t help them out at all. He forced his mind back to the task at hand. Forming a plan with very little to go on.

Kiarhsu waved at his men, and Leo received a boot to the back. He stumbled forward, tripped over a dip in the path, and dropped to his knees. The men hauled him up roughly and lifted him onto a horse where he was promptly tied to the saddle. No escape there, it seemed. Not that it would do him much good to escape without Amadeira. And Kiarhsu knew it, Rith take him! He scowled down at the man who had ruined everything in just under a day. How much longer until he could be rid of the pest?

Right. Not until he actually had a plan. Well, that was frustrating, but it couldn’t be helped. He slouched down in the saddle with a grumpy growl, but he didn’t give the men eyeing him warily any cause to hit him or bring him back into line with brute force. Best to save the fighting for a moment when he could actually achieve freedom with Amadeira at his side. This was not such a time.

~~~

That’s it for this week! What have you guys been working on? Feel free to share it in the comments.

Sunday Sub-Genres: Grimdark Fantasy

Ariel Paiement

Introduction

While we’ve examined some very dark, gritty versions of fantasy, this sub-genre is one of the darkest. It is considered a sub-genre of fantasy that is notorious for its grittiness and darkness. However, whatever the views people have of it, the genre has become more popular since George R.R. Martin’s wildly successful book A Song of Ice and Fire. So let’s take a look.

Defining Grimdark Fantasy

Pinning down a definition for grimdark fantasy is difficult. For some, it is a byword for fantasy that is unnecessarily dark. For those who enjoy the genre, they would openly admit that grimdark fantasy is both grim and dark with a lot of grit, but not necessarily without reason. Many times, grimdark is meant to explore the psychology behind those sword-toting heroes and the dark, harsh reality of the world. As a result of showing the grittier side of life, the stories get a bad rap for being brutal, dark, and sometimes depraved. While that may be true of some grimdark, the genre does not require writers to include unnecessary gore or wickedness in order to be grimdark. For those of you who want to remain sensitive to the sensibilities of others while still being true to the reality of life, grimdark can still hold a place for you. The genre is more focused on showing the truth about reality in a fantasy setting and showing that real people don’t always do things for the right moral reason, even when their action may be good in the eyes of others. This is reality, and the fact that you’re writing fantasy doesn’t necessitate keeping everything fairy-tale sparkly (well, Disney version of the fairytales, anyway. The real ones can, themselves, be more grimdark in style than you’d expect.).

Writing Grimdark Fantasy

Since it’s a bit difficult to pin down what grimdark is, let’s take a look at what readers of the genre look for in grimdark.  These are elements commonly found in grimdark that you can use to give your book the sub-genre’s unique flavor for readers of the sub-genre.

Morally Ambiguous Characters

In real life, while there are some things that are morally clear as right or wrong, there are things that aren’t so clear. And even if some things are morally black and white, some people may not see them that way even if they should. Grimdark is all about characters who struggle to figure out what moral black and white are in their situations. This manifests in the question of “why” they did what they did. Why did the knight save the princess? Did he do it because it was the right thing to do or because he wanted something out of it? Was it struggle to decide what to do and whether or not it was worth risking life and limb for this woman? That’s just one example of how moral ambiguity can manifest itself, but the main point is that your characters are just like real people: they struggle to know what is morally right and wrong throughout the novel. Not on every issue, perhaps, but they’ll have their moments.

Messed Up Characters

This one is not necessarily a must for grimdark, but it’s certainly common. Not to be confused with morally confused characters, the messed up characters are the ones who truly are on the side of immorality. They aren’t making mistakes, and they’re probably not confused about how evil what they’re doing is. They act in their own interests every time, and if they leads to a “good” act, great. But you can rest assured that, if they look like a saint, it’s only because it benefits them somehow. They’re wolves in sheep’s clothing. Be aware that if you have a main character like this, which isn’t unheard of in this sub-genre, readers may feel betrayed when they discover the MC isn’t who they assumed he was. This means that you have to be careful in how you reveal the character’s true nature. However, this has been done with great effect and without losing readers, so I wouldn’t say this should discourage you from trying.

Pure Naturalism

With this one, we go back to the motivations we were discussing. Many times, grimdark uses emotional drivers or goals of the characters to drive action. People do all sorts of the things in the name of emotion or a goal they want badly enough. The actions themselves can look good or bad, but the motivations underneath them may not match the appearance of the behavior. Most often, selfishness is a motivation in grimdark fantasy. In this style of grimdark, there is no right or wrong, good or evil. Only what gets the character closer to what they want. This isn’t a requirement to write grimdark. You could just as easily flip this around and have a character motivated by a good goal who does awful things trying to achieve it instead of a character motivated by pure selfishness. Either way, a character following this motto of grimdark will act purely on what will get him closer to the goal, not based on whether the action itself is good or bad.

Tight Narrative Voice

This is one aspect of grimdark that really is a must. A tight narrative voice allows the reader to experience the world through the eyes of the viewpoint character. They don’t get a broad view with an impartial narrator because grimdark is all about the character and his characterization, so naturally, the focus will be with the character. This means that using deep point-of-view, which we will discuss next week on Thursday Technicalities, is a really great writing technique to use for grimdark fantasy.

Plot Complexity and Characterization

These two generally go together in this sub-genre because the plot is moderately complex by itself, but highly complex when you start introducing morally ambiguous, manipulative characters. Grimdark is a sub-genre that is focused mostly on the characters. The plot may be action-oriented, but there will be many twists and turns that you wouldn’t find in other action-oriented plots simply because the characters are capable of anything, just as humans are in real life.

Which leads to another point on the characterization. Grimdark often gets a bad rap because anything goes, no matter how dark and depraved. But here’s the reason why that’s the case: grimdark writers know that humanity is capable of unspeakable evil, and they’re bent on making the reader face a flawed humanity. In some ways, they have a more realistic view of humanity in their writing than those writing high fantasy with sparkly clean characters do. While I don’t advocate gratuitous violence, grimdark definitely has an aspect to it that’s raw and real, which I do advocate in characterization. However, this sort of characterization that forces the reader to view humanity as inherently flawed, is not popular in the lighter sub-genres of fantasy. It has, instead, found its home in grimdark fantasy, which is the grittiest of the fantasy sub-genres. There are no knights in shining armor here, or if there are, they’ve got an unbelievable number of skeletons hidden away in their closets. There is no hero to sweep in and save the day because everyone is flawed, and no one is truly a hero.

Dystopian Setting

This one sort of speaks for itself. Most grimdark fantasy is written in a dystopian setting. The degree to which it is dystopian can vary, but the setting must be dystopian for the book to really fit in with grimdark fantasy. This is actually a fairly common thread through most of the darker sub-genres of fantasy. Not all, of course. But many of them feature dystopian settings because the settings work so well with the content.

Dark Endings

Finally, grimdark doesn’t have good or happy endings. If things work out in the favor of one character or another, you can bet that someone somewhere isn’t happy, and that’s the cue for more bloodshed and violence in most cases. So, really, the books are highly unpredictable. You never know what will happen, and the only thing you can guarantee is that everyone will end the story unhappy for one reason or another. Given this and the bleak sense of humor the sub-genre often employs, it isn’t for everyone. If you like happy endings more, this is not a genre you are going to enjoy reading, and since you have to read it to write it well, you should probably steer clear of it.

Conclusion

Grimdark fantasy is a tough sub-genre to write and to read. Its audience is smaller because of the gritty, violent, and depressing nature of the writing. However, for those looking for fiction that takes a real, hard look at what humanity is like underneath all of the various facades it puts up, grimdark is a great place to start. While it may have an overly cynical view of humanity sometimes, readers and writers will come away from it with an understand of just how flawed humanity is.

Additional Reading and Resources

**Because of the nature of grimdark fantasy and how few of these books I have actually looked at in any detail, I do not recommend any of this reading material for children under the age of 18. Please exercise discretion on the books for this. The articles are intended for writers of the genre, so those, with the exception of some language, should be safe enough for teens to read.**

Matt Larkin’s article on grimdark

Mythic Scribes’ article on grimdark fantasy for writers and readers

George R.R. Martin’s Game of Thrones

Steven Erikson’s Gardens of the Moon

Mark Lawrence’s Prince of Fools

Luke Scull’s The Grim Company

Flash Fiction Fridays: Throne of Deception

Ariel Paiement

This week’s flash fiction is about Orian, a new character who will be a main lead in the series Throne of War, which follows the novella In Darkness Lost. The book series, starting with Throne of Deception, will follow an older Dairdra and Orian, a young man sent from another planet to gain her hand and her throne in marriage.

