#aasoaf 2

[writernopal]

Hey Nopal! I was about to pick up AASOAF 1 and I was wondering - is there is a way to read it as a file rather than on Wattpad? It's completely fine if the answer is no (I'm still going to read it!), but I'd love to have a pdf or something that I can easily read on my phone if that exists.

~ @void-botanist

Rose 😭😭😭😭

I actually do have PDF versions of both AASOAF 1 and 2! I made them when we printed physical copies of both books and I'm fairly certain they are mostly up to date with what I have posted online. There might be a few minor differences between the two but nothing major that would change the story (maybe like a reword here and there or a typo i caught after we printed oops lol).

I can definitely send them to you if you'd like! Both works are also available on my Ao3 here if you prefer that platform to read on instead! That version is definitely up to date with what is on Wattpad 😊

[illjustpretend]

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT!

Me and @writernopal printed some physical copies of her two novels (plus bonus material for book 2) to celebrate the release of AASOAF 2: The Swallow and The Drowned Sailor! It's free to read and available right now HERE!

Please check out the release post for links to AASOAF 2, the companion material (full of over 50 pages of lore, art, and even recipes!), PLUS a mini gallery with some beautiful commissioned art pieces for your viewing pleasure!

LASTLY here is a link to her intro post where you can find all these links and more! PLEASE check her out, she's my favorite writer! 💖

[writernopal]

I have a few things that are completed and free to read!

Both of my completed, novel length works, As A Stranger Or A Friend? and As A Stranger Or A Friend?: The Swallow And The Drowned Sailor are available on my Wattpad!

A collaborative, mixed-media work done with @illjustpretend called Mariel And Axtapor's Scrapbook can be found on my website. This is companion work to the As A Stranger Or A Friend?: The Swallow And The Drowned Sailor that contains lore and whatnot, and spoilers, so tread carefully!

My other miscellaneous short-prose pieces are also on my website under the Prose section.

I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoyed writing them 💙

Tumblr friends!

Often I have no idea if your story/webcomic/creative project is available for my eyes on Wattpad/AO3/Patreon/Other (or indeed if it's published and available to buy!)

Note: this is probably not bad marketing from you but bad tumblring from me and my attention-deficient brain

Reblog this if I can read/buy your thing RIGHT NOW and I will!

[outpost51]

The 51 Post

This week sucked a whole lot actually (I started this draft on Tuesday, and I haven't touched it until 5pm Sunday) but I read a lot of pretty good shit so I think it balances.

Contents:

Things You Might Have Missed

This Week's Jams

WIP Breakdowns

From the Skwad

Around the 'Blr

Things You Might Have Missed

get on my taglists for WIP updates, 51 post, tag games, and ask events!

BRHP: Chapter 15 posted; Talus is having a Bad Time.

I stabbed Adrien real good

BRHP: Chapter 16 posted; baby's first fight pit, and a family secret is revealed.

Not new, but I dug up Adrift and The Sky, The Stars, and Me so enjoy the spooky space shorts.

See more entries for SSSC 006 below, mine is here: i'll take everything.

Growing Pains: the 6th entry into the Lighthouse in the Fog shorts; our new Keeper is definitely adjusting so well to her new life.

I'm starting to release chapters of Unlikely Adventures on tumblr now!

This Week's Jams

stargazing || power-haus, solarays [spotify/youtube]

up down || boy epic [spotify/youtube]

gasoline || chymes [spotify/youtube]

dangerous || new medicine [spotify/youtube]

she went that way || missy [spotify/youtube]

illuminated || hurts [spotify/youtube]

WIP Breakdowns

Between a Rock and a Hard Place

HI YOU GET TO MEET KADMOS IN CHAPTER 17 AND [SPOILERS] IN CHAPTER 18 I'M REALLY EXCITED

Unlikely Adventures of Bitchface and Go F*ck Yourself

zadimus needs to stop it. that is all

Blinding Neon, Shades of Grey

you know what's fun to write? drug/dream sequences. you know what's even more fun? writing one for a detective in a flashy nightclub with murder on her mind

Stellar Parallax

saren is about to go do a Very Kill and jaen is So Excited About It. also wrex. but mostly violence

Lighthouse in the Fog

7th short will be coming out some time tonight, @thetrashbagswasteland picked some yummy prompt words

In the Works

y'all 🥺💕 thank you i needed a bunch of open-ended prompts to get the brain noodles out so i can hopefully not burn out on the main wips. i've still got the same backlog otherwise lmao

From the Skwad

IMPORTANT @fenrir-kin fell prey to the hellsite shenaniganuke, and is currently @vikingfenharel until it (hopefully) gets sorted.

