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Hi…he’s chirping.

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“reblogs aren’t important you’re just whiny”

yeah because when you see this

tell me you don’t get annoyed.

tumblr’s algorithm only cares about posts that are reblogged, it doesn’t count likes. posts don’t get promoted or circulated when they only have likes (the way instagram functions), only reblogs matter for increasing reach on tumblr as a platform.

support content creators.

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So I’ve been making maps for a D&D 5e game I’m running. These are from my World of Rue campaign, worldbuilt from the ground up. The Ordered Realms are a hotbed of military theocracy and internal conspiracy my players have looming right next door, and the Cinderbane Province is home to one of the party’s tenuous allies- the mysterious Lady Cinderbane, who always seems to know more than she lets on.

Sorry I’ve been so quiet and all, last semester wasn’t great for me. It only got better towards the end, and by then I was throwing myself into my work with Reckless AbandonTM. i found some good people who watched out for me and still do, and while I don’t feel like I’m okay yet, I don’t feel like I can’t be. I wrote a lot, even submitted for a flash fiction contest (didn’t win though) and I’ll post a revised and expanded version of that story soon. Expect more stuff soon, likely short writes and poems because those are the only things I feel comfy writing bout rn. Feel free to message me about stuff anytime, be it about questions or just to chat.

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Heard some important information on Twitter today, and thought I’d post it here for anyone who may not have heard it. This is actually a thing, devised by human rights organisation called Karma Nirvana.

Reblog to save a life?

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🇸🇩 ✊ 💙 🙏

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Updates

Hey all,

Sorry I haven’t been active in months. Some mental health issues came up, but I’m getting more control of my life now and I’m thinking of getting back on the horse. I’ve made a few decisions in the lead up to this, which are the following.

Since I enjoy dungeons and dragons so much in my free time, and it’s a big inspiration for me as a game designer and a rookie dungeon master myself, I’m going to be posting some content related to the topic. Home-brewed content, reviews on home-brewed content I use in my games, and some original encounter maps and short adventures. I’m getting into art more, so maybe i can post some of that, but the bulk of my content is going to start becoming more writing-centered again, and some more personal stuff in areas too when I feel like venting. Music has fallen to the wayside, but I’ve been wanting to do more with it- just don’t know where to start, I guess, so if anyone has recommendations for that feel free to let me know. So, yeah. I’ll try to get a short write out once a week or more, and updates on maps and such when possible. 

Also, I started a patreon because why not. I’m a broke-ass college student so any support would be much appreciated, link is below. I haven’t posted anything yet, but I’ll be getting going on it soon.

To the paths yet to be traveled.

-O.O.

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NaNoWriMo Day 2 Confessional

Hello!

So remember yesterday how I said I’d be working on stuff for NaNo this month and in honor of that I’d be sharing my WIPs? The one that’s on the docket for NaNo this year is under the working title of Unchosen, though i’m certainly changing that at some point.

“Alara and Drewen had never known a simple life. For as long as they could remember, the two had nothing but good intention, quick-thinking and ingenuity, and each other’s company to depend on. Little was certain besides their own humanity and their ambitions. One aimed to become a hero and lift herself from squalor, and the other to keep the people close to him safe, no matter the cost. 

When their search for adventure on the outskirts of town lead them to a run-in with magical parasites, their souls are bound to the creatures, giving them the gift of magic- alongside the danger of losing their souls and their lives to the creatures that call them home. With the aid of scant friends and allies from town and master and apprentice Paladin on a crusade for their god, the two must weave through theocratic deceptions, dubious prophetic riddles, and a host of eldritch beasts and believers in the hunt for a lost cure to their affliction.”

So yeah. It’s a high fantasy about a pair of twins on a quest to save themselves and find some meaning in their lives in a world full of ambitious, dangerous people. In this case, that means dealing with cults, cultivating the very power that’s accelerating the loss of your soul but keeping you alive long enough to have a chance at saving it, and figuring out what there is in the world to trust.

