inseasofgreen

[inseasofgreen]

Pro writing tip:

For a quick boost in progress towards your word count goal just scrap a bunch of scenes/chapters from the end. Extremely efficient in making your goal smaller, and there for making your current word count that much closer to your goal.

[inseasofgreen]

What was Zemorri's first (or favourite if you don't know his first) memory?

Oooh, Zemorri lore reveal. Thank you Sol!

Day ??? of Askmas

POTO taglist

@lord-fallen @inkingfireplace @rhikasa @leahnardo-da-veggie @satohqbanana

@real-fragments @the-inkwell-variable @tildeathiwillwrite @oldfashionedidiot @heycerulean

@sonnetery @wyked-ao3 @fifis-corner

Zemorri's favorite memory is the first time he road on Indiss' back. There was actually a shot period of time between Zemorri bonding with Indiss and when he actually got his first joy ride. His mom and stepdad literally had to keep eyes on that boy at all times until they were able to get a saddle commissioned and made out of fear Zemorri would ride bare back and end up plummeting out of the sky. Oh god the irony.

So the saddle is made, Orahi teaches Zemorri the basic rules of actually being on dragon back.

The most important for context: While in the air stay in the saddle and make sure your harness is correctly latched.

Pretty straight forward.

So given this information Zemorri's just cool yeah I got, I got can I PLESE just ride my dragon. Orahi does his due diligence to make sure the saddle is secured, Zemorri is properly in the saddle, his harness is correctly put on, and is latched to the saddle. He tells Zemorri to wait until Orahi gets on his own dragon. Dude is hardly in the saddle before Zemorri is outa there.

Orahi is quick to take off after him as Zevetta watches from the ground. Zemorri is having the time of his life. It gives "high schoolers doing donuts in their beat up nissans in the back school parking lot" All sorts of dives, spiraling, and just fast as hell. Orahi stays as close as he can, but Indiss is still very small and can go a lot faster than Orahi's old war dragon who's unoffically retired and has no desire to even try to keep up with Indiss.

Then Zemorri and Indiss stop and just hover over the capital. Orahi's first thought is "oh no something's wrong" and starts to head over. To his horror he sees Zemorri stand up. Orahi's calling after him, telling him to sit his ass back down while commanding his dragon to pick up speed.

All the while Zemorri couldn't get the harness unlatched, so he takes it off. We love a problem solver 🤡. Zemorri's like "yo you'll catch me right?" Indiss does a little chirp, which could've been a yes or could've been a fuck around and find out. Either way Zemorri proceeds to leap OFF Indiss' back and just free falls. Indiss proceeds to dive after him, tucking in his wings to speed him up. They're pros, clearly.

Orahi and his dragon try to catch up, Zevetta back on the ground is truly a whole grab back of emotions. Not even to mention the whole damn capital is given a front row seat to Zemorri's dumbassery.

And low and behold, Indiss actually does catch Zemorri. Or at least positions himself for Zemorri to smack right into the saddle and hold on for dear fucking life while Indiss is like "yeah I'm going to land. I think it's a good time to do that."

Zemorri got more than an ear for it from both Zevetta and Orahi. Though still proceeded to do it every day up until he was shipped off to war, and even does it in chapter 1.

[inseasofgreen]

All of the domesticated dragons come from 4 different breeds, 2 breeds were the original dragons the Zrato rode after their whole blood magic ordeal that made them "Zrato" and the other 2 were brought in at a later time. From those 4 there's about 8 breeds that were created. Even then all 12 breeds occasionally breed with each other but that's a whole rabbit hole no one needs to go down. I wish I had names for them but I've put off giving them names until I actually need a name (like right now 💀) so unfortunately there is only one official dragon breed name and it's not even a domestic dragon. For the sake of trying not to be confusing I'll explain the first 4 breeds and then an overview of the groups the other 8 fall into.

We have breed 1, who's got a pretty lean build they're not the fastest or strongest but instead give a good balance to speed and strength. They're temperament varies quite a bit, which made them a bit of wild card in the beginning but actually became pretty useful when it was discovered temperament was often passed down from parents.

Breed 2 are quite a bit smaller in overall size and while they lack strength, they are fast and very agile. The best way to describe their temperament is that of a chihuahua. The ankle biters of POTO dragonology. They are very useful for aerial attacks in war but on land they could be taken down too easily.

Breed 3 is a tracker, less strength more speed. They have a strong sense of smell and can see longer distances. Their temperate is pretty chill so long as they don't get bored. They like tracking and if they're not allowed to do it for extended periods of time will get pretty grumpy and lash out.

Breed 4 is where the Zrato realized dragons can just be pets and paraded around for being pretty. This breed is probably the chilliest breed there is, both in domestic and wild dragons. The story of how the first few were domesticated is wildly known in Vultis because of how stupidly easy it was. A Zrato offered up a lamb, as they're known to do, and the dragon accepted it and went back to it's nest. The Zrato thinking it didn't work left to go home to try again the next day but was followed home by the one dragon and a few of his friends. The Zrato's first thought was they were going to attack and they did... Kinda. They proceeded to eat all his sheep and then fell asleep outside his house.

