karyssa is...

officially published on AO3!

[sunrisinguniverse]

Welcome to...

This is my blog about my ongoing writing project, Sun Rising!

Originally written and edited for traditional publication, I have recently decided to publish chapters on AO3 as a way to take back my writing and let go of the fears I had about publication.

Read Sun Rising here.

(ed. 7.20.26)

Sun Rising is the titular novel in a expanded universe.

Sole Eigher was born in Aohrea, a peaceful country with only one blight-- thieves. People who steal power from the gods to give themselves unholy abilities, turning from human to curse. These people are called Maldym, Lyx is a Maldym on the run, escaping from the only place he has ever known into a world he knows nothing about. He claims that he did no such stealing. Instead, he was born a Maldym. At odds with each other and their versions of the truth, Sole and Lyx are branded fugitives by Aohrea and forced to work together to reach the only place that might accept them: Heidyn. But the journey is dangerous. And according to Sole, Heidyn is even more so. While Lyx has been told it's a safe haven for people like him, Sole has only known it as a country full of heretics. Are they running from the flames to the wolves? Or is Heidyn a place where they can truly be safe?

-------------------- #sunrisinguniverse : all posts relating to the SR universe!

---------- #characterstuff : all about character building and creation

-------------------- #latenightwrite : any thought that comes up while I'm writing

---------- #unrelated : anything not to do with writing

-------------------- #bookupdate : more formal update posts about how my writing is going

---------- #sunrisingexcerpt : snippets from the books

-------------------- #SRUspeaks: q&a

Recently...

Character Introduction Page : here

Chapter One Excerpt: here

Book Update #8: here

[sunrisinguniverse]

Book Update #8

Update number eight, coincidentally, is an announcement that Chapter Eight is not officially being worked on!

I want to give a big thanks to everyone who has taken the chance to read the Sun Rising excerpts here on Tumblr or the full chapters on AO3. It makes me so happy and content with the decision to post it with all of your support :)

Chapter Seven introduced our third and final narrator of the Sun Rising books-- Paxton! A stubborn, slightly bitter man with a chip on his shoulder and a deep hatred for Aohreans. To Lyx, he's a familiar face. To Sole? A challenge.

Speaking of Lyx, Chapter Eight is his POV, and while little action takes place, we get to get a glimpse at the strange relationship he and Sole have forged while on the run. Look forward to reading it!

[sunrisinguniverse]

Ella here! Bonus Patio Chat drink for you

(tumblr ate my prev attempt at this ask it seems, apologies!)

🥃 Amber Sunrise (a rich, golden drink with hints of honey and spice, served in a crystal glass with sunburst ice cubes):

What do you love most about reading/writing fanfiction?

If you feel like sharing... what was the beginning of the Sunrising project? The bright sunbeam (forgive me I had to) that got it all going?

I love extra questions!

Reading has been such a big part of my life for so long, and fanfiction has also been a part of that journey. And I read a lot. I would say my favorite thing is that I can just... turn my brain off and enjoy the ride. A lot of that has to do with reading about worlds that I already love/know about but to be honest... I also read stuff from fandoms that I know very little about. It's actually quite fun lol.

As for the beginnings of Sun Rising... I'm not too sure! I know it stemmed from my love of the dystopian/fantasy genres and just expanded so much over the years. I will say, this most recent iteration first came to pass during my Freshman year of college, where I participated in my first (and only) NaNoWriMo. It actually wasn't centered around writing Sun Rising-- instead, a novella called Birds Die Too that I want to rework and put out there eventually-- but that NaNoWriMo reinvigorated my love of writing and made me decide to rewrite Sun Rising. Which, by the end of my first year, ended up with roughly 100k words. Now here we are! What a weird journey to be on. I guess in some way, the reason I want to be done with this first Sun Rising book is because I've finished college! I've held on to college and this draft for so long that I'm ready to graduate (hah!) out of it and move on to bigger and better.

[sunrisinguniverse]

Feeling extra motivated to write today :^)

I therefore spread this energy outward. Get writing people!

[sunrisinguniverse]

Chapter Two Excerpt

Hi everyone! Thank you so much for the recent support! I've decided on an official upload schedule for Sun Rising-- once a week on Mondays-- and as such, here is the intro for Chapter Two!

