#Signs of Light and Shadow

[lamuradex]

howdy!

you mentioned solas has gods that passed the blessings onto your two main ocs. can you explain the role of the pantheon in your story a bit more? do the gods play active roles in all the mortals lives, or are they a legend/story, or do they only intervene rarely? also, who are the main gods of the pantheon?

cheerios!

A very thorough question. I did ask for it though, so I should give just as thorough an answer.

So, the gods of Signs of Light and Shadow:

Overall, the gods don’t interfere in human affairs much. Humans pray to the gods and generally know that they exist, having faith in their worship, but the gods don’t really appear to mortals all too often. There isn't really an Olympus style godly domain, they're all just somewhere in the world. And they likely aren’t listening if they can even hear the prayers. Not to say they don't care about humans in general, but they're pretty indifferent to any average problems.

Aheazal and Zaheal are an odd case with their blessings. Pretty much purely for their own interest, they bestow their blessings on a chosen mortal, essentially at random, just to see what will happen. And that is the catalysing event for the novel. Cerris receives these blessings and starts wanting to know what they are. It isn’t like the gods left an instruction manual.

As for the rest of the pantheon…

I'll admit, a lot of this is background lore or stuff that won't be important until much later in the series, but I've already got it all planned out, so here it is.

Long answer under the break.

It essentially breaks down into three branches. There are three Principle Gods, Sky, Time, and Earth, which according to legend were born together from the first spark of life.

1. First is The Father of Skies. Lord of the heavens, he governs the sky including the sun, moon and stars. Believed to be watching over all and protecting all, his domain protects the mortal world from the firmament beyond. The Father has three children, each made by him with no other parent. These are:

Aheazal and Zaheal. Aheazal is god of Darkness, Knowledge and Mystery, while Zaheal is goddess of Light, Willpower and Revelation. Between them and their father, this trio are the main gods worshipped in The Greystone Kingdom and the west of the continent. These are the main ones Cerris and Elena know and were raised to worship, but they lost a lot of their faith when their parents died. Setekh, The Son of Storms. The God of Weather and oldest of the three children. He is mainly tasked with guarding the Tall Spire, the conduit between heaven and earth. He himself has three children, Soh, Teh and Kah, who govern sun, wind, and cold respectively. These four are mainly worshipped in the desert Bone Lands to the south, as they believe the winds guide fate.

2. Second is Tempos, The God of Time and Fate. Little is known about Tempos, even to the most devout. Some legends say he sealed himself away long ago to map all of fate, but no knows for sure. He does however have two children, who are much more well known. One is beginning and one is ending, and all time stands between.

Naraja, The God of the Dead. Lord of the underworld, Naraja's name is used interchangeably between him and his domain, he watches over the souls of all the dead. Said to punish those who defy death through necromancy or attempts at immortality, Naraja also stands guard to hold back the demons that lie below. Jarana, The God of Life. Said to have been the first king of men, Jarana protected the living. Even so, he hasn't been seen in a very long time.

3. Finally, there is Terranma, The Goddess of the Mortal World. Terranma is an unusual one, even amongst the other gods. Goddess of all that lies below the heavens, legend says she gave up her immortal form long ago to become human. As such, she is reborn again and again amongst humanity, sometimes remembering her true nature, sometimes not. But every time that she bears a child, as mother or father, the result is:

Mortal Gods. Demigods of a sort, these are the gods that are most often seen throughout the series. Originally born human, they each become a god of some element of the mortal world. Gods of the Forest, Gods of Fire, Gods of the Mountain, Gods of the Sea. All are children of Terranma and her reincarnations. They become immortal and powerful, but with the terrible curse of remembering what it was to be human and mortal. The Eastern nation of Glamoura mainly worship the first God of Magic, Karnos, implying that there have been multiple after Karnos eventually died. Over the course of their first adventure, Cerris and Elena meet the God of the Forest, Sallot, the God of Fire, Jahleer, and they witness the long dead body of the God of the Sea, Caitell.

There are also spirits and other powers in the world, but these are the gods which rule over all.

So, there is a thorough answer. If you've liked this, I posted the first chapters of the book a couple of months ago. I've also done a set of short stories based on a wizard being pursued by Naraja's agents which is tentatively cannon.

Thank you for the question.

[lamuradex]

My fantasy book Signs of Light and Shadow might not even exist if I hadn’t decided to make the main character gay.

Let me explain:

This was maybe some 10-15 years ago (can’t precisely remember), but I came up with SoLaS, partially based on some ideas I saw here on Tumblr and partially my own incessant need to explore fantasy ideas. But when it came to the protagonist, I was drawing a blank. I knew I wanted two female characters, sisters, but beyond that I had maybe a vague idea of their designs.

I was a little bit stuck.

But then the idea of making one of them a lesbian occurred. Tumblr had been a key inspiration, so it only made sense to make the character LGBT. (Of note, this was back when representation stuff was still fairly new to me. Nowadays I’d make a character gay with little thought.)

While the idea stirred, I initially denied it. I didn’t plan to give Cerris a love interest, so why make her gay? I didn’t want to invoke a “Word of God says their gay” sort of situation, so I just wasn’t going to address it.

