#i really like how that author writes about Menzoberranzan | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

omgkalyppso · 4 months

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🍄Decriscribe your wip/one of your wips in the format of “___ + ___ =___”

🖍Post Any sentence from your wip

♻️A scrapped idea for your current WIP

I'm always interested in the ideas that just don't work out for whatever reason, probably because I end up scrapping about 60-80% of my ideas lol

asdhfkjlas That's so relatable.... Thank you for the ask!

🍄 Wordy but:

two ties to Menzoberranzan + a duke and two guilds on your side = a civilized, if fucked up, society of vampires

🖍 I can never limit myself to a sentence, let's be real.

b/g3 spoilers and pre-established relationship (Étoile and Wyll) conflict implied below the cut

Here's some dialogue from a vampire spawn oc, Anastasia. Turned by Leon less than a week before Cazador's defeat, with a son in Baldur's Gate. She doesn't want to go into the Underdark. She argues she isn't blood starved like so many of the rest. She is pivotal in how their little vampiric society forms:

"...Property disputes go to your member of the council. Worship of Shar or any devil, and signs of Shar or any devil should be reported to the Council. Two vampires of the House must always be in the Underdark. The council meets every new moon. Missing Council members forgo their votes, and vampire spawn are immediately up for replacement, while vampires and Étoile must have their deaths confirmed to be relieved of their positions on the Council. No vampire may substitute their vote on the council. Some votes will be open to all members of House Ienith. Punishments for law breaking will range from pain, to fines, to labour, to exile, to execution by beheading or exposure to the sun. "But we are not a stupid people. We want to eat and laugh and love again. We will flourish together. We will uplift one another. We will be free."

♻️ There are two moments of conflict with Wyll that I'm scrapping. I don't want to make him in conflict with Étoile just to honor canon that could've been more considerate to begin with. He's capable of social understanding wrt "monsters" if he can canonically romance Astarion, of being self-aware wrt the "devilish" appearances of tieflings, and of being happy helping people as Duke — really there'd be no shortage of combat, how familiar are you with the forgotten realms? dfjshgbskdjh

But that does mean that I'm losing a planned moment where Étoile leaves the duke's estate to spend a night at The Favored Knight, a classy inn in Hightown I made up and Astarion comes to comfort them. I'll share some blocked dialogue:

It's like 2 AM.

Étoile: A room is 14 gold? Innkeep: Yes, sir. Étoile: Here's twenty-five for a room, a bath and a bottle of wine, and two more if you can find me a messenger to go to the lower city? Innkeep: Certainly. Do you have a letter prepared? Étoile: No, I'll need a minute to write it. Innkeep: Of course. Right this way. I'll send three up with the bathwater, and either I or another will come for the letter. Étoile: Please. Innkeep: My pleasure, Mla'ghir. [i headcanon this name to find purchase in their vampire community and slowly fall into public knowledge; this is just a statement that they're recognized, and there's an implication of discretion as a reflection of authority]

[the letter]

Astarion. I am at the Favored Knight in Hightown. I wanted a bath and to be away from our old friend. Things did not go well. You are welcome to stay at home, but if you came to me … I would appreciate the company. All my love, Étoile

[some time later]

Astarion: Do you want to talk about what happened? Étoile: Say you love me. Astarion: Oh, Endanya, more than anything. I love you. Étoile: I love you too. Wyll, he— [REDACTED] Astarion: He's had a long time to [REDACTED] Étoile: [REDACTED] Then he wouldn't allow me time to dress before he stormed out. It felt … very undignified. Astarion: Fuck him then. Étoile: Astarion. Astarion: No, I— I don't want you treated that way. Étoile: He said we could talk about it tomorrow, and he did apologize. I want to hear what he has to say. Astarion: [indignant] He's going to hurt you again. Étoile: [resigned] Probably. Astarion: [REDACTED] Étoile: [REDACTED]

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

And I still want Wyll as part of their relationships, so I worried about how conflict would be to my audience. It'll be lighter. Different. Better.

I hope. LOL.

But yeah, I'm not going to share Wyll's (just) anger blocked dialogue. I'll figure it out.