~~~

 Orian stared at the letter he’d received for a moment longer before crumpling it up and throwing it into the fire crackling on the hearth. As if he needed to be reminded what they’d hired him for. He’d been training for this since he was a child. They’d exploited his ability when they found him on the street, and now his sole purpose would be fulfilled. They were sending him off to do what he’d been trained for.

To deceive and lie to a woman who, according to the reports they’d received over the years, had been through more than enough sorrow. The last image that had been displayed on his holo just before the mission’s missive was sent through had been of a woman in her early twenties with lovely waves of black hair that he already wanted to run his fingers through. But what had really caught him about her had been the pain lurking in the fine lines around her eyes and in her straightforward gaze.

Dairdra of Argent. A singular woman. At eighteen, she had led her country through a war that one of their allies had started with no warning. She’d lost both her parents, and a year later, when the war had finally concluded, she’d lost her lover too. After all this, she’d retreated into hiding for a time, and his masters had fumed about how their plans were ruined. But then she had returned, and all had been right with his world again.

As right as it could be, anyway. He opened the picture on his holo device again and stared into the woman’s eyes. Though he’d never met her, he felt some sense of connection to her, a drawing that he couldn’t explain. But what did that matter? She would hate him when she discovered the lies he’d told her. He, who was no prince and who was a liar in every way, would be king, but he would be king of a throne of deception. And he would likely never be the king of her life. What an unfair hand life had dealt. The streets would have been kinder.

But the streets were no longer his. He was not Orian the street urchin. He was Orian of the Thirkians, the only living heir of the previous King and Queen, and he would ensure an alliance for his masters, one that he was certain would be used to exploit the young Queen into lending her aid to a ever-darkening purpose. Oh, he couldn’t confirm it because no one ever told him anything he didn’t have to know. He could lie better if they didn’t tell him why he was doing it. Or so they said. He’d never hated his ability more than he had ever since they had told him it was the reason for the lies he now lived, the reason for the lies that had granted him a throne. A throne of deception indeed.

~~~

That’s it for this week, everyone! I hope you enjoyed this. As I have more information about when Throne of Deception will be published and when it will be made available (in part or in whole) on Wattpad and Inkitt, I’ll let everyone know.

Work-In-Progress Wednesdays #21

Ariel Paiement

This week’s WIP Wednesday excerpt is from In Darkness Lost. I’m still finishing up some last edits, which I was kind of hoping I wouldn’t be doing at this point, but hey… Plans don’t always work out quite according to our wishes. So, this week’s excerpt comes from some of the newer content that’s been added or rearranged.

