Hi! My nameās Tree, and Iām an amateur hobbyist writer. I donāt know how much Iāll post here, but if you have any questions about my characters/worlds, Iām happy to answer!
Follow from @reallymagicaltree, which is my place to go crazy about fandoms.
Before you continue further, know that I am always looking to learn, so if you see any issues with my writing then please let me know (respectfully,please!).
Current WIPs:
āOttoā: a found family story between a reanimated corpse and an old lady
āAbandonedā WIPS (which I will likely circle back to one day)
Kingdom of Flames: A fantasy worldbuilding/writing project that will be a novel one day. For now it's a Gordian knot of random worldbuilding factoids and characters that don't know what to do with each other.
Spare Parts: A sci-fi found family story about a grieving father who's made a terrible mistake, a son torn from care and pushed into a life of violence, and a clone who's never lived a true life. Also, it takes place in space.
give them a variety of exes. give them relationships that shaped who they are but did not last. give them people they tried very hard to love but it didn't work out. give them situationships that taught them things. give them something deep that was real but could not endure. things that hurt. things that ended amicably. people with whom hot passion cooled to warm affection and became undying friendship.
no more first and only. give me the context of what made them know the next or one after was final and right.
I just realized Freddy might try to bug Sunny for a double date, since theyāre (currently) the only brothers with partners.
Sunny may or may not have met Ametrine, but if sheās dating Freddy then he isnāt sure he wants to be anywhere near her. Ruby probably agrees.
So Iām just picturing:
āHey we should do a double date sometime! Iām sure Amy would love you guys!ā
āOh uhhhā¦ Iām busy! Forā¦ *frantically typing on phone begging his boss to give him more hours* the next three months!ā
Thereās a nonzero chance Freddy figures it out and āencouragesā (threatens, even if he doesnāt mean it they donāt know that) them to come on a double date. Thankfully itās just a restaurant or something and not a murder date.
oh my goddd
sorry Iām just
Sunny: boss I need more hours please
Boss: I meanā¦I can do that, but why this all of a sudden?
Sunny: One of my brothers is trying to get me and Ruby to go on a double date with him and his girlfriend.
Boss: Which brother?
Sunny: one of the serial murderers
Boss: Say no more
Ametrine may be very calm or just as energetic and aggressive as Freddy (though not towards Sunny or Ruby); depends on how long itās been since she accidentally hurt one of the others. Both I think would scare Sunny and Ruby though KWKEJDJEH
Fortunately as long as theyāre not shitty to her (which they wonāt be) sheāll be happy to chill with them, and they wonāt be in any danger from her.
I was thinking he might be very vague but mention it as a sort of like. āYeah so my family is batshit insaneā and usually itās just small talk when people ask what his familyās like. He doesnāt get too much into it. But theyāre also a convenient excuse to get off work sometimes so he explains a little bit more to his boss
He probably doesnāt use it much but a āI canāt come in today boss the rich police boy wants to hang out and wonāt let me say noā or āI wonāt be able to make it tomorrow, Jigsaw Jr. dragged me off for something he wonāt explainā on rare occasions when he needs to take a day off but doesnāt have any āvalidā excuses doesnāt hurt.
Sometimes itās even true.
Him eventually using the scary brothers excuse to get more hours is probably helping his case (as in, boss believes it much more now)
probably never mentioned any of them by name though. And never got too terribly specific
Freddyās probably āWolverineā because of the knife gloves, and because āFreddy Kruegerā wouldāve made it too obvious
Okay that makes way more sense than āhey my parents and siblings are serial killers and one of them is kinda in charge of a cult thing and itās cool okay? okayā š¤£
His boss being kinda confused but going along with it. Maybe mildly concerned, but Sunny seems more exasperated and/or tired when his brothers are causing problems so itās probably okay, right? Heās probably just overreacting.
he is in a constant state of "please dont ask about my bio family please dont ask about my bio family" whenever the general topic of Family pops up at work. He's never sure what he's going to say if people ask why he says they're insane. he doesn't want to lie but there's no way in hell he can just tell them the truth.
"oh well yeah so apparently i was born when some leftover magic from a fight didn't just like dissapate or whatever? same with my brothers. our dads are Dream and Nightmare. Yes, those two. So yeah fucking Perseus and Freddy are two of my siblings. There's also a fourth who lives in a warehouse on his own and makes death traps in the hopes of one day killing our dads."
