Earlier today I had an awful headache. The headache is now gone, and I am feeling pleasantly comfortable after a shower and a late supper and an evening of work behind me. Comfortable, and lazy.

Therefore, I ignore the brand-new work schedule I made for myself (already in shambles due to the headache) to devote unnecessary amounts of brainpower to this tag.

(Edit: by the time I'm publishing this, it's over a week later)

(I'm not sure whether I actually got tagged for this but I do what I want mwahaha)

Gonna do this with Starlight Under Clouds (Sorrow and Song Part III), but if anybody wants to request a different story, just let me know and I'll be more than happy to comply. XD

1. Describe the plot in one sentence.

A very mild-mannered man and three exceptionally mature youngsters try to find five shinies while eluding an invisible, unkillable evil; meantime, an intergenerational self-exile returns to his homeland as an ambassador and gets caught up in politics and civil upheaval.

Okay, maybe calling Derek a youngster is stretching it. XD

It's a very long sentence, but hey, it's a very long book... or it will be...

2. Pick one sight, sound, smell, feel, and taste to describe the aesthetic of your novel.

Stars in a dark sky, wind ripping, pine-forest, fierce closeness of an embrace, smoke.

3. Which 3+ songs would make up a playlist for the novel?

I love the original of "Fear Not This Night", but Clamavi de Profundis' cover EXUDES Starlight Under Clouds.

https://youtu.be/fvMeXz_7DiI

This has become Ailean's song, still not sure how.

https://youtu.be/CH1DDUNTMdI

As of now, the internal themes of this book are still developing, but I feel weirdly like this is going to be a fitting song for it by the end:

https://youtu.be/NMn3ThuvGMo

This piece has the exact right mood for all the "smaller" moments in the book that are still poignant but without the sweeping epic or grim nature of other portions.

https://youtu.be/iUzdOKDa1QQ

Also literally anything LOTR (I swear I'm going to memorize the entire soundtrack at this rate), Roads Go Ever On by Clamavi de Profundis (mainly the 3rd verse, for Berethar), and selections of the Brave OST and Vindsvept.

4. What's the time period and location in which the novel takes place?

Second Era 2934, mid-October -> early February.

Plotline 1: Rodron, the Galtha Relua range.
Plotline 2: Enedhwin
Subordinate plotline: Orden, Mitheren/Ceristen

5. Is this a standalone or a series?

It's the conclusion to the Ceristen Saga, neither precisely a standalone nor a series component.

6. Are there any former titles you've considered but discarded?

ha. ha, ha.

"X".

There might have been some actual titling attempts before I settled on Sorrow and Song and the four individual names, but I don't remember them.

7. How many times does the word remember appear in the novel?

I picked remember because reliving memories, reminiscing, and struggling with/trying to bury the past has been a consistent underlying theme throughout SAS so far, and is surfacing to the forefront in Starlight Under Clouds. So far, in 9-ish chapters, it appears 15 times.

8. What's the first line that comes up when you search remember?

Mordred looked away quickly, not wanting to remember Fenris' somber eyes, or Lethira's crumpling face. "Yes, Therelane; I'm going."

😭😭😭

9. What's the first line of your novel?

"Bossa!"

The boy stretched out a cautious hand toward the wild-eyed, shaggy-coated cow. "Bossa!" he said again softly, coaxing. "Come, lass – come, Bossa. Come-come-come..."

Yes, I know that's more than one line. Shhh.

10. What's a line of dialogue you're particularly proud of?

Me: why does this question feel so FAMILIAR

*looks back at my last writing-related tag* Ah yes, it's because we've been here before.

Well, hooray! I get to pick another favorite line of dialogue.

*wavers between ALL the Jeddy lines*

"Captain Rhodes. The dragon you so graciously and disloyally loaned me is installed in its home stables, and I'm happy to say none the worse for wear. No, I shan't be wanting it again; a horse will do for my present errand. Better for the mountains. And besides, it has become such a pain to hunt for."

*

"Well, that's an interesting question. Will she come? Will she come for what? Afternoon tea? A royal funeral? The succor of Orden? She came to Rothalon in the time of the slaughter at the Stones, which is optimistic for you, but of course it's four thousand years later and you're not Rothalon, which brings the equation back to neutral again."

*

"But we're not going to send to Ahearn for help either, oh no," said Jedediah Crayes acidly. "That would be too demeaning, yes, far too demeaning. Perish the thought of accepting charity, much less asking one's own kin for it."

