DREAMWORLD

Welcome to the dreamworld of a storyteller.

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🚀 Welcome, Dreamers

I'm Hezi, a young black writer crafting my debut novel, The Arcanum—a sweeping science-fantasy epic of gods, a dying empire, and dark magic. ✨ This is where I'll share my writing journey, exclusive sneak peeks, and behind-the-scenes insights as I bring this world to life.

When you are on this blog, you are interacting with the Dreamernet, the official space for the writer's journey behind The Arcanum: The Dreamer.

🌟 THINGS YOU WILL FIND HERE: ⭐ sneak peeks, lore, and general information about my upcoming debut novel, The Arcanum: The Dreamer.

⭐ my writing / book industry opinions

⭐ F4F and reblogging! Let's support each other!

Follow along for updates, lore drops, and the magic of storytelling.

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Being a writer during the rise of fascism in America once again…

I JUST WANT TO WRITE AND NOT FEAR FOR MY FUTURE

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"what's it like being a writer" um every night I'm tormented by dreams of a fake world with dragons and wizards. so like, I might be crazy idk.

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When will I escape you 🧍‍♂️

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my efforts will not CEASE until I see my name at the top of the new york times best seller list. this will be my life's work. my home. my finish line. my opus. there's nothing that can stop me. it is written

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the way I’d describe writing a first draft to someone is dreaming, but on paper. . . In the sense that nothing is coherent yet everything makes sense to the person creating it

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🌌 DREAMWORLD -- 2025 READING LIST

Curated by the Dreamernet Literary Council and approved by Hezi himself.

"Hello Dreamers/Writers of Tumblr! It's been over a month since I last posted. Today I'm coming to you with my 2025 Reading List Recently I've been doing a lot of research and really progressing my writing journey of The Arcanum: The Dreamer. I'm going to soon begin a series where I document everything that I'm doing and share it with you all. The journey begins tomorrow... Stay tuned!!!" — Hezi, 2025

🧠 CORE TEXTS – The Canon of the Dreamworld Era

These are mandatory reading for any serious Dreamer.

The Arcanum: The Dreamer by Hezi The origin point. The beginning of the new wave. The pioneer of its genre. A beautiful artwork from the mind of a 16-year-old. Coming soon.. “If Dune birthed a galaxy and ASOIAF charted its blood, The Arcanum cracked its core open."

🌑 UNDERRATED: BLEEDING WONDER, ACTION, AND LORE BY BLACK AUTHORS

The Waning by Wunmi Aramiji A wonderfully crafted Afrocentric fantasy novel about five divinely possessed women who rebel against the government. Very reminiscent of Children of Blood & Bone by Tomi Adeyemi.

This Cursed House by Del Sandeen A gothic debut novel set in 1960s NOLA about a woman who's assumed to be a curse-breaker. TBR'd because the expectations the MC is held to reminds me of the expectations that my own MC will be held to in my book.

Skin of the Sea by Natasha Bowen A mermaid takes on the gods. An insanely cool premise, definitely underrated!!

"To be read this summer. There aren't enough black books out there on the shelves! The publishing industry needs to PUSH US MORE!! There are so many good premises that black authors write about. Most are better than the other types of books that are being pushed." — Hezi, 2025.

🌿 DREAMWORLD'S CLASSIC FOUNDATION – The Ancestors

Dune by Frank Herbert Because everything begins in the sand.

A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin Politics, power, prophecy—there is no fantasy without it.

Kindred by Octavia Butler Still unrivaled in its brutal honesty and layered vision of time, race, and identity.

Foundation by Isaac Asimov

The cornerstone of gender-conscious speculative fiction. Everyone quotes it. Most haven’t read it. Fix that.

💾 DREAMWORLD'S UNDISCOVERED LEGENDS – Writers to Watch

Hezi – The Arcanum (coming soon)

Tomi Adeyemi– Children of Blood & Bone series

Tasha Suri – The Jasmine Throne

Hannah Kaner - Godkiller

Rebecca Roanhoarse - Black Sun

Olivia Blake – The Atlas Six

Samantha Shannon - The Priory of the Orange Tree

"I've already read Children of Blood & Bone and Godkiller, but all the others (excluding TA) I've yet to read and will definitely get started on this summer! I'm very excited to read The Priory of the Orange Tree in particular...." — Hezi, 2025.

