Fantasy Writing - Tumblr Posts

Proud of, Tag Game

Thank you so much for the Tag, @pluttskutt (here)!

Rules: Post a snippet you’ve written that you’re proud of and tag 5 people

This is a long one, my folks! But oh, boy am I proud of it. We have here a duel scene in our hands and a bit of revenge (Rylisan's gets justice against his friend who betrayed him) (:

✨Spoilers for the first draft of Tales of Wilted Flowers below the cut.✨

Masquerade -

"Enough, Kallas." Rylisan declares, standing firmly between his brother and the sorry excuse for a knight. He leveled his sword, the diamonds of his mask glimmering in the room's light.

The past years' worth of pain boiled into the freezing rage that seeped into his words right now, echoing over the busy ballroom. Shocked gasps and hushed murmurs buzzed at the sight of the weapon, but Rylisan paid them no heed.

Kallas chuckled darkly, reaching for his rapier with smug confidence, almost careless, tilting his head.

"Truly? And what right does an outsider have to tell me what to do?"

"You'll find out soon enough." The elf answered through gritted teeth, satisfied with his rival's inability to recognize him. They circled each other now, weapons ready, like dire wolves in the snow.

The crowd slowly parted away from them in a large circle. From the corner of his eye, Rylisan worriedly watched his frail older brother scramble to get up, before focusing back on the fight about to start.

"Oh, so you're a proud one! I'd usually have the guards make you regret this insolence, but I'm in the mood to have some fun. I accept your challenge!"

At that, the knight lunged, aiming the tip of his blade at Rylisan's heart, a move the other sidestepped gracefully and swiftly, parrying the blow. Kallas glared through the raven feathers of his mask, earning a sharp smirk from Rylisan, who pushed him back.

Kallas remained the same brutal, but predictable, fighter he'd always been, and though Rylisan didn't have nearly the same raw strength, he made up for it in agility, dancing through Kallas' every devastating blow with effortless ease. After a while, he could see frustration piling up behind the other's eyes - good.

Rylisan jumped away from a stab at his side at the last second, and with a swirl, landed a strike of his own, the tip of his sword ripping at the other's cheekbone, drawing blood and sending Kallas' mask flying.

There was a collective gasp, and Rylisan stepped away with grace, admiring as his rival froze in anger. Kallas reached for the cut with outrage, and Rylisan quipped, mocking "What was it about you making me regret this, again?"

Kallas growled, blood plastered on his pearl white robes as he glared up, a truly wild look twisting his features. His knuckles turned marble white on the hilt of his blade.

"I'll kill you for this. I'll kill you and mount your head on a pike, you insolent wretch!"

The man shouted in blind fury, losing his fake composure as he swung at Rylisan. The younger elf blocked it, though with no lack of difficulty, answering his opponent coldly. "I highly doubt that".

Now that Kallas was all riled up, he'd be exactly where Rylisan wanted him - reckless. He could feel it, as Kallas placed all his weight on his flurry of attacks, which became increasingly difficult for Rylisan to dodge but would eventually cost Kallas valuable energy.

It was a a game of waiting, now. Bidding his time, and surviving, until Kallas would become more and more exhausted, less focused on where his strikes would land. Both were equally matched, on different talents, and as the duel dragged on, the ballroom remained in suspended silence, except for the clank of sword against sword.

Eventually, steel met marble with a scraping shriek, as one of Kallas' more lucky strikes broke through Rylisan's carefully crafted guard, the blade cutting through the side of his leg.

Rylisan cried out, and the nobleman smiled, a sheen of sweat on his forehead as he yanked the sword from the stone to try and strike again. But Rylisan was faster, having moved out of the way a second sooner. Kallas' rapier met nothing but empty air, causing him to stumble, exhaustion catching up to him.

And that was all the chance Rylisan needed.

He struck like a viper, in the blink of an eye, slashing at his opponent's exposed side, surgically - Rylisan wanted a cut deep enough to make him suffer for all the pain and betrayal he'd put him through, but he also needed Kallas alive for now. Fortunately for his rival, Rylisan still held on to a knight's code of honor.

The other elf screamed in fresh agony as Rylisan's strike landed, his rapier clattering with an accusing thud before Kallas himself fell to the ground.

Rylisan stood there, not saying a word. He only watched, unreadable, as his worst, most loathed enemy crumpled at his feet.

Kallas keened, hands grasping at the open wound, but still glancing up at the young man with burning disdain, though now tainted by the edges of fear. "... Who are you? I demand to know!"

He was still as haughty as ever. Still just as fake. Kallas would never dare admit defeat in front of his adoring followers, much less other nobility, who were all gathered there, spectators of the grandiose show that would stage his very downfall. Rylisan limped slightly as he moved closer to his rival.

"You know me." His voice was impassive, nearly emotionless, but he couldn't help but betray the hatred behind it. "Just as you know exactly what you did, what you stole, don't you?"

He tapped the insignia upon the other's bloodstained robes with the tip of his sword, leaning down towards Kallas, their eyes truly meeting for the first time. The nobleman's face suddenly twisted, scanning the other's merciless, strangely familiar eyes.

"No, no - It can't be." He shook his head, a desperate laugh to his voice as disbelief morphed into pure dread, face as pale as the marble underneath him. Rylisan narrowed his eyes.

"So, you do remember me." He pulled the other up by the collar of his robes, placing his sword's edge at Kallas' neck. "Say my name, and tell them what you did."

Kallas scrambled for an excuse, powerless now that the tables had turned, spitting out the words. "You're still the same lowborn vermin as you were back then."

Rylisan shook his head, pressing his sword against Kallas' throat, cutting a thin line of blood, before releasing him onto the floor. "That's not what I asked." He reached up with his freed hand, sword still aimed at his rival, silky blond hair framing his face as he slowly pulled away the diamond-encrusted mask, and threw it away.

The room erupted into hushed chaos. In the absence of the mask, he was the ghost Kallas thought he would never have to deal with again. And now here he stood in the royal ballroom once more.

"Tell them the truth."

And cliffhanger! Tagging (gently): @memento-morri-writes, @meerawrites, @oh-no-another-idea, @little-peril-stories and @tabswrites

Poppy, Rose, and Jam for the world building ask game? 👀

Thank you so much for the Ask, @dreaminggoblin!!! I'll answer this one for my WIP Enchanted Illusions (my Victorian-inspired dark fantasy).

(The Ask Game)

POPPY - What historical event does every student learn about?

I guess that in Ansburke (the main fictional capital city where most of the conflict in Enchanted Illusions takes place) the most important historical event that still haunts the inhabitants of the city (and which caused scars that still affect their society, whether they like it or not) is the centuries-old war between humans and Myths (non-human people, such as vampires, gorgons, faeries, etc), which came to a stop only a 100 years or so before the main book, with a peace treaty that gave start to the "peaceful" coexistence between humans and Myths in the main cities, an event often referred to as The Dawn - even though the truth is much darker, and some humans haven't accepted peace and want the war to start again from the inside out of the city, this being the main conflict of the book the protagonists need to prevent.

ROSE - What is the most known myth?

There are many legends and stories from both sides - both humans and myths - many of which tell the tale of the time before there was peace between humans and creatures. One of the most well-known myths is the tale of a forbidden romance between a human prince and a Myth commoner at the height of the war, centuries ago, and the tragic fate that their love ended in - though slightly hopeful, with their half-human, half-myth child being often seen as the proof humans and creatures could create a brighter future together. To some, that is a cautionary tale of what their society can do to innocent people, to others, a story about finding hope even in the darkest times.

There are also many different versions of how the current peace treaty came to be - some believe one version, others another. Most people have a hopeful or neutral interpretation of that story. However, some of the most belligerent humans say that the peace treaty is a farse, justification for their prejudice.