Surprise Challenge 006 wrapped up with (mine's above): Just Take My Hand by @sparatus, Expanding the Vocabulary by @teamdilf, and The Storm Between Us by @thetrashbagswasteland

@equusgirl is going bananas with Sapphic Summer: i know with me, you'll get a little bit addicted, One Night, and will my hands ever be clean?

@sparatus also dropped chapter 1 & chapter 2 of Make Less the Depth of Grief and were it not for the laws of this land, i would have strangled him (affectionate) but also this tasty oneshot of Nautilea being so hot

@teamdilf HOW. New chapter of Alice's Adventures in Andromeda, another chapter of The In-Laws and the Grandparents, and another chapter in A Man of Many Talents. I'm calling witchcraft

@asher-orion-writes gave us this lovely oneshot set in Cardinal Sins and I'm??? yes

@princess-prawn dropped a new chapter of Next of Kin YESSS

@regalbois is writing his mlm war stories again and i'm vibrating please go read The Earth Abides

@commander-krios wrote more Dash/Leo (thank u for my life) and New Beginnings (thank u for TWO life wow)

Around the 'Blr

Art Claims are still going on for WIP Big Bang!!

@writernopal dropped character profiles for Magdalene and Sartor so this is your hint to get on the taglist for AASOAF 3

@tabswrites posted chapter 3 of Silver Sentinels and gave me life thank you, more please

@vacantgodling wrote this short for Lukewarm Rejection and we have no choice but to stan Trisha

@liv-is blessed writeblr with this snippet from Demigods i am eating it up

@void-botanist gave us this short for Another Ocean's Moon with LORE hidden in the tags hello

have you SEEN The Poster by @artdecosupernova-writing omg

@elshells dropped chapter 12 of Agent Ace YES congrats on the timeline choreography, bud!

wake up babes new Nameless Song short just dropped from @blind-the-winds

︶꒦꒷♡꒷꒦︶

Outpost Updates Taglist: @tabswrites @writernopal @freedominique @asher-orion-writes @liv-is @starknstarwars @captain-kraken

Ask to +/- in the tags, replies, DMs, or HERE!

[acertainmoshke]

okay hi I started reading The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi this morning and I'm loving it so far!! there are so many parallels between Amina and Fay and a lot of Amina's story reads like Fay's from the original telling of AASOAF which is giving me whiplash in a good way! it's getting all those creative wheels turning and it's making me excited to get back to working on AASOAF 3 hehe anyway, I shall continue reading but man this book is chewy and I'm LIVING for it! thank you for the solid req my dear friend!!! 🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️

ahhh it's been like 2 and a half weeks and you're probably much farther into it if not done, but I'm so so so glad you like it!! For me it was the first book in a while I could properly just fall into and forget everything else.

[writernopal]

But on this final night, they did not twirl noisily between those natural and manufactured stars. Instead, they fell into a dance in which there was no melodic tune of accompaniment nor movement of feet, but one of hushed whispers and careful hands, as they all placed their hopes and desires into these sacred cords.  Just here, amongst all the other masked faces, sat the swallow and the drowned sailor.  They, hands joined, began at the start, creating a single knot. 

As A Stranger Or A Friend?: The Swallow and The Drowned Sailor

Credits

Commissioned Art by: @dreadfutures

Writing: N. Opal

[writernopal]

Resident pantser checking in here! 🫡 I'll make a bulleted list and then expand on the points as needed for legibility.

What does your drafting and editing process look like?

