Hey You, Yeah You. The Writer Reading This.

Hey you, yeah you. The writer reading this.

It's okay to scrap things in a draft. It's okay to start again. It's okay to change things. It's okay to do whatever the fuck you want

Do what makes you happy.

You got this!

Word Find Tag!

I'm catching up with my tags and asks today, because there were so many and I'm not sure if I'll have the time this week, so please bear with me my mutuals (:

I was tagged by @i-can-even-burn-salad, (here)! I'll go with my newest WIP, Of Starlight and Beasts, for this one!

My words are: hurt, help, mercy, and voice Your words are: loyal, haste, frost, and glory

I'll be tagging (gently, with absolutely no pressure): @lassiesandiego, @unstablewifiaccess, @hrmkingizzy, @elshells, @illarian-rambling, @meerawrites, @tabswrites, @rickie-the-storyteller, @jay-avian, @crowandmoonwriting, @writernopal, @elshells, @thetruearchmagos, @starlit-hopes-and-dreams, @clairelsonao3, @apolline-lucy, @oh-no-another-idea, @little-peril-stories, @cowboybruncha nd @kaylinalexanderbooks

✨Contains SPOILERS for the WIP Of Starlight and Beasts✨

Read more for the following scenes (below the cut) (:

A very confused magic boy (Arammys) and The Squad tm waking up in an unknown dungeon and meeting someone important who is not in a good mood.

An old enemy becoming a new friend. The characters make a gamble with their fates - this might be another trap, but it also might be the alliance that tips the scales in their favor. Only one way to find out.

The team's usually collected, calm and fearless character losing it for a second and being vulnerable for the first time in front of his friends. He hates it.

An adorable lesbian warrior showcasing an awesome hidden ability to save her newfound friends, and Arammys being terrified of heights.

Hurt

[...] "Are you okay?! Did they hurt you?" He heard a voice, her voice, coming from the other side of the cobblestone wall, muffled but still clear. The lighting was dim enough that he could see his hands, and there was clearly torch light coming from down the hall ahead.

It took little more than a second of adjusting his sight to realize they were trapped in a dungeon of sorts. How quaint.

Through the ringing in his ears, to the other side, he could also hear Tomasa cursing and punching something metallic, while straight ahead the twins quipped about something he could not quite make out. A strange ache flared in his head, and he closed his eyes tightly.

"I think I'm fine. But where-" He brushed his hands over his eyes, trying to refocus on something that wasn't the irritating ringing in his head "...Where are we though?"

"I'm not sure of where exactly - we got ambushed in the forest sometime ago and the next thing I know we woke up here."

"I figured that much pretty quick. But still, where are we? Do we know this place? Who do we get to thank for our undelighfully icky new accommodations now?"

Just as Arammys finished his sentence, there was a soundless woosh of fabric up ahead. He looked up, squinting through the bars, to see a long-haired figure clad in intricate armor standing right outside the door, stone-faced. He closed his mouth into a thin line.

"That would be me." [...]

Help

[...] "Why should we trust you?" Corah leveled her sword at him, the tip of the blade inches from him. Her eyes were unyielding, and behind her, the group watched the new arrival with a mix of shock and fear.

Bastien lifted up his hands placatingly, calmly taking a step forward and letting the sword hit the chest plate of his armor.

"Because I can help. If you go into her realm alone, none of you will make it out."

Corah scoffed, tightening her grip on the blade's hilt. She tilted her head. "That's awfully convenient coming from the guy who tried to kill us in our sleep only a month ago. Now you expect us to be stupid enough to follow you like ducklings right into your Queen's slaughter hall, is that it?"

"No!" He exclaimed, before regaining his calm composure "Look, you have no reason to forgive me, and frankly, I can understand if you won't fully trust me either. I know I wouldn't. That's not what I'm asking for - but consider this, I'm already committing high treason just by coming here. And most certainly for bringing you this."

He slowly reached for his satchel, not once breaking eye contact with the girl, who watched his every move, expecting the worst. His hand reappeared a second later, holding the amulet for all to see. Behind her, gasps echoed around the small clearing.

Blood and embers swirled inside the glowing crystal. Corah recognized it immediately - everyone knew the story, a symbol of the bitter love that shook their nations and sparked a war, Queen Meira's best-kept secret.

Corah lowered her sword, eyes still narrowed.

"How did you get that?"

"...Because the Queen also happens to be the liar who called herself my mother." [...]

