Story Feature: The Apple of Snakes by dextyradams

Genre: Fantasy

Story Rating: For Everyone

Story Blurb: Nerluce—named for light—dwells within the shadow of others. He is lazy, weak-willed, and utterly hopeless in both his academic and magickal studies. Little more than a fragmented mosaic of such words, Nerluce has long gotten used to living his life in darkness. He is the son of the Hebikoti clan's head—a lord who has only grown more terrifying with age. He is the younger brother of the heir apparent—a war hero who has returned from the front with a slew of medals and glory in tow. Nerluce, himself, is nothing. He is not a person. He is barely a bastard son who can be used as a political pawn. When he is sent to Ethera, Nerluce knows he is only there to strengthen Hebikoti ties with the infant Chosen Light—a prophesied savior who is, supposedly, the only one who can prevent the world from falling into shadow and ruin. But Ethera is as old as it is exclusive and it guards both Chosen Light and its secrets closely. To access them, Nerluce must train under the Elder Priestess, Taayir, risking both life and his family's honor in Ethera's trials of magick and will. All the while, he is being watched by an old enemy of the Hebikoti clan, Aristide Azrael—or, as he was called on the battlefield, the Angel of Death—who is equal parts beautiful, cold, and suspicious of Nerluce's intentions.

What gave you the inspiration for your story?

✰ The inspiration behind the creation of THE APPLE OF SNAKES is a simple one: I wanted to read a story about a good person becoming a villain. However, after a series of continual letdowns from books and shows promising a tale of the main character's fall from grace, only for their descent into "villainy" to be a series of misunderstandings or them abruptly being infected by the evil virus and corrupted without any reason, I was so fed up I decided I would just write my own. Naturally, this led to me wanting to include a morally questionable but ultimately heroic character to juxtapose my main character (and also give him someone to gay pine after).

Did you plot or pants your way through your story?

✰ With a story that relies on its character arcs as heavily as THE APPLE OF SNAKES does, it would be impossible for me to "pants" my way through it. However, I absolutely loathe "plotting" as it leaves me bored with the story and unmotivated to write. In order to balance these things, I constructed a loose outline of eight major story beats. The introduction to my main character and his life, the thing that upsets that life, the first temptation (semi-fails), the second temptation (fails), the third temptation (succeeds), the fourth temptation (fails), the climax of the novel, and the resolution. Despite how utterly lacking in almost all details my plotting was, THE APPLE OF SNAKES was still an incredibly difficult piece for me to write. Those who were around while I was updating know that I took long hiatuses before suddenly jumping into daily updates.

How does writing energize you?

✰ Do forgive the cliche but when I write it feels as though I am in an entirely different world. The problems I face in the "real world" tend to settle on my chest—an unseen weight intent on causing the collapse of my rib cage—so I am left drained simply by being. The easiest way to shed the weight of the "real world" is to venture into a world of my own design, where the only problem I face is how to best make my words beautiful.

What are your writing habits? (Or what does your writing space look like?)

✰ I am the type of person who can—and will—write anywhere. The desire to write comes to me like a burning itch in my palms. I have scrawled across napkins and chalkboards in order to sate my desire to write. I am most productive when I am writing early in the morning, when my energy is highest, in relatively quiet public spaces, such as mostly empty coffee shops or libraries. The combination of feeling judged by nonexistent voyeurs and my desire to make the most out of any loathsome trip out of my apartment cause me to be incredibly productive. However, I most often find myself writing in my bedroom—my desk is pulled to the side of my bed, as I find most chairs incredibly uncomfortable—with the assistance of a caffeinated beverage and lo-fi music.

What part of your story was the most enjoyable to write and what was the most challenging?

✰ To those familiar with my work, it should come as no surprise that I had the most fun writing the angst within THE APPLE OF SNAKES, especially when those moments were occurring between my main character, Nerluce, and the deuteragonist, Aristide. Ironically, what ended up being the most challenging aspect of writing THE APPLE OF SNAKES was also Aristide. I kept going back and forth on what I wanted his character to be, making him incredibly difficult to write. A close second would be keeping track of time. The plot of THE APPLE OF SNAKES stretches across six years so I frequently had trouble remembering how much time had passed from the beginning of the novel to the moment I was writing in.

What does literary success look like to you?

✰ It is impossible for me to define "literary success" because I am terrified of what would happen once I achieved that definition. For many Wattpadders, I am sure that winning a Watty or joining Wattpad's Creators program or having a Paid Story would be their definition of "literary success." For other, more ambitious authors, perhaps "literary success" could be found in publishing a book or making the New York Times Best Sellers list or just generating enough income to write full time. I never want to pick one of these definitions because I never want to stagnate. I want to constantly be reaching new heights in pursuit of intentionally unachievable "literary success."

What is your favorite trope to read and write?

✰ Found family. I am gay and have abandonment issues, so of course it is found family. However, I do also appreciate a well written enemies to lovers story. Finally, this is less of a trope and more of a subgenre, but I adore fantasy stories with MLM or WLW main characters.

If you have to describe your writing self in three words, what would they be?

✰ Beautiful, tragic, and a bit gory.

What's your favorite story on Wattpad?

✰ One of my favorite stories on Wattpad—and the one that pushed me to not merely be satisfied describing a scene but making that scene into something beautiful—is unbrokenworld's WILDCAT. It was one of the first stories I read on Wattpad, and I still adore the writing to this day, though I no longer read shifter stories quite so often.

Why is it important to have diverse voices raised in both our literature and on Wattpad?

✰ It is vital for diverse voices to be raised in all environments, but it is especially important that diversity pervades what we read. Books allow us insight into another person's thoughts and allows us to grow and change in ways that might otherwise be impossible. If all books were written by the same group of people with the same types of thoughts, then the possibility for growth and change would be stripped from readers.

Is there something that you're working on right now that you're comfortable sharing with our community as a promotion?

✰ Along with the sequel to THE APPLE OF SNAKES, I am currently working on the first installment in a science-fantasy duology, TERRIBLE THINGS. The novel is about Jase as he hunts down the monster responsible for the death of his mother with the assistance of friends that may be hiding a few fangs of their own. I am also working on my stand alone fantasy novel, PACK ANIMAL. Equipped with illustrations every chapter, the novel follows Tip as he grows up and attempts to balance the inherent monstrosity of his instincts with his own kind heart. Both stories feature LGBTQIA+ characters. If you are interested in either of them, please head over to my profile to find the full blurb and content warnings!