If you enjoyed this or have any comments/thoughts, let me know. Inbox is always open.

To the sails that never falter in stormy weather,

O.O.

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NaNoWriMo

Hello!

So I’m doing NaNoWriMo, and in honor of that i’ll be posting information about my bigger WIP’s, expect a few this weekend. Normally I’d confine it to just my original fiction stuff, but also I’m reaaaaaaally excited about some stuff that i’ll be trying to work on my while knees recover from stupid things I did (which deserves a post and videos of their own, but hey we’ll see). In light of that, I’m just going to put all my cards on the table and make a growing masterpost of projects currently under way. I giant Tumblr To-Do list if you will.

Alongside that, I’ll try to post daily excerpts starting this weekend to help keep me on track. If you see anything you like or have any questions/comments/want to chat about stuff, my inbox is always open. 

To the sails that never falter in stormy weather,

O.O.

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starting to be more active again but I do a few

So ya girl just went on a huge ass unfollow spree to purge my follow list of inactive accounts (r.i.p) and now I feel a little empty inside so I’m looking for more people to follow bc im weak </3 

So pls reblog if: 

- You post original content (this is an important one my dudes)

- You write fantasy, sci-fi or romance 

- You’re an LGBT+ writeblr 

- You’re active and friendly ; u ; 

(Pls use the tags to tell me which of these apply and if my mutuals could boost this that would be appreciated ily) 

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The middle-aged, balding researcher blinked, startled. “That’s- is this normal? It actually developed human speech?”

The creature, an avian whose legs and neck were thin as those of a flamingo but whose plumage was vibrant and colorful, turned a very human-looking eye to the researcher, who cringed away, shivers forming at the base of his neck. The creature glared, eyes narrowing as the jet-black beak opened once more. “Fuck you, too.”

The handler lightly tapped its thinly-plumed cheek, making a clicking sound. “Hey, no curse words, remember? If you swear again, no dessert for you.” Though the bird began to stamp its feet in annoyance and disapproval, the hungry, sleep-deprived, and frankly annoyed grad student wasn’t having any of it. “We have rules in this pen, Blue, and rules are rules. No cursing.”

Blue’s eyes fell, head drooping as the avian trotted away to the water tanker for a drink. Meanwhile, the researcher continued to check their notes, scribbling observations in the margins periodically. Mary, the grad student handling the bird, hadn’t taken her eyes off of Blue, wary in case he tried to use it to climb out of the enclosure again. As bulky and imbalanced as Blue could be, the bird was clever, and when properly applied, it could spell trouble quick.

The researcher looked up from the notes to gawk at Blue, wide-eyed. “How did it develop language comprehension, it’s brain should only be-“

“About the size of a grapefruit, I know, but based on the fact that he’s already try to escape six times, it looks like that’s all you need really.” Mary stood up and dusted the wood chips from her jeans, turning to face the researcher. Mary wasn’t particularly fond of the new head researcher staring back at her- after all, he had been the one to lobby against Blue’s incubation and hatching, but now that she got a chance to actually size him up, she figured it was more out of fear than malevolence. In the most scientific terms, he looked prepared to defecate on command. “So, what’re you going to do with him now that you know? It’s not like he can mate or be set free, after all, he’s sterile with both parent species, and there aren’t many more tests you need to run.”

The researcher flipped through his notes again, sighing as he did so. Mary flicked a glance over to Blue, who had curled up into a cute little ball about the size of a beanbag chair near the food tank. Blue has gotten used to the timing of food release, but now that there was a cage over the door as a result of an attempted break-out, he had to wait near it to eat through the cage.

