Double Chapter Post and Picspirations

Alexander McQueen's runway inspires my inner fantasy costume nerd. This dress design is the picspration for the Angel's second dress.

The Game Is The Game

So when I first wrote Lux I wrote it knowing that Seraphina and Paris were destined for one another. . . and that Sera wanted to stop it.

Remember in Lux when Isobel is about to get shot and Seraphina takes the bullet for her

“Demon”, her voice a fading whisper, “You know why I threw myself on Isobel Charter ?”

I held onto to her final words to Isobel.

“I told the Prince, Angels have a good sense for things like this. He needs you”

Love.

Angels have a good sense for love.

What Sera really mean is she wants to die because Paris needs Isobel, not someone as messed up as her.

Sera's Backstory

Sera's backstroy was supposed to be in Lux. Her backstory being she killed a Demon who took quarters in her house as a child. I wanted it to go in Chapter 12 of LA but she was supposed to be dying and it seemed unrealistic for her to have time to say all that, talk about her wings and for Paris to figure out she was the one who blinded Ashe.

Seraphina/Paris' Dream

There is a slight kind of abstract hint that Seraphina knew about Paris' dream

Sera says this in Chapter 2 of Bellum I

. . .I remember being a girl and hiding by a stream that seemed alive with music and nymphs ?”, She brushes back her hair.

Then in Paris' Dream

The Angel looks in awe at the stream, closing its eyes to hear the sound of nymphs whispering and laughing in the grove.

I thought someone would remember this because. . . I don't mention nymphs very often.

Picspirations

I found some more picspiration including one for Titus. Those arms.

This photoset featuring a Sports Illustrated model and Footballer/Model illustrated the power  shows the struggle between Sera and Paris to me. Interesting to note the guy is the nude one in this photoset.

Chapter 11 Recap

Seraphina breaks up with Paris. . . but will he let her go ? And why does she know about his dream ?

Chapter 12 and 13

 

Playlist
Chapter 12
+1+ Fly - Nikki Minaj
+2+ Battlefield - Jordin Sparks
+3+ No Ordinary Love - The Civil Wars
+4+ We Might Be Dead Tomorrow - Soko

Chapter 13
The Leaving Song - Chris Garneau

Chapter 12 and 13

Fun With Maps

Location Location Location

I've always been a bit obsessed with the idea that Manhattan is an island. I mean it's like a floating city that is only connected to the continental US via bridges. It's not in the middle of the ocean like Hawaii or far away like Alaska. It's just interesting and  Helios clearly shares my vision. But here are some things to consider/Author Did Not Do Research

The Angels and Demons don't live on the island of  Manhattan
The Angels live in Brooklyn which is only connected to the Island of Manhattan via the Brooklyn Bridge.   Riverdale where The Demons live id in the Bronx. which is connected to Manhattan The Bronx is connected via the Broadway Bridge. Just some geography pointers. The groups are on two different sides of New York-metro.


Recap

Helios' plan to take over Manhattan is finally revealed and he is working with Isaiah, who wants revenge on Paris. With the help of Baby Tessa's stem cell's Helios is ready to create his army . . . but at what cost ?

Also this section from Bellum I is going to come back. This is an exchange between Helios and Paris

“Well. . . even if  she is a whore’s daughter. Probably why she is senselessly frigid. Interesting childhood that one--”

I had choked on the tiny sip of wine I’d tasted at his comment.

“You know --er--knew her from back . . . home”, I feign disinterest.

“Infamous that one. Her father died in the war back home. Days later a set of Demons soldiers overtook her village and she and her mother became slaves in their own house. Seraphina couldn’t stand how the Demons treated them .  . .one day and rumors abound why…. Seraphina killed the Demon

and this after Sera almost drowns Paris.

“Why ?”, I ask, “Why did you try to kill me ?”
She lifts her neck higher and I grasp it tighter, letting my anger over that day take over. The anger of seeing Isobel cry.
“Because of my mother”, she breathes.
“I didn’t know your mother.”
“I know.”
“Do we have some sort of history ?”
“No”

Meanwhile in The Angel & Demon storyline . . .

While escaping The Tempest- a monstrous elemental creature-- the The Angel and Demon discover the creatures weakness. They have a plan to destroy it before it can destroy the Demon's home, the Citadel.

