Latest Posts by bi-focal12 - Page 3
Want an ask about your writing and characters? No problem! Reblog this post with an emoji for a corresponding mystery question in your inbox!
🎆 Fireworks
❄️ Snowflake
🌒 Moon
(accepting requests until January 31st, 2025)
Author Ask Tag
thanks for the tag @sharkblizzardblogs (and @aalinaaaaaa, who tagged me with this game as well!)
What is the main lesson of your story?
I think there could be a few takeaways from Forest Fire but it's mainly about learning to let go of a romanticized image of the past and learning to face the things you've been running away from (a lesson for each main character, respectively).
What did you use as inspiration for your worldbuilding?
The idea started when I was looking out at the scenery during a spontaneous road trip to California but none of the worldbuilding I did then actually ended up in the version of FF im working on now, lol. For the current version, Studio Ghibli is a big inspiration (especially a scene towards the end of the boy and the heron) as well as the song This Place Is a Shelter by Ólafur Arnalds.
What is your MC trying to achieve, and what are you, the writer, trying to achieve with them? So you want to inspire others, teach forgiveness, or help them grow as a person?
Forest Fire is set in a dual POV, following two estranged brothers forced to grapple with a past they remember very differently, so-
Sylas just wants his older brother back and for his family to be the way he remembers it as a kid. He's desperate to bring his brother back home and keep him there.
Lincoln, on the other hand, doesn't want anything to do with the town he grew up in or the memories he can't escape there. He wants to be a responsible adult and return both Sylas and another young character (Peggy) to their respective homes and then get the hell outta dodge.
Through them, I'm trying to tell a coming-of-age story that teaches both of the characters to stop letting their past overshadow their present/future.
How many chapters is your story going to have?
Genuinely I have no idea, but hopefully at least 20?
Is it fanfiction or original content? Where do you plan to post it?
Original content! No idea what to do with it after I finish but once I start the editing process (or if I particularly like any snippets from the first draft) I'll probably share them here on tumblr :)
When did you start writing?
Literally the end of last year, this is a very fresh project for me.
Do you have any words of encouragement for fellow writers of writeblr?
I think my best advice is to not let the fear of the blank page overshadow your creative drive. Firsts drafts are meant to be of a lower quality than you want (or than you're capable of) because there are just so many elements to juggle at the same time while also learning how to best tell your story, so don't sweat the small stuff and give yourself the space to be curious and interested in what you're writing!
Take a breath. Take a stretch. And just write :)
gently tagging:
@peaceheather @moody-tortured-artist @mk-writes-stuff @agirlandherquill @antsday @sorrowsfallallaround @emilywrites185 @aether-wasteland-s @cee-grice and @blu3ha1redbrat
Hi!
I voted for a discord server in the 50k novel challenge poll. I use discord a lot for various groups, both personal and community servers, so I wanted to offer to be an admin on the server to help with setting up and keeping everything running smoothly if Discord is what you choose to go ahead with.
I really love this idea and am looking forward to writing!
- Freyja
Thank you so much!
I’ll prob post the poll again at the end of Jan/beginning of Feb since there have been a few more interested ppl but so far discord is looking like the winner and I would def appreciate the help!!
For me, I try to replace words like said with something more specific, but only if the dialogue needs it. So like:
“I hate you,” he said.
can be a lot less effective in an argument scene than,
“I hate you!” he shouted.
So advice #1 is add specificity so you can paint the image that you want your readers to have. If I’m struggling to find the specific word I want to use I’ll sometimes try OneLook Thesaurus, but honestly sometimes the simple ones you think of first work best (he shouted vs he vociferated, yk?)
But sometimes you don’t even need the specificity in the dialogue tag to make the image clear, you can focus on description and leave the dialogue standing on its own, like:
Tommy gripped Clarence by the collar, his nostrils flaring.
“I hate you!”
As long as it’s clear who’s speaking, stand alone dialogue can be really effective and it’s smth I’ve had recommended to me before. So advice #2 would be to simply drop some of the said’s or ask’s that aren’t doing much for your dialogue. (But this doesn’t mean it’s automatically better to cut out all of them, especially if some of those tags do a lot of work for the pacing of your dialogue, it’s really up to your own judgement as the all-knowing author)
And advice #3 is just that writers notice the said’s and ask’s way more than a reader ever does, bc to a reader those words tend to become part of the landscape of what they’re reading and feel very natural but if you choose a synonym of said that feels really out of place, then they’ll definitely notice it
So overall I’d say don’t get too in your head about it :)
Having a lot of said’s and ask’s is totally normal, it’s really just up to you if you think they’re not doing enough work to paint the picture you want or if it might be punchier to have to dialogue be without tags! Might even be worth it to look at a piece of writing you really like to see that author’s balance of said/asked vs more specific tags vs no tags at all, especially to note which ones you, as a reader, like the most
Hope this helps and best of luck with your novel!!