~~~

RUNNING didn’t help. Dairdra collapsed onto her bed, gasping for breath. Her sides cramped, and she sucked in deep breaths. Closing her eyes, she ran her fingers along the velvety smoothness of her comforter and tried to focus on the gentle current of warm air wafting from the fireplace. The air blew the bed’s gauze curtains against her arms, and the touch pulled her back to the present. She opened her eyes and blinked, her head throbbing.

The warm light of the fire played over the ceiling and gave the room a pleasant, cozy atmosphere. But it didn’t bring any comfort to her. Her chest ached and she buried her face in the silk pillow. Even the release of crying was denied to her, and she lay there, motionless, in tense silence.

She didn’t understand. Why did it have to be her mother? She was too young to shoulder her mother’s load or to take her place. She still needed the one parent who took time for her. She sat up and fisted the comfort in her fingers with a shuddering breath. She suddenly had to move, couldn’t stand sitting on the bed like everything was as it usually was. She moved down onto the floor and sat down.

Still restless, she rocked back and forth on her heels. How was it that one thing had so much power to destroy? Just one minute was all it had taken, and now her life had become a disaster.

She tried to find some bright spot, some hope to cling to, but she couldn’t find anything. Her throat tightened, and the walls of her room suddenly seemed so much closer, the room darker than before. She huddled there on her floor, drew her knees up to her chest. But she couldn’t seem to shake that lost, empty feeling settling into the pit of her stomach. Could anyone fix this? Or would she feel lost and empty forever?

Tears welled up behind her closed lids, then broke free of her lashes and dripped down onto the blue silk of her dress. Stop. This is a time for action and duty, not for crying. She should get up and go speak to her father about what she needed to do with her mother out of commission. She lifted her head and dashed away the tears. Sucking in a deep breath, she rested her forehead against her knees.

Work offered a course of action and a way to escape the growing darkness. She could throw herself into her duties, numb herself to the pain with work. But what were her duties? Her mother spoke of only the organization aspects of the job and the finer points of interacting with the court. She had no idea what else was required because what was required changed based upon what the King demanded of his consort.

Once again, she was reminded of how alone she was. That only added to the yawning void centering in her chest. Since she’d reached adolescence, she’d been dreaming of the man she’d marry. She’d had her hopes too, though she’d only spoken of it once or twice with her mother.

Those hopes had been encouraged, but nothing had come of them because she wasn’t allowed to wed until her eighteenth, a rite of passage she’d reached just a few months back. Besides, the man of her dreams and her secret fantasies had been nothing but a best friend and attentive servant since she’d met him on the day he’d entered the palace as her mother’s protegee. And she’d never felt the disappointment more keenly than she did now when nothing seemed certain anymore.

She rubbed her aching temples. Well, of that was a bridge she’d have to cross when it came to it. For now, it was pointless to add any other worries to the already insurmountable pile. She pushed herself to her feet and dragged her aching body to the bathroom. She hadn’t expected to be this sore from the day’s activities.

Maybe it was her body’s response to the shock. She hadn’t really processed everything that had happened until now, and suddenly she felt tired. Too tired to bother with anything. But going to bed and sleeping away the hours until this was over wasn’t an option.

She splashed cold water from the wash basin over her face and dried it. A quick glance in the mirror confirmed that it hadn’t done much to hide the red-rimmed eyes that were evidence of her pain. But at least she didn’t have tear stains streaking her face.

She turned away from the mirror and shuffled out of her room. Might as well get the things she needed to do accomplished. Maybe then she could collapse and give her body and heart a chance to accept what had happened today. She drifted down the empty colonnaded halls.

The halls were so pristine, and their white, splendid beauty made her heart ache. How could anything be so put-together while she was falling to pieces? It didn’t seem fair. The silver plants that gave Argent her name had always made her smile before, but now they didn’t inspire any emotion at all. They stood in their pots along the rows of columns, but their glittering beauty was distant now, not close and personal.

Everything was cold and distant, and Dairdra’s stomach dropped. She’d never felt loneliness so sharply. Would anything ever feel right again?

