Tropes, themes, etc: hurt/comfort, fluff and angst, self acceptance, found family, ptsd, lgbtq, POC, people with disabilities, some native American mythology & lore, dumbass teens, "haunted summer camp"
Setting: Summer camp in a small town in rural Idaho
Status: currently writing the first draft (about 15% written? Approx.?)
Summary:
Sam never wanted to leave their home in Canada. They never wanted to spend the end of summer at Granite Mountain Summer Camp either, which, as it turns out, happens to be a supernatural hotspot. But something sinister is happening in the woods outside of camp and Sam soon finds themself and their cabin mates caught up in the chaos.
Main characters!
- Sam Martin: Resident non-binary mess. They've never been to summer camp, they aren't well versed in interacting with their fellow teens, and Granite Mountain Summer Camp threatens to crack their best kept secret wide open.
- Reyna Walker: Chaotic dork with a love of everything supernatural. She fears no human, God, or cryptid.
- Owen Walker: Reyna's older brother. He tries to be responsible enough for the both of them, but that's a constant challenge when your sister is running around with a camera in search of creatures you don't believe exist.
- Amity Sage: Resident goth of Cabin 3. Kind but guarded. Whether she believes or not, she does engage in paranormal discussions with Reyna. And she has a good deal of knowledge.
- Miles Cooper: Amity's cousin. A later addition to Cabin 3 as a result of... supernatural circumstances.
Updated taglist below the cut (for my reference as well :P)
Hi Koi! For you OC nomination tag, who's the OC with the best monologue? And, who's the whiniest?
Oh boy, there's a question. Thanks for the ask!
OC with the best monologue!
I'm not entirely sure to be honest. I would have to say [REDACTED] or Sam from COGM. Of all my OCs, I think the two of them have decent monologues even though they're talking over each other in the finale scene.
(Sorry it's redacted, I can't be giving away the main antagonist's identity yet :P)
Whiniest OC!
I would say either Reyna or Owen from COGM. Owen will pretend he's more dignified than that but he's not above complaining about his sister's "dorky cryptid obsession" and the weird looks it gets them. Reyna will whine mostly to annoy Owen.
Send 😎 and a character name in, and get four fun facts in return!
The only rule is to make sure to send in an ask to whoever you reblog this from - not counting this blog!
To make this easier on your followers, make sure that you put the names of your characters in the response!"
Thanks for the tag! (I am so sorry it took me so long to get to this TwT)
Ok, so Owen Walker from COGM
He's a bird person. He can identify most of Oregon's common birds, but his favorites are owls and woodpeckers.
His favorite shows are nonfiction bio/zoology and survival shows. He grew up watching Wild Kratts, not that he'll ever admit it.
He is an excellent climber and is known to go climb a tree with a book and sit there reading for hours on end.
Owen does not like horror movies. Maybe if they're sci-fi or realistic fiction he'll try them, but he's really not a fan. The more he dislikes it, the more he will criticize it (this is particularly how he copes with the movies Reyna drags him into)
Hi Koi, happy WBW🎉 I don't know if you're taking part but I'm curious about COGM, you mentioned that it's haunted, not asking for spoilers, but can you tell us how you incorporate the soft magic system in your world in relation to that?
Hello! :D
I'm not officially taking part but I'm certainly willing to! And yes I'd be glad to share some info on the magic system! Be warned, there is a LOT of lore!
I'm still working out some of the ideas but here's how it works:
There are two dimensions: the "real/normal" world dimension and a currently unnamed alternate dimension.
- The Alt dimension (thats the new placeholder name XD) is an unexplored dimension where the majority of supernatural creatures (demons, most cryptids, and a variety of Mythics*) exist.
It has its own magic system and is full of ambient magic/supernatural energy.
I haven't thought much about why or how this dimension exists and why it has as much magic energy as it does. I don't think I need any of that information for COGM unless I make it a series (which I probably won't but that's not necessarily off the table). ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
The two dimensions act like cells: a certain amount of magic energy can pass through the barrier from the Alt dimension to the Real World, but it is minimal and not usually enough for demons, cryptids, or Mythics to naturally spawn.