JAM - Share your favorite piece of worldbuilding information!

Hum... That's a tough one! I like a lot of things about the little world I created for Enchanted Illusions, from the aesthetics, the masquerades, and the different nooks and crannies of a city so full of secrets, lies, and intrigue. From the workings of the cruel Hemlock Society to the grim cobblestone streets of the lower alleys and the social web of the city's inhabitants, there's a lot to discover in this WIPs world. I also like giving my own spin to common mythological creatures, which are the basis for the Myth people in this book!

However, I guess one of my favorite details of this world is the Sorcerer Council, which is the "magical elite" of Ansburke. It's my favorite for a couple of reasons: I love writing political intrigue, especially if it involves the hypocrisies and secrets often associated with high society. The Sorcerer High Council, often known simply as High Council or just the Council, mixes all of that political intrigue and secrecy with the workings of magical hierarchy and spell-casting orders of the city, giving it a whole other layer. It has very strict rules, and its members are expected to be exemplary individuals worthy of representing the magical order they hail from. While, in theory, the Council exists to ensure the safety and common good of the people of Ansburke, some of its members - those with friends in even higher places and a lot of dangerous influence in the city's underworld - have grown complacent and often care more about money than the lives they're supposed to use their talents to protect. A once fair system - when it came to choosing the most talented apprentice from each magical domain/academy - has given way to a cutthroat competition where candidates are often chosen out of nepotism or convenience, rather than raw talent. It parallels some of the core issues with the very city of Ansburke and heavily represents some of the themes this story discusses/criticizes.

Not all of the members of the Council are bad, there are some really good people there who genuinely want to help the city thrive - but they are vastly outnumbered by the others who are more powerful and who are there only to deal with politics/gain money. Those who try to stand in the way of that corrupted side of the Council usually become either expelled from it, "eliminated" (let's just say some Council members made others conveniently disappear), or silenced in some other way. That's why Damien Daemitya chose a silent approach to his dealing with the other Council members - he wants to make a change but realized that if he doesn't pretend to play along with their game, he'll just become another casualty, and that would do no good to the city he wants to protect (that and the fact he wants to shelter his daughter from all of this mess).

I guess I just love writing complicated, often "not what it seems" organizations with dark secrets hidden beneath a gilded facade. It is also the origin of some of the subplots and other main conflicts in the story, so I have a lot of fun developing this aspect of Ansburke! (:

OC in 15 or less Tag

Thank you for the Tag, @cowboybrunch (here)! <3

Rules: Share 15 or fewer lines of dialogue from an OC, ideally lines that capture the character/personality/vibe of the OC. Bonus points for just using the dialogue without other details about the scene, but you're free to include those as well!

I'm doing half of this for my OC Cory Blythe, from Mutant Inquiries, and the other half for Augustus Grimmure, from Enchanted Illusions for this tag!

Cory Blythe

"Listen, douchebag, I'm far too sober to deal with whatever this bullshit is right now and I'm already running late for my fucking job - by the way, I'm far more scared of my boss than I am of you. So how about you go mug someone else and I don't stab you with these heels?"

"And you seriously thought involving 'Miss Trust Fund' over here in our mess was a good idea? No! You just signed our early death certificate." [...] "Why? Oh my god, I don't know, Becky... maybe because her infamously overprotective dad is the CEO of a fucking multimillionaire enterprise and you just dragged his only daughter to the middle of a conspiracy?! I don't care if she wants to help! That's Violet Villarosa, for fuck's sake. We're dead now, we're so dead - I'll have a closed casket for sure."

"The more I live, the more I realize I might be the sanest person in this group of idiots. And that scares me."

"Are any of you going to explain why there's a random dude bleeding out in my brand-new car? No? Okay then."

"Becky," [they take a deep breath] "My best friend, my surrogate sister, the caffeinated cutie-pie of my life, I say this in the most polite way possible - I'd rather be waterboarded with lava than hear that plan ever again."

"Teague, let's make one thing very fucking clear - I'm following my side of the contract, so you can do whatever you want to me in the meantime. But my friends - my family - they're off limits, and if I ever find out you sent any one of your thugs after Rebecca or any of them again, it'll be the last goddamn thing you do. I don't care if you're the head of the mob, or if I'll be food for the fishes afterward - you're not the only one here with a pocketknife, fucker."

"I call dibs on the fluffy socks and the cereal!"

"Look, just because I'm not a mutant like you guys doesn't mean I can't seriously fuck somebody up with a shotgun. Now, one of you might want to take the wheel of this car 'cause I'm about to do just that."

Augustus Grimmure

Augustus felt rejuvenated - like he’d just woken up from a nice nap, adjusting his bloodstained dapper suit and glaring at the now soulless corpse. “Oh -" He looked down, noticing the crimson splatters on his coat "That’s just nonsense! Look at this, it's all ruined and covered in blood! It was my new suit! How dare he stab me.”

"My, my, it's a great deal of a fall from up here. I'm not so sure about this anymore, Hattie-" He looked over the speeding train's railing, turning to Harriet with a shaky, nervous chuckle. As he did, he noticed the outline of the two goons clambering into the wagon behind them, guns ready. "Oh, well, as some say - ladies first!" Before she could say anything, Augustus pushed her over the railing - summoning a portal beneath her. Two bullets flew past the spot where she'd just been standing, instead lodging themselves in the young necromancer, who jumped into the portal just before it closed.

"Well, you could attack us, boys, and I'll merely consume all your souls - string by string, painstakingly severing the cord between your life and afterlife until you're all empty husks. You know who I am, and what I can do to mercenaries who threaten people I hold dear." His eyes glowed in the dark, the mark on his wrist causing the mercenaries to stumble back in shock, as shadows swirled around him. "Now, are you sure this is a wise decision to make in the name of your boss, a man who was too lazy to even come get his own hands dirty?"

"I can't tell you more about it, love." He shook his head with a dejected smile, clutching his own arms in a vice grip. "About my deal, about the Deathbringer and what I did. I can't. It's, no - they're just too dangerous, and I made a mistake. I fear it... it won't end well."

"For some reason, I don't think your cousin likes me very much, Harriet." Augustus spoke under his breath after Vincent stormed out, a playful but somewhat serious lilt to his words, concerned. [She replies "It's not about you, per se. Vincent doesn't really like anyone"] The necromancer chuckled. "No, this seems so very personal."

"My grandma used to bring me to this place, when I was a kid." He mused, fiddling with the blue flower between his fingers, before placing it inside the book. "For a lonely commoner kid with a strange magic that everyone was afraid of, these dusty books were paradise. A world where maybe I really could be anyone."

"May I have this dance, darling? We may as well enjoy this uppity evening on our own terms, before anyone makes it otherwise."

Tagging - @oh-no-another-idea, @dreaminggoblin, @mitchell-nihil, @starlit-hopes-and-dreams,@yet-another-heathen @talesofsorrowandofruin, @thetruearchmagos, @writernopal, @i-can-even-burn-salad, @clairelsonao3, @little-peril-stories, @memento-morri-writes and @saltysupercomputer

Happy WBW!

💀 - How do people in your world think about the dead after their passing? Do they celebrate them, mourn, or honour them in some way, or are they gone and not mentioned?

🏛️ - Does your world have old buildings? Ruins?

Happy WBW!!! Thank you so much for the ask, @pluttskutt! I'll answer this one for my WIPs Enchanted Illusions and Realms of Loss!

💀 - How do people in your world think about the dead after their passing? Do they celebrate them, mourn, or honour them in some way, or are they gone and not mentioned?