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caithyra · 3 years

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I’m suuuure he’s shocked /s

GRRM: “Oh woes! I have created a perfect and supporting family for my main characters and I need conflict to make it interesting! What could possibly ruin a good family?”

GRRM: “Ah! A girly girl, of course!” *Creates Sansa.* “And a traitorous bitch at that who would chose to support and protect her child over her birth family who do not rely on her for protection! Surely all shall realize what a bad person she is! It’s not like her own mother would be condemned for abandoning a child that’s not even her own!” *Creates first outline.* “But wait! She shall be prepubescent at the start of the story...” *Starts creating the actual story.* “I shall introduce her through the resentful tomboy’s perspective! And I shall have grown men slobbering over this prepubescent girly girl because we all know that’s ~*historically accurate*~! Oh, people do not like her? I am shocked! Shocked!”

Like, it says a lot about a narrative that when the author wants to create conflict and shake up a healthy family dynamic in a supremely patriarchal world, that he introduces a prepubescent, feminine sister who is unfavored by her father compared to her tomboy sister (even Sansa’s betrothal is a sham even if it would have made her future queen-in-waiting. If everything went as Ned planned, her virtue would have been ruined on the Trident and after he breaks the betrothal with Joff by accusing him of being a bastard, Sansa’s play-acting at love and having been alone with Joff would have ruined her for good, future prospects and the best she would get is either a disinherited second son who no one else wants to marry or a jumped up house who wants some blue blood like the Freys, Baelishes or Westerlings-Spicers that no one important likes.

Arya, by being younger, and more like Lyanna, would have gotten the queenhood and crown prince by Robert’s second wife after Cersei is disposed of, since Robert really wants to marry his child to Ned’s children, so no one better tell me that Ned ever put Sansa ahead of Arya the same he puts Arya ahead of Sansa. He freaking hides behind his prepubescent daughter’s skirts while investigating what he believes are ruthless murderers who had no qualms killing the most powerful men in the realm in a hyper-patriarchy! And it is the other daughter he warns about dangers and gives lessons in fighting! Like what was Ned thinking would happen with Sansa? Did he even care? Did he think he could just sweep it under rugs and forget it? She will need to marry within recent memory of her scandalous conduct since she’ll be twenty in less than a decade! And marriageable age in Westeros is 16! And yet the fandom goes “Poor Ned to have that traitorous bitch for a daughter~” “She should have listened to Ned who never spoke to her and explained himself or the world wouldn’t be ending~” “I don’t hate Sansa but she was sooo stupid for not blindly obeying her loving father who punishes her for her sister’s sins and never explains himself~” is it any wonder my patience with Ned Stark’s parental fuck ups ran out? Congrats, fandom, you made me hate him by excusing his fuck ups and blaming them on his daughter all the time!).

GRRM tries to make it gray, but he knows full well what kind of audience he writes to when he writes the relationships between Cat and Jon, and Arya and Sansa and should have compensated.

Hell, he should have made Joff a good person, prince and promising future king that most girls would like to marry, only to show that’s not what Ned cares about (after all, unless Ned wants Sansa to be abused like half the fandom, he had no idea that Joff was bad when he betrothed them), he cares about birth and truth and “High As Honor” over practical things like “Winter is Coming and Staying for Ten Freezing Years and Does Not Care Who Sits On the Throne So Lets Not Start a Civil War with One of the Most Powerful Families in the Realm, hm?”.

I mean, no one likes Drizzt Do’Urden’s sisters/mother/the matriarchy as a whole, do they? The Dark Elf Trilogy predates ASoIaF by six years, and should have shown a competent writer exactly what the state of womanhood in the Fantasy genre was like. And if you’re going “well, the matriarchy is evil!” I would like to point out that people hate Cattie-brie who is not part of that matriarchy. Yeah. There’s a reason why Menzoberranzan could be written that way and published and become popular, and it was not that Fantasy readers love and support and makes the effort to identify with and understand female characters (nor does most authors, come to think of it... see female friendships in ASoIaF that are without any sexual, incest, or abusive~ Like Arianne and Tyene being as close as sisters in the Later Books Which Are Not Early Installment Weirdness... Oh wait...).

