Little Horns & Other Stories

Sender (סענדער) — 33, they/them. Artist/writer. Background banner/icon by Ollie (@songsofsomnia).

[sender-paulson]

Handcrafted "Art", "Writing" & Misc — By Sender Paulson

I'm not new to Tumblr by any means, but I've never properly introduced myself either, so...

TL;DR: c'mon down we got

Gay demon polyamory! Ghost hunter becomes the ghost hunted! Alternate history superheroes! Nostalgia will kill you! Dragon slaying! Emotional monster hunting! And more!

About

I am Old™ (b. December 1992)

My first (now deactivated) account was made 1 December 2013, so I've been here a while

I am many things, including nonbinary, queer, and Jewish

I am a big damn music geek, mostly into indie and alternative but open to pretty much any genre

I collect coins, books, pens, and the occasional booster of MTG cards

I have been drawing since 2009-2012 then 2014 onwards, and writing since 2013

What Do I Write?

Whatever comes to mind, mostly. I admire fanfiction but never feel like I can do established characters properly, so I stick to original work. I tend to gravitate towards horror, but also romance, fantasy, and even occasionally sci-fi, all with varying themes of Love. I also occasionally make very indulgent and very not-straight smut but I'm not gonna promote that much for obvious reasons.

Works In Progress

Little Horns (COMPLETE AT LAST!)

Amartia, an ex-princess of the Underworld, is summoned to the human world by mistake in her demonic father's place. Finally free from the expectations of the Infernal Court for the first time, Amartia— now Chris Ellison— lives as a human boy under the protection of an ex-Knight of Hell and a half-human magician. But how long can Chris' secret remain, especially when the stresses of teenage life bring out the devil in him? And can he ever find the courage to tell that cute boy how he really feels? Or is everything around him going to go straight to hell?

Characters: Chris Ellison/Amartia, Daniel Li, Delia Rowland, Kai McBride, Rose Rowland, Elle Reine, Tate Thorne, Tessa Thorne, Nathan Whitehurst, Beatrice McBride

Limbo (rewriting COMPLETE AT LAST)

Some say Hawthorn Hills is a ghost town because it's not always there. Legend says that the little island town that once was appears with the fog and disappears with the tide. A ghost story, some say. Or a tourism scam. Journalism student and amateur ghost hunter Jack Tailor says different. He and his makeshift crew plan to either prove the town and its ghosts are real or disprove the stories surrounding it. He plans to unravel the mysteries of Hawthorn Hills or die trying. In a place where the dead outnumber the living, he might not have to choose...

Characters: JK "Jack" Tailor, Luis Cortès Zayas, Heather Song, Evander Alder-Pitt, Lindsay Lovelace, Devon Dearing, Dr. A.G. Lychton, Edward "Zero" McGraw

Starbright (drafting)

When the Invasion of the Nibirians was stopped and the World War was won in humanity's favour, fifteen-year-old V lost her best friend, most of her right arm, and her superpowers in that order. Now, thirteen years later, V must find a way to stop a new threat as it emerges in the form of a familiar face. But what is V without her powers? Or her friends now that they all have their own lives to live? Can she save the world again or will she let it all slip from her reach like the friends she couldn't save?

Characters: V/"Darkstar", Ruby/"Redstar", Hunter/"Greenstar", Skye/"Bluestar", Sol/"Goldstar", Opal, Prince Liore, King Vanta

The Dollmaker's Daughter (in progress) ★

Once upon a time, Willow dreamt a wonderful little world to escape from a not-so-wonderful life. As she grew up, she visited her dream world less and less. Now, as an adult with a career as a best-selling horror author, she hardly ever dreams at all. She simply doesn't need the dreams anymore. But what about the dreams needing her as a new nightmare starts to surface? What about the imaginary friends she made up and left behind? What about the dreams becoming just a little too real? What do you do when your childhood comes back to haunt you?

Characters: Willow McBride, Gabriel, The Nightmare King, The Candyman, The Woodwitch, Nybbas, Juni Jubilee, Dr. Layman, Montgomery "Monty" P. Rabbit

M.A.N.A. (Magi Animæ Natura Artis) (drafting)

A dragon-mounted attack leaves the palace in ruins, the king and his men broken, and the youngest princess stolen away to the Northern Wastes. With only the Third Prince Nichael to uphold his family's honour, a desperate plea is sent across the land: WHO WILL SAVE THE PRINCESS AND RESTORE THE KINGDOM? A hopeless half-giantess knight in training? A halfling bard with no home and no name? A pirate queen with much more gold than sense or patience? Can these misfits carry the hopes and prayers of the kingdom? Or have the dragons won their war against the crown already?

Characters: Malin Stutturson, Prince Nichael The Third, Hobart Oddbody, Captain Kesef Kinz, Ophania, Hiraetha Havenfell, Mirantha Macebeard, Cleasaí, Nura and Gofrith, Princess Saraya the Fourth

Sunshine (?)

