Music for The Silver Chronicles & Life, Despair & Monsters, OC Picrew for Jade Smith & Jasmine Rafiq and an OC Meme Template for the Wings And Horns cast. Plus an Ask Meme. Listen and view below the cut:
Choo Choo Charles Has Gone Off The Rails is the penultimate WIP to the Life, Despair & Monsters series, where the Renegades crack down on the Ruins of the Midnight Rise, taking out Sir Enigma Malvolio's high-ranking associates and rendering his supply of Shiners barren. The Renegades split into two teams; one led by Haoyu and Icarus to go after Frederick Rosemary to avenge Rico, and the other led by Jennifer and Sonya to dispatch Denise Redwood. Haoyu & Icarus' team track down Frederick in another universe on an island where Malvolio "lovingly" raised a demonic-space spider to feed on the residents. Charles is a bit of a problem for the crew, but there's really only one way to one can reasonably deal with this sort of thing: guns. Lots of guns.
"They'll come day and they'll come night
They'll have our children in their sights
But if they don't have faith their eyes are blind
They can scream and they can shout
But they can never smoke us out
Keep your rifle by your side!"
I've stated before how The Silver Chronicles series is ultimately a thematic exploration of cycles of violence and trauma and how those effect a person, so with Call To Arms, it follows the bright and optimistic (and in a way "innocent") Nadi Sinclair as she fights in warfare, the most prominent scenario where exposure to violence is guaranteed, and loses that light she had for the world during those events. Nadi's arc, much like the other protagonists of this series, is to regain something; for Silva it was her hope and faith, just as Ezekiel's was his community and that spark to fight, so for Nadi, it's her joy, that light she lost in the loss of Soap and her teammates. Which, for her character specifically, is something that can only be recovered through a kind of leap of faith with another, I think.
"A warning to the people
The good and the evil
This is war
To the soldier, the civilian
The martyr, the victim
This is war
It's the moment of truth and the moment to lie
The moment to live and the moment to die
The moment to fight, the moment to fight
To fight, to fight, to fight
To the right, to the left
We will fight to the death
To the edge of the Earth
It's a brave new world
From the last to the first
To the right, to the left
We will fight to the death
To the edge of the Earth
It's a brave new world
It's a brave new world
A warning to the prophet
The liar, the honest
This is war
To the leader, the pariah
The victor, the messiah
This is war, yeah
It's the moment of truth and the moment to lie
The moment to live and the moment to die
The moment to fight, the moment to fight
To fight, to fight, to fight
To the right, to the left
We will fight to the death
To the edge of the Earth
It's a brave new world
From the last to the first
To the right, to the left
We will fight to the death
To the edge of the Earth
It's a brave new world
It's a brave new world
I do believe in the light
Raise your hands into the sky
The fight is done, the war is won
Lift your hands towards the sun
Toward the sun ("It's the moment of truth and the moment to lie, the moment to live and the moment to die!")
Toward the sun ("It's the moment of truth and the moment to lie, the moment to live and the moment to die!")
Toward the sun ("It's the moment to fight, the moment to fight!")
The war is won!" ("To fight, to fight, to fight!")
And lastly is the main song for my We Happy Few WIP called Ain't It A Joy?, the origin for my Chosen Extraordinaire OC Alexander Khaos, Jacob's unofficial second-in-command in Silva's Hope. The setting of Ain't It A Joy? is a modern version of Wellington Wells, still trapped in its 1940s aesthetics as a mass cult that continues to live in denial of the history that occurred during World War 2, while being preyed upon by a pharmacy juggernaut company known as Klaus Pharmaceuticals, owned by Crawford Klaus as he sends in his own experimental drugs to be tested on the denizens while acquiring his own samples of Joy to profit off of. Alexander was merely a working man in Wellington Wells trying to provide for his parents and extended family as the only son with the capability of doing so. One day while taking his prescription of Joy, the effects wear off and he begins to see past the illusion of his very city. He aims to escape the cult, even if he has to leave behind everyone he knew, and reject his very personhood in the process.
