The Vault: Followers Novellas
So I've decided to do a couple of things. First, my goal is to post at least three times a week. On the left hand side above my archive I have a list of what I plan to do each week.
Tuesday: Top Ten. A blog I recently discovered called the Broke and the Bookish does a weekly Top Ten that anyone can partake in. Link to more information is here.
Wednesday: Writer Help. I find this to be pretty self explanatory: posts about writing. Now, some things will be how I do them when writing but that doesn't mean you have to do it that way. Do what works for you.
Thursday: THE VAULT. Throwback Thursday need I say more?
Friday: Free Write. Basically, Fridays will be a hodgepodge of things: muses, updates, book reviews, etc.
I make no guarantee I'll post every Friday but for sure I plan on posting Tuesday through Thursday.
Second, since I'm cleaning up my hard drive and my closet, I'll be adding an extra tag to some posts. Basically it's a reminder to myself for when I'm cleaning up. Also, I recently went through a box of papers and found more stories! Which means they may get their own blog post. Since I'm keeping a few electronic copies, I've made a section in my tome (right, second pink tab/second from the bottom) for old paper copies that I plan on keeping.
But it's now time for...
Anyway, I've spent over three weeks (and before my birthday wat?) deliberating what to tear apart next. I've decided to do a few Followers novellas from the early days. These four, ultra-short novellas (so short that maybe they'd be better classified as short stories since they don't get over 2.5k for word count) were each a part of various contests* on Mibba--some even were joint participants in the same contests.
Let me explain the little bit of writing-website history I had pre-Inkpop. As you all know from the various editions of THE VAULT, that it started with a not-exactly-writing website called The Doll Palace then Quizilla. After that I bounced in between Fictionpress and FanFiction.net for some time while I was a part of a nice little site called Mibba--the last writing site I actively used before Inkpop. I was briefly a part of Ficwad during that time but... it wasn't Mibba nor was it Inkpop. Actually, after the fall, I did go back to Mibba albeit briefly before finally welcoming Figment (which I left after less than a year), Wattpad and less-actively Protagonize.
But let's begin. (update 8.22.2016: follow along here!) First I'll start with The Lady in White. Told in third person limited, it tells the original legend of how each of the Followers came to be: Followers of Fenrir or shifters, Followers of Jormungand or vampires and Followers of Hel, witches. Personally, this is my least favourite and, for sure this one will be deleted. Okay... maybe not everything. There are some things I do like. For example, I liked the short insight we get on when they get their new found abilities.
Fenrir:
Next in the line-up is Blood not Chocolate. This was for two contests. One was where it was to be based off of a photo (left) and the other was that it worked in tandem with Lady in White.
Blood not Chocolate was a sort of back story for several major players in the Followers Universe: Simone de la Croix (Moon Saga), Carmina Sutton--later de la Croix--(Moon Saga and Van Helsing Legacy) and Allistar Sutton (Van Helsing Legacy). I had no idea when this was supposed to be set but I've always assumed it was an alternate reality during the 1950's. I know for sure it was set in New York--the first sentence alluded to that fact.
Anyway, basically it was about Allistar Sutton's last night with his sister, Carmina. Their family is hosting this big New Years Gala at their mansion when Simone happens upon Allistar, they converse and Carmina arrives with a message for him to talk with their mother. As his mother begins her fearful questioning about Simone and we learn that she has been dead for two years, the lights go out. Allistar is given an offer before the end of the story: be turned or die. Sadly, I cut off before it would be answered.
At the time, I never had any character faces** for any of the characters--the first in a long line of novels where I just went on a slight impulse--nor did I have a set last name for their family. Also, I had a few references to some books I liked: Blood not Chocolate is a reference to Blood and Chocolate, a werewolf book and eventual movie; and the final line is from the Godfather.
Next is Bloody Valentine. This was actually a continuation of BnC. Set I don't know fifty years or so after BnC, it tells the story of Carmina's first--and only--human love, Asher.
Carmina was--and probably still is--one of my favourite characters I've created in the fantasy universe. The 'old Carmina' in this short just... doesn't exactly fit what she's become. Not sure if I'll keep this one, but I do like some of the passages though. A few examples:
Last but not least, the Death of Dorian. This rather long tale--five chapters totaling out to 2.3k--was a tale within a tale about the titular death of Dorian through the eyes of a werewolf slave, Bianca. At the time, Dorian was a member of the Elders, an elite coven within the vampire world.