That question had no answer. The realization was almost enough to send her running back to her room again. At least there she could close the drapes and hide in darkness. At least her bedroom was a place she could let her control slip. Here, she couldn’t, and she had to bear the pain stoically. She had to be cold and distant just like the plants she used to love so much.

~~~

That’s it for this week! I hope you all enjoyed it. What have you all been working on? Feel free to share in the comments!

Saturday Setups: Government

Ariel Paiement

Introduction

Next up in our discussion on world building is government. Governmental systems impact daily life in so many ways it would be impossible to cover everything, but here I’ll go over some of the major considerations and how different choices will impact your story. Depending on your choice, the differences in how life goes for your characters in your novel and how life could’ve been for them will be great.

Types of Governmental Systems

Before we talk about how governmental systems impact daily life, let’s discuss what kinds of systems are available to you. There are quite a few options, and each has different features, though in some cases, certain structures may share some features.

Monarchy

This one is one of the most common systems for fantasy. With a monarchy, there is only one ruler, though sometimes that ruler may have a spouse who shares that power with them. Either way, the ultimate power is vested in one individual. This individual writes the law, and in many cases, this ruler is the law. Which it is depends on the motto of the person in power. Some monarchies may have some kind of parliament, but how much power they hold is up to the monarch.

Oligarchy

This one is less commonly known or seen in fantasy, but it still bears note. In an oligarchy, multiple people are in charge. This could be a parliamentary system with no monarch or a ruler who is mostly a figurehead. It could also simply be a group of men and women who have all of the power. Perhaps the high-ranking nobility are running the show or members of the military are in charge sharing the power amongst themselves.  Either way, an oligarchy centers the power on a couple of very powerful individuals who stay in power by running everything.

Democracy

A democracy is much different from the previous two systems. With this system, it is the people as a whole who decide. Majority rules, and the interests of society are determined by the popular opinion. This system rarely works well on any large scale because once a lot of people are introduced to the system, voting becomes next to impossible if everyone is to have a say on every decision. Nonetheless, it is a system of government that can be employed in smaller communities.

Constitutional Republic

This system, which is the one the States employ, combines the popular opinion with some sort of structure. It does so by having the people elect officials to represent them. The particulars, of course, on how to make the representation work, when to have elections, and how to ensure everyone has a voice through that representation all depends on the people building the system from the beginning. This system allows the idea of democracy to function on a large scale because the people still have the power, but they aren’t required to vote on everything pertaining to the governance of their society. This, of course, is a good thing when you consider how many decisions have to be made for an entire nation.

Dictatorship

This one is one of the better known structures since we’ve seen plenty of examples. In this governmental structure, one individual is in charge and keeps power by controlling the people through military and state power. While in some cases a dictator may be benevolent, this is usually not the case. Dictators are often overthrown in favor of a democracy or some other form of government as a result of their cruelty and selfishness.

Governmental Structure’s Impact on Society

While there are other governmental structures, I listed the major ones above for your reference. Now that we’ve gone through them, let’s look at how this will impact daily life for your societies under the rulership of these various systems and their authorities.

Monarchy

In a monarchy, life can vary greatly depending on the king or queen in charge. Some may do what is best for the country and love their people dearly while others may rule with selfishness and a heavy hand. How this plays out is also determined by who is on the advisory board or council and who is in their senate/parliament, if they have one. Depending on how much power is given to the parliament or senate in the monarchy, they may have the ability to check the monarch if they see poor decisions being made, but in most cases, the monarch will set the tone for everyone as he is the sole party responsible for the laws. As a writer, your job is to determine what sort of monarch your monarchy has at the point of your story as well as how much power they have. Once this has been decided, you can work from there to determine what life will be like for your people underneath this form of government.

Oligarchy

Again, how life works out for your character depends largely upon who is in charge. This system does offer a bit more in the way of checks and balances because multiple people have to agree with one another. The problem is that most oligarchies are going to be constructed of like-minded individuals, and they aren’t chosen by the people. This leaves the people in a situation where their lives can be made easier or harder based upon who is in power from year to year. Historically, both monarchies and oligarchies have led to a mix of prosperity and extreme poverty. 

Keep in mind that when one or a few people are in charge, this can lead to religious and class persecution depending on how strongly the ruler(s) holds to one opinion or another. (An example of this in history, for instance, would be the Pilgrims leaving England due to intense religious persecution and violation of conscience as England’s king demanded they go to a state church that didn’t fit with Scripture. This, of course, is only one of many examples in our history.) This may leave you with an interesting avenue for conflict as a result of dissonance between the government and a certain set of people who believe differently or are in a hated class of people.

Democracy

Unless your government is only legislating for a very small group of people, democracy is going to make life very difficult for at least some group of people. Essentially, democracy always leads to mob rule. Whoever has the loudest voice and the most backing gets their way, leaving the minorities left out and often facing extreme hardship as a result of what the majority decided without them. Be careful in using this system because, unless you want a society where mob rule is the order of the day, this system may leave your character in one of the groups who is on the fringe and facing extreme difficulties. This could, again, provide an interesting backdrop for a story, but it’s important for you to understand how hard this could make things for your characters.

Constitutional Republic

This system of government is, historically, more likely to raise the living conditions of everyone in the country. While not everyone will get what they want all of the time, it offers a real chance for the public to be involved in their government with a voice that can be heard. Because of this, on the whole, the citizens of countries with this kind of governmental system feel more empowered to get involved and may be more informed on what is going on within legislative bodies. It also results in, typically, a much higher standard of living and higher prosperity within a country. If you want a highly stable form of government that will give your character a background in an affluent part of your world, this is a very good governmental model to consider. (Monarchies can also, in some cases, sustain the kind of wealth needed for this background, but usually only the nobility and royalty had access to that kind of power or wealth.)

Dictatorship

This one almost guarantees that your society will have a low level of affluence, difficulties in even the most basic parts of life, and a poverty level that is astounding. While this isn’t always the case, the pattern in history has been that dictatorships are unstable, lead to rebellions, and result in a great deal of suffering for the people underneath the dictator. This is an important thing to keep in mind about this form of government. If you want a character who has lived in the worst of conditions or been the one to perpetrate those living conditions on others, this is a great form of government to fit those needs.

Conclusion

Obviously, this is just an overview of government and how it affects day-to-day life and living conditions. Do you have other ways that these systems of government can affect life? If so, feel free to share in the comments! Because government is such a big part of how we live our lives, it’s an essential part of planning your world. The more thought you can give to how your world’s governments will work and impact your story, the better this portion of your story will be.

That’s it for this week, everyone! Have a great weekend!

Flash Fiction Friday: Nimewe’s Recruitment

Ariel Paiement

This week’s flash fiction is about Nimewe, a character who will appear in the sequel to Pathway of the Moon. This is her graduation/recruitment day as one of the initiates into the Guard, an elite force that protects her planet’s holy sites and life source from the demons that live beneath the surface of the world.