IN ENCHANTED ILLUSIONS:

The treatment of the dead depends/varies on which of the many cultures present in Ansburke we're talking about (though the city's cultural landscape is divided/shared mostly between humans and Myths - magical beings - there are many cultures within those groups, and many different kinds of Myths, from faeries to vampires and even banshees).

The most predominant ways people think about/treat the dead in the city of Ansburke are very similar to the way people viewed/treated the dead in the 1800s, and in some aspects, even in the modern day. There are funerals and mourning rites (which, again, vary according to which fictional human or Myth culture the person hails from), as well as some celebrations - during which the deceased's loved ones may or may not invoke a deity/god to protect the spirit of the who died while on their way to the afterlife.

Most people are buried in graveyards or crypts - much like the ones we know today - though some prefer to be cremated and put into urns. In Ansburke, most common funeral choices and rites are similar to those commonly associated with the actual IRL Victorian period, especially regarding the "grieving etiquette" and rules, but there are some very unique alternatives too.

For example, in this world, Selkies and Kelpies return their dead loved ones to the sea - since they themselves are born in the sea, respecting the cycle of life is crucial for their spirits to properly pass on and it is sacred to their kind. Selkies and Kelpies believe that when the deceased person's soul reaches the open sea again that spirit may be reborn in the next 100 or so years.

Vampires - or at least those who are born vampires, not turned - consider death an unfathomable tragedy (since they are supposed to live forever, being killed certainly seems unnatural to them), and often mourn their dead loved ones for centuries or even eternity. They guard their loved one's final resting ground viciously and do not take kindly to uninvited guests trespassing on their crypts, even if by accident. To vampires, the death of one of their kind is a crime that must never be forgiven.

Faeries/Fey Folk hold huge parties/celebrations in memory of the deceased, during the days and even weeks after the funeral. In their ceremonies, they typically light an enchanted kind of lantern that can burn bright for weeks, lighting the sky of the vicinities like multicolored stars.

As in IRL, most people in Ansburke continue honoring their dead and keeping that person's memory alive in special ways that mean something to them.

In the main cast, for example, Cailean Telkerly, a half-selkie, collects and fixes broken pocket watches as a sort of remembrance for his dead older brother, who really loved his job as a clockmaker's apprentice. Another example is Marcus Kallihan, who lights a special candle every year on his deceased parents' wedding anniversary.

IN REALMS OF LOSS -

Now this is where things get tricky to explain, but here we go. In the world of Realms of Loss, most of the continent has been ravaged by a curse that even the Far Reach's wall can't keep at bay. So, a common - and very much warranted - fear amongst the population is that the dead won't quite stay dead or may become easy vessels for the corruption to consume/dominate. Thus, the most common funeral rite is creating the deceased on a funeral pyre (sometimes just a pyre, other times a boat, much like a Viking's funeral), to prevent the curse from adhering to the now-dead body. Details regarding the mourning period, size of the pyre or even duration of the ceremony depends on the person's social class - peasants may have a simple funeral pyre with materials they can acquire from the woods or afford to buy, while royalty has entire ceremonies and celebrations tied to their funeral and usually have tremendously large pyres. After the death of the King or Queen, it is tradition for the entire kingdom to go into a mourning period for around two weeks, and there are laws to ensure this time is honored.

When it comes to it, however, on the kingdoms of Avillore or Sarythea, no matter the person's status, accomplishments, or power, they all become ash in the end - as no one wants to become a soulless husk wandering the Lost Lands for eternity.

Another important aspect - since the Celestial Courts have such a prominent role in the kingdom's daily existence and are worshipped far and wide, someone might request a blessing from a specific Celestial their deceased loved one worshipped in life. And on some special rare occasions, the Celestial might actually give their blessing to the person.

🏛️ - Does your world have old buildings? Ruins?

Both the worlds of Realms of Loss and Enchanted Illusions have plenty of ruins (especially in Realms of Loss, where much of the continent's former glory has been worn down by time and war), or at least buildings that fell into disuse/abandonment. Many of those ruins play some kind of role in the story or at least are explored by the Main Characters in some way - for example, in Enchanted Illusions, Thaddeus found an abandoned fortress in the catacombs of Ansburke and refurbished it to be the headquarters of his operation.

Happy Worldbuilding Wednesday!

How prevalent is 'foreign' culture, in any of its forms from cuisine to media, in one society in your Setting? How well do its members take foreign people living amongst them?

Happy WBW! Thank you so much for the ask, @thetruearchmagos! I'll answer this one for Enchanted Illusions!

How prevalent is 'foreign' culture, in any of its forms from cuisine to media, in one society in your Setting? How well do its members take foreign people living amongst them?

This is one of the core themes of my WIP Enchanted Illusions actually! A lot of the worldbuilding and story elements hinge on the fact that, before the main story, humans and Myths (magical creatures, such as faeries, elves, vampires, werewolves, etc) had been trapped in a bloody war that spanned generations, until they came to a truce and peace treaty a couple of centuries ago. Thus, the capital city of Ansburke became a symbol of this newfound peace between both humans and Myths, a melting pot for all of their cultures to converge, ushering in a new era of progress and peace into their world - or so it should have been.

The problem is, that resentment and prejudice were still present amidst some very influential parts of the population - especially some humans who still saw Myths as monsters that should be kicked out of the city. And while the city did become a place where both humans and myths could coexist in peace and find new ways to make a better future, some of those prejudiced people still remained, and little by little they fed the disorder and prejudice amongst common people, looking to profit off of the chaos of another civil war. This is the origin of the villains, the dreadful Hemlock Society who seeks to eradicate myths and ""save humanity"" (which is basically their euphemism for becoming tyrannical dictators). Those villains have spent a lot of time undermining the foundations of peace in their city, and the heroes/protagonists of the story will have to race against time to prevent the Hemlock's Society corrupted plans from coming to fruition.

In a general sense, however, when we're not talking about the structural prejudice of the city of Ansburke and the villains seeking to create chaos from it, the relationships between humans and the mythical beings (since the city of Ansburke is said to have been founded by humans, myths are considered a foreign culture - many of the myths hail from other kingdoms or villages such as the Faery Courts or the Firstgrove cities, where the banshees, werewolves and elves come from. Some vampiric clans, however, have existed in Ansburke under human radar since long before the peace treaty, only now they do get to live openly as vampires and not hide) are pretty chill for the most of it. Magic is a part of daily life as common as can be in the day-to-day lives of the citizens of Ansburke, with magical creations sometimes replacing human inventions (In Ansburke most of the tech comes from a mix of science and magic, there's nearly no exceptions to that rule. e.g Instead of electricity as a light source - for the most part - they have an infinite magical light source, which is basically enchanted sunlight stored in tubes connected to the lamps and candelabras of most richer establishments)

Because magic and science became so entwined, the city of Ansburke is actually more technologically advanced and steampunk than the actual 1800s period it is inspired in.

Humans and Myths co-exist in the same city, as much as the villains try to make it otherwise, peacefully since the truce was settled. There are sirens singing in cabaret bars, a faerie who owns a baking shop, basilisks/gorgons as hairdressers, vampire physicians who have collected a vast amount of knowledge through their eternal lifetime, Shapeshifters who use their talents for acting, and even a Banshee trying to become a painter (this Banshee character is actually a part of the main cast! his name is Oisian and he is a close friend of the MCs, especially Agatha and Harriet). They're very much an integral part of the city, and at this point are the source most of Ansburke's true culture and magic.

That underlying tension in the mind of the few humans who haven't been able to let go of the war or get over it and accept each other's differences to live with other people in peace, is the perfect target for the Hemlock Society's villains to exploit, so - by the end of the book - tensions get so high that the risk of a civil war is actually true.

