#void-fireworks

[transmasc-wizard]

Hi Nico! I have a writing question for you!

So I noticed that with quite a few of your characters, they used multiple sets of pronouns. Whether that's just she/they or he/they/it ect, I think that's really cool! I have a lot of characters that use multiple pronouns as well, but I often struggle with figuring out how to put them in books in a way that isn't confusing.

Like for example, one of the MCs in a story I'm planning uses they/she/he pronouns in no particular order, so I'm trying to figure out how to portray that in a way that isn't bad rep and isn't confusing (because even I would get confused if I was reading a book where the author used all three of those pronouns in the same paragraph for the same character).

Sorry that this was so long, but do you have any tips?

hello!

So, what you said up there is the key part, i think: i, personally, don't use the pronouns just all over the place for a scene. Other writers may do it differently, but i'll pick a pronoun for a scene and stick to it. Then in the next scene i'll either keep going with those pronouns, or switch. it's also important to establish that you're referring to the same character. just a "i don't care what pronoun you call me" or "you can call me he or it", that kind of thing. Quick, easy, out of the way.

So, for example, one scene might involve Angel--a character who uses she/they--and use only "they". So like this (not with an actual in-story example but you get the idea):

they walked over to the door, saying in a huff, "You don't have to be so rude." Then they turned on their heel, exiting the room and slamming the door behind them.

then, in another scene, i'd say:

Angel grinned her signature i'm causing trouble grin. Slowly, she said, "Hypothetically... there's no security cameras in the mall right now, right?" Bea could already see that she was planning something terrible.

this method is, in my opinion, far better than "we say they use he/they then call them 'he' for the rest of the book" (which i have seen :/). It still shows people using multiple sets of pronouns, without switching in every line in a way that could be confusing, especially when there's a lot of people in the scene.

If any other multi-pronoun users (especially multi-pronoun writers w/multi-pronoun characters) have other suggestions, i'd love to hear them!

[for context, if anyone's curious and didn't know: i am also a multi-pronoun user; i use he/they with no preference.]

[kim-poce]

29 and 30 for Beige!

29. What do they do to relax?

Beige likes to cook and to watch people eating his food!

30. What is their ideal sleeping situation?

Not hurting, or hurting just a little if possible.

[spookyboywhump]

I just finished catching up to the main story of Wren and Zander's thing (as you probably know already bc I've been liking each post lol). It's so good and not what I was expecting but definitely way better. I love Wren and Zander and hate Cain so much. Venessa just freaks me out.

Your writing is spectacular and really inspiring, I can't wait to read more. Unfortunately, it is getting late and I'm going to bed soon so that'll have to wait for tomorrow.

Have a wonderful day/night!

:D!!!!!! AHHH THANK U SO MUCH!!!

[lifblogs]

Hey what book is this ? it sounds really good

Okay, so I was falling asleep when I sent that TAT in and missed some words. It’s actually a book series: Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas. The character this refers to (Manon) doesn’t show up till book 3, Heir of Fire, but for over a century she was made into a really brutal person who is also just used to pain as a form of punishment and is fine with doling it out and receiving it. But she goes through an incredible character change! Only problem is is that emotional pain is too much for her at a lot of points because of how she was taught to live. She’s both a whumper and whumpee, technically (meant to write whumpee with that ask, oops), but she doesn’t seem like a whumpee at first until you realize the decades of conditioning and abuse she went through.

[transmasc-wizard]

not to be cringe but

akshaksjdhk ty and right back at u

[transmasc-wizard]

Happy Worldbuilding Wednesday ^^

how precisely does magic work in your world(s), and is it different depending on which story you're writing (for instance I'm assuming the nano thriller has a much different magic system than gfs)

ty for the ask! ok this is A Question that could have a very long answer, specifically because all 3 of my WIPs involve magic and all 3 have magic systems that are literally weird as fuck. But! short version. I will try. for the sake of dashboards.

