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Me starting to write: Now, remember, this time minimal worldbuilding, only story.

Me a few months later, inevitably: But you see for tax purposes the new year was fixed at midwinter following the conquest of the land by evil sun-stealing wizards, however on a social level it continued to be observed at the spring equinox--

#rip me #worldbuilding

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#I wish I could be as creative as soon of these high schoolers

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Writeblr Intro

(i should probably make one of these, shouldn't i?)

about me:

hi! i'm saran (any pronouns). i spend 99% of my free time writing, thinking about writing, making playlists for my writing, rotating my other obsessions in my head (currently jak & daxter; voiceplay; and motionless in white), and sometimes spewing those on my blog as well. this is my primary blog (i can barely keep up with this one, so a sideblog is not likely in the near future), so be aware that you'll see everything that spills out of my head/crosses my blog that i feel like sharing. if you're just here for the writing, that's cool, too! all of my original writing is tagged #my writing, and all longform works and snippets are tagged with their titles. i'm open to tag games, asks, and dms for anything and everything, even if you just need to talk 💜

about the writing:

i both read and write most genres, but fantasy and speculative fiction are my favorite (with a heavy dose of monsters and the paranormal, whether the genre otherwise calls for it or not). i write both original fiction and fanfiction. my main characters tend to be queer, neurodiverse, disabled, or all of the above. i write with an adult audience in mind (my writing has a tendency to delve into heavy topics, including mental health issues and societal commentary, and several of my stories contain graphic violence), so while minors are welcome to follow, i would encourage you to self-curate your experience. i try to tag anything potentially triggering, but i am human and sometimes miss things; if you notice anything that you think needs a tag, please do let me know!

general taglist (ask to be added or removed): @innocentlymacabre

find all the links and tags for my work under the cut:

the WIPs:

The Art of Empty Space (wip intro, tag)

Lienzo's search for a cure for his parent's condition entangles him in a years-old curse with an arcane beast at its heart. As he works to break the curse and free the city of Rookport, he finds an unexpected ally in the beast -- and, perhaps, something more. (subversive fairytale; paranormal romance; original fiction)

Taglist (ask to be added or removed): @notwritinganyflufftoday

Dead Roots, Dark Water (wip intro, tag)

After two years of genetic experiments at the hands of Haven City's Minister of Science leave him almost unrecognizable, Jak isn't as eager to go home as Daxter would have hoped. Daxter's rescue mission becomes a quest to undo the damage the dark eco experiments inflicted upon Jak's body and psyche -- and the only one who can help them is Haven's most beloved public figure, who also happens to be Minister Acheron's twin sister. (adventure; dark fantasy; dystopian; fanfiction - Jak & Daxter)

Taglist (ask to be added or removed): no one yet!

the Short Stories:

A Haunted Home

A haunted house gets its latest in a long string of owners. Is it possible to have a QPR with a house? You're about to find out. cw: implied past domestic abuse

Bodies

The Belltown Butcher takes a trophy from each of their victims. Ness survived, but not before the Butcher took their prize. cw: referenced kidnapping, trauma, eye trauma

Loreley

A cartographical ship picks up a distress signal in the unexplored Groombridge 1618 system. Instead of the lost Kasandra, they find a seemingly-habitable planet.

I Am Alive

A group of friends breaks into the local haunted house for an All Hallow's Eve séance. It doesn't go as planned.

#hey I know you! #writeblr intro #writers on tumblr #writeblr community #writers supporting writers

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My character: *shakes fist at sky*

Me (regretfully): I am the sky

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(And share it!!!)

#yep #it was from a character playlist #oc: sebastian devlin #ain’t no man by the Avett Brothers

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WRITEBLR RE-INTRO

Hello! I am a 18 year old Ukrainian-American writer who is coming back to running this blog. My pen name keeps changing but currently I'm going by the pen name "Vasyl Veles" on here, Vas for short. My original posts are tagged as #vas's posts.

I tend to write in the horror, sci-fi, and dark fantasy genres. I am a big fan of using dark aspects of fiction to explore intellectual themes, and enjoy writing a lot about nature, science, and queer experiences. I also loveee speculative biology. I write both short stories and novels, and am not yet published (but currently submitting stories to some writing competitions, wish me luck!).

Other than writing, I am also a big fan of goth, industrial, and metal music, and am passionate about science and mathematics. I also greatly enjoy DIY and art, and hope to post some of those projects on here in addition to writing.