"Proud of" Tag

I was tagged by @pluttskutt, (here), for this one! I'm catching up with my tags after taking a bit of a break the past few weeks (due to health reasons, which I've now recovered from), so here we go!

Rules: Post a snippet you’ve written that you’re proud of and tag 5 people. This snippet can be from today, last week, last month, or five years ago, it doesn’t matter! Show us what you’re proud of 💗

[...] "What are you doing?" Teivel peeked through the bars of the cell, suspicion written in his features as he watched Lucian shakily fumble with a key bunch.

"Getting you out of here."

The young man answered with fierce determination, already moving to unlock the rusted lock. Teivel couldn't help but gasp, horror dawning on him at this recklessness - he reached through the gap, holding onto Lucian's wrist and stubbornly keeping him from turning the key.

"Oh. No, no, no." He shook his head, lowering his voice after his words echoed around the hallway "You're a fool, they'll catch us before we're even out of the dungeons and then we'll both be stuck here. Please, just go back, and we'll just pretend this never happened. It's not worth the risk, not for me."

Lucian looked up in disbelief but did not pull his wrist away from the other's grasp. Instead, he spoke with a reassuring smile.

"It is worth it because of you, not the other way around. We need to try. I'm not letting them kill you - I couldn't care less what my father thinks, and even if I end up tried for treason, at least that way I'll know I'll never be like him."

Teivel sighed, dejection and exasperation mixing in his voice. "We're going to regret this. Even if we escape this place, something will go wrong - that war out there kills everything in its path. I won't be able to keep you safe, and neither you me."

"What if I told you there's a way to stop that war? You know the old tales as well as I do - the curse out there isn't just that, it's a prophecy. 'The Dead God's heir will be flame that'll spark a new dawn', that scroll said." Lucian spoke, hurriedly, like an anxious scholar with too much to explain and not a lot of time. He looked over his shoulder and down the hall, checking if the guards hadn't come down for their usual patrol.

He took a deep breath before continuing. "My father's soldiers are seeking him, and he hates wasting troops. If they are making such an effort to find this guy, then it's because the prophecy is real - and if we find the prince before they do, we can change things, maybe even stop the war."

"So you're suggesting that we put our fates in the hands of your people's fairy tales, and hope we won't just get captured or worse?"

Teivel asked, nearly angry, though there was a glint of something else in his eyes - something that showed that he, as much as he feared to admit it, wanted to hope that maybe, just maybe, there was a sliver of a chance that things wouldn't end in bloodshed this time.

"No. What I'm saying is that we take this chance, we don't know when another will show up." Lucian gestured around, their bleak surroundings emphasizing his point. "Maybe the stories are true, maybe they aren't, but that doesn't matter - my point is, I'd rather put our fates on the uncertainty of what's out there, than on the certainties we have here, certainties like the executioner's blade that's waiting for you tomorrow morning."

Just as Lucian paused, a telltale creak echoed through the hallway - the iron door atop the stairs slowly swinging open. The guards must've realized the keys were missing, and they'd be here any minute. Lucian felt Teivel flinch, tightening his hold on his wrist for a second, before letting go.

Lucian turned the key, opening the door. "If we're going to do this, the time is now. What do you say?"

Teivel looked at him and then up the hallway, where the guards would inevitably appear in a blink. He shook his head, almost not believing what he was about to do, before stepping out of the cell. "You'd better have a spectacular plan." [...]

Tagging (gently): @little-peril-stories, @oh-no-another-idea, @clairelsonao3, @i-can-even-burn-salad and @starlit-hopes-and-dreams

Six Sentence Sunday

I was tagged by @pluttskutt, (here)! Thank you so much for the tag!

Here's a snippet from Enchanted Illusions!

"I told ya the Mayor don't mess around" Sam chuckled, peering out of the boat's cabin as the duo raced down the pier faster than he ever thought he'd see them run. Behind them, he could hear the shots fired from the manor grounds they'd just broken out of. Before he could say anything else, Augustus cut him short with a shriek, basically leaping from the pier to the deck as Harriet followed suit, stumbling. "Start the boat! Stop talking and start the damn boat!!!" "Okay, okay, calm down fancypants. Let's go."

Tagging (gently): @starlit-hopes-and-dreams, @lassiesandiego, @tabswrites, @illarian-rambling, @little-peril-stories, @clairelsonao3, @sam-glade, @cowboybrunch, @lola-theshowgrl and @oh-no-another-idea

Six Sentence 'Monday'!

This was supposed to be a Six Sentence Sunday post, but since I missed the tag yesterday, here goes "Six Sentence Monday" instead! Thank you for tagging me, @pluttskutt!

This snippet is also what I like to call: Augustus snaps and shows their pursuers precisely why he was once called the Soulsnatcher (It's slightly more than 6 sentences, I think, but it wouldn't make sense without context!)

[...] Augustus laughed, frustrated, nearly manic with rage, as the thugs surrounded them yet again. This mercenary had just hurt the only person Augustus truly cared about, and now still had the gall to try and mock them - this was the final straw over an already hellish week, and it was really, quite absurd.

He whirled backward, so fast that Harriet was surprised she didn't hear anything snap in his neck. He glanced at her injured arm for a moment, worry written in his features, before steeling himself and walking slowly towards the approaching mercenaries, despite them scrambling to reload their pistols.

When Augustus spoke again, his voice was much deeper, and garbled, and the sarcastic smile on his lips looked more than slightly off "Well, I'm going to enjoy this - it seems it's been a while since someone taught you the proper meaning of bloodshed!" The summoning mark shone around his wrist and the mercenaries fired, only for the bullets to stop mid-air. The necromancer glared at them, expression turning deathly serious. "You should've left us alone when she gave you the chance" [...]

Tagging (gently): @little-peril-stories, @oh-no-another-idea, @rickie-the-storyteller, @illarian-rambling, @i-can-even-burn-salad, @clairelsonao3, @doublegoblin, @talesofsorrowandofruin, @starlit-hopes-and-dreams, @kaylinalexanderbooks and OPEN TAG

THE GOBLIN

A short comic about a mysterious creature living with the monks of a secluded abbey.

I made this comic five years ago, and it's still probably one of the most personal things I've written.

If you'd like to support more of my comics, consider preordering my new graphic novel, THE PALE QUEEN, wherever you get books.

a list of 100+ buildings to put in your fantasy town

academy

adventurer's guild

alchemist

apiary

apothecary

aquarium

armory

art gallery

bakery

bank

barber

barracks

bathhouse

blacksmith

boathouse

book store

bookbinder

botanical garden

brothel

butcher

carpenter

cartographer

casino

castle

cobbler

coffee shop

council chamber

court house

crypt for the noble family

dentist

distillery

docks

dovecot

dyer

embassy

farmer's market

fighting pit

fishmonger

fortune teller

gallows

gatehouse

general store

graveyard

greenhouses

guard post

guildhall

gymnasium

haberdashery

haunted house

hedge maze

herbalist

hospice

hospital

house for sale

inn

jail

jeweller

leatherworker

library

locksmith

mail courier

manor house

market

mayor's house

monastery

morgue

museum

music shop

observatory

orchard

orphanage

outhouse

paper maker

pawn shop

pet shop

potion shop

potter

printmaker

quest board

residence

restricted zone

sawmill

school

scribe

sewer entrance

sheriff's office

shrine

silversmith

spa

speakeasy

spice merchant

sports stadium

stables

street market

tailor

tannery

tavern

tax collector

tea house

temple

textile shop

theatre

thieves guild

thrift store

tinker's workshop

town crier post

town square

townhall

toy store

trinket shop

warehouse

watchtower

water mill

weaver

well

wind mill

wishing well

wizard tower

Six Sentence Snippet Sunday

Thanks for the tag @cherrybombfangirlwrites (here)!

