Yihasa's Chosen Notes
Jun. 19th, 2018 02:49 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
aftanithThe Original (Scrapped) Concept for Dru & Valens
I've had an Eska & Desna fan art in my potential characters folder for a while now, and I think I've got an idea for how to use it. Honestly, the image kind of makes me think of a young Jonathan and Valeria, which gave me the idea of a Shalmar story in which the brother-sister incest between a Shalmari prince and princess was a confirmed thing... but told from an outside perspective.
So here's the idea. In the past (generations before Yihasa's Chosen), the future empress and her (twin or elder) brother are in a sexual relationship. Unfortunately for them, they're at a point in history where brother/sister marriage has fallen out of favor with the empire, and so the brother is engaged to the MFC, the younger princess of either Tarik or Hesperos. (The future empress is expected to marry a Shalmari warrior, but there may or may not be a spare to the throne of Hesperos or Tarik--whichever MFC isn't--hanging around in hopes of winning her hand.)
Meanwhile, there's a succession crisis brewing in MFC's home kingdom. The Queen is past childbearing age, but she's only had daughters (two). The MFC's elder sister, therefore, is the heir... but the kingdom isn't exactly thrilled about the idea of a reigning Queen. There may be bastards involved here or just your run-of-the-mill attempted coup by a powerful vassal, but either way, the MFC's elder sister just might be in more danger than a throne's really worth.
Update 6/18/15
This idea has been scrapped, and Drusilla and her twin brother Valens (based on the Eksa and Desna fanart) have been added to Yihasa's Chosen proper as Lynette's second cousins. Dru is Lyn's heir prior to the birth of her first daughter.
The Grace Girls
Lynette, Drusilla, Veronica, and Claire (plus Dru's twin brother, Valens) were raised together, as Drusilla is Lyn's heir and Lyn was essentially raised by Jonathan. Lyn, Dru, and Claire became good friends, but Veronica harbors bitterness over Shalmar's strict matrilineal succession and was consumed by envy of her first and second cousins, leading to the kidnapping of herself, Lynette, and Drusilla by the Cult of Noka. (Which has clear shades of the Lost Graces and causes similar panic.)
Personal Conflicts in Yihasa's Chosen
Aaron v Lynette & Jonathan
Lynette finds herself caught between her uncles' tempers and manipulations; Aaron wants her to marry his son, Sebastian, but Jonathan hates the Mar family and is determined to keep the match from happening.
Guy & Veronica v Lynette
Kimbrough v. Lynette
As a last-ditch effort before he decides to kill her, Kimbrough propositions Lynette, growing increasingly inappropriate and menacing over the course of the scene.
Dante v Lynette & Jonathan
Jonathan comes to take Lynette home and confronts Dante. Jon's always hated him, and Dante suspects that his affection for Valeria was less than brotherly; they each accuse the other of having inappropriate feelings toward Lynette and using her as a replacement for her mother. (They may each be correct to a certain extent, but neither takes their own interest seriously.)
Veronica v Jareth
After Veronica frees the Faneth, she and Jareth share a sexually-charged scene in which he expresses his gratitude... then kills her, declaring her a usurper to the true empress, who he intends to seek out.
