This Is So Adorable!

Not wanting to lose the MC, and knowing that she and the others probably won't be able to protect her at all times, Kamilah wanted to make sure that the latter will be ready to fight when the need arises.

I love this dialogue. It shows how much Kamilah values and cares about the MC.

(Side note: The way that Kamilah emphasized the word "private" sort of gave me the impression that she also wanted to spend some alone time with the MC.

Well, they certainly did spend time together in my playthrough. Hehe.)

Reminders and tips for everyone including myself. Hehe.

some mini collections of tips for writers

(based on things that yours truly notices as a freelance editor. This list is in no way complete, and will probably be added to as I continue to find repeated mistakes) 

Dialogue

Use beats in your dialogue to break it up. Even “said” can make a very effective beat between lines. 

(No beats: “It’s not lethal. Just highly dangerous with a good chance of being mutilated.” // Beats: “It’s not lethal,” he said. “Just highly dangerous with a good chance of being mutilated.”)

Note how the break allows a bit of a pause for ~dramatic effect 

thinking of dialogue, use punctuation and distinct speech patterns! “Life, uh, finds a way.” is an iconic line anyway, but Jeff Goldblum’s signature verbal tic gives it character. 

It’s okay if characters stutter. Don’t let the condemnation of stuttering characters as “cringey” in fanfic put you off. (and on that note, fuck cringe culture. Seriously. It saps all the fun out of creativity and fun is important.)

Start! A! New! Line! Whenever! Someone! New! Speaks!!

DO NOT FEAR THE WORD “SAID” 

Setting & Blocking

 Use the landscape and settings around your character, and always, always remember a scene’s blocking. Where is everything in relation to your characters? Have you left someone holding a coffee cup for the last three scenes? Did you lose a character somewhere along the way? 

using the contents of a scene is also great for fight sequences. 

Similarly, large character casts are hard to keep track of so don’t be afraid to break them up. Sending someone off somewhere else can create some nifty little subplots. 

Keep a personal note of how time passes. Trust me, it’s incredibly helpful to you as a writer and also for future readers. 

Characters

Character growth does not have to be positive. Sometimes characters fail or suffer or get their motivations twisted up, and they finish the book as a villain rather than a hero. 

All that matters is that a character changes throughout the plot in a way that readers can see; the sort of change they go through is entirely up to you. 

scrap the idea that someone has to deserve a redemption arc. They probably don’t deserve it, which is the whole point. So don’t be afraid to make your villains seem completely irredeemable. 

and you don’t need to redeem your antagonists in order to make them complex, sympathetic villains, anyway. Sometimes people get so stuck in their beliefs that they can’t see another way and it goes too far. Not everyone comes back from that. 

Also, motivations and goals can absolutely change. That’s okay. You just need to have something that drives your character so that your readers are rooting for them. 

Protagonists don’t need to be heroic. How you define the protagonists and antagonists in your story is based entirely on the morality in your story-world, NOT the moral ideas in the real world. What counts as a complex protagonist in a world torn apart by biological warfare will be very different than one living in our world. 

Prose & Grammar

simple prose is just fine and you don’t need to fluff it up for pretty quotes.

Remember to vary your sentence structures and length. Start smaller and build it up, drawing your reader’s attention. 

“And” and “But” are very valid sentence starters that are great for communicating the tone of internal narrative. You’re allowed to tweak grammar if that’s helpful for telling the story, it just needs to be accessible. Test out what you’ve written on other people. 

Check that your tenses are consistent!! 

The Brightest Light

Hello. I decided to try my hand at a quick Kamilah x MC drabble. Hehe. This takes place during the jet scene.

The vampire looked up from her laptop screen to silently observe the blonde near the jet's bar.

She observed Amy talking to Lily who was rapidly shaking a metal container which Kamilah knew was probably filled with a sample of every liquid that was available at the bar. She noticed how the purple-haired vampire was grinning widely. Too widely.

"Lil, you know that you can talk to me."