"Lovely day for it, how do you do?
And we just had to pay for it out of the truth
But who can remember? So who'd really care?
Exactly how all of the bodies got there
With a hope and a skip and the pop of a pill
We will all be forgiven for all that we've killed
And we've never been happier ("But we've never been happier!")
No, we'll never be happier ("No, we'll never be happier!")
A brilliant day is dawning
A million smiles are forming
Our shimmering isles are all enthralled
No, there's nothing like conforming
Perish the thought of mourning
Did you ignore the warnings?
All negative thoughts abhorred
My Lord! Did you take your Joy this morning?
Ask anybody in Wellington Wells
They'll tell you it's terribly swell
Delirious denizens dwell where there's nary a speck between heaven and hell
They say that the empire fell
Oh, but you never could tell!
You say you remember it well?
You'd better forget it or else!
Why try to better yourself?
Reach for the medical shelf
Just take your medicine, death and the pestilence melt into pleasant locales
Another rebellion quelled
Dust off your suspenders and belts
It's horrendous to dwell, so remember how splendid it felt to surrender yourself
The roses we grow have a terrible smell
It's a Joy
It's a Joy ("It's a Joy!")
It's a Joy ("It's a Joy!")
To be among we happy few
It's a Joy
It's a Joy ("It's a Joy!")
It's a Joy!" ("It's a Joy!")
"Well, well, welcome to Wellington Wells!
Hear the tintinnabulations of the resonant bells
As every resident tells you when they gush about our little town
No need to rush, hush, you're welcome to settle down!
Better not let me down
You're not a Downer, are you?
Get off the bench and quell that frown right now, Keanu!
Try not to make a scene, let's keep this place serene
Unless you want a cricket bat print in the place your face had been!
Don't be concerned, that was just a little bitter lyric
The world in which you live is every little bit idyllic
Because if we even sniff discontent. we're quick to kill it
Ahem, please forgive my sense of humor, I'm a wit; satiric
They call me Uncle Jack, I'm bringing jungle back
Dropping silver tongue twisting numbers on your mumble rap
Now be my guest and enjoy your day
And don't forget to keep ingesting your Joy all day!"
"Not a frown to be found in our heaven of gloom
It's astounding what our medication can do
As our town's burning down in a rainbow of hues
Even the sky wouldn't dare to be blue
It's a Joy ("It's a Joy!")
It's a Joy ("It's a Joy!")
It's a Joy ("It's a Joy!")
To be among we happy few
It's a Joy
It's a Joy ("It's a Joy!")
It's a Joy!" ("It's a Joy!")
"I've found a Downer!"
"Hunt him down!"
"Surround the bounder!"
"Drown him!"
"Ground him into powder!"
"Then head down to the ground for a round of rounders!" ("Hooray!")
"If you're caught in a rotten, improper mood
We'll stop at nothing to swaddle and coddle you
Throttle and bottle you, Bobby will cudgel you
Into the pond 'til your body is otter food
Quarter you, jauntily torture you
Until you've thought all the thoughts that we order you
Sporting a jollier point of view
If you're not enjoying it, what is the point of you?"
"We've just the thing to stop the rabble, it's
Grin, pop some tablets
No matter what the matter is
Sins forgot, fabulous
Cast off with the ardent misfits
Lamenting the garden districts
So throw your doses in the bin
History's made by those who grin
The fact is you can't react not knowing what REDACTED
No need to grieve if you can't see diseases we've REDACTED
Happiness and truth, we simply view them through a lens, REDACTED
Life's a breeze when you can leave uneasy deeds REDACTED
("I'm happy!")
("I'm happy!")
("I'm happy!")
It's a Joy
It's a Joy
It's a Joy
To be among we happy few
It's a Joy
It's a Joy
It's a Joy
It's a Joy
It's a Joy
It's a Joy
To be among we happy few
It's a Joy ("It's a Joy!)
