AMA for Death of a Queen · 8:38pm Mar 19th, 2021
Hiya everyone,
I know you were probably expecting for another blog about new chapters being posted. I know they can get annoying. I apologize. But this week, I've got something different in mind. This time, I'm making you all an offer. This blog will act as a sort of AMA (Ask Me Anything) about Death of a Queen. If there is anything you want to know about the story, feel free to ask.
If there were any plot points that left you confused, if you want to know something about my writing process, if you want to know why something was written the way it was, or even if you just want to meme at me. Feel free to ask in the form of a comment below. I'll do my best to answer ASAP.
I look forward to reading whatever you guys have to say.
As always, have a great day!
Did the "love exchange" get Twi pregnant with a hybrid?
Thanks for Death of a Queen. It is interesting and complex and I look forward to each new chapter.
After 54. Staking Her Claim, could you help clarify the different types of Changeling feeding and sharing?
“Among Changelings, such acts are simple. A tool to keep us fed, to keep our prey satisfied. When we really wish to show our affection, we share our minds. Just like this.”
What are the differences between how Changelings normally feed, what Chryslys did in Ch. 54, and what Chryslys did earlier when she had problems with control?
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Fun fact, that entire function of them sharing a mind is partially based on the idea of Asari from Mass Effect. In their case, you would be correct in assuming that would be a possibility. However, for the sake of this story, that is not what happened. If they want a child, they would have to do so the old fashioned way.
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Strap in, this might be a long one.
Along with writing this story, I've kept a sort of secondary writing in the form of a scientist taking notes of changelings over their studies. It's written more like a textbook than a story, but it help me keep track of all the different idea that I introduce about changelings. According to that source, changelings can feed in two different ways, Directly or Indirectly.
Direct Feeding is broken down into three categories. Hunting, Infiltration, or Freely Given.
Hunting is when a changeling forcefully drains energy from their victim. This act produces a great amount of energy, but comes with many risks to both Changeling (being vulnerable while feeding) and victim (excessive emotional drain functions similarly to a lobotomy).
Infiltration is when a changeling assumes the identity of a loved one. Though this love is technically "freely given" the changeling's magic reacts differently, due to the requirement of deception. The changeling is not the intended recipient of the love, they have just taken the form of such. Because of this, the love they receive from this form of feeding is weaker, but can persist over years as compared to hunting.
Freely Given is the final form of direct feeding. This is the most rare case where a changeling and another creature truly fall in love, such as the case with Twilight and Chrysalis. The honesty and emotional attachment between the couple make this the strongest form of feeding. However, such freedom may cause a changeling to fall victim to their own desires and indulge in the feeding, which can harm the changeling's loved one.
(Although Thorax's changelings do sometimes reveal the truth about themselves, this is only considered a modified version of Infiltration, as there is no real love that exists between the changeling and their meal, even if it is done by choice.)
There also exists a method of Indirect feeding, too. This is based on a changeling's sixth sense to read emotion. When Chrysalis describes the emotion as a "taste" she isn't joking. She's capable of siphoning off the excess energy in the air. This method of feeding does not drain energy directly from a target, meaning it has no adverse effects. However, this also means that the energy gained is small. It is barely enough to keep a changeling alive.
Much of this relies on the established point that changeling magic is influence by their emotion and thoughts.
These are paraphrases from my Changeling Guide (the whole section is several pages long) but I hope that answers your question. If not, please feel free to correct me and I'll try again. Thanks for asking, and I'm glad you enjoyed the story.