I'm not going to go on about how they came to be and what of the 4 breeds makes up so and so and yada yada because nobody cares that much. and if you do - you have my eternal love but oh my god don't make me write a whole lesson how dragon's are bred I refuse. The same way I refuse to even think of how a mommy and daddy dragon make a clutch of eggs. It's just sims woohoo style ya know? I've lingered too long on this topic LMAO

Group 1 - unofficially called the tanks. There's 6 breeds in this group. They're the military dragons and the biggest of the domesticated dragons. They favor strength over speed and have thicker scales. Their more aggressive in general, most injuries or deaths that happen in the dragon hall are from young dragons attacking unprovoked. (I'll talk a bit more about the dragon hall is after the groups but for context it's where a majority of the military dragons are bred, raised, and trained alongside the crown's dragon riders) They are also the sassiest little fuckers, but whether that's just in their dna or rubbed off from the teen boys their raised with is debatable.

Group 2 - The ones that don't do much and are just pretty. There's 2 breeds in this one. Very docile and somewhat lazy. They're kept as pets and serve no purpose besides being good boys and girls. I originally mentioned different dragons would react differently to war and that's very true for these guys. They would either flee, or they would act in self defense. Which I guess could count as an attack but that would be a disaster and frankly sad as hell. Group 2 is often bred with group 1 if one of the dragons used for breeding has produced two or more clutches in a row that hatched into little menaces that are just a bit (or a lot) too feisty for their own good.

Group 3 - The workers. There are 4 breeds all do something different but the gist is the same - they have a job. Not even dragons can escape corporate greed :( These 9-5ers include - messengers, guards, caring various cargo, and tracking.

okay 😮‍💨

as to who over sees the repopulation: that would fall to the master of dragons. who in my opinion does so much more than the emperor himself. The master of dragons is appointed by the emperor to run the dragon hall. They're seen as the second most powerful person in Vultis as they control all the crown's dragons, from conception to death. The dragon hall is a large structure built on the volcano the Zrato were created in. It's a place for nobility at court to keep their dragons, where the crowns dragon's are bred, hatched, and then go on to be trained and eventually paired with their rider. It's also a war school, where young zrato boys are taught how to be warriors. How to ride dragons, how to fight on dragon back and land, even learning the basics of dragon breeding and more in-depth of the dragon anatomy.

It's actually a very good way for someone from an extremely low class family, or no family at all in some cases, to better their lives and get a chance to raise in social class. Once you're enrolled into the dragon hall, no matter your background, you're all equal. Even better it's free.99. The catch? Can't be a girl (they really just totally ignore the fact some of the best dragons to come out of the hall are girls 🤡) have to be a zrato (a given seeing as only zrato can command dragons) and spending most of your life indentured to the crown and having to go fight in whatever war the dumbass on the throne gets themselves (and you!!) in to. Don't want to? Hand over your dragon, cut off your warriors braid, and become a social outcast that no one will associate with. the fine print will really getcha.

Enough goofs and gaffs and having boys as young as 13 making life altering decisions for a chance at a warm meal every night (sorry I had to 😭) The Master of Dragons is simply the one calling all the shots. There's different departments for it all and a chain of command. So while the repopulation did fall to the master of dragons, who btw is Zemorri's step dad after Xorulth took the throne, it would be the ones who are trained and know what they're doing to actually start repopulation.

This was so long but I hope it gives better idea of it all.

Also I brought it up but didn't actually give the official name of the dragon breed. It's Crown-horned Eastern Piketail. Which is none other than Indiss.

What is the craziest part of potd that you want to share? (Book two in case I messed up the acronym)

The craziest part I can think of that isn't too into spoiler territory is the first dragon on dragon war since Xorulth usurped the throne from Emperor Mikath. It's intense and Zemorri's responses to it really show how conflicted he is in the events of POTD. He really starts to question how far he is willing to go for his throne.

For context when Mikath reigned, there were 700 dragons in use within Crowns Dragon Riders. After the war and Xorulth got the report that there where only 150 that remained in fighting action. That number is now 200-250* after vast efforts to repopulate the dragons.

It's actually believed Mikath lost because he tried to spare as many dragons as he could, Xorulth didn't have the foresight - and still probably doesn't.

*those numbers are purely for the crown's dragon riders aka military dragons. many other's still exist but they aren't bred and raised for war and thus would react differently to it

Thank you Wyked!!

[inseasofgreen]

My honest reaction to doomed siblings:

[inseasofgreen]

Who gets the saddest ending in your book and why?