Originally, there was only one child of Jormungand who was in the Elders and his name was Brook. The rest were all some of the oldest vampires in the world. The new Elders are still the oldest vampires in existence but they are all female and children of the first vampire, Jormungand. Dorian has significantly been demoted, residing in another coven, the de la Croix of the Moon Saga, where I'm unsure of what will happen to him.
Anyway, the story begins with Bianca being interrogated as for the death of such a high ranking official in the vampire. According to the vampire council--which doesn't exist anymore--Bianca is the only one who knows of how the titular Dorian died. The first chapter sets up what's going on in the real world and how my pre-Followers world worked. Also, this had a HUGE plot hole in it--which I will discuss later.
Progressing into the second chapter, we meet two other characters besides Bianca: her sister, Aleksandra, and the next-in-line alpha, Nash. Aleksandra made a bet with Nash that Bianca could beat him back to the pack commune and the deal is: he wins, Aleksandra has to 'bow to him' (meaning be his mate) and if Bianca wins, he has to let the two sisters on a girls week away from the commune. He reluctantly agrees and loses... So the two girls get their week-long vacation.
So you remember that plot hole I mentioned, it's not actually a plot hole, but a poorly worded statement that is technically correct. And I realized this part way through the second chapter. The awkward statement:
Chapter three, Bianca and Aleks get their car--a beat-up old VW Beetle--some cash and a credit card for a leash. We also learn that Aleks and Bianca aren't leaving for a girl's week in one of the neighboring towns of Novorossiysk: they're leaving for good and they're not going to Novorossiysk. We also learn that Nash is sort of possessive of Aleks--more so than Bianca. Also, this is something that follows into the Moon Saga: Carmen, Selena's best friend, has the attention of the next pack alpha.
The second to last chapter has them in Moscow and it's where we meet Dorian:
Anway, as it turns out, Nash did follow them. And, in a fit of rage, he kills Aleks then turns his attention on Dorian. | Bianca attempts to stop Nash from causing more harm but the man is intent on righting the wrong, killing them both in the process. Bianca is knocked out and blamed for the killing of an Elder and the next in line for the title of alpha.
The conclusion has a few Easter eggs as well. First, Bianca is taken to room 'seven-hundred thirteen.' The vault number belonging to the Potters in the Harry Potter series. Second, is a reference to Portal:
As always,
Ali
* My results on the contests:
Lady in White - results not released
Blood not Chocolate - did not place
Bloody Valentine - results not released
Death of Dorian - results not released
** A character face is a term some authors use when they have an actor or actress who they think would be the perfect person to portray them.
Tuesday: Top Ten. A blog I recently discovered called the Broke and the Bookish does a weekly Top Ten that anyone can partake in. Link to more information is here.
Wednesday: Writer Help. I find this to be pretty self explanatory: posts about writing. Now, some things will be how I do them when writing but that doesn't mean you have to do it that way. Do what works for you.
Thursday: THE VAULT. Throwback Thursday need I say more?
Friday: Free Write. Basically, Fridays will be a hodgepodge of things: muses, updates, book reviews, etc.
I make no guarantee I'll post every Friday but for sure I plan on posting Tuesday through Thursday.
But it's now time for...
Anyway, I've spent over three weeks (and before my birthday wat?) deliberating what to tear apart next. I've decided to do a few Followers novellas from the early days. These four, ultra-short novellas (so short that maybe they'd be better classified as short stories since they don't get over 2.5k for word count) were each a part of various contests* on Mibba--some even were joint participants in the same contests.
Let me explain the little bit of writing-website history I had pre-Inkpop. As you all know from the various editions of THE VAULT, that it started with a not-exactly-writing website called The Doll Palace then Quizilla. After that I bounced in between Fictionpress and FanFiction.net for some time while I was a part of a nice little site called Mibba--the last writing site I actively used before Inkpop. I was briefly a part of Ficwad during that time but... it wasn't Mibba nor was it Inkpop. Actually, after the fall, I did go back to Mibba albeit briefly before finally welcoming Figment (which I left after less than a year), Wattpad and less-actively Protagonize.
But let's begin. (update 8.22.2016: follow along here!) First I'll start with The Lady in White. Told in third person limited, it tells the original legend of how each of the Followers came to be: Followers of Fenrir or shifters, Followers of Jormungand or vampires and Followers of Hel, witches. Personally, this is my least favourite and, for sure this one will be deleted. Okay... maybe not everything. There are some things I do like. For example, I liked the short insight we get on when they get their new found abilities.