I'll go with a snippet from my yet-unnamed light medieval fantasy standalone idea that has been haunting me for a while lol. It's a more than six sentences but I'm too tired to make it the proper size, so bear with me lmao.

"What is your qualm with the Gods, Arzhel?" The girl on the other cell asked, voice innocently curious, but annoyingly nosy in a way that made him scoff.

"Don't you have anything better to do than to pester me?" He says through gritted teeth, holding back the urge to hit his head on the grimy cobblestone wall "It's bad enough they've taken Gael from me to who knows where. I don't need a pickpocket making philosophical questions to idle away the time."

She chuckles, "I would talk to the rats. But they seem to have grown bored of this place too." The girl kicks a pebble on the ground and cranes her head back from where she is sitting, looking through the bars dividing their cells "Who's Gael?"

"Someone I need to save. Someone who is none of your business."

Tagging (gently): @sleepy-night-child, @kaylinalexanderbooks, @smol-feralgremlin, @oh-no-another-idea, @littleladymab,

@winterandwords, @eccaiia, @sarahlizziewrites, @illarian-rambling

@agirlandherquill, @anoelleart

@leave-her-a-tome, @writernopal, @anyablackwood, @unstablewifiaccess, @forthesanityofstorytellers

@i-can-even-burn-salad, @cakeinthevoid

@lassiesandiego, @thepeculiarbird, @clairelsonao3, @memento-morri-writes, @starlit-hopes-and-dreams and OPEN TAG

Last Line Tag

Thank you for the tag, @sarahlizziewrites (here)!

I'll go with a backstory snippet from The Forgotten Ones for this one because I still need to write some more content for Supernova Initiative (:

TW. Implied past torture, medieval dungeon setting, general whump (characters are not having a good time, in short)

There were footsteps on the corridor outside the rusted, magically suppressant iron door of the cell. Nursing a myriad of lashes, cuts, and bruises from his latest session under the Magisters 'ministrations', Asael painstakingly dragged himself into a somewhat seated position, as he always did.

Behind him, Deryc was still asleep, wrists rubbed raw by the iron cuffs, somewhat bruised but otherwise untouched. He wanted to keep it that way for as long as he could manage to keep the brunt of the Inquisition's wrath away from his Kindred. But that didn't mean that every time those soldiers walked down that hall his heart didn't start racing in his chest like a hare fleeing from a wolf.

It wasn't long until the footsteps that had been coming closer and closer stopped the door was unlocked. Two armored knights stood at the threshold and the red-robed figure of the Magister strode into the frigid cell. Asael recognized the man and felt the last, damaged shreds of hope in his heart wither and die.

This guy was one of the worst ones.

"Have you changed your mind, heretic?"

Asael closed his shaking hands into fists, and as he opened his mouth to speak, he heard a slight rustle, followed by a sleepy hum and the clinking of chains. Deryc had woken up, and as much as Asael adored his Kindred's company, the young man couldn't have picked a worse time to make his presence known.

"I don't know," Deryc began with a tone that meant nothing but trouble. Asael wanted to scream through their bond for him to just shut up and not aggravate the situation. He would have if their magic wasn't being cut off, "Have you changed your mind about being a bigoted asshole?"

Tagging (gently): @sleepy-night-child, @kaylinalexanderbooks, @smol-feralgremlin, @oh-no-another-idea, @littleladymab,

@winterandwords, @eccaiia, @sarahlizziewrites, @illarian-rambling

@agirlandherquill, @anoelleart, @ray-writes-n-shit

@leave-her-a-tome, @writernopal, @anyablackwood, @unstablewifiaccess, @forthesanityofstorytellers

@i-can-even-burn-salad, @cakeinthevoid

@lassiesandiego, @thepeculiarbird, @clairelsonao3, @memento-morri-writes, @starlit-hopes-and-dreams and OPEN TAG

For the fantasy ask game, Darkness and Desire

Thank you so much for the ask, @crowandmoonwriting! These are some good ones from the Ask Game! I'm excited to answer them! (:

I'm gonna go with some of my main WIPs for this one <3

DARKNESS - What do children fear most, and is it warranted?

Song Of Thorns -

Human children usually fear the Blood Plague and the strange Ghouls that lurk in the woods that divide the human lands from the magic lands. Some of the human children are also brought up to fear all Vampyrs/Fey and Elves and see them as blood thirsty monsters as well. As for whether it is warranted or not:

The Blood Plague - a very real concern, though the illness is supposedly "under control" by command of the royals and the Corvus Order, many of the commonfolk know that is not the case. People afflicted with this illness are often taken in by the Corvus practitioners, who claim they will heal them - but most do not return, and those that do are forever changed in various ways. The poor are expecially at the mercy of this plague, as many are exposed to less than ideal work conditions closer to the corrupted wild magic of the Borderlands, where the plague stems from. During the story, for example, one of the main characters - Tarrant - discovers that he is infected with the Blood Plague, but fearing both being sent to the Corvus Order and the rage of the warlord to whom he is soulbound, Tarrant decides to seek a cure on his own.

The Ghouls - also a very valid concern. The ghouls are undead humans that were infected with a dangerous strain of the Blood Plague and left untreated, as well as elves accidentally exposed to corrupted human magic and who end up transformed by it. They lurk the woods of the Borderlands, forlorn and ravenous, thirsting for blood and flesh to sate their vicious, cursed hunger, and that peril is all the more real at night, or for those that wander deap into the forests of the Reaper's Way without the guiding embers of an Eversummer Flame.

Vampyrs/Fey/Elves - not a valid concern. While the kingdoms are technically at war, the magical folk (vampyrs, fey, and elves) are actually the victims here. Humans were the ones who tampered with chaos magic that should've been left untouched, and all the realms paid the price for it. Because the human rulers didn't want to take accountability for the mistake they made, instead they fed prejudice and lies into the minds of their people, twisting them against anyone of magical origins, even though the real villains here are some of the humans themselves. Vampyr/Fey/Elves fear the humans and their so-called Monster Hunters much more than any humans should fear them, and they are much more merciful towards humankind than humankind is to them.

Crooked Fable -

In Crooked Fable, my twisted fairytale/dark fantasy WIP, as of the start of the story, their world - their magical, enchanted land - is considered by all to be a perfect haven of prosperity and magic, though the Queen and her followers are actually hiding dark secrets, especially those surrounding the evil Queen's true origins and her actual corrupted rise to power. However, there are a few things that children in this enchanted fairy tale land do fear:

The Vanishing: while in the beginning of the book the mysterious "vanishing" is thought to be just children's imagination or a misguided, spreading folk-tale to keep children in line, it is actually very true, and tied to the way the Evil Queen harnesses her immortal "perfection". People often vanish around these lands, though they're usually magically forgotten by most - their disappearances chalked up to hunting accidents, monster attacks or just coicidence. Some children, however, do suspect there is something more to this situation than it seems. For example, in the first chapters of this story, young cartographer and letterbound mage, Faye, one of the MCs ends up witnessing a strange occurance that led to her half brother's sudden dissapearance, and decides to investigate it - despite considering Heath, her half brother, annoying and overbearing, she couldn't bring herself to just forget what she had seen - leading her to slowly uncover the true secrets of their kingdom's woven magic.

There are a few monsters native to these lands, born of myths and internal fears that spring them subconsciously to life. Some are akin to the Jabberwocky from Alice in Wonderland, others are more akin to Greek Myths, and others are just straight up eldritch. The appearances of these creatures vary heavily from each region, and the ways to avoid them are also much different depending on where you are and which creature you're dealing with. Most kids grow up hearing tales about these monsters so that they don't wander off alone, but some do end up prey to those creatures once every few years, so it is a valid concern.