General Taglist (message to be added or removed): @euphoniouspandemonium

works in progress:

THE AGE OF CARNOCUS:

Also called "Karniv"

current main project - dystopian sci-fi horror fantasy - planning/drafting - novel series/worldbuilding project - tagged as #the age of carnocus

An God parasitizes the Earth, transforming it as his amalgamations of flesh and blood storm human society. He grants humans a gift so that they survive.

Centuries later, a new generation of aspiring scientists assembles at a lead university. Their mission, as stated by the Clergy that rules them, is to discover the depths their ability to manipulate flesh. As the students perform their experiments, creatures crawl out of the basement and killers rise from the dead. A question looms over them. Do they keep their discoveries secret, or share them and risk destroying the world?

WIP Intro

Character List

Character Intro: Lysander

Character Intro: Micah

Character Intro: Colette

Character Intro: Ezra

Taglist: @coffeewritesfiction

ARCHITECTURE OF AGGRESSION

collection of short stories - psychological and body horror - drafting - tagged as #architectureofaggression

From a carnivorous house to a body swap, this is a collection of stories about the grotesque architecture of both buildings and bodies.

My two favorite stories:

The Diorama: A man is haunted by his deceased mother's plan for him to continue her career as an architect. An allegory for how parents push their own dreams onto their children, but through body horror.

The House of Famish: A woman moves into her ancestral home with her wife, and soon discovers her wife doesn't have what it takes to care for the house. An allegory for how toxic family traditions can become ingrained in people.

WIP Intro

That's it for now! Thanks for reading :)

#writeblr intro #writers supporting writers #omg those wips #the first one is such a cool concept #and the second makes me think of the twilight zone

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WRITERS!!!

my dash is feeling empty, so please reblog/comment if you post about your writing! i want to follow more people and get more taglists to add myself to.

bonus points if you write scifi, horror, and/or are deep into worldbuilding!

#I write fantasy #I update every couple of days #but also do tags and asks with snippets and extra context

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can someone please be proud of me like fuck I’m trying

#you’re doing great!

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oc asks: character design edition

FACE & FEATURES

glance: At first glance, what stands out most about your OC's appearance? What's their distinguishing feature?

face: Describe your OC's face. What's their smile like? Are their orbs cerulean? What would someone notice first when looking at them?

stature: What's your OC's body type? How tall are they? Do they wear clothing to accentuate their look or do they try to mask it?

motion: How does your OC move? How does their clothing help or hinder their range of motion? Are they flexible, coordinated, clumsy?

stillness: How does your OC act while still? Are they fidgety? Do they have any common gestures or tics? Does their clothing affect how they hold themselves while at rest?

canvas: Does your OC have any scars, piercings, tattoos, or other markings? Do they display or cover them up at all?

CUT & CLOTHES

night: What does your OC wear to sleep? Do they have a favorite pair of PJs, or are they more the birthday suit type?

day: What does your OC wear on a normal day? Why do they default to those clothes? Do they wear similar things, or do they change it up?

formal: What's your OC's formal look? Do they like dressing up? Do they have different looks for different occasions?

informal: What's your OC's lazy-day look? How do they like to dress when they're winding down?

outerwear: What's your OC's outerwear situation? Jacket, sweater, cloak? What sort of weather do they deal with most and how do they protect themselves?

footwear: What does your OC wear on their feet?

road: What does your OC wear while traveling? Do they have high-quality equipment, or are they making do? What does their gear look like?

armor: What kind of armor does your OC wear? Is it well kept? Bonus: where does it come from? Is there a story behind it?

arms: Does your OC have any weapons? What weapons do they carry, and how do they wear them when they're not fighting?

roots: Is your OC's look inspired by any specific style of clothing or fashion trend? What are the roots and/or inspiration for their look?

texture: Does your OC favor any specific kinds of cloth or textures? Is there anything they can't wear or don't like? What sort of fabrics do they prefer?

wardrobe: How big is your character's wardrobe? Do they wear things threadbare, or can they afford new clothes often? Are they any good at mending and repairing their own clothing?

ACCESSORIES & ACCENTS

bling: What jewelry does your OC wear? Does it have any meaning?

hair: How does your OC wear their hair? Does it have some kind of meaning?

makeup: Does your OC wear makeup? How often? What kind? Why do they wear makeup, and do they like it?

favorite: Does your OC have a favorite article of clothing or accessory? What is it? What's the meaning behind it? Do they wear it all the time or do they wear it sparingly to keep it safe?

change: Has your OC ever drastically changed their appearance? Significant haircuts, big tattoos, complete wardrobe swap, etc? Why? How do they feel about the change?

alternate: What would your OC's alternate universe look be? If they're a fantasy character, what's their modern look? If they're sci-fi, what's their fantasy look? What AU would you want to see your OC in, and how would they dress themself? Bonus: Prompt an AU!

