Mythril the Art Bard

Nêxê tênaishtê! (Hello everyone!) Call me Mythril! Here I'll share stories through art and prose Emphasis on original fantasy/scifi worldbuilding, stories, and characters Child of God 🌟 she/her (My general fandom sideblog: @mythrilsdoodles)

[queerofthedagger]

okay let's actually do this properly

Where do you write your fics/stories

Word

Google Docs

Scrivener

LibreOffice

Obsidian/Notion

ProtonDocs

Notes App

Directly into AO3

Ellipsus

Handwriting

Other (explain in tags?)

Voting ended onJul 28

[fella-lovin-fella]

i hate it when people mistake "etymology" with "entomology." like, i know where they coming from but it still bugs me

[oc-extraordinaire]

What vocal range does your OC fall under?

[mythrilpencil]

Jay: mid-upper end of baritone, probably; too low to fully be tenor but can reach part of the tenor range if he tries

Aeza: alto (She’s got a very similar voice to me, an alto irl)

Coda: her speaking default is an auto-tuned child’s soprano, but she can sing in an EXTREMELY wide range due to being, on some level, a voice synthesizing program—she can harmonize with the “frequencies” of people’s souls, which results in her singing various gentle chords in “normal” ranges when using her healing songs and singing horridly clashing chords that can reach a bass/sub-harmonic range when using her harming ones. No one ever expects her to be able to generate sounds like that, but she can

Jet: has lost his voice over time, but he used to have a scratchy almost bass voice

Phaze: deeper alto than Aeza, almost into contralto range, and increasingly auto-tuned-sounding over time

[mythrilpencil]

Did a dramatic eye study thing with the Saffron crew

[oc-extraordinaire]

Tag the OC whom you regret creating.

[mythrilpencil]

First snippet of writing for a new WIP about my Neon Odyssey OCs, the Saffron crew!

Word count: 821

CW: guilt

Fandom: Neon Odyssey (D&D)

Hacked

———

Aeza’s blood ran cold as the decrypted message typed itself across the console’s hologram screen. 

[The program. I know you have it. Bring it to the attached coordinates.

Or will you have yet another’s blood on your hands?

PHAZE]

Aeza could only stare at the tagline.

“Who…” Jay fussed with the console screen, urgently tabbing back and forth through menus as he echoed, “‘The program.’ They know about Coda. Who—how did they find out?”

<Tracker bug?> Jet suggested with a twitch of his antenna. 

Coda’s pale blue hardlight dimmed and gained a tint of a fearful, Somber lavender hue as she looked back and forth between Jay, Jet, and the console. “I can run a scan on the Saffron’s systems—”

“No!” Jay shoved a hand between Coda and the console. “Kid, if there’s a tracker bug, if you connect with the system you might get detected. We can’t risk that.”

“But if they already know about me—”

Jet gently pulled Coda away from the console and stepped around her, propping himself up on his tiptoes to reach buttons on the console. <I got it.>

Aeza’s breath quickened the longer she stared at the message on the screen, now surrounded by other windows as Jay and Jet pulled up status report upon status report of the Saffron’s computer network.

Phaze.

Her breath escaped her with a muttered, “No…”

She knew that name.

She knew that name. 

Jay started to turn around and ask, “Aez, why would the message have come to—”

But Aeza barely heard his voice as she pivoted and ran. 

She all but flew down the stairs from the bridge, dashing through the lobby. Her hand caught the handrail to the main stairs, and her momentum spun her into the stairway. 

A chorus of footsteps behind her rang dully on Aeza’s ears beneath the racing of her own heart and breath. At the base of the stairs she flung herself forward, dashing down the corridor to her quarters.

The automatic doors couldn’t slide open fast enough. She shoved herself through them before they even parted fully. 

There had to be something here. 

Something had been bugged. Aeza threw her covers aside, her drawers open, and all but her most fragile belongings out across the floor. Her more fragile belongings she lifted and inspected more gently but no less frantically before setting them aside as well.

I must have missed something. What could she have bugged?

She threw herself at another set of drawers, holding nothing but a handful of spare pairs of socks and an old photograph she usually kept hidden.

Normally she pulled it out for comfort and nostalgia. Now she frantically turned it over and over. Searched it for anything amiss, anything she must have overlooked that could possibly be a tracker.

Nothing. 

I need to look again.

The doors to her quarters slid open again as she dashed to her closet for another round of searching. 

“Aez! What’re you doing!?” Jay demanded, his pale eyes darting around the rapidly increasing mess of Aeza’s room before fixing on her. 

Aeza ignored him, instead darting again to the desk.

But his firm hands stopped her, grabbing her on the shoulders and spinning her to face him. “Aeza! What’s going on? What’s gotten into you?!”

