Ultras Archives - Page 18 of 33

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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Video: Enlist in the Ghost Corps #SciFi #SpaceOpera #PietasFans

Kayelle Allen 09/25/2020 Fallen Empires

Join the Ghost Corps, they said.

You'll live forever, they said.

You'll save mankind, they said.

They didn't say that to do it, first he had to die.

Ghost Corps

When Tornahdo signs on the dotted line, he puts his life into the steady hands of the mighty Ghost Corps. Three grisly deaths and three agonizing resurrections later, he's assigned duty on the space station Enderium Six.

He's facing his most dangerous mission yet, the very reason the corps exists.

Do they expect him to win? Fat chance. Tornahdo and his team are already dead and this mission is codenamed "Lights Out." No, there's more to this than he can see.

To discover the truth, he must face an unbeatable, unkillable enemy, and this time--somehow--find a way to keep himself alive...

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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.

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A special #MM #SpaceOpera Kindle Unlimited event with authors like @AvrilAsh #KU

Kayelle Allen 08/28/2020 MM Romance

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Ready: Fight! Choreographing a fight scene #SciFi #MFRWhooks #PietasFans

Kayelle Allen 08/26/2020 Character Insights 6 Comments

What did I do to ensure I got all the hits and bumps right? You can read about it in this post. In Lights Out, Tornahdo (as Six was known then) was one of eight special ops soldiers. They had all been in fights with immortals before this, but none of them had faced Pietas, the immortal king. Here's the scene from Lights Out, Tornahdo's POV.

Tornahdo has entered a closed section of a space station. It's been several minutes since all the air has been removed. Pietas is on the ground, but he's where cameras can't get a good look at him. While Tornahdo and the soldiers can hold their breaths a long time, no one is sure just how long the king can accomplish this feat. Immortals can manipulate human emotions, so to protect the ghosts, they've been fitted with a chip to suppress emotion.

Inside, as instructed, Tornahdo stayed near the back. Two of the eight ghosts closed in on the pod.

Pietas lay on the floor behind it. His body showed, not his face.

Tornahdo tingled with a fighter's high. The mix of anxiety and excitement kept his instincts on maximum alert.

Beside Pietas, a ghost stooped. The change in lighting angle showed the Ultra, limp on the floor. When turned, the body flopped. The ghost pressed two fingers against the throat.

With a jerk, Pietas yanked the man down while thrusting a hand up.

A pierce of mindless fear stabbed Tornahdo. He'd faced that snap of terror before. It meant two things. First, the Ultra was controlling their emotions. Second, the chip was worthless.

Pietas tripped the next ghost, jabbed an elbow into his neck.

Another spurt of fear and confusion.

All that training. Days of suffering, learning control. For nothing.

Pietas flashed into speed mode.

Tornahdo's world moved in slow motion.

A blur showed where the Ultra had been. Pietas halted, braced both hands on a pod and kicked a pair of ghosts behind him.

They flew backward. Slow.

Momentum carried the Ultra straight toward Tornahdo.

Stumbling out of the way, Tornahdo went down in a tumble, taking out the ghost beside him, who knocked down the last two.

From Origin of Pietas: Bringer of Chaos

Pietas's point of view, same scene. No air means no sound.

Crowded as the space was between his life-pod and the wall, two ghosts crept into it. Six spots of light showed on the other side. Eight ghosts then. That would be a much better fight. One nudged him with a foot.

Suppressing a smile, Pietas continued to play dead.

Ghost One bent down, turned him onto his back.

Pietas let his body flop.

The guy came in closer, checked for a pulse.

Pietas opened his eyes.

The ghost's alarm fed Pietas energy.

He yanked him down, hard, while jamming the heel of his hand up. The ghost's head snapped back, and Pietas felt his bones crack. He shoved him aside and went after Ghost Two.

Pietas gripped his leg and tripped him. He jammed an elbow down onto the man's neck. Bones broke. The ghost's stab of dying fear spiked the energy from the first, and Pietas mixed it with his gift of chaos. He flung the vortex of emotions outward, broadcasting confusion and terror.

He activated his ability called zip. The pseudo speed meant he could move at a regular pace, but humans perceived him as a blur. They could not focus on him long enough to get close. To him, everyone moved in slow motion.

He flipped onto his feet, braced both hands on his pod, and kicked Three and Four square in the chest.

He pushed off the pod, and the momentum carried him straight into the arms of Five and Six. They stumbled backward, tumbling Seven and Eight onto the floor.

Writing different points of view

As you can see, the two viewpoints tell the same story, but the emotions reveal levels of attachment that are quite different.

Tornahdo knows he's had.

Pietas has hope he can escape.

Each is facing a person who refuses to quit, no matter how hard the going gets. Which will prevail?

Read the full story in Lights Out: Bringer of Chaos, and follow through with Origin of Pietas and its sequel, Forged in Fire.

If you like Pietas, you're in luck. He's in most of the Antonello Brothers series set in the far future from the Bringer of Chaos series. When you're immortal, you come back over and over and over. But does that mean he wins the fight in this scene? What's the word for damned if you do and damned if you don't? Hmm, how about screwed...