There are weak spots in the barrier too and I have a heck-ton of lore for these >:3
- Fairy Circles: Completely natural. Form in places with an excess of ambient supernatural energy and act solely as portals and wells of energy. Fungi -not always but often- have a strong connection with the supernatural world and are kind of like an “inanimate medium”. Can be destroyed (may or may not spring back up within a couple years) but likely come with repercussions such as hauntings. Categorized by presence of fungi.
- Pentagrams: always man-made. Usually designed for a specific purpose. Can both summon (more of a one-way door than a true portal) and transmute. Cannot be activated without some kind of sacrifice (generally triggered by loss of life or blood) but can store and/or release excess energy. Becomes an artificial weak point in the barrier. They strengthen supernatural energy in the area, often leading to a positive feedback loop; more ambient supernatural energy attracts more cryptids. This form of weak spot needs maintenance: it needs to be cleaned and reset with each use until the ambient energy that it summoned transforms it into a rune (usually takes anywhere between a couple of days or a couple decades depending on location, prior supernatural activity, level of maintenance, how often it is used, etc); lack of maintenance could easily lead to contamination and/or rebounds*. Can be destroyed (generally with fewer repercussions depending on summoning use and cannot reform unless they are old and close to turning into a rune; could alternatively reform as a fairy circle. When it is close to turning into a rune, it is called a runic-pentagram. Categorized by any markings made by humans (ex. Marks left by carving tools, chalk, paint, blood patterns, etc), lack of ability to self-maintain, often need runic or alchemical symbols.
- Runes: Natural. Runes are far more powerful than both fairy circles and pentagrams. They are strong wells of energy that function as supernatural portals and can transmute (the addition of specific runic/alchemical symbols or fungi can specify a certain function of a rune, causing that to be the dominant or spontaneous use; Essentially turns the rune into a “natural pentagram”). Form where there is A LOT of ambient energy leaking through. Cannot be destroyed but can be temporarily deactivated ONLY by a creature(s) of strong supernatural power (ex. Mythics, tricksters, some demons, nature spirits, some mediums, witches etc). Characterized by irregular formations generally in metal, stone, and/or wood (no true “symbols”; just everything is just warped).
Some supernatural creatures (a couple species, not many) can spawn or just naturally exist in the Real World. Some examples:
- Mediums: Exactly what you think. Just people with a stronger connection to ambient magic than most. Pretty limited powers. They can sense supernatural energy and (to a very limited degree) communicate with supernatural creatures.
- Witches: Can be born with the ability to harness ambient magic or start out as Mediums and learn witchcraft. Witchborn have a degree of instinct for this magic and need less practice, less studying, and fewer boosters (ex. less likely to need magic-sensitive objects and runes or pentagrams).
- Ghosts: Ambient magic energy is attracted to souls who were restless at the time of their death. The majority of ghosts form in the Real World and are tied to the place they formed until they can pass on.
- Demicryptids: Several species fit into this category but werewolves are the best known example. Sometimes referred to as Shifters because they can shapeshift. They tend to have a strong connection with ambient magic energy and often have transformation cycles that they have to learn to suppress or adapt to (ex. werewolves CAN hold either form whenever they choose if they are well trained to do so but it is harder for them to hold their human form near/during the full moon and harder to hold their wolf form near/during the new moon). There IS more lore here but any more would be a bit of a spoiler. ;3
Notes*:
- Mythics: Mythical creatures. Think thunderbirds, nature spirits, phoenix, etc. Beasts and beings of myth.