Set some kind of objective

This could be the ending of novel/work or simply a pivotal/exciting scene I want to get to. If I do know the ending (I don't always do), then I choose a part that I know plot-wise has to happen before then and set that as my goal. That said, I have sat down in front of a blank document before and just let it take me where it wants to go, even if I already had an ending in mind. If the ending changes then I just roll with it.

Write until the objective is reached

This part of the process is pretty bare bones, mostly getting dialogue down, setting, and general character movement/feel. Basically, the very minimum of what needs to be written to get to where I'm going. Think of this like drawing a straight line from Point A to Point B on a page. Again, none of this is planned or outlined. I just sit down and go.

Add fluff (Repeat as needed)

As the name implies, I go back to where I started writing (yes, ALL the way back to the beginning) and start adding fluff. These are things like adding more descriptors, fleshing out movement in the scene, facial expressions, vocal intonation, visual/auditory cues, inner dialogue, additional characterization (direct and indirect) etc.

Editing

This is run-of-the-mill stuff, catching grammar mistakes, spelling errors, etc.

Surprise Event: Nuke it

This can happen at any point in my process, even at setting the objective part. If I decide I don't like something, it doesn't make sense for the plot, or doesn't fit well for the characters, I copy that whole section and paste it into a doc called "Prompts", leave it there, and try again. It doesn't matter to me if the part I'm cutting is 200 words or 20,000. I WILL NOT HESITATE. Why? Because I can just write more. The time/energy invested just doesn't matter to me because even if I'm not using what I had right away, there is a chance I might in the future, and even if I don't, I still learn something from it. To drive this point home, I was 30k words into AASOAF 2 when I cut 25k from and started again. The finished work still ended up with 105k words.

What are your best tips and tricks?

Know your characters REALLY well

This, in part, is why I have no issue getting rid of things, even really big plot points/conflicts. If you know your characters inside and out, no matter what you come up with next, you will be able to drop them into and write something that feels "right". I find it helps me be less married to ideas when I come up with them and gives me more freedom to be creative because I have something to hold onto.

Fail Fast

Let me explain. First, there is no "failure" in writing. What I mean when I say this is to dive in, hit speed bumps quickly, learn something from them, and recover. Don't wallow, don't despair. You can ALWAYS write more. ALWAYS. (Stop shaking your head. You absolutely can. I believe in you!)

Learn to timebox

Have you ever entrenched yourself in an idea so hard that you refuse to let go of it and you end up "forcing" it to work? (That's okay, I think we all have.) Let me be clear, committing to an idea is not a bad thing, nor am I advocating that you abandon the story that you want to tell because it's challenging. But if something is really not working, and it's been plaguing you for months/weeks/whatever or isn't making you excited to write, LET IT GO. You can always come back to it later! It's not going anywhere, I promise!

Save your rippy bits!

I truly believe there are some pieces that are meant to stay "unfinished". That is, there are some pieces that you're not meant to fill in all the plot holes or tie off loose ends. Those pieces are meant to hone something specific in your writing arsenal, and "not finishing" them should not be considered a bad thing, nor should it be considered a failure. Instead, see these pieces as ones that you can draw on for what you write next. Some of them might even be resurrected and added to your latest and greatest WIP!

I will end with my biggest piece of advice for anyone who pants' (?verb? lol) or writes in general:

Your writing, your ideas, your drafts, and your WIPS are NOT EPHEMERAL. They are NOT SILOED. They are NOT ABANDONED. They all go into honing you as a writer and your style. They are all an amalgam of who you are as a writer, so don't be afraid of losing those things. You physically cannot lose them because they came from you, and they are, continue to be, and will always be FOR YOU.

I’m curious. Pantsers— writers who go into a draft without an outline— what does your drafting and editing process look like? What are your best tips and tricks?

[writernopal]

Happy Storyteller Saturday! I'm a big believer that every story is secretly a love letter to something, whether it's the setting, or a particular character, or something else. What is your story a love letter to?

Happy belated STS, Sarah!

OH MAN this question makes me emotional haha. I will try to keep it brief because AASOAF means so much to me and if I went into every facet, this response would be a mile long.