Read the entire chapter here.

Chapter Two

Lyx

▪──── ༻✩༺ ────▪

Lyx’s life truly began twenty-one years after he was born, at the precise moment his bare feet pressed into living grass and his lungs filled with fresh air for the very first time.

It was unlike anything he had ever imagined before.

The outside world was too large, too loud, too alive. It rushed at him all at once, an overwhelming spiral of sensation that left him dizzy and unsteady on his feet. Each inhale he took carried a thousand unknown scents along with it. The richness of damp earth, the sweetness of flowers, the salt of the ocean.

Lyx stood at the edge of a thin tree-line, frozen, afraid that if he moved too quickly the world might disappear underneath him. He could have stayed there forever, soaking this new freedom in. 

But the Lab followed him, even here.

Screams still rang in his ears, shrill and merciless. When he closed his eyes, he saw shadows dancing across narrow corridors thick with dust and fear, heard boots pounding against metal floors. Distance meant nothing to a place like that.

He wasn’t sure if it would ever go away.

There was only one certainty left in him: he would never go back.

And that meant running. Finding Heidyn. Finding a new home.

[sunrisinguniverse]

Chapter One Excerpt

Hi everyone! Below the break is an excerpt from Sun Rising's first chapter, now officially posted on AO3! Enjoy! If this catches your attention, feel free to read the rest here

Chapter One

Sole Eigher

▪──── ༻𖤓༺ ────▪

The night Sole’s world changed started with the sharp point of a knife digging into her back.

She had been standing in her backyard when the attack happened, staring absentmindedly at the small, half-wild garden neither she nor her father could ever manage to tame. The night air was cool, heavy with the scent of damp soil from the earlier rain, and her thoughts had long since drifted off to meaningless things. There was nothing in particular that floated through her head, just fleeting reflections of the day.

That was why, by the time she realized a faint golden shimmer had appeared in the corner of her vision, she was already too late.

Before she could even draw a breath, she was forced face-first into the grass. Cold dew soaked into her sleep shirt and chilled the skin of her face. A weight pinned her legs to the ground, sending a spike of pain down her body. Then she felt it. The unmistakable threat of a sharp blade against her spine.

“Don’t scream.”

Instinct gripped her immediately.

“Hrmngh-!”

A rough hand slammed against the back of her head, grinding her face deeper into the ground. In her panic, she inhaled a chunk of dirt.

“I-I said don’t scream!”

The voice was deep and raw, scraped thin like it had gone unused for a very long time. Sole did not need to guess. She knew who it was.

Earlier that evening, when the sun still blessed the sky with golden light, a warning circulated throughout Aohrea. The paper had been nailed to doors, pressed into hands, murmured about in hushed tones among the people she had passed in the streets. When she arrived home, she pulled down her own warning from the door. At the top in thick red lettering read ON THE RUN.

Beneath it was a photo of a man around her age. Stringy auburn hair framing a gaunt, haunted face. His eyes were dull brown; his skin scattered with freckles like splotches of dirt. A deep frown carved his mouth downward. Nothing like a normal, put-together Aohrean.

And beneath the image, a name.

Lyx.

It was plain, like she had always been warned. Curses looked normal, blending in with the crowd. They could be anyone, could come from anywhere. She should have known better than to be outside at night while he was still on the loose.

“’m sorry-!” Sole whimpered through the grass in her mouth, heart slamming dangerously against her ribs. There was no telling what someone like this would want from her, and there was no telling what he would do to get it. “Food,” he grit out, blade pressing just slightly deeper against her back, “Get me food.”

[sunrisinguniverse]

Book Update #7

It's official...

Sun Rising's first chapter has been posted on AO3!

Confused? Let me break it down.

For those who did not see it, I posted something here asking writers about publishing their original work online via sites like AO3. No you're not wrong, Sun Rising has, up to this point, been edited/written with the intent of trad publication. However, after some introspection and helpful conversations, I decided to pivot to digital publication (which, above everything else, is free and easy).

I want people to read Sun Rising. I want to move on to writing it's sequels and other books in this world. I want to write new things.

