#//self-indulgent world building ftw!

[lululawrence]

Annual Writing Self-Evaluation 2023

Thank you for tagging me @allwaswell16! I am so happy every year that this (I believe) brainchild of @juliusschmidt's from 2016 still exists in various forms! hehe I apparently missed doing this in 2021 and 2022, and I was determined not to miss it again so here we go!

List of works published this year: My Other Half Was You Gemma's Dad (Could Use A Guy Like Me) Quite the Pickle Livin' In A Daydream (Gimme a Solution and) Watch Me Run With It You Are A Song Did You Know I Fit In A Dryer? Were You There On That Christmas Night? Team Gaelic FTW No Constraints Odds Are That We Will Probably Be... Damsel in Christmas Distress Snow In Love

Work you are most proud of (and why): Oof. This is always such a hard question to answer. Almost as hard as the next one, and the next one and the next one....... hah honestly though, I think... I'm honestly sincerely proud of most of my fics from this year simply because I got them written. I'll go more into that later, I'm sure, but maybe... I think maybe My Other Half Was You or Odds Are That We Will Probably Be... and for very different reasons. My Other Half Was You was written based on artwork by @moon-sun-thyme for @1dreversebang and the moment I saw her artwork I had these vague ideas coming to mind and I am quite proud with how I was able to bring them to life so closely resembling what I originally thought of when I saw the art. And for Odds Are, I wrote that for @1dtrickortreatfest so it had to be exactly 666 words and that's always a trick (heh), but in this case I had to completely world build and set up the situation and lead everyone to the conclusion within that word count while making it somewhat compelling... and I think I was able to manage it. I hope I was, anyway haha

Work you are least proud of (and why): lmaooooo usually this answer is really hard for me to answer, but this year it's not haha i have a few fics that I literally wrote to just remind myself that I could. That not everything has to be thought out and polished and pretty, sometimes it's just a matter of getting words on paper and putting them out into the world immediately, hoping for the best, and they absolutely served their purpose! I'm fond of them still, but that doesn't mean I'm proud of them necessarily haha So I would have to say Damsel in Christmas Distress (which I still love dearly, simply for how self indulgent that silly thing is for me haha) and Quite the Pickle. Again, my darling Stylinshaw fics getting the brunt of it here, but they did as they needed to for me. I'll maybe try to write them a longer, more polished fic with some thought behind it this year, as they clearly deserve.

A favorite excerpt of your writing: GAHHHH I hate this question every damn time! Okay, I don't know if this is my absolute favorite thing I wrote this year, BUT it immediately came to mind, and I do very much like it so, here's an excerpt from Gemma's Dad (Could Use A Guy Like Me). I just adore Harry being a fumbling idiot around a pretty boy hahaha Ever since he had dug up his garden, he preferred to start in the back where the job was a lot more complicated to work around and then move to the front, which was far easier.  Now, though, Harry was wondering if this was the right decision because Louis was also mowing his lawn. That wasn’t a problem, of course, except he was shirtless and that only defined for Harry the fact he really had grown up. Louis used to try to show off for the neighborhood by mowing any number of lawns shirtless in middle school and high school, but he had been a scrawny kid with little to no meat on his bones and Harry had thought it adorable back then. Now, on a sweltering day like it was, he was probably shirtless just to be as cool as possible as the sun beat down on him, and Harry’s vision wasn’t as good as it used to be, but he could still tell that Louis had filled out since going to college. He was still a thin man, but as he pushed the mower through the tall grass, Harry could see the muscles he clearly put effort into. Add to it the chest hair that was only growing darker as he continued to sweat and the smattering of tattoos he’d gotten since he turned eighteen and it was clear he had grown up. Harry couldn’t help it when the glint of the sun off Louis’ sweaty skin made him lick his lips without even thinking. Clearing his throat and thankful it was obvious Louis was too focused to notice Harry ogling him from his own yard, Harry pulled the starter and began to work on his own yard.