Playlist

+1+ My Love - VSQ
+2+  First Night, First day - Mychael Danna and 528491 - Hans Zimmer
+3+Let Me Lie - Hayley Westerna
+4+ Burn - Alexi Blue

Chapter 11

Mini .GIF post & Chapter 10

In Closing . . .

As far as PLT I'm pretty much all

 I was bummed I wasn't able to do Pretty Little Things on my terms

It was tempting to burn the entire thing and forget about it. . .

 But the excitement around PLT was. . . comforting.

So I'll just keep going. . . because the playlist will be epic

I'm also aware the ending of Bellum II might have been leaked but let's carry on because . . .

 Let's just be excited

Also I've placed a progress bar until I finish 10 chapters of PLT.

P.S What cool things do  I have to do to be invited to SHV's blog ?

Chapter 8 and 9

I went back and forth about putting these chapters together because they are so similar. I think about Seraphina and Paris being in the same city during different time periods so when he finds the WWII-era photo of her that was my call to that.

One point I do want to make is  about Seraphina/Helios is that Sera doesn't want a physical relationship with Helios anymore, which is why she mentions to Paris that she has been drugging him.

Also this

EV October 21, 2014 at 6:08 PM

No Lils, it is never dirty enough for them

ReplyDelete

Replies

AshlynOctober 21, 2014 at 6:09 PM
Lol, he's not wrong (;
Because I may or may not be curious to know if Sera would ever go down on Paris.
Delete

 Asked and answered.

Playlist

I've been rummaging around my old S&A playlist, so you will see some older songs. I must admit ut's so odd how dated some of the songs sound. I'd also like to think I have a bit more variety now, genre wise

Chapter 10

Chapter 10 Playlist

+1+ I Walk The Line - Los Lonely Boys (Bar song #1)
+2+ Lady Luck - (Oh, magic Spotify Radio) 
+3+ Slow Dancing In A Burning Room - John Mayer (Oldie)
+4+ Florence + The Machine - Seven Devils (An American Fairytale Song)

Recap
With amends tied, Paris is ready to move on to the the next step with his Brothers in getting rid of Helios, with Seraphina by his side. When Helios interrupts their night together, Helios promises to tell Seraphina everything.

CHAPTER 10

A Short Interlude

 

So, this probably should be posted on April Fool's day because I'm not sure if I'm fooling myself or not.

It probably comes at no surprise that I've been working on a secret project. I'd gone back and forth on how I wanted to do this serial and in the end I decided that I was going to complete the entire story, may be 20-32 chapters and then put it out there.

I was unsure about doing it this way, but I'd decided it would be a challenge.

This project was also going to challenge me in that I had to find an image or picture to inspire each chapter. Sometimes I'd tell a chapter and look for an image  . . . other times I'd find an image and make something from there.

However, I'm also aware that this project has been leaked.

This project being the following



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That's right. I decided to finally see what I could come up with as a follow up for JNRR. As I say in my drafts, I always knew what happened to the characters afterward. I always had some vague idea of how they ended up in Harper's Hollow in the epilogue of JNRR. I'd picked and prodded at two shorts that take place in this PLT world for years and I'd been hoarding a version of chapter since last year.

I'd sort of been looking for a challenge with this and now it seems my ultimate challenge is figuring out how to make it work. I'm all about plot reveals and misdirection and with it already revealed I"m not convinced the characters, romance and world building *hides* can stand alone.

 I could do like I did with ABWG and declaire it DOA and share my snippets and thoughts or I could write a new story but it wouldn't be  the story I've always known.


I'm not sure where I'm going with this. One of the reasons I decided to really go for it  after all this time was because I found this picture online.



This girl looks just how I'd pictured a twelve year old Rose and when I saw it I knew there was something there, as the second storyline is about what happens when Clarence DeLune visits his estrange sister and her daughter for the summer, an idea I grabbed this idea from the comments and was surprised how well it worked.


In the meantime here is a sampler, (chapter one)  of   Pretty Little Things 

I've found my groove getting back into this world, so I may carry on.

*hops in trenches*

Double Chapter Post !