DESIRE - Why do you write fantasy?

Fantasy has always been my all time favorite genre, along with Science Fiction and Superhero Stories. I was always reading books like the Chronicles of Narnia, the Grimm Fairytales, Percy Jackson or Trials of Apollo, and many, many others! Plus, I loved all movies that were fantasy adventure in some way - from How To Train Your Dragon, to Hunchback of Notre Dame or Avatar The Last Airbender - fantasy stories with compelling settings and interesting characters have always, always been something I enjoyed. To this day, I love those stories very much, and they provide me with a sense of wonder, adventure, heroism and just downright coolness that I just can't find anywhere else when it comes to fiction. I usually don't like contemporary movies at all - they aren't as compelling to me, and quite frankly, they often feel bland and boring (not to offend those who enjoy them of course!) to me, as we already experience real life IRL - why spend our downtime watching more of it instead of something wonderful?

Nowadays, movies, books, musicals and series like The Hobbit, The Dragon Prince, Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon, Epic The Musical, Star Wars, Star Trek, anything that has superheroes (from traditional superhero movies to the dark and gritty alternative ones), are still my favorite genres to watch - and I'm always coming back to these stories when I need a good tale to entertain myself or when I'm just really needing inspiration. <3

✦ MY WRITEBLR INTRODUCTION ✦

Hey! I've been here for a while and I've somehow amassed a shocking amount of followers and mutuals, so I figured it's finally time for me to force one of these out for you guys!

(And you know... a masterpost... when I get around to it. 😅😭)

About me:

✦ Barlowe (she/her)

✦ In my early 20s

✦ A writer of 10 years ✦ working on novels for 6 of 10!

✦ Less dedicated to—but still interested in!—drawing, animation, photography, and cinematography

✦ AuDHD and a grey lesbian (aka I'm leaning asexual) ✦ (my writing may or may not be a special interest)

✦ I have a whole bunch of other neurodivergencies besides AuDHD but I don't think y'all want me to get into all of them, haha. ✦ oh, and I say "haha" a lot. I apologize in advance.

✦ I think I'm hilarious and make jokes constantly

✦ I use a lot of emojis and tone tags to help convey tone. Please forgive me if it's annoying, it's to cope with my inability to communicate. /lh /hj

My Obsessions:

✦ Fantasy, horror, mystery, action, and exploration of realistic characters' reactions to the things they go through.

✦ Fairy tales, mythology, and folklore

✦ "Ye Olde History" and language

✦ DIVERSITY!!!

✦ Explorations of "evil-coded" characters and abilities--aka, not just showing them as evil. Show them as people (for characters) and tools (for abilities)!

✦ Traumatizing my characters just like I've been

✦ Traumatizing my characters in ways I haven't been!

✦ Learning!!!

✦ Talking way too much about the things I like to the point that I need to make a whole separate post to share it so it doesn't clutter my intro post... oh, hey, why is this linked?

✦ THE AESTHETIC!!!!

My Aesthetics:

Those who've been following me for a bit probably know that I adore "the aesthetic" and try to make my posts look nice... even if there's no real reason to besides that it gives me a little serotonin. Here's my favorite aesthetics!

✦ Starry; night sky ✦ Dawn / dusk ✦ Sunrise / sunset

✦ Nature! ✦ Forestry ✦ Cottagecore ✦ Rustic ✦ Ocean

✦ Literally all of them, please and thank you

Masterpost:

(to be added later)

My Writing:

✎ Sun and Shadow

Everything goes wrong for Freya Ula when she leaves her simple life as a fisherwoman to get engaged overseas. Her ship gets wrecked, she finds out her dad's been hiding secrets from her for her whole life, and, oh, she gets framed for a terrorist attack. Wait, WHAT!? After the city's greatest detective is attacked and disappears before she could consult with him, Frey has to enlist the help of his kid and her would-be fiancée to find out who framed her and clear her name. If only Crow was half as good a detective their dad was supposed to be.

Main characters: Freya, Crow, Daleira

✦ Urban-esque high fantasy ✦ purposely very tropey in places ✦ however, as always, I love throwing in curveballs. Wonder what's played straight and what I'm going to emotionally destroy you with. Definitely won't be Crow.

✦ Slow-burn romance between Freya and Crow ✦ immediate interest between Freya / Daleira ✦ oh, look, it's a love triangle? ✦ JOKE'S ON YOU, IT'LL ACTUALLY BE POLY ✦ it's just... going to take a while.

✦ Lesbians, lesbians everywhere ✦ though Crow is actually genderfluid and uses they/them for the first book ✦ despite barely having anything written I've already plotted a bit of book 2 ✦ I desperately need help.

✦ Unsurprisingly is a detective mystery with action mixed in ✦ I'm not typically a romance writer, I excel in action fantasy ✦ please have mercy on my soul

✦ Lots of magic, it's high fantasy + victorian aesthetic ✦ (aka "gaslamp fantasy" if you've heard of it) ✦ Freya's got sun-themed magic ✦ gasp, I know ✦ Crow's got shadow magic ✦ wonder why this sounds familiar ✦ Daleira's got, hm, well it's also shadowy! ✦ spoilers 😘

✦ About to be updated en-masse for a writing contest!!!

✎ The Arcane Rifts

Ghosts of past tragedies haunt the town of Kavo after decades of neglect. Fantastical creatures desiring nothing but fear and destruction hide in invisible tears in reality. Gangs and the police are at constant war with one another, there's a shapeshifting monster running amok, and the mayor's assistant suddenly wants a disabled orphan kicked to the streets. A year ago, Gene was discovered in the forest on the outskirts of town, half dead, amnesiac, and unable to even speak the local language. As he had nowhere to go, he was brought to the orphanage of Kavo for a place to stay. Now Caspar, the assistant of the mayor and the man who funds the orphanage, wants him kicked out. When Gene's left to the cold, cruel streets of Kavo on his own, he has to navigate through a town ravaged by decades of neglect and intrigue. Has the corruption truly been purged from the government? Why are godly forces active in Kavo, a small town in a backwater country? And most importantly--will Gene survive?

Main Characters: Gene, Tazin, Mislav, Ludmila, Rada ❧ Gene and Tazin for book 1 ❧ the other 3 start being MCs books 2 and 3 ❧ I guess Nikolai is also a MC tho

❧ Industrial-era rustic high fantasy ❧ mixes fantasy, action, horror, and mystery! ❧ oh helloooooo "ominous feychild" origin? ❧ very strong folkloric and traditional fantasy inspo ❧ except I mean "traditional fantasy" as in ❧ "we don't understand this magic stuff but we're used to it" ❧ not "travel the world adventures!"

❧ VERY involved story with strong themes of discrimination, poverty, exploitation, trauma, and the recovery from trauma ❧ each main and secondary character is one flavor of discriminated against or another in-universe ❧ obviously I try to write it respectfully, but you can't really write bigots being bigots "respectfully"

❧ Has two "main plots" going on simultaneously; technically three ❧ I periodically give the reader updated "character guides" ❧ like they get more recent plot info added kinda like a red-string board to keep you, the audience, up-to-date with info you might've otherwise missed ❧ I think it's really cool and people seem to enjoy it ❧ I know it seems like a lot but please give it a chance

❧ I've literally plotted out pretty much the entirety of the first and second books, and know most of how book 3 will go, yet there's very little out for the current version of the story ❧ part of that is because I'm paused on the 3rd draft

❧ There's lots of timeskips throughout the first two books, but they're mostly to age up the protagonists! Gene, the MC, starts the series at 7. I promise it's not a kid's story though.