Share or describe a favorite review you received: I've got three that immediately came to mind, so excuse me while I mention all three as quickly as I can manage lol First was from @allwaswell16 for Gemma's Dad. I'd had a lot of difficulty with a someone reading motivations and meaning in the characters and story that I took a lot of care in ensuring were actually avoided as I wrote it. There were a lot of pitfalls I could have fallen into when writing the fic, but one person just kept asking over and over again for things I thought I had already done and my beta assured me I had sufficiently covered etc, but I still worried so when Anitra gave the review she did of it on her podcast, it literally made me cry a little bit lol Second was @londonfoginacup in response to (Gimme a Solution and) Watch Me Run With It when she commented "Ah so you really just tore your chest open and picked out your beating heart and handed it to me here, didn’t you" because... well I hadn't really considered it when I'd been writing the fic, but I guess I kind of did exactly that, yeah. haha And then lastly I want to thank @tommokat for their lovely comments on Snow In Love regarding the Michigan geography and freak lake effect snow that can be experienced there because I tried my very best to describe the absolute chaos that is that region in the wintertime and they basically affirmed that I had accurately captured it. Genuinely, the best gift I could have gotten haha

A time when writing was really, really hard: Excuse me while I laugh a bit hysterically until I cry alksdhglskfja The last year or two have been incredibly difficult for a whole host of reasons, but the ones that most affected my writing were my lingering (and seemingly unending) burnout combined with an absolute lack of time/energy available to write. There were so many times this year that I thought I wouldn't be able to do it or thought I'd have to pull out of various fests and just... cut down on things, but I kept pushing and kept trying and I did it. I'm so fucking proud of myself, honestly.

A scene or character you wrote that surprised you: Jordan North in Did You Know I Fit In A Dryer? Well, honestly, Louis in that fic too. And the entire premise of the fic. Really all of it surprised me lololol I never expected to write Jordan in a fic. Ever. hahahaa And as I've barely dabbled in a couple of weed candies is all, I certainly did not anticipate ever writing someone as THAT HIGH. sooooo...yeah just all of it hahaha

How did you grow as a writer this year: Psh. Bold of you to assume I've grown as a writer this year when I was merely doing what I could to survive haha if anything I kind of wonder if I went backwards in my writing abilities but who the fuck knows, really haha

How do you hope to grow next year: I just... I dunno man. I just kinda hope I'm in a better place this time next year so I'm just not so fucking tired all the time and so I have actual time to write, you know? lol continued good vibes are always welcome here, folks haha

Who was your greatest positive influence this year as a writer (could be another writer or beta or cheerleader or muse etc etc): Like... everyone. hah I'm getting a little emotional thinking of everyone who helped me keep going this year. but the greatest? probably @londonfoginacup again. She was the biggest influence in actually getting my Big Bang finished because I didn't want to disappoint her (even though?? I know I won't??? like.. anyway) haha and then I wrote like three fics for her/dedicated them to her just because... like. she keeps me going some days honestly so yeah. Emmu. You're the bestest always babes. Love you.

Anything from your real life show up in your writing this year: Listen, all I'm saying is in one of my fics it hits a little too close to home. Like I kind of wrote Harry's starting place... and kinda where he is for a lot of the fic... pretty much exactly how I was feeling, and still pretty much am, though for very different reasons. So it's maybe a little too much of my real life emotionally speaking in there yeah

Any new wisdom you can share with other writers: New? Not so much hahaha just don't give up!

Any new projects you're looking forward to starting (or finishing) in the new year: YES. I was just talking with @moon-sun-thyme this morning that I started the year by posting a fic based on her art, and I'm going out of this year focusing on the fic we will be collaborating on together for the @onedirectionbigbang hehe so I'm very very excited to get started on that one. It's a fic I've been wanting to write almost ever since I first heard the song Satellite, so I am READY to delve in and lose myself to it, honestly. In the whole... one night every week or two I have to write. hahaha Here's hoping I make the deadline haaaaa

Tag three writers whose answers you'd like to read: MAN I have no idea who has and hasn't done this yet! So maybeeeee @justanothershadeofblue, @hellolovers13, anddddd @quotefromthatshow and @louandhazaf if you haven't done it already and want to! And shh I know it’s four but who cares lolol

*All answers should be about fics posted in 2023

Past Years: 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 and 2020 | 2022(ish)

[silver-haired-76-blog]

Zip me 👀

Write a drabble about your character dressing mine, undressing mine 

It was times like these that Jack actually thanked the other priests for allowing him a place to himself.