Heck, in the Belgariad, another series predating both of them, things were more subtle but hardly better for female characters; Polgara is a mother figure who gets to have a moment of being imperfect, but to anyone reading the story, it is clear that Garion is the true victim in the circumstances and conspiracies Polgara’s family has woven around him, and that his anger is the immediate reaction of finding out the truth (he just found out how/why he was orphaned and now has the world on his shoulders! And the characters bag on him for not being understanding of the 1000s of years old woman who lied to him and now is sulking. It is blatantly obvious to the readers that it is not the male character in the wrong). The less said about Ce´Nedra (half hyper-sexual dryad, spoiled princess who wants bigger breasts, et cetera) the better. Heck, the less said about the lovable oaf of the hero group committing marital rape on his estranged wife to cure her of being a bitch and turn her loving the better.

The Narnia books predates even that, and Sansa’s direct parallel is Susan, and, yeah... “A silly and vain young woman” with “Plenty of time to mend” sounds very familiar when you hear how people blame Sansa and wants to force her into abusive marriages with repulsive men to mend her.

Not to mention that in Lord of the Rings and related works women are either paragons of virtue, evil, unnamed or are chastised for being ambitious, with a few, notable exceptions allowed to make “wrong” choices, and, well, just see the Elwing discourse in fandom and how her murderers who kidnapped and kept her children (Elrond and Elros, yes, that Elrond for those not familiar with Tolkien’s Legendarium and only watched the movies) as hostages are their ~*real parents*~ after committing a third almost-genocide against her people.

Yeah, no. GRRM doesn’t get to pretend he’s shocked and/or confused by his readers’ reception to Sansa (and Cat). He does not live, read nor write in a vacuum. This shit has been part of Fantasy fandom since long before ASoIaF was an errant idea in his head.

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artemis-entreri · 6 years

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[[ Hey look, it’s a Drizzt novel! But probably a title that you’ve never seen before, right? The reason for this is that Shores of Dusk was cancelled before it was ever published, despite having been fully readied for publication, including being advertised in the Dragon magazine. Below is the original promotional blurb for this book:

In the years between Siege of Darkness and Passage to Dawn, the legendary Drizzt traveled Faerun before returning to Icewind Dale. Though he didn't go back to Menzoberranzan, he did journey through the underdark... and found that the evilness of drow was not exclusive to the land of his birth.

So, you’re probably wondering, why was the plug pulled on this book before it ever saw the light of day? The simple answer: it was a Drizzt book not written by Salvatore, assigned instead to Mark Anthony during a time when Salvatore and TSR had a falling-out. The publication was cancelled at the last minute because if it had gone through, it would’ve meant that Salvatore would’ve never wrote Drizzt again.

In the words of Mark Anthony:

I'm constantly surprised how many emails I still receive regarding SHORES OF DUSK. It seems a number of people remain curious about what happened to the book. So, yes, feel free to post this reply to your mailing list, if you think others will be interested.

The story behind SHORES OF DUSK and its eventual cancellation is really pretty simple, at least from my end of things. A few years ago, after he began writing for Del Rey, R. A. Salvatore was unable to come to an agreement with TSR to keep writing the Drizzt series. I'm not aware of the exact reasons for this--you'd have to ask Bob about that. One factor might have been a "no-compete" clause in his contract with Del Rey. (This is quite common--publishers usually want their authors to write only for them.) There may have been other factors, such as compensation. (At the time, TSR was in pretty dire financial straits.)

Regardless, Brian Thomsen, then Executive Editor at TSR, approached me to write a new novel starring Drizzt. Brian was of course familiar with my writing, as I had done several novels for TSR, and I he had previously assigned me to write a novella set in the Drizzt milieu as a sort of test, which I apparently passed ("The Fires of Narbondel" in REALMS OF THE UNDERDARK). I'll be honest--writing about Drizzt was not my idea, and it was not something I would have sought out myself, but Brian asked me, and so I accepted.

I wrote what I thought was a fun and interesting novel, trying to be as sensitive to the characters and worlds Bob Salvatore had created as I possibly could. It was without doubt the most difficult book I had ever written for TSR, as I worked hard to stay true to Bob's earlier novels. It was also made difficult by the fact that Bob was clearly unhappy that someone else was writing a novel about Drizzt. Not that I could really blame him--but therein lies the danger of writing in a licensed world like the Forgotten Realms.

