Blaze in the Darkness | ✔

Special Announcement

UPDATE: The name suggestions are now closed and the names have been chosen.

Hey everyone! Before anything else, thank you so much for forty-five thousand reads. I've thought long and hard on a way to show my appreciation, and I think I've found one. However, I'm not showing that yet. I'm saving the best for last. First, a few announcements, and things I said I'd follow up on but never did.

1) I joined the 2019 Wattys, but as you guys probably saw, I didn't win it. I expected as much, and aren't too sad. Next year, I should be able to put in Blaze in the Darkness again, thanks to Thoysal POV, and maybe even Scales of Ice. I'll just have to keep getting better at writing. However, other Wattpad-related profiles did love BitD!

Over the past few months, I've been added to the Fantastical & Fantasy reading list by ForbiddenWorlds, as well as the Featured Magic Stories and Magically Thrilling / Unexpected reading lists by magic. Because I was dead confused, I asked a thriller writer who read my story about this, and according to them, my book has many thriller elements I never knew were in there. It amuses me a lot, actually. I've also applied to other ambassador-run profiles, so we'll see how that goes.

2) All the way back in the 10k reads bonus Q&A in April, I announced that I joined a fantasy short story contest in my native language. And I won, along with forty-nine others. My story got published into an anthology along with the others, and it's available in all bookstores and online. Now, silly me thought that 'available' meant I could run into any bookstore and find it, and so I tried, but alas. It simply means they can order it.

After that disappointment, I ordered it through that bookstore and had it delivered at home. So now, the anthology, with me on page 140, is sitting on the bookshelf behind me. If you guys want, I can translate it to English as an extra bonus when we reach 50k. However, the main "Thank You" for 50k is far more interesting.

3) As for writing, I'm currently working on Thoysal's POV, as you guys most likely have noticed. The lack of reader engagement is worrying me a bit, but I'll still continue writing it. His story is quite interesting, and there are a lot of things in his narrative that Zanixa has never seen. Things such as more background more, interaction with the Sharion pack, vampiric hunting scenes. I actually have a special scene planned for him that wouldn't originally be in there, but a reader specifically requested it.

Now, the actual reason I'm writing his POV is because he's my meatshield in terms of time. When I have written all his chapters, I'll have over a year of content, a year during which you guys - the readers - won't be completely abandoned, and during which I can write Scales of Ice without pressure. SoI's outline is done, and I know the full plot. Now I just have to plan out the smaller scenes, or I'll simply let it be and wing it like I usually do. All in all, after Thoysal POV has been completed, Scales of Ice is ready to be written.

4) Now, last but definitely not least, the part that you have all been waiting for. With SoI's outline all ready, I've discovered I have four main characters and an antagonist. Now, that's a lot of names, and I figured, why not give my readers the chance to name two of the characters? The names do have to fit Uurion, though, so keep that in mind when you submit a name. You can submit two names per character. Now, to the characters you guys will get to name!

(Lyca) is an elven girl, with their classic mossy green hair, golden, cat-like eyes, and a darker skin from many generations of exposure to the sun. Yet, unlike most elves, her face isn't almost always set in a cheerful smile. Growing up in slavery has left her eyes filled with sorrow and her skin marred with scars. Time has taught her to be afraid of everything and everyone, causing her to be constantly vigilant and trying to make herself smaller to escape attention. 

Suggest her name here! -->

(Snowy) is a snowdragon, a small feathered dragon with large, blue eyes. Four bigger feathers are on each side of his head, with three claws on each soft paw. Wherever his long tail touches the ground, frost appears. If given the chance, he'll happily play around in the snow, hopping and rolling in large piles of the white stuff over and over. However, when asked of him, he'll play the part of the holy guardian spirit of the tribe - for a few hours, then he's back to playing in the snow.

Suggest his name here! -->

Now, just to be sure, this is how it works:

1. You guys submit the name you'd like the two characters to have in in-line comments, the part where it says "Suggest his/her name here!". You can submit a total of two names per character, so four names all in all.
   - Please nothing inappropriate, I will not count those.
   - Only names that fit in Uurion, which is most names if you switch a few letters around. For inspiration, you can look at the other names mentioned throughout the book and in Thoysal's POV.
   - Due to legal reasons and all that, if you submit a name, you give me the right to use it however I want it to, without having to pay you royalties or the likes for if I ever do publish. Of course, the usernames of the winners will be announced here, though.

2. When we hit 50k reads, I'll post a chapter in which all the submitted names are listed. Whatever name gets most votes wins. Voting rules will be up in that chapter when the time comes.

3. The winning names will be announced on my wall (conversation part of my profile) and will be used for the main characters in Scales of Ice.

And that's it! Once again, thank you for forty-five thousand reads, and suggest away! I will see you all when voting comes around and will be replying to comments as always. :)