Ash and Amber

[zeafiyr]

About Me:
Hi everyone, I'm zeafiyr. This is my first post here and first real step into a writing community.

I'm not much of a prose writer. I used to write short stories and ones that are written never really goes beyond Chapter 1. Recently, though, I began dabbling in AI-assisted writing. I found myself with a burst of inspiration (and fool myself) that I can actually write using this tool. It's such an advanced (if not a shortcut-y way) to realize my visions. That said, I don't want to purely rely on AI as a shortcut. I'm interested in pushing since then past its usual limitations: the flatness, the generic phrasing, the uncreative figures of speeches. It's a bit laborious that sometimes fruits and makes me want to push and develop my own writing skill.

This is my most ambitious, if not my proudest project that I wanted to share with you all and get some feedback. I've gotten feedback from these AI models and I take them with the immense amount of grain of salt, they are built to be kiss-assers. I want to get the human voice underneath it all and apply it to the novel as well as my writing skill. If there's any interest, I'd be happy to share more about my workflow and approaches or vice versa—if you want to share your own takes, I will be happy to hear that as well.

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Points of Discussion:
You can discuss any topic that you'd like that is related to the novel, but here's ones I'm specifically concerned about:
1. How do I recognize where AI has basically written it too flat or too generic? Are there any specific tells, obvious ones, egregious ones?
2. Does the story actually make sense as it unfolds? I built the world first (pre-manuscript), and I'm expanding it chapter by chapter and arc by arc.
3. How do you think the subtext is handled? Am I prone to over-explaining? If yes, what are the failure points of it?
4. If you find the scenes flat, the tropes too generic lacking depth, how would you improve it?
5. The figures of speech is the most important, it's what gives flavor to novels. How would you insert and apply it into this novel?

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FAQ:

Q: What AI do you use?
I've experimented with several: DeepSeek V4 (my main tool), Claude 4.6, Kimi 2.5 (mostly for proofreading), Qwen 3.5, and others. Since I'm using free versions, DeepSeek is my primary assistant.

Q: What inspired this novel?
My biggest influences are The Witch and the Beast, The Witcher, The Dresden Files, and Lord of the Mysteries. I'm especially drawn to strong worldbuilding, and I'd appreciate any insight on whether my work leans too heavily on these or stands on its own. If there's any I've missed, please do add.

Q: Your commitment to the novel?
I intend to complete this story. While update frequency may vary depending on real-life constraints, I will continue posting whenever I am able. I have a rough vision and specific outline I want to take with the story. I will post multiple chapters at once (arc) whenever I can, only releasing chapter updates whenever larger releases are not possible.

A\N:
I'll post the rest later or tomorrow (up to Chapter 20 is basically completed, functions as 3 separate arcs). With that said, I'm learning to navigate this website and how to use it. If there's anything I've missed or any tips you can give, that'd be much appreciated. Thank you taking the time to read!

 

[zeafiyr]

A/N - Checkpoint #1:
If you've made it this far, then you're a champ! Thank you for giving this a chance and taking the time to read. I'd really appreciate any feedback you have on the story. These (3) arcs are meant to be introduction to the world and its direction. I hope I was able to convey that clearly.

Where We're Headed:
I think I can safely end the fast pacing of chapters here. As I mentioned before, I have a rough outline in mind for the story's direction and the arcs (point A -> point B -> point C). Its execution largely depends on how much I can scale, while managing challenges like skill issues, writer's block and other setbacks. It's a much forward take for me for sure but I also want to have "constraints" so that I don't overwhelm myself and make the story too convoluted (hopefully not).

For starters, my word count goal is around 400k-450k, so you'll have a rough overview on where we are in the story. As for updates, I don't really have a strict schedule, but you can generally expect chapter releases every 2-3 days. Ideally, I'd like to release entire arcs at once. The goal is to give me enough headroom to craft new chapters thoughtfully while still keeping a steady release pace.

This will be the last time I'll yap about things (non-story related, justifications, etc) unless people directly ask, you can skip the spoilers part for this if you don't want to read it. Only relevant A/N will be posted moving forward.

Non-Story Matters

I've basically written these (3) arcs for the last two weeks, continuously. It was exhausting, fulfilling and really fun. It felt like I was the verge of developing my writing. Whereas in previous projects, I barely had any control over how chapters unfolded. Here, I've pushed myself to craft it scene-by-scene (adding beats whenever I can), refining what I ask the AI to do and learning from that process. I've been using DeepSeek since 3.5 and it felt like it's decent enough but it falls in cases where it matters. The distinction can be jarring and break immersion. My goal is to recognize these patterns using my own skill. A lot of you may ask: Why not just write it yourself?