Mercy

Eidan's shoulders stiffened, and he stared emptily at the destruction ahead. His fingers brushed the bracelet around his left wrist, seeking comfort. "The 'Eclipsed' aren't exactly known for their mercy, that I know well."

Their group went silent as they realized what he meant, the howling of the foggy wind and creaking trees outside the massacred temple being the only sounds surrounding them for a long moment.

Mason, of all people, stopped his bickering with his twin, suddenly aware of the turn the conversation had taken. He reached out a hand, hoping it would be a comforting gesture, but as soon as the tip of his fingers brushed against the fabric over Eidan's shoulder, the young man flinched away violently.

"I don't need your pity." Eidan snapped, distant eyes mixing the current anger he was feeling with the fear his memories brought back to the surface before his expression numbed again, "We should keep going, we'll be wasting daylight at this rate."

"Are you sure-"

"I said we should keep going." Eidan didn't look over his shoulder nor spoke anything else, practically marching ahead of the group and turning back to the trail they should be following.

Voice

"Oh my gods, oh my gods, oh my-!" His voice became raggedy as the dragon flew higher, having caught them just seconds before they would've hit the ground. He clings to her golden scales, trying to digest the fact that this giant dragon was the same friend who loved to arm wrestle sailors at a tavern and dance to rowdy music.

Tomasa is a dragon - that should be the most shocking thing at this moment. However, given their distance from the ground and her speed as arrows soared past them, Arammys' main concern centered around not falling to his death.

"Pretty cool, huh?" She turns her long neck to look over her shoulder for a moment, nearly hitting the city wall in the process.

Arammys swallowed, clutching the scales around her neck so tightly he thought the muscles of his hands would snap. "That's - certainly a word. I'm just not sure it applies!" The words faded out into a terrified scream as their dragoness friend purposefully swirled in circles in the air, her hearty laugh rattling through his bones.

"Aw, don't be such a killjoy! This is amazing." Tomasa exclaimed, stretching out her wings. When Arammys didn't answer, she tried to look at him again but was unable to see his face as he held on to her neck for dear life.

She let out a deep sigh, her voice ringing with the kind of deadpan disbelief that only a seasoned fighter could have. "Don't tell me this boy has his eyes closed."

Corah snorted out a single laugh at their friend's tone, placing a reassuring hand on Arammys' back, before answering her. "He's got his eyes closed."

"You've got to be kidding me."

Don’t make me come over here and throw this at u 😡😘

My Words Into Potions Intro!

The Event (@moon-and-seraph)

I'll be working on two WIPs this March - my goal will be to attempt to finish Enchanted Illusion's first draft and give Of Starlight and Beasts a good headstart!

Title: OF STARLIGHT AND BEASTS

Genre - High Fantasy (medieval) Adventure/Dark Fairy Tale (with a tad of romance, that's a subplot)

Summary - In an ancient enchanted kingdom, Corah, the daughter of their land's most renowned adventurer, seeks to become the best knight that has ever lived. However, after meeting a young man with strange magic and no memories lost in the woods, Corah finds herself thrust into an unexpected quest when the once-thought-dead Queen returns to enact her revenge on their peaceful kingdom - and now it falls to Corah and her mysterious new friend to prevent destruction from reaching their land, if she wants to achieve her dream to be knighted. But are things quite what they seem?

POV - Dual POV (for now?), with some occasional POVs from important side characters.

Lenght - Novel/Book

Tags/Hashtag - #wip: of starlight and beasts, #wip of starlight and beasts

WIP Soundtrack - Of Starlight and Beasts Playlist

Snippet/Excerpt -

[...] Corah climbed the sandy stone wall, expertly weaving her way up towards the broken ramparts despite the weight of her armor straining her arms. Her hands reached the ledge, and she was able to fling her leg onto the walkway, pulling the rest of her body upwards.

Taking a moment to catch her breath, she wiped the dust off of her hands onto her trousers, waiting for her friends to reach her. Arammys' sunny locks were the first to peek through the ramparts, though, in his struggle to get a grip on the stone, his hands nearly slipped - she lunged, grabbing hold of his wrist just in time, and helping him heave himself the rest of the way up.

Behind him, Eidan followed suit, pulling himself over the wall nearly effortlessly. Arammys stared at him, impressed and annoyed at the same time.

Turning around as the duo started to bicker, Corah rolled her eyes, looking down to the city below, the sprawling sea just barely visible through the white stone buildings was filled with trading ships from near and far, the sky seemingly filled with colorful flags and banners. But she knew better than to trust the city's apparent normalcy - the Crimson Queen's soldiers were already here, just waiting to catch them on the streets down below.

