Fortitude

Don't bother trying to read between the lines, and don't look for a through-line. There are no lines - only snapshots, most out of focus. ~ Stephen King; "On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft" (2000) Background Fortitude, born Ouyang Tian Lin, and called Fort by his friends, is a first generation Chinese American and a native of New York City. He had a typical ABC childhood straddling two worlds, with strict parents driving him towards academic excellence, so that he can work his way out of a lower class life, while doing their best to keep him at least somewhat connected to their roots. An introvert until the beginning of high school, he spent most of his free time engrossed in fantasy novels and dreaming about a life of adventure. Eventually Fort started writing his own stories, which he published on various online sites and his personal Patreon page. So far, his public life has remained relatively low key and he doesn't have enough of a following yet for his name to be known outside of an extremely niche community. The only real incident of note that can be dug up about his past is that Fort was one of six people to survive a mysterious fire that claimed the lives of nearly a dozen high school and college students at a private party hosted by a local book club. In a strange twist of fate, three of the other survivors were later killed in various freak accidents during the weeks following the event. RP HOOKS Writing: He has a few serialized fantasy stories published online and a decent Patreon following, but isn't quite at the "breakout" point yet. Maybe you're a follower, or a fellow writer? Occult Studies: His stories has to be inspired by something, and real world occult practices provide a lot of writing fodder. Kuei Lung Chuan: He practices a distinct form of martial arts that translates to Dragon Spirit Kung Fu. It combines hand-to-hand techniques with acrobatic movements and Chinese weaponry. Other practitioners of this style would instantly recognize it. Highly Curious: He has a curiosity streak a mile wide. Give him something to chew on and it'll nag at him for days. Let's throw some mysteries his way. Bibliography BENEATH A VERMILLION SKY, 2015+ Genre: Serialized Web Novel, Xianxia, Light Romance Synopsis: For a thousand years, the empire of Lin flourished under the protection of the Five Great Sects and their immortal masters. Even amongst her peers, the White Empress of the Vermillion Winds sect was considered one of the mightiest immortals, renowned for both her wisdom and strength of cultivation. Yet, she'd never imagined the jealousy that festered in the hearts of those who were supposed to be her closest allies. In a single moment of treachery, her life was senselessly taken, her soul scattered to the winds and her loyal followers enslaved. The perpetrators feasted upon the carcass of her sect's remnants, growing bloated on the riches of betrayal. Her name was stricken from history, and the only legacy she left behind was the vow she made with her dying breath. One day, she will return and reap vengeance upon those who wronged her. Ancient history had nothing to do with Wu Die Lan's. Her most ambitious goal was to convince her stodgy father to allow her to marry her childhood sweetheart, Ma Qing Hong. Never could she imagine cultivators breaking into her house, claiming that she was one of nine reincarnates born with a piece of a dead immortal's soul and kidnapping her for supposedly her own safety. Nor did she expect them to be right, as the group dodged assassins sent by the empire's most powerful individuals and tried to locate the other eight reincarnates before disaster struck. It was all a bit much for a girl who thought that serving the wrong dipping sauce with dumplings for dinner was the worst disaster in her life. At least she had her faithful Qing Hong by her side. No amount of murder and mayhem could tear down two individuals in the bloom of true love! Volume 1: Ember on the Wind (2015) Volume 2: Dance of the Vermillion Blade (2015 - 2017) Volume 3: In Tempest Forged (2017 - 2018) Volume 4: Of Alabaster and Jade (2018 - 2019) Volume 5: Nine Sparks to a Flame (2019 - 2021) Volume 6: All the Hues of Heaven (2021 - Ongoing) THE ASTRAL THRONES, 2018+ Genre: Serialized Web Novel, High Fantasy, Grimdark Synopsis: In the beginning, nine Gods breathed life into the world and all its creatures. They