At graduation, six friends made a promise: to meet again every year that they could to catch up, reconnect, and stay in touch. Twenty years later, they realize that this year's trip is the last time all six of them will meet. So the time has come for one last cryptid hunt in the old woods just outside their hometown. And this time, it'll be worth it. This time will be different. Everyone knows it.

What would you give to feel young again? And what would you do if you knew it was only going to be one more day?

Characters: TBD

Faded Marks (plotting)

The world was supposed to end with a bang, yet it continues on with a whimper. The angel who averted the end of days falls from grace as a demon rises after being left for dead.

Divine and infernal paths cross and intertwine in the wake of an aborted apocalypse, leaving the pair without plans or purposes for the first time in forever, only freedom from a war that neither has a hand in any longer.

But just because the pair has escaped the final battle of good and evil doesn't mean it's over... or that it can't find them.

Characters: Allister MacLeod, Israfel/"Izzy"; various angels and demons; others TBD

Oneironautics (?)

Long-forgotten imaginary friends. Houses haunted by things other than ghosts. Whales as murder weapons. Lost and found time. The other side of the mirror. Dirty minds. Librarians that take late fees very seriously. Old stories retold by the people (and not quite people) that lived them first-hand. The secrets of the moon. What really lurks in the dark. The months of the year in streams of consciousness. Letters written to nobody and answered by somebody. Demons in dire need and angels that wish they were anything else. Death coming in many forms. These are the stories Morpheus tells his god-daughter.

Contact

My inbox is always open! Fair warning, tho: I work full-time, so I may not answer or reply right away. But I will answer you, I promise, so don't be afraid to ask questions, tag me for games, or just drop a message! I do also have a very rarely used Discord (@senderpaulson)!

Update: Masterlist Of Muses

[sender-drawson]

Something something rainbow badge

[sender-drawson]

if hell is other people, so is heaven

[songsofsomnia]

It's just a little vent :)

It shouldn't be so difficult to write, but it is.

It shouldn't be so hard to put a letter after another letter until you have a word. It shouldn't be so hard to put a word after a word until you have a line. It shouldn't be so hard to put a line after a line until you have a paragraph. It shouldn't be so hard to do it over and over and over until the story is written.

And yet every time I open a new document, or G-d forbid one that already has letters, words, lines, or paragraphs, I find that the first letter simply will not come.

[sender-paulson]

And yet, 99% of the time, it's the hardest fucking thing

[sender-paulson]

♪ Come with me, and you'll be... in a world of pure dissociation...

[sender-paulson]

..... oh yeah, heads-up, the first few chapters are super horny and portray some fairly bizarre kinks because Willow is kind of a freak (affectionate) but DO NOT LET THAT STOP YOU, FORGE ON AHEAD BRAVE READERS

I promise the horrors are coming in the second half

[sender-paulson]

♪ Come with me, and you'll be... in a world of pure dissociation...

[sender-paulson]

Hey kids, wanna see a dead body

[songsofsomnia]

There should be a title here, but I am not clever enough to make one.

In celebration of making a little headway on some of my WIPs, I decided to slam the brakes on creativity and make this post instead. I also needed a link to put on my blog so that anyone who might be curious could actually see what I am working on without having to ask.

Putting it under a read more because it is a little bit of a long post.

The Lowlies

Basically a fairy-tale disguised as a novella.

June 28th, 2012. During the local celebration, the MacMannanán twins meet a mysterious man in the woods. While Mirabell tries desperately to get her brother away, When the MacMannanán twins meet a mysterious man in the woods, only one of them hesitates to offer up their name. It's now up to her to retrieve her brothers name from the Otherworld, and perhaps dismantle an entire monarchy on her way through.

Don't Feed The Wolf

A collection of short stories that really, really needed a home. Please don't take them as source material, they really are all for fun.

Dive into the local lore of Old Haven and immerse yourself in tales of love, found family, and even vengeance! From a true retelling of "Little Red Riding Hood" to the untold and romantic history of Garden Gnomes, Don't Feed The Wolf is guaranteed to provide hours of entertainment for parents and children alike! *Not recommended for anyone under the age of 17.

[sender-paulson]

HYPE HYPE HYPE HYPE

[transman-badass]

Let's steal something from Bluesky!

Rules: share the cover (or any other art/picrew/moodboard/etc) of a published story or WIP + a sample page, then tag some people to do the same!

Tagging a few people... @dyrewrites @roselinbooks @zackprincebooks @karolinarodrigueswrites @leebrontide @a-tristan-withers @baileymcknightwriter and open tag!

[baileymcknightwriter]

I love this idea! I tag @elizmanderson and @dominiquewildauthor and also open tag!