❧ The "secondary MC", Nikolai, is the police chief investigating magical stuff going on at the same time. They tie in with the main story involving Gene, though won't appear to for a long while.

❧ The "golden child" series I love more than SaS; however it's on hiatus because I promised people to work on SaS first and SaS is more popular as a romance-focused story. :/ ❧ I would never be salty about that.

Taglist:

For everything: @honeybewrites @the-golden-comet @illarian-rambling @ashirisu @urnumber1star

For Sun and Shadow: @mysticstarlightduck

For the Arcane Rifts: N/A

For Rising From the Ashes: @the-letterbox-archives

To be tagged in tag games: @honeybewrites

Ask and ye shall be added

Divider by @cafekitsune

Heads Up Seven Up

Thanks for the tag, @the-golden-comet (here)! Let's go with a snippet from The Crystal of Ash, for this one! (:

"You said you hated humans." Declan piped up from where he'd trudged up to walk beside their strange half-Leavathian guide. He'd never been this close to a descendant of the feyfolk before. And honestly, it was quite frightening.

The cantankerous, pointy eared girl did not look at him as she grumbled, "I do."

"Then why are you helping us?" Declan asked, with a tilted head and furrowed brows.

"I'm not." She said through gritted teeth, "You guys are just the tools to help me achieve what I want."

Declan had opened up his mouth to question what she'd meant, but behind them, Nikolay piped up before he had the chance, cheery voice laced with curiosity.

"And that is...?"

Emrin, the half-elf, shot him a sharp glare, "Paying up an old debt to someone dear to me." She paused with a growl, "And stopping that idrash'tah abomination from gobbling up my realm."

Despite himself, Declan found himself asking "What does that word mean?" and immediately regretted it.

"It means human magic." A ghost of what could be a smirk crossed her lips - and it dawned on Declan that she found her words to be quite humorous, "Elves also use it to refer to common filth."

"... Good to know." Declan answered, before stammering, "Wait, aren't you like half human? Isn't that... insulting to yourself too?"

Emrin chuckled angrily at him, "Yes, I believe that's the point," She said, before muttering under her breath, as she stalked forward and away from him, but the young man could not help but hear it "It's not like I'm fucking proud of what kind of magic runs through my veins."

Tagging (gently): @kaylinalexanderbooks, @smol-feralgremlin, @oh-no-another-idea, @littleladymab, @winterandwords, @eccaiia,

@the-letterbox-archives, @illarian-rambling@agirlandherquill, @anoelleart,

@ray-writes-n-shit @writernopal, @anyablackwood, @unstablewifiaccess,

@forthesanityofstorytellers, @finickyfelix@i-can-even-burn-salad

@cauliflowermaterial @thepeculiarbird,

@clairelsonao3, @memento-morri-writes,

@starlit-hopes-and-dreams and OPEN TAG

I feel like I'm finally at that point where I can begin to show my closest friends the first part of my work, it just needs a little more love.

I'm trying to treat it like a college essay and printed it out on paper, because I sure can't seem to focus on it enough when it's on the screen.

If this works it's going to help me so fucking much in the future, too 🙏

Delicious Time Telling Tea🧚🏽‍♀️🫖

Writeblr Introduction

Dotted in secret stars and whispered moons lies The Warden O' Wyrd; too bright smiles and sharp eyes linger on her skin, miasma orbiting their visage. When dusk's hands sweep fluttering eyes closed her shackles, in turn, loosen.

Greetings and welcome all, I am Wardenwyrd - connoisseur of messy queers, the freaky & occult, and all things speculative fiction! I am freshly new to Writeblr and am keen to dig my claws so fellow denizens of Writeblr interact if you enjoy my vibes < 3

Open to ask and tag games !

◈What I write ◈

Anything and absolutely everything speculative, weird horror, all shapes and forms of queerness, and a metric ton of worldbuilding.

Genres: Fantasy (Low, high, dark, fairy tale-esque, etc), Sci-Fi, Paranormal, Romance, Horror, Mystery

Fantastical, often ethereal and treacherous worlds flavoured with flowery prose

Queer, neurodivergent, and disabled characters and themes. All kinds of diversity really. Always looking to broaden and grow my noggin' with wisdom

Gender queer characters. An UNBELIEVABLE amount of dyed hair and pronounces.

Body horror: elegant body horror; gross, grimy body horror; wonderfully queer body horror 'til I burst at the seams; all sorts. Twisting of the body into something other than human as a form of beauty my beloved < 3 < 3

Characters who desperately need therapy (That would be my fault)

Rich settings and worlds. Give me intricate magic systems !!! give me ecology that could be shown in a nature documentary !!!

🌔About Me 🌒

Goblin in my (late) teens. I've been writing for a whiiiile but started really getting into it about half a decade ago. I will ravenously consume all forms of creative media.

⭐Likes ⭐

Favourite colour: Purple my beloved Favourite band: Mili (I'm so normal about them) Favourite genre/s: Gothic lit, Fantasy, Horror romance, whimsical fairies Fav insect: Moths/Butterflies

Stats:

Creative writing college student

Panromantic Ace | Queering my gender to the max

English (Regrettably)

Autism kreachure

Revolving door of hyperfixations on science-y stuff

Purple hair (Not beating the stereotype allegations)

WIPs

[Note: I am very bad at deciding on WIP names]

Prisma

My surreal fantasy WIP comprised of a collection of different stories linked by a unifying setting.

Colour-Coded to the max. Each central story focuses on a character assigned a colour, differing in tone, POV, and focus. Main three are purple, blue, and red.

Literal becomes figurative, and figurative literal

Charms and incantations of old swirl in from afar, weaving our hands together with something much deeper than flesh – a curious sentiment oozing from the recesses of Damsel’s cloak as the feeling of moss and stone wove through my veins; cold and refreshing.

◉

‘What absurdity’, The Arbiter would think to himself. After all, those carmine red eyes of his delve into the primaeval madness: in their muddy depths lies the shivering madness - Fear. From fear is the knowledge wrenched from uncertainty and bloodshot eyes. Dread is the light; tugging on world-weary watchers. 

Sort of portal fantasy, sort of not. The stories in this WIP span across many eras and places, yet often find themselves connecting and mingling. Incredibly queer.

Main characters:

MC of Red, Jack Pronouns: He/Him Bnuuy ass trans Victorian boy. Pasty and WILL combust in the sun. Autism creature. He gets a himbo bf and sick asf t-surgery scars as a treat &lt; 3 Character Playlist

MC of Blue, Hel Pronouns: Any/All seemingly innocent girl but remove the innocent and girl part. Kind of an eldritch horror after a character arc but like, that's the good ending. So old surnames weren't a thing in the era they're from. Character Playlist

MC of Purple, Dorothea Pronouns: She/They Gatekeep, Gaslight, Girlboss. Autistic adhd precocious mess who WILL make it your problem. Genuinely manipulative but has great hair so it's fine. Character Playlist

Other notable mentions

[Note: I will elaborate on all of these later]

Witch WIP

My beloved blorbos < 3 Once I figure out how to frame and present it in a more refined way I like I shall be posting about this.

Personal & Cultural struggle within a fantasy context | Disability & Identity as a main theme | Aroace protagonist and Queerplatonic relationship | Magic inspired by folklore and myth | Found family

Low Fantasy setting in a somewhat alternate earth

Sprawling magic system

Conventional fantasy groups but with a spin: revamping those vibes

Witches aren't just funny flying women but genuinely inhuman creatures with spicy shit going on

Demons and angels but: demon is the colloquial term for a class of magical beasts characterised by dense essence, not like hell demons. Angels are living algorithms born from patterns and don't have an actual association to any gods.