It was common for most to stay within the walls of the church which–although gave him better sleeping habits was barely private. That, and he didn’t like living like he was in the middle ages. Their order may have been around that long but it didn’t mean he needed to lack a modern day bathroom and kitchen.

“Honestly, Jack, I don’t know how you manage to get any sleep in someplace so–Unholy I suppose.” A priest, Charles, who insisted on walking with him home after a particularly nasty hunt. But Jack knew why he was there–he was suspicious. The man was always suspicious. Kids playing in the park are suspicious to him.

“I would hardly call an upscale apartment in downtown unholy.” He speaks bluntly–as per usual. He had to shove his coat in his bag to avoid sideways glances. He could probably manage to fool people into thinking the demon blood was black paint but–he really didn’t have the energy. And Charles didn’t like lying. It was sin after all.

“Its full of humans, Jack–well, those who aren’t like us.”

“We walk the world normally, if we scrutinized every drug deal, murder and salacious affair with that waitress that winked at you we wouldn’t be getting any sleep.” He looks at him blankly, “I think the good Lord above would have smited me by now if being out of the church was that horrible.”

Charles scowls, “You’re isolating yourself.”

“I have company.”

This comes as a surprise to him, “Who is that?”

He gives him another side eye, “Private.”

“Jack–”

“Private. By the Light.” He steps from the elevator, Charles decided to follow until they get to Jack’s door.

“How do you know this is safe?”

The Hunter was clear to show his irritation, but raises a hand and shows a web of pattern around his doorway. Only they could see it, “I spent forever on this, it’ll keep demons from slitting my throat alright?” Before the other priest could speak again he waves a hand, “Goodnight.” 

At least he took the hint, bowing to him lightly, “Be safe, Jack.” He leaves back to the elevator.

The Hunter watches him until the elevator door closes, snapping once the rune dissipates with little effort. The amount of time he spent drawing the symbols to do that was quite literally ungodly. It was better than redrawing it every time through.

He enters, barely shutting having shut the door when a short wind brushes by him. He rolls his eyes, dropping the bag down as black smoke shifts past his legs and culminates on the couch, “You could have waited maybe an hour.”

“You act as if your schedule means anything to me.” Gabriel appears from the smoke, taking up most of his couch. He was dressed less formally than last time, and smaller horns were curled in his hair. He tilts his head to look about home with slight interest, “You don’t have a bad place here, priest.”

“I’m pretty sure you’ve been here before. Demon.” He pulls the blood covered jacket from the the bag and tosses it in the closet where the laundry is, “You’ve definitely watched me sleep. At least once.”

“You’re very restless too. I like how your muscles tense up when you’re having a nightmare,” He gives him his usual sharp grin, “I never appreciated how nice it was. A bit too many crosses though.” 

Jack glances at several hanging from the walls, “I’m not taking all of them down for you, its for priests that decide I need inspect. Its not like the hurt you.”

“Not at all. But its not good to lie, that’s a sin, you know.”

He says nothing, moving to him and leaning close only to flick one of the buttons on his shirt, “I’m taking a shower.”

Another grin, “Is that an invitation?”

“Maybe.” he drags him up, “Since you decided to come early.”

The demon lets himself get dragged, chuckling soft, “You had a rough night didn’t you?” 

“What makes you think that.” The tile is cool when he steps on it, dragging off Gabriel’s jacket, pressing lips light on his jaw as he undoes the buttons, “One of those dragon looking demons was killing women in the north district. Didn’t like me too much.”

“Well you seemed to get out without any more pretty scars, I hope you didn’t kill Johnson, he was my favorite” Jack could hear him grinning, his own shirt pulled off with a brief movement before they kiss again. He tasted like smoke and ash, the bitterness was something he’d gotten fond of.

“They all screech the same things. Didn’t exactly have pleasantries before he was trying to burn me to death.” He pulls away, the shower turned on.

“I’m sure they said they’d use your head as a chandelier and your legs as contemporary art.” 