~~~

She stared at the chromium stage where Middles would take the Oaths of the Guard. For a moment, she simply stared at the blinding sun glaring off the white metal. Was it really the day? Was she really going to walk across the stage with the other Middles to graduate from being between two worlds to being a full-fledged Guard with all of the privileges and weaponry that came with it?

Her gaze wandered out over the crowd as she waited in line, tried not to bounce in excitement. The look on her aunt’s face splashed over her in a cold wave, and her excitement snuffed out. She was really doing this, and no one in her family supported her. Well, not what remained of the family, anyway. Her parents would approve of her choice if they were still around to do so. They had fought valiantly against the Cursed when they first surged up to wreak havoc on all of the Sites of Light and those who kept them. And it had cost them their lives just as it might cost her life. 

She looked back at the stage and watched as Aura Mychaiel strode to the podium. Their Aura met her gaze for a moment with a knowing smile, and Nimewe shivered. The older woman’s gaze saw everything. Just like hers did. And she knew then that there was no other place for her. If she walked away, if she didn’t finish the last part of their initiation today, she would have nothing.

No one wanted someone like her, a half-breed between the Aurethel, Chaerel’s oldest people, and the Betweens, a small group of people who had fled Sedra, Mistress of Darkness, after she created them and visited untold horrors upon them. They claimed she wanted to build an army, that she was in fact doing so. No one knew quite what to make of them, but the common consensus had been that they, and eventually their descendants, were liars and entirely insane. That was, until the Cursed poured from the caverns and chased both Between and Aurethel to the skies where they now dwelt.

No one knew why the Cursed hadn’t come sooner, but nothing seemed to restrain them, so it was left to the Guard to protect the holy sites and the planet’s very life force from the daemons who sought to destroy it. That was why she was here. Why her parents had died. It was her heritage, after all. Her mother had been a descendant of one of the Betweens who had come to warn her father’s people. She had grown up despised simply because of her origin and her people, and that hatred had intensified tenfold when Nimewe was born. A freak, people had called her. And when her ability to perceive emotions and thoughts became stronger than that of most other Aurethel, she’d really become an outcast.

But the past was the past, she reminded herself. Enough thinking about it on a day when she was supposed to rejoice. Her enthusiasm returned. She would become a Guard today, and that was the one place where Between and Aurethel alike could coexist with no prejudice or hatred. There wasn’t room when they all faced death every day.

Really, that was what this graduation meant to her. Not a new position. Not prestige in society. No, it meant family. It meant acceptance from her peers and a real chance at friendship for the first time in her life. The loneliness was at an end, and her hard work would finally pay off. This really was it.

She strode across the stage behind the Middle in front of her, a broad smile slipping onto her face. Coming to a stop, she stood with feet spread and planted firmly on the chromium surface of the stage. From there, she stared out across the vast sea of heads to the glass walls that pulsated gently with the energy that kept their sky city aloft. Soon, she would leave this place to begin her new life back on the surface of the planet, fighting to protect a world she dearly loved for its beauty and vivacity.

Aura Mychaiel smiled at her and looped a rainbow-colored chord around her wrist with a soft laugh. “Head out of the clouds, girl. It’s your time. Do you accept the responsibility as one of the Guard of Chaerel and her Fountain of Spectrums to protect both the holy sites and the Fountain as well as the people of Chaerel?”

The words of the Oath sank deep, rooting into her soul, and her smile faded as the seriousness of the situation sank in with the Oath. She nodded, a lump in her throat. “I take responsibility for protecting Chaerel’s holy sites, Fountain, and her people. I swear to put my needs and desires, and even my life, down for this people and this planet we all call home so long as I live or so long as I am able to serve.”

“Welcome to the ranks of the Guard, Nim.” She squeezed her shoulder and pressed her forehead to Nimewe’s before moving down the line.

Nimewe’s smile tugged at the corners of her lips. Finally. It was done. She was one of the Guard.

~~~

That’s it for this week! I hope you all enjoyed. If you have something you’d like to see in future flash fictions, leave me a comment or shoot me an email! I’m always glad for the suggestions.

Work-In-Progress Wednesdays #20

Ariel Paiement

Hi everyone! I’m back from my missions trip to Romania, and this week, I’ve got a little glimpse at what I worked on during the flight over. This is an excerpt from Trader Prince of Aleshtain.

~~~

HE shouldn’t have been surprised that his father had gone behind his back on the matter of his possible bride. In fact, he should’ve anticipated this kind of stunt. Now, because he hadn’t expected it, hadn’t planned for it, he was sitting across from Princess Aledhia of Argos, looking like a Rith-cursed fool. Despite her attempts to converse, he’d barely spoken ten words to her since she’d shown up to present herself before him and his father in the throne room.

Anything had to be better than this. The princess was, admittedly, beautiful, but she was also blond, and he hated blonds. He much preferred dark haired girls with keen eyes and a quick wit. Like Rhubhian. But no, not her. She wasn’t an option, and he had to remember that. She wasn’t an option, why? Because of his father’s shadow-struck ideas of who was and was not acceptable. Maybe he should just forget what his father thought and marry the girl anyway.

