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Post by devilinthedetails on Jul 4, 2022 14:09:27 GMT 10
Series: Son of Carthak Title: Empire of the Sun Rating: PG-13 for imperialistic mindset Event: Sun, Sand, and Sea Words: 200 Summary: To Binur, Carthak is a land of sun, sand, and sea. Or a glimpse of Carthak at sunset.
Empire of the Sun
Carthak was a land of sand and sea. Of deserts with dunes outside Thak City that stretched as far as the eye could see. A land kissed by the salty, foam-flecked waves of the Emerald Ocean and the Great Inland Sea.
Most of all, it was the land of the radiant sun. Carthak’s patron goddess might have been the Graveyard Hag, but still Mithros beamed on the Carthaki empire as he did nowhere else in the world. Shining his golden favor down upon it.
That was why Binur’s tutor claimed the sun never set on the Carthaki empire. Could never set on it.
Binur knew that was nonsense not fit for manuring his father’s plants. He saw the sun set over Carthak every night. Making the Zekoi dance dusky purple and pink. Releasing red haze from the sand. Glinting on the Thak City minarets.
Carthak was most beautiful at sunset, he always thought. Standing on a palace balcony. Watching the sun sink in the sky. Seeing the silver stars rise. Wishing on the first one he saw as his mother had taught him. A superstition she had carried with her from Tortall. Learned from her own father atop Balor’s Needle.
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Post by wordy on Jul 26, 2022 19:00:42 GMT 10
Such vivid imagery in this fic, and I love Binur's practical response to his tutor's exaggeration. The very last sentence had quite an impact too! Aww.
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Post by devilinthedetails on Jul 27, 2022 5:59:48 GMT 10
wordy, thank you so much for reading and commenting! I'm so happy that you appreciated the vivid imagery of the fic! I really think the prompt for this one just invited me to think in terms of vivid imagery. Plus Carthak itself always feels like a very vivid place to me, so I wanted to try to highlight that with the imagery in this story, and it's awesome to know that came through for you. One of the most endearing things about children to me is they can have a charmingly straightforward and simplistic response to statements so that sort of inspired Binur's thoughts on his tutor's lesson about the sun never setting on the Carthaki empire being basically, "Uh, yeah, it does. I see it set every day, and it is beautiful." The last sentence might have been my favorite from this fic (though it is really hard to pick a favorite) just because I loved the adorable mental image of Jon teaching Kally to wish on the first star she sees every night plus I liked that feeling of unity across time and space that gave the story at the end. And the sense of connections between generations is something I can rarely resist! So it makes me so pleased when that resonates with readers! Thanks again for the kind words and for reading!
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