Hello out there,
Welcome to the fifth episode of Talking Offerings! This series offers a deeper look into the weekly story Dark Offerings. I provide my insights as the writer and analyze the story so far.
Dark Offerings is like the Dark Souls of Augmented Reality MMOs. Even the lowest of creatures can still kill you especially if you’re being ganged up on.
If you don’t currently read Dark Offerings feel free to use this link and read it. It’s free!
Chapter 5.
In this chapter, Azerail concludes her dealings with Victor and heads to the Grizzled Beard to sell her now-identified loot.
Although Azerail is a solo player, I didn’t want to fall into the trope of portraying her as a complete loner. Right away, I aimed to establish that she has friends in the real world, which is where Aaron and Julia come into play.
Spoiler alert: I do introduce at least a couple more friends later on.
While she is in the shop, Azerail has her first real conversation with Kumori.
I’ve always loved intelligent inanimate objects. They’re one of the reasons I enjoyed Beauty and the Beast and playing D&D with my friends. Inevitably, someone would end up with a talking weapon.
I have future plans for this sword, and if you’ve read further in, you’ll know some of what happens. However, I have even more plans for it.
The crux of this chapter is the interaction between Molly and Inethiel.
Molly is a person’s character, but she still has the appearance of a 10-year-old girl. I was concerned about this scene and hoped I handled it well.
Let me explain why. Molly becomes entranced and is clearly under some sort of charm. It felt as if I was toeing the line of appropriate behavior by having her want to cling to someone she doesn’t know very well.
Kos Play and I had an extensive discussion about the subject. He believed the additions I’d made were appropriate after a lengthy conversation.
I had to change the wording several times before sharing it with him, not because I thought I hadn’t done it correctly, but because I wanted to get it right.
Although Azerail is playing a game, her strong sense of justice shines through in her actions. She wouldn’t behave as she does or become emotional about the treatment of the Hexed if she didn’t care.
I’d like to maintain this sense of her doing the right thing, even though she’s technically on the bad guy’s side, throughout the book.
I hope you enjoyed this episode of Talking Offerings. It’s not very long, but I hope you appreciated some of the insights into my feelings while writing it.
Have a wonderful day,
Katherine
Author Katherine Phillips 