"We'll need to figure out another plan, it seems" She winced, sighting a suspiciously familiar hooded figure just out of the rampart's gate ahead. Her hand instinctively went to the hilt of her sword.

Just as she was about to back away, Arammys popped up beside her, not noticing the enemy just below. Corah pulled Arammys behind a pillar just in time before the person looked up, nearly spotting him. She whispered through gritted teeth, exasperated. "Do you seriously have a death wish?"

"I didn't notice that the guy was there!" Arammys replied, an indignant remark spoken through a whisper as he pulled the hood of his cloak meticulously over his head, obscuring his hair and face. He peered over the pillar, this time more carefully, onto the street below, noticing more and more of the Queen's men. "Gods, the city is really crawling with them. How are we supposed to reach the docks? They'll kill us!"

"No, they won't." Eidan broke his silence, motioning with his metallic arm for the duo to follow him, "I know a way in. But you're really not gonna like it." [...]

Title: ENCHANTED ILLUSIONS

Genre - Victorian-inspired Dark Fantasy/Mystery

Summary - The brutal war between humans and mythical creatures came to an end 100 years ago, with a peace treaty being achieved and the rival nations finally coexisting peacefully in the capital city of Ansburke. Now, however, a crooked secret organization - dubbed the Hemlock Society - seeks to plunge the city into civil war, preying on the prejudices left over from the previous centuries of warfare to feed the uneasiness between humans and Myths once more. Now, as tensions reach a boiling point, a group of misfits and outcasts must work together to thwart the Hemlock Society's dreadful plans before civil war erupts, in a race against time to save both the people of Ansburke and their own lives, as they dive deep into the world of intrigues and secrets that lay just beneath the city's perfect surface.

POV - 5 Main POVS, with occasional POVs from important side characters.

Lenght - Novel/Book Series

Tags/Hashtag - #wip: enchanted illusions, #wip enchanted illusions

WIP Soundtrack - Enchanted Illusions Playlist

Snippet/Excerpt -

Augustus and Harriet walked down the cramped alleyway, following their unexpected guide. Whilst the necromancer maintained his usual unphased composure - hands behind his back, chin held up high, relaxed smile - Harriet could not help but look over her shoulder once every few seconds. Every shadow seemed to be someone ready to jump at them, to drag them to the deepest bowels of this town and never return.

She pushed the intrusive thoughts down, scoffing at the outlandish notion. Still, the sky was unnaturally covered by smog - smoke continuously billowing from the foundries' skyscraping chimneys, mixing with the cloudy mist - and the lamplit streets were a cramped maze of shops, tents and intricate buildings, metal being the most prevalent sight. Nothing like Ansburke, she thought.

The quicker they find what they're looking for, the sooner they'll return home. And hopefully, stop this madness from unfolding. There was an unwelcome, fiery chill in the air and people bustled through the street around them. She inched closer to Augustus, their shoulders brushing - and tried to convince herself it was simply so she wouldn't get lost in this industrial maze, not to sate the pit of uneasiness that had taken hold of her chest since they reached the gates of the city. Ahead, the eccentric young man leading them whirled around.

"Alright, if ya guys wanna blend in and find out more about that scumbag of a Mayor, you'll need to get some local clothes - not that there's nothing wrong with," He gestured to their dapper attires, now slightly torn and dusty after their ordeal at the train ride, which stood out like a sore thumb when compared to the crowds around them "that, but you two scream 'Ansburke' just by existing." [...]

Rage as Whump

Pain, fear, sadness - these are at the core of whump, but anger holds an equally important place. I don't just mean defiance towards whumper as an aspect of the narrative, I mean rage itself as a source of suffering.

Whumpee is shaking/screaming/sobbing with rage but unable to lash out at their target.

Whumpee has gone through years of resentment alone while the person who wronged them walks free, loved by everyone.

Whumpee being forced to act perfectly calm and content while socializing with the person they hate most.

Whumpee blacking out from rage.

Whumpee hysterical from rage.

Whumpee is capable of going berserk (either through supernatural powers or through just normal human force of will) and lashing out recklessly in a way that destroys their own body.

Whumpee risking their life for vengeance because it's all they have left.

Whumpee has a powerful sense of justice, and constantly feels a sense of "wrongness" about the way things are. It's always there, gnawing at the back of their mind.

Caretaker is going to help them get revenge.