I'm using said and asked way to many times in my writing. Where do you all get your synonyms from??
And don't tell me 'Google'
writing accountability, day 33
OKAY so this is yesterday's post, actually - I finished writing super late (for me) and did not have the energy to make a post about it lol. but yeah idk I'm kinda at that place where I'm decently into a draft and am unsure how I should connect the beginning to the end lol. the dreaded middle, if you will 😩 decided I ought to try making a comprehensive timeline, so I'm experimenting with different software programs now to perhaps find something which would make the process easier? idk
word count: 1081/800
we're getting more into a science student's life, and I'm kinda using my knowledge of medical courses to plot out a vague roadmap for that lol. still discovering new aspects of the characters, which is fun:D ahhhh I already wanna write the second draft lol
snippet:
“It’s almost ten,” Florin said gently, and this, too, was new. Quilin had yet to decide how he felt about it. “These journals will be here tomorrow, too.” Quilin exhaled a sharp breath. “I told her I’d at the very least get a list to her before the weekend. I’m not yet trusted enough to write the overview on my own,” he muttered, “which will not change if I don’t prove I’m reliable.” “Quil. You’re literally a second year. You don’t need all this,” Florin said, gesturing to the books around Quilin. “There will be plenty of time to obsess over articles and conferences later.” Quilin bit into his lip, unable to meet Florin’s eyes. Later. Later. With Florin, ‘later’ was not an idea of a future. It was a reminder he may not, in fact, live long enough to see it.
ah, to live every day in constant fear of death. could not be me guys lol
see yaaa later today I think:DD
Hard for me to get an exact count but I'm around 4,000!
Some of that includes words that I wrote and then scrapped but its still nice to see that im making steady writing progress so far :)
Reblog/comment how many words you've written since the new year! I'm at 2263.
Hi! For the writing ask game, #17 for to kill a dead thing or #6 for the seven station chronicles, whichever you prefer :)
Ooooh okay! Going to go with #17 because I don’t really have an interesting answer for #6
pick a color to represent each character.
Alexi: dull gold (#F0CF03)
Andreia: vivid cyan (#12E3F0)
Viv: electric green (#33E807)
Iskra: dark blue (#05188C)
The Thief: bright purple (#9711F3)
Izzy: bright red (#F90400)
Toshka: dark green (#107014)
I hope you like them! Thank you for the ask :)
my other wips have been fighting me so i decided to return to this gem and it did not disappoint. i love being able to laugh while i write, lol
its also looking like this is gonna be a small series? (to be updated who knows when, but i'll create a taglist for it so lmk if you want to be added/dropped from that!)
part 1 is here
Taglist: @antsday :)
Katsuki contemplated the torn off receipt in his hand, slowly wrinkling the paper between his fingers and re-straightening it in even turns.
The ink was slightly faded- courtesy of an accidental encounter with his washing machine that nearly resulted in the machine’s death at Katsuki’s hands- but he could still clearly make out the string of numbers and the name Deku. The smiley face, however, had not survived.
After twenty minutes of staring, setting it down, picking it back up again, and glancing consideringly towards his phone, Katsuki decided it was time to stop being such a fucking loser and call already.
“I’m Katsuki fucking Bakugou,” he muttered to himself. “King of the jungle.”
“What jungle?” Kirishima asked with a snort.
With a jolt, Katsuki spun on his heel, finding Kirishima sitting casually at his kitchen table, nursing a half-eaten bowl of cereal.
“When the fuck did you get here?” Katsuki exclaimed. “I thought I fucking confiscated your key!”
Kirishima waved his- Katsuki’s- spoon around in a yes-and-no manner, crunching around another mouthful of cereal.
Katsuki’s cereal, goddammit. And that shit was expensive.
“You really think me and Denks didn’t make copies?” Kirishima finally replied.
Katsuki crossed his arms, scowling.
“Answer the other question,” he commanded darkly.
Kirishima grinned without an ounce of shame.
“Long enough to know that someone’s got a crush,” he replied, drawing out the last word like a fucking twelve-year old.
Katsuki reached for the closest object- an apple, sitting nicely atop Katsuki’s fruit bowl- and lobbed it at Kirishima’s head.
“Mercy!” Kirishima cried, laughing and ducking away from the projectile.
“Fuck you!” Katsuki reached for a can of air freshener next, catching Kirishima in the shoulder with it. “Trespassers don’t fucking get mercy!”
“Bro,” Kirishima cried, crawling awkwardly under the table while Katsuki continued to throw things at him, bowl of cereal balanced in one hand while he dragged Katsuki’s chair legs around to create a half-hearted wall. “Can’t we just talk about our feelings like men?”
Katsuki practically growled in response, but the roll of paper towels in his grip lowered.
“I feel like I need to change my locks,” he spat.
