This story will be told in segments, snippets, drabbles, whatever you'd like to call them. The reader fills in the blanks. I feel like this is the best way to tell the story I've dreamed up, and I hope you like it as well. Obviously, there will be an unholy amount of chapters (since each chapter is all of a paragraph long!) but I hope this will work and that all you readers will still review and tell me what you think.
This story has a lot of inspirations. Jaipur is a cross between Sri Lanka (being an island) and India (most of the cultural references). It being a "forbidden" island to foreigners and Alaerec sailing to essentially open it up is shamelessly stolen from 1800s Japan and Admiral Matthew Perry of the United States who sailed with "four black dragons" (gunboats) into Tokyo's harbor. I'm exploring issues of colonization/modernization along with Alaerec's character development and Anjali- a character I've invented, replete with flaws and ambitions, who I adore and hope you will as well.
The inspiration for the format I entirely credit to Vega-de-la-Lyre and her eloquent, gorgeous "One Hundred". I love all these small drabbles that speak so much, and hit upon the idea of telling just one story that way instead of many.
I should clarify Jaipur's messy politics here: it won't make sense until a few chapters in, so come back and read this when it comes relevant. Anjali is an illegitimate daughter of the king (her mother was a mistress). She is still a princess, but her younger half-sister, Radhi, is actually the heir to the throne. Queen Rani is the brains behind the royalty as well as Anji's surrogate mother, because the king is… well, a total douche bag.
So. That's my explanation. Let's start the story.