AASOAF 1 + Mariel & Axtapor's relationship are both a love letter to Aurora's "Potion for Love" and "Exist for Love". Those songs both mean a great deal to me and they just made me want to write a story worthy of them.

AASOAF 2 is a love letter to Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask. I can't say more because its spoilers but that game was really pivotal to my childhood and has always stuck with me.

The Oasis Heartlands, the setting of Man O' War is a love letter to the jungles of Mexico. Honestly, that whole WIP, really, is a dedication to my ancestry and culture.

[writernopal]

OC Ships and Songs Tag

I was tagged by @mysticstarlightduck, here, and @pheita, here. Thank you both so much! 💙

Rules: write two to five songs from them that represent your ship between your ocs (it can be platonic or romantic or a secret third thing). then add a quote from said WIP (if possible!) underneath it.

Tagging (gently): @sam-glade @outpost51 @void-botanist @sparatus @sarahlizziewrites and anyone else who'd like to do this!

Mariel and Axtapor: Valentine - Laufey

This WHOLE SONG is so them I can't 😭 but these parts especially!

What if he's the last one I kiss? What if he's the only one I'll ever miss? Maybe I should run, I'm only twenty-one I don't even know who I want to become I've lost all control of my heartbeat now Got caught in a romance with him somehow I still feel a shock through every bone When I hear an, "I love you" 'Cause now I've got someone to lose

Quote

And then, the realization hit me; he would probably be more affectionate now than ever before. Such a thing could not be possible, could it? I could hardly imagine how he would be— Oh, it was too much to entertain! I smiled at him, then covered my face bashfully, giggling at the prospect. He laughed along with me but, curiously, didn’t tease me about it.

Fay and Wilkes: If We Were Made Of Water - BANKS

Perfectly encapsulates their forever will they/won't they. My angry little disasters 💙

Baby say it again Maybe if you say it again Maybe if you say it again Maybe I'll believe it then Baby say it again Baby if you say it again Change some words around maybe I'll believe you then And I'm hurting from the way that this worked out If you could rearrange your words you could've saved it If we were made of water, we could swim around it Can't no more

Quote

She nodded after some moments and cupped my face in her hands. We savored one another on the decks of her ship as we’d done many times before, but not under the stars or those vast skies as before. Beneath the surface. Occulted. And this time with the limits of how high we could reach laid plainly before us. The soured reality of our demise tainted the water around us like some festering thing. There was no joy. No love. Nothing beautifully stirred. It was still and cold.

AASOAF 3 Taglist: @outpost51 @thelivingdeceased @faelanvance @captain-kraken @illjustpretend @elshells @writeblr-of-my-own

Join/leave the taglist using this Google Form.

Hartim and Lexlar: Pain and Misery - The Teskey Brothers

You guys are just getting to know these two but they and their story have lived in my heart for so long, I can't wait for you all to know it too 💚

Honey, please, whoa please Won't you stay with me? 'Cause since you gone It's pain and misery Hey I'm begging you, honey Whoa I want you to love me Yeah, I want you to love me I need you so bad

Quote

Something about the way he had spoken the word made Eiph’ck feel strange. He turned his head, easily finding Quye’ck’s outline. He was looking back at him, but in the darkness, could not make out his expression. “Goodnight, Eiph’ck.”  Those words, they were warm. And loud. Like a fire… They made his throat hot. They made him grateful for the darkness.  “Goodnight, Quye’ck.”

M.O.W Taglist: @moonluringfrost @writeblr-of-my-own @illjustpretend @sparatus @outpost51

Join/leave the taglist using this Google Form.