Chapter 7 

Chapter 7 was supposed to be two chapters, with the cliffhanger being Ashe hearing Sera and Paris exchange when Sera and Ariel drive to Riverdale in the rain, But It picked up at an awkward place so I decided to keep together.

Chapter 8 & 9
 Chapter 8 is a bit of a transitioning chapter and Chapter 9 is the return of The Angel and The Demon Chapters. You can read them here but I have a recap below.

Chapter 7 Recap

 After returning from Boston, Paris learns that Isobel tried to contact him in Boston, soon after he is ambushed by Callum and Jona who have decided to turn against him and attack Helios head on.

Paris manages to get free just in time for Seraphina to warn him that Helios knows about the plan and is planning to stop them before they can start.

In a surprise ambush Helios and his men take all of the Callum's ammuniton along with a few hostages. In the melee Seraphina gets shot and shortly after confesses her love to Paris. Just when the longest night is about to be over Aria goes into Labor

Meanwhile in the Angel & Demon storyline . . .

Paris is having strange dreams about a Demon and Angel that takes place in Homeland. Here a Demon Prince finds an Angel with a burned wing wandering in his land far from home.

The willowy  figure is as whispy and tall as a young tree, nearly 7 feet. It has long straight colorless hair covered by a thin off white lace veil . . . wise eyes are small and whitish-blue, lips a warm pink. I don’t think I’ve ever seen skin that clear and porcelain.

The air shifts as a pair of large white wings open behind the tall willowy woman.

An Angel

She reveals that her entire village has been attacked by a monster and the monster is coming this way. The prince, wanting to protect his people convinces the Angel to go with him to kill the creature, also hoping working together might bring their warring people together.

During a storm they take refugee in an abandoned Angel village located on top of a mountain, only to find the villages deserted.  It turns out the creature has attacked and eaten everyone. The creature however is still there. A creature made of storms and lighting that has a weakness for fire and light.

I look up and see a  decorative torch glows above me. It's a marble cup with a flame encased in a glass orb. I look to see the the other decorative torches lining the street had been destroys by the wind and rain. My mouth breaks into a smile.

“The light”, I realize, “It can’t stand the light.”

They escape by flying through the creature while holding a globe of light, but in the onslaught of rain and wind they are separated and the Demon is plunging to earth.

Playlist

Chapter 8

+1+ Home - Gabrielle Aplin ( I have no idea where this song came from . . .)

Chapter 9
+1+ Mercy - Duffy
+2+ Death Is The Road to Awe - Clint Mansell
+3+ Drunken Love - Beyonce

Femme Fatale & Chapter 7

Femme Fatale
I found a playlist on Spotify entitled "Femme Fatale" and it made me realize that was the kind of character I was writing for Sera. I even double checked with the TV tropes page and was surprised by how much of this clicked with her, down to the lady in black trope. These quotes  section made me wonder if I had maybe internalized this trope without even realizing it.

If the Femme Fatale is vying for the hero's romantic attentions she will likely have a sweeter and purer rival.

 she manipulates and confuses The Hero with her undeniable aura of sexiness and danger. He knows that she's walking trouble and knows much more about the bad guys than he might or she should, but damn it if he can't resist her feminine wiles.

Chapter 6 Recap
Paris returns from Boston with a full heart and lands right in the middle of a mutiny.Callum and his own Brother Jona have locked him up so they can enact the ultimate revenge against Helios.

 Chapter 7
The return of Ariel

Chapter 7 Playlist 
+1+ Enamorous  - Jo Blackenburg
+2+ Disappear - Mikky Ekko
+3+ Devil's Backbone - The Civil Wars

There will be coal in my stocking . . .

I don't know why this pose made me think of Paris & Seraphina

So, Christmas Challenge ?  I know I will be playing around with doing my Christmas Novella (It will not take 3 years . . . I kind of promise). I thought I had something and I just couldn't get it down. . . so I'm back to the drawing board.

Are we really just on Chapter 6 and Beyond
I'm on a roll here because I have the next 5 chapters all plotted and written out. They just need to be cleaned up. I'm pushing for Bellum III  (I know it just keeps going) to be just 10 chapters. Which is odd because I'm in no rush to stare at a blank screen wondering where my next idea will come from.