“No!” Kirishima despaired. “But then how would I know my bro is having an emotional crisis?”
“I’m not!” Katsuki shot back, sticking out a foot to kick the chair in front of Kirishima, making sure that one of the legs rammed into his knee.
Kirishima made a wounded noise at the attack, shuffling further under the table. Then he sniffed dramatically.
“Bakubro, do you smell something burning?”
Katsuki turned suspiciously toward the oven, abandoning the paper towel roll on the countertop. “Are you fucking kidding me?” he asked, striding over to investigate. “You can’t leave a fucking hot oven unattended, dipshit.”
Katsuki pulled down the handle but found its contents cold and empty.
“Oh wait,” Kirishima said in his most annoying voice, “it’s just your pants. ‘Cause you’re a lying liar. No emotional crisis, my ass.”
Katsuki slowly closed the oven but remained crouched in front of it, forehead falling against the door with an audible thunk of resignation.
This was just his life now. Trespassers and stolen food and schoolyard taunts he hadn't heard in over a decade.
Fucking Kirishima.
“I don’t think your brain aged past thirteen,” Katsuki muttered scathingly.
Kirishima loudly slurped at his cereal, unbothered.
“So’re you gonna call this guy or not?”
Katsuki let his forehead begin to slide unpleasantly down the oven.
“How the fuck do you even know about him?” Katsuki complained dismally.
Katsuki could hear chairs being pushed away from the kitchen table and what was probably Kirishima’s empty bowl being tossed in the sink, but he didn’t bother to acknowledge the man until he had pried Katsuki’s head away from the oven door.
“Denki glanced at the security tape,” he explained. “And then showed it to me and Jirou.”
Katsuki took a deep breath through his nose as he mulled over the new information, then collapsed unhappily onto his back in the middle of his kitchen.
Kirishima dropped into a cross-legged seat beside him. “General consensus was that you had a flirty encounter,” he continued. “Oh, but Todoroki wasn’t convinced.”
Katsuki stared unblinkingly at his ceiling.
“Fuck my life.”
“So’re you gonna call him?” Kirishima asked again, excited.
“And say fucking what?” Katsuki bit out skeptically. “I’m cool, go out with me?”
Kirishima raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Well…he did give you his number, didn’t he?”
“Yeah, for the fucking bird.”
“Uh, what?”
Katsuki suddenly shot up, eyes wide. “The bird!”
Kirishima watched on in a mixture of confusion and concern as Katsuki quickly clambered to his feet and retrieved his phone and the scrap of paper he’d been obsessing over from the countertop.
“I’m so lost,” Kirishima whispered.
“Fucker’s a pet therapist,” Katsuki explained, somewhat manically, jabbing at his phone.
“He’s a what?” Kirishima spluttered.
“That’s my in,” Katsuki said, determined.
“Wait. What happened to ‘I’m cool, go out with me’?”
Katsuki clicked his tongue and angrily flicked his hand at Kirishima.
“Shut the fuck up, it’s ringing!”
felt, lol
i came across the phrase 'what we call writer's block is almost always ordinary fear' in a writing textbook once and it seriously changed how i approach writer's block though. usually im able to recognize my hesitation to write as a fear that whatever i write will inevitably turn out bad, so i focus on trying to shift my mindset so that i can get words on the page first and make them sound good later
when its a lack of inspiration though, it helps to read other things, watch shows/movies, listen to music, look at art, etc or even just write a poem or smth short and irrelevant to the project im trying to work on before going back to it
I feel like my writer’s block just comes and goes randomly and it’s really not helping me fight the urge to procrastinate lol
As promised, here's what I've got so far:
Summary: Lincoln was fourteen when he went crazy and got lost in the woods, fourteen when he was rescued from something he still refuses to talk about, and fourteen when he left his town behind without a second glance. It’s at 22, though, when Lincoln falls apart. Forced to bring Peggy, a young girl who can’t get in contact with her father, and Sylas, the little brother he never expected to see again, back to the town where everything went wrong, Lincoln will have to decide if it’s also the place where he can finally set things right or if the ghosts of the past will drag him down with them.
I feel like I was able to address more of the story elements in this summary, since Forest Fire is mainly about Lincoln reckoning with his past (out of necessity, rather than desire) while still leaving an air of mystery around the specifics of the story
I'm still figuring out how best to frame this, though, so any comments/advice/questions are more than welcome!!
in 2025 i'd like to write a full, first draft of my WIP Forest Fire (working title) and I think some external motivation would be a great push for me to keep engaging with my piece on a regular schedule! soo, what would you guys like to see me post by the end of january?
Placebo memory redraws in bkdk part 2 🧡💚
If Katsuki fell asleep on Izuku during a movie, Izuku would be really torn between wanting to make sure Kacchan doesn’t miss the movie and enjoying the physical touch. And then immediately spiral if it was a boring date idea.