“No, actually it was the classic ‘steal my soul’ deal. After the maiming bits.” He grabs him by the belt, dragging him over under the water. The kisses grew longer, biting.

The demon scoffs, slipping a hand under the waist of his pants, “That’s my soul they are threatening.”

“Its actually mine.” 

Gabriel smiles wider, his forehead against his, the water was scorching, “You say that like you won’t give it to me.”

“I won’t. We’ve been through this.” He breathes out, “Unless you want to steal it from my maimed body.”

Rolling eyes, “Well I’ll have to if you want to be stubborn about it.”

“No. My soul.” It was mockingly patronizing, pushing him against the tile, kissing under the debating growl that comes from throat. He didn’t mind that sound. 

He feels the demon’s hand drag up his side, clawing it. It stung, only briefly. The sting moved up his back. The stinging stops, he stopped scratching, there was softer fingers lingering between his shoulders.

Jack stops tasting his mouth a moment, chuckling short, “Didn’t know you were so gentle.”

“Mm.” It was a hum, like some kind of realization, his voice different, “There is a first time for everything--wanna here one?”

Jack huffs out a breath, “What is it?”

His grin is back, the rose gold of his eyes bright, “I’ve never fucked an Angel before.”

For once the nonsense Gabriel says on a daily basis actually makes his brow furrow, the shower sounding louder, “What are you talking about?”

“I can feel it--it’s disgusting,” He chuckles, “But also far too interesting...haven’t seen one on Earth in a long time but--now it makes sense why you haven’t died slowly--”

“You--” Jack sets a hand on his shoulder, looking at him carefully, “...You’re being serious.”

“What you thought it was a clever pun? Of course I’m being serious.” He breathes out, smiling wider, “I’ve never seen wings pop out of an Angel--oh I hear its worse pain than half the things I do in a day--”

“Gabriel.” His voice is sharp, “Stop fucking with me. I’m not an Angel.”

The demon watches him a moment, smile not faltering, “...You can believe what you want for now. I’ll be sure to be here when everything gets a bit different for you.”

Jack couldn’t tell what that meant, the scorching water felt colder on his back. He feels Gabriel’s hands take his, guiding them to waist of his pants that were soaked now, speaking soft in his ear.

“You want to finish what we were doing, angel?”

[gale-gentlepenguin]

ML Spoiler Review: Chat Blanc

(Spoilers below)

Ehem.

FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK Gabriel agreste.

Okay, on to the review.

-Gabriel talking to his comatose wife again. Blah blah blah

-Alix betting Marinette didn't give Adrien the gift.

-Rose betting she did.

-Marinette failed.]

-Rose! Damn girl!

-Rose just straight up Mental b**** slapped confidence into Marinette. Nice.

-Supportive girls ftw

-”DONT FORGET TO SIGN IT”

-Marinette using Ladybug powers to get into them windows.

-Tikki is like “Don't be stupid”

-Marinette is having too much fun

-Adrien dealing with Gabriel being a s***y parent again.

-MARINETTE SIGNED IT!

-ADRIEN SAW HER LEAVE.

-Adrien KNOWS!!!! 

-He looks so happy. Damn it look at that smile.

-Plagg is trying to fix this, but Adrien is convinced.

-”Marinette is Marinette! Ladybug is...”

-”Marinette <3″

-Plagg telling this boy  to stop thinking like usual. But NOPE. He is on a mission

-”Everything will be fine. I promise.”

-Bunnyx appears. Apparently timeline shenanigans.

-Okay the time world is cool. But I have questions for later.

-The bowl on the head to prevent spoilers. If only Zag knew about this revolutionary technology.

-Seems like Alix Knows Marinette and Adrien are ladybug and Chat noir. So that figures. I had a feeling, but now I know.

-Oh DAMN PARIS IS UNDERWATER

-Chat Blanc. oh damn. He is CRAZY. Why is he crazy?

-The moon is broken.

-Chat blanc is... OH DAMN

-Chat blanc admitting to have made mistakes. SEE PEOPLE HE DOES IT.

-He is crying! omg my son no.

-oh damn!