Sun Rising has been written, edited, and rewritten for nearly a DECADE now, which is quite a feat considering I'm only 22. It has been my greatest joy to work on. It has also been my greatest hurdle.

Essentially, publishing this digitally allows me to break free from the constraints I had placed on myself with the goal of trad publication. I can finally breathe and start to have fun with it again. I can finally put chapters out with the promise that I will never circle back and edit it again.

I want to thank all the kind folks who responded to my questions in my last post. You all truly helped me come to this decision in the best way possible. It was probably a long time coming, to be fair.

I'll post chapters here as well. Might as well. But for anyone who wants to support Sun Rising on AO3, the link to read it is here.

I know this isn't what anyone expected, I didn't expect it either. But this is a future that is bright for both me and my characters. I hope you come with us on the journey :)

[nossumusstellae]

GLOVED FOX WRITER CHAT - July Edition - Relax on the patio 🌞🍹

Welcome again to the Tavern! Summer is here and goddess damn it is. Heckin hot out. Unless you live in the Southern Hemisphere. Not at all jealous. (Totally jealous.)

If you are dealing with wildfire smoke right now, please stay safe. Run those air cleaners, stay inside, wear a n95/kn95 if you go outside.

Today we have some writerly questions. Please help yourself to one of the iced drinks on offer and relax under colourful umbrellas on the Tavern Patio! Each drink comes with a tag tied around it. Each tag has a question. Which drink(s) do you choose?

🧊Iced Raspberry Tea (Raspberry and blueberry leaves with rosehips, hibiscus, roasted chicory and hints of orange. Served in glass cup): What character have you created for Plot Reasons and then ended up falling in love with?

🍋Lemonade (A classic. Served in plastic irridescent cup): Have you ever made a trope-y character/plot choice that ended up being more than that trope?

🧜‍♀️Shadowed Depths (Salty burnt caramel mixed with soda water sprinkled with blue sugar crystals. Served in a carved oak goblet): What out-of-your-usual genre or subject did you dive into reluctantly? Or perhaps very willingly… >:D

🫐Reflections (Bubbly yet intense sparkling soda, with flavours of Newfoundland lowbush blueberry and blackberry. Served in a retro-style glass bottle with stripy straw.): Looking back, is there a plot point you regret not using? A character whose fate you wish to change? A secret left unsaid?

☕The Legendary Tumblr Fist-Bumpin Lesbians (caramel latte with too many shots of liqour): Who is your most unapologetically queer story/character?

🌌Starry Night (sparkles with hints of blue, served in a frosted glass with a star-topped stir stick): Where did your writerly journey begin? Do you remember? Tell us about your first writings.

Answer with reblog and tag with #glovedfoxwriterchat !

About Event

Last Month's Chat

taglist!! (yell if want on or off; also yell if you want a reminder 10 ish days prior to event)

@sunrisinguniverse

@thebookishkiwi @sodaliteskull @purple-dinosaur27

@write-with-will @traderotales @foxgloves-garden @seaglasswrites

@starwright @taryn-everwood

[sunrisinguniverse]

Thanks bartender, I'll take a Starry Night!

In the mood for looking back at the past, I suppose. For as long as I can remember, I've enjoyed writing. I have to assume it stemmed from a love of reading (I indeed was one of those kids in elementary school who read absolute laps around the other kids). When I went into middle school, I was put into the Talented and Gifted program for my writing, and was always put in the advanced writing classes. However, I really set my mind to being an author in 8th grade. When I told my teacher, she "kindly" told me that it takes a real talent to make money off their writing. Of course I was crushed and stopped telling people I wanted to be an author. I stopped writing "seriously" for a while after that.

And then, as many angsty young kids did, I found fanfiction. It was a way to read without having to digest an entirely new world. Eventually, I turned to writing it, and found love for writing again. I made friends, I let them read my stories, they loved them.

Eventually, I wanted to write something original and in high school, what would eventually become Sun Rising entered its first iterations.

This is why I always defend fanfiction writers. Outside of it being a (relatively) safe space for young people to express their interests with like minded young people, it is a place where I carefully fostered by own abilities. Every writer starts somewhere, and I'm not sure I would even be a writer if not for the fanfiction I read and wrote.