Fenrir:
“He said you desire to live forever,” she pressed a hand to Fenrir’s cheek then tucked a lock of Hel’s hair behind one of her ears making it stay. “I can give you more than that.”Jormungand:
“I desire to be stronger than the strongest wolf,” Fenrir spoke out gaining the bright jade look of the white clad winter-woman.
“Then it shall be yours.” She pressed her lips to his and power flooded through their bond. He felt every fiber of his being grow and fortify itself. He pulled her close hungry for every last bit of strength and his hated feeling the power recede as she pulled away. He looked up to the sky, a bright waxing gibbous moon smiled down at him evilly; a full moon would be on him within the week. He felt fear hit him at the very pit of his stomach.
The elder brother smiled, “I desire to be as beautiful as you, my love.” “Then it shall be yours,” She pressed her lips to his and, like his younger brother before him, power flooded through him. He let his tongue slip into her mouth lustfully. He was left panting afterward and longing filled him. The color of the sky grabbed his attention the sky was now turning to a soft pink. The sun was leaking through the trees and cast golden light on where he sat. it burned his skin and he recoiled from the sun.Hel:
“I want your power.” Her smile wasn’t sweet or shy but gluttonous.The woman sat in front of her and whispered in her ear, “Then it shall be yours.” She pulled the girl toward her, holding the back of her head and the middle of her back as she initiated the kiss. The power enveloped the girl and she felt it seep into every fiber of her being. At first, it felt wonderful, exhilarating even but it took a wrong turn. Hel tried pushing the woman away but all efforts were in vain. She started feeling the fear of her brothers on either side of her: Jormungand’s for the fast approaching sun and Fenrir for the moon. She then began to feel the lust of her brothers: Jormungand’s for the woman before her and Fenrir’s to be the strongest of them all.It was all too much she waited for what felt like an eternity before it finally ended. The woman was no longer there but a piece of vellum was present where she once stood. Hel joined amongst the fear of those around her as he picked up the vellum.Despite the fact that it's filled with spelling and grammar errors, I hated the execution. Basically, Jormungand leads his siblings Fenrir and Hel into the woods to meet a strange and seductive gypsy woman who promises immortality and another gift but each is given at a price: Fenrir wants strength but fears the moon, Jormungand wants eternal beauty but fears the sun and last, little Hel, wants power--and with this power she loses her chance at immortality. In the end we learn just who the gypsy woman is:
Be careful what you wish for.Lilith has a lot of say within the Followers Universe. She's rarely seen but she definitely has a lot of power, I know she will make a visit sometime soon in at least one novel in the Followers Universe. I do plan on possibly rewriting this as a part of the mythos but I will definitely end up changing things if I do.
-Lilith
Blood not Chocolate was a sort of back story for several major players in the Followers Universe: Simone de la Croix (Moon Saga), Carmina Sutton--later de la Croix--(Moon Saga and Van Helsing Legacy) and Allistar Sutton (Van Helsing Legacy). I had no idea when this was supposed to be set but I've always assumed it was an alternate reality during the 1950's. I know for sure it was set in New York--the first sentence alluded to that fact.
Anyway, basically it was about Allistar Sutton's last night with his sister, Carmina. Their family is hosting this big New Years Gala at their mansion when Simone happens upon Allistar, they converse and Carmina arrives with a message for him to talk with their mother. As his mother begins her fearful questioning about Simone and we learn that she has been dead for two years, the lights go out. Allistar is given an offer before the end of the story: be turned or die. Sadly, I cut off before it would be answered.
At the time, I never had any character faces** for any of the characters--the first in a long line of novels where I just went on a slight impulse--nor did I have a set last name for their family. Also, I had a few references to some books I liked: Blood not Chocolate is a reference to Blood and Chocolate, a werewolf book and eventual movie; and the final line is from the Godfather.
“Gave her an offer she couldn't refuse.”At the time I wrote this, I didn't fully know that dialogue tags (synonyms of 'said') are the only things following a quote that should have commas--something I learned while on Inkpop. And that is probably the major grammar issue I see with this. I really liked this piece and for sure I'm keeping it.
 |
| Carmina |
 |
| Asher |
Carmina was--and probably still is--one of my favourite characters I've created in the fantasy universe. The 'old Carmina' in this short just... doesn't exactly fit what she's become. Not sure if I'll keep this one, but I do like some of the passages though. A few examples:
The boy can clean up, [Carmina] thought to herself. She was used to the grungy flannel, the torn jeans and the trucker hats that he would often wear to school each day.
She was smiling even now. The memory of his apprehension about the well-being of a girl he believed to be someone like him always made her smile.