As soon as Amy said the words, the grin faded and was replaced by a sombre look. Kamilah watched as Amy consoled Lily.

Even when faced with a grave threat, she always manages to have the strength to be there for others. The brunette pondered with a small smile.

Amy represents everything good that is still left in the world. In the 2,063 years of her life, Kamilah had constantly witnessed destruction, chaos, and loss. Having lived through so many lifetimes full of darkness and pain, she had lost hope for the world.

That was until she met Amy. The female mortal's optimism, courage, and morale had surprised Kamilah. At barely 21 years old, the woman was quickly thrown into the world of the supernatural and faced its dangers admirably.

But what impressed Kamilah even more was her wit and compassion. Amy is not afraid to speak her mind even if the opposing party is a vampire who could easily break her. At the same time, she would also offer help to anyone in need.

She has both a sharp tongue and a kind heart. A formidable combination. The vampire internally laughed.

Yet, what surprised Kamilah the most was how she had become drawn to Amy. After many, many, many years of not being with anyone, she never thought that she could feel such emotions again.

It now seems strange that I once threatened to kill her. Her amusement grew.

The vampire's amusing nostalgia suddenly vanished when the thought of Gauis appeared in her mind. The mere idea of him succeeding chilled her to the bone. And the mere thought of him harming Amy made her simmer.

She suddenly realized that she was clutching the side of her laptop's monitor too tightly when waves of static started to dance across the screen. When she pulled her hand away, she felt tiny bits of plastic stick to her palm.

She took a quiet calming breath, not wanting to alarm the others. When she looked back up, she saw Amy speaking with Adrian.

Her blood brother is one of the very few genuine and good-hearted people that she knows. And one of the last things that she wants to see is Gauis destroying one of the few lights left in the world.

She then shifted her gaze to Amy. Upon reflection, the older vampire came to notice that the blonde and Adrian share many similarities. But looking at her bright and sincere smile, Kamilah thought that not only is the mortal one of the other few lights left in the world; she is also the brightest light in her life.

Gauis and Jameson will pay for what they did to you, Amy. They may be powerful, but that won't stop me from protecting you. That's a promise.

Master list: Updated as of 8/12/19

Hello, everyone. I decided to organize my stories by creating a masterlist with links for easier and more convenient access.

BloodBound:

Kamilah Sayeed x MC

The Brightest Light

Fears, Doubts, and Apprehensions

Mistakes (Part 1)

Mistakes (Part 2)

A Moment Alone

The Promise

Reunited

Glad that I Have You (NSFW) 

Making Every Moment Count [Latest addition to the list]

Note: I will update this masterlist whenever I post new stories. :)

In the tapestry fragment scene of Chapter 5 of Bloodbound Book 3, the group mourns and remembers the MC who had seemingly died after it appeared that the Turning process had failed.

IN THIS SCENE, KAMILAH SAYEED FINALLY ADMITTED AND DECLARED THAT SHE LOVES THE MC!

I'm kinda disappointed that she hasn't said it directly to the MC in person yet, but the fact remains that she loves her!

Masterlist

Hello, everyone. I decided to organize my stories by creating a masterlist with links for easier and more convenient access.

BloodBound:

Kamilah Sayeed x MC

The Brightest Light

Fears, Doubts, and Apprehensions

Mistakes (Part 1)

Mistakes (Part 2)

A Moment Alone

The Promise

Reunited

Note: I will update this masterlist whenever I post new stories. :)

Oh my goodness. When I saw this, I immediately thought of the fishing scene in the last chapter of It Lives Beneath. I searched for a YouTube playthrough video and took a screenshot of this:

(Taken from Abhirio's video.)

Maybe we really will get a Book 3 of the It Lives Anthology. And maybe the setting will be somewhere snowy!

This better be foreshadowing for It Lives 3 😠

Reblog if your a Renmei fan (Ren x Jeanne)

I’m trying to see something here

A shocking surprise? What or who could it be?

This is like another version of: "You're cute when you're mad." This comment could make people think that Yami Marik is interested in Ishizu.