Mary checked her watch. Her shift with Blue was over in just a few minutes, so someone new would be taking her place soon. “We’ll probably be starting to introduce it to new animals. Blue was supposed to be omnivorous, but we don’t know if it’ll actually eat meat. But, until then, same old same old. All you need to keep doing is showing up, spending some time with Blue, and switching and locking up when you’re finished. Now-“

The sound of metal bars freaking filled the air, the shriek of tension grinding against their eardrums. Mary turned, hands to her head as she watched Blue pull the bars apart, one with her mouth and the air with both talons. With a little squawk, Blue turned to look at Mary and the researcher. “Get fucked.”

Then, she hopped onto the feeding tray, squeezed inwards into a little ball, and rolled up the vent. Mary and the researcher looked on, shocked, as the sound of banging metal quickly followed by the sound of startling screaming from the cooks upstairs echoed in the chamber.

“We should... probably go retrieve him.” Mary said, turning to the researcher.

He opened the glass door to containment and nodded. “Yes, let’s.”

“Heck. Heck. Heck. Heck. Heck.”

“Stop swearing.” 

“Get fucked.”

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Call for writeblr’s working with SCI-FI, THRILLER, CRIME, MYSTERY! 

I’m looking for more writers with similar interests! I have come across a lot of fantasy writers and wanna find other writeblrs with genre-similar wips to my own! Please like or reblog if you’re working with these genres too!

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An Old Friend

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The fae stares on, the slightest shimmer of mischief in its silver eyes, as it hovers beneath the shade of the twilight-lit brush. “Remain there a moment, would you? I think I have just the thing you need.” The little fae flits closer, and the shapeshifter turns their head weakly to look. Heavy swirls, inlaid fractal designs, and the slightest glimmer of blue embossed the wings and dress that covered the fae. Small in general, the little creature twice as big as a butterfly lands several feet away before growing to the size of a normal human.

The shapeshifter keeps their lips sealed tight to hide the curses that spring to their mind. They had come out to the forests expecting a pixie, something that they could turn in to the humans for a sizeable income without drawing too much attention from either side of the divide. Yet, standing before them now was a selkie, a powerful magic user and shapeshifter from the fae planes.

The thought that they were staring down an entirely different entity than what they had prepared for rings every mental alarm that told them that it was time to start running. Yet, a part of them fears that this selkie would take the opportunity to attack, and from there anything was possible. Worse yet, it was possible their true form would be recognized, which could spell doom at ten paces, especially near a being from the Unseelie Courts.

As the shapeshifter runs through the possible options they have, the selkie revealsa small gourd capped with a cork stopper, shaped crudely by human hands. As he uncorks it with a snap of his fingers, a small, golden glow begins to emanate from its mouth. The selkie holds out the drink, mock earnest in its voice and gestures. “Here, take a sip of this. It’ll fix you right up!”

The shapeshifter’s eyes narrow. The glow made it obvious, the selkie was offering him fae wine, a rookie maneuver but one that worked a solid 99% of the time. The shapeshifter recognized that normal convention required that they deny the potion, lest they fall victim to the inhibitive effects of the wine that most humans would suffer. But, the shapeshifter tells himself, this is far from a normal scenario. They lean forward towards the drink, and motion with their head that they would like a sip, much to the selkie’s pleasure.

The selkie quickly offers the rest of the drink, which the shapeshifter guzzles down greedily. The magic brew forcibly heals the last of their injuries, returning them to the rather diminutive stature that they had presented. The selkie, for his part, sat back on his legs and did his best to contain his pleasure. “Wow, you sure took a beating. What happened to you out here, mister…?”

For a moment, the shapeshifter struggles to return a response as a cold wave of magic washes over them. It was ineffectual, flaccid and poorly constructed, one that served to make the target more susceptible to trickery or deceit. He could tell from the glamour, its ornate patterns and near-perfect sky-blue hue, that the fae was nothing to scoff at in terms of spellweaving, yet here it was, throwing out a spell that even a low-level pixie could shrug off. The shapeshifter suppresses their fully satisfied smile and returns a more pleasant, grateful fake one instead, affecting the most plain-sounding Irish voice they could to match the pseudonym they relied on so often.

