#collection.my projects

[veneritia]

When Comes The Dawn | The Agonia

When Kaelstansa the Great felt the gaze of the Lantern Bearer turn to him, he looked upon his children and wondered which of them would have the means to continue his legacy. That night, when he laid his weary head to rest, the Fortune Weaver appeared in his dreams in the guise of a golden bird. “Set before them three challenges, beloved-of-mine,” commanded the goddess. “One for strength, one for guile, and the last to test their character. The one who passes all three will have my blessing, and your kingdom shall reign forever in glory.” — The Aetieriana

The Agonia: a colloquial term in the Aetierian Empire, referencing the endless battle between imperial heirs for the right to ascend to the imperial throne. Though having evolved from the King’s Game, this term is neither used nor referenced in any codified works of law.

THE KING'S GAME

Unlike the majority of kingdoms in Raia, the Empire of Aetier had no official rules that dictated the succession of the crown. Its founding ruler, King Kaelstansa the Great, set the precedent of the monarch choosing their heir regardless of birth order, forgoing the standards of male primogeniture and decreeing that only the most capable of his children would succeed him on the throne. He determined this by devising a game: a set of three challenges designed to test his children’s mettle, known by historians today as The King’s Game. While the exact nature of these challenges have been lost to history, the concept of testing each vi Aetier scion carried throughout the generations until—

THE DECADE OF BLOOD

The reign of Vasilier Belisarius II saw a great upheaval in the imperial court, owing in part to the increasing political power of the Serarium—the members of the imperial harem. As the primary parental figures of imperial heirs, members of the Serarium had a vested interest in the line of succession, often using their own families to advance their child’s position in the Vasilier’s eyes. However, the latter half of Belisarius II’s reign saw this struggle for power turn deadly. For years the imperial court was plagued with a string of murders, stillbirths, and conspiracies as consorts and heirs sabotaged one another to increase their chances of winning The Agonia before an official challenge was even designed.

In an attempt to end the tensions at court and the bloodbath in the Harem, Belisarius II made plans to hold an official Game to finally pick his heir. But before he could issue the challenge, tragedy struck when Belisarius II perished during a hunting a trip. With the Vasilier dead and no official heir appointed, the fight for the throne became a free-for-all.

Belisarius II’s consort-prima managed to quickly seize the imperial throne and the military surrounding Reanopoli— the old capital of Aetier—eliminated rival heirs within the capital, and crowned her twelve-year-old son, Atreus, the new Vasilier. She, along with her family, the House of Thysestes, formed a regency council and attempted to wrest control of the empire from the House of Aetier.

However, the House of Thyestes’ rule would not remain unchallenged as one of Belisarius II’s surviving children, Imperessor Leo vi Aetier, quickly returned in the middle of his Venusian Campaign upon hearing of his father’s death. The ten year civil war—the first since Aetier’s founding—saw immeasurable casualties on both sides, and eventually culminated into Imperessor Leo’s victory. After he was coronated as Vasilier Leo III on the summer solstice, he ordered for all mentions of Atreus and the House of Thysestes to be eradicated from history. Atreus was stripped of all his titles and his family name, and was executed along with the remaining members of House Thysestes at the age of twenty-one, a few days shy of his birthday.

THE ERA OF THREE CROWNS

Since the Decade of Blood, Aetierian history has been plagued by numerous civil wars, but none have had greater impact on the wider geopolitical landscape and the rules of the Agonia than the Era of Three Crowns.

Among Vasilier Arsenios I’s vast brood of children, three stood above the rest: Reilma-Imperessor Justinian, Kaisarim of Paros; Reilma-Imperessa Athanasia, Kaisarim of Iorousia; and Reilma-Imperessor Valens, Kaisarim of Kelainai. Equally talented, equally powerful, and equally backed by strong supporters, the Empire held its breath as the question of which among the three scions would inherit the imperial throne. Despite knowing that each of his three children were poised for another civil war, Arsenios I was reluctant to formally declare an heir, insistent on keeping the delicate balance of powers at the Imperial Court for as long as possible.

Only after his death did Arsenios I declare his chosen successor in his will— Justinian. But Justinian’s appointment was quickly contested by his half-siblings, accusing him and his family of conspiracy and forging an imperial edict as Aresnios I’s will was “found” by Justinian’s supporters.

The empire was quickly plunged into another civil war as each imperial heir declared themselves the true Vasilier and accused the others of being usurpers. From there, they split the empire into three territories: Justinian ruling from the Aetierian capital of Kaelstanopoli, Athanasia ruling to the east from Iorousia, and Valens governing the western territories from Kelainai. Eventually, Valens will move his seat of power to the province of Isidore, where the old capital of Reanopoli resides.