Bellum Recap
Helios Thantos and his band of Angel mercenaries (yeah I said it) have arrived in New York City and Helios is planning something. After a year of isolation Helio's summon the newly appointed leader  of the Demons Paris Prince.

Helios makes it very clear he wants Paris and his people gone, but they aren't backing down without a fight. . . until Helios begins killing Demons,  terrorizing their livelihood and threatening Paris' every move.

Fed up with Paris' pacifism fellow Brotherhood member Callum gathers followers to start a Resistance, by making weapons out of the only material that can hurt them . . . white gold.

Just when Paris has lost everything including the woman he has just proposed to an unlikely ally walks (back) into his life,

Seraphina Grigoi has been loyal to Helios since she became his first female recruit; quickly becoming his bodyguard and lover. Her faith in Helios begins to waiver and there is talk of an uprising in the SGI. She reaches her tipping point when Helio's kills Hippolyta the woman she loved from a distance.

Added to that the reason for Hippolya's deah is Ariel, Sera's youngest and closest sister. The bond between them is broken and far from repair

Paris decides to pretend to agree to Helio's exit strategy for the Demons, while secretly trying to take him down, now that he has Sera as an informant.

The Brother's don't fully trust her but she's remained loyal, helping them destroy Helios' cars and weapons.  However it doesn't help that she and Paris are having an affair . . . or is it something more ?

Chapter 5 Recap

After Helios takes a large amount of The broherhoods profits in retaliation for them blowing up his cars, Sera and Paris track Heliosto Long Island. Helios is up to something and he is not working alone. What's in Long Island ? Why does Helios need the money ?

After leaving a voice mail on Isobel Charter's phone,  Paris is off to Boston (finally, I know) to get legal closure on inheriting Father's assets and maybe some personal closure . . .

This Section from Bellum 1 Chapter 6 comes up

 I survey our surroundings one more time and stop midstep to face her. Before she can say anything else I kiss her and can't believe I've gone all day without doing it. She relaxes and brings her arms around my neck, balancing on the tips of her toes.

"Isobel, this may not be the best time, but I want you to go to Boston with me next month. I need to sign some legal papers to transfer the company to my name. It'd be for the weekend. . . "

"Are you sure. I' mean with all that's going on."

"It needs to be done. Might as well get a respite out of it."

"Oh, A weekend in Boston. Can we take selfies where the Boston Tea Party happened. Maybe visit Paul Revere's house ?"

"I suppose. Although you know how I feel about history."

"How ?"

"You know. . . been there lived that."

Also this section from Bellum 1 Chapter 8 comes back.

She finally takes her eyes from me and walks slowly around the room, lowering her heart rate.

“The ring ?”, she asks

“Oh, no that’s not until Boston--”

“My ring”, she says with a confused look.

“Oh, damn. right. Sorry. I thought you meant. . . um. ..”

I reach into my pocket and pull out the ring I had taken when I ‘d tried to kill her. It’s made of old very tough gold. I figure it probably belonged to a relative from home. Angels then had thinner hands.

“What’s in Boston”, she asks. But she seems unsure if she should. Like she's trying to make conversation.

“Oh, um. . .It’s where I am proposing to Isobel. I needed to go up there for legal reasons and the timing just seems  . . . right.”

“Is Boston special ?”, she asks.

“You remember”, I said, “All that Colonial American shit went on.  Isobel took this course in The American Revolution last year and talked about it for weeks. I think it may inform her decision about our  .. . conflict. Anyway, it’s a rather historical city and I thought I might…”

I made sort of a vague gesture. Then I started to ramble.

“I thought maybe  I’d do it at midnight. . . right in the middle of Quincy Market. You remember when they built that don’t you ? Just before midnight in case bells ring or something. Yes. . . that way when she says yes the bells will ring and I’ll pick her up and people will clap. . . maybe ? Girls like that ? Right ?”

 Chapter 6
Bellum II PlayList 

+1+Stay With me - 30 Seconds From Mars
+2+Sweater Weather - Alexi Blue
+3+ Am I Wrong - Nico & Vinz
+4+ Cavalier - James Vincent Morrow (New LiLe SVH poster boy)

Chapter 6