I'm going to answer this for only POTO and not the whole series because while I have a general idea of how it ends there's still a lot of things I'm leaving to figure out once I get to later books. Gotta keep somethings a mystery even for myself ya know? 💀

Day 6 of Askmas!

big spoilers for POTO and also content warning for suicide and domestic abuse

POTO taglist

@lord-fallen @inkingfireplace @rhikasa @leahnardo-da-veggie @satohqbanana

@real-fragments @the-inkwell-variable @tildeathiwillwrite @oldfashionedidiot @heycerulean

@sonnetery @wyked-ao3 @fifis-corner

Orahi easily has the saddest ending. He's a horrible man who is abusive to his wife and daughters and actively covers up and often excuses the Emperors more sadistic nature. Though Zevetta, Orahi's wife, often turns the table and lashes out at him. Leaving them in a vicious cycle of being hurt by each other and trying to get "even".

Through out POTO Orahi is trying to cling to his status within the court as many High Lords and Lords come to him in hope that Orahi will control Xorulth, the emperor. Orahi finds himself in a very dangerous position when the start of a rebellion is brought to his attention and he doesn't alert Xorulth immediately. He does however tell Zevetta totally unaware of Zemorri's true parentage and how this information is vital to Zevetta's whole goal - get her son on the throne.

Zevetta proceeds to poke the bear and angers Xorulth and slowly gets more bold in her actions around the royal family. Xorulth grows tired of Zevetta's deliberate attempts at seeing how much she can get away with and tells Orahi to "control" her or Xorulth will do it himself aka kill her.

Orahi manages to get Zevetta to back down. Orahi develops a sense of paranoia but isn't really sure what or who he is actually terrified of.

One of the council members falls ill and his only surviving child is sent for - a bastard fighting in Nivra. Rhiari arrives and is legitimized by Xorulth. Orahi and Rhiari chat for a bit and this is when things really go down hill for Orahi.

Rhiari tells Orahi he should prepare for a war and send his wife and daughters out of the capital. Rhiari says he met Zemorri and knows Zemorri has high ambitions and will stop at nothing to get what he wants. Moments later another war dragon appears in the sky and lands with a severally burned High Commander on it. Orahi and Xorulth are both demanding answers but the dude dies before he can say what happened. Orahi and Xorulth have a disagreement over how to respond, Orahi claiming the guy could've been a deserter which Xorutlh doesn't buy. Orahi says he'll get to the bottom of it to appease Xorulth.

Orahi then goes home to Zevetta and asks if she planted the idea of rebellion in Zemorri's head. Zevetta proceeds to drop a baller line "He is as he's always been, a rebel at heart. The fire inside him was not my doing. It was lit the moment he took his first breath, and every breath since has fanned it. ... Who will you chose, the monster you've enabled or the man you helped shape?"

The next day Orahi seeks out Rhiari and asks him what he knows about Zemorri. And begs to know what happened to "his boy" Rhiari tells Orahi that Zevetta married the crown prince in secret and Zemorri was the product of that marriage. That by the laws of god and men, Zemorri is the rightful Emperor and he aims to take back what is his.

Unable to chose a side and not wanting to see what's to come, Orahi interrupts court, stands before Xorulth and commits suicide.

While Orahi is obviously not a "good" guy I still feel bad for him. He spent his whole marriage believing Zevetta's lies and even allowed her to keep what he believed to be a bastard with her and be raised along side their legitimate children. Something that is highly looked down on - no matter the circumstances of who the bastard belongs to or how the bastard came about. Zevetta, in her own way, admits Zemorri is not who he is today because of her. Orahi played a big roll in shaping Zemorri and viewed him as a son he will never have.

It becomes painfully aware Orahi was nothing but a pawn in Zevetta's scheming. And learning that all from Rhiari? This stranger who has no reason to make up a lie, clearly knows Zemorri on some level if he's going out of his way to talk to Orahi and get Zevetta and her daughters out of the capital.

Neither Zemorri or Zevetta trusted him enough to tell him the truth because there was no scenario in their minds where Orahi doesn't betray them. There was no doubt what so ever that Orahi could be anything but an enemy. And honestly Orahi's first instinct to go to Xorulth is enough for him to question it himself. He doesn't know what is leading him to Xorulth, if it's him trying to warn his life long friend, or perhaps try to kill him in an attempt to help Zemorri. And it isn't until he's standing there, all eyes on him that Orahi realizes Zemorri and Zevetta were right not to trust him. He can't condemn them because he knows Xorulth is a monster and that Zemorri not only has the strongest claim but he would be more suited. In the first time for his whole friendship with Xorulth, he admits to himself what Xorulth is. In a mix of shame, anger, grief, and just an over whelming sense of loneliness he makes a split second decision to end it there. The last thing he sees is the boredom on Xorulth's face. The man who's murdered so many innocents because of his fascination watching the last moments of life, and has made Orahi witness these horrible acts. Orahi's last moments leave Xorulth feeling nothing. No joy, no excitement. Not even a hint of shock or grief.

And Orahi's last few moments of consciousness is realizing Xorulth never cared about him either.

[inseasofgreen]

BRO WHAT

What meaning does von doro have to you as the author? What insight would you like to share?