Of course, there was just one problem with that. Even if he wanted to do that–and he had to admit that the idea was appealing–she probably wouldn’t have him regardless of the station it would give her. Too bad because he realized, as he stared at his food and listened to Aledhia’s high-pitched, soft voice, he desperately wanted her to want him. Life never played fair, did it?

“Your father said you were quite the administrator, my lord.”

He blinked and forced himself to focus on the girl in front of him, not on the one unwillingly awaiting his return to his quarters. His father had said what? “He exaggerates.” Mostly because he avoided administrating anything except his own investments, which had failed due to his father’s attempts to keep him under the royal thumb.

“You’re far more modest than I expected. Surely your father wouldn’t exaggerate so much?”

He would if it meant making a better match. And him, modest? Hardly. He was just a realist. He shoved a forkful of vegetables into his mouth to postpone the need to answer.

She tensed, but she held her open posture otherwise. She’d clearly been coached on how to appeal to men of the sort Aleshtain produced. Unfortunately, subservience wasn’t a good look on her. Or maybe it was just that she wasn’t the one he wanted submission from, and she wasn’t the one he wanted, period. He shifted with a frown.

She set her fork to the side and stared down at her lap. “Have I done something to displease you, my lord?”

“No.”

“But… I do not please you either?”

Rith take that cursed wobble in her voice. He could practically hear the tears in her dulcet tones. His fingers twitched against his thigh, and he glanced at the door. “No, it isn’t that… I just… I wasn’t expecting a visit, I’m afraid, and it’s put me off my usual charming self.”

She didn’t answer.

“It isn’t you.” Oldest response in the book, and the best way to say it really was her. “Really.”

“If it were, you wouldn’t tell me, would you?”

The first interesting thing she’d said all day. “Why do you think that?”

“You do not seem to expect your women to obey your every whim, and you do not seem the sort to make demands.”

How wrong she was. If he gave an order, it was to be obeyed, and giving orders was in his nature. He wasn’t unreasonable like the other men here, but it didn’t mean he wasn’t going to be in charge in his household. “I like a little bit of fire in my women, but you’re wrong about me. If you do something wrong, you’ll know.”

She didn’t meet his gaze. “Then why don’t I know what I’ve done to garner your cold reception? You say it isn’t me, but, with all due respect, sir, I think you lie.”

She had him there. Fine. He’d give her the truth if she wanted it so badly. “I have no interest in wedding you. My father wants this union, not me.”

Her brow furrowed “You think we are ill-suited?”

In every possible way. “Most assuredly.”

“You’re quick to judge, sir.”

“You think differently?”

“A marriage can work on respect, obedience, and some affection.”

He snorted and sipped at his wine. “That’s what you were told to say. I asked for your thoughts.”

“I have very few on the matter.” Her gaze flicked over him. “Except that I think I’d like the real you better.”

Perceptive. He smiled. “Sadly for you, you likely won’t ever see it.”

“Ever? Even if we wed?”