It's a Joy ("It's a Joy!")
And we've never been happier
No, we've never been happier!"
Here is an OC Picrew for the main protagonist pair (and the main couple) for my original WIP trilogy An Old Ballad of Chance and Ember Hearts:
Jade Smith [Wings And Horns & An Old Ballad of Chance and Ember Hearts Trilogy] | Jasmine Rafiq [Wings And Horns & An Old Ballad of Chance and Ember Hearts Trilogy]
An OC Meme Template for the Wings And Horns cast:
From left to right, top to bottom:
Jezebel Ba'al [Wings And Horns] | Xiang Ba'al [Wings And Horns] | Jade Smith [Wings And Horns & An Old Ballad of Chance and Ember Hearts Trilogy] | Cadet Azriel [Wings And Horns] | Archangel Metatron [Wings And Horns] | Jasmine Rafiq [Wings And Horns & An Old Ballad of Chance and Ember Hearts Trilogy]
Blank Template below:
And here are my answers to this ask meme:
1) A television series I recently enjoyed is...
I finished The Amazing Digital Circus fairly recently. I enjoyed the finale a lot!
2) A meal or food that brings me the most comfort is...
Fried rice.
3) 1 - 3 songs I've had on repeat lately are...
"Anthems For A Seventeen Year-Old Girl" by yeule, "Kingdom Fall" by Claire Wyndham & AG and "Drag Path" by twenty one pilots.
4) My favorite go-to hobbies or pastimes are...
Writing, drawing, playing videogames, reading and more.
5) The pets I have at home (if applicable) are...
My cat.
6) The app on my phone with the most screentime is...
YouTube.
7) Something that always gives me heavy nostalgia is...
There's a pleasant smell and sensation of certain wood that always reminds me of my grandmother's home.
8) The earliest fandom I can remember joining was...
Transformers, but for online presence, it was Jurassic World.
9) My zodiac sign is...
Leo.
10) The last book I finished reading was...
I haven't finished reading any books, but I am currently reading Elden Ring: Road to the Erdtree.
11) My Chinese zodiac animal is a...
Rooster.
12) My opinions on ghosts & hauntings are...
Apathetic and ambivalent.
13) A few of my all-time favorite films are...
This is a bit hard but Iron Lung (2026) is my most recent.
14) If I could cast an actor to play myself, it would be...
I'd prefer no one play me if I'm being honest.
15) I'm currently obsessed with...
The Soulsborne franchise refuses to leave me. Resurgence into the House of the Dragon since season 3 came back.
Tagged by @tommyarashikage @imogenkol @jacobseed @d-esmond @leviiackrman @simonxriley @inafieldofdaisies @josephslittledeputy @silkcrowsocs to make some cuties in this picrew đ€
Picrew Tag | x | Tagged by @simonxriley @d-esmond @lilywatt @imogenkol and @captastra
Tagging, @socially-awkward-skeleton @derelictheretic @cassiemuldon @strafethesesinners @strangefable @voidika @josephslittledeputy @trench-rot @purplehairsecretlair @killyourrdarlingss @shellibisshe @aceghosts @la-grosse-patate @katsigian @dumbassdep @carlosoliveiraa @josephseedismyfather @direwombat @wrathfulrook @cheshire-cat-talks @quantum-lovers @captastra @wyllravengards and anyone that would like to do the tag <3
I think you've answered a little something for every wip already, so do you maybe have a funny or intense quote from any of the wips you'd like to share? đ
oh this is a fun idea. kind of riffing off of it, so here are some (shorter) snippets from each wip with at least one line/detail i'm particularly fond of, so here's a little assortment of prose entirely without context. enjoy!
chapter 8 (katc)
Sybille stares at the clothes for a long moment before holding them to her chest and picking up the boots. "Thanks," she grunts and heads off to find an empty storage closet to change. The clothes fit well enough, which is all she needs them to do, but she tries not to think about how the inside of her new boots are still warm when she slips them on.
chapter 4: so what's your damage? (the damaged)
Ain't nobody do this shit for free, [Sybille had] told [Jacob]. Y'all'ways expectin' shit in return.
