about —》 Hi, I'm Light, a 21 year old nonbinary writer (they/them) who's trying to use the new year (2022) to take a more organized and strategized approach to this whole writing thing. And this new blogs my attempts at that. As well as my attempts to get more active in the community here and make some connections with other writers. (I've been over at @childrenoflight-darkness-nothing for about 2 years now; I'm still there but also here.) I've been writing since I was 16, and started with the project that would later find it's way to being current day's Child of Nothing. Most of my works keep the same cast of characters, a kind've multiverse situation.
My current focus is Soulcode, but. I'll probably switch between all of my WIPs—and maybe add a few more along the way—like I always have.
WIPs —》
—》 Soulcode // scifi, rebellion, political power struggles, cyberpunk, lgbtqiaa+, found family, multiple POVs
—》 Child of Nothing // magic, fantasy, large cast, multiple POVs, rebellion, political power struggles, found family, lgbtqiaa+, coming of age, book one in a planned quartet
—》 Ashbourne Hollow // urban fantasy, magical realism, paranormal elements, mystery, lgbtqiaa+, found family, a sprinkle of academia, coming of age, multiple POVs
Tiger’s Eye: What are the tropes of your main cast?
Hawaiian shirt wearing dadfriend. Edgy emo stoner. The boy next store. Loud redhead. Bookish rule abiding nerd. Soft spoken flower child.
Malachite: What do the characters have to lose?
Nothing really, potenitally their lives. Or at least they consider that a possibility. But. It's pretty low stakes. A few nights huddled over books and sketchy looking websites instead of their homework and assignments. But not much else is at risk. Their credibility amongst peers?
This whole entire thing started because of a statue of an angel overlooking a cemetery real close to where I used to live that gave me the creeps. And it's kinda shifted away from that original premise and first short story I wrote. But, I'm hoping to still keep a bit of that original symbolism.
Labradorite: What made you fall in love with your wip? What motivates you to write it?
Sharing the original short story I wrote over on my other blog like. I'd written that piece even a while before I first posted it on tumblr. But it kinda just laid forgotten in my files for a long time. And I don't even remember why I ended up posting it. But I did. And then I started having ideas for what I could really turn that original premise into, and it's massively evolved since then.
For motivation, the desire to have a finished project that I can actually hold in my hands 😅
Amethyst: Who is the Comfort Character™ of your wip
Probably Derek. He's the oldest of the group. And the designated mom friend on account of being the oldest, but also because he's raising his little brother Alec. And technically has custody of Lee, the youngest in the group (needed to get him out of a bad situation and Derek was the only one old enough at the time who could). So he kinda has to be the responsible one. But also he's gentle and caring and a cinnamon roll and hopefully nothing bad happens to him.
Jade: Your favorite relationship between two characters
All of them as a found family but if I had to choose just two of them.... Probably Evan and Lee. They both try and front that theyre these heartless assholes, and the group as a whole sees through thay, but. It's kinda deeper for these two. They really understand each other and look out for each other.
Opal: What motivates your protagonist to complete their goal?
Life and death. Damiens goal is to figure out what really caused their fathers death, and to stop it from happening to anyone else. Their father wasn't the first. But, they're trying to ensure he'll be the last.
paranormal || urban fantasy || lgbtqiaa+ || found family || mystery || coming of age
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after the recent death of their father—and ashbourne hollows chief of police—damien walker enlists their friends to help them investigate parts of his death that aren't adding up. their search for clues leads them to five other mysterious deaths that match. and a plot to have each death swept under the rug. can they connect the clues in time to prevent more murders happening? or will trying put them all at risk of getting involved in something much greater than they could've ever imagined signing up for?
Just revamping and giving some attention to an old WIP concept. 😅 And I always miss your posts unless I specifically go and look to see if you've posted something because tumblr likes to hide your blog away.
🍭 Share a link to one of your recent WIP posts so we can give it some much deserved attention!
Well I'm trying to give Ashbourne Hollow some focus right now, but all I really have for that is the intro post. I did post an excerpt recentally? It's just a rewritten scene for CoN.
🍿 Share an out-of-context line from your WIP
Their eyes stung as they buried their face in her shoulder. They weren’t going to cry. They weren’t. Not again. But despite their best efforts they couldn’t fight the sob that racked through their shoulders as Kennedy tightened her grip and ran a soothing hand across their shoulder blade.