What I Am Not:
I don't consider myself as a writer—not yet. I'm not a wordsmith nor a mason building stories word by word with confidence. I cannot write and often struggle on my own.

That said, I aspire to be one. You're free to critique it: my methods, everything, especially from the perspective from what a writer "should be". I'm not proud that this isn't the traditional path but it's where I'm most receptive to improve and drive myself to write and bring my ideas to life without it being stuck in limbo.

What I Am:
You may call me an AI Writer and that will be a fair assessment in the most basic sense. What I think I am is a Context / Prompt engineer operating as a Narrative Designer.

I am a designer of blueprint that a writer (or future me) will execute—the same way that one collaborates with a ghostwriter. The ideas are mine, the execution is collaborative and while the prose is something I'm still learning to shape. Ideally, that "ghostwriter" becomes me in the future.

My Stance on AI Writing:
I appreciate QQ for at least being somewhat tolerant of AI-assisted works. I know this has been controversial to many, it's an evocative topic that triggers most people. I understand that there is no right answer to this even from an objective standpoint.

What I do believe in is: transparency. I want to approach readers in good faith and let them decide whether their values align with this project. If you choose not to read this solely for the fact that it is AI-assisted, that's completely valid to me.

I have no intention on publishing works with heavy AI-assist nor earning from it. These stories are created to be freely available. The idea is to learn with AI, not depend entirely on it. If I ever want these works to be publication-ready, a strict standard will be applied and grind through to develop my own voice.

I also want to be clear: I don't intentionally copy other writers' styles. I don't paste excerpts from works to influence what I write nor tell the AI to mimic specific authors. I actively try to avoid that. As for how effective those safeguards are. I honestly don't know, it's still an LLM trained on existing works. I'm not knowledgeable enough in that area to give a definitive answer.

P.S. I've put these things to my profile posts, so anyone who may have missed them can still stay informed. Thanks so much for your understanding!

P.P.S. I appreciate everyone who left a like! I see you and I'm grateful for your support!

 

[zeafiyr]

A/N - Checkpoint #2:
If you've made it this far, thank you for giving this story a chance. That alone already means more to me than I could ask for. I sincerely hope the story is to your liking. Feel free to skip this if you already have the general idea for the name meanings. Either way is a win for me.

Let me preface this by saying that naming characters is one of the first things I do when creating a novel. Sometimes it takes from minutes; other times, hours. It depends on whether the name "clicks": how it sounds, how it feels, and whether it fits the character. Most of the time I mixed random etymology unless I developed it within the world first, even then the names usually come first, so yeah.

At its core, naming is mostly a vibe check, and it depends on my skill as a writer. But when it does click, it's just really satisfying to see developed as it goes in the story. The best names feel resonant and fitting, even if they aren't particularly unique. Half of the times, it can be generic but fitting, which then I'll add my own flavor (by giving it a good surname or nickname) or the way the character embodies it, even then it might not be "unique" enough.

My goal is to not make it special but make it distinctive enough in the story to have its own character. Ideally, when readers encounter a name before meeting the character, they already form an impression of who that person might be. Whether or not it's a really good fit is up to you the reader, to judge. I can only hope I've done the character justice.

IMPORTANT: There's an omake regarding this if you want to read instead of reading all this info-dump: What's in a Name?

Character Names (up to Ch. 28)

William Aizan Sera Katla Morta Solomon Vane Vasha Gideon Rook Lucia Vervain Tristan Rostam

