Accents, Leather, and Other Bad Decisions (In Theory)

 

Good evening my friends, and a very happy May weekend to you. I say weekend but it is actually Monday and here in the Militiverse it is a public holiday. So, let’s sit out on the agora and continue my confession from last week.

Accents: The Original Emotional Clickbait

Who doesn’t love an accent? I watched a movie over the weekend with Christophe Lambert, completely in French. The story was interesting, plot, historical drama, but let’s face, I was there for the dialogue.

I go weak at the knees for a French accent. There is something about the way the syllables just roll of the tongue. Certain words sound irresistible when spoken with a French accent.

What do you think?

Let’s not even go there with the Spanish accent. I have limits. Very few, but some.

Blond Hair: Why My Brain Thinks This Is a Personality Trait

During my late-night ‘research’ on Pinterest, it appeared that my brain made the executive decision that blond hair is a personality.

Tall. Blond. Impeccable manners. A dangerous accent. You see a pattern, right?.

When I was visually conceptualising the Tempus Militibus, the original ten characters were a suspiciously  similar colouring. I resisted this. Briefly. Then I saw a particular music video, and no, I refuse to answer questions on it…The illusion of restraint collapsed entirely.

Apparently, my insomniac brain decided, ‘Give him blond hair, a dangerous accent, and we’ll call it…character description.

 

Leather: A Material That Insists It Has Stories

Leather. Long leather coat. Tight leather trousers. It definitely is a material that has stories to tell.

I can imagine, being sat in a chair, notebook in hand and a roll of leather walks in, sits down and then suddenly begins to tell me its entire life story.

No judgement, I am working with no sleep and an alarming amount of arabica.

 My other author persona, wrote about rockstars, where leather isn’t an aesthetic but a uniform. It would seem habit follows across world building.

The Aesthetic Logic of Midnight Thoughts

The Tempus Militibus Vampires, all wear leather and ride Ducati Panigales, because at some point my insomnia at 2AM decided that subtlety was completely overrated.

Beneath the chaos there is logic. Accents create distance, something that is unfamiliar enough to be dangerous. Leather becomes armour, and fits like a second skin. The mythic beauty? That’s what these characters are meant to be: Not quite human and never safe.

That, my friends is what I tell myself in the morning!

Insomnia as a Creative Director with No Oversight

Being an insomniac is no joke, and for anyone who suffers from it, they know the frustration of not being able to sleep and watch the hours slip by without rest.

As a writer, those hours become something else.

Most of my research happens between midnight, through to the early hours. The laptop is open, a mug of coffee in my hand, with aesthetically pleasing leather clad figures motorbikes staring back at me from the screen.

That’s insomnia as the creative director and no oversight and a very specific taste in men.

So, if you ever wondered why the Tempus Militibus look as they do… now you know.

If you would like to meet one with a gorgeous French accent, well my lovelies, Tempus Ordo Mortis will be live on the 8^th. I hope you enjoy it.

If you want to connect with me on the socials, I look forward to seeing you there.

Sleep tight my friends

Anna