#sukatara roha

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Last Line Tag

Thank you so much for the tag @cirianne! This is coming from the Sukatara Roha in a little scene that I will have finished shortly.

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 If she tilted her head upwards, she could see the stars. They stuttered, cold and hard and clear, like music notes, like the sound of metal ringing on metal as swords clashed, like the shouts gone hoarse as ideas turned into action. 

A breeze twisted the snow and the flames together, whistling with an eerie double tone. Wind was a strange thing. She always fancied that it was a message bearer for the gods, sending . Perhaps the gods did not like this message, she thought as the metallic smell of blood reached her nose.

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I don’t know a ton of people, but I’ll tag @alcego-writes @the-writing-prick and @wildler. No pressure of course!

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Some character design sketches for the Sukatara Roha I’m sorry I can’t draw please be nice

I’ll introduce these characters soon I swear! But for now, suffice it to say that the one on the left is Empress Rel Talath, our villain, and the one on the right is Commander Ahala Rila, our protagonist

If anyone wants to be on the taglist for this WIP just let me know!

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Now introducing: Sukatara Roha

Friends and Enemies, Lovers and Haters, Jocks and Nerds and Goths alike, allow me to introduce you to my main WIP: the Sukatara Roha!

 I’m super excited to start working on it in earnest, but since everything is very loosely thought out, even this summary may be subject to change. But anyway, here it is!

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 The armies of Light and Darkness have been at war since the dawn of time. Today, it seems that Light has won; the elvish Empire of Light has stood unchallenged for a thousand years, reveling in a golden age of art and culture as its well-trained armies have continued to advance, bringing a constant flow of prosperity to the Empire. But the Empire’s enemies are no longer content to wait in the shadows, and there have been disturbing rumors of a new weapon formed of dark magic, one with the power to tear apart reality itself...

Commander Rila prepares to lead the first major offensive strike against the Empire in a thousand years. Chief Scientist Taslow pursues a new, dangerous line of experimentation as he desperately works to keep his friends safe. Empress Talath struggles to hold her empire together as forces both foreign and domestic threaten to tear it apart. This is the their tale-- and that of their allies-- as they walk the line between victory and the destruction of all they hold dear.

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Okay, forgive me the melodramatic summary, I’m just excited 😊 I know it sounds a bit tropey, but I hope I’ll be able to include enough twists to make it interesting (and subvert expectations a bit.) Expect legends, political theory, themes of war and reconciliation, non-linear storytelling (because I’m having trouble actually figuring out the central plot lol), strong platonic relationships, philosophical discussions, and perhaps some romance although it probably won’t be the main focus.

 I intend to post the first bit of lore or some character interviews shortly. See you then!

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Happy STA! Which one of your characters is mostly to get into a bar fight and why? Do you think they’d win?

Hi, thanks for the ask! Hmm. Well, you would think it would be Rashtoya because of her temper, but it would actually be Taslow. He would probably steal some stuff to experiment with and accidentally insult somebody, then get punted out the door like a football. Does it count as “winning the fight” if he calls in his two badass soldier friends to bail him out of trouble?

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**Table of Contents**

Hi! I just wanted to organize my writing a bit here :) If anyone is interested in seeing a more general list of my work, check out my writing tag! (Expand for the table of contents)

Sukatara Roha— (working title and summary: subject to change) Basically three distinguished elves wear fancy clothes and try to save a crumbling empire while two sapphic human soldiers and one aroace human scientist run around and set things on fire. But there’s magic, and it’s in space so!! Should be fun!!

OC sketches Intro Information

James Green— non-linear realistic fiction piece about an ordinary dude with a big heart. Still in the beginning so those themes aren’t really clear yet (even to me) but that’s what I’m hoping for! (tag: james green)

part 1, part 2, part 3

Short stories—archive of short, quick stories and poems in 1,000 words or less

Gaia’s Laughter, Forbidden Fire, Sweep the Porch, Icarus Must Fall, Playlists and Pentagrams

Ms. O’Leary’s Dandelions— short story about a witch with some peculiar attitudes about landscaping, an exasperated teenager, and some particularly nosy neighbors

part 1, part 2

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Happy Storyteller Saturday! What is your favourite trope or theme in your WIP(s)?

Happy STS! For the Sukatara Roha, it’s probably the found family trope tbh. I love it when the characters on a quest start out not really trusting each other, but grow together to be A Team™ and find a home that they were missing. For Ms. O’Leary’s dandelions, I kind of love the juxtaposition of the Very Normal neighborhood with the one single Very Eccentric resident, Ms. O’Leary. But then again, it might just be that she’s the only visibly eccentric one...  

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Please tell me more about Sukatara Roha because the small summary you have made me really curious.