That'll go over great. And that's not even all of it! Don't get him started on the interpersonal bullshit
Imagining now that Sunny just got curious and took like a DNA test or whatever. And then took it like three more times because thereās no way thats right. Except it is.
Either that or he accidentally stumbled into one (or funny option all) of his brothers and they gave him the low-down (āone of us, one of us, one of usā āshut up Freddy!ā)
And now they just randomly show up at his house. At least they arenāt begging for money and usually donāt start shit? Though I guess that isnāt very encouraging when two of them are very open with him about their crimes, including theft and murder, and heād really like to not know this heās pretty sure that could land him in trouble if you ever get arrested or something.
Maybe he accidentally ran into Freddy during one of his glove-hiding shenanigans, literally, and Freddy ended up realizing shit youāre probably one of their kids too.
I never plan out what my characters do, the last time i tried they told me to fuck off, got lost, destroyed public property, and still never made it to point B.
Dream stared at his computer screen, scanning the latest article about Cross and Error. As focused as he seemed, his mind was elsewhere entirely.Ā
The article talked about how Cross and Error were beginning to convince people that NightmareāDreamās eyes skipped over that name entirely, as if it wasnāt thereāhadnāt done anything wrong at all. Not many people were on their side, still, and the article was siding heavily against them, but it was enough to catch attention.Ā
Dream only wondered how long itād take for them to rally the masses against JR.Ā
He idly took a sip of his coffee. It tasted like dirt.Ā
It had been a few weeks since Dream finally achieved his goal, and nothing had changed. Nothing. All that happened was Cross and Error trying to stir up dissent, and Dream-
He shook his head hard. No, he would not. He could not think of that. He couldnāt dwell on it.Ā
The article in front of him denounced Cross and Errorās actions as āfear mongeringā and ārabble rousingā. As if they were wrong. As if there werenāt hundredsāperhaps thousandsāof people who were afraid of JR. Who had friends and family killed for crimes that should never have warranted such a punishment.
How much else had Dream been wrong about? Why hadnāt he listened to themā¦?
He set his coffee mug down with a loud thunk and stood. He decided he needed to go for a walk. Outside, preferably.Ā
The personnel he passed were all in high spirits. They were still excited that theyād seen JR reach one of its most important goals. It had been one hundred years in coming, and while theyād put all of their effort into it, he suspected most of them didnāt expect to see it happen in their lifetimes.
Many of the guards smiled and nodded at him as he passed. Some greeted him with uncharacteristic cheerfulness. He tried for a smile, and hoped it didnāt look as hollow as it felt.Ā
He let the smile drop completely when he got outside.
It was a beautiful day outside. The sun was shining. Birds were singing and flitting about. The garden was in full bloom.Ā
It was always a beautiful day in JR.
Nothing had changed. Except for people celebrating the death of Dreamās childhood friend.
His old friend, whom he killed with his own hands.Ā
The sunlight on his face didnāt feel comforting like it usually did. It felt accusing. It felt as if the birds were whispering of his sins. The swaying flowers taunted him, mimicking the way Nightmare had stumbled before he fell to the ground at Dreamās feet, in a puddle of blood.
With a flap of his wings, Dream took off. He couldnāt dwell on it. He couldnāt. If he kept moving, maybe he could forget. Just for a little while.
He flew faster, higher. He didnāt care where he was going, he just wanted to get away from the castle. The biting wind against his face felt good. Clouds raced by in blurry white streaks.Ā
For a moment, Dream smiled.Ā
Then a huge wave of negativity washed over him. It was so sudden and powerful, Dream found himself putting the proverbial breaks on.Ā
What on earth was thatā¦? It didnāt feel natural.Ā
He surveyed the area below him.
Heād flown farther than he realized. He could see so much from the height he was at, but he couldnāt see JR castle, or the surrounding grounds. He was flying over a small town that he didnāt recognize.Ā
The source of negativity seemed to be coming from there, though, so he made his way down. He was careful not to draw too much attention to himself; a man with glowing gold wings descending from the sky would cause quite a commotion, even if they didnāt recognize him. He landed in the nearby forest.