She frowns and watches him stalk back towards the truck. She knows she's still alive because he wants something from her; she ain't a damn fool. Men like himâmen like her Daddyâusually want one of two things from a woman: a breast to cry on or a hole to fuck. Sometimes both. She's inclined to give him neither, but him being a cannibal and serial killer burdens her with incentive to cooperate.
He's a man, after all. Her survival hinges on keeping him satisfied.
act II: incubation (the horror & the wild)
âYou got a dog?â [Jacob] asks.Â
The Deputy stiffens. âWhat?â
He nods at her basket, at the butcher paper wrapped parcels, and the ones reading offal in thick black sharpie. âLotta organ meat in there. Nutrient richâŠGood for dogs.âÂ
âUmâŠyeah.â She shifts uncomfortably. âI like to keep her on aâuhânatural diet.â
jakesybeli threesome
"Y'know," she murmurs, snuggling down between them. "You boys play nice n' I might just let you do that to me again."
the one where johanna is obsessed with her "sitcoms" (dragon age)
"Look on the bright side," Rook says. "'Least it was your skull that survived. Imagine if you'd just been a kneecap or finger bone. Woulda been much less threatening."
[Johanna] can't deny it, that would be embarrassing.
post fort drakon rescue aethelsten (dragon age)
"You once asked me what kadan meant."
"Yes, I did. I also recall you refusing to answer me."
"It means, where the heart lies," [Sten] rumbles, and places his hand over hers, holding it to his chest. His heart beats steadily beneath her palm, the heat spreading up her arm and flushing her cheeks.
project feather & fang (og work)
(ok giving some context for this one: caedra (MFC) earns the moniker/pet-name "raven" from hakon's (MMC) warriors, and this is what he tells her towards the end of book 1, after he frees her from being his thrall)
"I would not be so foolish as to think I could keep a raven caged. However, I would be honored for this place to be the bough on which you chose to roost, even if for a season."
may i get long live the dead & brood of the dragon đ
thank you for asking about both (especially the second one) đ𧥠also tagging @finding-comfort-in-rain and @weltsarchives who asked about LLTD too, thank you <3
starting with the first one Long Live the Dead, it is as the title might suggest, a story set during a zombie apocalypse, because lowkey I'm a sucker for those and wow who would've thought it's hard to find good post-apocalyptic books. my story follows different little groups of people trying to survive. it's very simple like that haha
here's a little snippet of a scene I wrote. very rough and unedited, very much first draft quality.
When they entered the bus it was as if theyâd entered a different world. The atmosphere changed â what was once a feeling of utter terror and desperation now instantly turned into relief.
Eva was the first one to step inside. She walked past other survivors sitting in the front seats to the very end of the bus, all while never letting go of Adamâs hand. It was a weak grip, but their fingers stayed intertwined, nonetheless. Not even a second apocalypse could bring her to let the boy go again.
She and the rest of the group each found their places as the bus was already on its way. And for the first time in days, no one said a word. They were allowed to just sit and breathe, to forget all the terrible things happening in the outside world just for a moment.
The comfort of sitting down made Eva realize how much her body hurt and how easy it would be to pass out right then and there. Her eyes felt heavy, and her breathing slowed until she dropped her head to the side, leaning it on Adamâs shoulder. It didnât take long for him to do the same, resting his head on hers.
During the whole drive, their hands never let go off each other. Adam held the girlâs hands in his, drawing soft circles on the back. The sight of the city was haunting. Not a single soul in sight. What remained was death, in more than one way. Mutilated remains and the undead that were feasting on them, alongside those that were looking for their next prey to sink their teeth into. It was terrible to see how quickly it spread. How far has it come?