Hello writers and creatives!
I recently picked up Chris Baty's book, No Plot? No Problem! and have decided to make March the month in which I try to write a 50k novel! Anyone here interested in joining?
I have a few irl friends who are participating (some with modified challenges) but I wanted to offer it up on here as well. If you're interested, interact with this post in any way or send me an ask/DM! More info below the cut :)
(and a very important vote for those who'd like to participate)
So the whole premise of the challenge is that, in giving yourself a one-month deadline to crank out a full, 50k novel, your attention ends up being placed on quantity over quality, which helps drown out the internal critic that makes you hesitate when you write (or edit something twelve million times before moving on, or never start writing in the first place)
I highly recommend renting the book from your local library for more details on the thought process behind the challenge and other helpful tips (and if you have a library card but transportation difficulty, a friend of mine recently showed me the Libby app, which could be of help!)
I'm aiming for the full 50 thousand words, but my artist friend is adapting the challenge to dedicate a certain amount of hours towards making a comic, and my mom lowered the wc for herself because she's always wanted to write a short story (and doesn't have a ton of interest in writing a novel lol). So if 50k sounds too overwhelming for you or novels aren't exactly your thing, but something else is, feel free to go with whatever floats your boat!
I'm not sure how many people this will reach/ how many would want to play along, but community is a great way to keep each other motivated while also holding each other accountable, so what do you think would be the best method for coordinating that?
Option 1- through tumblr! i could organize writing sprints, word count/progress sharing posts, and some motivational things all under the same tag for easy find-ability (all with a tag-list so everyone is notified when these posts come out and so everyone on the list can interact with each other) Option 2- through discord! theoretically, i can figure out how to make one of these so that there can be a lot more freedom of chatting/sharing etc and writing sprints can be organized on there as well, with extra, optional channels for people to talk about the specifics of their projects or anything else you might want (but absolutely no pressure on the details-sharing front if that'll bring your inner critic back to life) Option 3- tumblr communities! i am not 100% sure how this function works, but if it's smth you guys are into or think would be good, i can absolutely make one Option 4- nuance/something else! if you have a suggestion for a better way to do this, i am all ears
poll duration is only a week, so if there's a lot of interest i will re-cast the poll again in the beginning of february
(and if you like one of the options but have suggestions for things you'd like to see or ways to best organize it, just lmk!)
Thanks for the prompts! I chose #4 and it felt so good to get into the flow of writing without worrying about how what I write would fit into a full piece. (im experiencing mega writers block with sfg atm)
So seriously, thank you OP
Anyways, here's what I came up with:
“Stargazing,” Kal observed, leaning heavily on her new spear. Jonathan had done good work with it, and the small inscription near its base was, surprisingly, left intact. Loren took a moment to admire the sleek, plated metal Jon had chosen to resuscitate that damn spear from its rightful place in the refuse pile, then turned his attention back toward the mottled patchwork of stars above them. “Is that what you do when you’re not killing people?” she pressed mirthfully. Loren frowned. The battle had been long and laborious and not really worth the sore wrist he’d been massaging for the past half hour, Ilium’s abrasive voice still rattling around in his skull. Kal sighed, lowering herself into a crouch beside Loren’s head. “Fight’s over, Twig. No need to be so serious.”
Loren tilted his head the slightest bit towards his companion, eyes flashing in the dark. “Me? Serious?” he asked. Kal’s attention flitted over Loren’s face, a smile slowly stretching over her face when he offered her the slightest scrunch of his nose. The expression looked somehow sweeter on her, with dried blood crusted over her teeth, than it had in the palace where they’d first met. “The Stone-Faced Twig, telling a joke,” she laughed. “No one’ll believe me.” “You’d share our special moment?” Loren continued mildly. “I’m gutted, Kal. Now what’ll I do with the ring I bought you?” Kal lightly shoved his arm, earning a soft huff that was drowned beneath her own delighted cackling. Loren wasn’t sure, exactly, when the grief had worked its way up her throat alongside the joy. Just that one moment he had told a joke- a good one, it seemed- and the next, Kal was shuddering with her spear gripped too tightly in one hand, its tip digging mercilessly into the grassy hilltop. Not a drop of blood on either one of them in any place that Kal could see. Loren supposed she didn’t really need to see, though, for the blood to linger. With a quiet curse, Loren raised his abandoned staff from the grass beside him and waved it loosely in her direction, easing her grip from the spear, knuckle by white-clenched knuckle, until he was certain she wouldn’t damage the new plating. Loren swallowed the sour