“I—” Aeza pulled herself out of his grip and turned. Every nerve she had pled at her to search her room again, but she froze when she finally registered the mess. Everything she owned now lay across the cold floor, seeming to join with the industrial walls in mocking her failure. She could only run her hands through her hair and mutter, “It’s all my fault.”

“What?”

“It’s all my fault,” she repeated, voice soft even to her own ears. “I—she found me. She must have. She found Coda because of me.”

Jay frowned and spun Aeza around with a firm but gentle hand to her shoulder again. “What are you talking about? ‘She’ who?”

“Phaze!” Aeza insisted, meeting his eyes before glancing down and finally noticing Jet and Coda standing in the doorway behind him. Guilt shot a dart of frost through her heart as she met Coda’s eyes, still tinted lavender instead of innocent blue. She had to pry her eyes away, else she feel Coda scanning her soul and finding her guilt as she forced out, “I…I know who Phaze is. Or…I used to. I used to know her. But I…I thought she was dead. But now she—she’s found Coda. Because of me.” Her voice weakened as she groaned again, “It’s all my fault. Again.”

“Aez, listen to me,” Jay said, stepping forward to put himself in her field of vision again while Jet waddled into the room and looked around. “I don’t know what you’re on about, but we’ll figure this out, ok? Doesn’t matter whose fault it is; we’re not gonna let her get Coda.”

———

For this week’s prompt courtesy of @flashfictionfridayofficial!

Tagging: @jacqueswriteblrlibrary

[dozydawn]

[otherwindow]

Fantasy setting where dragons love breathing fire in sandy areas to make glass sculptures and crystal architecture.

Dragons illuminating their dark lairs with reflective glass. Sunlit caves, moonlit tunnels, and gentle fire breath guiding sleepy dragons to bed.

[brainstreams]

Underused Ways to Show Two Characters Have History

Everyone writes: “We’ve known each other for years!"

But we can do better than that—let's make things actually interesting.

Here are some quick tips for writing two characters with history (without saying, "we've known each for years"):

• They reach for the same object at the same time without looking

• One of them uses a nickname no one else is allowed to use

• They start arguing mid-conversation like the first half already happened

• They move closer when the other looks uncomfortable

• One of them says, “Don’t start,” before the other has said anything

• They know exactly which buttons to press (and press them immediately)

• They unconsciously drift toward each other in crowded spaces

• They anticipate each other’s reactions before they happen

• One quietly moves something (a drink, weapon, chair) because they know the other will reach for it

• Someone might say something, and the other immediately responds with: “You’re still doing that?”

• They suppress laughter at the same time over something no one else noticed

• One character still treats the other based on who they used to be

• A certain place, smell, or song causes them to exchange a look

• Their arguments sound rehearsed, like they’ve had them before

• They touch each other casually without asking (fixing clothing, nudging, taking something from their hand)

• They stand closer than strangers normally would

• They borrow items from each other

• They bring up something embarrassing from ten years ago

• They sit in silence together and it’s either very comfortable or extremely tense

• One of them automatically orders the other’s drink

• They interrupt each other and still somehow finish the same sentence

• One starts a story and the other finishes it automatically

• They argue about the details of shared memories

• They mention people or events without explaining them

• A simple phrase or nickname triggers an entire inside joke

• They notice tiny things about each other no one else would catch

Real history sounds like unfinished conversations, old habits, and arguments that never really ended. When you show shared history (instead of telling) your characters seem that much more alive and believable.

On a similar note: Not all shared history is comfortable. Sometimes shared history means unresolved tension or an old rivalry:

• They refer to something only as “that” or “before.”

• Someone says “You know why.” without explaining further

• Standing slightly farther apart than expected

• Fingers drumming or fidgeting when they’re forced to talk

• Avoiding eye contact for just a second too long.

• A small disagreement suddenly becomes heated.

• One character reacts sharply to something that shouldn’t matter anymore.

• A casual comment triggers silence or defensiveness.

• One character starts explaining themselves but trails off

• One character makes small, cutting remarks disguised as jokes

• They still know each other’s preferences or weaknesses

• They speak in fragments when the past comes up

• They fall into familiar conversations and then awkwardly break them

If you enjoy digging into character dynamics like this, my printable novel planner has detailed sections for relationships, character arcs, and story structure. It’s perfect for organizing a fanfic or mapping out an entire novel!

⤷ my printable novel planner

[taguroc]

How does your OC handle their emotions? Do they express them freely, or bottle them up?