Characters
• Lynette Grace, MFC, Empress of Shalmar, Avatar of the Goddess
• Valeria Grace, Lynette's mother, previous Empress of Shalmar (deceased)
• Orpheus Mar, Lynette's father, previous King of Hesperos (deceased)
• Jonathan Grace, Lynette's maternal uncle (possibly/rumored to be her father), de facto ruler of Shalmar at onset
• Nicole Kaledera, Jonathan's wife
• Veronica Kaledera, Jonathan's daughter, member of the cult of Noka, temporary Usurper Empress of Shalmar, (not heir to Shalmar, as all direct female lines of descent come before even the closest male)
• Claire Kaledera, Jonathan's younger daughter, eventual wife of Kale Lor and Queen Consort of Iyita
• Kale Lor, King of Iyita, vassal and betrothed of Empress Lynette at onset
• Bethany Lor, Dowager Queen of Iyita
• Sterling Lor, Kale's younger brother, heir to Iyita
• Aaron Mar, Lynette's paternal uncle, King of Hesperos, vassal of Lynette
• Sebastian Mar, Aaron's son, heir to Hesperos
• Serenity & Josephine Mar, Aaron's daughters
• the other royal families of Shalmar
• Dante Ryisine, King of Hilina
• Lotus Ryisine, Dante's wife, Queen Consort (later Queen Dowager) of Hilina
• Lesa Ryisine, Dante's daughter, temporary Queen Regnant of Hilina
• Chris Ryisine, MMC/LI, heir to Hilina, eventual husband of Lynette and King (Consort) of Shalmar
• Desirae Ryisine, Dante's sister (deceased)
• Fayeth Ryisine, Desirae's daughter, eventual Queen of Hilina, paramour of Chris & Thom at onset
• Thomas Blackwood, Fayeth's lover (and formerly Chris's)
• Glenn Kimbrough, Lotus' brother, leader of the cult of Noka
• Vernon Riley, Lesa's husband and Lotus' lover
• Guy Tiburcio, Veronica's lover, member of cult of Noka
• Noka Ryisine, the Mad Prince, legendary prince of Hilina, betrothed to Helena
• Helena Grace, legendary Empress of Shalmar, betrothed to Noka and later married to Ambrus
• Ambrus, the King from Beyond the Sea, the Oceanborn, legendary King of Shalmar, husband of Helena
• Jareth, Helena's son, eldest of the Lost Graces, Primary Antagonist
• Gweneth, Helena's eldest daughter, second of the Lost Graces, lost heir to Shalmar, (secretly) rightful Empress of Shalmar, Avatar of Yihasa
• Korina, Helena's second daughter, youngest of the Lost Graces
Simple Series Outline
Cult of the Forgotten King | Lord Glenn Kimbrough conspires to free the Lost Graces.
The Lost Graces | The Lost Graces make their presence known while Lynette puzzles out her relationships.
The Queen of Hilina | Dowager Queen Lotus attempts to steal the throne of Hilina.
The Goddess Returns | Shalmar and Hilina attempt to defeat the Faneth.
Various Ideas (worldbuilding, ideas, etc.)
• "Diamond ring = buying virginity ... Hilina tradition?
• "Stairway to the Gods"* / tallest mountain in the world
• Palace of Hesperos halfway up
• Aaron wants Lynette to marry Sebastian & move to Hesperos (essentially, he wants to have the kind of influence over her that Jonathan does at the beginning)
• Gweneth wants Hesperos in exchange for her help in book #4 (Jareth took it by force during book #2)
• Jareth hopes to bring Lynette (and, after he learns of their marriage, Chris) back there & unite Hilina/Shalmar/etc under their rule
*"Yihasa's Throne"?
Lynette is prophesied to have two husbands: one dark-haired, one fair. At first, Lyn assumes this means she will outlive Kale and remarry; her opinion becomes murkier once she begins to develop feelings for Chris. Later, it seems to be a toss-up between Chris and Sebastian if Gwen succeeds & Chris and Jareth if she fails. The actual answer, however, is that she eventually marries Chris, Thom, and Fayeth.
The "Mage cavalry" of Shalmar rides the equivalent if Thunderbirds, while the Lost Graces have at least one dragon (possibly three) from the Deadlands. (Dragons in this verse cannot breathe fire or perform magic, but their scales are like armor and they are immune to magic.) In the end, Lynette hatches a new baby dragon (possibly having been given the egg by Jareth?)
Hilina v. Shalmar
The Shalmari characters represent mundanity, politics, and the present day status quo. The Hilinites, however, represent mythology, passion, and the influence of the past. Both paths, however, prove to come with rigid expectations and required adherence to either social and/or religious rules. It is Chris and his friends alone who represent freedom, and so of course it is Chris who Lynette will ultimately choose.
Update 6/19/2018
I think the idea of Shalmar representing mundanity, politics, and the status quo is wildly outdated and very much no longer true. Shalmar is very myths and magic, but in a light/nature kind of way. Hilina is very much about indulgence and passion and decadence. I think I can definitely dig deeper into this and try to pull out some more for this, but what's written above is not really relevant anymore.