#ask game!

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Happy Blorbo Blursday! This question is for any and all characters you want to answer for!

Question: What is a fear or phobia your characters deal with and how does it impact their actions?

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For the Empty Names main cast:

Lacuna:

Things that Lacuna fears include, but are not limited to: loud noises, large dogs, germs, transphobes, guns, splinters, infections, the company she stole her work back from, situations with a chance of resulting in bodily harm, spontaneously developing an allergy to food she wasn't previously allergic to, other people suffering the consequences of her failures, Sullivan, being a burden, panic attacks, being fundamentally unable to change who she is as a person, public speaking, wanting things for herself, not mattering, making other people's problems about herself, being the center of attention, being alone forever, friends realizing that she doesn't deserve them, climate change, selling out, being fiscally irresponsible by not selling out, people realizing that she doesn't know what she's doing and isn't qualified for whatever position she finds herself in, accidentally hurting or offending when attempting to help, being annoying, being afraid, getting stuck in mental loops, and various other things that she doesn't think about on a near-daily basis.

In other words, she's generally an anxious bundle of nerves and really shouldn't have stopped going to therapy right after taking a job that involves watching her best friend get into life-and-death situations on a regular basis. It all results in her being easily distracted by her thoughts spiraling off into anxious tangents and a pattern of holding in and hiding things that bother her until either someone (usually Eris) picks up that something is off and drags it out of her or she hits a critical mass of being overwhelmed.

That all said, there are three main things that are effective at getting her to temporarily forget about/ignore most of those fears. The first is being around Eris. The second is getting hyperfocused on a project or something else she's passionate about. The third is sheer exhaustion (mental, emotional, or physical) to the point where she no longer cares. The latter two are arguably too effective and have resulted in cases of her making questionable choices that speak to an impaired sense of self-preservation (demon summoning, corporate espionage, taking out shady loans with her organs as collateral, conducting transmutation experiments on herself, etc.).

Ashan:

There is honestly very, very little that can genuinely scare Ashan short of being literally about to die, and even that's just the sort of in-the-moment fear reaction that most anyone would have in response to a near-death experience and not something that looms over him or persists through is life after the immediate danger has passed.

If there's one thing that might be said to be a "fear or phobia" of his though, it's probably the sensation of becoming unable to comprehend or process language to the point where his own thoughts become incoherent. Due to long term usage of a faulty magical translation device as a kid/teen (his mentor's fault) he's now dependent on a better, custom-made magical translation device worn at all times to not have that happen to him. He's tried periodically to take the device off in controlled circumstances to acclimate himself to the sensation and try to train himself to stay calm through it, but it's still stressful and if he ever hypothetically lost it or if it was ever forcefully taken away from him he would not handle it well, and, being a wizard, that would not end well for anyone else in his immediate vicinity either.

Oh, and also the prospect of returning to his parents who believe he died as a child over a decade ago and having them not believe he's who he says he is or what happened to him (got kidnapped, taken to a magical otherworld, and trained to be a wizard), and nothing coming of that failed reunion except causing them more pain by reopening old wounds.

Eris:

Two main fears, one situational, one existential.

Situationally, she's afraid of drowning. It's the closest she's ever come to dying and it's happened to her more than once now. Most of the time, she's still fine with water and swimming but if there are other factors at play to make the circumstance similar enough to what she's been through before (usually dark/murky water potentially hiding something capable of dragging her down or entangling her), then she gets put on edge as she ever is, sometimes even with flashbacks. Eris, being Eris, she usually just tries to push that all aside and power through until her job's done and there's no longer anything that needs her attention/focus, at which time she'll find a safe place to vent/shout/cry in private.

Existentially, she's afraid of changing so that she's no longer herself. Both in the metaphorical sense of compromising on her ideals/identity/values/etc. or conforming too much for roles/expectations/preconceptions placed upon her by others, and in the very literal sense that monster hunters like herself often get so caught up in the hunt that they physically transform into monsters themselves. The former bothered her more in her youth and is part of the reason that she's now estranged from her parents, but these days she's generally confident and proud enough in her identity/sense of self that she doesn't think about it too much (up until mind-affecting magic comes into play). The latter is why she's accepted she's going to die young via constantly throwing herself into dangerous situations; better to die as herself. That in turn is why she's made a point of not getting into any sort of romantic relationship and feels bad about even letting herself get too close to people platonically; she sees getting into a relationship that she knows will end in the other party being left bereaved sooner rather than later as selfish. And when she tried dating a fellow monster hunter with whom she figured it would be less of an issue, they broke up because her partner romanticized the whole idea of "either turn into a monster and be put down by your lover or both of you turn at the same time to remain together in your inhumanity," and that made Eris deeply uncomfortable.