The repeated deadlocks and stalemates between all three sides had Aetier cracking at the seams. It was only when a fourth party—the kingdom of Leohthal—attempted to invade Valens’ territories to the West did the balance of power shift. With Valens distracted by the threat to his borders, Athanasia took this opportunity to push straight into the heart of Justinian’s territory, surprising his forces, capturing him, and then shaking his supporters by publishing the Artensian Papers. These papers were a confession, allegedly handwritten by Justinian’s mother before her death where she states that Justinian was sired by a knight errant. For Justinian—who already did not possess the trademark vi Aetier silver eyes—the Artensian Papers marred his reputation in a way that it could never recover from.

After being through the streets of Kaelstanopoli as a bastard pretender and usurper, Justinian was sentenced to death by beheading. Athanasia hung his severed head outside the walls of the city as a warning to Valens of the fate that would await him.

THE GREAT SCHISM

However the aftermath of Athanasia’s victory against Justinian and Valens’ successful repelling of the Leohthalian invasion left both sides severely weakened and unable to continue their conflict with each other. After a series of intense negotiations, Valens reluctantly agreed to relinquish his claim over the Aetierian throne and acknowledge Athanasia as the rightful Vasilier. In exchange, Valens was allowed to secede with his current territories in the west, creating the kingdom of Hesperia and establishing the House of Deominos as the ruling line with himself at the head.

Though Valens did not succeed in gaining the Aetierian throne for himself, he did manage to claim Kaelstansa’s ancestral lands in Reanopoli, as well as Kaelstansa’s burial grounds, which was a great blow to Aetierian pride.

THE SCION'S CODE

Seeing the devastation their civil war caused, Vasilier Athanasia I wanted to find a way to prevent competing claimants for the throne once an heir had been chosen. Her grand solution was instituting the Scion’s Code, an imperial edict that makes it lawful for the ascending heir to execute their siblings under the pretext of maintaining stability for the empire and the benefit of its citizens. Though kinslaying had thus been an age-old tradition at this point of the House of Aetier, this Scion’s code now made it legal and acceptable without having to find a more justifiable cause.

“The Agonia” as a term saw a resurgence after the Scion’s Code was passed. Instead of referring to the original King’s Game, or even the many great civil wars of the past, the Agonia now referred to the deadly games of succession played between imperial heirs, the harem, and the imperial court. No longer are the games of succession done for the sake of ambition, now it was one of survival. An empire or an execution. A crown or an axe. Victory or Death.

The Agonia is bloody. The players are ruthless. And for most imperial children, the game begins at birth.

TAGLIST (ask to be +/-)

@bloomingwrites @writinglyra @zmwrites @trapped-inadystopianovel @inky-duchess @aalinaaaaaa @seasteading @kaatiba @lazulis-stuff @serpentarii @sourrcandy @charlesjosephwrites @marrowwife @forever-and-almost-always @halcionic @caninemotiff @socialmediasocrates @zorya-km @smolandweirdwriter @floweryprosegarden

[veneritia]

WCTD duology in a nutshell: The estranged daughter of the emperor seeks to prove her worth to the throne by following a long-standing family tradition: familicide.

Can you introduce your WIP in one sentence?

[veneritia]

when comes the dawn monthly update {3.31.2025}

THE STATISTICS

the draft -> ????*** words written this month -> 5,027 words average word count per session -> 503 words words written this year -> 12,382 words

*** I've had to do some editing/revision so I'm not sure what the actual draft count is. I'm still working on assembling the scenes I've written into chapters so I can get a more accurate count

STORY NOTES

Fenice has been updated with a new ability: ghost vision. Now she has the opportunity to commune with her ancestors. This is not as fun as it sounds when your ancestors consist of kinslayers and their unfortunate victims.

Since Fenice is born with this ability I had to go back and update the earlier chapters to reference and make use of it more which led me to discovering--

how many Act 1 scenes I've completely skipped writing???? Last year I tried writing out of order to help with writers block but wow I left sooo many gaps. And since I'm having a little bit of a block writing some of the more intrigue heavy sections in the recent chapters, I decided to try and go patch up those holes while I try to get over this block.

