RayeWrites

Just a place to share my writing. My current WIP is has the working title The Beast of Kilbán. Please be kind

[rayewritesfantasy]

Writeblr Introduction

Hi, I'm Rachel, but you can call me Raye if you like. I'm in my 20s and from Northern Ireland.

I have been writing since I was 11 and making up stories for myself since before I can remember. My favourite thing to do when writing is to take some obscure creatures and play around with them. You might find such things as cu sidhe, ifrits and selkies here.

I love to write all kinds of things although they usually fall under the umbrella of fantasy.

I have quite a few different characters and WIPs but my current one is:

The Beast of Kilbán: Fae-Blood witch Elsie McGuire returns to her childhood home in Northern Ireland to reconnect with her estranged brother and defeat an old enemy who threatens the very fabric of reality. Features: Witchcraft; Wereeolves; The Fae; An Evil Organisation

Almost all of my stories are inspired in some way by the folklore and faerie stories of Northern Ireland where I live as well as the landscape I see every day. I oftentimes find myself writing little indulgent snippets involving my characters that might or might not tie in later.

I also have a blog of general nonsense at @rayesworld which I am fairly active on.

Feel free to ask me anything you would like to know about, so long as it's not rude.

[lgbtunis-moved]

Hey I’d really appreciate it if goyim and even ashkenazi Jews would read and rb this

[cloakedpress]

how to write characters that feel like real people and not NPCs in your brain

You ever read a book and think “this character would survive maybe five minutes in a real conversation”? Yeah. Let’s avoid that. Here’s how to make your fictional friends feel real:

everyone wants something

Even if it’s small. Even if it’s stupid. Every character—from your MC to the one-line barista—should want something. A promotion. Revenge. A nap. World domination. That want shapes how they act.

give them contradictions

Humans are messy. Let your characters be brave and terrified, kind but petty, loyal but deeply in denial. That tension? That’s where the magic lives.

let them make bad choices

If your character is right all the time, they’re either boring or a liar. People mess up. Let your character mess up in ways that feel true to them, not just to move the plot.

interior life > cool dialogue

Quippy one-liners are fun, but what’s going on underneath? What are they afraid to say out loud? What thoughts would they take to the grave? That’s what makes a character feel alive.

how do they show emotion?

Not everyone cries when sad. Some get mean. Some go quiet. Some rearrange their bookshelves obsessively. Find their emotional language.

backstory = spice, not soup

You don’t need a 12-page trauma dump to make a character real. Drip in bits of their past when it matters. Let it shape them quietly.

voice matters

Everyone shouldn’t sound like you. Think about how your character talks. What words do they overuse? Do they ramble? Are they blunt? What don’t they say?

tl;dr: believable characters aren’t perfect—they’re specific. They’ve got fears, flaws, favorite snacks, weird opinions, and conflicting goals. Make them messy. Make them human.

[phantomkinoc13]

Some Anti-AI banners i made, anyone is free to use them, no credit necessary. Light mode and Dark mode versions.

Art and writing and people’s rights need to be protected, and AI has been used already to steal, plagiarize, and be used to threaten people using deepfakes.

As an artist and a writer, it’s an insult to my craft to see AI “works” along side mine.

Like i said, anyone is welcome to save/put these banners on their blog, or on posts, please just reblog this if you do.

[bunnyswritings]

Saying "I love you" without saying "I love you" — some ways your otp can silently express affection

Forehead kisses, and smiling through the kiss

Resting their forehead on the other’s after a kiss

Tucking strands of loose hair behind their ears, with a thumb caressing their cheek

Interlacing their fingers with the other’s when they least expect it

Sleepy back hugs when the other person is busy whipping up breakfast in the kitchen, catching them by surprise

Just doing their own things in the same space; being so comfortable around the other even in their pyjamas

Holding both their hands while holding their gaze gently, just before leaning in for a kiss

Switching positions with the other when walking down a busy sidewalk because your feel the need to keep the other safe

Being playfully clingy in the mornings when one has an off day and the other has to rush to work

Getting them something from the store when they only mentioned it in passing

When one is overseas for a work trip and everything they see reminds them of the other person (bonus: whenever it happens, they take a picture and drop the other person a text.)

Squeezing their hand reassuringly and holding their hand throughout an intense social situation (eg. a large school reunion which the more introverted person is dreading)

Kissing away their tears

^ and letting the other cry on their shoulder even when their t-shirt gets soaked from their tears

Meeting them where they are, mentally and emotionally; never forcing them to do anything they aren’t comfortable with

Wholeheartedly supporting their dreams, and putting that into action by making concrete plans for it to happen

Dropping the other person an encouraging text before an important interview/event

Surprising the other with flowers just because; no occasion and no reason needed

Picking the other person up from work when it’s getting late, and walking them right to their doorstep after

Good morning and goodnight texts

Making the other person a Spotify playlist with songs that remind them of their relationship and growth

Remembering the littlest of things — activities they like and dislike, favourite brands of stationery, go-to ice cream flavour, choice of popcorn

Writing little notes on post-its and leaving them in random pages of their textbook, so that they will get a little endorphin boost when studying

[zooophagous]

I didn't ask if it made sense to keep going. I said I'm going to kick your twisted evil ass.