But it nagged at me.

It kept coming back. Why not make her gay? Would it matter? Sure, you’re not planning a romance, but maybe…

Eventually, I gave in. Thought I’d give it a go. I could always go back on it. But, to avoid the Word of God situation, first thing I did was come up with a scene where Cerris says she’s gay, no ambiguity. So, I created a scene where Cerris is sat around with a male friend, who confesses having a crush on her, and she has to awkwardly decline, and then flat out states she only likes women when he persists.

And suddenly the character came to life!

Cerris was a character suddenly. I knew her voice, I knew how she’d act. How she’s a fighter, but with a big heart. She’s tough, but loves sincerely. And from her, I knew how to write her sister Elena, the other protag, contrasting but similar. Suddenly I knew how these characters would work. And with that, I started to know the adventure I wanted to put them on. The trials I could put them through, the strength of their relationship, how I could test that strength.

And all because I decided to make Cerris gay.

if you see this reblog with a fun fact about your WIP (world-building, lore, characters, anything!)

[fieriframes]

[The sign buzzes faintly, lost in the blackness. Pancakes float on the plate, syrup suspended mid-pour. The coffee never cools, its heat eternal, like the stars. Outside, comets streak by, leaving trails of forgotten wishes. The waitress pours a drink, but gravity seems uncertain. Fries glisten under a light that casts no shadows. A spoon stirs itself, clinking rhythmically in the void. The clock on the wall spins wildly, but time here is a suggestion. Beyond the diner’s glass, universes fold and unfold. And still, the smell of bacon lingers, defying the infinite.]

[kojiarakiartworks]

January 2008 PDX Portland Oregon U.S.A.

■Calendar of 2024 January

© KOJI ARAKI Art Works

Daily life and every small thing is the gate to the universe ：）

[lamuradex]

The strength of the connection between the two MCs. Two orphaned sisters who essentially had to raise themselves from about the age of ten. Who, even if they have nothing else, have each other.

Of course, I almost immediately separate them, but that just makes it stronger when they reunite.

People of writeblr, what's your favourite thing about your current, most active WIP?

[morerichka8]

I am a stranger in a world I helped create

[theweightofdivinity]

B a b y l o n

[averlym]

no one would notice if i ever vanished // if bodies could sustain // this never-ending army // like blood pumping through a vein

(click for better resolution!)

:OOO hello. anyway since these are all posters i'd have in an ideal world or smth and i'd like to store the high res versions somewhere,,, here's the google drive folder for them? hehe ''

close up!

[blmpff]

26.01.20

[the-light-of-deceit]

[ Un-dips them and gives them some specialty vanilla-blue raspberry tea ]

-Sage of Truth

GH- uhh.. Thank you? Still gonna wash this suit just in case… -♢

Ooohhh!! Thank you strange cookie that looks like shadow milk!!! -♡

. . . -♧

*Upon figuring out it has a bit of vanilla in it, he crushes the cup with his bare hands.*

I’m not thirsty. -♧

[lamuradex]

WIP: Signs of Light and Shadow

Genre: Fantasy/Adventure - Adult Lit - Family Friendly

Completion Progress: 2 Books Written, Endlessly Editing

Summary:

In the mystical land of Deivhara (Dey-a-var-ah), Cerris and Elena live in the forest alone. Orphaned at a young age, when a monster appeared and killed their parents, they've survived on their own skills ever since, with Cerris as the fighter and hunter, while Elena is the more the homebody, dreaming of bigger things. Things change for the girls however, when Cerris goes out hunting and stumbles across a dying man, who is then visited by the gods, Aheazal and Zaheal. There to pass along blessings the man carries, the gods give them to Cerris, mainly because she happens to be nearby.

Cerris and Elena attempt to investigate these blessings, leading to trouble in a nearby town, and then for them to begin following the visions Cerris has been receiving, leading to an adventure across the continent. From their humble home, to mountaintops, to journeying the deep sea with mermaids, and all the way to death ravaged lands of the north, the girls pursue these visons and the shapeshifting Enkarga, which may be a threat to the entire world.

Personal Notes: This story isn't my first attempt to create a huge fantasy world, but the first book is easily the biggest I've yet written, to the point it might be a three-part trilogy. I already have the series planned out, and the first two books written, with seven books planned overall and possibly a spin off towards the end. I really do enjoy the lore I've come up with for this one, and hope others will find it fascinating too. In the early books, I'm already setting up and teasing the mysteries I know will be important later.

All posts tagged under #Signs of Light and Shadow

I've also posted some chapters here already under #S.o.L.a.S Chapters

ALL QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS PROJECT ARE WELCOME!

[feuilletourne-sir20]

Tournefeuille, par là donc...

Tournefeuille, this way so...

by sir20 for feuilletourne-sir20

[teddy-bear-naps-and-random-snaps]

[rosquinn]

The pdb staff really does wake up and go hmm how can i make this app even more insufferable

[davetada]

Crossing

Tokyo, Japan

[short-circuit-the-great]

Making some Wizzy characters because I've decided there's a clinic in Wizard City run by the School of Life and I'm laughing my ass off at Bela BookBoots.