Also decided to forgo splitting the book into the traditional 3 acts, but instead splitting it into multiple smaller acts

Made some slight tweaks to the reilma-imperessa/imperessor title so that it's something specific differentiate regular imperial heirs from ascended heirs

Aretos is getting a...small change in his backstory, specifically in relation to Fenice, which I hope will add a fun little facet to their dynamic with each other

The King's Game has been renamed to the Agonia

EXCERPT

“A triumph!” Fenice flicked her eyes towards the voice—gone hoarse from endless shouting. Standing atop the railing of her balcony, Saphynia cheered and crowed at the crimson river forming in front of Kaelstanopoli’s western gate. She’s dressed in her muddied and dented armor, helmet held above her head to shield her glass eyes from the sun. “When was the last time we had a proper triumph?” Saphynia’s gravelly laugh clashed sharply with her jovial attitude, cracked lips splitting into a wide grin. “Ah, I remember my own triumphs…to ride at the front of the army, to bear the golden laurel, to be marked in the purple— what I wouldn't give to be there again.” “Did you not celebrate five in your lifetime?” Fenice murmured. “Three of them within the span of a month, too.” Saphynia pivoted on her heel to stare down at her, feet dangerously close to the edge of the balcony, the long braid of her dark hair whipping around her. “Five glorious triumphs, but only five! Enough to whet the appetite but hardly enough to satiate it.” “I never imagined the Iron Queen to be unsatisfied with her victories.” “Ah, child, you know too little. Perhaps you will sing a different song when you’ve experienced the thrill of the entire world knelt at your feet.”

THE BLOG

View the worldbuilding post for The Agonia here. I'm pretty proud with how I fleshed out the history, and it became a pretty chunky post lmao. It includes historical events such as The Decade of Blood and The Era of Three Crowns

Aretos' birthday is April 1st!

I'm planning for the next wip post to be about the imperial titles used by the vi Aetiers but I'm not set on how exactly I want to do it

TAGLIST (ask to be +/-)

@bloomingwrites @writinglyra @zmwrites @trapped-inadystopianovel @inky-duchess @aalinaaaaaa @seasteading @kaatiba @lazulis-stuff @serpentarii @sourrcandy @charlesjosephwrites @marrowwife @forever-and-almost-always @halcionic @caninemotiff @socialmediasocrates @zorya-km @smolandweirdwriter @floweryprosegarden

[veneritia]

04.01 — Happy Birthday Aretos vi Aetier!

IN ANOTHER WORLD THERE MAY HAVE BEEN a different victor of the Agonia. Had a single person stepped out or stepped in, or the winds had blown east instead of west, or the Thousand-Faced God changed their whims, or the Fortune-Weaver favored a different heir, perhaps there would have been a different person on the throne of Aetier. And in that world there would have been the happiest prince in all the realms-- beloved, cherished, and so certain of his own place in the world. Behold the reilma-imperessor Aretos vi Aetier, prince of princes, son of Astaria the Great, he who stands heir to the throne of the empire eternal!

But this is not that world.

And instead, there is you.

-

psd coloring by cavalierfou and tuschen

@bloomingwrites @writinglyra @zmwrites @trapped-inadystopianovel @inky-duchess @aalinaaaaaa @seasteading @kaatiba @lazulis-stuff @serpentarii @sourrcandy @charlesjosephwrites @marrowwife @forever-and-almost-always @halcionic @caninemotiff @socialmediasocrates @zorya-km @smolandweirdwriter @floweryprosegarden

[veneritia]

when comes the dawn monthly update {02.28.2025}

THE STATISTICS

the draft → 65,945 words words written this month → 1,347 words average word count per session this month → 337 words words written this year → 7,335 words

STORY NOTES

Not much writing done this much. Got a little burned out from IRL stuff, but I tried to make even a little bit of progress!

Finished the meeting between Fenice and High Commander Selene Doriaskora, so now we're switching gears and introducing a much older character that hasn't been mentioned in a good while: Lady Yorah (who is, fun fact, not an actual titled Lady but everyone calls her that regardless.)

Reminding myself again that I'm technically writing draft 0.5 so I'm allowed to skip to the meat of a scene so Ic an move this story along

Did some light editing on the previous scenes/chapters of the draft! There's quite a few scenes that I'll end up cutting in the end, but that's all for the best.

EXCERPT

Fenice might’ve been young but she wasn't so foolish as to walk into a strange room without some kind of protection. She was the Kaisarim of Isidore, and beyond that she was vi Aetier, born in the purple that entailed both glory and danger alike. “It is your master that requested an audience with me. She has quite the gall to dictate the terms of our meeting like this." Gesturing to Leda, “Let my companion enter so that I may be assured of my safety. If she deems it passable, then I am more than willing to treat with your Lady alone as promised.”