“I’d do my duty. But opening up and wanting you aren’t part of that duty.”

~~~

Thanks for reading, and I hope you guys enjoyed seeing what I’ve been working on in my spare time. What have you guys been writing lately? Feel free to share in the comments below!

Sunday Sub-Genres: Dark and Gothic Fantasy

Ariel Paiement

Introduction

This week’s study of fantasy sub-genres is all about gothic or dark fantasy. This genre can be quite interesting since the definitions of it vary depending on who is defining it. However, there are some common points in the definitions, so we’ll go over how it can be commonly defined and what elements you need in the writing to make it gothic or dark fantasy.

Defining Gothic/Dark Fantasy

To start off with, gothic or dark fantasy is not horror. It may contain some elements that are reminiscent of or common to the genre of horror, but horror is written with the intent to scare while gothic and dark fantasy is written with more of an intent to explore a topic that looks at the darker side of life. To that end, then, gothic and dark fantasy aren’t horror.

They do, however, typically deal with the darker side of life and human nature. Commonly, the stories may be written from the monster’s perspective or from a villain’s point-of-view. This isn’t a necessity, however. Just one popular option. Whoever the lead character is, the books classified as dark or gothic fantasy will deal with darker themes. They aren’t horror, but they also won’t shy away from gritty, gory topics.

This usually means that dark and gothic fantasy is not where you’re going to find your knights in shining armor being pristine, upstanding citizens or your villains being pure evil with no good quality to them. While dark and gothic fantasy may not blur the lines between right and wrong, necessarily, it certainly examines the fact that our nature is not one-sided. Those who do what we would say is good may not do it for good reasons, and those who do what we term evil may do it with the best intentions. It doesn’t change what is right or wrong, of course, but it means that the novel may be more subtle in its presentation of good versus evil compared to novels of other sub-genres.

Writing Gothic and Dark Fantasy

When it comes to writing Gothic or dark fantasy, the rules are similar to writing weird fantasy. This is because, often, Gothic and dark fantasy are similar to the weird fantasy genre. However, the two aren’t exactly the same, so let’s look at some elements of Gothic and dark fantasy that you can use to make that distinction in your writing.

The Dark Side

First off, weird fantasy’s focus in on what is weird and unusual. Gothic and dark fantasy may look at that too, but it isn’t the focus. Instead, your focus in writing Gothic and dark fantasy is on the darker side of life. This could include exploring the darker aspects of human nature, human psychology, or the world as a whole. Really, anything that is a darker aspect of the world could be your focus, but the stories in the Gothic and dark fantasy sub-genre must focus on the dark side.

Complicated Characters

I’m not saying that characters in other sub-genres aren’t complex. They are. But in dark and Gothic fantasy, these characters are a little bit more complex in another way. For example, you might have a character who is an assassin but only kills those who have displayed behavior that warrants their death. Or, you may have the knight who is supposedly very altruistic but is really only doing the right things because he wants power and control or he wants to be in a position to force a girl to marry him. Any number of things could be a part of why the character is complex, but dark and Gothic fantasy usually involve characters who look all good or all evil on the surface when in fact the truth is something quite different. This is part of exploring the darker nature of humanity and our psychology, and it manifests itself most clearly in the characters and their complex psychological side.

The World

It’s a given that any fantasy sub-genre is going to have aspects of the fantastical or supernatural involved. It wouldn’t be fantasy without it. But with dark and Gothic fantasy, these elements are blended with horror-like elements to produce something truly dark and uncanny. Now, this is done, again, with the intent of exploring some darker theme or reflection, not with the intent to horrify. But the key here is that the world and setting used for dark and Gothic fantasy isn’t going to be pretty. It will reflect the same darkness and, in many cases, straight up twisted wickedness of the people whose hearts will be explored or exposed in the exploration of the dark side we discussed earlier. This doesn’t mean everything has to be shown or has to be allowable or approved. While some authors may choose to blur lines, that isn’t a requirement. It just means that the author can’t create a perfect fairy-tale world where everything dark is swept under the rug out of the readers’ sight. No. It will be visible in varying levels of darkness and uncannyness, depending on the author’s preference. Whether or not that darkness is shown as being wrong, right, or grey area-material is dependent entirely on the author’s worldview and preferences.

Conclusion

Hopefully this has given you a strong starting point for writing Gothic and dark fantasy. If you’ve already been writing it but haven’t been sure what your work would actually be considered, I hope this has helped to clarify the issue for you.

You can find the further reading and resources below as always. A note of caution here is that I wouldn’t recommend any of these books for children, whether I’ve read them or not, because usually the subject matter of dark and Gothic fantasy makes it too mature for younger teens and children. Doesn’t mean the books are bad. It just means the intended audience is rarely children.

Have questions or more suggestions for writing Gothic and dark fantasy? Feel free to leave a comment, and I’ll do my best to get back to any questions promptly. Have a great week, everyone!

Further Reading and Resources

Neil Gaiman’s Coraline

Gothic Fantasy’s Short Story Compilations

Bram Stoker’s Dracula and Jewel of Seven Stars (This is an exception to my general recommendation not to give these books to children. Teens can read these books without a problem, but they likely need a strong constitution and shouldn’t read them before bed unless they’re not easily scared.)

Anne Rice’s The Vampire Lestat

Elizabeth Gaskell’s The Grey Woman and Other Tales

Flash Fiction Friday: Lost Light

Ariel Paiement

For this week’s flash fiction, I have a piece about Sedra and her sister, Albrith. The piece takes place some time after Rith and Banach were killed.

~~~

The Pathway pulsated in the dim light after Sedra had sent all the soldiers away. Albrith rubbed her arms and stared at the portal with a frown. “Why are we out here, Sedra? It’s cold, and it’s past midnight.”

Sedra settled onto the grass with a smile and stared up at the moon. “Can’t I want to spend time with my favorite sibling?”

“Your only sibling now.”

“You shouldn’t sound so upset.” Sedra glanced up at her. “Rith was over the line. He started the war, and then he slowly went mad. You saved him from a much worse end.”

“Did I?”

“You were the light to his darkness for a reason, Brith.”

“I don’t…” Albrith trailed off and flopped down on the ground, her gaze still on the Pathway. Her sister wouldn’t understand. She didn’t even understand why she felt this way. But at the end of the day, she didn’t feel as if she’d made the right choice in being her brother’s executioner.

Sedra had been insisting since that day that she had to be the one to do it, that she’d be hailed in history as a hero. But if she was heroic, why did she feel so dirty? She’d always been close with Rith, and the awful look of betrayal in his eyes when she’d taken his life lingered in her mind. She doubted it would ever fade. He hadn’t seemed insane. Only resigned and hurt. Somehow, in ways she hadn’t even realized, the two of them had drifted apart. She’d chosen her older sister, and in doing so, she’d left her younger brother in the dark alone. Some sister she was.

“What are you thinking about?”

Albrith blinked and tilted her head back to look at the stars. Did he watch them from After with the gods? If he did, he probably hated her and wished he could strike her down for her sin. She shouldn’t have taken his life, even if it was in an attempt to spare him from an even worse life ahead. “I don’t think I made the right choice.”

Sedra stood and brushed the grass from her skirts. “What do you mean? What choice?”

Albrith shook her head and clambered to her feet. “Never mind.” She approached the Pathway with a sigh. “I just miss the days when everything was uncomplicated.”

“Everything could be uncomplicated again.” Her sister’s voice tightened. “I miss the days when it was simple too.”

Albrith frowned and continued to stare into the Pathway. Nothing would be simple ever again. She’d made her choice. It had been the wrong one. She turned to face her sister. Sedra’s palm glowed with light and frost. She contemplated her hand before looking back up to her sister. “It could be simple again, Albrith. I can make it simple.”