*

As fun as Jeddy spam is, I can't say I'm proud of any of these lines... they belong to him, not me. The same, I suppose, could be said for all the rest of my characters. XD

11. Which line from the novel most represents it as a whole?

At this point? I'm not sure there is one.

A few candidates:

He had known things would not be the same when, and if, he returned.

Only he had not known how much he would mind them being different.

*

"He needs me." Mordred's voice was sharp, earnest, and sober. "Berethar cannot go alone. He needs someone to protect him, someone who can be beside him, someone to whom he can turn. He cannot turn to some silly lord from Mitheren whom he does not know."

😭 Berethar

12. Who are your character faceclaims?

I don't do the faceclaim thing. My characters are clear in my head and I've never been entirely comfortable with the idea of someone else's face on them. Of course, I have Fionn Whitehead as a near-perfect Mordred, but that's young Mordred... and then I have 20-years-younger Sean Bean as Berethar...

Berethar: what is this modern jargon of Face Claim

Where did you come from??

Berethar: Your mind.

SHUSH THAT'S NOT TRUE how dare you speak such heresy (not to mention sass me)

13. Sort your characters into Harry Potter houses

Of everything I've heard about Harry Potter, I like the "house" concept the least, so no.

What's happening to me lately? I feel like I'm reverting back to a salty version of my 17-year-old Wattpad self. 😂

14. Which character's name do you like the most?

Ohhh dang I like this question but I'm going to have to give it some thought.

I like Mordred Kenhelm for the sound and appearance of it, and also I've developed a deep affection for the character it belongs to that defies all bounds of reality and fiction and doesn't cloud my judgment on this matter at all

and also I think I perversely like the fact that I have a nice character named Mordred

I like Berethar's name because it suits him so well (it means Strong Stone)

Mordred: *with intense pride* It does suit you, Berethar.

Berethar: *turns eyes skyward*

I love all my characters' names most. We'll be here all day if I don't cut this short.

15. Describe each character's daily outfit.

Ooookay. We'll pick a couple peeps here.

Mordred is an inhabitant of Orden, for the past quarter of a century at this point. Unsurprisingly, his dress is typical Ordenian fashion. For men, this is long trousers and a sleeved shirt, paired with knee-high boots. A long vest may be worn with this, laced in the front and ending above the knee, but manual laborers often discard this save in colder weather. (When Mordred originally arrived in Orden, he would have worn his coat, a Rehirnish article, but that probably gave out after a few years.)

(Further parenthetical note: Mordred likes blue, so if there was dye money to spare, you can bet he's wearing blue)

Berethar is also an inhabitant of Orden, for almost as long as Mordred has been; however, he has a much stronger emotional connection to his heritage. He wears the Ordenian boots, and at first glance his attire, simple farmer's garb as it is, could pass for Ordenian. However, his over-vest is not sleeveless but short-sleeved, a touch longer than ordinary, and would ultimately be better described as a tunic. It is, in fact, an Enydhwyn-style tunic.

(Readers may or may not remember that Ailean is described in Chapter 7 as having Enydhwyn embroidery banded on her skirt hem. Berethar himself does not wear any embroidered garments on a regular basis, but he would have taught his children to recognize various patterns, some of which would have been related to specific clans, and Ailean as a creative young girl decided to replicate them on her clothes)

16. Do any characters have distinctive birthmarks/scars?

Mordred has several scars, but nothing facial. I'd delve into them but, spoilers. Berethar, being the better warrior (and not having had multiple egomaniacal people trying to torture him to death), actually probably has fewer distinctive scars than him *at this point* *did I say anything?* *no of course not*

I'm actually racking my brain with Jeddy because I know we gave him a scar on his cheek at one point (terribly rakish and all) but I can't remember WHAT TALKPLAY IT WAS. I know it was after SAS, though, so he wouldn't canonically have it in this book. help me out.

Then there's Fenris, who hasn't even showed up physically in SUC yet.

Captain Rhodes has a lovely testament to the near-mortal wound in his abdomen that I hate myself for giving him 😭😭 my poor tired boi

17. Pick a color to represent each character.

Mordred - Dark navy blue.

Berethar - Stone-grey.

JedJed Jeddy Jed Jed lad - Black, duh, obvs, why is this a question

(idk, I think a blinding white might suit you too, Jeddy my boy)

(Jeddy: *ominously* Why. Would. You. Think. That.)