THE BLOG

Planned upcoming WIP posts:

The King's Game [updated version]

The Era of Three Crowns

The Royal House of Deominos

TAGLIST (ask to be +/-)

@bloomingwrites @writinglyra @zmwrites @trapped-inadystopianovel @inky-duchess @aalinaaaaaa @seasteading @kaatiba @serpentarii @lazulis-stuff @sourrcandy @charlesjosephwrites @marrowwife @forever-and-almost-always @halcionic @caninemotiff @socialmediasocrates @zorya-km @smolandweirdwriter @floweryprosegarden

[veneritia]

Aretos -> Fenice -> Charles

i think "guy who thinks another guy is his sworn enemy but the other guy is just normal about it" is one of the better and funnier tropes ever

[veneritia]

when comes the dawn monthly update {01.30.2025}

First monthly update of the new year!

THE STATISTICS

the draft → 64,598 words * words written this month → 6,008 words average word count per session this month → 501 words words written this year → 6,008 words

* my draft is spread across multiple docs so this number may not be 100% accurate

STORY NOTES

We have another Nike POV scene! Ft. Nike being the complete opposite of a wife guy, and a grown ass man pouting over having to wear green because his wife told him to :( (but with everything the guy's been through, he deserves to pout)

Fenice comes out of the gate swinging and decides that the best way to build a base of power and influence is by alienating herself from potential allies. Don't worry, Leda is there to tell her that that's a stupid plan actually

New character unlocked: [High Commander Selene Doriaskora]

I've decided to lean a lot more into Fenice and Charles' relationship from this point on and put a lot more emphasis on the fact that 1) they've known each other since they were kids and are in fact the closest among the vi Aetier siblings, and 2) allying herself with Charles is Fenice's best chance of surviving the King's Game until she becomes a strong enough candidate on her own

I'm way too scared to go back into earlier chapters and fix them to make them fall in line with the new directions I'm taking because I'm afraid that I'll end up slashing 70% of them, so we're just gonna wait until I finish act 1 to do that.

EXCERPT

“My good lords and ladies,” she spoke, ringed fingers drumming staccato at the head of her armrest. “My Imperial father has sent me here with two missions in mind. The first is on a hunt.” She lets the word ring clear through the air, letting it sink into every person’s mind. “The man known as Isandros Deominos is to be  branded a criminal. An enemy of the state. He will be caught, and he will be executed as per the will of His Imperial Majesty. Those who are found to be aiding Isandros, whether it be harboring him, cooperating with his schemes, or failing to provide any information as to his plans or whereabouts, will be found guilty of treason and punished to the full extent of the law.”

Fenice sat back, her eyes hardened. “He may have once been a prince to all of you, but now he is simply nothing more than a man running on borrowed time. His fate is inevitable, and the Fortune-Weaver has turned her gaze away from him. Loyalty to a dying man will earn you nothing.” And then as if a page was flipped, or the mask changed, her face became warm again and Fenice smiled serenely at her audience as if she did not just condemn Nike’s brother to die. “But I am not just here as an executioner, no. His Imperial Majesty has tasked me with bringing peace and order to the land, and that is exactly what I intend to do.”

BLOG STUFF

Check out my 2025 resolution bingo for this month's WTW event! It features all of my writing goals for WCTD

TAGLIST (ask to be +/-)

@bloomingwrites @writinglyra @zmwrites @trapped-inadystopianovel @inky-duchess @aalinaaaaaa @seasteading @kaatiba @serpentarii @lazulis-stuff @sourrcandy @charlesjosephwrites @marrowwife @forever-and-almost-always @halcionic @caninemotiff @socialmediasocrates @zorya-km @smolandweirdwriter @floweryprosegarden

[veneritia]

april 2024 camp nano wip intro - when comes the dawn

this is just something silly :)

taglist: @bloomingwrites @writinglyra @zmwrites @trapped-inadystopianovel @inky-duchess @aalinaaaaaa @seasteading @kaatiba @lazulis-stuff @serpentarii @sourrcandy @charlesjosephwrites @marrowwife @forever-and-almost-always @halcionic

Slide transcripts under the cut!

[TRANSCRIPT BEGINS]

Slide 1: Title slide

When Comes the Dawn, book 1 of 2

Slide 2: wdym my fantasy story has to have magic?

Set in a fantasy world loosely set in the late antiquities/early middle ages., where everyone alive has the capability to harness magic. But actually using it requires strict and intensive education (and maybe a phD or 5) so most people only know very basic spells.

In Trinitarian belief, it’s believed that the goddess Meidther gave her blood to bring humans to life, and because of that people are imbued with magic. No living person can be alive without magic because it’s literally impossible! Wait -- the emperor of Aetier has a what????