Sullivan:

The fear that the next time Road breaks apart mentally/emotionally, there won't be enough left of them for Sullivan to put back together. That they'll either be reduced to an incognizant empty shell, reform as a blank slate of a new stranger instead of his only friend since childhood, or cease to exist altogether. And he's not sure which of those three possibilities would be the best/worst case scenario.

It's why he's so long taken it upon himself to do all the morally-questionable dirty work to keep Road's conscience clean, why he often reminds Road to take care of themself, why he tells them bedtime stories and then wishes them a dreamless sleep, why he walks on eggshells when talking with them to try to steer conversations away from certain topics, and why he "tests" anyone that starts to get close to them. Better that Road be socially isolated than risk them going through the trauma of losing people again.

But it's also why he agreed to help Road with this new venture of putting a team together. After a lifetime together, he's finally starting to accept that he's the wrong person for the job of keeping his friend's mind safe. Unfortunately, old habits die hard and he still feels responsible for Road being in the state that they are.

Road:

The fear that their playing hero will get innocent people and/or people they care about hurt. It's happened before and even though their memory of it has been wiped, that just means they no longer have the context for why they're so afraid of it happening (again) or why they have terrible nightmares about people they can't remember losing.

It's why they rarely sleep, why they worked solo (sometimes plus Sullivan) for a long time, why even now they're doing a lot of solo side missions between chapters without telling the others, and why they are constantly going to Sullivan after every group mission for validation/reassurance that they're doing the right thing and doing it well.

#so detailed! #so different and yet so relateable #blorbo blursday #thank you for such a wonderful answer!

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@cat-esper 25 years ago when the Chosen One was anointed it was decreed that all magical artifacts and natural powers would be given and channeled into the Chosen One so that she would be powerful enough to defeat the Dark One. After the Last Battle people born with magic decreased drastically (the theory is that the Phoenix was giving lots of people powers before the battle to cast a wide net to stop the Dark One but now that evil has been defeated, people don’t need as much magical power). Still there are instances of people born with magic and magical artifacts continuing to be found that still have to be returned to her. Astrid comes into possession of one of those artifacts on accident so she needs to get rid of it by taking it to the Chosen One. Also a rebellion group is gathering as much magical power as they can to use it to rise up against the Chosen One, and so they’re trying to take it from her too and she’d rather like to not be hunted down. And finally, she doesn’t want power, she’s seen what magical power does, it destroyed her city, killed her parents, and nearly killed her as well, so she’d just as soon be rid of it.

💖[heart] and 🖋[pen] for the ask game?

Thank you so much for the ask, Cat! I would love to answer these questions about Crescent Unbound!

💖 [Heart] What is your favorite moment in this WIP?

That's a very good question, as this is still a very new WIP for me there are a lot of ideas still floating around that I'm not sure will truly make it, but one of the daydreaming scenes I've been working on is after a pretty major event that hurts both Astrid and Elias emotionally, the two of them are able to bond in a way they hadn't before and finally begin their transition from reluctant allies to friends <3

🖋️ [Pen] Describe your WIP in a single, terrible sentence.

Ah yes, I love this question! Let's see here...

A girl with a fancy necklace discovers she's got powers that she needs to get rid of but to do so, she must navigate haunted ruins, a lovesick sidekick, and a suspiciously high number of mystical encounters.

#additional context #and an excuse to talk more about my WIP

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💖[heart] and 🖋[pen] for the ask game?

Thank you so much for the ask, Cat! I would love to answer these questions about Crescent Unbound!

💖 [Heart] What is your favorite moment in this WIP?

That's a very good question, as this is still a very new WIP for me there are a lot of ideas still floating around that I'm not sure will truly make it, but one of the daydreaming scenes I've been working on is after a pretty major event that hurts both Astrid and Elias emotionally, the two of them are able to bond in a way they hadn't before and finally begin their transition from reluctant allies to friends <3

🖋️ [Pen] Describe your WIP in a single, terrible sentence.

Ah yes, I love this question! Let's see here...

A girl with a fancy necklace discovers she's got powers that she needs to get rid of but to do so, she must navigate haunted ruins, a lovesick sidekick, and a suspiciously high number of mystical encounters.

#star answers #wip: crescent unbound #cat-esper #writeblr ask game #random wip ask game #thank you for the ask!