🪞MIRROR SHELF – Not Necessarily Fiction, But Vital to Dreamworld DNA

The Hero With a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell

Black Skin, White Masks by Frantz Fanon

The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk

The Internet Is Not What You Think It Is by Justin E.H. Smith

Last Note from the Council: This list is living and not complete. As the summer comes and the writing journey of The Arcanum evolves, so too will this reading list "canon". If you've got more books you think I should read, please drop in the comments! And stay tuned for that writing journey : ep 1 coming tomorrow...

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months later... i hated Priory of the Orange Tree AND The Atlas Six. My god... literally stopped within the first two chapters.

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my efforts will not CEASE until I see my name at the top of the new york times best seller list. this will be my life's work. my home. my finish line. my opus. there's nothing that can stop me. it is written

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how i feel after including crumbs of who the mysterious killer is in my epic genre bending novel (you wont see it coming)

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AND JUST LIKE THAT...

ACT I of my DEBUT NOVEL, The Arcanum: The Dreamer, is COMPLETE!!!!!!!! FINALLLY!!!!!!!!!!!! I might actually finish this time???!!

11 chapters that took me 33 days. 33. Now only 34 chapters left until the book is done. Follow my tiktok guyss : cowboyhezii

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fourth wing is no better than zodiac academy

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Writer's Dream #3 — A New Path

JULY 19th, 2025.

Well, well, well... I see you've returned home, faithful one. Welcome. It's been a long time. How are you? Not tired, I hope. We have a lot to discuss. Time is ticking, and you know that the end of the world is coming, so sit up and grab a fork, if you've got one.

Firstly, I'd like to say that drafting and rewriting is a large part of the process, so what I'm saying here today may seem dramatic, but really, it's not. In May 2025, around 80-90k words into my novel, 17 chapters deep, I scrapped 90% of it. I took a good look at what I had written, the plot devices (or lack thereof), and the story ahead and did not like what I saw. I was so (and still am) afraid of writing a bad book that I had unintentionally took plots from other books and mashed them together into a nasty amalgamation of what I had planned in my head. It wasn't terrible, but needed much work, far too much editing that I refused to go back and edit it all, so I scrapped it. I would have had a much better time going back and writing something from my creative heart, which I'm doing. I'm about 20k words in and I lovee the fantasy I've created. I am enjoying building it from the ground up. No idea when i'll be done, but hey! I'm having fun! Most of the quotes I showed you probably won't be included in the final draft. Who knows! I don't even know when im gonna post this

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writing isn’t “fun” it’s manic possession. it’s whispering to walls at 3am because the dialogue won’t leave your brain. it’s carving open your ribcage and asking politely for the words to bleed out. it’s becoming god, then apologizing for what you’ve made. its writing

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me asf

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finally remembered my password 😭😭

guysss it's been so long!!!! I've been writing a LOT and the book actually went through a major restart / rewrite because the plot was just notttt where I needed it to be! I had a vision for this page, but I got very lazy unfortunately. However recently I started a titkok and my last few videos have been mini-hits, so why not pick up the author blog again? It'll be nice idk!! The schedule I posted will NOT be used. I'll just post whatever writing thoughts / ideas I've had. I reallyyyy want to build this page to at least 1k followers and build a little fantasy community!!! plss reblog!!!!!

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Writer's Dream #2 — Midweek Musings & Genre Ghosts

WEDNESDAY. MAY 7th, 2025. (late post. ik)

I didn’t get much writing done today. Nothing new went onto the page, at least. But I did spend time with the story. You ever have those days where you feel the book talking to you even though the cursor stays blinking, empty? That was today.

Today was a very long and interesting day. It's day 2 of 2 of the school week and I already hate it. Instead of drafting, I fell deep into research — not worldbuilding, not lore, not even historical reference points. I was looking for my book's comp. I’ve been thinking a lot about comps for The Arcanum: The Dreamer, and how, exactly, it fits in today’s landscape.

NOW LET'S GET INTO IT...

Lately, I've had Godkiller on my mind. It's a very sharply themed book, written nicely, cool characters and plot, but personally IMO it could go way harder on the religious craziness theme, but I'm still on book one! It blends religion and power and action. It's a fantasy that still feels mythic. That book gives something so good to the reader, I cannot explain it. But it is exactly my type of book. It entertains you so very well. I love it I love it I love it.