OOOO THIS IS INTERESTING. thank you for the ask, wyked! let's dive in!

day six of tcw's 12 days of askmas--the author's analysis of von doro [EXTREME SPOILERS TREAD WITH WARNING I HAVE NO FILTER RIGHT NOW]:

oh boy... i'm going to do one more disclaimer before i actually go on a tangent. it is past 12am, i'm listening to evan's playlist, and my filter is gone so let's see how yamble-y this gets.

DISLAIMER: I AM GOING TO BE GOING ON A TANGENT. BE WARNED FOR SPOILERS !!!

--

we're good? okay cool.

what does von doro mean to me as the author? there are so many ways i can interpret this question: her symbolism, her role in the narrative, the type of character she is, her archetype, her ending... everything. but if i had to summarize it into one word, i'd say this:

tragic.

von doro, in my opinion, is one of the biggest tragedies in the entire duology. more than alan. more than caramel. more than all of them. von doro was born and groomed from the very beginning to inherit a curse, and despite fulfilling her duties perfectly, she never got liberated from it in her lifespan. nothing about von doro's story is fair, to the point where it honestly pisses me off.

the more i think about her, especially the story from her perspective, the more AWFUL i feel for her. she was born for this role. locked away from society and trapped inside the volcano so she couldn't develop any attachments for anything, and she didn't accidentally disregulate her emotions. she had no social life. no forms of happiness. no family. no shot at ANYTHING. she just stayed locked away in the volcano for centuries. all with one task, which was to not let the volcano explode.

the smoke destroyed her lung and voice. the sounds of the gods in her head rattled her brain and made her lose her sense of reality. she forgot her own name at one point. she didn't see the sunset. didn't get to take a breath of fresh air. she didn't even get to see the kingdom she was born to protect. all the while, everyone curses her out as the "beast that threatens us with explosions".

and she does everything without complaint. she takes care of the cairoyas and the dragons. she raises those eggs and watches them from the distant shadows they cast over her den. occassionally, her jervees visit her, but no one ever stays. no one can.

that's why jer'vazir meant so much to her. he stayed. he visited. he helped her remember her name again. he helped her feel for once. and that was dangerous.

and then, the age of limiouses. it was glorious. it was a walk in the park. it was easy. life was getting easier. she was getting closer to liberation.

and then HILBERT.

THIS BRUIBIFNJF.

i can't even begin to describe how much of a villain i see hilbert as. because bro unravelled her entire life with his pride, arrogancy, and "ambition." he literally tore everything apart, brick by brick, piece by piece.

turned soilaila against her. caused riots and a civil war. don't even ask about the other limiouses. hunted down and massacred every single dragon. the last straw was killing the last dragon, then laughing in jer'vazir's face and telling him he did it "proudly".

she broke. the resolve of apathy she had mastered had been slowly crumbling with her new feelings, but the loss of all her dragons completely shattered her. and what was soilaila's response to her grief? to try and assasinate her.

CENTURIES of taking care of them. CENTURIES of protecting them. and the one goddamn time she breaks down, they freakin villainize her???

holy shit--the jervees and jer'vazir were the only people who tried to console her and show her compassion.

AND THEN HILBERT ATTACKS HER.

no wonder she snapped. i would have a long time prior.

AND THAT'S ONLY THE PRE-TOV LORE. HER ENDING UPSETS ME VISCERALLY.

i can't even say the ending of tov makes me happy. every thing that i thought i wanted from the ending just made me feel viscerally upset, dejected, and hollow, because that's the point. by the time you get to the point where you get the "aha! this person is finally getting punished," i no longer wanted her to be punished. at least, not like that?

i don't know bro... von doro's breakdown in sai really hurts my feelings. i can't tell you why. i just feel so deeply for her.

“So you think you can spear lightning at the beast who survived the volcano for three hundred years? Is that it, daara? You think the storms of the heavens hold a flame to the rage of the underworld?”

“Oh? And I am so selfish? [...] Three hundred years, daara! You say these pompous words now, but wait until the years tick by and you find an Apa you are willing to slaughter the world for! Wait until that curse steals them away from you and tortures you with isolation and betrayal! Wait until the clock ticks centuries by and you are stuck within the same walls, quelling the same voices that drive you insane, reaching for the same happiness you were never entitled to, [REDACTED]! [...] This place destroys you, daara. It turns you vile, and lonely, and desperate to leave. But no… You are so much more noble than I, that of course you would have just gambled away your freedom and your chance to live and rest in peace if I had just asked you to. Like you were not seeking out death to escape pain only an hour ago. [...] Oh please, daara. Give me a break.”

is this... a sai excerpt?

yes.

you're welcome.

--

as for insight as the author? i'll say this:

von doro represents the cyclic nature of vengeance. the entire curse reflects it, but also her entire cycle of revenge with hilbert.

hilbert was acting in revenge -> he attacks the dragons -> the dragons death cause von doro's grief -> the explosions -> hilbert attacks von doro for the explosions -> he triggers the full extent of her wrath -> the incident -> half of soilaila dies + magic ban -> alan seeking vengeance

and it just keeps continuing. she is a tragedy, but worse than that, she is the generational cycle of suffering passed onto the next. misery who wants company.

thanks for the ask, wyked!