I've had an Eska & Desna fan art in my potential characters folder for a while now, and I think I've got an idea for how to use it. Honestly, the image kind of makes me think of a young Jonathan and Valeria, which gave me the idea of a Shalmar story in which the brother-sister incest between a Shalmari prince and princess was a confirmed thing... but told from an outside perspective.
So here's the idea. In the past (generations before Yihasa's Chosen), the future empress and her (twin or elder) brother are in a sexual relationship. Unfortunately for them, they're at a point in history where brother/sister marriage has fallen out of favor with the empire, and so the brother is engaged to the MFC, the younger princess of either Tarik or Hesperos. (The future empress is expected to marry a Shalmari warrior, but there may or may not be a spare to the throne of Hesperos or Tarik--whichever MFC isn't--hanging around in hopes of winning her hand.)
Meanwhile, there's a succession crisis brewing in MFC's home kingdom. The Queen is past childbearing age, but she's only had daughters (two). The MFC's elder sister, therefore, is the heir... but the kingdom isn't exactly thrilled about the idea of a reigning Queen. There may be bastards involved here or just your run-of-the-mill attempted coup by a powerful vassal, but either way, the MFC's elder sister just might be in more danger than a throne's really worth.
Update 6/18/15
This idea has been scrapped, and Drusilla and her twin brother Valens (based on the Eksa and Desna fanart) have been added to Yihasa's Chosen proper as Lynette's second cousins. Dru is Lyn's heir prior to the birth of her first daughter.
The Grace Girls
Lynette, Drusilla, Veronica, and Claire (plus Dru's twin brother, Valens) were raised together, as Drusilla is Lyn's heir and Lyn was essentially raised by Jonathan. Lyn, Dru, and Claire became good friends, but Veronica harbors bitterness over Shalmar's strict matrilineal succession and was consumed by envy of her first and second cousins, leading to the kidnapping of herself, Lynette, and Drusilla by the Cult of Noka. (Which has clear shades of the Lost Graces and causes similar panic.)
Personal Conflicts in Yihasa's Chosen
Aaron v Lynette & Jonathan
Lynette finds herself caught between her uncles' tempers and manipulations; Aaron wants her to marry his son, Sebastian, but Jonathan hates the Mar family and is determined to keep the match from happening.
Guy & Veronica v Lynette
Kimbrough v. Lynette
As a last-ditch effort before he decides to kill her, Kimbrough propositions Lynette, growing increasingly inappropriate and menacing over the course of the scene.
Dante v Lynette & Jonathan
Jonathan comes to take Lynette home and confronts Dante. Jon's always hated him, and Dante suspects that his affection for Valeria was less than brotherly; they each accuse the other of having inappropriate feelings toward Lynette and using her as a replacement for her mother. (They may each be correct to a certain extent, but neither takes their own interest seriously.)
Veronica v Jareth
After Veronica frees the Faneth, she and Jareth share a sexually-charged scene in which he expresses his gratitude... then kills her, declaring her a usurper to the true empress, who he intends to seek out.