MC Playlists:

Branwen | Ingram

Five Steps From Hell

Biblically Accurate Angelic-Flavoured paranormal apocalypse

Autistic MC

More horror oriented than action

Lots of vibes.

MC becoming something not very human, but they're more worried that they aren't worried too much about it

I've got some dastardly plans for this one. Vibes and atmosphere whilst the world falls apart and neurodivergence is a great combo.

WtW Character Event | Day 3, Representation

Redwood Witch, Branwen [She/They]

Once a child overflowing with volatile magic, now a witchling no longer, scars run through her soul; even the unbreakable constitution of a Redwood proved not enough to withstand the power that swelled inside her.

Black | Disabled | Chronic Pain | Amputee | Aroace | ADHD

The one and only MC of my (yet to be named) WIP! Disability is one of the main themes tackled in this one and how it intersects with other things.

A little backstory :

Branwen belongs to the Redwood Witch family, a crest renowned for their resilience and vigour - born with magic unbelievably potent and overflowing. The problem: it was far too great for her body to withstand.

The cost of liberating the swelling power: most of Branwen's left arm, and a not so small portion of her soul left scarred.

The lurid golden light cracked from her skin, pressure pooled into one area to spare the rest of her. A magic so bright and hot it approached divinity - the parts it touched incinerated to their barest components. Few things can leave scars on souls, and this was among them.

What was burnt away by the deluge of magic couldn't merely be healed with magic: the associated soul and essence was gone for the injuries, rendering such spells inept. Like her crest's namesake, however, Branwen persevered.

Something lingered, though, growing as years went by: a self-wrought curse. Souls are constructed from an essence; under normal circumstances it stays confined to that structure. The parts of Branwen's soul that broke down to their building blocks latched onto the expelled energy. It was barely a concept, at first. Yet the more it tangled over time the knot grew, until a curse was born.

"Cursed by the very power that constitutes you? You witches really are a ruckus"

Branwen's disability is comprised of a lot of different factors, augmented and added to by her curse, and also the cultural implications for both in setting. It's really interesting to explore disability in a fantasy setting for me and how it's navigated.

One of my fav OCs and you'll be seeing a lot more about them down the line !!!

happy WBW! i am so intrigued by prisma and wonder if you could go into a little more detail abt the colour coding? :)

Thank you for the ask! Conveniently, this is actually the subject of my brainrot and thus you are a very kind mutual. Sorry if this is a bit incoherent btw. I'll deep-dive the specific components at a later date.

The colour coding is a huge part of Prisma both in it's conception and worldbuilding. Each story revolving around their respective protagonist is coded a colour (I.E, Jack's story and red); themes, ideas, and symbolism regarding this occur both in a meta way and in an in-universe way.

Neat fact: Prisma is a play on the word "Prismatic", nodding to the fact that white can be split into the spectrum of colours by a prism.

Quick Breakdown of Prisma:

Prisma is the setting of these stories, and colours - hues are the primary power/magic system. A surreal other-land where figurative can become literal and vice versa. Hues are it's fundamental building block, existing both as an abstract but also a resource. Here is where our three protagonists come in: at some point in their stories they become 'Key Figures', a facet of that colour embodied in a person. I'll elaborate on that particular concept in another post.

I'll give you the rundown on each protagonist and their relation to the colour coding. These aren't the only aspects of the hues, but the main ones.

Jack, Red -

“It doesn’t matter what powers you hold, or the trials you’ve faced; as long as I reach into the four corners, my Judgement is tangible irregardless.”

Red watches over rules and conventions. It's a hue of hierarchy, of domination and submission, of judgement. It works with the pre-existing fabric of things, tending towards tangling things in it's rules rather than violating it's own tenets.

There's also another aspect integral to red: Mediums. In Prisma, a Medium is not someone who merely gazes ghosts, but possess sight that stretches past horizons; the domain of a medium is to wrench meaning from things. Mediumship as a quality is inherently linked to the hue of red.

What this means for Jack, my favourite red-eyed little bastard, is that his power is in pulling at exposed threads. People constantly transgress all sorts of rules - personal, natural, even physical rules; it just isn't noticed. Jack as a key figure is an Arbiter. By acknowledging a transgression the appropriate punishment is applied automatically as a principle of Prisma itself.

He can gaze at the True Names of things, unravel their nature and bring forth what lays dormant.

As a whole it also ties in with Jack's character and background. There's more to it but I'll elaborate on a dedicated post.

Hel, Blue -

Blue is to expand and grow endlessly. It's boon and plight is that everything that that it is will behold genesis, but all that they are is the horizon's boundary

The sky, the ocean; a roiling pit of genesis from which life sprung. Blue is desire and manifestation - the self crystalised into something tangible. In it's purest form as a hue it is creation unbridled. However, blue - deep, roiling blue, horizon spanning azure - is crystallisation of self. It's dominion ends past the boundary of self, past the ownership of such a minor existence.

Blue can create vast shapes and forms, even spring life to being with it's lustre, yet it has no control over that which it did not create.

Hel first wields this hue in the form of the Principle class artefact 'The Flask', a portion of the sky stolen and inverted long ago, bound by it's own genesis. Hel's character arc is about identity and assumptions, of presumed boundaries and humanity. And how enough imagination can transcend flesh.

Absorbing The Flask at the precipice of death something much vaster, and above all free. The key limitations of this hue remain true, but post-rebirth Hel's entire body is comprised of blue, they let it seep into the ground and spread themselves vast and wide. Something brilliantly inhuman.

Dorothea, Purple -

Pocket watches running in parallel and paradox to the march of moons

Such an awfully royal colour, and so fitting is it for sovereignty to be it's domain. Many things hold power over others: the moon over night and the passage of time, the land from which things sprout, and of course what every person owns: themself.

Dorothea's sovereignty is to fragment - split things into parts, isolate them and take ownership. If she wins ownership over something she can even fragment it's time; send things backwards, freeze things into a single state, steal something's time spent.

Red, Blue, and Purple form a colour triad, and one of purple's specialities is 'borrowing' from these. Out of all the hues Purple is the only one able to use aspects of another by collecting fragments belonging to them.

To the Lilac Sovereign what may be someone's present is merely a puzzle to rearrange to their whims.

Without subjects sovereignty means nothing. Thus, in pursuit of her own royalty Dorothea fragmented herself to become her very own pawn.

Extra Tidbits :

The powers a hue possesses has a lot to do with the associations and symbols connected with them, and while each hue has a scope of it's own they can present in several ways. A key figure is a pure manifestation and expression of the hue, often taking a specific thematic direction. Hues are used by others in the form of materials imbued with it naturally, artefacts, or by acquiring it as a part of oneself.

Red as a hue is violent and bloody and passionate, essential yet bitter like blood. That's kind of why I went with hierarchy/rules. Also got some prey/predator stuff going on.

Blue, to me, is a colour of imagination, creation, and things so vast it's terrifying. Think like life arising from the sea.

Royalty for purple, obviously, but I think it's a very moon-ish, celestial and mystical colour. Time, both as an invention to understand the passing of events better, and as a natural mechanism are very big here.

There are other hues and such and they do stuff but I'm focusing on blue, red, and purple as they're the colours of the respective protagonists.

The colour triad dynamic is kind of:

Red is concerned with rules and convention, judging and causing conclusion in the present.

Blue is creating things anew in the present that persist.

Purple isn't tethered to present: rearranging and altering the state of things.

ALSO: I really didn't want to do like "Red=Fire" or something and I wanted something symbolic to fit my surreal little world so the hues do not function in such a straightforward way.