WIP Aesthetics Part One

(Images via Pinterest)

Welcome to the first post in my new blogging series talking about the aesthetics of my current projects. I don't know about you, but I'm a sucker for proper aesthetics. I have spent far more time on Pinterest than I would care to admit; and honestly one of the things that I have to figure out before I can work on a book alongside characters, plot, and romance is actually aesthetics. I have mood boards, and story themed playlists, and I can't work on stories unless the vibe is right. So I thought I would take some time to talk about the said vibe for each of my stories.

I'm currently working on four major projects now that OSaS is off getting edited (don't forget to sign up for its cover reveal!). Those stories are... Rage Like the Gods, A Tale of Gods and Glory, A Season of Subterfuge, Courtiers and War Councils, and A Matter of Curiosity. Curiously (see what I did there?) enough, these stories all take place in only two worlds with RLtG and AToGaG being connected by the common world of Ruskhazar and SoS and MoC by Amar.

I figured there was no better way to start this off than by talking about Rage Like the Gods. I feel like this may be the story I talk about the most on this blog so you are already probably pretty familiar with it. But just in case, before we get into the aesthetics, best to share what this story is even about.

Genre: High Fantasy and Romance

The fantasy world Ruskhazar is inspired by Viking and Russian civilizations as well as their myths.

I wouldn't say that the romance is a heavy element in this book but it's definitely there. And while it isn't always the main focus there are definitely parts of this story that do focus on it.

Elevator pitch: Ruskhazar is the harsh and beautiful home of men and elves. But the end of the world is coming and the living will fall to their own ancestors unless five unlikely heroes, chosen by the gods, accept their destiny and save a world that never had any place for them.

Character vibes: now this is a long one. RLtG has five main characters (the sequel will have six and hooo boy what an adventure that will be) and on top of each character having a different vibe, their POVs are also all very different in tone.

(All character aesthetic pictures via Pinterest)

Eirik Gaelson

A bard.

A thief.

A lover, rather than a fighter.

The half-elf son of a farmer and an alchemist.

Luckier than most, and yet still searches for his place in this world.

Winsome and charming, Eirik was chosen by the god of humanity, harvest, life and death

His POV's aesthetic is: forests and thieves, Robin Hood, and mistaken identities, the rogue playing the hero, and the thrill of falling in love

Thyre NoName

A former bandit, outlaw, and outcast

Assassin in the order of the Family of Blood

Werewolf of the Skollvagr clan

A lonely heart just looking for love.

The mountains are her home and of them she is proud.

Daughter of a gravedigger and last of a name no longer spoken, Thyre was chosen by the god of time, guardian of Skyhold

Her POV's aesthetic is murder and bloodshed, honor and dignity. Lots of Viking vibes and a werewolf hierarchy. Assassins and mountains, as well as love and elopement feature here.

Meruna Kotov

The student.

The Magicker to be.

Born with magic in her veins and magic in her heart.

The wealthy heiress with the golden eyes

She swore an oath of nonviolence, one she would rather die than break

Kind hearted and full of principle, she was chosen by the goddess of the virtues and magic

Her POV's aesthetic is magic and murder. There's a serial killer in the school. Dark academia vibes and a greater focus on the religious system of this world. Rivals to friends to possibly something more

Dagmy of the Deserts

Exile, Warrior, Mercenary

Monster Hunter

Vampire

Taciturn and full of regrets, she will stop at nothing to become a legend

Experienced with a blade, and yet not in the way of monsters

Is used to extreme heat, not cold

Beautiful and harsh she was chosen by the goddess of beauty, lies, and carnal beasts

Her aesthetic is war and fighting, monsters. Blood and honor. Sands and snow. The first glance of a new world and the naivety of an outsider. It has vampires and the horrors they instill.

Azern, servant of the Lady of Light

Higher Elf, Sorceress, Werewolf

Azern is forever marked an outcast in Ruskhazar because of her birth, beliefs, and situation but she is the only one actually focused on saving it

There's madness in her mind but goodness in her heart

Cursed to see things that are to come, but powerless to change them, the weight of it all has caused her mind to crack

Dedicated and loyal Azern was chosen by the demigod of dawn, new beginnings, and protection against the end

Her POV's aesthetic is a cross between Thyre's werewolf hierarchy and Meruna's dark academia vibes. However it adds in the twist of madness, hidden identities, and forbidden sorceries.

RLtG obviously has a very large cast so I'm not going to list all of the supporting characters, but some note worthy ones are... the lady knight who hates thieves but loves Eirik, a shy and kind werewolf who doesn't quite fit in with his bloodthirsty pack, a rule oriented magicker werewolf who hates the creature inside, a powerful magic user just looking for a good time, and an obstinate half-Highlander pursuing magic despite his natural immunity to it.

Setting:

(All pictures via Pinterest)

This world is the bloody and snowy, home of warring classes and feuding magic systems. It has beautiful mountains and northern lights and lots of lovely things, while still being the world of necromancers and monsters and some unholy things.

In this world monsters roam and magic can be bought. It is a home to assassins, bandits, monster hunters, and mercenaries. There are vampires and werewolves, two kinds of monsters that mortal men or elves can end up becoming with a single bite. However, there are also the monsters of old... shapeshifters, krakens, and dragons that were long ago wiped out only for them to rise again in this age of necromancy. A giant guards the borders of Ruskhazar, joined only by his faithful companion, his loyal hound. The gods only rarely interfere in the mortal sphere, choosing to remain in their home of Skyhold instead.

Mountains circle around a valley and a sea surrounds the mountains. Prisoners are shipped off to work in the spice mines on islands across the sea, and the peninsula itself houses many exiles from the desert lands to the south. Its cities are in the center of the valley, with estates ruled by lords extending to the mountains, at the foot of the mountains and within them are villages ruled by chieftains in the traditional Highlander way.

Highlanders, Lowlanders, Lower Elves, and Higher Elves all live together under the façade peace.

It is the only place magic can be found and its great Academy of Magickers trains many a promising student.

To keep this post from getting too long I'll cut it off here. Obviously this is a long book and each character is very unique (for instance Meruna has a bodyguard who is a sassy warrior nun who would sell her soul for a loaf of read) so there's a lot of different aesthetics I'm missing, but if I broke all that down we'd be here all day so I thought I would focus on giving just a general view. If you're interested in more aesthetics you can check out my Rage Like the Gods Playlist and Mood Board.

Hopefully you enjoyed this, next week we'll delve into Amar. Comment below to let me know what you think of RLtG's aesthetics and this whole series I'm doing!

Also, I now have a newsletter you can sign up to that here and you'll receive a free copy of Rage Like the Gods' prequel Between Gods and Demigods.