taste in his mouth as he poked through Kal’s memories, searching for something gentle. Back and back and back he weaved, as he always did with soldiers, until the Kal in his mind’s eye was so small as to be hardly recognizable. But this Kal was warm, covered head-to-toe in a half-finished, puke green blanket while another, smaller version of someone Loren might have known in another life cheered and clapped and pretended to be struck low by the Kal-monster. “You don’t need to do that, you know,” Kal whispered at half her normal volume. Soothed by Loren’s efforts. Loren flinched. Kal’s hand quickly sought out his in the semi-dark, squeezing tightly when he attempted to shuffle away from her. Her grip bordered on painful. “I won’t tell the others,” she promised. Earnestly, by the sound of it. But sound was a liar that Loren knew well. “I know some of the others appreciate…it,” she continued haltingly. “What you...do for them.” Loren grit his teeth. “Only because they don’t know,” he reminded her stiffly. Kal sniffed and tilted her head, studying Loren in exactly the way he’d been trying to avoid ever since he’d been conscripted. Ever since he set foot in that damn palace. Ever since he lost- “Loren-”
Wet with tears, her eyes reflected the moonlight. “My mother’s name was Moon,” Loren suddenly confessed. Kal’s smile wobbled, eyes travelling uncertainly to the sky. “And my uncle’s name was Butter.” Loren sighed. “Are we naming the donkey, too?” Kal asked lightly. “Because we can do it if it’ll make you feel better, Twig, but one day Truth will catch you by the throat and it won't be pretty.” Loren pulled his hand away again and Kal let him. Still, Loren didn’t rise to his feet like he’d intended to. He dug his fingers into the grass at his sides, digging up the scent of dirt and mulch. The wind changed and Loren thought he could smell the stew, too. He took a deep breath and let it wash over him, blocking out the muted murmurs of their company in the distance. “What happened to 'Loren'?” he asked her without opening his eyes. Kal’s hand fell companionably to his shoulder. Her temple against his own was quick to follow. “Moment of weakness, Twig.” Loren chuckled sharply, slowly peeling his eyes open to peer up at the moon that watched over him, thinking of the Moon that did not. “You’ve known the whole time?” he ventured carefully. Loren felt Kal shrug against him. “Kind of easy to spot, you know? Your type never need much muscle to do the heavy-lifting, do they?” “Twig,” Loren realized. Kal hummed, gently shoving him over as she climbed to her feet and reclaimed her spear, idly testing out the balance as she dithered. “Everyone’s wondering where you went to,” she said with forced casualness, poking at imaginary enemies. “So. Unless you want me spilling your dirty, stargazing secret…” Kal’s attention drifted to Loren, then, and her restless hands slowly lowered to her hips. A wide, conspiring smile crept over her features. “You better beat me back to that damn campsite.” Loren frowned. “Beat you-?” “Go!” Kal shouted, tearing down the hill with her spear and her smile and the blood in her teeth. For a moment, all Loren could do was watch her go. The he cursed and grabbed his staff, rushing down after her with a grumbled complaint, something heavy still caught in his chest. But, somehow, lighter than it was before.
WRITING PROMPTS - Stars
One day, the stars disappeared from the sky, like a blanket over the earth.
"I think the stars are getting bigger."
The stars shift in the sky, and whisper messages into the ears of every child.
"Stargazing... is this what you do when you're not killing people?"
Stars have ears.
"I love the stars, because they love me."
What if the stars were gods?
"Watch the stars as you die, and they'll take you with them."
That’s a really fun self-Pavlov lol
trying to find the time/energy to write now that the semester has started up again is not going to be as easy peasy as i thought lol
writers, pls reblog with your fav writing rituals/habits! i love getting inspired by seeing what works for other people :)
Ooh I really like the idea of placing your writing day at the end of the week so you always have something to look forward to, that’s such a sweet ritual :)
I’ve been wanting to try out flash fiction Friday’s as well so maybe I’ll give that a shot!
Thanks so much for the suggestions and best of luck with your semester!!!
trying to find the time/energy to write now that the semester has started up again is not going to be as easy peasy as i thought lol
writers, pls reblog with your fav writing rituals/habits! i love getting inspired by seeing what works for other people :)
Fantasy au BKDK! I had way more fun with this than i expected so I'll probably play with the au designs more in the future
it was 9 chapters and aside from horrified (which i was), i was also embarrased i read those chapters outloud to friends
trying to find the time/energy to write now that the semester has started up again is not going to be as easy peasy as i thought lol
writers, pls reblog with your fav writing rituals/habits! i love getting inspired by seeing what works for other people :)
Bullet Point Tag
@aalinaaaaaa thanks for the tag! i decided to complete it for my in-progress fic, Short For Grenade
Drumstick soup? my favorite, yum
Anger issues -> pet dog pipeline
No weapons of mass destruction
Weapons of medium destruction are chill tho
Hashtag parenting win
Hives of love
You say dog, he says evil compass
Happy kidnap your friend(?) day!