From what he saw of the populace on his way down, nothing seemed to be inherently wrong. And now that he was on the ground, he could sense that the source of the negativity was only one or two sources.
Dream had met people in the throes of severe depression and grief. These people gave off a seemingly improbable amount of negativity.
But this wasnāt grief or depression. It was a condensed mix of almost every negative emotion, and then, on top of it, was confusion, excitement, and unease.Ā
Even Nightmare, before heād eaten that one golden apple, hadnāt been so suffocatingly negative. But it must have been a spirit. There was no other explanation.Ā
He scouted the outskirts of the town, trying to at least get a glimpse of the sources of negativity.Ā
But they seemed to be coming towards him, as well. One of them was curious. The other was anxious.Ā
Suddenly the negativity rushed towards him, and a black shadow raced towards him. It stopped in front of him, and two men emerged from it.
They looked almost identical. Black hair, brown skin, slitted pupils, and almost the same height. One had strangely colored, blue-grey and yellow eyes. He stumbled as the pair emerged from the puddle, though his companion caught his arm. He regarded Dream with unease and suspicion. He had a crown that matched Dreamās perfectly.Ā
The other had bright cyan eyes, and held himself with confidence and ease. He barely even looked at his companion when he grabbed his arm. His expression was more curiosity and interest, though Dream could sense now that the man was wary of him as well. His crown matched Nightmareās old one.
Without a word, Dream drew his sword. He hadnāt gone anywhere without it since-
āIdentify yourselves,ā he said, keeping his tone even.
The cyan-eyed one raised his eyebrows. āA little on-edge, arenāt we, Angel Boy?ā
Dreamās eye twitched. The manās tone was cool and sly. He didnāt much like him.
The more anxious one grabbed his companionās arm and muttered something Dream didnāt quite catch. The cyan one waved him off, saying āYou have no faith.ā
An idea started to form in Dreamās mind.
āI wonāt ask again,ā he said firmly. āWho are you? And where did you come from?ā
The cyan one gave him an exaggerated bow. āYou can call me Jet. This is my partner, Dark. And who might you be?ā Jet stood up straight, tilting his head. His gaze was piercing āI believe there should only have been two spirits in the multiverse.ā
Dream narrowed his eyes. āThere were. I believe you two are quite lost.ā
Dark turned to Jet. āI told you something was weird. Your portal was fucked up somehow.ā
Jet shrugged. āWell, you canāt say I never take you anywhere interesting.ā
Dark rolled his eyes. āJet-ā
Dream point his sword at Jet, and the pair froze.Ā
āThe two of you are under arrest for carrying corrupt parasites,ā he stated.Ā
They stared at him. Jetās carefree demeanor changed to indignation.
āWha- who even are you?ā Dark stammered. āWhat even gives you the right to-ā
Dream spread his wings behind him. For the first time in weeks, he could see his path clearly. āI am Dream, leader of Justice Reigns. Our mission is to rid existence of all negativity. And as corrupted spirits, the two of you must be destroyed.ā
āWell, I think thatās our cue to leave,ā Jet said dryly. Before Dream could react, he grabbed Dark and dissolved into shadow once again. It darted off, before disappearing from Dreamās sense entirely.Ā
Rather than attempt to follow them, Dream flew back to JR.
He couldāve opened a portal, but flying back gave him some extra time to flesh out a plan.Ā
Of course nothing had changed when he killed Nightmare. There was another multiverse. Probably many more. There were so many universes in this multiverse, that there must be just as many multiverses, if not more.
And if each of those multiverses had a Tree of Feelings and spirits, then the death of just one negative spirit wouldnāt make hardly any difference at all. He needed to broaden his efforts, stretch JRās influence farther.
When he got to the castle, he didnāt bother landing. He found his apartment window, and let himself in. He made his way back to his office, sat down, and began drafting a public announcement.
haha man wouldn't it be funny if nova had just found out harrier was his dad and was super hyped right before Harrier went off the deep end
Since the whole killing nightmare plan wasn't really a secret I don't imagine Nova would be all that affected by Nightmare's death (at least not before he finds out night's his other dad), but like. cross and error being publicly executed? declaring that all negativity must be eradicated? getting fucking dusk and swad's crazy asses on his team???