[writernopal]

a dear friend of mine is in Greece for a well deserved vacation and she took her copy of AASOAF 2 WITH HER TO READ BEACH SIDE 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

[writernopal]

Deeply sorry for having a breakdown in the comments (and your asks) but I just finished AASOAF 2

JKDFHGKHSHKHFGJ THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING IT 😭💙 it truly means the world to me!

but also yeah, i cried BUCKETS writing the last few chapters, really just took my own heart out and stomped on it 😭😭😭 so im glad that came through haha and in AASOAF 3

it

just

gets

worse

😇

[writernopal]

🦎⏳ Synopsis 🔮🌌

"As A Stranger Or A Friend?: The Swallow And The Drowned Sailor", drops 4/28! 🏴‍☠️

Also wowie look at that art! I wonder what the cover looks like 👀 🎨 @illjustpretend

[writernopal]

🌌Wilkes Evos Sikthax-Seymour of Tlanxla🌌

Introducing the storied Quartermaster of the Mirage and Fay's husband, Wilkes! He's one of the protagonists of the As A Stranger Or A Friend? series!

Featured in: As A Stranger Or A Friend? (Guest appearance) As A Stranger Or A Friend?: The Swallow And The Drowned Sailor As A Stranger Or A Friend?: Children Of The Broken Star (WIP)

Character Sheet here! Tag: wilkes

Credits Authored by: N. Opal Character art by: https://twitter.com/vageliokal Text Frame by: @illjustpretend

[writernopal]

Wednesday Friday Kiss Tag

Because I know if I left this to Friday, I might not get to it and it would sit in my drafts for another week 😅 Anyway I was tagged by a few peeps for this one!

@writingmaidenwarrior, here

@pheita, here

@talesofsorrowandofruin, here

Thank you all so much!

Rules: post a smooch between your OCs for Friday. It can be as light as a peck or as intense as a makeout. It can be romantic or platonic or familial. As long as a smooch takes place it’s free reign!

Tagging (gently): @justnerdy15 @crowandmoonwriting @heymacareyna @liv-is @sugar-phoenix and anyone else who'd like to do this!

This one is like mildly spicy so I'll put it under a cut!

From AASOAF 2:

The words flowed out of me with such urgency that I wondered if she could hear them over sobbing. She drew back and, with little warning, threw her lips against mine with a fury I had not thought her capable of. I didn’t know if there was anything to decipher from her gesture, but I didn’t care. I craved her more than air itself.  I shoved us down to the ground and felt how she tried to keep up with my energy, but quickly surrendered to me entirely. My hands found the buttons of her dress as she fought to breathe, but before I could do anything, a firework burst overhead, startling us both. It swiftly returned me to a state of sobriety, and I suddenly felt guilty. We should not do this here. It was dangerous; even if it wasn’t, she deserved better. “Will ye follow me?” I asked her breathlessly. “Yes.” She replied with equal labor in her voice as another firework exploded above us, lighting her features beautifully. She appeared like a saint standing behind colored glass with that myriad colors from those cosmic lights scattered about her face. And here she was, blessing my undeserving being with the beauty of her gaze and the gentleness of her heart. I could kneel to her in servitude for the rest of my life, simply looking at her and never wanting for anything else because her appearance was an absolute feast for the soul.

[writernopal]

Manuscript Search Tag

ALRIGHT this is going to be a FAT post because I have quite a few of these to catch up on and I didn't want to spam lol

Tagged by the following lovely peeps!

@talesofsorrowandofruin, here

@oh-no-another-idea, here

@justnerdy15, here

@sam-glade, here

@ellatholmes, here

Thank you all so much! 💙

Tagging (gently): @duckingwriting @acertainmoshke @callahanscorner @lorenfinch

Your words will be: savor, energy, camp, and fortune

From @talesofsorrowandofruin

bandages

The words tangled in my throat as the open door revealed the lavender lizard pirate standing there, bandaged and supporting himself on a cane. I clutched my hand to my chest and nearly bit my tongue to avoid screaming. Of all the guests I might have expected, he was not one of them. But I suppose I should speak, shouldn’t I? I couldn’t simply stand there looking at him.

crawling

He departed, and while I did my best to temper my anger, it got the better of me as I seized one of the paperweights from my desk and threw it across the room, shattering some glass thing wherever it landed. Mar-Dur knew we would not follow him into waters crawling with the Pale Navy. It would be suicide. Though if he was going willingly into those cursed seas, it must mean that he was searching for powerful allies, heavy artillery, or both.

dull

I missed him more than I could put into words, and much as I tried to deny or convince myself otherwise, I loved him. The dull ache in my chest grew, and I started to cry. I’d missed people before; in fact, I’d spent most of my life yearning for the company of those I could not be with, but these feelings were different and altogether more painful.

extraordinary

Perhaps it was silly, but it reminded me of his grandmother’s story about the Kingdom of Frogs, hidden under the humble visage of a well, just as this place was hidden within him... A wonder unlike any other took over me, and with it came an overwhelming need to protect...to protect what? Him? This place? I got the sense that it was extraordinary despite his writing it off as ordinary.