[sunrisinguniverse]

Writers, I have a question

For those of the Writeblr community, do you publish what you write?

I'm interested in seeing some conversation about publishing original work through tumblr/wattpad/ao3/etc. versus writing with the intent of traditional or digital publication. Do you think these things can't coexist? Or do you/are there examples of writing published through of those routes that is planned to be traditionally published later on?

I ask because I feel like releasing your book to be read on the internet allows for community centered feedback, which could help with editing and writing. I'm just unsure if this is something that has been done before or if it is something that publishing companies would deny a book for doing.

I know there are examples of this within fanfiction, but I feel like that is a different scenario, given that the story has to be changed significantly before it can be published, given its nature.

Any thoughts appreciated!

[sunrisinguniverse]

Book Update #6

Oh hey... fancy seeing you here...

It's been a while since we did one of these, huh? As readers might be aware, I recently graduated college and have been on a desperate search for a job, so there's been a lot on my mind and I haven't been able to be as productive as I would have liked.

That being said, I've slowly stepped back into writing over the past few weeks, with some notable changes to Sun Rising.

I've been going back and typing out SR and transferring it from Ellipsus to a Word Document so the formatting is ready to go whenever i decide to start querying. Since I type it out rather than copy and pasting, this means I've been doing some editing as well, using feedback I've gotten from a friend/beta reader.

So, technically i'm working on Chapter Five right now, though changes are rather minimal, so I'll be able to catch back up to where I was quickly.

Sorry for the MIA-- but rest assured Sun Rising will be done!

[nossumusstellae]

GLOVED FOX WRITER CHAT - June Edition - Summer is calling… or is it?

Gather around the campfire, dear patrons. Ready the blackfly repellent, prepare the smores, and hold flashlights beneath your chins because it is officially camp season.

(Unless you live in the southern hemisphere where it is currently winter. I am not at all jealous, who said that?!?!?!)

Pride month is very much underway, and today, we have a special challenge.

Your challenge? You know those silly, cheesy horror stories that seem to always pop up when googling "short campfire horror". You know the ones. The couple out for a drive and oh no there's a murderer on the loose and he has a hook for a hand! Or maybe that one about the grumpy old man who kills trick or treaters… or that one about the haunted lighthouse!

(I am very much showing my age with these suggestions, aren't I.)

Yes, the task is to write a short fiction! And to make the challenge more interesting… you have to do it in THIRTEEN SENTENCES. No more! Ready your commas and semi-colons, you will need them.

Be delightful. Be spoopy. Scare us shitless. Be unapologetically queer doing it.

Happy Pride everyone! >:)

For those who do not want to write a story:

Which queer identity do you find yourself assigning to your characters the most? Why is it important to you to showcase this identity? Is it one you happen to share with them?

Bonus!!

Have you ever re-imagined one of your stories or characters? Was it an alternate universe, a complete revision, or a necessary change? What new things did you discover about your story/character along the way?

Answer with reblog and tag with #glovedfoxwriterchat !

About Event

Last Month's Chat

taglist!! (yell if want on or off; also yell if you want a reminder 10 ish days prior to event)

@sunrisinguniverse

@thebookishkiwi @sodaliteskull @purple-dinosaur27

@write-with-will @traderotales @foxgloves-garden @seaglasswrites

@starwright @taryn-everwood

[sunrisinguniverse]

Hi! I know I haven't been on for the past... month and a half? As I've written previously, I just graduated college and have been job-hunting in this horrible market. I've been doing streaming to fill up my time, too, so I've kinda just been avoiding tumblr lol.

As a queer person myself, I try to represent many different people from my community, not always just a representation of my own identity. The hardest part of this is writing the fine line between good and bad representation. To me, this means having queer characters that are, without a doubt, that identity, but not literally introducing them as that thing-- i.e "Hi guys, my name's Keo. I'm bisexual!"

I love my queer community so much, and I love pumping in as much good representation I can for the people I care for. Nothing would make me happier than someone finding a character in my writing that they relate to, especially if they feel underrepresented everywhere else in the world (among other things, I identify as demisexual, so I understand the pain lol).

[sunrisinguniverse]

What program do you use to write your novel? I've experimented with a few things and I'm curious what other writers are using and their reasoning!