Blue being freaked out about Cross and Error's deaths is not helping
this does give me an excuse for why Harrier's version of Blue isn't around, aside from just being freaked out and not wanting to hang out. He probably took Nova and ran away, in the hopes that Nova won't be found by Harrier or anyone else on his side. I don't know if Harrier would try to kill him, after going through the trouble to keep him hidden, but I don't think Blue does either and it's scaring him. so. uh. pack you bags kid we're moving
it'd be funny though if krypton and actinide found nova, promised they could keep him safe since he was obviously half a radiant, and then used him to either track down (convincing him that its The Right Thing To Do) or lure out (hostage) the elusive leader of Vulture's Fall.
The bait idea will probably only happen if they know Vellum is the leader (or, more accurately, one of the leaders), and that Nova knows her, like, personally.
mal would definitely be good bait if he was around though. assuming still that krypton and actinide know that he's connected to one of VF's leaders
Alternatively, Nova manages to find Vulture's Fall and tries to help only to be told that he needs to stay out of it. Dark's more gentle about it, though. He's just a kid. They can't let him get hurt.
maybe in a really bad timeline nova does get executed, and blue gets so fucked up about it that he joins vulture's fall and actually tries to fight harrier and his version of jr. maybe he turns out to be the chosen one and saves the day in the end. Unlikely, but it would be interesting
Secret third option: Harrier doesnāt want to keep around a source of negativity, but also doesnāt want to kill his son. Obvious answer? Take him to a lab that specializes in magic (or just JRās lab they probably have somewhere) and just go:
āFixā
Image credit: Dingo Doodles on YouTube, Foolās Gold series Episode 6, 3:14 timestamp
This is obviously done with Novaās full consent and isnāt scary, confusing, or traumatizing at all! (Sarcasm)
oh god. and he visits when he can and acts like a loving father when heās there, making things even worse because Novaās hopes have come true! Harrierās his biological(? nova got an explanation of how he happened but didnāt fully understand, there was a lot happening, heās rather confused) father, andā¦ well, he seems to care about him? Butā¦ heās having people torture himā¦ yeah, yeah, itās the alternative to him dying because heās half negativity, but itās still torture to him
And maybe harrier āpicked upā Nova while Blue wasnāt out and didnāt even warn him, so heās freaking out about it. Did Nova run away? Did Harrier kidnap him? Did someone else kidnap him?!? Is he hurt?? (oh honey you have no idea)
Would nova even survive if they tried to make him fully positive?? Is he stable enough for his natural magic being fucked with not to kill him? Or would he just burn up from the inside as half of his soul is destroyed in (what feels like) hellfire?
Ooh, I hadnāt even thought about if heād survive.
But honestly he might not. Imagine they finally āfixā him, and his chest just feels like itās on fire, and Harrier just keeps telling him itās okay because that just means that heās safe now! And even if it hurts, he sort of wants to believe that Harrierās right. Itās Harrier, and he sounds so sure! He canāt be wrong!
And it just gets worse and worse until his magic literally consumes him in a ball of fire.
Also he would probably ask to go home lots, or at least see his adoptive family. Even if Harrierās his bio dad and thatās cool, he still misses Blue and Mal, and wants to see them.
Ooohh heās begging to see them now that heās āfixed,ā and maybe even gets hold of a phone or something (with or without permission from Harrier) to beg Blue to come see him, asking what he did wrong for them never to come visit, and Blueās just crying because heād given up on seeing his baby boy again. (Because no matter what claim Harrier has over his bio son, Novaās papa will always be the best parent he has)
And then they hear that he died. Or they manage to get to see him and he just collapses at their feet.
Might have to write this scene at some point lol
Thereās also the fact that even if Vultureās Fall wonāt let him help (in a timeline where Blue hides him) he might get inspired to commit vigilante justice.
āā¦gets hold of a phone or somethingā¦to beg Blue to come see him, asking what he did wrong for them never to come visit, and Blueās just crying because heād given up on seeing his baby boy again.ā
I am eating this shit UP
Goddd him getting to see Blue and Mal right before what Harrier did to his soul kills him. Blue and Mal finally getting to see him and being relieved that heās okay, only for him to die right in front of them.
ā¦maybe even in their arms, as theyāre hugging him, because theyāve missed him so much and were so worried, and-
This would get even worse if Nova told Harrier that it hurt, that something wasnāt right, and Harrier just thought it was radiant magic being radiant magic.