Omg thank you so much for your interest!! You just made my day my guy. I meant to put together a legit powerpoint synopsis at some point but I, ah, well, forgot. This won’t be that sophisticated but I would love to talk about it a little more! (sorry for the long answer)

Characters:

Ahala Rila-- she/her; human; wlw but not interested in relationships at first; our protagonist!

 type A, likes plans, likes being a good person, likes it when things are Not On Fire

things are usually on fire and the world is a complicated place (cue the internal turmoil)

was newly made a commander and wants to prove herself

cinnamon roll, will kill you but will probably cry about it

Rashtoya Degala-- she/her; human; bisexual; if I called her a sidekick she would probably punch me in the face

stubborn, hot-tempered but idealistic

sarcastic bean under a veneer of caustic professionalism

big muscles, very stronk (not plot relevant but I thought you should know)

Would eat a three month old hot cheeto off of the floor on a dare (or probably just for fun tbh)

Zaphael Taslow-- he/him; human; aeroace; just here for the data collection and the explosions 

curious, very smart

young, smol, you love him until he steals your shoelaces

self centered, but not on purpose, has some sweet ideas about How Science Can Help People

That friend who was cursed at birth with a complete lack of impulse control

Rel Telath-- alien genders are not human genders but would have humans refer to her with she/her pronouns; elf; our antagonist!

Empress, does not see imperialism as problematic :(

Does see the crumbling military front, the over-extension of the empire, and the inefficient nepotism of the bureaucracy as a problem what do you mean this whole thing was an excuse to analyze historical systems haha that’s crazy

Kind of impulsive, stressed, too young and inexperienced for this, wants to sleep for the next 1,000 years

Would not eat a hot cheeto under any circumstances because “they’re too spicy”

Kaj Helak-- would probably use he/him if he deigned to conform to human conventions

think evil Spock

Very Utilitarian, loves politics and manipulation

Intensely loyal to ideas, and like 2 people

Would sell everyone else to Satan for half a corn chip

Mev Rasaj-- would use they/them; elf; the Mom Friend with all the good advice

pacifist but will fight to protect people

How are you this well adjusted working for a slightly cultish imperial dictatorship? Asking for a friend

Mage; likes learning stuff and gathering information

Would not be able to climb six flights of stairs without taking a break and also complaining a lot (same)

Plot!! (Maybe? I’m trying I swear)

Okay so basically this whole idea arose when I decided I wanted to do something that deliberately subverted tropes, but then I discovered that it is hard to subvert tropes because they exist for a reason, but here’s the general structure:

Part 1: The humans are a defiant group on the fringe of the Empire, which spans multiple galaxies. They were not considered a threat for over a thousand years, but they recently figured out a method of energy manipulation that can challenge the power of the godlike entity powering the Empire’s growth. Ahala Rila is sent, along with the mage Zaphael Taslow and the Captain Rashtoya Degala, to gather more information and turn this knowledge into a weapon. Meanwhile, Raj Telath is crowned Empress after the death of her father. She finds that she has inherited a nation rotting from the inside, with corruption rampant and wealth quickly evaporating. Along with her advisor Kaj Helak and the mage Mev Rasaj, she must strengthen the empire and solve the institutional challenges that have been accumulating for centuries to save her fracturing throne, all while preparing to become a vessel for the omniscient and powerful Patriarch, like the rulers before her.  

Part 2: After the Big Disaster (sorry no spoilers so I gotta be vague) Rel Telath and Ahala Rila find themselves faced with a common enemy. Rel Telath must re-evaluate her worldview. Rila must plead her case before the Human Council of Worlds and find a way to make them accept the unlikely information about the Empire. They must find a way to defeat the greater powers threatening to rip the universe apart, while also navigating their own feelings and their nations’ fraught, painful history-- as well as Rel’s part in it.

This is already obscenely long so I think I should address worldbuilding separately. As a disclaimer, names/ genders/ sexualities/ the finer details of characterization are all still in flux! I am still trying to get a solid read on some of the characters. Once again, thank you so much for your interest!! I hope this answers some of your questions about the Sukatara Roha :)

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Captain Ahala Rila

In other circumstances, it could have been comforting. The flames licked at wooden boards, lending the crisp, night air a rosy glow. Snow swirled just outside of the flames’ reach, and they hissed and popped, slowly climbing upwards. If she tilted her head upwards, she could see the stars. They stuttered, cold and hard and clear, like music notes, like the sound of metal ringing on metal as swords clashed, like the shouts gone hoarse as ideas turned into action. A breeze swirled the snow and the flames, whistling with an eerie double tone. Wind was a strange thing, often seen as a message bearer. Perhaps Hermes did not like this message, she thought as the metallic smell of blood reached her nose. With great effort, she rolled her head to the side. The fire roared even louder now, a battle cry of its own as it fought the snow for custody of the remains of her house. Falling debris from the roof had blocked the entrance; there was no way out. 

She turned her gaze back to the stars, and drew her baby close. 

“They’re beautiful, aren’t they.” The mother and her newborn child lay there, watching as the stars were slowly obscured by dark, dry smoke. Eventually, the mother’s hand fell away.

The stars in the sky had shifted. There was a lightness about the east, threatening to eventually engulf the horizon in a blaze of golden glory. The sky had cleared of clouds, the small patch of starlight engulfing the blizzard. The remains of the house lay in ruins, glowing with red embers; the fire had lost its fight with the snow. 

Footsteps approached, crunching as snow, ash, and arrowheads were crushed underfoot. Slowly, a figure emerged from the haze of smoke and steam. It paused in the doorway.

“Oh,” she gasped, spotting the dead woman. She rushed over and knelt next to the corpse. “Civilians,” she murmured, her eyes widening. She pushed the corpse’s hair behind its pointed ear. Her face hardened. “We had no choice,” she whispered to herself. Heavy footsteps crunched as two more figures entered the ruins of the house.