-Marinette knows he knows! OH FUCK!!!

-oh so Bunnyx and rewind time and see what caused things. neat. She is a time DVR.

-Marinette’s hair is down, for some reason. YAY!!!!

- Alix lost the bet. AND TIME IS F***ED

-Adrien is wearing the beret. He wants to talk with Marinette.

-Oh my... is he.

-”It means that I love you Marinette.” 

(Jokes aside, I legit slid out of my chair holding my chest wondering if I got shot)

-Oh damn are they gonna.

-ADRINETTE KISS! THIS IS NOT A DRILL.

- They held hands, she is on her tippy toes! FUCK THAT IS GOOD S***

-Chat noir hydoken-ed a building.

-Oh gosh, the slide show of their relationship is so adorable. Chloé is pissed. GOOD. Sabrina ships it.

-I wish I can see Lila being salty. But its best she isn't in this episode.

-Oh Luka, you right there. Playing a song, as the girl you love is dancing with another man. OOOFFFF. Well, at least you are happy for her. Good on you my dude. I respect that.  (10 OUT OF 10 BEST LUKA APPEARANCE)

-They are having ice-cream together!

-Paris is talking about how f***ing cute they are. GOOD.

-Hawkmoth finds out. Their love destroys Paris? WTF

- Gabriel. YOU ARE A PIECE OF S***! HE IS MAKING HER BREAK UP WITH ADRIEN OR ELSE!!! 

-Gabriel was smart not to be there in person, TOM would have rekt him. OR sabine. Or both. Marinette is hurting oh no. The macrons are on the floor. NO!

-She is at the mansion. Oh the umbrella.

-NONONONONONONNONONONNONO

-She had to break up with him. Adrien looks hurt too. oh fuck they are both crying

-HAWKMOTH PLANNED THIS! FUCK HIM! HIS SON’S HAPPINESS MEANS NOTHING! HE CAN CHOKE ON HIS BUTTERFLIES.

-Gorilla is the only adult I respect. Best dad. Adrien’s true father.

-MARICHAT REVEAL! MARICHAT STANS GET YO JUICE.

-That hug

-You know, I realized. Adrien Knowing Marinette was Ladybug actually saved Paris from Hawkmoth winning.

-If Marinette got akumatized, he gets the ladybug miraculous. Which is like an Insta win.  (Well at least winning earlier)

-Nathalie is a snitch

-Hawkmoth was weirdly excited for the fact that Adrien was chat noir.

-Time portal signal is static, gotta change the antenna.

-Bunnyx in fear, Marinette gotta save the day

-Chat Blanc is crazy strong. But also CRAZY

- a lucky charm eraser.... I know where this is going.

-We will never know the name of that hamster they want to have.

-Ladybug has got some insane Judo moves.

-Why do I have the feeling Chat blanc is holding back? Probably doesn't want to destroy the miraculous.

-Damn, thats a big fall.

-oh damn, Chat blanc’s ladybug is dead and so is hawkmoth. Guess Akuma can out live their master. OOOF

-So NO ONE wins.

-Okay, time shift. HOW DID THEY GET TO HAWKMOTH’S LAYER WITHOUT KNOWING HE WAS Gabriel? That is a literal plot hole.

-Hawkmoth activated his facedown trap. Dead mom in a glass casket. Adrien takes mental damage because Hawkmoth is a fucking piece of human garbage

-Adrien is in pain.

-Gabriel can use the force to call back his cane.

-GOOD GRAVY! HOW HARD DID YOU HIT HIM GABE! YOU PHYSICALLY ABUSIVE S***. 

-Knocked him from the mansion to the Eiffel Tower. HOW HARD ARE YOU HITTING HIM.

-Gabriel... you are giving an emotionally unstable 14 year old the power of INFINITE DESTRUCTION. You are an idiot.

-Chat is trying to fight it.

-Oh s***. Well Hawkmoth, you f***ed up.

- okay back to blanc.

-OKAY DAMN CHAT! F***er was about to pull a destroyer god and erase the universe. Or at least the earth. Chat Blanc = Beerus confirmed. Yea, he was holding back.

-He flicked the bell, was he giving her a hint?