I could totally see it having been overwhelming for him too, that maybe it felt like he was going to burn alive from it when he first became a radiant, and Harrierās just like āitāll be fine, you just have to get used to it. Give it time.ā
Question then is does he regret āfixingā Nova, or does he see it as a necessary evil? Does he miss his kid (despite spending so little of the kidās actual life with him)?
I have also considered that if Vultureās Fall wouldnāt let Nova assist, he would form a group with like, every other Nova variant (mostly H!DS, both versions). Wanted to call them a constellation of Novas lol.
Harrier probably regrets it more than almost anything else in his life, but he will force himself to move on. Just with more awareness and less āit was totally necessary shut up little guilty voice it was NEEDED it was RIGHT and JUSTā
Heās still kinda screwed up about it though. Because he knows Nova trusted and looked up to him. He feels like he betrayed that trust. And Krypton and Actinide, not having any attachment to the kid or caring in general, are quite happy to use this to manipulate him more.
Also. I read this before I left for work. And let them all spin a bit as I drove home. And somehow came upon the idea of this Blue and Mal meeting some alternates of themselves and Nova. specifically thinking lucidityās version because lucidity heard what happened to harrierās version, and was like āoh HELL noā and had Blue and the kids get their shit and leave asap. but there wasnāt really time to explain other than āan alternate version of me is going to come after Nova and is probably going to kill him. You need to hurry and get out of here. Iāll fill you in later.ā Lucidity doesnāt know any of the story aside from that Harrierās version of Nova is dead, and that it wasnāt intentional. He has his doubts about it being an accident, but it doesnāt really matter. Cough cough anyways
Itās painfully obvious how upset they are about their novaās death. And the other Nova asks Harrierās version of Mal if heād like a hug? Maybe it would help a bit??
And Mal looks like he desperately wants to say yes, but then shakes his head and says no. He doesnāt say anything else, but heās terrified that this Nova will die right in his arms, too. maybe not the most rational fear, but heās a little fucked up about losing his brother the way he did
on a much happier note, imagine if in the timeline where Nova and Mal survive and decide to just be vigilantes since Vellum and Dark wonāt let them join VF, they end up being the reason that most of their alts find out who their bio parents are.
āhiiii omg we didnt think weād meet alternate versions of ourselves!!! Thatās so cool!! Btw has anyone told you yet you guys are Dream & Nightmare and Ink & Errorās magic fusion kidsā
šļøšļø
āwhatā
āI guess thatās a no?ā
ok now I gotta just
no one has seen Blue so angry, like, ever. He doesnāt have it in him to be truly violent, but heās not leaving Harrier alone, and eventually Krypton and Actinideāacting like theyāre so so sorry that this has happenedāhave to āescortā them out of the castle. ā¦and once theyāre out, they're 'encouraged' not to come back unless they want to make themselves useful. Should they return with any other intentions... either they will be made useful, or they will be gotten out of the way for good.
My boy has got a girlfriend????? I feel like you've said this before but i don't remember anything
If Lucidity's version of Nova feels the same way as Harrier's about Mal, then that feels very on-brand. As much as Mal would like to pretend that they're hugging their brother, they know it isn't him and that makes them not really want a hug (they are not a touchy-feely person, even on a good day).
Also yes, he does have a girlfriend. She's a cat monster and her name is Ruby. I think I mentioned her at one point when I was talking about the H!DS crossover (which is still in my drafts. I just have to rewrite like a little more of it). She's had a few different versions, but basically she's his friend and that slowly turned into more. In H!DS Nice!Nova (nicknamed Sunny for now) met her at some point and they were close, but she was very aware of the problems with Justice Reigns and was not afraid to say so. Which doesn't go over well with a certain artsy lady (Gouge, on Delusion's orders). They're totally fine, I swear. Puzzle (Jigsaw!Nova) doesn't have a Ruby. Might be why he's so moody (joke)
Surprisingly Nova doesn't want his little sibling to go out and fight the superpowered centenarians, despite them being two years apart. But he does let them sort of be his eyes-in-the-sky and help him gather information and supplies on the down low. Mildly helpful when your accomplice barely talks on a good day lol
Other option in the Nova living timeline is them telling him he can't help cause he's a kid.