hung the stars in the heavens, carved mighty rivers and formed the bones of the earth that became the mountains. They shepherded their mortal worshippers with benevolence cupped in one hand and a sword clasped in the other. Civilizations flourished, and waned and flourished again. But the Gods' presence was constant. It was and it is and it always shall be... until the day it wasn't. Following the event that caused the Gods' disappearance, a deluge of astral energy washed over the land, destroying and warping everything it touched. The unexpected cataclysm left behind a world utterly changed, where humanity clung to life amidst the threats of mutated wildlife, unstable geography and other dangers never imagined before. Over the centuries, the mercurial fluctuations of astral forces stabilized into predictable tidal and seasonal cycles. There arised individuals of exceptional bravery or foolhardiness who learned to harness the tides to seize a glimmer of the divine power that the Gods once bestowed upon their favored priests. These Tideriders risked spiritual dissolution, learning to project and hitch their conscienceness to the wake of each high tide, taking advantage of its momemtum to navigate to one of the nine Thrones of the missing gods within the Deep Astral, from which they harvest the energies needed to fuel their magical workings. Upon their power, the first enclaves were build and humanity slowly rallied within these protected havens. Yet, the enclaves themselves were no paradise. Behind the warded walls, the strong abused the weak and the desperate backstabbed each other for the smallest morsel of power, none worst than the Tideriders themselves. Into this world, a boy thief was born. From the muck, he'll rise to greatness unimaginable and discover the truth behind the Gods' disappearance. So the tale of Osric Strider begins. Volume 1: The Throne of Destiny (2018 - 2019) Volume 2: The Throne of Arches (2019 - 2020) Volume 3: The Throne of Hours (2020 - 2021) Volume 4: The Throne of Shades (2021 - Ongoing) AN ECHO OF DRAGONS, 2020+ Genre: Serialized Web Novel, Contemporary Fantasy, Horror Synopsis: Not getting sacrificed to eldritch horrors from beyond the Outer Gates wasn't much to ask after the terrible week that average college student Timothy Woods suffered. His boyfriend of three years decided to call it quits, his mother's backsliding into alcoholism, and now he might fail his final examines due to a serious case of being dead. Monsters and cultists weren't even supposed to exist outside of cheesy low budget movies, but tell that to the tentacle-faced hooded figures determined to carve him up in the name of their dread gods. Imagine his relief when knights in literal shining armor crashed the ritual and rescued him from the clutches of evil. Now, he's a trainee in the Order of the Nine Celestial Dragons, working to unlock innate mystical gifts crucial for saving the world while struggling through the monotony of classes. Welcome to adulthood. Volume 1: The Slumbering Depths (2020 - 2021) Volume 2: The Consuming Void (2021 - Ongoing) Contacts ANDRE CLOVER DAG DRAGANA HORIZON JACOB KIYOSHI MIZHA MINERVA RACHEL SILVA SOPHIA TRE Gallery Logs 2021-10-31 Electric Dusk Halloween Daikaiju Drive-In-athon! Vital Stats Full Name: Fortitude "Fort" Ouyang Appears As: Fortitude Apparent Age: Twenties Date of Birth: June 18th, 1995 Demeanor: Archivist Occupation: Fantasy Web Novelist / Private Academy Instructor Notable Stats Perception 🔴🔴🔴🔴⚫️ Intelligence 🔴🔴🔴🔴⚫️ Awareness 🔴🔴🔴⚫️⚫️ Expression 🔴🔴🔴⚫️⚫️ Martial Arts 🔴🔴🔴⚫️⚫️ Soundtrack Nightwish ~ Storytime It was the night before When all through the world No words, no dreams Then one day A writer by a fire Imagined all of Gaia Took a journey into a child-man's heart... Nightwish ~ Pan Once there was a silent canvas Sleeping stories unimagined Birth of what if's, hope and wonder Winds will be named, words will shelter Then, something wicked their way came Showed a way to the great escape Evoke the worlds, sparked the brain An ape in awe before a door Nightwish ~ Edema Ruh One by one we light the candles of this show One by one, enter the theatre of the primal birth Silently watch the planetary curtain go down Laugh and rejoice, as the powerful play greets you tonight We are the Edema Ruh We know the songs the sirens sang See us dream every tale true The verse we leave with you will take you home