[sunrisinguniverse]

Book Update #5

Considering the last update was me announcing I finished writing Chapter Eight, I felt it was finally time to write another, considering...

I FINISHED CHAPTER TWELVE? OOPS?

Haha, sorry for the (VERY) late update! As I'm sure most of you are well aware, I'm in my last year of University, so I've been very busy juggling the existential dread that comes with that fact. I also have about 40 days left of school which is horrifying, since I was one of those kids who actually liked learning (still am). Grappling with the horrible job market, the idea that I might never return to education, and the numerous job and internship applications I've submitted as well as everything else in my life has been exhausting, but I'm getting through it.

Writing has always been a way to relieve stress for me, and that hasn't changed; it's only evolved. Writing something with the intention to publish it is so very different than casual writing, it almost hurts. But I love it, and have been keeping up semi-consistently since my last update.

When I'm not worried about ALL OF THAT STUFF, I'm thinking about Project Hail Mary. That movie has fundamentally changed me as a person. I will never, ever be the same. I know a LOT of people feel the same.

ANYWAYS, thanks for sticking around and following me on this journey. Prepare to hear more sad stuff as I get closer to graduation. I've also debated writing out some quotes from Sun Rising to post here, so look forward to that! I'm still trying to think of more interesting posts to make about the series, but its low on my list of priorities right now.

[nossumusstellae]

GLOVED FOX WRITER CHAT – April Edition – New Beginnings

sneezes Apologies. Spring allergies.

Once again, we bid you welcome to the Tavern!

Spring is all about transition and change. New paths, and new love. Endeavours bearing fruit, the time to ready for a quest. The chaos of new life.

Today’s topic: Have any of your characters experienced a great change? Perhaps they had to quest to a new land, or a secret was revealed that changes their life forever. In other words. What is THE event in their story? The thing that kicks everything off, or twists things part way through? What do they think of this event? Are they thrilled? Terrified?

PLEASE TAG SPOILERS IF REQUIRED

✨Bonus:

How did you first meet your most recent character? (Or any one of your characters!) Did they just pop by unannounced? Was there planning? An evolution before they became who they are today? Ramble away, Patrons!

Answer with reblog and tag with #glovedfoxwriterchat !

Feel free to reblog other's responses and add your own thoughts/comments or send asks!

Reminder to all Patrons: There is NO time limit on when you can answer. The next day, a week after, even next month is allowed.

About Event

Last Month's Chat

Last Month's Chat Wrap

taglist!! (yell if want on or off; also yell if you want a reminder 10 ish days prior to event)

@thebookishkiwi @sodaliteskull @purple-dinosaur27

@write-with-will @traderotales @foxgloves-garden @seaglasswrites

@starwright @tayrn-everwood

@sunrisinguniverse

[sunrisinguniverse]

Second visit to the Tavern, thanks for having me!

This is a funny prompt for me, seeing as the first Act of my book revolves around great change— specifically, two of our main characters fleeing the country they were born in. Lyx, who has been confined and subject to experiments his entire life, views Heidyn (the country they're fleeing to) as the only place he could ever be safe. Sole on the other hand, thinks its a place of danger and chaos, perfect for people like Lyx. But she has no choice but to flee with Lyx when she gets caught with him.

And that's the best I can do without spoiling too much :). It's within the first few chapters of Sun Rising though, so answers can be found easily there. Instead, I also wanted to reflect on the fact that the narrators only spend a brief amount of time in Aohrea— the country they both flee from.

I got asked for my reasoning a few times by some friends. Not being able to see much of the country makes Lyx a far more relatable narrator than Sole (which of course, plays into the themes of the book). Lyx only remembers pain from Aohrea and thus the reader feels angry at the country and distrusting. Sole mourns a country the reader never got a chance to really know, making it harder to relate to her feelings, especially when juxtaposed with Lyx's.

That aside— Lyx is happy and the free taking that leap. Sole is angry and distrustful. That sums them up pretty well.

As for the bonus question… I've had this story planned out for SOOOOO long that at this point, its impossible to bring in someone new that i didn't conceptualize like, three years ago. So I'll pick Aurty, who is Sole's younger brother and who gets to play a larger role in this draft/edit. I love him SO much. I really cannot say ANYTHING else without major, multi-book long spoilers, but let's just say…. keep him close to your heart.