Characters
• Lynette Grace, MFC, Empress of Shalmar, Avatar of the Goddess
• Valeria Grace, Lynette's mother, previous Empress of Shalmar (deceased)
• Orpheus Mar, Lynette's father, previous King of Hesperos (deceased)
• Jonathan Grace, Lynette's maternal uncle (possibly/rumored to be her father), de facto ruler of Shalmar at onset
• Nicole Kaledera, Jonathan's wife
• Veronica Kaledera, Jonathan's daughter, member of the cult of Noka, temporary Usurper Empress of Shalmar, (not heir to Shalmar, as all direct female lines of descent come before even the closest male)
• Claire Kaledera, Jonathan's younger daughter, eventual wife of Kale Lor and Queen Consort of Iyita
• Kale Lor, King of Iyita, vassal and betrothed of Empress Lynette at onset
• Bethany Lor, Dowager Queen of Iyita
• Sterling Lor, Kale's younger brother, heir to Iyita
• Aaron Mar, Lynette's paternal uncle, King of Hesperos, vassal of Lynette
• Sebastian Mar, Aaron's son, heir to Hesperos
• Serenity & Josephine Mar, Aaron's daughters
• the other royal families of Shalmar
• Dante Ryisine, King of Hilina
• Lotus Ryisine, Dante's wife, Queen Consort (later Queen Dowager) of Hilina
• Lesa Ryisine, Dante's daughter, temporary Queen Regnant of Hilina
• Chris Ryisine, MMC/LI, heir to Hilina, eventual husband of Lynette and King (Consort) of Shalmar
• Desirae Ryisine, Dante's sister (deceased)
• Fayeth Ryisine, Desirae's daughter, eventual Queen of Hilina, paramour of Chris & Thom at onset
• Thomas Blackwood, Fayeth's lover (and formerly Chris's)
• Glenn Kimbrough, Lotus' brother, leader of the cult of Noka
• Vernon Riley, Lesa's husband and Lotus' lover
• Guy Tiburcio, Veronica's lover, member of cult of Noka
• Noka Ryisine, the Mad Prince, legendary prince of Hilina, betrothed to Helena
• Helena Grace, legendary Empress of Shalmar, betrothed to Noka and later married to Ambrus
• Ambrus, the King from Beyond the Sea, the Oceanborn, legendary King of Shalmar, husband of Helena
• Jareth, Helena's son, eldest of the Lost Graces, Primary Antagonist
• Gweneth, Helena's eldest daughter, second of the Lost Graces, lost heir to Shalmar, (secretly) rightful Empress of Shalmar, Avatar of Yihasa
• Korina, Helena's second daughter, youngest of the Lost Graces
Simple Series Outline
Cult of the Forgotten King | Lord Glenn Kimbrough conspires to free the Lost Graces.
The Lost Graces | The Lost Graces make their presence known while Lynette puzzles out her relationships.
The Queen of Hilina | Dowager Queen Lotus attempts to steal the throne of Hilina.
The Goddess Returns | Shalmar and Hilina attempt to defeat the Faneth.
Various Ideas (worldbuilding, ideas, etc.)
• "Diamond ring = buying virginity ... Hilina tradition?
• "Stairway to the Gods"* / tallest mountain in the world
• Palace of Hesperos halfway up
• Aaron wants Lynette to marry Sebastian & move to Hesperos (essentially, he wants to have the kind of influence over her that Jonathan does at the beginning)
• Gweneth wants Hesperos in exchange for her help in book #4 (Jareth took it by force during book #2)
• Jareth hopes to bring Lynette (and, after he learns of their marriage, Chris) back there & unite Hilina/Shalmar/etc under their rule
*"Yihasa's Throne"?
Lynette is prophesied to have two husbands: one dark-haired, one fair. At first, Lyn assumes this means she will outlive Kale and remarry; her opinion becomes murkier once she begins to develop feelings for Chris. Later, it seems to be a toss-up between Chris and Sebastian if Gwen succeeds & Chris and Jareth if she fails. The actual answer, however, is that she eventually marries Chris, Thom, and Fayeth.
The "Mage cavalry" of Shalmar rides the equivalent if Thunderbirds, while the Lost Graces have at least one dragon (possibly three) from the Deadlands. (Dragons in this verse cannot breathe fire or perform magic, but their scales are like armor and they are immune to magic.) In the end, Lynette hatches a new baby dragon (possibly having been given the egg by Jareth?)
Hilina v. Shalmar
The Shalmari characters represent mundanity, politics, and the present day status quo. The Hilinites, however, represent mythology, passion, and the influence of the past. Both paths, however, prove to come with rigid expectations and required adherence to either social and/or religious rules. It is Chris and his friends alone who represent freedom, and so of course it is Chris who Lynette will ultimately choose.
Update 6/19/2018
I think the idea of Shalmar representing mundanity, politics, and the status quo is wildly outdated and very much no longer true. Shalmar is very myths and magic, but in a light/nature kind of way. Hilina is very much about indulgence and passion and decadence. I think I can definitely dig deeper into this and try to pull out some more for this, but what's written above is not really relevant anymore.