Anyway, as things turned out, just months before SHORES OF DUSK was to be published, TSR was bought (and saved from bankruptcy) by Wizards of the Cost. Brian Thomsen was replaced as editor by Mary Kirchoff (who had headed up the book department before him). She managed to work out a deal with Del Rey that allowed Bob Salvatore to write for both publishers, and Bob was still interested in writing Drizzt novels. With Bob back, there was no need for my novel, and so the project was canceled. I did get paid for it, but obviously only a fraction of what I would have gotten had it seen publication.

It was disconcerting, of course, to have the book canceled so close to publication. Ads for it had already appeared in Dragon Magazine! But I can't blame Mary for her decision. The Drizzt novels were TSR's biggest asset, and a Drizzt novel by Bob Salvatore is certainly worth more than one by anyone else, no matter how well written or researched it might be. So I certainly bear TSR/WotC no hard feelings in the matter.

In fact, later on, Mary Kirchoff offered me a Forgotten Realms trilogy, which was very kind of her. However, I had to turn the project down. By that time, I had sold my own fantasy series to Bantam Spectra, and I had neither the time to write a trilogy for TSR, nor could I legally do so, given the no-compete clause in my own contract with Bantam. And the fact is, I'd much rather write novels set in my own worlds starring my own characters.

So everything turned out well in the end. Bob Salvatore got to keep writing Drizzt, which I'm sure his fans appreciate. And I got to write my own fantasy series. It's doing well by the way. The third of six books, THE DARK REMAINS, is due out February 27th. I'm glad to hear people enjoyed the books I wrote for TSR, and I believe my current books are a big leap above those in quality, so I hope you'll check them out. You can learn more at my web site: http://www.thelastrune.com

Well, I hope that answers your questions. Feel free to pass the word along to others. And if you have any further questions about SHORES OF DUSK, please direct them to Mary Kirchoff at TSR/WotC.

Anthony’s story is an incomplete one, as it was apparently the case that all the involved parties did not have the chance to compare notes on this project. TSR editor James Lowder clarified:

Mark is incorrect in both his "guesses" here--that the reason Salvatore and TSR had parted ways for a time was either because of a non-compete clause or because of financial demands on anyone's part. The non-RAS Drizzt book assignment was offered to writers as a way for TSR mgmt.to punish Salvatore over a non-financial business disagreement.

Meanwhile, years later Salvatore had this to say on the subject:

Furthermore, Lowder revealed:

I personally would’ve liked to read Shores of Dusk, in no small part due to the disillusion that I personally feel over Salvatore’s handling of the franchise that he helped create. If you’re like me, you can sort of experience that in Anthony’s “The Fires of Narbondel”, which does exist in publication in Realms of the Underdark. If you’re looking for a more complete representation of a non-Salvatore Drizzt, you’re unfortunately out of luck, for as Philip Athans, another Forgotten Realms author and editor for Wizards of the Coast, explained:

]]

#ooc #legend of drizzt #drizzt #drizzt do'urden #shores of dusk #r a salvatore #forgotten realms #philip athans #mark anthony #james lowder #TSR #wizards of the coast #wotofo

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ladybugnight · 7 years

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Yule Tide 2017 Letter for author

Hello Writer, I am so happy to be apart of this again this year. I enjoy doing this for others and enjoy seeing what people do for me. I am an easy going person so do not stress about what you make me. The fact that you did anything for me makes me HAPPY and EXCITED!

I have a few simple do not wants, and many LOVES! And even have some specific things I Like to see from different fandom. But you do not have to hit anything specific.

My DNW’s are simple: No Intense descriptions of Underage Sex, I do not want it, and rarely tolerate even mild mentions of it. (I have as they used a underage encounter as a building block for the story, and that was about the only time! So please stay clear of it), I also do not like Water sports or other body functions in sex, Again I have seen and tolerated it in mention for a plot point but do not need it described!

I do how ever have a hard 100% hard DO NOT WANT! That is clowns. They scare me, scare the SHIT out of me, and this will sound weird as I love the Circus, and am okay with Harliquin Clowns but Bozo, It, and other clowns like it scare me! Like will make me stop reading scare me. So please NO! Just NO!

