One of the HaremLit rules is that no harem companion leaves for another man. I prefer for harem companions not to leave at all. However, I like diversity in the companions, so I tend to add and add. In my harem companions overview, Finch has 17 companions. Yeah, right! Does he have time for anything?
Who leaves in the Finch Trilogy?
I decided that four would leave him:
Tandarine
Tandarine ult Akorebi, the perky Simmix pilot who wants to have sex across the globe watching the sky as Finch gives it to her. There’s no sky in the Simmix underground bunkers on her home planet Trirrox.
Why does she leave? She’s so busy enjoying Earth and Finch that she almost forgets that her parents signed up for the Simmix mission dragging her along. Tandarine wants to thank them for doing so, and show them how beautiful this new planet is. She sneaks out of the house and casually finds her way back on the Simmix mothership. Only when it’s too late does she realize it was too easy. She watches how her parents tell their superiors that they knew nothing of her plans to rescue them, and wouldn’t have gone with her anyway. Stunned by this truth, she is marched to an airlock. While she drifts away, for the last time, she takes in the beauty of Earth. ”Thank you, Finch. I love you.”
Writing this down brings the same tears to my eyes as when I wrote this passage. And I knew what was coming! Too tender a heart…
Adelheid
Adelheid Kondritz, the bubbly blonde, airship engineer and pilot, leaves for very different reasons: guilt. In Star People, the aitarel she’s piloting malfunctions and crashes. Adelheid is saved when Tady-Lic presses the ejection button. While the cockpit drifts down on a parachute, Adelheid watches a huge dustcloud rise from the aitarel’s crash. When she finds Finch, he’s barely alive. Tady-Lic saving him caused a huge amount of damage to her fembot body. Adelheid can’t live with what has happened and decides to go back to her mother, a maid in the employ of Count Von Zeppelin in rural Bützow, Prussia. Through her mother’s doing is about to marry Jörg, the earnest son of the blacksmith. She accepts this, even though she designed and piloted airships for Finch. If this is her lot, so be it.
But her good friend, Gayatri, Princess of Amber, shakes her loose. I like to think I wrote an amusing telegram:
In her mother’s room, she reads it:
“ADELHEID WHATEVER YOU ARE DOING – STOP
FINCH’S OPPONENTS DON’T – STOP
MAKE SAN FRANCISCO YOUR NEXT – STOP
PRINCESS GAYATRI, EMINENT SARASWATI OF THE KINGDOM OF AMBER, DISTINGUISHED VEDANTIN AND CUSTODIAN OF THE ANCIENT SANATANA DHARMA, ILLUSTRIOUS PROTECTOR OF VEDIC ARTS AND SCIENCES”
“Who is the message from, liebling?”
I needed the full force of this passage to get Adelheid to move. I use ’stop’ not as the usual end of sentence in a telegram, but as part of a telegram. Then, I wanted the short sentences to contrast with the ridiculously long name Gayatri uses to sign it. And finally, I ended the section with her mother asking who the telegram is from. I didn’t add Adelheid’s answer, hoping that the reader who wonder: what is Adelheid going to answer?
The next time we see Adelheid, she’s being questioned by the men at the ticket office. They find it suspicious that an unmarried woman could pay for a first-class ticket.
I thought a lot about the moment where she meets with Finch again. I like to think I did a good job:
He takes out a roll of paper and spreads it across his desk. Without a word, he beckons her forward. Adelheid’s heart races as she approaches. Her eyes widen as she recognizes the adapted design of a new airship. The changes are amazing. She traces a finger along a modified strut, marveling at its elegance.
When she looks up, Finch’s eyes are on her, not the design. She opens her mouth to speak, but no words come. He embraces her, and their lips meet. In that moment, Adelheid knows she’s home.
Sarah
Sarah Riegler/Curious Psychosociologist 4, the four-hundred-year old Ilzed scientist who’s in love for the very first time, is a late addition to Finch’s harem. In a convoluted plan to board the Ilzed omniship, Finch and the team decide to fake Sarah’s death. Only the plan backfires horribly. When the Ilzed beam doesn’t take up earthlings, Sarah decides to take their place, so that she can make sure that Finch can meet her superiors. They are watching the event and in a panic shut down the beam. I cried writing how she falls:
Tady-Lic, Elizaveta, Shonali, and Finch watch as Sarah’s arms and legs bounce up after her fall. Tady-Lic, running towards her, she blames herself for not staying in the beam. She could have caught, like she did Audrey. The fembot registers multiple fractures on arms, legs, ribs, and skull, severe internal bleeding in chest and head.
Finch kneels next to Curious Psychosociologist 4.
“Finch…”
He caresses her bloody hair. “Sarah.”
She closes her eyes.
And I’m an author who likes—no, needs—happy endings to stories.