“Andole, Andole Schiodchan. I’ve got to say, you really saved my hide there, mister uh-“

The selkie was quick to respond, which surprised them. Normally, fae would seek to point out faults in respectful discourse, in part from habit, yet he didn’t so much as bat an eye. The shapeshifter could tell, though, from the glint in his eye and the smile brushing at the edge of his lips that it was a purposeful action. “You can refer to me as Verity, if it so pleases you. What’s a person like you doing in the woods here?”

“Verity it is, then. It’s mighty kind of you to have offered your help like that and all, I’m lucky you were around to make up for my stupid mistakes. I thought I could cut through the fens to shave an hour’s travel, but a wild boar caught me off-guard and- well, you know the rest. Maybe I could repay the favor by walking you back into town? My wife was planning to hold a little feast for my son’s first birthday, and she’d be grateful for the company.”

The selkie’s eyes light up and his back straightens as a beaming smile spreads across his lips. “That sounds fantastic! I’ve got just the wine to bring to the party, and I probably have something for your son, too!” He hopped up to his feet, brushing off the bottom of his dress in a mock-attempt at convincing cleanliness, and helped the shapeshifter up to their feet. The shapeshifter silently recalls the small home where they were staying, the bedroom they slept in and the baby’s crib their mother had passed on to them after her death. It was all they could to do suppress their satisfaction.

As the two walk, the selkie sings fae songs, songs the shapeshifter remembered from the warnings of their grandfather and grandmother. The shapeshifter replies with folk songs, crooning horribly enough to pass the selkie’s minor inspections, just as they’d seen other victims of fae abductions do so many times before. At this point, they think to themselves, they didn’t truly need to keep up much of a charade anymore, as the selkie had already believed it had won everything and more from this naïve human.

Yet, the truth as far as the shapeshifter could see it was that the game had ended the moment the selkie had agreed to walk back to their house with them, as accepting the invitation was a binding contract- and a death sentence. The pair near the shapeshifter’s house, which was dark and lifeless. The selkie, not one to shirk the responsibility of politeness, offers a compliment nonetheless.

“I must applaud you on your beautiful home, Andole Schiodchan. Despite its diminutive size, it’s very cozy and warm-looking. May I step inside?” The selkie asks. The shapeshifter cuts a terse nod and opens the door for the selkie to step through, gloved hand wrapped firm around the iron door handle.

“Thanks kindly for the compliment, madam, but it appears that we’ve missed the party by a few hours.” The selkie flinches at the shapeshifter’s thanks, but keeps his disdain hidden behind his smile. The shapeshifter goes on, smiling to himself. “Damn shame, too. You would have loved my wife’s apple pies, they’re the talk of the town. Everyone comes around now and again asking after my wife, all to see if she’ll bake them another pie. Actually, if you make yourself comfortable, I can look around to see if we still have one.”

The selkie wanders around the small frontroom, which doubled as the kitchen, and nods, taking in the furnishings. On the wall opposite the front door was a pair of similarly-shaped wooden doors, one of which led directly into an outhouse of sorts while the other led into their bedroom. On the near wall, by the door and stretching right along the wall and the wall adjacent was a long, wooden countertop nailed into the wall, as well as several well-made cooking utensils and an ironcast oven and stove. Against the far wall sat a fireplace, and above it the head of a boar, mounted and preserved as a trophy. “Ooh, it’s even cozier inside! I’ll be happy to take an apple pie, if you do have one. Do you mind if I look around a bit? I was hoping to meet the rest of your family, after all.”

The shapeshifter turns their back to the selkie, yet takes care to watch him through the silver platter hanging against the wall. “Go right ahead, though I should warn you that my wife may be sleeping. The door on the left, that leads into the bedroom we share with our son. If he’s awake, you can say hi to him too.” They grins to themselves as they rummage through the cabinets and boxes, faking the search for a pie that didn’t exist while they reach for the iron knife stained gold in fae blood.