“He always—“ The words were muffled through Kennedy’s shirt but the room heard them all just the same. Damien heard the rest of their friends push out of their chairs and suddenly they were wrapped in a tangle of arms and friends. Even Lee’s perfume hit their nose, and you could rarely get even a fist bump from him.
paranormal || urban fantasy || lgbtqiaa+ || found family || mystery || coming of age
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after the recent death of their father—and ashbourne hollows chief of police—damien walker enlists their friends to help them investigate parts of his death that aren't adding up. their search for clues leads them to five other mysterious deaths that match. and a plot to have each death swept under the rug. can they connect the clues in time to prevent more murders happening? or will trying put them all at risk of getting involved in something much greater than they could've ever imagined signing up for?
synopsis: Deirdre longs for the forests and freedoms of home, and Clarissa has to deny her.
content warnings: homesickness, mentions of an arranged marriage, captivity
word count: 759
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The wind blew wildly through the open hall overlooking a small section of the castle gardens, as Clarissa ducked into a neat curtsy. They frowned a little at the gesture, and the skirts twined around their legs as their gaze went to the ground at Deirdre's feet as she left her room. "Princess…"
They could almost hear Deirdre roll her eyes, and could imagine the slight shake of her head as she held back a chuckle. Claire straightened, and their hands moved to clasp behind their back as Deirdre turned down the hallway. Claire fell into place only two steps behind, the guard assigned to the princess a few feet behind them.
Claire only bristled a little. That had been their place. Their position. And it still was, though in a less official sense. And they took as much pride in it now as they had back in Treagden, but it was different. Claire's attention was devoted just as much to pretending they were a vampent ladies maid, as it was to actually protecting the princess.
They sighed a little, desperate to return to that. Before. Things had been simpler in Treagden.
"Do you have a desire to see the prince today, milady?" they asked with the hope to change their thoughts from home. "To wish your farewells?"
"Do you think we could go riding today?" Deirdre asked instead, turning around to face them. Her expression was light, though Claire knew forcibly so, as she changed the subject.
The prince was a delicate topic, as he was to be her husband. And normally, Claire was eager to avoid it. Though they feared the regents' judgement for Deirdre failing to extend the proper courtesies given the prince's soon departure for the fae forests of Mirrior.
"I do believe," Deirdre continued with an offer of a wistful smile, "the trails would be a wonderful sight as the weather's starting to turn. Of course, nothing like back home I'm certain."
Clarissa frowned. It was a daily request, one they'd come to expect. And one they'd long since come to hate denying.
"Perhaps I could submit a request to join the Regent's hunting party come weeks end?" they offered instead. "I'm sure with Prince Castor soon gone he'd appreciate the company."
Deirdre snorted a little, the faint upturn of her lips warming Clarissa's heart. "I have no wish to feign mediocrity to stroke a man's ego, Regent or no. And poor Castor's efforts of pulling back his own strengths all of this time would decidedly be for naught should I best his uncle."
Claire fought to hide their own smile, their laugh smothered behind a cough. "Perhaps the gardens then?"
"Perhaps," Deirdre agreed, albeit regretfully.
The castle and its surrounding grounds were where Deirdre's freedoms ended. She wasn't a prisoner in Oclia, in the sense that she was free to move about the castle as she wished. But she was in the sense that she was allowed little beyond that. A trip into the city could be arranged, if a carriage and a host of guards could be secured. But she would be watched, even more closely than she was now.
Clarissa knew she longed for more. Longed to escape to the woods on horseback and never look back.
Clarissa's own desires were simple. To grant the princess in their care anything she wished. It pained them more than they'd admit that it was an impossibility. And would be likely to remain so for the rest of their days.
They were bound by Oclian rule as much as she was, as long as they remained by her side. And by her side they'd remain. For as long as she wished for it.
That had been why they'd followed her here. Why when Deirdre had decided to agree to the Regents' terms to marry the Oclian heir, or for Treagden to face war… Clarissa had followed her every step. Had helped her to leave Treagden under the cover of night. Had agreed to remain by her side as a ladies maid, the both of them knowing Deirde'd never be allowed to keep her own guard.
And why they stayed, despite Deirdre's urging that they leave her. That they return home. That her fate was sealed, but theirs need not be.
Their fate was sealed as well, as soon as Deirdre decided to sacrifice the rest of her life for Treagden. Whether she realized that or not.
"The prince leaves tomorrow," they finally said, breaking a long moment of silence. A final reminder.
Thelx (derived from Thelxiepeia of greek myth) is a club in the Over—reachable only via use of The Lift a teleporter used between Earth and the leisure district Over (a station in Earth's orbit that boasts a collection of clubs, bars, shops, and dining)—known for its nightlife, and its attachments to the underground circuit.
The club is currently owned and operated by Jaime Loyd, who has overseen a major shift in the club's clientele and general operations as well as a total rebrand. Thelx gained a reputation as a safe haven despite being heavily regarded as a den for the nefarious, and criminal dealings.