Dipping his head down, he pulled her toward him and his lips brushed hers. She could feel his mouth open and his tongue trace the line of her lips wanting to explore. Despite wanting to explore, he was the first to break away.“I love you, Carmina.”It's mentioned--though never explored--several times during the course of the short but Simone would later kill Asher. It's never really explained why within the short but I think I had her do it to ensure that she wouldn't leave... also because Simone's heartless. But she did have a reason, I just can't really remember what it was... For now, I think I'll hold onto this one.
Last but not least, the Death of Dorian. This rather long tale--five chapters totaling out to 2.3k--was a tale within a tale about the titular death of Dorian through the eyes of a werewolf slave, Bianca. At the time, Dorian was a member of the Elders, an elite coven within the vampire world.
Originally, there was only one child of Jormungand who was in the Elders and his name was Brook. The rest were all some of the oldest vampires in the world. The new Elders are still the oldest vampires in existence but they are all female and children of the first vampire, Jormungand. Dorian has significantly been demoted, residing in another coven, the de la Croix of the Moon Saga, where I'm unsure of what will happen to him.
Anyway, the story begins with Bianca being interrogated as for the death of such a high ranking official in the vampire. According to the vampire council--which doesn't exist anymore--Bianca is the only one who knows of how the titular Dorian died. The first chapter sets up what's going on in the real world and how my pre-Followers world worked. Also, this had a HUGE plot hole in it--which I will discuss later.
Progressing into the second chapter, we meet two other characters besides Bianca: her sister, Aleksandra, and the next-in-line alpha, Nash. Aleksandra made a bet with Nash that Bianca could beat him back to the pack commune and the deal is: he wins, Aleksandra has to 'bow to him' (meaning be his mate) and if Bianca wins, he has to let the two sisters on a girls week away from the commune. He reluctantly agrees and loses... So the two girls get their week-long vacation.
So you remember that plot hole I mentioned, it's not actually a plot hole, but a poorly worded statement that is technically correct. And I realized this part way through the second chapter. The awkward statement:
“It all began... Last fall, during the Hunter’s moon. My pack and I were returning home from our annual fall equinox festival. I had met the late Dorian after our arrival home but it started earlier than that…”Okay. It's confusing even for me and I wrote it. What I meant to say was:
"It all began... last fall during the Hunter's moon. I had met the late Dorian well after our arrival home from our annual fall equinox festival. But it all started before I met him..."
Chapter three, Bianca and Aleks get their car--a beat-up old VW Beetle--some cash and a credit card for a leash. We also learn that Aleks and Bianca aren't leaving for a girl's week in one of the neighboring towns of Novorossiysk: they're leaving for good and they're not going to Novorossiysk. We also learn that Nash is sort of possessive of Aleks--more so than Bianca. Also, this is something that follows into the Moon Saga: Carmen, Selena's best friend, has the attention of the next pack alpha.
The second to last chapter has them in Moscow and it's where we meet Dorian:
We were checking in at the same time and hotel. He had two beautiful women draped on either side of him. They were humans and totally oblivious of their dismal fate. He looked us up and gave me smirk. Slipping a sheet of paper to the clerk who, in turn, passed the vulgar note to the both of us. To this day I choose not to remember what the note said. Well, most of it. He requested that we join him in his room after he finished his meal.Whelp, Aleks goes to the room and breaks one of the unspoken rules of the realm: vampires and werewolves must never consummate. In the world, it is believed to create an abomination and both parties are often killed for creating such a spawn. According to rumor, the hybrid spawn doesn't live long anyway, having gone crazy from the bloodlust.
Anway, as it turns out, Nash did follow them. And, in a fit of rage, he kills Aleks then turns his attention on Dorian. | Bianca attempts to stop Nash from causing more harm but the man is intent on righting the wrong, killing them both in the process. Bianca is knocked out and blamed for the killing of an Elder and the next in line for the title of alpha.
The conclusion has a few Easter eggs as well. First, Bianca is taken to room 'seven-hundred thirteen.' The vault number belonging to the Potters in the Harry Potter series. Second, is a reference to Portal:
Room seven-hundred thirteen didn’t exist. Like the cake from portal...For a while, I'd do nods to video games and my favourite books. I still do but they're not as obvious as they used to be. Not only am I keeping this one, but I'm going to be posting this on Wattpad soon... edited of course! So I won't reveal what happens to Bianca.
As always,
Ali
* My results on the contests:
Lady in White - results not released
Blood not Chocolate - did not place
Bloody Valentine - results not released
Death of Dorian - results not released
** A character face is a term some authors use when they have an actor or actress who they think would be the perfect person to portray them.
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