Deny, deflect, detonate (and detonate one more time for good measure)
Idiot, dumbass, useless, stupid (affectionate)
This house is a prison
When your secrets keep being spilt by a guy you're not even telling them to
Rabbit trade? Denied. Loser.
Middle aged lady thieves
That's code for "my son has no friends"
All the phobias
Missing Masaru hours
Kidnapping, the sequel
Aaaand
Squirrel 1, Katsuki 0
The End :)
I’d be down to play Game #1 if anyone’s got title suggestions :)
Feel free to send them as an ask or as a comment, whatever your preference
Writing Games: Titles
1. Game:
Choose a title or let your followers send you some in. Write a short drabble or a full story with that title. What is the first idea that comes to your mind?
+ if you take the same title and write completely different stories/different genres with it
2. Game:
Let your followers send you the titles and then create a short summary for what a potential story would be about.
3. Game:
Choose one title for every letter in the alphabet from these lists and fill them or let your followers pick characters for you to write a story for each title with. (Inspired by evilwriter37)
Here are all the titles|Here are more Writing Games
Friday Kiss Tag
Thank you for the tag @the-golden-comet
Here is a snippet from The General's Bride
---
The quiet of the night settled over the Jade Blossom Pavilion, its usual stillness interrupted only by the faint flicker of lanterns swaying in the breeze. Jian sat by the window, gazing out at the moonlit garden, the light casting delicate patterns on his veil.
Luo Xingchen approached silently, his footsteps soft against the polished wood. "You’ve been up too long," he said, his voice low, almost reverent.
Jian didn’t turn. "The moon is too beautiful to waste behind closed eyes."
Xingchen stepped closer, his presence grounding. "And yet you hide your face from it."
Jian chuckled softly, his fingers grazing the edge of his veil. "Perhaps the moon isn’t the only thing worth hiding from."
The weight of Xingchen’s gaze pressed against his back, protective but unyielding. “Do you think me a wolf, waiting to pounce? Or the moon itself, casting light where it is not welcome?”
Jian’s voice softened, his words gentle. “You are neither. You are the warrior who guards me from both.”
Xingchen’s hand moved, hesitating briefly before lifting the edge of Jian’s veil. “And who guards you from me?”
Jian met his eyes, his expression unreadable but unafraid. “I don’t need protection from you, Xingchen.”
The veil slipped away, fluttering to the floor like a ribbon freed. Jian’s face, illuminated by the moonlight, was a sight Xingchen had not allowed himself to imagine fully. For a moment, neither spoke, the unspoken tension between them filling the silence.
Xingchen cupped Jian’s cheek gently, his thumb brushing over the smooth curve of his jaw. “You are the most dangerous person in this palace,” he murmured, his tone almost playful. “Do you know that?”
Jian’s lips parted slightly, a quiet inhale, before he responded. “And you are the only one foolish enough to stand so close to me.”
Xingchen leaned in, the space between them vanishing in a heartbeat. Their lips met in a kiss that began slow, tentative, as though testing the fragile boundaries of their world. But it deepened quickly, the weight of unspoken truths and unshed fears driving them closer. Jian’s hands clutched the fabric of Xingchen’s robe, grounding himself as the kiss consumed them both.
When they finally pulled away, breathless but unbroken, Xingchen rested his forehead against Jian’s, his voice low. “The moon can wait. Tonight, the stars are ours.”
---
I'll tag @finickyfelix @willtheweaver @leahnardo-da-veggie @illarian-rambling @winglesswriter @paeliae-occasionally @thecomfywriter @roarintheheavens @drchenquill @wyked-ao3 @the-inkwell-variable @corinneglass @seastarblue @frostedlemonwriter @vesanal
Hi! Can you tell me more about All It’s Worth? It sounds really interesting!
Hi, I'd love to! The story is still very much in the planning stage so apologies if my explanation of it is a little scatterbrained but thanks so much for the ask :)
All It's Worth is a mainly a story about Meric- a bitter and cynical son of farmers who lives in a small, outlying village, and Myre Halcyon- the much-hated black sheep of the current ruling family (House Myre) who is treated favorably only by his mother, the sole ruler, and has a single-minded obsession with the Kingfisher myth (a myth told by the Prophets (and that is central to their religion) which promises the appearance of water and the continuation of their civilization into a utopia).
aiw is set on a small planet that is mostly a sandy desert, with eight outlying villages, 5 internal towns, and the Court at its center, referred to as SeaPoint (a common phrase being "all roads lead to SeaPoint", since the city is arranged in a large circle). House Myre occupies SeaPoint, as its matriarch is the current leader, and the 5 towns surrounding SeaPoint all have strong cultural ties to the Houses that live there (Houses: Wayle, Ayke, Toyl, Eryr, and Ruyn). Members from each of these Houses hold positions at Court, but House Myre has been in control for a long time, hence each of the 5 towns creating a sort of identity around the bloodlines of their most powerful citizens. The outlying villages don't have as much of a stake in the House drama and tend to be much poorer (and much more religious) than citizens in the 5 towns and it's quite a trek to reach the outlying villages, so its mainly just travelled by the Prophets who bring water (via wagons) from SeaPoint to these villages.