Takeko
Nakano Takeko, the Japanese samurai based on an historical figure, dies in battle just like her real world counterpart. The horrifying aspect of this death is that Takeko made her sister promise that she wouldn’t be a prize for the Japanese imperial forces. I didn’t want to go into detail, but I wanted to stay true to the original Takeko. So, I had her sister write a letter to Finch about the events and how he was always in her heart. Japanese letter-writing for the samurai is almost poetic. I hoped that if I could mimic that style, I could soften the blow.
I try to honor their sacrifice at the end of the trilogy, after Finch and his companions save the world.
In a secluded corner of Borden Hall’s gardens, Lydia created a memorial for Tandarine ult Akorebi, Nakano Takeko, and Sarah Riegler. Charlotte Huntington, Lydia Norton, Adelheid Kondritz, Constantia Philpott, Princess Gayatri, Shonali, Valentine Verne, Tady-Lic 12♥, Sifrah, Elizaveta Gagarin, Queen Şah, Miri-So-Fi, Wang Zhenyi, Eljamit ult Louki, and Emperor Norton I take a moment to commemorate those who gave their lives for others.
Ensemble HaremLit Musings
Introducing Ensemble HaremLit
Introducing Ensemble HaremLit – One man, fabulous harem companions, multiple points-of-view
Read On
Exploring the Complexities of Ensemble HaremLit
In this post, I delve into the intricate relationships and character dynamics that make Ensemble HaremLit stand out from traditional HaremLit stories.
Read On Balancing Intimacy and Intrigue
As an Ensemble HaremLit author, I’m constantly juggling the delicate balance between intimate character moments and high-stakes plot developments.
Read On Memorable Harem Companions
As an Ensemble HaremLit author, I want interesting and relatable harem companions for my readers. People who enjoy my stories should root for some companions and maybe even fall in love with them. Because they are all different, I don’t expect them to fall in love with all them the way the main protagonist does. Or do you?
Read On World-Building in Ensemble HaremLit
Is it important to be historically accurate in Ensemble HaremLit? That depends 😘
I like the feel of real history for my stories. How historic events are part of them, or how specific details hint at a location.
Ensemble HaremLit and Holidays
As we approach the holiday season, many of us are faced with the daunting task of navigating complex family dynamics and relationships. So, how does a guy with a harem do this? In Ensemble HaremLit, multiple points-of-view can make this especially challenging and fun.
Read On Distilling HaremLit Elements
As I prepare to embark on my new series set in mysterious China, I find myself thinking about the essential elements that make different HaremLit subgenres work. Like a master chef selecting the finest ingredients, I want to take the most compelling aspects of each genre and blend them into something fresh and exciting. Let me share my creative recipe with you.
Read On Serializing Ensemble HaremLit
As I continue to write and publish my Ensemble HaremLit stories, I’ve been thinking a lot about the format and how I can best deliver these complex, character-driven tales to my readers. Compared to other Haremlit, Ensemble HaremLit packs a lot – multiple plot threads, complex character relationships, and a rich, detailed world to explore. That’s why I’m considering a new approach: serializing.
Read On Behind the Scenes of The Three Tiffanys
Join me as I reveal how The Three Tiffanys brings 1920s Arabia to life. From the bustling pearl markets of Ras Al Qummah to the intricate politics of Farouz’s harem, discover how historical details and cultural nuances shape our characters’ world.
Read On The Three Quests of Ensemble HaremLit
In Ensemble HaremLit, the harem companions are more than just love interests – they’re fully fleshed-out characters with their own motivations, desires, and challenges. One way to create this depth is by giving each harem companion three quests.
Read On Companions Who Leave the Harem
In a genre where companions rarely leave, I made a different choice in the Finch Trilogy. Some left. One returned. And all of them reshaped the story. Here’s why I did it.
They may be gone from Finch’s life, but they’re never gone from mine. Writing them changed the story. Losing them changed me.
HaremLit: What a Great Genre
When I started writing HaremLit, I wondered why? Did I have a new take on the formula: one great guy, multiple beautiful women who are drawn to his exceptional qualities, have lots of sex, and shape destiny. When I started reading HaremLit, this was tried-and-true approach that clearly works.
So what could I possibly add to all that?
Villains in Ensemble HaremLit
In Ensemble HaremLit, where emotional arcs, companion quests, and complex relationships take center stage, it’s easy to forget how important a strong antagonist can be. But trust me: nothing tests the bonds of love, loyalty, and lust like a credible threat.
And no, I’m not talking about moustache-twirling supervillains or cackling madmen. My villains tend to be… well, people.
Do All Companions Need to Stay?
In Ensemble HaremLit, where emotional arcs, companion quests, and complex relationships take center stage, it’s easy to forget how important a strong antagonist can be. But trust me: nothing tests the bonds of love, loyalty, and lust like a credible threat.
And no, I’m not talking about moustache-twirling supervillains or cackling madmen. My villains tend to be… well, people.
Why I Write Across Genres
I have a confession: I can’t stay in one genre. I’m a wanderer, a time-traveler, a hopeless romantic who falls in love with every era I visit.
Read On
–Tiffany