I voted

[cornerofmadness]

No one was there a benefit of living rural. Between that and school my anxiety is almost unbearable since last friday. Sigh.


Snippet - Zvon watched the woman cross the street and disappear into a shop. Arria interlaced her fingers with his and hauled him toward the station. Inside an iron stove warmed the air and drenched as he was, Zvon squished his way over to it, enjoying the heat. Arria sat next to him, somehow not ill at ease with him, a dirty, beaten stranger drooling blood. Maybe he was wrong about her being the same age as him. Maybe she was younger than ten or at least more trusting.

“We’re not going to hurt you.” Arria smiled at him.

He blinked. Maybe she understood more than he thought. “I’ve never done anything like this.”

“Mom has. I think you’ll like it with all of us.”

“How many kids does your mom have?” More worry nibbled at him. What was he getting into?

“Enough, mostly orphans or the unwanted.” Arria shrugged. “And me and my brother, but he’s away at school. He’s older.”

11151 / 50000 words. 22% done!

I here's a bingo card for me to noodle with

In-Jokes	Play a Musical Instrument	Talk with a Friend	Self-Injury	Toxic Relationships
sharing disappointment	Blowing bubbles	Polyandry	Flexibility	Avoidance
Cousins	Do You Feel What I Feel?	FREE SPACE	Organizing	Sticking out your tongue
Broken Heart	Getting Drunk	Childless	Progressive Relaxation	Reading under the covers
Snowball fight	Break Problem into Small Parts	Head on Partner's Shoulder	Roller-skating	Blowing seeds off a dandelion

Comments

[notasupervillain]

Into the great unknown! It can't be much worse. Might be better. Certainly worth rolling the dice.

[cornerofmadness]

That's Zvon's thought exactly

[notasupervillain]

Heck, another kid would have run away long ago and taken his chances on the street. (I don't think it's unrealistic that Zvon stayed, it's a question of personality.)

I am curious how Zvon ended up with a single parent father who doesn't want him. Even if Zvon is a net financial benefit now, he probably wouldn't have been as a baby, and I would expect a mother to be more likely to be saddled with that burden. I guess I'll find out if you post your entire book!

[cornerofmadness]

I'm sure some kids definitely would have run.

You will find that out in later chapters when his father reappears, now sober. Basically in the space of about three years, his father lost his oldest son, nearly lost Zvon at the same time (flu or something like it) and then lost Zvon's mother in childbirth and the infant daughter died with her. That's when he started drinking and lost his job.

[notasupervillain]

I guess most medieval fantasy settings have sub-standard mental health services and social safety nets.

[cornerofmadness]

They usually would. I'd put this at about 1900 but really neither of those things existed much then either when you consider England killed hundreds of soldiers with PTSD for having PTSD in the first place.

Or the fact that my grandfather was working in a mine by the time he was 11 or 12.

[notasupervillain]

We only recently worked out that shared humanity meant looking after each other. Sigh.

[cornerofmadness]

Sadly true

[spindle_ella]

Ahhh, this is one of my favourite tropes. Love the snippet!

[cornerofmadness]

Oh cool, good to know. thanks