-- the holiday limited-edition tag list --

@wyked-ao3 @an-indecisive-nerd @drchenquill

@paeliae-occasionally @theink-stainedfolk @inseasofgreen

@thelovelymachinery @the-letterbox-archives @illarian-rambling

@bunnymermaidwrites @the-golden-comet @sm-writes-chaos

@leahnardo-da-veggie @corinneglass

[please tell me if you don't wanna be tagged i promise i will stop 🥺]

[inseasofgreen]

Well you see, when a mommy and a daddy love each other very much they kiss and then the mommy eats a little seed. That seed then grows into a baby and then after 9 months that baby teleports out of the mommy's belly and is sent to stork postal couriers who carry the baby in a blanket through various weather conditions and brings it back to it's parents. The parents realize they don't love each other anymore but stay together because "it's better for the baby" Fast forward 15 years and they go through the messiest divorce. The kid grows up and not only goes no contact with both parents but believe love isn't real. Until one day they see it there - ma yoon

what ma yoon

🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️

[inseasofgreen]

what ma yoon

🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️

[inseasofgreen]

how do sciosa and zemorri end up dealing with the fallout of their god decision thing at the end? like what do they do with the joined empire now?

This plot point haunted me so much because there was just no repercussions for either of them after causing such a pollical mess both with in their own courts but also in the whole nite region 😭 so it doesn't exist anymore lol

Day 4 of the 12 Days of Askmas

big spoilers for POTD

POTO taglist

@lord-fallen @inkingfireplace @rhikasa @leahnardo-da-veggie @satohqbanana

@real-fragments @the-inkwell-variable @tildeathiwillwrite @oldfashionedidiot @heycerulean

@sonnetery @wyked-ao3 @fifis-corner

Zemorri and Sciosa were supposed to be married by the end of POTD and as a way to deal with the fact they are both reigning monarchs of two different countries they basically decided to merge them and joint rule and their first born kid would be ruler once they were both dead which seemed like a good way to solve the problem.

Except POTO isn't Disney and it just didn't make sense that people of Ivaenia would just be chill with Sciosa giving them over as a wedding present to Zemorri. Not mentioning how the people neighboring Ivaenia would feel. While Zemorri is the most progressive emperor to date there are some views he has that align with his predecessors that are a wee bit concerning. For everyone else that is.

So that brings us to what happens:

In POTD Sciosa becomes queen and spends a total of two days where she doesn't really do shit. She attends her first council meeting as Queen and fires most of them (which deserved tbh), when her coronation is brought up because while she became queen as soon as her father died the coronation is what really makes it "official" and she just kinda brushes that off as waste of time and money, and then she ups and leaves with very little explanation only to send word a few weeks later to send like 10,000 soldiers to Vultis.

When word spreads that Zemorri won and is now emperor but Sciosa and her army haven't returned Cyren who sat in for her once she bounced is struggling to keep Ivaenia from turning against Sciosa and is talked into asking Sciosa to abdicate as her priorities are clearly not her own country. Her other uncle, Sora plays messenger and brings along the document and seeks her out in Vultis. Sciosa is shocked and conflicted but ends up agreeing to it and thus is able to marry Zemorri. She doesn't but at least the option is there.

[inseasofgreen]

Day 4!!

Going to catch up on asks for a bit before I go back to writing

12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS

Following up to Christmas I will be answering asks - no matter how spoilery - about POTO!

Though there are some rules!

Questions can be about characters, world building, and lore but a general rule: be relatively specific. Nothing like "What is Sciosa's whole character arc?" but something along the lines of "How did Sciosa's life's calling impact her childhood?" Ya vibe? I also ask that there is only 1 ask per a person per a day.

Have fun and have a happy holidays!

POTO TAG LIST

@lord-fallen @inkingfireplace @rhikasa @leahnardo-da-veggie @satohqbanana

@real-fragments @the-inkwell-variable @tildeathiwillwrite @oldfashionedidiot @heycerulean

@sonnetery @wyked-ao3 @fifis-corner

[inseasofgreen]

what is the main impact that the dragons have on your story or is there any in particular have a special meaning?

the way this has taken me 4 tries to get my thoughts out and in a way that makes sense is a crime ripp

Day 3 of the 12 Days of POTO Christmas!