[mythrilpencil]

Aeza: does her best to control her “volatile” emotions, favoring her more gentle ones, but this definitely veers into bottling up and suppressing the negative ones; she particularly struggles with expressing anger, feeling on some level that she “shouldn’t” ever let herself be angry or else risk going “out of control”, which often results in it turning inwards

Jay: definitely outwardly seems to be the type to express his emotions freely, being as boisterous as he is, but like Aeza he doesn’t feel like he “should” express some of them—mostly his self-doubt and melancholy, which he tries very hard to hide behind a brave face

Jet: is generally very even-keeled, but doesn’t actually have as much of an issue expressing a full range of his emotions; when irritated he snarks, when actually angered—which actually doesn’t happen easily—he goes passive aggressive; if he really needs an outlet he tinkers with specific inventions; it does take a fair amount to bypass his general cynicism to actually surprise him and/or make him feel joy, but when he is touched he does express it, albeit subtly—he’s got a majorly flat resting face

Coda: is still, on some level, learning what it feels like to actually have emotions

Phaze: considers any and all emotions disruptive interferences, but deep down runs on an undercurrent of boiling anger basically constantly nowadays, which explodes when things don’t go her way

[gbsketch]

The skies I would have shared with you.

[mythrilpencil]

Dramatic confrontation between Aeza and Keia, rivals turned nemeses

[mythrilpencil]

Decided to give Aeza a full crew! From left to right:

Nitro, Benthos Boomdoctor Machinist (name subject to change). Crew engineer, mute ball of sass, old friends with Jay

Jayesh “Jay”, Zamani Eternal Juggernaut. Captain of the crew, very boisterous but surprisingly tactical

Aeza Sundream, Solari Godhand Disciple/Stargazer Oracle. Originally hired by Jay to run point on a bounty, ends up becoming something of a second-in-command and team mom

Coda, Isotron Souljammer Icon. Created as a program to somewhat hack the Harmony, gained sentience, and ends up being rescued/adopted by the crew

Individual portraits below the cut:

Plus a full version of Jay’s Eternal form:

[mythrilpencil]

Update: officially settled on Jet for the Benthos, not Nitro. Normally I try to avoid giving characters names that start with the same letter, but nothing else fit him vibe-wise.

Of course, Jet is just his nickname. His real given name is probably along the lines of Erebus, but no one calls him that and probably only Jay knows it, if anyone knows it at all.

[poolsofchrome]

A pulsed message from the equatorial belt

[luna-azzurra]

Random Character Traits!!! Part 8

⟡ Knows exactly what their damage is and has named it and introduced it to people

⟡ Can narrate their own spiral in real time with impressive clinical accuracy

⟡ Says 'this is a me problem' and then continues having the me problem at full volume

⟡ Has identified their patterns, knows when they're in one, and watches it happen anyway

⟡ Describes their own chaotic behavior with the tone of a nature documentary about someone else

⟡ Says 'I know this is irrational' and then presents the irrational thing with full documentation

⟡ Has done enough self-reflection to know they are going to do the exact thing they just analyzed

⟡ Announces their own red flags upfront as a courtesy and an efficiency measure

⟡ Has therapized themselves into understanding the behavior without being able to stop the behavior

⟡ Provides running commentary on their own decision-making in a way that is both useful and unhelpful

⟡ Knows which of their habits are coping mechanisms and uses them anyway with full awareness

⟡ Can explain exactly why they do the thing they do and cannot stop doing the thing they do

⟡ Says 'future me is going to hate this' and does it with eyes open and no hesitation

⟡ Has made peace with their most chaotic trait by giving it a name and some light boundaries

⟡ Diagnoses their own communication style mid-sentence and continues in the same style

⟡ Knows when they are projecting, names the projection, and finishes projecting

⟡ Has awareness of their avoidance patterns precise enough to predict their own behavior in advance

⟡ Catches themselves catastrophizing, acknowledges it out loud, and catastrophizes more efficiently

⟡ Can trace any of their current issues back to a specific formative moment and does so freely

⟡ Says 'I have a type and this is it' while looking at the very type they said they were done with

⟡ Knows the difference between their actual feelings and their performed feelings and shares both

⟡ Has insight into their own behavior that would be impressive if it translated into change

⟡ Is aware they overthink, thinks about how much they overthink, catches it, continues

⟡ Can explain their attachment style, recognize it in action, and proceed at full speed anyway

⟡ Knows their response to stress, predicts it accurately, and produces it on schedule

⟡ Says 'I'm going to regret this' and does the thing with full and informed consent

⟡ Has so much self-knowledge that it functions as entertainment for the people around them

⟡ Understands their own contradictions well enough to explain them and not well enough to resolve them

[ellohcee]

Eye of the cosmos

Print available here

[mythrilpencil]

The antagonist for Aeza and her crew: Keia “Phaze” Kilatoa, Volcar-turning-Terminox Virus Gridrunner/Cacophonous Cryptist