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Video: Ritual of Strength performed by Nik Nitsvetov @nitsvetov #PietasFans Bringer of Chaos series by Kayelle Allen #SciFi #Ritual

Kayelle Allen 10/26/2022 Cosplay

In this scene from book 1 of the Bringer of Chaos series, Pietas is preparing for a ritual with his twin sister.

While Pietas readied himself, his sister twirled the dagger, showing off her expertise.

"You know, Pietas, you should let our people know you still do this ceremony. They'd be impressed by your devotion."

"I don't do it to impress anyone. I do it to ready myself for-- Stop!" Dessy had been sliding one fingertip along the edge of the dagger. He removed it from her grasp, and examined the blade.

"Honestly, Pietas! I was just testing the sharpness."

"I didn't want you to cut yourself."

"I'm as adept with blades as you. More so, if you ask me."

"Not the point. If you'd cut yourself, I'd have to consecrate it again. It can only have my blood or my enemy's."

"You think I'm witless? As if I haven't performed this ceremony with you a hundred times. And here I thought you were concerned for my well-being."

"Stop playing. I told you, I'm busy."

She let out a harsh sigh. "Fine. Let's complete the ritual."

Dagger in hand, Pietas unfastened the clip in his hair, and let it fall. The wet tail slapped the middle of his back. He tossed the clip aside, placed the dagger on his palms, and offered it.

She poised her hand above it. "Who offers this weapon?"

"First Conqueror, War Leader of the Ultras."

She took it from him. "For whom are you willing to suffer?"

"I suffer for my people." Pietas turned his cheek.

Dessy slid the knife tip gently along his face, from cheekbone to chin, drawing a thin trail of blood. "For whom do you bleed?"

"I bleed for my people." By the time the first drop of blood had risen, the cut had healed, leaving no scar.

"What sacrifice do you offer as proof of devotion?"

He went to his knees, and lowered his head. Here was the true reason he no longer performed this ritual before his people. Pietas abased himself before no one.

Except the one woman who held the tattered remnants of his trust, and what little remained of his heart.

"I surrender my pride."

His sister went behind him, and gathered his hair in her fist. Using the razor-sharp blade, she sawed through the wet tail. She crossed to the table, and moved the hide back in place.

Pietas picked up the pants as he stood, and slipped them on. He ruffled his fingers through his hair. It hung around his jaw line.

Dessy brushed it back from his face, and thumbed away a smear of blood.

He clasped her wrist. "Take it out of your pocket."

"What?"

"Whatever it is you took."

"I don't--"

He tightened his grip, and she grimaced. "Take it out of your pocket."

"Let me go." She glared in defiance, the ice in her emotions fierce as a blizzard.

He released her, and the room warmed. He held out his hand.

Dessy reached into a pocket and withdrew his tail of hair. "I'm not giving it back."

"It's mine. I intend to burn it."

"I know. That's why I took it."

He tried to snatch it from her.

She slipped out of reach. "It's mine now, and I want it."

He regarded her a long moment. "I see. You want my DNA because you think I'll be defeated."

"Can you imagine Father's face if told him I wanted to recreate you? He'd sooner burn his lab to the ground."

Those words bit his pride, but the truth of her emotions, her love for him, assuaged it. He motioned for her to give it to him. "Now, Dess."

She stuffed it back in her pocket. "I have nothing of yours, and I've always loved your hair. Let me keep it." She added, "Please."

The last time she'd said that word to him, they were sixteen. His decision to comply had cost him his relationship with his father, and ruined what he'd had with her. She had never said please again. Not to him. That ought to be warning enough. But back then, he'd still had a heart that could break.

It wasn't breakable any more.

"It's hair. Not important." He set a fist over his heart, and bowed.

Smiling, she pressed her palms together and put her hands before her mouth. "Thank you. Now, are you ready for the peace talks?"

"No." He squared his shoulders. "I'm ready for war."

The Ritual of Strength series

Credits

My thanks to the performer, Nik Nitsvetov, and photographer Belyaeva Yuliya

Any of my characters mentioned on this page may be found in multiple books in my story universe. (Pietas images - Nik Nitsvetov as Pietas cosplay) Download a printable book list and check them off as you read.