Pretty much the only way that someone from one of the 8 villages travels to SeaPoint is if they pay for passage themselves, are a merchant of some sort (and thus, have wagons to use/ride in), or are told by the Prophets that they have a Calling (which is essentially a religious apprenticeship, and as long as the Called party does the job they were Called for well, their family is sent extra water from SeaPoint).
Meric and Halcyon find themselves at odds with each other pretty much immediately, largely because Meric thinks everything the Prophets say is complete bullshit that people only believe to make themselves feel better, especially when it comes to the Kingfisher (since his entire immediate community is made up of farmers whose livelihoods depend on water, and he understands that drought on their planet is imminent and inevitable). Meanwhile Halcyon buys completely into the myth and even takes it a step father by dedicating his young life to searching for this mysterious Kingfisher (while most people in the outlying villages simply take comfort in the idea that water will come and things will somehow turn out alright and most of the rich/powerful are unconcerned). Being from a rich family, Halcyon is also very ignorant of the threats/reality of drought and this further sours Meric against him.
Meric and Hal meet first when they're children and Meric's interactions with Hal result in a botched assassination attempt, and then for the second time when Meric cons his way into the central city as a Prophet and gets wrapped up in a surprise coup against the ruling family (by revolutionaries and a few, internal usurpers from the other Houses). Very much a wrong-place, wrong-time sort of scenario for Meric, where he's only spared because Hal had recognized him and tugged him aside to question him. Thinking that they're both targets (Meric for his deceit and Hal for his blood) they flee the Court together and try to evade detection. Forced to stick together for survival, they begin learning a lot of unexpected things about each other as well as their society and its creation.
The plot largely follows their interactions with one another (after the coup) as they navigate such a sudden change in their personal circumstances, with a focus on how they ultimately spur change in the other. But their interpersonal dramas and the secrets they stumble across also have huge impacts in the social/political landscape of the planet, seemingly by accident. Free will vs fate is something I want to play with a lot in this piece, so that it could be totally believable for a reader to think Meric and Hal's contributions to the old power vs revolutionaries conflict are entirely coincidence or entirely pre-destined/fate. Ideally, the reader would only get impressions of these big political machinations happening in the background while staying focused on the personal dramas of Meric and Hal.
I also plan to base a lot of my symbolism around things I've learned about the actual Kingfisher! The religious "temples" are underground, for one, and called burrows and because it can take a pair of Kingfishers 3-7 days to build a burrow, so 7 is considered a holy number and the burrows are always 37 steps deep. The blue of their wings is also the color of House Myre. One website even mentioned that many kingfishers can eat prey that seem too large to fit in their mouths, and this has a direct parallel to Hal and his relationship with another person at Court who had power over him as a child.
A lot of the inspiration for aiw honestly came from the song Empire Now by Hozier
Anyways, I think that covers most of the set-up? I have a few scenes visualized already but most of the later plot is still up in the air. This is already so long lol but I figured id also share the singular snippet i have written out for this! pls excuse the name placeholder towards the end
I. Dear Waterfox Meric tugged at the bright, red cloth loosely knotted around his throat. The shadow of his movement stuck out oddly among the eerie line of his neighbors’, all of them dutifully pacing down the Burrow steps in silence. Torches on the left, shadows on the right, praise be the Carpal Reign. Meric saw his mother’s shadow move before he felt her dirt-stained hands on his collar, readjusting the fabric. “Don’t fuss,” she murmured. “It’s just for today.” Meric frowned and rolled his shoulders to be free of the touch. “It’s uncomfortable,” he hissed back, inching a finger between the fabric and his skin to slide the knot away from the center of his throat. The heavy thud of a hundred dusty Believers descending 37 dusty stairs in single file did little to cover the sound of their voices. Meric stuck out his tongue at the scandalized few who turned around with silent, chastising eyes. “It’s ceremonial,” his mother replied pointedly, no doubt forcing the words out from behind an appeasing smile. “To show that you are a child of the Prophets-” “Since when are you a Prophet?” Meric’s mother pulled on his ear, her shadow still leaning over his on the wall. Someone else’s wobbled with a poorly hidden laugh. Meric swatted her away again, eyes flicking away from the red, robe-clad Prophets scattered past the Burrow’s inner opening and to the rolling carts stacked high with waterskins along the back wall. “Meric, so help me-” “I know,” he said, though he left his ceremonial nuisance askew. “I know,” he repeated, quieter and to himself. The line continued marching forward until there was no one between Meric and Prophet -name-, who looked just the same as he had when he left for his travels four months ago and nothing at all like he had when he was seventeen and fun and the son of the farmer’s nextdoor. Those fields were barren, now. No one left to till them.
bring back tumblr ask culture let me. bother you with questions and statements
may all the people who see this finish their current wip this year
Batfam X 1-A class🫠🫠
l was supposed to finish this one for the last Halloween lmao... Sorry (I lowkey forgot to finish it...).
