alistonjdrake

[alistonjdrake]

how is writing awoni going?

It has been probably the slowest writing project I’ve ever had for a single draft.

It has the same “problem” in structure I had when I was writing Someone Will Die (I just have the benefit of better planning and plotting so the issue is more an annoyance than an obstacle) where I’m telling the story out of chronological order. The historian characters give away the ending, or they’ll jump ahead or add context by talking about a different event. I am insufferable and while I could write it chronologically and then work out the order later, I did it in reverse when means I too am jumping all over the place and trying to keep track of events. So I end up writing large chunks and then I’ll break for a month to read or do more research or go back to another part and either cull or add.

I think, though, when I allow myself to toot my own horn that the struggle is worth it. I have a lot of fun talking about history and the treatment of historical figures. I get to touch on all my niche interests, I get to do a lot of world building without thinking about how this will be conveyed to readers in a non-educational context because the context is educational. If I could change anything I just want my brain to decide on a concrete future for awoni

[alistonjdrake]

I think this is fine because some aspects of Escana culture need refurbishing. I liked the angle I was on in my last rewrite where I made more of a point of them being recent Santivian converts and I would like to do more with that. If the Justice has more control over them and their reputation the whole plot line with Dursten and Niels makes more sense.

But.

Divorce.

I must come up with a concrete reason for Luca to be alive, divorced, and not a nun like Crisanna.

Also! In OBS when Benedetta marries into the Harver family they give her an Escana name but I never did that for Luca and that’s something I want to rectify now. Would also have to do that for Brandye though

Thought of a new opening scene that would appease both my need to tackle a new angle on the religious element in OR/TSS and include Argus' mother being alive to maybe I WILL do massive changes

[alistonjdrake]

writing historical fic set in real places is so scary. what if someone who knows more about Philadelphia's timeline to move from gas to electric streetlamps reads my fanfiction and laughs at me

[alistonjdrake]

I had a terrible day at work like down cataclysmic my brothers so if anyone wants to send an ask about awoni to make me feel better now would be the time.

[alistonjdrake]

At least I’m married to real lover who woke me up so he could read the poem he wrote me

[alistonjdrake]

WIP INTRO: A Woman of No Importance

A Woman Of No Importance: A Look Into the Political and Sex Lives of Medieval Women All Tied With a Nice Enemies-to-Lovers bow

The Early Ages was a fraught time for a budding country, and no one knows that better than historian Sabina Sphar, whose deep dive into one long-gone country leads to an obsession with two women held responsible for its downfall. The year is 946 W.C. and King Oswald of Vilsland has just ordered the execution of his once beloved aunt, Princess Mathilde. Now wanted for treason, Princess Mathilde seeks refuge in her childhood home, currently occupied by a woman who holds a powerful grudge. Twenty years ago, Cierra Dimmock and Princess Mathilde were rivals in the midst of a bloody game of intrigue and court manners. One was a standing regent struggling to keep her grasp on the court and the other the new, foreign wife of a prominent duke. Their feud resulted in one being jailed and the other humiliated. Now, the tables have turned and Cierra is a wealthy widow and Dowager Duchess while Princess Mathilde is an exile looking for political asylum. In a moment of pity, Cierra allows her old enemy to spend the night in her home. Their fates will be sealed by morning and this decision could cost both women their lives. But what is certain is that their country and history will never be the same.

Told through interviews, land deeds, court diaries, letters, Cierra's own narration, and the musings of several historians. A Woman of No Importance tells the story of a rotten feud between two middle-aged women but also the ill-fated history of Vilsland and how the interactions of these characters wiped it off the map.

AWONI is currently looking for early readers so please message me if interested or learn more below!

Prominent Characters

Sabina Spahr: Queer Early Ages historian most interested in the well-documented feud between Cierra Dimmock and Princess Mathilde. Cierra de Bellièvre: Remembered as the foreign wife of Notker Dimmock. Cierra has left behind little written record of her life except for her pious and astute nature. Mathilde of Dester: Born a princess, raised as a hostage, died as a traitor. From successfully leading a country as its regent to fumbling a treasonous uprising, there is little Mathilde hasn't done or been criticized for. Edelgard Notkerdotter Dimmock: Cierra's daughter and the only sovereign duchess of Dester. Sister Gisela: Cierra's nun companion who writes extensively about her mistress during their youth. Ivo Túfel: A soft-hearted poet who ventures to the court of Vilsland to write of beauty and romance.

AWONI discusses topics such as: sexual assault, religious persecution, discrimination based on gender, and discrimination based on sexuality, so readers should take care.