Sedra’s gaze held her in place, and she noticed the coldness lurking there for the first time. How had she missed it before. It was clearer than light. Rith had never been the one going mad. It was Sedra who had gone over the edge. She took a step back and shook her head. “I don’t want that. It’ll never be simple again, Sedra. I killed him, and he never even deserved it. Gods, I thought I was saving him.” Albrith drew on her light but released it a moment later. “I wasn’t saving him. He never needed saving. But I killed him trying to cure what was never diseased.”

Sedra snorted. “You always were so philosophical. Yes, you killed a man who was about as sane as they come, though sickeningly unambitious. Thanks for getting rid of him, by the way. Now you’re going to make sure that no one ever leaves this planet to tell everyone back on Riladia what I’ve done here.”

“You don’t have to do this.”

“Oh, but I do. You’ve served your purpose.” 

The ice grew, and words spilled from Sedra’s lips, but Albrith stayed frozen in place. How had she managed to mess up so badly? She swallowed back the tears. Whatever her death was supposed to accomplish, she deserved it. An eye for an eye. A tooth for a tooth. A life for a life.

The cold blasted through her chest.

Her life for his life.

Her light snuffed out, and for the first time since her birth, darkness engulfed her world.

~~~

That’s it for this week, guys! I hope you enjoyed it. If you have something you’d like to see on Flash Fiction Fridays, feel free to leave your suggestion in the comments below. I’m always happy for ideas!

Work-In-Progress Wednesdays #19

Ariel Paiement

This week’s work-in-progress piece comes from Pathway of the Moon. In this section, Leo is scheming with Deira on how to get rid of the man Kiarhsu sent with them on their mission, and things don’t go quite as planned.

~~~

LEO eyed the man Kiarhsu had sent with them. Clearly, Kiarhsu hadn’t been taking any chances with this. Short of knocking the man out and portaling him to some place very far away, Leo had tried everything to lose the man. But Foren was smart and determined in addition to being massive. If they were going to get rid of him, then extreme measures would have to be taken.

Which was why he was now sitting across from the man, staring over a roaring fire and figuring out what to do. He couldn’t take the man by surprise here. Foren wasn’t dumb enough to let Leo get the upper hand here, where he was expecting it. He sighed. At least the man wasn’t paying close attention to the conversations he had with Deira. Which meant she could help him out.

He leaned over and tugged her into his lap, keeping his eye on Foren. The man rolled his eyes but didn’t stop them. Amadeira squirmed in his lap, and he caught the irritation in her brief glance. Well, she’d get over it when he told her what he had in mind. Leaning in, he made a show of flicking the tip of his tongue over the shell of her ear, gaining a furious hiss from Amadeira and a flat look from Foren. He tightened his grip on Amadeira and dropped a kiss to her neck before moving back up to place an open-mouthed kiss right beneath her earlobe. She couldn’t get much stiffer, and he fought down the apology. Finally, Foren looked away and grumbled something about not making a man look at what he couldn’t have. As soon as Foren had looked away, he eased up on the public display of affection and whispered in Amadeira’s ear. “We have to get rid of him. I need you to make an excuse to go into the woods a little ways. Then make some sort of noise that he can’t miss. I’ll take it from there.”

She bit her lip and wiggled in his grip. “L-leo, I need to relieve myself. P-please, may I?”

If he hadn’t seen the briefest flicker of a smile, he would’ve assumed she was terrified to ask. Foren’s sharp gaze settled on them again. Leo shrugged and let her go, forcing a grimace onto his lips. “Hurry up. And don’t think this gets you a pass on tonight.”

Foren grunted but didn’t try to stop Amadeira when she rose and hurried toward the bushes surrounding the clearing where they’d camped. He watched her go in silence before returning his attention to Leo. “You can drop the act. I know you’re soft with her.”

Leo raised a brow.

“Good thing she’s naturally submissive.” Foren folded his arms.

“There’s more than one way to train a dog.” He bit the inside of his cheek to keep himself from taking back the words. He needed to sound callous, like one of the other Ishtralian men. Not like himself. Not like someone who cared.

“You think I’m stupid, Ryalin?”

“Not particularly, no.”

“Then don’t disrespect me by treating me like it. We’ve all seen the way you look at her. Like she’s your whole Rith-cursed world. Don’t know how she managed to gain such a high position, but I’ve almost never seen a man among us look at his woman that way.”

“So? Is there a problem with it? I find that humanizing her makes her feel cherished. Then she wants to obey, and it makes my life easier.” If only this man knew that his woman had followed him two days’ ride against his express orders just so she could be here now.

“I don’t have an issue with it.” Foren rested his hands on his knees. “I’m rather fond of the approach myself. I handle my own wife that way. But I don’t look at her like a love-lorn puppy.”

“I don’t look at my wife that way.”

“So first you thought I was stupid, and now you think I’m blind?” Foren scowled at him. “Your affection for her is going to get you hurt.”

“Really? And how will that happen, precisely?”

“You really don’t know what you’re up against.” Foren laughed. “Friendly piece of advice. Kiarhsu will use whatever leverage he can on you when he’s ready to make a move. And you’re going to cave like Ashkarith.”

Leo folded his arms. “I’m prepared.”

“So was the city. The defenders there still lost.” Foren picked up a stick and poked at the fire. “She’s your weakness. And you shouted it to the world from the day you arrived. I admit, I don’t blame you for claiming her publicly. Pretty girl like that? Any one of us would kill to get his hands on her. But broadcasting it? That was just plain stupid.”

~~~

That’s it for today! I hope you all enjoyed it. Have something you’re working on? I’d love to hear about it in the comments! Feel free to share.