Once again, I would love to thank @nossumusstellae these wonderful prompts. I've always been super bad with updating social media, so knowing that these prompts are coming every month allows me to check in every once and a while. Have a great April!!

[nossumusstellae]

GLOVED FOX WRITER CHAT – April Edition – New Beginnings

sneezes Apologies. Spring allergies.

Once again, we bid you welcome to the Tavern!

Spring is all about transition and change. New paths, and new love. Endeavours bearing fruit, the time to ready for a quest. The chaos of new life.

Today’s topic: Have any of your characters experienced a great change? Perhaps they had to quest to a new land, or a secret was revealed that changes their life forever. In other words. What is THE event in their story? The thing that kicks everything off, or twists things part way through? What do they think of this event? Are they thrilled? Terrified?

PLEASE TAG SPOILERS IF REQUIRED

✨Bonus:

How did you first meet your most recent character? (Or any one of your characters!) Did they just pop by unannounced? Was there planning? An evolution before they became who they are today? Ramble away, Patrons!

Answer with reblog and tag with #glovedfoxwriterchat !

Feel free to reblog other's responses and add your own thoughts/comments or send asks!

Reminder to all Patrons: There is NO time limit on when you can answer. The next day, a week after, even next month is allowed.

About Event

Last Month's Chat

Last Month's Chat Wrap

taglist!! (yell if want on or off; also yell if you want a reminder 10 ish days prior to event)

@thebookishkiwi @sodaliteskull @purple-dinosaur27

@write-with-will @traderotales @foxgloves-garden @seaglasswrites

@starwright @tayrn-everwood

@sunrisinguniverse

[sunrisinguniverse]

i love being in a liberal arts college because i was in class an hour after it got out talking about fanfiction culture and the ethics behind publishing fanfiction with random people

[nossumusstellae]

GLOVED FOX WRITER CHAT – March Edition – Revenge

It’s the IDES OF MARCH. And whomsoever shall get through this day, unless you are shot in the head, or somehow slain, you will stand at tiptoe when you hear the name again! Oh. Wait. Sorry. Wrong fandom. *ahem*

Where was I? Oh yes. Dear patrons... Does your world have a famous day? A leader celebrated, or a great disaster mourned? A great battle etched into the pages of history? Plague, that one King everyone hated, or that one odd weather event no one can explain. Share your world lore! (Bonus points if it involves knives in some way, the more the merrier >:) )

Bonus:

What is the most exciting revenge plot you have written? Did the person get what they deserved? What revenge does your character dream of, but cannot achieve?

(quote in italics from Due South)

Answer with reblog and tag with #glovedfoxwriterchat !

Because Tumbl did a thing with how reblogs and reblog notifs work, please REBLOG THIS POST so that we can see your answer! Otherwise I may not get a notif/your answer might get lost. I will do my best to keep track of the chat tag.

This might also be the last time I host this event. Unless the site changes are reversed, I fail to see how writeblr events are supposed to thrive.

EDIT. With the changes reversed, this event will continue - for as long as it can.

About Event post here

Last Month's Chat Question

Last Month's Chat Wrap

taglist!! (for possibly the last time)

@thebookishkiwi @sodaliteskull @purple-dinosaur27

@write-with-will @traderotales @foxgloves-garden @seaglasswrites

@starwright @tayrn-everwood

[sunrisinguniverse]

A famous day, huh? Well I can tell you this: there are plenty! As of where I am at in the editing process, none have really been relevant to the plot/characters, but as I've begun plotting out the second SRU book, you'll definitely be hearing more about them as time goes on! The thing about the event of this first book is that we're perceiving this world and its cultures from three different perspectives during a time where learning about a lot of cultural nuance is the last thing that they're worried about. It's very plot heavy if I'm being honest.

But… it just so happens that the plot is very revenge oriented. Now that I think about it, every front-to-end plot I've written out in this universe has revenge at it's climax. Huh. Surely that's not something I should be worried about.

Thanks for the prompts and I look forward to next month! Happy Ides, and try not to get stabbed in the back (or front)!