~ Copyright ©2024 Kayelle Allen. All rights reserved ~ Kayelle Allen participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates program, an affiliate advertising program which provides the means for sites to earn fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com. If you purchase an item listed on the site from Amazon.com, Kayelle will earn a small commission. Other sites might be affiliate links as well. These will not result in higher prices for you. Thank you for your support!

Experience Art, Sci-Fi, MM Romance, and Space Opera with unstoppable, unshakeable, unforgettable characters so real you'll swear you've met them by joining my newsletter.

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Powerful as fire — the immortal king #PietasFans #SciFi #MFRWhooks

Kayelle Allen 12/01/2021 Character Insights 3 Comments

Pietas Ritual - by Blue Crystal

The beautiful animated image of Pietas is the creative collaboration of BlueCrystal_Works, Nik Nitsvetov, and photographer Belyaeva Yuliya.

This short excerpt is part of the Ritual of Strength performed by Pietas in the Bringer of Chaos series.

"As fire has victory over life, so I have victory over my enemies."

Pietas passed a hand through the flame and hissed at the searing heat, relishing the pain. Of all the elements, fire alone had power to linger on an Ultra's skin. He welcomed it as a symbol of victory.

"I am powerful, as fire is powerful."

You'll find these characters mentioned in many books in my story universe.
Download a printable book list and check them off as you read.

Any of my characters mentioned on this page may be found in multiple books in my story universe. (Pietas images - Nik Nitsvetov as Pietas cosplay) Download a printable book list and check them off as you read.

~ Copyright ©2024 Kayelle Allen. All rights reserved ~ Kayelle Allen participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates program, an affiliate advertising program which provides the means for sites to earn fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com. If you purchase an item listed on the site from Amazon.com, Kayelle will earn a small commission. Other sites might be affiliate links as well. These will not result in higher prices for you. Thank you for your support!

Experience Art, Sci-Fi, MM Romance, and Space Opera with unstoppable, unshakeable, unforgettable characters so real you'll swear you've met them by joining my newsletter.

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Check out the book fair for #QuaranCon @QuaranCon2020 a free, all-day online comics convention #SciFi #Cosplay #BookFair

Kayelle Allen 04/09/2021 Conventions for Sci Fi Lovers

A WORD FROM QUARANCON:

The next QuaranCon, a free, all-day online comics convention, happens April 8-12, 2021.

QuaranCon is a fantasy convention organized by Virginia McClain and a handful of volunteers who wanted to put on a virtual convention that would be free to all involved. So many IRL conventions this year have already been canceled, and many more will likely follow suit before the year is out. This makes us sad. So we decided to put together a convention that everyone could attend from the safety of their own living room.

The con is small and is meant to be inclusive, welcoming, and fun! We're still working on our site, but please check back here to find more details about all our fun events (panels, workshops, readings, AMAs, and contests) coming soon! Our whole staff are volunteers, and we all have other jobs, so please bear with us as we try to get things organized as quickly as we can.

Stay safe out there people! (And stay the f*@$ home if you can.)

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Playing dress-up with living dolls #Cosplay @nitsvetov #PietasFans #MFRWhooks

Kayelle Allen 10/14/2020 Cosplay 10 Comments

Imagine playing dress-up with living dolls! Watching Nik Nitsvetov cosplay Pietas is like that.

Live Action Imagination

He's performed as my immortal king three times now. Will there be a fourth?

Nik said he would always do a cosplay for me, so I might hold him to it.

Amazing that we accomplished it this year, given the way 2020 has gone so far!

I won't reveal more images on my blog until after I've sent out previews to my newsletter subscribers. They get to see images I won't be releasing anywhere else.

So, how many do I have? Almost 900 from this photo shoot.

Pietas Cosplay

Nik and Julia are extremely generous and they spent a lot of time getting everything just right. Their friend, Vlad, also helped, and I wanted to give a quick rundown of what each person did to make this cosplay a success.

Julia

Julia stood on a stool to get some shots, and she would hop down, straighten a lock of Nik's hair, step back, straighten it again and then get back up on the stool and snap the picture. She'd turn him left or right just a bit, take a few pictures, and then move him again. She sat on the floor for some images and the angle (a "hero" shot) produces fantastic results. Having seen the images, I can tell you she is effective at getting just the right aspect of Nik's face and body on camera. She knows him well. They've been together many years. You can tell she knows all his best sides, and gets him to show them off.