So there’s this weird phenomenon where on very rare occasions, babies will be born without magic. Called “deadbornes”, these babies are incompatible with life and usually end up passing away minutes to days later. With one notable exception (we’ll circle back to this later)

Slide 3: the set-up

The Empire of Aetier (or if you ask any local: “the gods’ specialist little empire”) has a very unique way of handling succession in the imperial family. That way is murder. Just murder. All heirs plot against one another in a formal-informal system called “The King’s Game.” It’s supposed to be a competition of skills, but it’s kind of warped itself into state-sanctioned fratricide (NOT to be confused with a battle royale. That’s just uncouth /j)

The last King’s Game ended 22 years ago, when Dantalion vi Aetier defeated and killed his half-sister in battle. As the victor, he crowned himself the new Vasilier of the empire and proceeded to bring in a new golden age of prosperity for his people. And nothing is wrong and everything is beautiful, and there is no way this can go wrong

... right?

It all starts on the day Fenice was born... where instead of being the healthy and uber powerful child Dantalion expected her to be, Fenice turns out to be a deadborne. Deadbornes are considered harbingers of ill omens, and siring one is a terrible way to start your new reign. And even stranger still is the fact that Fenice...doesn’t die? Someone call the priest and ask them what does it mean if your death omen refuses to go away

Slide 4: The plot

The end of the Hesperia-Aetier war brought new lands under the Empire’s rule, and with it, new ways to gain power and prestige in the Imperial Court. The biggest thorn in the empire atm is that Hesperia’s last king is still wandering the lands somewhere, waiting to strike.

Imperessa Fenice vi Aetier (who’s still alive and kicking) just lost her mom in the war, and now she’s desperate to prove herself to her estranged father that she’s more than a disappointment and wasted potential. And what better way to do that than to succeed him as the next Vasilier?

The problem? Only those that undergo an Ascension are considered legitimate contenders for the throne. The other problem? Dantalion won’t give her one.

Fenice: “Trade offer: I receive my own province to rule and an Ascension. You receive the head of the deposed king of Hesperia.” Dantalion: “Deal. But you have to marry his brother though” Fenice: “What”

[in big, bold, italicized font] disclaimer: this is not a romance

Slide 5: The plot pt. 2

Now wedded and gifted with a province of her own to rule , Fenice actually has to set-up her own power base and follow through with her end of the deal to find and kill the runaway king, as well as extinguish the rebellions he’s so keen on igniting.

But the more she looks for him, the more she realizes he’s being backed by someone much more powerful. But who?

And on totally unrelated note, there seems to be some weird rumors going around of some guy claiming to be Aretos vi Aetier, the son of the very same person Dantalion killed during the King’s Game 20+ years back. But that’s obviously fake news. Surely no one will fall for it!

Slide 6: The POV characters

[image description, the slide is split into two parts with fenice on the left and nikephoros on the right. end image description]

[heading ] fenice vi aetier

[image description: a face claim of the character is displayed on an arched frame, the model is female,has long red hair, pale skin, and an intense gaze]

20, she/her, imperessor of Aetier, Kaisarim of Isidore

the deadborne child that just won’t die

The most calculative and petty bitch you will ever meet

Has the constitution of a sick Victorian lady

Has an inferiority complex so bad it loops back around to a superiority complex

May have met god. not entirely sure

(Debuff) (unremovable) an off-putting aura that cancels out all magic in her immediate vicinity

Ginger

She’s soooo aroace

[heading ] nikephoros deominos

[image description: a face claim of the character is displayed on an arched frame, the model is male, has short light brown hair, is wearing a red sweater, and has his chin tucked into the crook of his arm, while leaning off the arm of a sofa. end image description.]

24, he/him, prince-consort, prince of Hesperia

has been having the worst day of his life for 5 years in a row and counting

his country? conquered. his brother? in hiding. his sister? captive. himself? trying not to die of liver failure

the opposite of a wife guy, the only person he hates more than his wife is his father-in-law loves his family, would be nice to see them though.

generally a nice guy but recent events has him very stressed and angry 24/7

has murderous urges almost all the time

At the bottom middle of the slide it says "married in body but divorced in spirit."