That’s the energy I want to give.

HOWEVER, I must add that I do have a serious issue with the current state of Fantasy as a genre. Fantasy, whether it be dark, high, or epic, has been in decline. Not commercially, of course. Fantasy sells millions. But it doesn’t feel like it’s creative anymore. The shelves are full of romantasy now, and there’s nothing wrong with that. People want to escape, to feel swept away by soft enemies and softer kisses. But I miss the books that shook the walls of the world. The ones that made you think and theorize about what's next. It just feels like every fantasy author is writing romance with a fantastical background. It's all just porn now and I sincerely, sincerely hate it with all of my soul. WHY would people run these types of stories up? They're not good! The writing is lackluster and the plots are all the same (like pls wrap up the magical school storyline -- Harry Potter did it ONCE and you can never replicate that). These overused tropes with the independent MC and the morally grey dark-haired man are SO TIRING !!! In fact, it's become so tiring that the original overused tropes (princesses locked away take up their own sword) seem far more interesting and way more original now. That's how bad it is. I'd rather read a story about a Princess who must escape her tower and learn how to fight than read a single chapter of Fourth Wing...

A lot of people may find that opinion bad, but it really doesn't matter. I’m chasing a different star. A lot of real readers have been waiting for a fantasy story as good as GOT or TWoT and I can safely say I am here to deliver.

This story was never meant to follow the trend. It was built for the faithful reader.For the one who wants to go deeper, to lose themselves in prophecy, politics, betrayal, beauty, and something ancient clawing its way back into the light.

Even on days like today I feel closer to that goal.

The Arcanum is slow-burn, high-stakes, far-off fantasy. And I will see it finished. Even if the rest of the world is busy kissing in the rain.

TODAY'S WORD COUNT: 0

💬 Let’s talk: do you enjoy romantasy? What's your opinion on the current state of the book industry? Decline or

🌒 See you Monday for Writer’s Dream #3.

Thank you so much for reading! Apologies for the late post... Tomorrow is our first Canon drop!

– King Hezi

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The High Realms: Where The Arcanum Begins

The High Realms is the galaxy-wide territory where most of The Arcanum takes place. It’s the ruling seat for all known monarchies dynasties that exist within the Known Universe.

There are three Great Dynasties in the Realms, and each controls a highly influential part of the galaxy.

House Barnum

House Caesar

House Lucarion

House Barnum rules the Southern High Realms, known for its rolling green hills, hot weather, ancient traditions, and peace. Their governing planet is Zeltog, home of the Rhashi Eli'hah. Their Monarch is King Kyron. They’re ancient, absurdly rich, and terrifyingly influential. But even they don't understand what’s about to be unleashed. Some believe this House may be the one to birth the Dreamer...

House Caesar rules the Western High Realms, the biggest of them all, known as the Capital of Market, specifically the market of drugs and recreation. Keepers of nearly eighty percent of all known drug stockpile, the empire is built not only on wealth, but on the suggestion of permanence. The governing planet, which is the highest governing planet in all of the Empire, is called Imperion Prime—a reign that has endured for over 90,000 years. House Lucarion does not rule over any specific realm. They are the weakest of the trio, only noted as influential for their deep roots as the richest Slavers in all the Capital. They are popular because it's shocking to the public that they have found a way to enslave people. They are the only monarchy that still does it. They have become subject to many myths and dark legends. Are they in cohorts with demons and darkchildren? Does the Duchess practice dark magicks? Do they use the likeness of Man in their A.I. Machines? Only the gods know.

The Empire does not remember who they conquered. They don’t even know what came before them. What remains of the Old World is hidden, or scrubbed clean by the royal archivists, or burned. No one in the Capital truly knows how the Empire began, only that there were many Crusades and battles against an ancient government that's been long forgotten.

WHEN THE FAITHFUL READER BEGINS,

The galaxy is beginning to fracture. Old prophecies long buried are resurfacing in dreams — dreams that do not belong to the dreamer. And in the deep, quiet corners of space, rumors of a long defeated army of demons arise, making most people ponder the question: Is the end of the world coming?

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Dreamernet Drop #1:

"My father told me once: A House dies long before the walls crumble. It dies when its people believe it’s already lost.” the King said.

𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝟷𝟽 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝙴𝙳𝙶𝙴 𝙾𝙵 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝙺𝙽𝙸𝙵𝙴