Vlad

Nik's friend, Vlad, also a cosplayer (and a flatmate to Nik and Julia) live-streamed the cosplay. He also played music for the scene (Rammstein - a fave of mine as well as Nik's), and he narrated the comments. It was interesting to hear my name with a Russian accent. It comes across as "Ki-ell" (long I) versus "kay-elle" and it made me smile every time I heard it. I almost prefer it!

Nik

Watching Nik perform is so amazing that while I was watching live, I forgot to comment most of the time. I did respond with things like Perfect! Which isn't all that helpful, all told. But honestly, I had no need to direct. Nik and I had emailed about 20 times setting up the various aspects of the shoot and getting the props and poses right. I sent him a link to a few examples of poses that I would like and he did it perfectly. There's that word again. Nik doesn't think of himself as "perfect" but to me, there is no better Pietas. When I think of my character, it's Nik as Pietas that I see -- except that he's seven feet tall!

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Quick, how big is a chibi? #Chibi #SciFi #MFRWhooks

Kayelle Allen 09/30/2020 Cosplay 7 Comments

Check out the cute dragon chibis!

What's the difference between a chibi and a statue?

A statue is a (more or less) realistic image of a person or creature. A chibi is a stylized version, usually with a big head and eyes.

I love hanging out on Instagram. I rarely post, but I do like and follow (a lot!). I especially like artists, cosplayers, etc.

When I kept seeing adorable chibis, I decided to have a couple made of the dragons from the Bringer of Chaos series. If you've read the books, you know I've only hinted at the dragons so far. I promise, they're coming.

Aren't dragons fantasy? Well, what if these creatures were extinct on Earth, but not on other planets? And what if they could exist in an alternate dimension? Remember the Gates of Life? Let me just say, you'll see.

The dragons are from House Snow Dragon on Instagram and were shipped from the Ukraine. Well worth the money and the wait. I got to pick eye color, body and accent color and let her pick the pose.

Red is Fireshade (Dessy's dragon). White is Stormsinger (Pietas's dragon). Who knew you could get chibi dragons?

And then my pride and joy in front -- a custom chibi of Pietas. Look at his armor! FloratalesCreations copied the armor Nik Nitsvetov wore in his cosplay of Pietas last year. Right down to the shoes and the weapon. I know a soldier shouldn't be adorable, but... 🙂 I absolutely love this guy. He and the dragons sit right beneath my monitor.

Nik is doing another Pietas cosplay on October 10th (time to be announced). Watching Nik perform is amazing. If you haven't seen him do this before, you owe it to yourself to come watch. He holds the event in the evening in Russia, so it's morning for us in America. Once I have the time, I'll put it in my newsletter due out Oct 7th. Or sign up here to just be notified with one email.

Go peek at my blog post for Wed 9/16. You'll see a step-by-step transformation. You'll also get a closer look at Nik and his acting ability. This guy knows how to show subtle emotion. I wish he lived closer, alas, Moscow is a long ways away! Check out that blog post and you'll get an appreciation for his talent.

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Sneak peek at the Pietas halberd cosplay @nitsvetov #cosplay #malecosplay #SciFi #MFRWhooks

Kayelle Allen 09/23/2020 Cosplay 5 Comments

This is the scene Nik will cosplay live. Julia will photograph the event. You're getting it out of context, because to give more would give a huge spoiler.

Halberd

Pietas walked into sight, dragging a massive steel halberd inlaid with turquoise stones, a cross between a battle axe and a sword.

The pointed tip screeched along the steel floor.

The image of Pietas in black, knowing he represented Luc, affixed itself in Luc's mind.

With that bright silver and turquoise halberd at his side, the forbidding darkness of his masked king channeled awe straight through him.

-- A Stolen Heart

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Witness the transformation: Pietas morphs into the Bringer of Chaos @nitsvetov @voicesbyzack #SciFi #Cosplay #MFRWhooks #PietasFans

Kayelle Allen 09/16/2020 Conventions for Sci Fi Lovers 8 Comments

The Ritual of Strength tranforms Pietas into the War Leader of the Ultras -- a fighting machine known as the Bringer of Chaos. He earned the title because his strongest Sempervian gift is Chaos, the ability to create chaotic feelings with no outside source. In battle, it mind-dazes an enemy. But with a lover, his gift renders a partner helpless, inundating them with overwhelming pleasure.

