Mini Brain Dumps

Hello everyone, and welcome (back) to Mini Brain Dumps!

Today we are going to explore the behind-the-scenes of how I created the world of Seidonis in my novel (Pssst… you can start reading it here if you haven’t read it yet).

As I have eluded to in the past, I created the concept for my novel when reading about news articles of ghost ships, and weird things that occur in the ocean – like snotsicles found underneath the ice in Antarctica, or even strange holes appearing in the ice there too. These articles got me thinking about how absolutely terrifying it is that the ocean makes up so much of our world and yet we have explored so little of it. For all we know, there could really be mermaids and Krakens and Leviathans in the ocean. And I took that idea and let my imagination run wild.

I thought of the idea of sirens and mermaids as being two factions. I knew I wanted them to be different, and this would serve as the overall conflict within the book I was writing. This is where things got difficult because I had to know how to make them appear different, the why behind it, and yet make them be a believable antagonist, to make them relatable, believable.

Sirens by nature are known for causing ships to crash among the rocks when sailors are drawn by their lovely singing voices. So, I played with that idea. That’s where I came up for the idea of the sirens looking for revenge against the sailors who had mistreated them. And I knew that by crossing that line, the once mermaids would complete a transformation into what the mermaids see as the physical embodiment of evil – long white hair, fangs, pointed ears… And the mermaids became the protectors of the ocean, the embodiment of peace and harmony.

From there, I began to build the history of the two factions, and established their long standing hatred.

I knew going into this novel that I wanted it to be unique and not have to fit into the constraints of already established religions or lore (hence mermaids not being able to walk to become human when on land). Yet, I also didn’t want it to be so far reaching that the readers wouldn’t understand it. I started researching different religions and their origins to try to figure out how my world would work in comparison. And so, Nareza was born.

Nareza follows a path similar to that of demi gods in Greek Mythology – born with a gifted ability that not many others are born with. Since I knew that Nareza would be the first mermaid, it was only logical that her affinity be with water. I wanted to explore themes of sexual violence within my novel – and so Nareza’s story became the tragedy, and one that all the inhabitants of the underwater kingdom would understand.

Similarly to Greek Mythology, during Nareza’s last moments, the gods took mercy upon Nareza and granted her godliness – and her curse was brought to life.

Seidonis was established by Nareza as she realized the effects of her curse and took on the nurturing figure to help those in their transition form human to mermaid, to help them cope with the trauma they had endured at the hands of others. Nareza wanted to ensure that the ocean was protected and that the mermaids left as little of a imprint on the aquatic life as they could, and built the city out of volcanic rock and coral structures, as well as salvaging wood from sunken shipwrecks. Seidonis chose the dolphin as a symbol for their kingdom due to their intelligence and their connection between the land and the sea.

The first inhabitant Nareza took in was a woman named Lysandra. Nareza tried her best to comfort her, to help her heal, but Lysandra was angry. That anger simmered beneath the surface of Lysandra’s skin, consuming her, slowly and maddeningly. Revenge became her only solace and when she had her chance she took it. And thus, the first siren was born.

Upon Lysandra’s transformation she returned to Nareza, her once beautiful features now twisted in a visage of wrath. The pair tried to work together, but their differences soon became too obvious. This led to the pair going their own separate ways, Lysandra establishing the faction of the sirens and Nareza the mermaids.

Tensions soon began to grow as more and more of the inhabitants of Seidonis began to flee to Lysandra’s cause – ultimately leading the “The Battle of the Tides”, a series of battles in which the mermaids fought the sirens.

Seidonis won, but as Nareza stood over her once friend she couldn’t stop herself from thinking about how everything would’ve been different if only she hadn’t failed Lysandra. In an act of mercy, Nareza put Lysandra into a dreamless sleep, burying her beneath the underwater mountains. Nareza enacted the Council of Elders to take care of Seidonis before she isolated herself in an unknown location where she has remained since, plagued by her failure to the world.

The sirens retreated after the battle, slowly rebuilding their ranks and biding their time for when they will raise Lysandra once again, and bring justice to the world – the so-called, “saviors of the broken and the damned”.

___

I’d love to hear your feedback on the lore of Seidonis! What aspects of the story intrigue you the most? Let’s chat in the comments below!

___

And remember, for every new subscriber, and for every like on a Mini Brain Dumps post between December 1 and December 31, 2024, one dollar will be donated to a local charity of your choosing. Please vote here for the charity you would like to support.