Friday, October 11, 2013

Anne's Fiction Corner

The long-awaited, hotly anticipated first story for Gangs of New York is here: The Gidim, starring Winona Nelson. It's her backstory and life prior to becoming a Scion, and is a tale of slow entropy, disadvantaged childhood and the very worst human nature has to offer. I don't normally put ratings or warnings on stories, but if you're upset by people being very, very horrible to one another, you may want to give this one a miss.

Gangs won the last vote in a landslide, so they'll be getting the next story as well (hopefully more quickly... I can't decide if it was class or Winona herself that made this one take forever). They're booted off the poll now so someone else can have a turn - happy voting!

  • If you vote for Better Next Time, you're voting for stories from our ever-active, cross-cultural globetrotting band - Geoff Matheson of the Aesir, Sangria Tecuhtli of the Aztlanti, Mitchell Gozer and Sophia Archimedes of the Dodekatheon and Marcus James of the Orisha. They're currently dealing with safeguarding territories they never expected to be responsible for, attempting to right wrongs and walking the long, hard road of repentence.
  • If you vote for Eastern Promises, you're voting for stories from the nineteenth-century band in a world of colonialism and industry - Leona Middleton, Samuel Vanderbilt and Paniwi Bayteru of the Pesedjet, Faruza Alinejad and Yadi of the Yazata, Mohini Misra and Padma Billingsworth of the Devas, and many more. They're currently fighting corruption among local authorities, learning what other cultures have to offer them and finding ways to survive no matter what the cost.
  • If you vote for Skeins of Fate, you're voting for stories from our frozen northern band - Aurora Dahl, Woody Anderson and Will Nordstrom of the Aesir, Kettila Blomgren of the Aztlanti and Vivian Landry of the Orisha. They're currently handling the looming shadow of Ragnarok, the fallout of their parents' political decisions and their own personal desire to deviate from the paths Fate has set them.
  • If you vote for Strawberry Fields, you're voting for stories from the wild-eyed Celtic band - Dierdre O'Riordan, Seamus McMann, Jude Shriver and Auggie MacDonough of the Tuatha de Danann and Alaina Bertrand and Ignatius Rex of the Nemetondevos. They're currently gearing up to challenge the combined might of the military and their shadowy puppeteers, while reaching out to their kinsmen around the world.

12 comments:

  1. That was heartbreaking. Well done.

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  2. Well, that was dark.

    I don't think there are any characters in any of your campaigns I've wanted a happy ending for as much as I want one for Winona now...

    But knowing John's campaigns, I have a feeling her life only becomes worse once she becomes a Scion...

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    1. It would help if she wasn't stuck with Nergal as her divine parent... but she is.

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    2. Eheu. :(

      Of course, there's also the fact that she has Ereshkigal as her step-mom. Normally, the only hope for a Scion wanting to avoid a step-parent is to die before you have enough Legend for them to notice you...

      But Ereshkigal running the Anunna underworld kinda hoses that "hope", too, doesn't it?

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    3. Yeah. She doesn't know about Ereshkigal, but there's a good chance that will not be fun, either.

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  3. You know, back when I first discovered this site, I went on a reading spree and read all the Visitation fics. Sadly, life got in the way, and I haven't gotten around to reading any beyond that. Happily, I am now in the sweet spot between 'I need to get a job' and 'I need to actually do the job', so I intend to devour the rest of the fiction section before my first day at work!

    As for this piece in question, I love how menacingly seductive Nergal is! I mean, the whole thing is excellent, but I adore the way you characterise the Gods, and I loved every single Visitation fic for precisely this reason. You are amazing at this!

    I can't wait for Mabel and Shanti to get their day in the limelight. I really wanna know how you'll portray Hecate and Kali.

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    1. Aww, thanks, that made my day. :) I always take extra time with the gods whenever they show up, because they're the hardest for me to feel like I really made them "pop" like they're supposed to.

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  4. Who in Gangs is next?

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    1. Judging by the project progress bars, Michael is next up.

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