Pretzel

[cornerofmadness]

That's what my spine is. My new schedule is aggravating a pre-existing back issue. I hurt it again yesterday and had a choice work thru the pain or sit still. guess which one I picked today? Yeah. Tomorrow I drive to Pittsburgh (little does Kanda know he's staying there without me when I leave. I'll be back in 2 weeks so...)

I did get to go to Rowdy's smoke house because part of Dad's Christmas gift is the utterly yummy brisket and ribs they make. I got SO Much Meat. They were giving out a free half a chicken if you bought ribs. Now to not eat it all before tomorrow.

So this character won't leave me alone. Right now the fake Viking character (who wants to look like Chris Hemsworth but is pretty much a short Italian) is tenatively named Kiril. Here is what I know (consider this my writerly ways since I'll be traveling tomorrow).

The King of this band (I need to study up on Finland or the Orkneys etc for their lands) killed Kiril's father, a diplomat who had no reason to suspect he'd be betrayed. He had taken his son north to show him...oh I dunno, the aurora borealis or something. He takes Kiril mostly because he's a sadistic, pedophilic bastard and because he can.

The king's son is around Kiril's age as is his nephews and nieces so Kiril does grow up around them but apart. Roar is the king's brother (and father of the twin shield maidens). He shields Kiril the best he can basically buying him from the king (who does snitch him back when the mood hits him). Roar trains Kiril (because King is arrogant enough to think a soft Southie boy he believes he's broken isn't a worry so he doesn't protest).

Kiril's agemates (the twins and the poet-warrior nephew of the king) are probably his on again/off again lovers (i.e. battle lust = other lusts and he's given to them to play with so other, meaner warriors don't get ideas).

Kiril dedicates himself to the Goddess, or at least the destructive part of her (I see her as Morrigan or Kali). Right now I'm calling the berserkers the Lightning soldiers or something equally lame (I am open to suggestions). He is still a collared slaved but he has more of a father/son relationship with Roar who gives him what he wants, a chance to kill the King.

Which he does (before the opening of the story about 4-5 years. I figure he's @ 20-21 at the beginning of the story and he was @15-16 when he does in the king). His fellow Lightning soldiers (which can be male or female) call him Kiril the Killer or his preferred name Kiril the Kingmaker. The King's son ascends the throne with Roar's guidance (rather glad to be rid of his father). Roar is working on him to open trade back with the south and of course there is always Northmen Band scrimishes to deal with.

The scenes they're telling me are literally the middle of the novel (which is novel, ha). When they do return south and meet up with the two mages, the lady lightning/storm caller and prince of fire. (Yes I need to name everyone, I know). Being as Kiril's father was a diplomat, his family was highly placed. His mother is still there, a priestess (for the goddess's mother/nature aspect) and his older sister has married a cousin of the prince and there's a younger sister born after their father die he didn't even know about.

However, a homecoming isn't an easy thing. He's still a slave (which is the easiest part to solve) Kiril's spent more than half his life in the north, trained as a berserker. He has never really totally fit in there but doesn't fit in at all with the more democratic and highly refined southerners. (they bathe every day instead of once a week. He's sure they're all going to catch their death). He's also caught the two mages' eye. Not really a problem for the shield maidens. They're more Amazonian in philosophy, men are for mating and that's it. They do not marry and their children take their names. The poet and he are very close so that will be interesting.

Now what would be helpful is to have you know, a PLOT. All i know is some mage is trying to take over the continent. What do you think? Sound interesting? Suggestions?

Speaking of naming things, ES sent along this article on villain names here

And more of Sakimichan's art here

And speaking of story ideas this gives me so many, creative ways of commerating human cremains here

This could be Arrigo and Siobhan dancing thru the century

too cute for words and I usually don't like monkeys.

declutter day 305 item tossed-Zen dawn why kept-Wanted to read why tossed - Am I really going to reread? No.

nano -

32156 / 50000
(64.31%)

Comments

[dragonydreams.livejournal.com]

Interesting story idea.

BTW, the book arrived the other day. It'll be next if I ever get back to The Constant Princess.

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

Thank you. I'm glad you think so.

Oh good. Hope you enjoy when you get time

[wildrider.livejournal.com]

Interesting ideas. Sadly, coming to me for a plot is like going to Angel for a good plan. :P

Also, I don't know enough about Viking lore and literature to offer up much in the way of advice, sadly.

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

hahahaha that was hysterical.

Well it's not really going to be actual Vikings. More like some of the cultural aspects and that's about it.

[evil-little-dog.livejournal.com]

The mage trying to take over is kind of been done, hasn't it? Maybe there's another country trying to take over instead? I mean, that's less done, maybe. It's so hard with that sort of thing, to come up with somsething unusual and interesting.

Kiril does sound like one of my boys (except for being a short Italian).

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

I'm not worried about that. It's the human condition. TUrn on the news and there is some country somewhere trying to take over the other one. I'm open to other ideas as to why she'd be attacking but every day reality works too

snort, well yes

[evil-little-dog.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that's very true, too. Why not every day reality? You have resources, we want them. That's good enough for real life.

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

true. I sat up a while thinking on it. I need battle scenes (I mean why else have a berserker) so it's invading armies (with or without a mage it really doesn't matter), defeating a rewakened enemy, trying to get (and destroy) a mythic weapon). It's all been done so I ran out of thought last night.

[evil-little-dog.livejournal.com]

Hrrrrrrm. Time to get out the chessboard.

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

and what shall that do?

[evil-little-dog.livejournal.com]

Set up the battle scenes.

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

won't help. I don't visualize that way and I'm thinking more guerilla warfare

[evil-little-dog.livejournal.com]

Ah, yeah.