Chapter 18
I've returned to worldbuilding and massive elements in this storyline.
I am blending in real historical information such the Royal Houses of Holy Roman Empire (Germany))/Spain under Habsburg family of Austria and Medici families default control over the throne of France through Catherine de Medici, along with control over Italy via Papacy. In history, these two powerful families and their forces would align briefly during Elizabeth I reign, posing a dangerous threat to Engla
Merlin's Crystal Cave
Some folks will be wondering, W_L why isn't this a chapter in your main story? My answer is simply, it doesn't fit among the displays of power.
The main characters are on a side quest investigating one of those early threads I mentioned in my story about the connection to Merlin and King Arthur. I also needed to set up some interesting storylines down the road and make sure you guys know Eli and Robert have met a certain twelve-year-old wannabe highwayman Francis
Chapter 17
The war for the throne has begun. Two years have passed, there's a lot to unpack in this chapter. Without modern shipping and industrial capacity, it took Mary that long to build up her forces to launch a multi-front offensive. Scotland is still in the hands of the Catholic faction led by Queen Regent Mary of Guise, who is the mother the future Mary Queen of Scots, currently living in French Court controlled by Catherine de Medici, the de-facto leader of France during the mid-16t
Chapter 16
Some may ask: W_L: Why did you do a Christmas Special? chapter? My answer is I wanted to create a story that covers various things, including the celebration of Christmas, which is a major Holiday. Christmas Fete/feasts were common among the nobility, but it's rare to see similar celebrations for commoners or peasants during the 16th century. Additionally, one thing I did not mention in-depth for the novel was the old tradition of Fasting on Christmas Eve during the 16th century.
Chapter 15
Well that was an interesting encounter with the future Queen Mary I. It also highlights some very real-world issues with people of a certain ideological ilk, who play off victimization. I will warn everyone right now, I am going to make sure Mary I earns the title of Bloody Mary that historical epithets have honored her with. Her purges were bad in history, but imagine them several times worse and far more encompassing with modern techniques of propaganda.
For a moment thoug
Chapter 14
We're back in London! This time I will give you a little geography and some background. There are a lot of details regarding the manner of the gate that you enter and the type of welcome you get in London as a person with a noble bloodline. It's something I should have mentioned during the first entrance to London, but I didn't as it didn't feel right to add that level of etiquette to the early chapters of the novel. While I do have some working knowledge, limited as it is, of t
Chapter 13
After a chapter of down and dirty trench warfare (a taste of what I want to do for the big battles in the future Maybe ). I wanted to address our favorite star-crossed lovers/partners. Robert and Eli have this interesting sexual roleplay thing in their relationship, beyond just the BDSM stuff they experimented with. Here's the thing with sex, it's not just about the penis and an human orifice, there's a deeper connection and meaning. Pleasure is what everyone feels, if you're
Chapter 12
Surprise! An Early Chapter before US Thanksgiving Holiday!
You did not expect me to go full battle-oriented chapter I appreciate several GA authors for their understanding of history and military tactics. I enjoy writers who create scenarios for sea battles and squad-based combat scenarios, but I seldom read anyone explore the gritty battles of defense and tactics that I displayed here. Outnumbered 3:1 on the battlefield with inferior firepower, most modern folks would con
Chapter 11
I cried for Eli in this chapter towards the end, I don't think anyone was expecting me to take this story on such a dramatic ending. However, I had laid out a lot of hints throughout the story about the truth between Jack and Robert Dudley. They're not the same person, but they possess the same consciousness.
Anyway, the ending is something I should discuss before I go into details about the many threads I just unleashed on you my readers. Amy Robsart was married to Robert D
"Your Sins Will Be Wiped Out" is one of the tie-in short stories I wrote to expand the perspective of the universe and story beyond just Eli's 1st personal narrative. I wanted to establish a different perspective and showcase the situation of the people in this fictional universe. We've been following Eli throughout the story, but Robert Dudley has not been heard or sounded in a long time. While historically, such things were common, narratively, it is not compelling to leave a major romantic ch
Chapter 10
There's a lot of divergence now happening in my story from actual history. For one thing, the Prayer book rebellions of 1549 never happened in Devonshire, so Eli has taken all the rebels in and trained them to be part of his army. Additionally, due to the quick death of Edward Seymore, the famous Kett rebellion in Norfolk never happened, which is the battle that helped elevate Earl of Warwick, John Dudley, to fame with victory to Duke of Northumberland. However coincidentally, Ro
Chapter 9
A year passes by really quickly, when you have to gain and consolidate power within a short window of time. The Duke of Somerset's death was a power vacuum that technically would not be filled for many years in the normal course of history. Remember, the medieval and early modern periods did not have the convenience of modern communications, nor information disbursement like dedicated journalists. If you were a modern person with knowledge of future events and the right background
Chapter 8
Well, there's a lot to unpack here. Why a hot spring trip, you might ask in the middle of a journey? Call it a nod to Japanese culture that inspired my story, but it is customary to have a nice relaxing bath before all the tension. For fans of That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, either Anime or Manga, you know exactly what I mean as the main character would enjoy a relaxing soak after a fierce battle. It's a bit indulgent, but fun nonetheless.