Slide 7: Major characters (spar's notes edition)

(no pictures bc face claimsare hard :(

[heading] dantalion vi aetier

47, he/him, vasilier of the empire

a living legend that all history nerds of the future would study

the dilfiest dilf to ever dilf

has many kids. is a father to maybe one of them

has many wives. is a husband to one, maybe two of them

canonically extremely pretty

surprisingly the only vi aetier to recieve the “kinslayer” epithet despite all previous generations also...slaying kin

Is a wife guy but for a specific wife only

conquered Hesperia as a pride thing

[heading] titania of taul

45, she/her, late vasilia of the empire

the most badass woman to ever walk the face of the earth

mother to fenice and first wife to the guy on the left

she dies before the book starts but she’s still present in the story because death has nothing on her

has many fun epithets such as “the strongest mage,” and “the scourge of men”

Titania is to Hesperians as Hannibal was to the Romans

A+ fighter, B+ mom

Not brought up or relevant in the story, but did you know no one knows who her mother is. One day, her dad just walked out into the wilderness to hunt and then a couple weeks or months later came back with Titania. no explanation was given

Slide 8: major characters cont.

[heading] andras vi drochona

44, he/him, imperessor of Aetier

Dantalion’s only full-blooded sibling, and also his only living sibling

the vasilier’s right hand man

lopped off his own sword arm to prove his loyalty

Designated a forever bachelor by the government

terrible at being comforting

likes to mess with his nieces and nephews

[heading] charles vi aetier

18, he/him, imperessor of Aetier

dantalion’s second child

everyone’s favorite person and can do no wrong

has to always be ok or he’ll detonate like a nuke

achilles coded bi-disaster, take that however you will

a disney prince trapped in game of thrones someone please help this boy out he just wants his family to get along

absolute mama’s boy

[heading] sola eidos

27, he/him

that is not his real name, he made it up

could be the star of his own book ngl

primarily deals in information nowadays but sometimes he misses the adrenaline rush that comes from a well-executed assassination. this is what lands him in fenice’s hands

his secrets have secrets, that’s why his hair is so big

slide 9: major characters cont.

[heading] isandros deominos

28, he him, king of Hesperia

Nike’s older half-brother

Had the worst start of a reign ever. He’s proclaimed king and then immediately has to flee into hiding

hates Aetier with a burning passion

is Stressed TM and in dire need for some hot cocoa

[heading] leda vi bryennia

48, she/her, honored fidari

long story short, she once witnessed Titania fight and covered in blood and had such a massive girl-crush she swore to be Titania’s knight the second she was asked

helped raise fenice and is now serves her as her guardian/protector. that is her child thank you very much

had a shounen-style rivals-to-friends-to-lovers arc with fellow fidari Thetis. It’d be great if it wasn’t for their explosive break-up

[heading] sartore vitae

28, he/him

he can mansplain, manipulate, and manwhore his way into and out of any situation

has a cool eye-patch

is maybe a little too invested with Fenice’s relationship with her father

he WISHES he was as cool as lelouch lamperouge

+ many more characters! (seriously this cast is huge)

slide 10: featuring

way too much extraneous worldbuilding

court intrigue

morally dark gray protagonist

family as your allies and family as your enemies

lots of near-death experiences

no romantic subplot!

too many code geass references

slide 11: camp nano goals

write everyday

2wrte 15,000 words total

reach 50,000 words on my draft

slide 12: fin

[image description: the final slide is full of discord screenshots of funny jokes and commentary about the wip. ]

[end transcript]

[veneritia]

when comes the dawn monthly update {11.30.2024}

Long time no see ;)

THE STATISTICS

the draft -> 47,526 words words written this month -> 8,764 words total words written this year -> 45,750 words

STORY NOTES

I reworked a lot of things with the draft including Fenice's position in Isidore, Hesperia's power structure, Sola's introduction, etc.

Charles has also now obtained a Traumatic Event TM in his backstory!

In totally unrelated news, there is not a new vi Aetier siblings on the family tree, but don't worry he doesn't make an appearance in the wip.

Fenice and Charles now have a more dynamic and closer sibling relationship

EXCERPTS

Click image for better quality or read the transcript in the image description

BLOG STUFF

No big changes but I'll probably start making more worldbuilding posts, since a lot of the ones I have on here need some updating

TAGLIST

@bloomingwrites @writinglyra @zmwrites @trapped-inadystopianovel @inky-duchess @aalinaaaaaa @seasteading @kaatiba @lazulis-stuff @serpentarii @sourrcandy @charlesjosephwrites @marrowwife @forever-and-almost-always @halcionic @caninemotiff @socialmediasocrates @zorya-km @smolandweirdwriter @floweryprosegarden

[veneritia]

my cinnamon roll: charles

my poor little meow meow: six

Idc if you think "poor little meow meow" is annoying, it's not the same as "cinnamon roll/smol bean" and you KNOW this. Cinnamon roll and smol bean were cutesy complimentary words used to mean "precious" or "adorable." When I call someone a poor little meow meow I am embodying the essence of a wealthy victorian widow lifting the chin of a shivering street urchin with her cane.