The bus came to a sudden stop, waking everyone out of their numbed state. The others sitting behind Eva drew closer, stretching their necks and leaning over the seats to get a better look at whatâs happening outside.
âWhatâs going on?â, asked Ethan quietly.
âThere are people outsideâ, Scott responded.
âLiving people?â
âYes, of course living people. Do you think weâd stop for the dead, idiot?â
In that moment, said soldiers entered the bus. They were dressed in fully black gear instead of the typical camouflage, including helmets. Only the eyes were visible.
âYouâre entering quarantine zone. You have nothing to worry about, this is simply [for security control]. All weâre going to do is check your temperature and then you can keep going to the safe zoneâ, one of the soldiers said.
Evaâs heart started to pound in her chest. While she hadnât paid attention to Adamâs body temperature thus far, it still made her extremely anxious. His hands didnât feel cold, especially not as cold as a dead body. That didnât stop her breathing from quickening. Only when the boy next to her squeezed her hands firmly did she take a deep breath to calm down again. She didnât dare look at him or else sheâd let the soldiers know thereâs something wrong.
One of the soldiers walked straight to the back of the vehicle and started checking everyoneâs temperature while his colleague did the same in the front rows. After what felt like hours but was closer to a few seconds, the soldier stood before Adam, holding a device to his forehead.
When it beeped â most likely showing the result â the man took a quick look at it. Unlike before, he didnât keep going. He just stood there, not moving a muscle. Then, his view jumped to Adam for a split second before the soldier removed the device and looked at the result once again. It didnât take long for him to spot the obvious bloodied sleeve on the white jacket.
now, onto the second one. the title is final at all, but I can't think of anything else at the moment đ it's my high fantasy story where dragons play a very central role. your typical 'heroine saves the world' story but it's very dear to me as I've been working on it for over 10 years by now. I wrote a couple chapters already but they're also due for a rewrite because plot and some lore keeps changing :')
again, very rough first draft but have a snippet (one of my favourites to write so far for this)
Nine wasnât exactly strutting but at least he moved closer to the cave entry. If she was lucky, he didnât need to walk too far inside. He surely wouldnât be quiet enough.
Lightning illuminated the pit for a split second, and Nine froze at the spot. The light revealed a giant dragon head laying at the very entrance into the mountains. Zhaibas.
Shaya could feel Thorn going rigid at the sight, taking the smallest step backwards.
She didnât expect the dragon to be this close. Zhaibas usually rested far deeper inside the cave. The reverberating thunder brought instant clarity. The hunter had never been up here during a storm before. As an Electric Dragon, Zhaibas must have felt most comfortable being outside during thunderstorms.
Then, Shaya could take the risk and try to wake the dragon. She inhaled, ready to scream, but Thorn clasped both his hands over her mouth, and pulled her flush against him. She protested, trying to writhe herself free, trying to scream but her voice was completely muffled.
Zhaibas didnât move, every new lighting revealing her sleeping form again. Her head rested on her front feet. The tips of her horns also came into view, as they curved inwards, pointing at the snout.
Thorn and Crook exchanged glances, then started to slowly move backwards.
âWhat do we do?â Nine breathed out. Even though it was hushed, his tone sounded hysterical. When no one answered, he whisper-called Thornâs name.
âJust get back here, for fuckâs sake. And be quiet.â
Nine did as he was told. Slowly. Without taking his eyes off of the caveâs opening. If only he had.
He tripped, the stone underneath his foot cracking. The noise echoed through the pit.
Zhaibasâ eyes snapped open, their yellow colour glowing in the dark. What she saw was enough to get her moving, albeit slowly. She lifted her head, growling deep in her throat while doing so, and exited the cave. Far surpassing the height of the entrance, she kept her wings tucked at her sides, though with her size of about nine metres tall, her yellow scaled body scraped at the stone walls regardless.
