Art by Jason Pedersen
Sleeper of the Wildwood Fugue had a lot going on. The big thing was introducing Dariana, who was the final champion. I was going to make her origins a big reveal later, but realized that it might be more interesting to go in the opposite direction. So, you find out right away that she is the daughter of Baron Kernaghan. This isn’t a spoiler since the point of this became seeing how the other champions would react to being aligned with their destined enemy’s daughter.
This book marked me bringing the Luke/Sari/Kira love triangle to the next level. With the backlash against Kira, who hadn’t made an appearance for a while, I got fairly clumsy with this plot. Nothing devastating, but I tried too hard to repair her reputation even though the readers who turned on her stopped reading the series. I softened it a bunch in edits since I realized that Luke and Kira could now officially go through with the ‘meeting of potential suitors’ part of the traditions. This kind of started a rivalry between Kira and Sari, but only one of them was really invested in it. By the end of everything, Kira definitely changed and it was locked in that she was going to be the one with Luke even if he continued doing things with Sari. Don’t remember if I had that happen though, so the love triangle pretty much ended here.
Speaking of Sari, this is the book that made me realize she was still broken from losing her family and being tortured by a vampire during her debut. I originally started thinking she would love Luke solely to avoid being alone, but I noticed I had her show love to the other champions. That seemed to be her way and I always sensed that I was having her use her love and focus on others as a way to avoid facing her own demons. They kind of came out in another volume, but Sari ended up being a very sad character. She had no interest in her own happiness and focused on making those around her smile. As much as she was Kira’s rival, it was clear that she was only acting the part with the belief that she was strengthening Luke and Kira’s relationship. Did I get to put this out in the open? No, because I could never figure out how to have any other character notice that this was going on.
Can’t really talk about Sleeper of the Wildwood Fugue without touching on Nyx since her temple gets involved. This was the last full book to be connected to a game campaign, but I changed so much. I believe this was the book where Nyx finally got a full sense of what she was too. I used her primarily to help bring Dariana into the fold because I saw some irony in the champion who has known her destiny since childhood being the first to fully accept the daughter of her greatest enemy. For her own character development, Nyx started to become a smarter fighter and not relying so much on overpowering her opponents. She was still a monster in terms of power, but she was restrained enough that the others could do more even when she was around.
Let’s play with some questions:
- Should children of evil people be judged by their lineage?
- How would you console a friend who is grieving?
- What is the weirdest food you have ever eaten?
Legends of Windemere 
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I had to recheck my third question to make sure of what I asked. Thought that dish was fiction.
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You’ve got to give those kids with a nasty lineage a break, at least until they can prove themselves one way or another. Consoling a friend who is grieving should come naturally – some good hugs and being there for them, encouraging them to talk. The nastiest thing I’ve ever eaten? Where did that come from? but when I was an academic, I raised Galleria mellonella in my lab (wax worm). They are actrually quite tasty – the older larvae, pan-fried – taste like bacon bits. The younger ones (tiny) you can spread on crackers. My students were not impressed and said it was nasty. For me, the nasty thing was crocodile. Tasty like the bottom of a river…naturally.
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Your work sounds very interesting!
I’ve had alligator. Not a memorable taste.
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I tried alligator once. Tasted like sour chicken and made me sick.
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Children of evil people need special care and should be judged on their own actions.
A grieving friends have been a part of my life for twenty years. The way to help is to get them to talk about how they feel and just listen.
The weirdest food I’ve ever eaten has to be alligator. Not a big fan.
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Love your answer to second question.
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It does work. Thanks, Charles
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1) Should children of evil people be judged by their lineage?
Someone’s upbringing is such a powerful influence. We learn all sorts of behaviors and attitudes from family. So perhaps not judged, immediately, but lineage should still be considered as a factor in whether you want to work with them or not.
For instance, look at the family of our former president. Would you want to be allies with one of his his adult children? What about the youngest, who is still a minor?
2) How would you console a friend who is grieving?
It’s important to keep checking in with them and see how they are. They might say everything is fine, but later on need someone to be present with them.
3) What is the weirdest food you have ever eaten?
We went to a sushi restaurant where the menu descriptions were pretty garbled and I ended up with a baked salmon head on the plate in front of me…
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The tough part with number 1 is that we don’t always know if a person is raised by the toxic sector of their lineage. We need to see them in action. Good lineages can create monsters as well through spoiling and others always treating the child in certain ways. So, I would find it tough to judge on sight. With the family you’re taking about, I feel the adult kids have shown their true natures over time. The youngest I’m still waiting to see. You never know.
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History is full of people being judged by their forefathers actions. It isn’t correct, but makes for a good kind of stress in our books. I’ve never been able to figure out how to console someone who is grieving. I find myself being there, but things are mostly silent. I’ve eaten all kinds of things, but have a definite stop sign at some point. I stopped at muskrat and caribou eyeballs. I did eat caribou meat and it’s delicious. I thought alligator was okay, but wouldn’t seek it out. Caviar is kind of nasty, but escargot is good.
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Sometimes presence with silence works. Caribou eyeballs? Ewwww!
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I strongly believe that everyone should be judged on their own actions and not on the actions of their relatives.
I would let them know that I was always there if they wanted to talk. And to sit in silence with them if they just wanted another person there.
Weirdest food I’ve ever eaten?
When I went to Paris on a school trip, aged 16, we were given lambs’ brains. whole brains in a sauce. It was actually quite acceptable if you forgot what you were eating.
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This post has taught me that brains are eaten more often than I imagined.
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