- Rebounds: Ever seen/read Fullmetal Alchemist? >:] (If not, this occurs when a rune, pentagram, or -though less likely- a fairy circle malfunctions and the magic from/around them becomes unpredictable and potentially dangerous. In COGM, these often "bring the two dimensions a liiiiiittle closer together", hehehehe! >:D )
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And there you have it. A bunch of lore on the COGM magic system. Hope you enjoyed this giant infodump!Thanks for the ask! :D
Prompt (Feel free to correct me if I'm looking at at wrong ask game post): Have any of your OCs had name changes? If so, why?
Only one of my COGM ocs had had a name change. Amity Sage; her name used to be Andrea. I think I just changed it 'cuz I wanted her to have a name I associated more with spooky stuff like "Amityville horror" and whatnot. I've been pretty happy with their names otherwise, but I might have changed the name of some random background character.
I have changed the names of several of my POTD characters, but most of them have really been on the basis of "I feel like it"? (Not to mention I have SO many ideas -scrapped or otherwise- for this series and I've been juggling names like a clown-) The only one that has a story behind it is Echo's name.
His name is and has always been Echo to me at least, but I thought it would be cool if he changed his name in the novel after he separated from his pack. The wolves in this story have mostly music or nature related names. His name used to be either Symphony or Harmony, something like that, I haven't chosen one yet because *this is a shelved WIP, brain! I'm trying to focus on other stuff right now!* But anyway, before he's actually introduced in the novel, he goes through some sh*t, makes some mistakes, comes to think of himself as a danger to his pack, and eventually leaves and changes his name. I felt like it would be symbolic for him to go from one of those more musical names (specifically with connotations of unity) to something more like an "echo", with him struggling to come to terms with himself and his mistakes (and how maybe he'll start coming to terms with it and may fade back to his former musical self once he meets his new rag-tag pack of misfits)-
Happy STS! I got three questions for you with any wip you want:
what's something an OC needs to learn?
is there a lesson for the readers in your WIP?
write a vague blurb about your WIP, for example, "a rude elf and a dumbass dwarf find out they're actually related and must stop a big problem"
Hi! Thanks for the ask! :D
I'm answering the questions for COGM since that's my current WIP.
What's something an OC needs to learn?
Sam needs to learn some self acceptance. "Poor bean. If only they'd meet some people who can reassure them they're not a monster," I say as I yeet them into cabin 3.
Is there a lesson for the readers in my WIP?
I would say the main lessons are not to push away the people who care about you, and to be open minded/"don't judge a book by its cover".
Vague blurb:
Anxious eldritch entity attends summer camp while someone prepares an occult ritual in the woods.
Hi Kapen!! I don't know if you're taking part in WBW but I have a worldbuilding related question for you: What was the inspiration for your setting and world, and in what ways have you adapted it for you story?
Thanks for the ask Anthea! :D
COGM was inspired by a dream I had where I (as some kind of unidentifiable shape-shifting cryptid) was chased around a summer camp. I returned later as a human but something/someone at camp seemed suspicious. I voiced this concern to some random unnamed Dream Friends and we went to find suspicious occult stuff and demons in the woods. I've kept a lot of the dream in the WIP too: very little has been changed, its just been built upon and given an ending.
The setting was kind of vague. I just dreamed that it was in some region with a mountain and a lot of pine forests, so I just made a collage of random places and cool names. And I was a liiiittle bit influenced by Gravity Falls to be honest...
Word of advice: Keep a dream journal. Good stuff! I've found my brain can be incredibly productive when it's inconvenient to me. XD
My other WIP, POTD, was one of those ideas that HIT me out of nowhere. I've had this WIP for years but the worldbuilding is evolving faster than I can deal with it. Sooooo shelved.
The two main protagonists of both my current WIPs (COGM and POTD) are agender, aro-ace, have shoulder length hair tied in a ponytail, and have some kind of existential crisis/trauma. They just do; I didn't intend for this to happen.
I find it easier to draw an outline for my WIP before I start writing but sometimes it's hard for me to remember that the characters are supposed to be driving with me in the backseat.
If I ever need a name for a random background character, I will take the first name from someone in my life or the names of my pets. One of Lillian's nephews in COGM is named after my dog, Richard!