From @oh-no-another-idea

black

I sat up and reached over to the small end table beside the tub to retrieve my soap when I saw a strange black smoke creeping in from outside my tent. A panic entered my stomach. Was this the Third Prince’s magic? I choked back the scream in my throat and watched it closely to see what might happen next. It began to grow thicker and started to crawl up the air, coalescing into the form of something.

gauze

I don't have this word, so have an AASOAF fun fact instead! In the original telling of AASOAF, Wilkes attends a formal event dressed in Lizardfolk robes heavily inspired by Mexican Mariachi dress because I think he'd really like the style IRL!

skin

She was leaning against one of the masts and somehow managed to look imposing and enchanting at the same time. Her face was long and elegant, each feature upon it well-defined and distinguished. Her eyes were a golden color that stood out against her skin and hair; both appeared the color of rain-dampened soil, rich and dark.

paper

She’d traveled in nightclothes, a cloak, and bare feet; even I could admit that probably didn’t feel good despite not personally needing to wear shoes myself.  Humans had paper-like skin on their feet, so they could hardly withstand things like pebbles and small branches, unlike my kind, who stepped on things like cactuses without issue.

fabric

The fabric of her dress rustled as she produced the pouch of treasure I had snuck into her bag the night before. She wasn’t here to return it, was she? She couldn’t be that stupid, right? Though I suppose she could be. Intelligence was not a credit she could be so confidently assigned, at least not in the same way one could with her honesty.

From @justnerdy15

heart

“Do you think they’re alright?” I asked softly. She laughed. “Child, don’t tell me you are still soft-hearted after being in my service for two years. Very little should concern you about society now; you should see this as nothing more than mere entertainment. When you get to my age, things such as these are commonplace.”

rain

It seemed one of the ropes of my makeshift tent had come loose from the branch I’d tied it to, freely letting in the rain as a welcomed guest. I frantically gathered my things, but it was no use. They were ruined! But what about—?! I gasped and dropped the blanket I’d been holding and patted my pockets hurriedly, sighing relief upon feeling the card tin safely inside one of them.

sound

As I chewed, I looked over the landscape and marveled at how peaceful it was. There was a gentle breeze, the sound of tall grasses sliding past one another, bugs flitting all throughout the air, and birds chirping, hidden in the boughs of their chosen trees. I might enjoy it more if I wasn’t in the company of an absolute tyrant.

bold

I wouldn’t be bold enough to say it looked comforting because it didn’t, but it was a relief to lay eyes upon, if only because it was the last remaining gesture of kindness being shown to me. I reached up nervously and took it. He pulled me up with ease and then quickly replaced his steady grip with my bag’s handle instead.

From @sam-glade

wing

The woman began to approach with slow, deliberate steps. Wrong again. Miss Frère walked with a bouncy urgency that swished her skirts ever so slightly to make the most gentle rustling sound. Perhaps to sound, well, like the beating of a dove’s wings. Yet another thing this woman was not.

want

It was an odd way to sleep, but I didn’t want to question it if that’s how she was most comfortable. I shifted ever so slightly, and then it was silent again. The low crackle of the fire in the hearth and the occasional firework outside punctuated how uniquely awful this lack of sound was. I wanted to take her into my arms, but she didn’t seem to share the desire, or else she would not be so far away. But she was cold, right?

win

“If’n her type be tall and handsome, she will forget ‘bout him entire when she claps eyes on me. Landlubber be right squat.” I declared smugly. She laughed. “Well, let’s make this interesting then. If you don’t manage to win her over, then tomorrow night, you must wear a corset.” I eyed her for a moment, then glanced back at the woman in the starling mask. Perhaps I was a little out of practice when it came to charming women, but surely I was not so useless. Pulling a woman away from a man like that should be easy for someone as dashing as me.

wait

I expected her to come back after that, but instead, she stood there until the vessel disappeared from view entirely. Would she wait like that for me if I ever sailed someplace without her? And would she be awash with tears as she was now? I hissed quietly, trying to shake the image from my mind. I didn’t like it.