Slight spoilers - ye been warned

POTO taglist

@lord-fallen @inkingfireplace @rhikasa @leahnardo-da-veggie @satohqbanana

@real-fragments @the-inkwell-variable @tildeathiwillwrite @oldfashionedidiot @heycerulean

@sonnetery @wyked-ao3 @fifis-corner

I feel this little passage from Zemorri's POV in POTO explains how they're seen by a majority of the characters

Looking under wing, the land was a dull grey, waste land. Nothing remained but an empty husk of what Zemorri thought he could make out. It had been a village. Foundations of once standing buildings remained. In the middle was an empty space with debris that survived the flames. For a moment he had wished to go explore, but he knew better. What lay there was not for him to intervein with. Let the dead lie, lest they come back to haunt you. A lesson etched into Zemorri’s mind during his youth growing up with in the Dragon Hall. As with many of the lessons, he took it to heart. Riders were to be merciless. The sole reason dragons were ridden into war was for death and destruction. They are not a beacon of hope, they are a omen of ill tidings. There was no room for guilt, as guilt led way to compassion.

Here Zemorri is flying through Nivra, a country that is currently under attack by Vultis. It's not a pretty sight.

A bit of a history/government lesson on Vultis:

Vultis is the largest country in Nyrus, though it started out only as a small City-State. So far 13 different countries have been conquered, their government dismantled, their border erased and redrawn to accommodate for a either a newly appointed High Lord or to add to land to an existing High Lord's domain. This High Lord oversee the land much like a king would oversee his kingdom he create new laws, raise taxes, etc so long as it follows the emperor's law. Many times High Lords are spare sons of the Emperor or some blood related relative. Only 4 out of those 13 countries were spared from the same grim fate as Nivra. Vultis doesn't send in the dragons first thing when the Emperor decides to conquer a country, first they send in their foot soldiers and war horses and they'll sack a few cities and then sit and wait for a 3 days. If within those 3 days there aren't white flags waving in the air, dragons descend. Those 4 countries were spared because it's citizens betrayed their ruler and surrendered, 1 one which actually handed over their kings head.

The Zrato's dragons are feared more than a wild dragon, most wild dragons avoid mortals and want nothing to do with them. The Dragons the Zrato breed and raise however instill a sense of terror because that's a weapon. Even if the weapon isn't in use, it's still jarring. Like just imagine seeing a tank going through a McDonalds drive through, yeah maybe they just want a happy meal but you're over here in a beat up 2008 honda civic and it's just a very uneven power dynamic.

Dragons do a lot of bad in the first book, it's actually brought up that there is so much smoke coming from Nivra that a lot of Ivaenia is covered in a smokey haze and people on both sides of the war are tying fabric around their heads to cover their noses and mouth just trying to keep the smoke at bay.

BUT the dragons actually do more good than bad by the end of the series. They also have the best interactions and their personalities are so funny. Also they can fucking SING. Indiss straight up has a little melody and everyone hates it because it's just so unsettling and then here comes Sciosa who absolutely loves it and at least once a day tells him to sing and to Zemorri's horror Indiss obeys. Like you just fucking know Indiss has been waiting for someone to appreciate his little ditty and it gets even better when it's revealed Indiss plagiarized it and stole it from zemoras, a bird that sings while it hunts and also Zemorri's name sake. Indiss thrives on mischief and is an agent of chaos and I love him for that.

[inseasofgreen]

Which character do you favor the most?

*gasp* me?? have favoritism?

Day 1 of the 12 Days of POTO Christmas!

Maybe spoilers for the whole series if you really read into it 💀

POTO taglist

@lord-fallen @inkingfireplace @rhikasa @leahnardo-da-veggie @satohqbanana

@real-fragments @the-inkwell-variable @tildeathiwillwrite @oldfashionedidiot @heycerulean

@sonnetery @wyked-ao3 @fifis-corner

ZEMORRI

oh my god the choke hold this man has on me is truly unhinged and unmatched

There is nothing I wouldn't do for him. There's so many scenes and idea's i've scrapped because although they would've been so good Zemorri wouldn't come out on top and just?? unacceptable. like yeah sure he'll have a few mishaps and downfalls but I can't bring myself to give him the same treatment I give everyone else. he's too baby girl, too pookie, my little meow meow. he is literally like a squeaky toy for me. the way a dog goes feral for that squeaker? ripping the toy to shreds? yeah that's me. just a girl with her emotional support oc who gets a get out of jail free card while all the rest of her oc's are having the worst time of their life's

[inseasofgreen]

does ivyr ever get another romance? tell us all about it

I knew you were going to ask an Ivyr question. I felt it in my bones lmaooo. Disclaimer I have a bad cold so things might get rambly

Day 1 of the 12 Days of POTO Christmas!

Spoilers for POTO and POTD ahead!

POTO tag list because obviously

@lord-fallen @inkingfireplace @rhikasa @leahnardo-da-veggie @satohqbanana

@real-fragments @the-inkwell-variable @tildeathiwillwrite @oldfashionedidiot @heycerulean

@sonnetery @wyked-ao3 @fifis-corner

Yes but its short lived.