As to the heart of the stor
Chapter 7
Well, the explosive sex scene at the end of the chapter hopefully will be enjoyable for some folks, who have written to me about the need to explore Eli's innate Dom qualities. 😛
Those books I referenced are actually not bad reference material, slightly dated, but not bad introduction.
The story of Siproites is an actual incomplete Greek myth about a boy being turned into a girl. The later storytellers and interpreters during the Roman era considered it a punishment t
Chapter 6
This chapter explains a lot in terms of magic within this world but doesn't explain the reason behind it. It also expands upon Eli's abilities even further, he is not merely skilled at language and memory, but he actually has hidden knowledge based on interaction as well. Like Wikipedia, if you do not search for a subject, then you can't easily access that data. However, humans are not supposed to operate like that (Spoiler Alert or False Herring )
As for introducing Puck,
Chapter 5
An important character got introduced in this chapter, Francis Walsingham., the shadow of Elizabeth I He is historically one of the greatest spymasters of all time, creating an international spy network that outmatched all of England's opponents and protected its Queen. He was fanatically loyal to Elizabeth. Modern intelligence agencies, UK's MI5, Israel's Mossad, US' CIA, China's MIS, and Russia's FSB all use techniques that Walsingham employed in the 16th century in a concerted
Chapter 4
I'm touching a few third rails here between the various subject matters and rising conflicts.
Readers, understand this point, I am not Eli Tudor, I am just the character's creator. Someone different than me, who prides themselves on independent ideas of freedom and a passionate disdain for religious authority from being raised as an abused unwanted intersex child of Christian pastors. I imagine I would be pretty pissed off with Christianity having grown up in those kinds of c
Chapter 3
It's getting hot in here 🌶️
Put a horny queer teenager from the modern world with a curious, probably queer teenage boy, from the past and add water.
For my readers, I didn't want to write longing and sexual tension in this story, it is fine for other fantasy authors as I was the beta for @lomax61 Stranded: Heart of Black Ice. For this story and character, it didn't feel right to drag out the sexual tension. Eli is as some of my readers pointed out a Libertarian-Anarchi
Of Pride and Power Chapter 2
Some interesting things are developing and I have added a can of worms to this story. You now know there's more than just an alternate England in this story at play, we also have a different and more bloody version of the reformation going on in Europe.
Yes, modern technology and knowledge have reached this world, but it has not been transferred fully to the point of mass production. While it is true, that you could produce tanks and aircraft with Renaissan
Of Pride and Power
Yes, I am starting a new book. It's original and the concept was something I was mulling over for a while.
I've written gay/bi/trans characters, but I've never attempted to write an intersex character. LGBTQIA+, the I is for the intersex within the community. Rarely have I seen anyone attempt to explore this area or consider themes about people in-between, not ready to define themselves through surgery or designate non-binary stance, born with bodies that don't confo
When I write, I create worlds and characters bigger than myself, but at times, they are representative parts of me. They hold all my fears, my hopes, and my dreams of what reality could be. Last year, I was riding high after finding a new job that was more fulfilling, finishing my goal of reading 100 gay stories from across all genres (Haven't written all the reviews, but you can get a hint of my varied reading), and being in better health than I have been in decades with new corneas.
Then,
I was inspired to write this through my prompt, someone who live their life in complete denial of themselves. It's a very interesting portrait of a man who is trapped in a world of his own creation, probably filled with regrets, compromises, and desires. It's a psychological story about accepting mortality and accepting reality even if it's bleak.
Additionally, readers will probably figure out that the young man in my story was murdered. I took inspiration on this from a certain gay serial
Chapter 10
It took a bit longer than usual to publish a new chapter of this story, but sometimes, good things come to those who wait
I know I am opening up a lot of knowledge in this chapter about the ancient world, the nature of cultural differences, urban organization, and some respective observations about both Chinese and Roman/Western Civilization. They're both looking at the world through different lenses, but there's also some fallacies that each side holds in regard to themse
Chapter 9
Friends, Romans, Countryman... 😛 Yes, I am introducing a Roman Christian missionary in my historical fantasy story involving Chinese gods, Buddhist deities, and a whole lot of references to Journey to the West. To be fair, I never quite understand why Chinese writers avoid talking about Christians as they came around this period as Missionaries in China, establishing the Church of the East. The same goes with historical fantasy western writers, who avoid talking about Chinese phil
A Flash of Brilliance
Land Power created Nations
Sea Power created Empires
Air Power created Collective Blocs
Space Power will create a Human Civilization
-If I write a full series, I would use that as my tag line
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Have you ever had moments where you wish things were different? After reading about discrimination, hate, atrocities, and death, how can all that stuff change? What type of person could do that? What are their motivations and ideals?