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WIP Update 11.28.23

WIP: Crescent Unbound

Words Written Today: 1008

Words Written Total: 6541

Song: Five4three2one by Layto is the first song on the playlist for our new POV character, Elias. He also struggles with nightmares, like Astrid, and in today's writing, we see that their nightmares are somewhat connected. Both in theme and in...mind. Unlike Astrid though the trauma of the past and reliving his nightmares makes him more fearless than cautious.

Snippet: (under the cut) (a couple snippets since I haven't updated in a while) (like last time, the first excerpt is a dream...or is it?)

The man opened his eyes and she screamed, he regarded her, weakly, with red running down his face from some unseen injury. She stumbled back towards the center but had lost the exact place. Grunting in pain, the man tried to turn and follow her with his dying eyes. “Astrid?” his voice was shocked, quiet, and nearly gone, but shocked all the same. That made things worse, the man knew her! This was feeling all too real and not dreamlike at all. “WAKE UP!” she demanded of herself again. She no longer cared to find out what was on the right. The man used all of his strength to reach towards her, pleading with her to help him, though he could no longer speak. She screamed, pumping into it all of her fear and frustration, not realizing that the horrible alarm sound had stopped, there was no other sound but her screaming.

and from our new POV character, Elias Cunningham

Elias awoke, the familiar fast beats of his heart pumping as the nightmare activated his adrenal glands. So unnecessary, he had always thought, after years and years of the same nightmare night after night, he would have expected his body to stop wasting energy on worrying about it. As the initial annoyance of waking up faded away, he sat up in bed quickly. Something had been different about the dream tonight, he hadn’t been alone. Had that really been Astrid? There was no way, right? He hadn’t seen her in twenty years, and yet he had been so sure it was her. She was older, but who could forget that face? Was it possible that someone had found a way into his nightmares from the real world? Surely not. But why would the structure of the dream change so drastically tonight? He hadn’t thought about the girl from his hometown in decades, what purpose would his subconscious have in bringing her forth?

#writeblr #starscribes #fantasy writing #fantasy #writing update #word count #not counting it as nanowrimo anymore #wip: crescent unbound #oc: astrid vale #oc: elias cunningham

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🎶 [Notes] Do you have any other WIP related things, like moodboards, character portraits, playlists or similar? - for any WIP you want!

-@thethistlegirlwrites

Thank you so much for the ask, Heather!

I'm answering for Crescent Unbound since I'm currently obsessed with it. I'm not much of a moodboard person, but I will have portraits eventually, probably sooner rather than later since I am getting to know the main characters a little better. I do have playlists though for Astrid and Elias (I don't think I've mentioned him yet, he'll be the other main character and POV character for this WIP). I always have playlists for big characters, listening to music really helps me learn more about my characters and helps me get into the right headspace for them. I won't list the whole thing but here is a sample of their playlists!

Astrid - Trapped in a Dream by RudyWade and Overwhelmed (Ryan Mack Remix) by Ryan Mack

Elias - five4three2one by Layto and The Kid I Used to Know by Arrested Youth

#star answers #thethistlegirlwrites #writeblr #wip: crescent unbound #oc: astrid vale #oc: elias cunningham #random wip ask game #writeblr ask game #ask game

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Wow! What an amazing color! I love the idea of visualizing your WIP in a filter, I've never thought about that! It is such a perfect color for the vibes! And omg I love this pen question, what a wonderful summary! Why am I picturing Barrett chillin' in the back with his feet propped up on the seat in front of him? Idk but that's the image that was conjured so

‍🎨 [Palette] If your WIP was a color, which color would it be? and🖋️ [Pen] Describe your WIP in a single, terrible sentence.

from the Random WIP Ask Game!

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🎨 [Palette] If your WIP was a color, which color would it be?

(thanks for asking me this because I have too much fun generating color palettes) This particular shade falls nicely into the general desert setting (this is one of those stories that would have the standard rusty-sepia filter if it was a movie).

🖋️ [Pen] Describe your WIP in a single, terrible sentence.

Driving Route 66 with a vampire criminal in the back seat of a classic Camaro, what could possibly go wrong here?

Thank you for the ask!

#other people's writing #thethistlegirlwrites #random WIP ask game #writeblr ask game

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having talented friends is so wild!!!!!! like. YOU!!!!!!!!!! YOU made THAT. YOU DID THAT?!?!?!?! YOU created!!!! THAT!!!!!!!!!!! WOAH!!!!!! praise!!!!!!!! praise for one thousand years!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

#to all my mutuals #I don't always have the mental energy to reblog or comment but this is what I'm thinking

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