(fiery, glorious white light, like dawn breaking, you know, like you always talk about)

(Jeddy: *pretending not to hear*)

(bringing hope to men with your unshakable faith in a Light that will ultimately triumph)

(Jeddy: *irritably* It's not like I talk about this all the time)

*cough* Back to where we were...

Ailean - Dark red/maroon

Derek - Ice blue

Douglas - Warm brown

Finath - Rose-tinted grey

Therelane - Grey-blue

Caithrana - Lavender

18. Pick a font to represent each character.

I used to have these... before we got a new computer and lost them in the document transfer because the new computer didn't have the same fonts *grumbles*

So I'm going to describe those old fonts as near as I can remember them.

Mordred - Script, graceful, classy

Berethar - Serif, clean, unpretentious

Jeddy - Solid (like your rock-bottom self, grounded in a need for truth, Jeddy)

(Jeddy: *sourly* Here we go again)

Ailean - Narrow, script, bold

Caithrana - Celtic, basic, stylistic

Derek - Times New Roman, italic

Douglas - Sketchy, loopy script

Finath - eluding my brain

19. Which character most fits a character trope? Which trope?

Don't they all have to fall into some trope?? How do you decide "most"?

Caithrana is currently providing a stellar embodiment of the "rebellious adolescent" trope. Hello, Angst with a capital A.

Then you have Finath, who is the most awesome "sapient mentor figure who appeared out of nowhere and is now dutifully trailing the YA heroes on their Quest" ever and
I'm
DYING because I've given the sapient mentor trope so much spleen and look
look at the skeleton in my closet.

But guys. He is the most awesome. HUG THE FINATH

Finath: *is unsure how to deal but smiles and submits*

SEE HE'S SO CUTE

Finath: *is even less sure how to deal*

He can handle most things, it's just fangirls that confuse him

Anyway, to be totally fair, he's not a mentor. He would just fill in the mentor slot if we were assigning quest roles. In reality, with Derek and Douglas he's more like, "This is your mission, not mine; I can see you are very level-headed, wise young men, and far be it from me to take charge of you."

20. Which character is the best writer? Worst?

Are we talking handwriting?

Jedediah Crayes has an awful scrawl.

(Jeddy: *outraged* I CAN WRITE NICE IF I TRY!)

(that's the thing. You don't try. Ever.)

Let's be real, Mordred has the prettiest handwriting. It even gets a spotlight in The Claw.

"The clear, flowing hand was unmistakably her brother's." - The Claw, Part 2, Chapter 2

Berethar's could probably be a contender but he's more of a meticulous writer than an elegant one.

21. Which character is the best liar? Worst?

Douglas is a sorry liar. He's not used to having anything to hide, even petty things, with his open and carefree personality. I'd pin him as the worst.

As for best, Derek can lie through his teeth if he wanted, but we'd probably have to give the prize to Jeddy.

(You know, except when it comes to feelings.)

22. Which character swears the most/least?

I'm not sure how to answer this question. Do I answer it according to which characters do probably use vulgar/irreverent terms (outside my language-free writings)? According to which characters use my mild expressions the most?

Either way, Jedediah Crayes is certainly pushing it. He steers clear of actual vulgarity, and he'd certainly never say anything irreverent regarding the Ruler of the Worlds, but his casual discourse is highly flippant and he makes occasional use of terms that probably wouldn't be considered polite conversation.

Berethar, with his rigid honor code and austerity of speech, is so much the opposite, it's yet another no-brainer that he and Jeddy don't get along.

23. Which character has the best handwriting? Worst?

O.O

I guessed wrong up there.

oh well I'm tired and I'm not going to fix it. I'll just answer #20 here.

Derek is definitely the worst at putting stuff down on paper.

I'm going to give Mordred the best prize again.

24. Which character is most like you? Least like you?

This question is silly because whenever I think someone's unlike me, I tend to uncover a surprising similarity between us not much later. And when I think someone is a great deal like me, I start noticing shortly how many disparities there are between us.

25. Which character would you most like to be?

Again, silly question. I want to be me. However, I wouldn't mind having Douglas' good spirits.

(Then again, when Douglas' good spirits are gone, they're GONE. See, this is what I mean. At least I know my own flaws and am used to dealing with them. How would I manage dealing with a completely new set?)

Tagging

nightwraith17

GadSul

Illeandir

KatJEnersen95

CelticWarriorQueen17

@nd whoever else wantses to play the gameses

... I need sleeps.