[a-book-of-creatures]

They do this every night.

[catiandchocolate]

What people expect when I say I’m a writer: writing a whole novel

What I actually do: get into a fandom or come up with an original idea, go to sleep every night thinking of the story, make imaginary scenarios and Pinterest boards, make Spotify playlists, and finally sit down to write it out 2 months later only to get another idea and abandon the story. Repeat the cycle.

[wittywords]

𝐂𝐥𝐞𝐩𝐬𝐲𝐝𝐫𝐚

An instrument used by the ancients to measure time by the discharge of water; a water-clock.

[rayewritesfantasy]

The opening to my current WIP, which has the working title: The Beast of Kilbán

Prologue

I was fifteen when the Beast of Kilbán came for me.

I remember only snippets of the attack itself. The front wheel of my bike, spinning in the air as I hit the ground, rolling down the slope by the road.

A huge grey shape, shaggy with yellow eyes, lunging from the undergrowth.

Blinding pain as sharp fangs dug into the meat of my thigh, shaking and dragging.

The open mouth of the fairy fort, like the gate of Hades waiting to swallow me.

Squinting in the gloom at a cave painting. Wondering dimly if historians know it’s here.

Another figure, black and grey coloured and snarling. Circling the grey one with its paws over my prone body.

A bellow. Rage, red hot tearing from a voice box.

My brother’s cropped dark hair, growing and covering his broad back.

The smell of blood.

Strong arms, a soothing voice.

“Hush, macushla. You’re safe.” spoken in a woman’s voice. A voice I knew, but to this day cannot place.

My father’s pale face, clutching my hand in the hospital. Turned red and blotchy when an old woman, grandmother, arrived.

His defeated sag into the hospital chair when she said something I was too medicated to make out.

His thick thumb stroking my daintier hand, he always told me I had my mother’s hands, and whispering, “Don’t worry, blackbird. It won’t be for long.”

A nurse, frowning but gentle as she pressed something else into my IV catheter.

And then, nothing else until I awoke, days later in a strange place.

A place that I’ve lived for eleven years.

[midnight-clock]

They're always messing around

[lilydrafts]

We are writers my love. We don't cry. We bleed on paper.

[the-golden-comet]

It has come to my attention that there are blogs on Tumblr that are actively impersonating other writeblrs to launch smear campaigns against, and to harass the individuals. This behavior should not be tolerated. Block and report.—don’t give them any attention, as that is what they’re going after.

This is my PSA that I only have one main blog: this one. I have a few side blogs for any announcements about the status of this current one: @goldencometpsa and an old blog with my former URL, listed on my AO3 account. Use this blog, the PSA side blog, the AO3 profile, and my listed socials to see where I’m at on social media so you don’t get scammed by bad actors. If you see any other blog with a different URL linking back to this one, and/or one that is trying to extort you for money by linking a false PayPal or Patreon account, it is a fake and you should block and report it.

Please reblog this to spread awareness and to protect others in the community. If you see this harassment occurring, give support to the person who is being harassed. Don’t engage with the troll. Block and report.

[ava-morgannn]

Do I name characters based on that one girl that gave me a dirty look ONCE in the halls and then kill them brutally? yes. Do I name them after my middle school enemy who I haven't seen in a decade and kill the brutally? yes again. Do I find it therapeutic? you guessed it, YEP.

Am I a psycho for it? Probably. I plead guilty, your honor.

[jandjsalmon]

Fun Story to Share.

I got my (now 18-year-old) daughter into Ao3 back in 2021. I taught her she should always comment - even if the fic looks old or abandoned or whatever. She did.

Well - she got this email this morning:

The fic was written in 2014 and essentially abandoned.

Bethy read and reviewed in 2021 (and was actually the only person who had commented at all).

Today in 2025 - the final chapter was posted by the author and this was her reply to Bethy’s comment.

———

Never question whether a fic is too old to comment on.

[jandjsalmon]

Fun Story to Share.

I got my (now 18-year-old) daughter into Ao3 back in 2021. I taught her she should always comment - even if the fic looks old or abandoned or whatever. She did.

Well - she got this email this morning:

The fic was written in 2014 and essentially abandoned.

Bethy read and reviewed in 2021 (and was actually the only person who had commented at all).

Today in 2025 - the final chapter was posted by the author and this was her reply to Bethy’s comment.

———

Never question whether a fic is too old to comment on.

[tenderwatches]

sometimes you need dialogue tags and don't want to use the same four

[hotpinkmurex]

Ruminate. I like that.

[crimson-chains]

Worked on this guy on stream and had a blast! :D Such a fun concept to work with ^^