Thelx extends a recurring welcome to new artists, with weekly open mic nights. And the commissioning of the Alliance's newest up and coming performers.
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People of Note -》
-》 Jaime Loyd - Thelx's owner and operator. Ex-Lieutenant Commander in the Edron Syndicate. Bar keep. Musician. The connection between any and all dealings in the Over.
6. Most important physical trait, for whoever you want 😊
Not really important physical trait, but the one that stands out the most would probably be Cyrus' scars, they weave a good deal over his left side. Even coming onto his face a bit, his arm and chest.
9. Do they have supernatural abilities? What’s the stupidest thing they’ve ever done with these abilities?
No supernatural abilities unless you count cybernetic enhancements (jace) or underwater alien breathing (jaime). As for stupid... I don't know they're both pretty level headed. Of course an enhanced Jace has a track record of being a more reckless Jace, if that counts? Less likely to die, ya know.
10. Would they go on long road trips? Who and what would they bring?
Oh definitely, put the whole crew in a beat up minivan or something. Stephan, Jaime, and Evelyne take turns driving. Jace and Tessa are absolutely not allowed behind the wheel at any point. Cyrus is in charge of music, probably using some old mp3 player hooked up with an aux cord. He's the only one that can pull a nice mix of everyones individual specific tastes. Skye organizes the rest breaks; organzing the collection of snacks/meals, bathroom breaks, and getting the gas tank filled up. Cyrus is tossing water bottles at people to make sure they stay hydrated while he's downing redbulls monsters and coffee with no concern for his own health. Jace and Stephan book the hotel rooms whenever they stop for the night, it's always some cheap roadside place and they sneak everyone into one room. Tessa's in charge of navigation. No one has accurately packed what they need for a long trip. It's chaotic but theyre having fun.
Rules: Make a bullet list of things you can find in your wip!
thanks for the tag @emelkae
Going to do a few things for all of my wips, including breaking down events of CoN into it's seperate books. All of this beneath the cut.
Child of Nothing —
Your best friend faked your death and it turns out ey've been working for a group of rebels that are planning to overthrow your family and take over your kingdom
You're actually cool with this and decide to help
It turns out your friend isn't actually dead and your one regret is not telling him youre in love with him so you quit your job and travel across the country to find him
The prince with the reputation for being cold and bastardly is really good with teaching the younger kids how to fight and protect themselves
You've been playing both sides of a war for so long now that you're actually not sure who to trust anymore
Child of Darkness —
Surprise! Your brothers not dead!
Surprise! You've been lied to by everyone including the people you thought you could trust.
The bad guy you thought you were fighting steps aside to reveal a bigger bad guy standing just slightly behind in the shadows.
You went on a quest to break one of your best friends out of prison but it turns out ey already broke emself out and now you're in the imposing fortress surrounded by guards and you have no idea where ey are
The kid with a tragic backstory and no one looking after them gets adopted by the dark brooding asshole
The bodyguards in love with the person theyre supposed to be protecting
The person theyre supposed to be protecting dies
Hey look! You have magic powers you never new about!!
The other kid with a tragic backstory and no one looks after them gets adopted by another dark brooding asshole
Magic scavenger hunt except all of the clues are weirdly realistic dreams
Child of Light —
Your twin sister ran away to become an assassin and avenge your fathers death.
Please un-unalive my parent
The bigger bad guy you were fighting steps aside to reveal and even bigger scarier bad guy standing in the shadows behind him
We thought we were just fighting a war to save people from tyranny and oppression but no actually we've gotta save the world
You got realived and you need to take a few personal days to lose your shit in the woods
Child of Stars —
Diversity win! The magic object of legend you need respects your pronouns and gender!
Diversity lose! The magic object of legend you need respects your pronouns and gender! And you're genderfluid so you can no longer wield it because you were a man but now your not, maybe it'll come back in a bit?
Diversity win! You and your nonbinary friend just feel really really validated.
You can't sacrifice yourself to save the world if I sacrifice myself to save the world first
Soulcode —
Everythings better when the gang gets back together
Local Hot Milf In Your Area knows the information you need to know
Being legally dead is really inconvenient
My soulmates a dick
We just wanted to live our life what do you mean theres a huge conspiracy and awful government we've gotta help take down
Ashbourne Hollow —
Scooby doo but make it queer
Murder mystery
My parents suck and youre one of my slightly older guy best friends so you adopted me so. me and my jokes are your problem now hi mom
Oops I think we accidentally started the apocalypse while investigating your dads death
No one will believe us about the apocalypse
Guess we have to stop it by ourselves
Dark academia.. kinda
Tagging with zero pressure: @january-writing @pen-of-roses @jezifster