After Zemorri and Ivyr call off their engagement Ivyr is forced to stay with the war camp, or at least stay with Zevetta wherever she travels. Zevetta will start a war but no way is girlie going to go into battle. Even if she wanted to (she doesn't) Zemorri would shut that shit down so fast. What a mama's boy 🙄. But Ivyr being basically held hostage has many reasons, she would sit in on Zemorri's war council and even though that ends as soon as the engagement is called off there's still a risk of her giving away vital information either willingly or by being captured and tortured, Ivyr's father sits out for most of the war until pretty much the end and they try to keep news of the split from spreading to pretty much maintain Zemorri's image as well as at least stop Ivyr's father from siding against Zemorri. The fact her father knows where she is and last he was aware she was still engaged to to the would be Emperor but hasn't rallied his men in Zemorri's name is well - troubling.

Ivyr's life is pretty depressing there for a while. She's a prisoner of her ex, her closest "companion" who she spends the most time with is her ex's mother, and while there's a bunch of hot soldiers and lords she could win over in an instant if it weren't for the fact their sworn and are fighting in a war FOR HER EX.

A quick detour because I can hear it now "Zemorri's so mean!" "That's so awful of Zemorri!" come here, get real close i'm losing my voice and can't strain too much - HE'S AT WAR. You really think he wants to have to drag his ex around with him? Even more so when Sciosa's ALSO with them? Bro's catching feelings for someone else knowing his ex is eating stale biscuits with his mom and sisters. Letting Ivyr leave, which she asks him to let her go multiple times, would be the stupidest thing he could do right now. There's no scenario in which that would benefit him. Also in POTO as Zevetta and her daughters are fleeing the capital, Ivyr is basically told up front that this would happen should she flee with them. Not necessarily the break up but Zevetta tells Ivyr pretty much that what ever happens Ivyr would be stuck with them until Zemorri and Zevetta gives her leave. It was very much under the pretense "People are going to die and probably people you care about, they might die fighting against Zemorri or even killed by Zemorri himself, or they might be killed fighting for Zemorri. In any case you can't hold that against him and go be a narc" Ivyr stupidly agreed all in the name of "love" and shoots herself in the foot.

But back to Ivyr's whirlwind romance.

Ivyr was not interested in finding love, but she was very interested in being a pain in the ass to Zemorri and Zevetta. Causing many scenes in hopes of making them look bad and a few escape attempts which tbh was stupid of her but whatever floats her boat. All of it very tone deaf when there are other prisoners of war that well are treated as such - aka shackled and kept in okay-ish conditions. While Ivyr's life post engagement hasn't really changed. The biggest thing is having less access to Zemorri. But here enters Ezzik. A soldier belonging to Zemorri's uncle who was injured in battle and was adamant on doing something while he healed completely. He was told by his commander he could go help with cooking and feeding the camp. Essik agreed but felt slightly let down. One day he was bringing food to Zemorri's tent and over heard a discussion about a guard requesting to be stationed else where and who would take up his post with minimal fuss. Ezzik eagerly volunteered himself proudly stating his rank and all that bull shit. The captain of the guard, Zemorri's uncle, and Zevetta were against it but Zemorri being so done with having to deal with Ivyr being a menace was just like "eh he'll do"

Ivyr at first is annoyed by the change of guard and voices it, Ezzik gives her some quick witted response causing Ivyr to laugh. Ivyr instantly takes a liking to Ezzik. They both catch feelings quickly and have a secret little love affair. Ivyr is the happiest she's been in years. They start making plans for when the war is over to leave Vultis and explore Nyrus together.

While Zemorri has taken over a city and is occupying it Ivyr is given her breakfast in chambers and is told she can't leave the room until further notice. Ivyr's like okay weird but whatever. Ezzik comes and switches out the night guard and Ivyr's like what's happening was there some attack or something? Ezzik brushes it off saying it's nothing that concerns her. Ivyr's like okay but what is happening. Ezzik once again is like don't worry about it. Girlie pop is so annoyed because what in the fuck is happening that she can't even go out in the little common area her and Zevetta share. So she rushes past Ezzik and a pair of two other guards and sees Zemorri with his mother and sisters... and Sciosa. Just Sciosa. Her cousins aren't with her, Qhuriex and Ivemaar aren't there, no other lords or commanders. Ivyr's angry because one of the things her and Zemorri had talked about during their split was Zemorri didn't want to be distracted and love was distracting to him. A committed relationship was something he couldn't do at the moment. It's revealed that Sciosa was the one who was actually invited by Zevetta and Zemorri and his sisters just showed up (which this scene is so much messier than this lets on. Zevetta had invited Sciosa to tell her to stop pursuing Zemorri, Sciosa was going to tell Zevetta to keep her nose out of Sciosa's business, Zemorri was actually looking for Sciosa and heard his mother had invited her to breakfast and was trying to intervene, and that's not even touching on his sisters actual reasonings for being there) Ivyr starts screaming at Zemorri and accuses him of cheating during their engagement. Which Zemorri's only response is to Ezzik commanding him to escort Ivyr back to her room. Ivyr is horrified when Ezzik does as Zemorri commands, and once back into her room lays into Ezzik for obeying Zemorri. Ezzik's like ... he's the emperor? and my temporary employer? i kinda have to? Ezzik tells Ivyr her guards aren't "body guards" but are more long the line of "prison guards" sure they'll keep her alive, but that's not their main purpose. Ivyr finally realizes she's a prisoner and kinda is beginning to understand by Zevetta and Zemorri have been "tightening the leash" every time she acts out.