Found Family mostly. Romance and steamy stuff always feels so stilted and awkward to write for me (aroace), so I wind up avoiding it, or at least the like, buildup parts.
Case in point, Kingdom of Flames has one established lesbian marriage and one marriage that is wholly platonic.
Also find myself killing off parents decently often lol. Kingdom of Flames the MCs' (two siblings) parents are dead by the start of the story. In Spare Parts, Leo's mother died when he was a baby. Idk if that counts as a theme but it comes up a surprising amount for someone with two (currently) living parents lol
Happy STS! What symbols do you attach to your OC- color, flower, animal, etc? Why?
Okay, so I totally missed this, but I'll figure it out.
Gonna answer with a different set of characters, since they're the focus right now and I need to get them fleshed out a bit. Gonna try to avoid mythical creatures and elements, since those both play a large role in the story. Will try to explain but I'm answering this right before bed, so if it doesn't make sense I can try to explain later.
Characters are named in headings, along with the mythical creatures they are supposed to transform into. These are somewhat subject to change, as it's in very early stages and world building is a mess š„²
Aiden, Sphynx
Sunset; his wings are that color in his nonhuman form, and he gives me that vibe; quiet, rarely completely isolated (sunset is always smushed between the brilliant or boiling day and the cozy or frigid night) but rarely someone to miss. Probably some people in canon are upset that he's (platonically) married. Who they are, no idea, and it most likely won't be mentioned. But it's a thing somewhere.
Casey, Sea(?) Serpent
Sketches; she doodles when she needs to distract herself, or when she's stressed. Let this woman unwind, or you might just get very potent snake venom into the bloodstream. Minor fun fact this is Aiden's platonic wife. They're besties š
Frey, Phoenix
A gilded cage; her POV is mostly being in a castle that was once a bright, homey place, and after her parents died it became a very unwelcoming place, with no escape. Add to that she's been separated from her brother... and she would very much like to not be where she is. Good thing that's changing in the story haha
Finley, Manticore
The forest; she's a born and raised outdoorswoman, and even though she lives in the city it isn't really her preferred habitat, just the best place to nick some expensive stuff that won't be missed where not too many people know her face.
Also thorns because spiky, both physically and personality-wise.
Alonna, Kelpie
A heart (cartoon, not biological); out of the cast, she's the first mentioned and the most invested in helping others even at the potential cost of her own safety. Her wife (Finley) does not appreciate this risk taking, but if Alonna's going to throw herself into danger, then the manticore's coming too for protection.
Aerol, Hellhound
Vultures; because out of the cast he's been the most misunderstood and stigmatized. Still working out the 'why' of it, but his nonhuman form is basically seen as a bad omen for the world, and his aunt used that as an excuse to lock a 14-year-old in the dungeons. He is not happy about this, please let him out.
Happy Storyteller Saturday! When your character thinks of their childhood kitchen, what smell do they associate with it? Sauerkraut? Oatmeal cookies? Paint? Why is that smell so resonant for them? - reininginthefirewriting
Give me a moment to freak out about getting an ask like this. Super excited.
ALSKJFKJDSHFGKSDFGUOPEIFJRSKDJFH
Anyways.
Hmm... I have a lot of characters. But I'll answer for the two guys that pop up in my mind, because they definitely need some fleshing out.
Topaz (Spare Parts)
She... never had a childhood kitchen due to being in a lab until she was physically/mentally twenties, but she's technically been alive for like five years (clone bullshit), so it might?
She's never had cookies in her life, and the first time she does it's from the lady that she's super close to in the Resistance (who still needs a name) making some with the meager supplies they have on the station. They aren't necessarily the best cookies (since I'm unsure exactly what sort of ingredients they'd have on a ship that's supposed to be an Efficient Resistance Base that Takes No Chances), but the smell as they're cooking is the best thing she's ever smelled in her life. And when they're cool enough to eat?? Oh she's having the best food in her life.