[alistonjdrake]

The Duchess + Costumes

Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire's white & brown dress.

// requested by anonymous

[alistonjdrake]

big fan of romance horror. big fan of terrible people still being loved. big fan of bending morality and turning the grotesque into something beautiful.

[alistonjdrake]

THE BORGIAS costume appreciation: 76/∞ (costume design by Gabriella Pescucci)

[alistonjdrake]

Thought of a new opening scene that would appease both my need to tackle a new angle on the religious element in OR/TSS and include Argus' mother being alive to maybe I WILL do massive changes

[alistonjdrake]

well personally i like it when there’s incest and necrophilia and murder and cannibalism and abuse and torture and gore and mutilation and body horror and sexual depravity and death.

[alistonjdrake]

A Woman of No Importance: The Two Deaths of Mathilde van Bibbr

Princess Mathilde van Bibbr was born in 894 W.C and was executed in the spring of 946 W.C on the orders of King Oswald of Vilsland after launching a rebellion to install her husband on the throne instead.

Her death did not cease when the executioner cut through her neck. Her second death had just begun and lasted much longer. In the words of historian Sabina Spahr, "a great woman had to suffer two deaths. The first of her mortal body, and the second of her reputation. Queens of the Early Ages have been disgraced in ways not seen by their male counterparts. We debate the truth behind rumors of their infidelities, even when no proof exists and the claims are ludicrous bawdy tales dreamt up by men who were emasculated by their power. We consume stories of heartless mothers who sent princes to death to hold onto a chair for a moment longer, the all-consuming selfish leading lady who dines on luxuries while the country starves, the black widow. What lies underneath? Yes, the hatred and valid criticisms of monarchs and the power they held by a matter of birth, the inherent unfairness of such wealth being drenched in the quiet suffering of those who could not write their side of history. But also the seductive hatred of women."

Mathilde dying is a big part of the story and is symbolic of how the historians writing them treat all the "historical" characters and how ultimately none of them are around to speak for themselves. They're already dead. Who she was and why she did what she did fades behind biases and imagined motives.

The Early Ages was a fraught time for a budding country, and no one knows that better than historian Sabina Sphar, whose deep dive into one long-gone country leads to an obsession with two women held responsible for its downfall. The year is 946 W.C. and King Oswald of Vilsland has just ordered the execution of his once beloved aunt, Princess Mathilde. Now wanted for treason, Princess Mathilde seeks refuge in her childhood home, currently occupied by a woman who holds a powerful grudge. Twenty years ago, Cierra Dimmock and Princess Mathilde were rivals in the midst of a bloody game of intrigue and court manners. One was a standing regent struggling to keep her grasp on the court and the other the new, foreign wife of a prominent duke. Their feud resulted in one being jailed and the other humiliated. Now, the tables have turned and Cierra is a wealthy widow and Dowager Duchess while Princess Mathilde is an exile looking for political asylum. In a moment of pity, Cierra allows her old enemy to spend the night in her home. Their fates will be sealed by morning and this decision could cost both women their lives. But what is certain is that their country and history will never be the same.

Told through interviews, land deeds, court diaries, letters, Cierra’s own narration, and the musings of several historians. A Woman of No Importance tells the story of a rotten feud between two middle-aged women but also the ill-fated history of Vilsland and how the interactions of these characters wiped it off the map.

Please ask to be added to the taglist!

Taglist: @thelittlestspider  @thelaughingstag

[alistonjdrake]

believe it or not some female characters don’t have to be mothers. some female characters shouldn’t be mothers. some female characters have a history of expressed disinterest in being mothers. some female characters would have to do a complete 180 in characterization in order to be mothers.

[alistonjdrake]

Elizabeth Duology + Costumes

Queen Elizabeth I's black, white & golden dress in Elizabeth (1998).

The dress is also worn by Anne Boleyn in The Tudors and Mary Stuart in Mary Queen of Scots (2013).

// requested by anonymous

[alistonjdrake]

Your original WIP is getting an adaptation! Spin this wheel to find out what it is!

Feel free to ramble about your results in the tags!

[alistonjdrake]

"shipping and blorbofication are not inherently at odds with understanding a story's deep themes" and "some people can't grasp the themes of a story because they never learned how to engage with stories outside of the lens of shipping and blorbofication" are two statements that can coexist

[alistonjdrake]

people who don’t wear glasses will never understand the absolute humiliation of dropping your glasses under your bed or in a dark area and feeling around on all fours muttering “my glasses…. where are my glasses” like fucking Velma Dinkley and thinking to yourself BOY WOULD THIS BE A LOT EASIER IF I COUKD FUCKING SEE