• "William" is intentionally classic and familiar. The idea is to make him approachable enough that readers can easily project themselves onto him, while still allowing him to develop his own distinct personality. The name itself comes from Wilhelm meaning "protector" or "resolute protector" which suits his role well. Aizan is more abstract, "Ai" comes from Japanese word for love, while "zan" was mostly added for sound and sharpness. It's somewhat a random connection but it feels memorable and distinctive enough in the story.
• "Sera" comes from names and terms associated with angels. "Seraphim", "Seraphina" (most common), "Seraph". The name carries a soft, almost celestial feeling that fits her character. Guess what these 3 have in common, it works partly because of her fragmented memory and incomplete sense of self.
• I chose "Katla" mostly because of how it sounds. It has a hard, heated edge to it, almost sounding like a "kettle" or something boiling beneath the surface. I later learned it's also associated with volcanic meanings in some languages, which ended up fitting her.
• Morta was one of the names that clicked unexpectedly. I had several alternatives in mind, but they're not "doing" it. Then I remembered the phrase, memento mori. Mori, Morta. Only later, after proofreading, did I know that Morta is connected to the Roman Parcae, the fates. Maybe I encountered it somewhere before and unconsciously drew inspiration from it.
• "Solomon" sounds generic, traditional and grounded, but also fitting. The name carries strong associations with the biblical king known for wisdom, which can stand by Morta's ancient power through presence.
• "Vasha" originated from "Vash", which sounded beautiful, authoritative, and powerful. I modified it into "Vasha" to give it a softer, more feminine sound because of what she is.
• "Gideon" sounds Marshal-y sound. It also has references to the biblical warrior who stood against overwhelming odds, which parallels aspects of his character.
  "Rook" comes from the chess piece that moves only in straight lines or laterally. It suits him given of what he has done up to this point.
• "Lucia" is lux, light referring to what she is (institution-wise). "Vervain" are herbs used in purification rituals, protection against evil.
• Tristan (Arthurian, more on this later :>), "Rostam" or rustam is an Iranian epic hero. It feels somewhat fitting.

At the end of the day, these are just names and they can be replaced with anything. Their point is to be resonant to the story, to their characters. A lot of character's names were chosen through instinct as much as thought, and I think that unpredictability is part of the fun of writing them.

Even if some names sound simple or familiar (maybe that's exactly the point?), my hope is that the characters themselves will eventually give those names weight and identity. A good character can make the simplest name unforgettable.

Once again, thank you for reading this far and for spending your time with this story. I will be providing author notes maybe more frequently. I want to connect more to the readers (maybe future me as well?) by sharing my thoughts on certain aspects and the writing process behind it, I'd greatly appreciate any feedback you may have, and feel free to ask me anything as well.

EDIT: NO MORE INFO-DUMPING! I just came up with a new idea. It's still experimental (meaning - I'll do it when I have extra time, hit writer's block or need a way to decompress from the usual writing process and all the other lovely struggles that come with it) so I'll leave the original "info" sections here for now. However, future lore will be written as omakes (please do tell me if this is a bad idea). These are extras that functions completely outside of the novel's tone and narrative. These won't necessarily be canon, but rather a space to explore concepts, and other details more freely.

Basically: an attempt at "Showing, not telling"

 

[zeafiyr]

A/N - Checkpoint #3:
Once again, thank you for reading this far into the story. I will always appreciate anyone willing to take the chance of reading another chapter.

I know the writing can feel rough at times. Some AI quirks/tics still slip trough and while I do my best to correct them, editing takes time away from actually moving the story forward. As the novel grows, it takes a lot of time to craft chapters that genuinely moves the story forward in the way I intended it to land in the specific vision that I have. I have to keep track of story consistency, worldbuilding rules, thematic direction, long term plans all at once. You know how it can be. As I get deeper into it, I get further appreciation of the writers who are manually doing these.

My goal has never been to create a "masterpiece" of prose but rather a story that meaningfully stands on its own world, characters and lore. Even then, I understand some writing decisions may not land for every reader the way I intended.

Which is why I wanted to introduce two kinds of extra content for the story:

Omakes - Inspired by other fics I've seen around the site (and the general usage of it within the industry). For this novel specifically, these are extras that exist outside the novel's tone and narrative. These won't necessarily be canon, but rather a space to explore concepts, and other details more freely. They are my authorial voice given shape; where instead of info dumping, it is viewed upon the eyes and context of the story to improve characterizations and further deepen lore.

Side Stories - This has been on my mind for a while. Originally, I planned to do this AFTER the novel has been completed, but rereading certain chapters made me realize there are parts of the story that could benefit from additional context and development. These side stories will stay fully within the tone and canon of the main narrative while fleshing out underexplored events, characterizations, worldbuilding, etc.

Overall, these are skippable contents that are not "must" read and is entirely optional, both of these have the goal of reinforcing the lore, confirming reader's expectations in an overt manner. I still want to integrate these details within the manuscript itself without introducing narrative bloat. Maybe that's something I'll refine in a full rewrite someday, but for now, I hope you'll humor me with this structure.