[veneritia]

when comes the dawn monthly update {12.31.2024}

Happy New Year everyone!

THE STATISTICS

the draft → 58,590 words words written this month → 2,532 words total words written this year → 48,282 words

total word count vs month

I've reached the 50k milestone woo!! It turns out that my word count tracker was not counting everything that I've written because of some weird formatting issue, so idk how long ago I actually hit the milestone but you know what we're just gonna celebrate it now.

STORY NOTES

We're still in Act 1 set-up hell

Nike has acquired one (1) friend. On the flip-side, he's also gained two (2) spies in his household. Overall, he's doing terribly.

EXCERPT

GOALS FOR NEXT YEAR

Streamline my tracker

Share some more worldbuilding posts

Plan a more consistent writing schedule and stick to it

FINISH ACT 1 AND START ACT 2

Not gonna make this very long, but I just wanted to say how surprised I am at how effective these monthly progress updates have been. Sure I fell off a couple of times, but wow it's amazing to see how far I've come. Can you believe that I started the year with 10k words, and now I'm over 50k??? That's more words than I've ever had on a project!!

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[veneritia]

WHEN COMES THE DAWN | a wip reintroduction

↳ General Info

genre: new adult fantasy court intrigue pov: 3rd person dual pov stage: re-planning/drafting started: 9.3.2023 projected word count: ~90k Book 1 of 2

FENICE VI AETIER, a portent of ill omens and the estranged daughter of the Vasilier, ignites a dangerous succession game between her and her half-siblings, where losing means death and winning means an empire.

The end of the Hes-Aei war brings with it a chance to prove her worth to her father. The challenge is simple: bring him the head of the deposed king of Hesperia, and Fenice will be granted an Ascension, marking her as a legitimate contender for the throne. But finding the defeated king in his own lands would prove to be harder than Fenice imagined— especially when the remnants of her father’s last war starts rearing its head.

↳ The King's Game

A system decreed by the first emperor of Aetier that whoever among his children is the most skillful shall inherit his crown. But time has warped the rules of inheritance dramatically. The only way to survive is to win, and the only way to win is to be the last one standing.

↳ The Major Players

FENICE VI AETIER ◇ the contender | The worst-kept secret of the imperial family, and now an unknown factor in the politics of the Aetier court. The King's Game is her chance to stake her place in history. What she seeks is glory eternal, and she will do whatever it takes to get it.

NIKEPHOROS DEOMINOS ◇ the serpent | The prince of a conquered kingdom, now nothing more than a war prize. He muffles his anger with practiced smiles, playing the game of deception even as it tears him apart at the seams. He will lose either way, all that matters is deciding what he can bear losing.

CHARLES VI AETIER ◇ the favorite | The Vasilier's son with the world at the palm of his hand. The lonely prince with a gentle heart and a willingness to turn a blind eye to the cracks in his perfect family.

SOLA EIDOS ◇ the hound | A man of of unknown origin and a shadowed past, his real name buried beneath the soil of his homeland. He is an information broker, a spy, an assassin-- if you pay the right price. The one thing that can never be bought is his loyalty, a worthy master is hard to find.

SARTORE VITAE ◇ the enigma | An eccentric noble from Leohnthal who can charm his way to a seat at every table. Great with words and even better at half-truths, he is a man that sheds faces as easily as a snake sheds its skin.

Find more WCTD content with the series tag #series.wctd and keep an eye out for monthly progress updates with #wctd-monthly -- the first post coming soon!

Tagging: @sourrcandy @helioselene @seasteading @writinglyra @socialmediasocrates @serpentarii @asa-writes-stuff @cheshawrites @atelierwriting

[veneritia]

when comes the dawn monthly update {4.30.2024}

not me being massively late in posting this and also ignoring my draft oops lets all pretend i posted this in april

THE STATISTICS

the draft → 44,247 words words written this month → 6,441 words total words written this year → 35,384 words hours spent writing this month → 9 hours

APRIL CAMP NANO SUMMARY

6,441/15,000 words written. As always...nano's schedule is so not student friendly lmao.

STORY NOTES

Rewrote the aftermath of the banquet scene twice. Still not totally satisfied with what I went with, but at least it won't overcomplicate and derail the plot

Expanded more on Marius Tracellis. He now has a secret librarian boyfriend <3

Added a new scene towards the beginning of the draft and rewrote the aftermath of Titania's funeral. I'm planning on adding a scene between Dantalion and Fenice that's....not quite family bonding but it's certain something.