-Ladybug got it. She saved him. Oh this hurt.

-LADYBUG FIGURES OUT THE ERASER.

-Wait, so Ladybug remembers the fight with Chat blanc and thinks that falling in love with Chat noir will destroy the world.

-FUCK YOU THOMAS.

-Okay so she fixes the letter.

-Bit of Ladrien.

- The lady noir scene hurts at the end, cause ouch

______________________________________________________________________

This episode... I knew how it would end. But f*** does it hurt so much more. It hurts infinitely more.

Oblivio gave a tiny sample of what their lives would have been. Chat blanc gave us a meal The love square fully realized, it was beautiful.

I think the episode fails in what it was trying to achieve. That the identity reveal is dangerous. 

No, the answer is as long as Gabriel breathes, Adrien will never be happy no matter what.

Aside from that. I think it was an amazing episode and I think it beats Oblivo as the most self indulgent episode for me. I watched it like 7 times already.

9 / 10

There are a few minor things with the episode that stop it from being perfect, but I do think its my favorite episode this season. right with Oblivio and Star train.

[chanlyeya]

I'm a huge fan of your Black Rune fic, and Tomorrow was hilarious. You've mentioned having some original works; any chance you might be willing to share some? ^^

:OOOOOOO

OMG Nonnie! That is so sweet of you (ɲ˃ ˈ̫̮ ˂ɳ) ~ෆ I’m so glad you enjoy my little forays into self indulgent fics, but I’m even more honoured about the questions on my original works :;(∩´﹏`∩);:

As @foolish-identity can tell you, I have a looooot of them, and they are all relatively complex, so I’ll put this under a read more:

There are a few I have hidden away somewhere on my laptop, but there are five major ones I’ve been working on that are much more fleshed out then the others. And they are loooooong.

One I refer to as the “indulgence series”, as, should I ever finish it and get it published, I will separate it into seven separate books, all named after a sin—it follows the story of my boy Cadence, in a world where what are basically demons exist, and he gets taken in by a Nightwalker—what people who hunt them down are referred to as. Cadence himself doesn’t become a Nightwalker, but due to certain aspects of him, he finds himself in the centre of a huge conflict. I don’t want to go to into detail, because than I may as well write you an essay, but I’m excited about this for a couple of reasons—a) Cadence is autistic, but that is not the important part of his personality. I wanted to provide some more representation with autism, and it fits with his character; b) all the main “relationships” are inter-generational—the four main characters are each several years apart from one another, but are all close like brothers. (And by several years I mean; Cadence, who is the youngest, is 15—Breckinridge, who is the eldest, is 52); and c) Cadence is an unreliable narrator, which I adore—in fact, Noct in BR is practice for Cadence’s POV, low key revealing things the reader doesn’t even think to register ;D

The next is one I like to call Iconoclast, and is the opposite of Indulgence in that while all main characters in Indulgence are male; all main characters in Thief are female. This one is in a world where, thanks to a mutation generations ago, have people separated between the Marked and Unmarked. This one is full of superpowers and morally ambiguous choices—a Marked literally has a mark on their body (hence the very creative name), and have superpowers, though everyone has their own unique one. Due to this disparity in power, there is a huge rift between the Marked, who consider themselves “superior” and the Unmarked, who consider themselves “pure humans”. Needless to say; things get ugly. The main character is Jean—someone who is Marked but doesn’t have any powers, so she’s got the worst of both worlds (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*: ･ﾟ✧ Eventually, it’s discovered that SHE does have a power—and that is to siphon the powers of anyone she kills. It becomes a big moral debate for her, as she has the ability to save the world, but will have to kill others to do so, as some perverse form of sacrifice. I’m excited for this one for a) the socio-political exploration between the two factions; b) the all female who are each their own badass in their own way (girl power ftw!); and c) the moral ambiguity Jean will have to wade through.