@bi-focal12 you probably forgot that i was gonna draw them too, sorry😔😭
ALSO, for the people who wants to know which one cosplayed which one ⬇️
Iida = Alfred
Sero = Jason
Eijirou = Dick Grayson
Mina = Stephanie
Uraraka = Batgirl
Denki = Tim Drake
Yaoyorozu = Wonder Woman
Shoto = Superman
Mineta = Damian
Izuku = Joker
Katsuki = Batman
Writers' Resolutions
A bunch of resolutions for writers and people who want to try writing this year. It's in no way something you must do, these are just ideas how you can set out to improve your writing in the new year.
Try something new
Try to write something you have never written before.
Write something silly, write something serious, write in a different genre, try to write characters that you haven't explored yet.
Write consistently
Writing consistently will not only give you exercise to become a better writer, it can also keep your voice as a writer consistent.
If you have a first draft, write it down quickly and without big breaks inbetween.
Don't wait for inspiration
Waiting for inspiration to come can take forever. So don't wait for inspiration: search for it.
Make writing into a habit that comes natural to you every day, look up writing prompts, read a book you like, get yourself into the mood to write and do it!
Do your research
As a writer, you need to know about a lot of different things.
You can do research by reading books, listening to podcasts, watching movies, talking to other people, etc.
Take this year to learn something new and then tell your reader all about it.
Edit that draft
We all have that one story we wrote a while ago and then stopped at the first draft.
Take it and reread it and then rewrite it. You have a new perspective on it now and maybe this will be the year you turn your idea into a book.
Set yourself a goal
This explicitly doesn't have to be a goal about how many words or pages you write.
Your goal can be to finish something, to edit something, to write a few sentences every day, to share more of your writing or to publish something.
Don't compare
Try not to compare your writing with that of someone else.
Writing is about finding your own voice and telling a story that only you can tell. Also: other people's accomplishes don't diminish your own!
Write!
Whatever the outcome of your writing may be and whatever you want to do with it, if you want to publish it, if you want to share it with friends, or if you want to keep it to yourself: just start writing!
Do what you love to do.
To all my lovely writers, I wish you a great year, may everything work out in your favour!
- Jana
Writer Accountability - 1/6
Stealing the idea ish from both @cee-grice and @did-i-do-this-write to post when I write something, and share a little...
Anyway, today we got to meet everyone's favorite bastard :^)
He spoke with no thought that the stranger would understand, but the youth surprised him again by responding in kind. His accent was thick and slow and rich as honey, but understandable. "I think what pleases me is not important here," he said, "your destination doesn't matter much at all, remaining here isn't a choice." "You speak my language," Anrikas could not help but say. "It's my language." "Not as first you spoke." The stranger clucked his tongue. "People do speak more than one language, you know." [skipping a bit here] "You may call me Anri," he said, "what may I call you?" "Kit." Anrikas was not sure that he had heard correctly. "Like a baby animal?" By way of explanation Kit said only, "They called my mother Fox."
@the-letterbox-archives it's your boy!
Anyway, I guess let me know if you want to be tagged on these? I'll probably hop projects a lot because it's me lol
writing accountability, day 26
sprints are fr my life-savers lmao. it's not guaranteed, but whenever I sprint with other people, I consistently get sooo much more done than I would otherwise. I really should employ them more often aaa. I'm writing quite well these days, but I don't expect to keep this pace up forever, so I'm just buffing up my word count for the inevitable drought lol
today's word count: 1273/800
so, I think I started act 2 today? the previous chapter does very much feel like the end to act 1 lol. which is good! I'm getting somewhere! WE'RE GOING PLACES AHHH. still, the fact that I'm almost 30k in and I'm just now ending year 1 is... um... 💀💀💀 well, okay, it makes sense, BUT STILL... oh boy
snippet (for context, Quilin has a condition which makes any plant matter he eats multiply extremely rapidly in his stomach, so he's essentially deathly allergic to it):
“Yes, there are many types of mutations we have yet to encounter,” the man sighed, adjusting his thin glasses. “Say, at what rate approximately do plant cells multiply when exposed to the affected tissue?” “Quickly,” Quilin said, very clipped. “Never thought to time it, however.” On the account of being in the process of dying was left unsaid. Which, should be noted, took no small amount of self-control. The man nodded, entirely unfazed. Either he was ignorant to Quilin’s annoyance, or he simply did not care.
wdym u never thought to time the speed at which death approaches . lame
see ya tmr