[elizmanderson]

ooh hell yeah, thanks for the tag!

learn more about the book and find links here: The Lord of the Wood on E.M. Anderson's website

tagging @queen-tashie and @victoriacbooks if you wanna play along!

[sender-paulson]

Gonna use that open tag for evil

Little Horns (and in the future, other works of mine) can be read here

Other than @songsofsomnia I don't have anyone specific to tag, so open invitation! Show me what you for, Writeblr!

[dyrewrites]

What do you think you're known for when it comes to making original characters?

[sender-paulson]

Gay characters with fucked up eyes

[krebkrebkreb]

if your favorite oc ever broke containment and developed their own fandom, what would the most pervasive discourse about them be?

too beautiful/smart/skilled/strong/perfect/etc

blatantly evil in some way

was mean to someone once

the unforgivable crime of just being kind of annoying

“in the way” of a popular ship

age gap relationship (2-10 years)

age gap relationship (10-30 years)

age gap relationship (30+ years)

a stereotype/“bad representation”

female

op you forgot ______

character is bald / im bald / see answers

Voting ended onMay 6

(i’m not giving a “multiple apply” option on this one. pick the most applicable/what you think would be the most argued about.)

[dyrewrites]

So many 'describe your book poorly' things other places when I think we can do it better here.

SO, writeblr,

DESCRIBE YOUR BOOK POORLY

(provide links if the thing is out we're here to get eyes)

[sender-paulson]

I know I did one of these already, but forgot I can do multiple books, so

Little Horns: The Little Mermaid except the mermaid is a demon prince

Limbo: death not enough of a deterrent for podcaster

Starbright: lesbian tries to avenge missing/lost girlfriend, restarts intergalactic war by accident

The Dollmaker's Daughter: there's a reason your memories are repressed

M.A.N.A.: Soldier + Poet + King vs Dragons

Sunshine: world's saddest monster hunt

[sender-paulson]

Oh by the by, since I'm slowly uploading/reposting to it again, you may wanna go here to read some of these

[sender-paulson]

If the heart is a home, then what is a ribcage without it?

An empty lot, overgrown with emotional weeds

Dying vines clinging to structures long since crumbled

But there is life here; there are blooms among the decay

Burrowing things tilling the salted earth

Stray seeds of passion taking root to grow from the cracks

Even the bodies in the foundations are alive

In a sense; all teeming with unseen vitality

Lives so small and short that we hardly see them happen

But they are there— they are lived out

In the remnants of love long since spent

The hollow place where a heart used to beat

Before breaking; its penultimate pulse a breath

Held until the lungs gave out and left

This place which will hold no heart again

Nothing will ever be built here again

But neither will it be dead again.

— Sender Paulson, Gentle Cycles (14 April)

[moonrabbitwriter]

I wanted to show you something.

I added this poem to my commonplace book!

[sender-paulson]

I have no words and I must scream (with joy)

[bodhrancomedy]

Look, it’s a weird hill to die on, especially when I don’t really explain, but children deserve to experience fear, disgust, and discomfort in safe scenarios where they can process those sensations.

Media for children used to be scary and that’s important.

[the-davest-of-uncles]

“Since it is so likely that (children) will meet cruel enemies, let them at least have heard of brave knights and heroic courage. Otherwise you are making their destiny not brighter but darker.” ― C.S. Lewis

[grace-in-the-wilderness]

"Fairy tales do not tell children the dragons exist. Children already know that dragons exist. Fairy tales tell children the dragons can be killed."

-- G. K. Chesterton

[sender-paulson]

"Reader beware, you're in for a scare"

— R.L. Stine, every single Goosebumps book

[sender-paulson]

If the heart is a home, then what is a ribcage without it?

An empty lot, overgrown with emotional weeds

Dying vines clinging to structures long since crumbled

But there is life here; there are blooms among the decay

Burrowing things tilling the salted earth

Stray seeds of passion taking root to grow from the cracks

Even the bodies in the foundations are alive

In a sense; all teeming with unseen vitality

Lives so small and short that we hardly see them happen

But they are there— they are lived out

In the remnants of love long since spent

The hollow place where a heart used to beat

Before breaking; its penultimate pulse a breath

Held until the lungs gave out and left

This place which will hold no heart again

Nothing will ever be built here again

But neither will it be dead again.

— Sender Paulson, Gentle Cycles (14 April)

[sender-paulson]

To far-shooting Phoebus Apollo

Fairest god of skill

Whose golden gleaming arrows

Have long been known

For the greatest reach

And the sharpest aim

It must be humbling

Knowing that his sister

His twin, his reflection

Has flown an arrow

Of purest prettiest silver

Farther than any shot

He could ever fire

And in the arc

Of that arrow's flight

We here on Gaia

Know love and hope

Beyond any known measure

And any god's grace.

☾

— Sender Paulson, Artemis (6 April)

[sender-paulson]

though I've passed on hundred thousand miles, I feel so very still...