Ezzik is cleared to return to his previous station and decides not to tell Ivyr. A new guard is put in, which is very clearly one of Sciosa's household guard dressed in the garb of Zemorri's household guard. Zevetta and Ivyr bond over how bold it is of Zemorri and Sciosa and that the guard is there to clearly spy on them. A few weeks go by and Ivyr's heard nothing from Ezzik and starts to worry she pushed him away. Ivyr requests to speak with Zemorri which is denied, so Ivyr goes to Zevetta to get Zemorri to talk to her. Zemorri tells Zevetta no, though Ivyr keeps pressing the matter with Zevetta until Zevetta's so annoyed with her asking she just takes her to Zemorri. Ivyr asks about Ezzik and if she could see him. Zemorri brushes off her request so Ivyr admits to falling in love with him and just wants to make sure he's okay. Zemorri very uncomfortably tells her Ezzik fell in battle. Ivyr goes into denial but knows Zemorri wouldn't lie about something like that. Ivyr ends up crying as Zemorri hugs her and tries to console her. later Ivyr's with Zevetta who lost her own lover in a war long ago, Zevetta gives her some comforting words. Qhuriex and Ivemaar bring a chest that belonged to Ezzik and give it to Ivyr. Ivyr doesn't have another romance in the series after Ezzik but I could see her settling down one day and having a family of her own. Something she really never had after she and Zemorri split, Zevetta and Zemorri both never fully regaining their trust in her and thus keeping her distanced from them and his sisters. And not to mention her father who used her more as a pawn than anything. Though she does develop a very strange friendship with Sciosa 💀

[inseasofgreen]

12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS

Following up to Christmas I will be answering asks - no matter how spoilery - about POTO!

Though there are some rules!

Questions can be about characters, world building, and lore but a general rule: be relatively specific. Nothing like "What is Sciosa's whole character arc?" but something along the lines of "How did Sciosa's life's calling impact her childhood?" Ya vibe? I also ask that there is only 1 ask per a person per a day.

Have fun and have a happy holidays!

POTO TAG LIST

@lord-fallen @inkingfireplace @rhikasa @leahnardo-da-veggie @satohqbanana

@real-fragments @the-inkwell-variable @tildeathiwillwrite @oldfashionedidiot @heycerulean

@sonnetery @wyked-ao3 @fifis-corner

[inseasofgreen]

Anybody else make the expressions of their characters when they're writing? If somebody grimaces, I'm grimacing with them.

[inseasofgreen]

song of the empress

navigation post get my book, Throne of Vengeance! TNV anthologies ToV community!

Written by G.K. Multani (@thecomfywriter)

⊹₊♚₊⊹

Here comes the lady with the long plaited hair: Shimmering, beautiful, and knotted despair. Heavy with tangles and an aching scalp, Here's to the lady for whom men fell.

And here's the maiden she once was, Of slender figure and corseted tums, But free-flowing hair and an unbreakable spine, Here's to the past she had left behind.

Here's to the crown she wears on her head, Bejewelled with legacies from her widespread, Here's to the colonies she wears like a prize, Here's to the bloody empire she aims to rise.

But what of the empress sounds almighty? is it the hair she tucks forever tidy? is it her posture, is it her grace? Does she wear her power on her face?

Do her eyes tell stories her lips dare not utter? Do her thoughts say sorry to all whom have suffered, From her ambition, from her crown-- Does the empress ever stare at herself and frown?

Does her reflection feel familiar with every new jewel? From another land stole, another colony to rule, Another place to conquer, another place to spread, Another war, more blood, more graveyard beds.

Do the soldiers ever wish she'd satisfy, And for once stop marching towards another site? Through bills and motions that do not affect her at all, Do her people ever will she would one day fall?

Do they call her as benevolent as her crown? Does she look at herself and feel proud? Or does the forced responsibility seal upon her brow, The burden of the throne to whom she bows.

See the empress was a maiden once, long long ago, With unruly hair and in biting cold, A maiden who suffered, who mourned, who grieved, What happened to that benevolent lady?

Why did she die and place this stone in her stead? Does she still live within, or is she buried dead? If she is simply buried, how deep is the hole, What would it take to bring back the empresses' soul?

Does she remember the conquest that led to her demise? At which point did she become misery in disguise? At what point did her warm heart freeze, So mercy for her subjects was nothing against her dreams.

The empress of long and plaited hair, Who wore her crown with an arrogant flare, Became ambition as much as she did pride, And killed the maiden who once lived inside.

--

dedicated to @inseasofgreen

[inseasofgreen]

Ryon has a silken windhound that is pretty much his pride and joy. Her name is Solaer and she deserves the world.

do your ocs have dogs?