INTRODUCTION TO LORE AND META ANALYSIS
Every story ever told is true.
If not in this life, then another.
The following page, unlike the others attached to this sub-section, are a brief overview of the books we have written, their themes, and meaning, as presented by me. I firmly believe that life is full of wonder and possibility, and that— if our tiny, insignificant existence on this rock hurtling through empty space is proof of anything —it is that the possibilities of things beyond our imagination are as numerous as the stars in the sky. And so is the number of things in this world, very much within the realm of imagination.
Fiction reflects reality. Through story and song, we record history, hope and imagination. Through an author’s writing, a reader gets to look into their soul. At least if they are writing from the heart, which I very much do.
While we initially wrote for simple amusement and enjoyment, our broadening and expanding horizons quickly changed in such a way that deeper meaning found itself into our work. With this has possibility for others to misinterpret our works, to analyze them— in depth or superficially —in accordance with their own biases.
This section is not here to tell you how to think, and what to read into these texts, and much of their intent will be contained within them. But I would be remiss not to mention the at times heavy and important subject matter of these books, if not for you, then as a personal record.
Impact is subjective, but intent is not, and I hope the below pages can serve to illustrate mine, that of my dear beloved heart, and the one emerging from an intersection of our personal experiences and desires.
Without further ado, on to the analysis and history of our work below. We hope you enjoy it.
-Vaela
In order to create more art, art needs to be demystified. You can see this in hundreds of thousands of tutorials online on how to draw things, how to make music, etc. But I have found that written art has less of a immediately collaborative community, fewer mentors, and, in part due to heavy gatekeeping and regulations from traditional publishing, much less freedom of expression. The works of true creativity are consigned to the margins, where the art of the already marginalised is hidden and obscured.
Knowing this, this section will someday house a full history of our writing journey, from its very start to finish, to show how skills can be built from next to nothing.
THEMES:
Crimson Tears: Anger, emotion, and loss of control.
(The series is currently undergoing revisions. The following text portrays the intended message of the eventual final product.)
Crimson Tears is the story of a kickboxing lesbian turned vampire fighting her killers. But more than that, it is the story of Ryann. It is the story of a girl who lost her family, was cut off from all support systems, and has had to fight her way through life alone. Her past and upbringing were intensely traumatic, not through singular events alone, but through prolonged stress placed on her by the foster system, unhousedness, poverty etc. She has been on the receiving end of laws designed to criminalize falling on hard times in a country that frankly doesn’t give a shit about her, not least of all because she isn’t white, not a man, not straight etc.
And yet the story is not about the source of her trauma. In part this is because we are not representatives of the groups Ryann belongs to. Her struggle in this regard is not for us to talk about and profit off of. It is not our pain to display. But the results of it are, because trauma presents in very much the same ways across all of humanity.
Ryann is an incredibly angry person. Her rage often gets the better of her and is a source of both strength and fear for her. It feels good to hurt someone the way you’ve been hurt. But such rage is difficult to control, and even more so while trying to survive. That is why Crimson Tears is primarily a story about control. Perhaps it’s even apt to say addiction and control. There is something comfortable in giving in to your worst instincts, even knowing that it destroys you and others, and no matter what society would have us believe, the fault and solution rarely lies in the act of indulgence itself, and much more often in the circumstances surrounding a person. Without support, there can be no healing.
While it would be easy to call Ryann’s story a simple adventure about vampires fighting with swords and vying for control with blood magic, it is ultimately about Ryann’s journey of healing so she can give back to her community what it has given to her.
This healing by no means comes in the form of Ryann’s anger issues being “solved.” Trauma is an immutable part of a person’s reality. But its effects can be learned to live with. Coping strategies can be created, and healing comes in the form of control over one’s own trauma reactions.
Ryann’s pain is not presented as a flaw. It kept her alive. It keeps others alive. Her rage is beautiful, and it is necessary.
Stars, Hearts and Dreams: Familial trauma, healing, and love blooming from regret.
(The series is currently undergoing revisions. The following text portrays the intended message of the eventual final product.)
SHD follows the tale of a number of characters that find themselves in close familial relationship with one another. All of them have troubles with their own families. Abusive or neglectful parents, dead loved ones, fears surrounding their own futures in regards to partners or children.
While the first four books focus on Love blooming from Regret, the overarching theme is familial and generational trauma, either created or passed on by previous generations. This is not a simple story of “one character is in the right, the others in the wrong.” What we aim to capture within this series is how hurt affects others, and the right and wrong reactions to the hurt you have caused. Few of the characters important in this series meant to do our protagonists harm, but that does not mean no harm has been done.
SHD is a story of reconciliation, a story of learning, healing through efforts made and redemption earned after many, many years of trying. It is the ideal fantasy of anybody who struggles with familial trauma: A world in which our earnestly kind parents who have hurt us look beyond themselves to help us heal, and in with our earnestly abusive parents choke on their own blood.
It is at this point perhaps necessary to note that both authors have gone no contact or have a strong desire to cut contact with at least one or both of their parents. I want to state in the strongest terms possible, that none of our writing about family will ever include depictions of them, the abuse they have carried out, or the way they have handled it. The mere idea that somebody might attempt to analyze our personal relationships in the context of our writing leaves a foul taste in my mouth. No real abuser, living or dead, will ever be immortalised in our books.
We hold no desire for reconciliation.
Only a desire to be left alone.
May they do us the favour of fucking dying already so they cannot harm us more, Rest In Piss, and be forgotten.
BROKEN SONG: Trauma, the effects thereof, and healing.
Like our previous books, the Broken Song Duology is a tale of trauma and healing, but this time focused on the characters themselves. Trauma comes in many forms and can change vastly in appearance and presentation depending on the identity of the person subjected to it.
Within the pages of the Broken Song, the characters have different ways of coping or failing to cope with their trauma, either through avoidance, deflection, or self-destruction. Where the previous books relied on outside influences to create a environment of healing, these books focus on the internal changes created by non-linear healing, accepting one’s past, letting go of it and moving forward.
The text also touches upon the impact of trauma on personality in a way that can make a person scared and withdrawn more than the previous books. In addition, it continues its healing theme after the characters have forgiven themselves and each other for the things they’ve done to one another and themselves in order to survive. Healing is not created through a single point of realisation and internalising of emotional knowledge. It is an act that persists through an entire lifetime and never ends. The characters struggle to let others aid them, struggle to let them in, and shoulder their burdens all alone. They destroy themselves, not in order to avoid their issues, but out of a desire to face them, get better, and no longer be a hindrance to their loved ones.
Broken Song is also a book that has no clear villain. While there are many antagonists, each character’s motivation and morals are subjective to their personal experience, and I myself would be hard pressed to call any of them truly evil, though their actions may be. Broken Song is a look at a complex world with complex people, and the choices they make to survive… no matter what.