He has worn a mask in battle ever since defeating the First Division, a human special-ops group formed to fight Ultras. It came about because Pietas slew an enemy, and blood splashed across his eyes. Thinking the blood belonged to Pietas, the Ultra troops rallied to him and slaughtered the humans. By the end of the battle, the blood had dried almost black. Stories of how their "bandit king" had conquered the First Division filled the night. To his troops, he was now the conqueror of the First Division, and they gave him a new title to celebrate: First Conqueror, War Leader of the Ultras.

Look at the facial expressions as Pietas lifts the mask into place, hiding his true self and preparing to morph into the Bringer of Chaos.

The expression of utter confidence while Pietas is wearing the mask reveals how much performing the ritual affects him. In the left image, he's removing a small knife used in the ritual. The story behind this knife -- I bought it at OutlantaCon a few years ago. It was made from hand-forged metal, a handle of hand-carved wood, and sheathed in hand-tooled leather. One of a kind. In the story (a Bringer of Chaos book not out yet), Six makes this knife and gives it to Pietas. He has used it for thousands of years and it's so fragile he now keeps it in a glass case. He never parts with a gift from a friend if there is any way possible to keep it.

In the second photo, Nik performs the scene where Pietas makes a small cut in his skin, symbolically shedding blood for his people. He heals instantly, but the point is he is ready to die for his people. Look at those eyes. Nik transformed as much as Pietas.

When the ritual is complete, Pietas removes his mask. In Origin of Pietas, he paints on the mask with soot from a fire, and right after, he and Six are caught in a downpour. When Six sees Pietas's face, he bursts into laughter and says Pietas looks like a "weapon of mascara destruction."

On the first photo, notice the focus in those eyes as Pietas begins the transformation back to his usual self. The next picture shows him with the mask off and a partial smile. I love that photo. It's the backdrop for my email program. My interpretation of this image is that Pietas is happy to return to his (somewhat) normal life and be who he really is.

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Bringing Pietas to Life #Voiceover @voicesbyzack #Cosplayer @nitsvetov #PietasFans #SciFi #MFRWhooks #MFRWorg

Kayelle Allen 09/09/2020 Character Insights 6 Comments

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Hiring a voiceover artist for Pietas @voicesbyzack #PietasFans #SciFi #MFRWhooks #Voiceover

Kayelle Allen 09/02/2020 Cosplay 9 Comments

Hiring a Voiceover Artist

Hiring a voiceover artist takes time and patience. I found mine on Fiverr. Here's how it went. Be prepared to listen to samples and watch video reels. This can be fun. You will see many different levels of expertise. You might get lucky and find the right person on the first try, but I had specifics in mind and that made it a bit more daunting.
If you'd like to search for a voice actor yourself, try this link. Fiverr Voice Actors

Giving a Voice to Pietas

In 2018, I worked with the Russian cosplayer Nik Nitsvetov, who is a dead ringer for Pietas. After he recreated the Ritual of Strength from the book, Origin of Pietas, I decided to find a voiceover artist who could give Pietas a voice.

I wanted someone with at least a slight English accent, as if he'd learned English from someone in the UK. And he'd been born in Wales, so that was important to pull into the sound.

Also, Pietas has a tenor voice, not too deep. He speaks properly. The immortal king is a perfectionist who demands the best of himself and others, so he had to enunciate each word without sounding like he was reading a script.

Are you thinking -- you are one crazy woman, Kayelle. Where are you going to find someone like that? And how could you afford it? Yeah, I was thinking the same thing.

I decided to try Fiverr. I've been lucky at getting help there over the last few years. I recommend giving it a try if you need help on a quick project -- or a long one.

After listening to bajillion different samples of voiceover artists, I settled with one. Got the sample back, and hired him. He did a great job, but I wasn't quite satisfied. I decided to try again, but I still wasn't happy with the final product.

Should I try one more time, I wondered? You know what they say about the third time being a charm? Well it was true on this one, because I found someone who sounded EXACTLY the way I hear Pietas in my head.

Each created a sample using this dialogue: "No. I cannot imagine settling down with the same person for eternity. How mundane. It would take a special person indeed. I have, however, cohabitated with the same person for centuries and been quite happy. At least at first." When you hear Zack read it, I think you'll see why I chose him.