So the one (1) uniting Thing about magic in all my WIPs is that Death is a person and her name is Susan. This is only actually focused on in GFS tho. It's mentioned in Val Saintly (mainly via Spacey, the resident dead-but-to-the-left person), sort of as a running joke, but like. Susan is an actual character in GFS. (she's just mentioned in a book in NT21 and they don't take it seriously lmao.) This isn't very relevant but it's important to me that you know that. [does this imply an extended universe? ehhhh technically sorta i guess yeah.]

so, in NT21, magic is creepy and dangerous. It mostly happens when very strong emotions band together (e.g. the hate and resentment of all the dying people that create the monster), and is very, very rare. It's paranormal-esque, too, with ghosts being allowed on the basis of "they're cool". It's too rare for people to get a proper hold on, so it's never really explained. (this is absolutely me being a bit lazy but u cant stop me.)

in Val Saintly, magic has only one rule: if it's weird and i like it, it goes in. I don't really care if it doesn't make sense. nothing in this book makes sense. it's batshit insane. I've never been happier

ANYWAY. under the cut you will get the Gay Fairytale Series Magic Explanation now, which you will regret. "short version" was a lie.

In GFS, magic is... not alive exactly, but it grows and changes and moves. People make magic in their own bodies, a bit, but for the most part they're sponges! It is very, very easy for people to pull magic into them, easier than it is for most other creatures. In fact, it's so easy, they're doing it constantly. Not in huge amounts, but at any given moment, a human is pulling magic from around them and into their blood. After awhile, it goes into their bones, something I talk about here. Bone magic is hard to access, so people automatically take magic from their blood, first. But if they use too much of that and start drawing from their bones, magic starts being even more fucked up!

Like. Using surface level magic (the stuff still circulating through your body) is already dangerous, because magic is essentially an ancient bioweapon. But when it's allowed to fester, to sink into your bones and become a part of you... shit gets bad.

fuck up with circulating magic: regardless of what way you fucked up; you'll puke, feel shaky, be nauseous, be at risk of dying, get a fever probably, maybe have a few effects related to what type of magic you used

fuck up with bone magic: ok. say the fuckup was 'i tried to hide myself with shadows, but i did it wrong'. It's likely that the shadows will follow you, slowly wrapping tighter and tighter, making their way into your lungs and heart and veins until they destroy you completely, turning you into nothing but a rotting husk caught between life and death for the rest of time.

Yeah that's fun. Also, "what counts as a fuckup" and "what doesn't" is on a very personal level of your own abilities and expertise, so usually people don't know until it's too late. How you use magic is also personal; it could be a mental thing, spoken words, music, written words, or maybe drawings. (example: Angel often writes spells out.)

Magic itself is relatively the same substance; what you use it for classifies whether it's pyromancy, metalurgy, necrokenisis, whatever. Just because you're really good at summoning up fire, btw, doesn't mean you'll ever be able to manipulate gravity or turn something invsible. Most people can't master more than 2 types of magic.

so that was the Basic explanation of GFS magic! have a nice day and drink water and thanks again for the ask and happy WBW

[transmasc-wizard]

i think you just summed up my personality

[transmasc-wizard]

💀, 📚, 💌 for anyone you'd like ^^

ty for the ask! I'll do Angel! (and shhh also Corey because i love him)

💀: If they were one of the 7 sins, what sin would they be? i love this one because they're both Envy, though not for the same reasons (you could try to make a case for Angel as "Greed", but that's... complicated).

📚: Would your OC cheat in an exam? fuck yeah, they have before and will again (both of them).

💌: How would they react to a confession? Corey is confessed to in canon and his reaction is to steal Oliver's knife, kill somebody in front of him, and then literally transport Oliver across the country via magic. Not all of this is specifically because of the confession, but it happens at the time and may have been influenced by it! Angel is also canonically confessed to; they become a stuttering loser who doesn't reply for a week.