I got burned out during the majority of April between final exams and nano, so I'll be taking a short break on the wctd draft and will be focusing on lighter stuff like character studies and the like.

EXCERPTS

BLOG STUFF

I might also take a hiatus from posting the weekly updates, since there really isn't all that much to update on

TAGLIST UNDER THE CUT [ask to be +/-)

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[veneritia]

when comes the dawn monthly update {4.2.2024}

This was supposed to be posted yesterday but considering I posted like 2 wip things that day + the april fools boopfest, I thought it'd be better to hold off till today lol

THE STATISTICS

the draft → 39,251 words words written this month → 8,008 words total words written this year → 28,943 words hours spent writing this month → 12 hours

STORY NOTES

my struggles this month were centered around 2 major and somewhat lengthy scenes: the poisoning scene at the banquet and Sola's introduction

Reworked the poisoning scene. Changed the route of the poison, and instead of Fenice noticing and successfully avoiding the assassination attempt, she notices the poison a second too late

Aspects of Sola's introduction were also changed. Instead of Sola successfully escaping Fenice and Leda at the banquet and necessitating his search to have a second meeting, Leda prevents Sola from escaping allowing Fenice to make a deal with him then and there

Added an interlude between Dantalion and Andras!

Rethinking some stuff about my current magic system. No concrete changes just yet, but I know that I definitely want to change it

EXCERPTS

BLOG STUFF

I'll be participating in camp nano! You can find my powerpoint wip intro here

Camp nano updates will be weekly and tagged with #event.camp nano april 2024 It'll be posted along side my usual weekly progress updates

Aretos had his birthday on April 1st! You can find the post here

TAGLIST UNDER THE CUT

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[veneritia]

when comes the dawn — the principal actors

Fenice Eucleia Titaniae vi Aetier

"I cannot be a threat if I have no fangs to bite."

i. 20 years old. She/Her. Her Imperial Highness the Imperessa, Kaisarim of Isidore.

ii. A princess and the blight of her father's golden age. A girl that's been dead since the day she was born and yet still breathes. Even if the whole world wishes it so, she refuses to live in obscurity, refuses to die forgotten. Calculative and shrewd, she grasps at any opportunity for advancement that she can, clawing her way to power even if she must sacrifice pieces of herself to attain it.

iii. If the gods have seen it fit to let her live, then there must be a reason for it. And if there is not, then she will carve her destiny into the stars with her own hands.

Nikephoros Deominos

Nikephoros’s eyes burned with rage, teeth bared in a blood-stained smile. “No.”

i. 24 years old. He/Him. His Highness the Prince Consort, prince of Hesperia

ii. The once proud prince laid low. Rage runs through his veins like fire, tempered only by the desire to keep his younger sister safe. Charming, witty, and handsome when he isn't spilling vitriol from his mouth. Once upon a time he was a man certain of his place in the world, but now he must continuously spin himself a convoluted web of reasons to justify his ever shifting loyalties.

iii. All that he wants is to protect those who are precious to him.

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[veneritia]

when comes the dawn — major players ; the imperessa's circle

Leda Bryennia as THE GUARDIAN

Forty-eight. She/her. Honored Fidari of the Imperessa Fenice. Leda has served Fenice all her life under different roles, but now she is Fenice's oath-bound fidari, sworn to protect and serve until her dying breath.

Sola Eidos as THE HOUND

Twenty-seven. He/Him. A man of many talents. When a botched job lands Sola under the imperessa's thumb, he must decide whether to bow his head or face the executioner's axe.

Caius as THE HEALER

Twenty-four. They/Them. Caius mends fractured bones and broken skin to atone for a sin that is not theirs, and is burdened by knowledge that can devastate armies and change the course of war.

Necenia Pollonis as THE KEEPER

Twenty. She/her. Mystikoi of the Imperessa Fenice. Daughter of one of the Nine Great Houses of Isidore, her sharp wit and even sharper memory lands her a position in the Imperessa's household-- a noteworthy achievement, if only the Imperessa wasn't the enemy of her family.

Thetis as THE WATCHER

Forty-eight. She/her. Commander of The Vasilier's Sanctorian Guard. The last thing she wants to do is babysit the new Kaisarim of Isidore, but the Vasiler's word is law, and she will fulfill her duties even if she must confront the heart she buried long ago.

Marius Tracellis as THE TURNCOAT

Thirty-six. He/him. Vice Governor of Isidore. The arrival of the new Kaisarim has made his position vulnerable, and having incurred enmity from both sides, he must find whatever protection he can to maintain all that he's earned.

[psd coloring by tuschen]

taglist under the cut (ask to be +/-):

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