I know it seems like a lot of DNW’s but it really is not.

DO WANT: Au’s, Love Stories, Love Hurt Comfort Stories, ABO, “coffee shop Au’s”, Christmas Wonderland Stories, Adventures, Action, Suspense. Circus AU’s (remember I am scared of clowns, Best way to do this is just to avoid clowns. You have a balloon sculptor sure, but Bozo Blowing up a balloon to create a poodle NO!)

These are just a few Do Want’s So please take it easy you do not need to write in this. These are just suggestions of things that get bonus points from me! Again I am just happy to see you write something from my list of likes.

The following is just the Fandoms I am asking for and a few things for there specific fandoms.

The Legend of Drizzt I am a huge fan of the earlier books, Anything in the earlier days of R.A. Salvatore. If I had to guess where they lost me was around the Hunter’s Blade Trilogy. I Haven’t read anything past this as I have really lost the love for the writing of Salvatore! So this is more of a create your own adventure, feel free to re write the Mythology of the world and story if you need.

I love Drizzt and Catti, even if it is a bit weird as he watched the girl grow up and then old. But at the same time I think it is sweet and adorable how much he can care for her. So feel free to use that pairing.

I also really enjoy the way Drizzt and Zaknafein interacted in the early books. I think it was a neat dynamic and would love to see a father and son interaction. Be it with a ghost of Zaknafein or be it while Drizzt was still in Menzoberranzan. Do you like to write AU’s? If so I would love a Modern Fantasy AU, where Drizzt is still a Drow, and the characters keep the race they were given in the story, but bring them to our world. What adventures and how would they interact in the world as it is now, with the high Fantasy of the books still a solid part of reality.

Princess Tutu Is a very dear anime to me. It is one of the few I have fallen in love with in the Magical Girl Genera. And more so as it is one that my best friend introduced to me (she introduces me to lots but so many are boring to me this one caught my heart) . I might sound picky with this fandom but I am not. Honestly, I Swear to you!

I do want a Fakir and Ahiru Story. I love this couple and would love the story to feature and revolve around them. Mytho and Rue are my other couple but I am not as into them as Fakir and Ahiru!

I would like something with the characters older then they are now. This will allow you so many more options. Does she continue to be Tutu after the show, does she stay a duck, if so how does that effect Fakir? Did he move on to a new woman and care for Duck or does he let her go free!

I would love to see an after the story ends arc. But it is not the only thing you HAVE to do! Other things that would be cool to see... A date night (bonus points if he takes her to the circus), or an adventure to save another doomed person. Maybe an AU where they are actually in the Ballet and this is the story they are preparing to preform on stage. Lots you can do. I am happy with so much.

The Last Unicorn I honestly wasn’t sure if I was going to request this one with it just being Haggard as the only character option. But I thought what the heck, Lets do it! This is a story I grew up with in story books, movies, music, and when I got old enough the novel. One of the things I always wanted to be confirmed on did he die? Did Haggard Die in the collapse of his castle? Did The Unicorn come back to save him, with her being able to regret, could she handle the guilt of his death on her and the others. Does another save him, if so what or who? Please no porn for this fandom. I am not okay with thinking about Haggard and some other... no please no! But other wise tell me what happened, tell me more about how it ended.

Frozen Teardrop Okay, here it is, the hardest one to ask for as I am still reading these. It is taking time as I was having issues finding decently translated versions. So please write me a story that involves the selected characters, and feel free to add the other pilots. It does not need to be in the timeline it can be future time lines, or timelines between the end of Endless Waltz and beginning of frozen teardrops.

Chef RPF HUGE FAN OF GORDON! Like we are talking I LOVE THIS MAN! I love Kitchen Nightmares, and Hell's Kitchen the most. And as a restaurant owner I kinda wish we needed his help! (Glad we don't but kinda wished we did) I would love to see you work with his Chef Ramsay character from TV. (yes people that is a character, he does have a short fuse in the kitchen as a head chef, but IRL he is quite nice) And cross it over to another program. Like Cake Boss, Cupcake Wars, Undercover Boss..... SO many other places he could go visit.

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