Leo (Spare Parts)
Kind of opposite to Topaz, wherein he only had a childhood until he was five. But his most important memory is the time when his father was able to get some steak. Living in space means that "meats" resembling beef, pork, chicken, etc. are rare. They were harder to acquire when he was a kid simply because it was harder to create meat with the processors rather than just let colonizers eat the plants and bugs that were general fare on space stations at the time. The smell of cooking steak is always going to bring him back to that.
writing advice i live by (as someone who writes as a hobby):
your first draft is allowed to be awful. let it be awful, you can always improve it later.
if youāre writing as a hobby, it should be enjoyable and not feel like a chore.
if youāre stuck on a scene and canāt get the words out, skip it. write a note for yourself to come back to it later and move on to the next scene. sometimes you just need to look away from the scene and come back to it with a fresh pair of eyes for the words to flow again.
that also applies to finding the right words and metaphors.
consuming media is one of the best cures for writerās block.
another thing that helps writerās block is asking yourself: āwhat is the most fun/best/most devastating thing that could happen next?ā
do not rush your writing. quality work takes time, so donāt ever beat yourself up for being a āslow writerā. itās always worth taking your time building the right plot and finding the right words to make something youāre proud of.
youāre allowed to take a break from your writing. writing is hard work and burn out happens. take a break if you need, and come back to it when youāre ready. writing is not a race.
writing a story/plot you love > molding your plot to trendy tropes you donāt enjoy.
when youāre writing as a hobby, your work doesnāt need to be perfect. it just needs to make you happy. thatās it.
having more words doesnāt mean higher quality work. donāt feel bad for having a low word count.
if you like your own story, chances are others will too.
being a writer is just switching between āi am a literary godā and āwhy did i write this sentence like an alien whoās never met language.ā there is no in between.
My main project, a fantasy story that is probably a few books? Thereās. A lot of worldbuilding happening before that though.
When anyone on the street can transform into a kelpie or a sphynx, youād think that no mythic was too out of bounds. But Aerol, Prince of Valdios, is thrown in the dungeons after his first transformation, and his sister Frey is confined to the castle above. With an aunt out for their blood, can either of them save the world, or is it destined to burn?
#Kingdom of Flames is the tag for general stuff
#KoF![character name] is the tag for individual characters (will bring up writing pieces theyāre part of, as well as lore bits and things that relate to them
#KoF Worldbuilding is the tag for the lore in general. This is going to get usedā¦ a lot.
I want to try to do a post a week on various parts of worldbuilding (because my favorite books and what I want to write are the ones that have details galore and really are introducing a rich world alongside the characters), as well as one-shots/drabbles that should help me flesh out who these characters are.
I remember when this was a big thing on writeblr, but it seems to have died down a lot so
reblog this post if you'd like STS asks about your story and characters! send an ask back to the people who send an ask to you.... and look through the notes and pick some people to send asks to as well!
you can ask anything you like! how someone came up with their ideas, how their characters would fare in a haunted house, what kinds of symbolism is present in their work... get creative! get silly if you'd like!
I'll be reblogging this post every saturday and sending out asks to people who share it :]
Donāt think thereās any warnings on this one? Running away from home if that counts, some mentions of non-consensual organ donation (and the awkwardness between donator and recipient)
This takes place WAY after the original plot, like some second book shit. These two arenāt even interacting yet.
Grrr Iāve wanted to do so much writing but traveling (the irony, except no planes) and now being sick are in the way. But hereās the genetically identical (Not emotional. Yet.) siblings.
Leo was just waiting for the flight to be called for boarding, and he could finally leave this nightmare of a country and the memories that had exhausted him more than his longest, most sleep-depriving missions under the Emperor.
The ticket in his hands was one of the first flights out of the Empire since the Emperor's downfall. Leo hadn't flown much in his life, but if it meant he was as far from Michael as possible, he would take it.
He heard the footsteps before he looked up, eyes narrowing as he saw the figure picking their way through the crowd towards him. Just the sight of that clone walking towards him made Leo want to stand, grab his bag, and disappear into the crowd. He knew he could. Why he just sat there and let Topaz approach was beyond him.
"May I sit?" Topaz asked, her voice soft and wary as it usually was around Leo. While they were completely genetically identical, it still boggled his mind how this could have come from his own DNA: where he wore loose, dark clothes he could fight in if needed, Topaz wore a pale green sundress that brought out their eyes and covered the worst of their scarring with pretty floral prints. The only sign they hadn't had as cushy a life as the surrounding crowd was their missing right eye. Leo felt his own eye tingle in its socket, and blinked hard to dispel the feeling.