As they does so, they hears the door creak open gently. The selkie pushes through the door and steps into the dim room, lit only by their presence and a single candle next to the ancestral crib. As he steps out of sight, the shapeshifter turns away from their false search and makes slow steps across the floor, soundless and weightless.

As they lean against the wall, they could hear the selkie making cooing noises, a preemptive motion to calm a child down right before it’s taken. This was followed by silence, lasting only a few seconds yet long enough for the shapeshifter to fear that their planning was for naught. Perhaps they had misread how well they had convinced the fae. Perhaps the fae had grown suspicious and caught on to the deception just in time to turn on them and kill them with whatever enchantment she likely placed on the wine. Yet, when the sound of screaming split the air, their fears dissipated, and they were spurred on to action.

They leaps from their hiding spot into the room to see a large, monstrous creature, sharp spines jutting out from thick, brown fur that alternated between lush and full to sickly and falling out, only growing worse by the moment. The creature bore little resemblance to the selkie that had entered their house, yet they recognized the monster for what it was, having shed its glamours and revealed its true form to them.

The fae lets out a shrill roar before slashing at the shapeshifter. The attack was weak, haphazardly thrown, the shapeshifter wastes no time as they lung directly forward with the iron knife, driving it straight through the selkie’s heart. As they did so, they locked eyes with the creature and shed their form, shapeshifting themselves into the same type of monster that stared back at them.

The selkie recoiled, both in immense pain and immense shock. “You- you’re fae! But that’s impossible, the iron-“

“Has no effect on humans drinking fae blood. Think of this as payback for the children you took from this town, selkie. I hope your death will be enough of a message to your people to remind them that this town is protected.” The shapeshifter gives the fae a wide, sharp-toothed grin, and the fae’s slumping, weakening body could do little to fight what was coming next. The shapeshifter, with a raised, clawed paw, drives down into the fae’s body, finishing it off for good.

By the time the shapeshifter had disposed of the carcass thoroughly, the full moon had passed and a neat little grave to signify the leftover fae bones sat freshly-dug behind the shapeshifter’s house. As they sit at their kitchen table, sharpening the iron knife they had used, they grin to themselves, the machinations for their next hunt already taking form. They could only salvage another month’s worth of fae blood, though it was a much better prize than simple pixie gold. Still, the gold was important, as their human side did require bread, cheese, and meats to allow him to continue hunting. It would take a month, perhaps, but if there was anything the shapeshifter could do, it was wait. After all, they’d been in the game for a thousand years. A month meant nothing to a creature like them.

“Aww, did someone break your legs?” cooes the fae “Does it hurt, little human?”

The shapeshifter keeps xir breathing uneven and ragged, and very carefully begins to click xir legs back together. Hunting fae is dangerous, but it’s easier if they think you’re broken.

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small update

hey so personal talk

i’m not having the beeeest of times lately, and the only thing I can think to do is throw myself at projects until something clicks and i’m back to normal again so

i know i keep saying i’ll do stuff, but i’m serious this time.

i’m going to be posting writing, drawing, game journals and design notes from things i’m studying, shitty and decent quality alike in the hopes that things get better eventually. step one is finishing this short write, step two is drawing myself some form of a logo for the propic, and step three is... i don’t know. wish me luck.

To the sails that never falter in stormy weather,

O.O.

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Update Post Script

Almost forgot, you guys don’t mind if I do like narrative non-fiction on here, right? I think it’ll help me vent every now and again, and practice that writing style.

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Update

Hi, sorry I haven’t updated in a while, I’ve been dealing with more things as they come and it’s kind of been mentally taxing. I’m still uncertain what to post on here, there’s so much I want to share but so little I know how to.

Writings and songs coming down the pipeline (hopefully). If anyone wants to see other stuff I do, like dance or drawing, say the word and I’ll try to figure things out.

Best wishes,

O.O.