Fic Update: "Another Piece of Blue, Part One"

[mark_asphodel]

I think I said a while back that Cain was supposed to be the main figure in the "Unified Kingdom" project, but I finished and published the Abel stories and some sidebar miscellany first, so my assertion probably didn't make much sense.

Here.  Proof I'm not making things up like a bad hand-waving author.

"Another Piece of Blue" (title inspired by the Boomtown Rats) was intended as a one-shot, but it got pretty lengthy so I'm breaking it into more manageable chunks.  Apparently people don't like reading 12K words in one go.  Anyway, it shows Cain immediately after the War of Heroes-- shaken up, disillusioned, and doing his best to live up to his own expectations of knighthood as life (and his lord) continually jerks the rug out from under him.  

Word about characterization.  Cain has a misogynistic slant in this-- not in an evil or vicious way, but more in a Sir-Bors-the-Younger philosophical way.  Archanea is not the land of women's lib, and anyone living in that world would pick up on that mentality.  Cain's own particular mental quirks should be apparent as the story progresses.  You may be bothered by it if you expect all your favorite characters to live up to twenty-first century Western ideals, so consider this fair warning.

Comments

[mark-asphodel.livejournal.com]

Debates don't bother me! If we all agreed 100% on a very sketchy game script, it would be a boring place. I'm sorry you felt the need to delete the earlier comments, as I didn't mind them at all.

[penandpaper71.livejournal.com]

I got the impression that you might be angry with me and decided that my comments might have been too harsh (I always feel bad offering criticism, particularly when I liked the story overall). It's better this way. I'm pleased to know that you aren't angry with me.

I'm looking forward to the next update.