A nod of acquiescence later, and Topaz was perched on the seat beside Leo, neither making eye contact. "Why are you here?" Leo asked after a long silence. "I never said where I was going."
Topaz hunched their shoulders, frowning deeply. "I went where I thought I would go if I wanted to run." She murmured softly, barely audible over the background noise.
"We aren't the same person; even if you have my genes, you don't have my mind." And Leo sent a silent thanks to whatever higher being existed that was the case; that was probably the only thing that could have made Topaz's existence and role in his (their?) father's life weirder to him. "And how'd you get past security, anyway?"
At that, Topaz managed a small smile. "I told them I knew Michael Travell, and they'd let me through if they didn't want trouble." She looked up, as if searching his face for approval. "They didn't call the bluff."
Leo scoffed, throwing one leg over the other and rolling his eyes. "You'll have to tell Dad that when you get home; if they didn't ask for an ID or anything, they probably will get in trouble." He saw Topaz's face fall, and quickly continued. "Nothing like us getting in trouble; the most they'll get is losing their job, and not being given this kind of responsibility again. Who knows who they'd let in if they just said they knew Dad."
Taking a deep breath, Topaz scanned the airport, unable to meet Leo's eyes. A viewing screen above Leo's gate showed the flight had been delayed. He bit back a groan, wishing it would hurry up so he could get away from this conversation.
"Have you talked to Michael?" Topaz asked softly, fidgeting with her hands in her lap. "I know he's been trying since he brought you home."
Leo huffed, rolling his eyes. "Don't word it like I'm a stray dog." When Topaz frowned, he added, "I don't mean anything by it, relax." He offered a reassuring smile when Topaz looked up at him, realizing that's what his clone needed right now. "Sorry, that's just how I was taught."
With an awkward smile, Topaz nodded slowly. "I know," they looked away. "Michael's told me not to take things like that to heart, but it's hard." She hunched her shoulders. Tears formed in her eye, making Leo's heart clench.
"I know." He said after a long moment of silence. When Topaz looked up, he continued. "When I was in training, they said some awful shit to me: that I was just a stray that was only alive on the goodwill of the Emperor." When Leo saw that Topaz had started crying in full, he almost stopped talking completely, but forced himself to keep going. "I'm not going to pretend you've been through nothing; I've seen the plans for that monument you and Dad are planning. It looks good."
Topaz smiled wider, even as her eye glistened with tears. "He wants to make one for you too."
An exhausted chuckle escaped his lips, and Leo shook his head. "I don't need it. Monuments are for people who died after doing something great." His fingers go white clutching his phone. "I'm neither of those things." Leo's eye started to itch, and he rubbed it with a grimace.
"But you did do something great," Leo started to argue, but Topaz forged ahead with more confidence than he usually expected from them. "If it weren't for you, the Emperor would have escaped, and Michael and I would probably have been executed."
Leo stared at Topaz, feeling his heart pounding in his chest. He looked down at his ticket, feeling his eyes pricking with tears.
"Do you want to go?" Topaz murmured, leaning closer. There was no touch, but Leo felt their presence like static lifting the hairs on his arms. "I have no issue if you do, of course. Justā¦" Her fingers danced across her arms, trying to burn the anxious energy. "I don't think you want to go anywhere."
There was a tense silence, where neither of them touched, looked at each other, or spoke. Leo could feel the question hanging over him like a gun pressed to the back of his head, a threat that tightened his chest and made his breathing quicken. It almost made him wonder if Topaz had asked on purpose, if she wanted him to be as uncomfortable as he was.
His phone dinged with a new message, and he checked it more to distract himself from the conversation than for any interest; nobody he wanted to talk to right now had his number. His heart damn near stopped in his chest when he saw "Dad" pop up on the screen, a message to himself and Topaz.
"I left dinner in the fridge for you and Topaz. Stay safe out there. <3"
That little heart burned into Leo's mind, and his hands tightened around his phone. His brain wasn't even thinking in that moment where time seemed to stand still.
"Are you going to answer, or do you want me to?" Topaz's phone was in her hand, and she watched Leo intently for his answer.
For what felt like forever, Leo was frozen. His flight started calling for boarding, but he couldn't move. Slowly, his fingers started to move across the screen.