Next we have one with no magic, but is more of a political intrigue; nature vs nurture type story, I like to call Tumbling Into Obscurity. It follows Nergui—who became Empire after the death of his best friend and beloved would-be Emperor; Eximius (Indie was given her name as a homage to my original works…and because I like it). Due to the way everything worked out (the emperor is chosen based on the old ottoman way—a competition until there’s only one left standing. Eximius was going to become the first emperor who got into power by convincing his opponents to drop out rather than kill anyone—Nergui was the last one in the competition, and Eximius died just before he dropped out), the general populace hates him, thinking he’s behind the death of Eximius (who was basically their messiah-like figure), he’s been distanced from his family, because he believes THEY killed him, and in general he’s just been isolated; but he still works towards fulfilling Eximius’ dreams of improving the living conditions of the regular folk and all that jazz. Then, it turns out Eximius DIDNT actually die—but what he went through in the few decades since he disappeared had completely changed him, and Nergui figures it out when he catches him attempting to assassinate him. He’s been so twisted, in fact, he doesn’t even remember BEING Eximius, and is adamant that he is Izel, an entirely different person. This one I’m looking forward to for a) political intrigue—I love that shit so much; b) the duality of Eximius and Izel—whether are not they are even the same person; and c) Nerguis own struggle over whether he is doing the right thing looking for the old Eximius in Izel, or whether it would be better to accept him as he is now. (Nergui and Eximius/Izel may or may not be a couple too—I haven’t yet decided ¯\_(ツ)_/¯)

I call the next Temerarious, but it’s really just a placeholder name. This one is a sci-fi post apocalyptic story where a highly contagious, currently untreatable disease has infected the world, which basically turns people into wendigos. Unlike most “zombie apocalypses”, the world is not overrun by them—but the entire world is basically under martial law; and the “zombies” in question are conscious of everything they do—it’s just, they get hungrier the more they eat and eventually it becomes bad enough that they would eat ANYTHING, including loved ones, to try and sate it. On top of everything, the world’s environment has gone to shit—it is uninhabitable unless you live in the “domes” they’ve created around cities and designated agriculture area—and the only way between places is underground where everything is strictly monitored to catch the strain at the smallest level—even if it does have a 73% false positive rate, at least it hasn’t had a false negative. So, as you can imagine, should one area get infected, it can spread easily enough to forsake an entire city, so all districts are built to be put in a lockdown on any moment—and if you’re not infected but on the wrong side of the walls when they go up, you’re screwed xD. There’s a group of people who, for some reason (learning why is part of the plot), don’t get the negative side effects of the disease, but they’re still carriers, so, they’ve created a society known as the Underground, and those people work as Sweepers—it is their job to head into contaminated areas and wipe out any infected there, since they’re the only ones so can come into contact and not contract the disease. The entire plot is revolving these guys and their attempts to cure this disease ^^. Why am I excited for this one? While, a) the stigma and strain of being the good guy—Sweepers risk their lives for the rest of humanity, but are shunned because they’re carriers of this disease and they can spread it just as easily as the infected; b) the relationships between the characters!—due to them being carriers, they are basically isolated from all but a select few, and the complexity of the many different aspects between their relationships in a limited space; and c) the ambiguity of the enemy. The enemy is a disease and misinformation, so it will require a different approach to solving it.

And lastly, what will be my magnum opus, I refer to as Beyond the Gates. I just…I can’t even summarize this, it’s a blend of nearly everything I love, and while I loooooooove talking about BTG, it’ll take forever to even start explaining the concept of the plot, so I’ll just skip to what I’m excited about. A) THE WORLD!—I’ve been building the world for BTG for nearly a decade now, and OMG and am I excited to write in this world as it’s so complex~; b) THE CHARACTERS: I’ve spent just as long fleshing out these characters as I have the world—the cast is HUGE, but each character is distinct and plays their role in the over arching story; and c) just….the plot. It is full of twists, intrigue, betrayal, death, identity crises, choices….GAH! Just….everything I want in a book but haven’t been able to find; I want to MAKE it!

Anyways; these are my main ones—I don’t want to go too in detail either, because I aim to actually get these published one day, and if I do, I would like for them NOT to be easily accessed online prior to their release ␟␏(ɲ˃ ˈ̫̮ ˂ɳ)␟␏ෆ

Thank you sooooooo much for the ask; I looooooooove talking about my original works and original characters! (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*: ･ﾟ✧