From @ellatholmes

iron

I took a few deep breaths and cursed my hands for being so uncooperative as they failed to strike sparks with the flint and iron that had been sitting on the mantle. After several attempts, I gave up and decided to use matches instead. Though I wasn’t sure why I thought that would be any better. Upon opening the box, several tumbled out and onto the floor, and I even snapped a few as I tried to light them.

ache

Okay this word is in the snippet for dull somewhere up there and since I don't want to put it here gain, have an AASOAF fun fact! Axtapor was original a blue Lizardfolk but then I realized that I had like four other Lizardfolk characters who were blue and decided that I needed more variety so I chose to make him lavendar instead.

ice

Her voice was smooth and cool, like a piece of ice upon the back of one’s neck on a sweltering day. Still, her tone did nothing to take the annoyance out of paying for setting foot in here. I eyed Hartim with a frown as I fetched the advertised twenty-five pieces from my pouch.

bone

I watched as she carefully sliced the meat away from the bones of a desert hare I hunted earlier. The meal would be that and roasted potatoes. A far cry from the handsome meals she was cooking back when we lived in a proper house, but it was better than starving.

[writernopal]

Find The Word Tag

I have so many of these I'm behind on, so in the spirit of catching up, I'm combining the tags from several peeps!

@sam-glade, here

@toribookworm22, here

@oh-no-another-idea, here

@captain-kraken, here

Thank you all so much 💙

Tagging (gently): @tabswrites @void-botanist @sarahlizziewrites

Your words will be: sever, soap, signal, sip

From Sam

coin

From AASOAF 1:

“Evenin’.” I said as I pulled up a chair to sit beside him. “Ye be a sore sight at these hours.” He remarked as he puffed a cloud of smoke.  “Aye, could no sleep.”  He reached into a pouch at his waist, kissed his fist, and tossed a coin overboard. “Kava provide. Be ill tidin’s if a Dreamer canno find sleep.” 

crane

I don't have this word, so instead, have an AASOAF fun fact! Axtapor's "pirate speak" took me about 2.5 years to develop and takes inspiration from the US Appalachian, US Southern, and Highland Scottish accents.

crack

From AASOAF 1:

“Please eat. The potatoes will become hard if you let them get cold.” Her small voice brought me to the present, and I turned to see her sitting beside me with her own humble portion of food.  “Aye. Thank ye.” I replied as I picked up the cracked dish she’d plated my portion on. We began to eat quietly, and despite the meal being simple, it was somehow packed with flavor. She really was a master of the domestic craft.

creak

From AASOAF 1:

I laughed; of course, it would be something simple. “Aye, then a sweet it be. Bloody matches, where did I leave ‘em…?” Her chair creaked, and I did a double take to see her making her way toward me, a small box of matches in hand.  “You left them in the pocket of your other coat…you should be more careful. I could have washed them by accident.” She admonished me softly. I cleared my throat. “Oh. Aye, thank ye.”

From Tori

belly

From AASOAF 1:

I squeezed him a little tighter, feeling a strange and new sort of satisfaction in my belly. Was this what it felt like to be free?

sway

From AASOAF 2:

I squeezed my eyes shut as it felt like the world around me began to sway uncomfortably; then I felt my stomach lurch, squeezing its meager contents up my throat and out of my mouth to land on my own shoes. The woman sighed in disgust as I fought to catch my breath and retched once more.

dark

From AASOAF 1:

I walked at a slow, numb pace down the dark and empty corridor toward his chambers. And my steps made not a sound as moved through that quiet and eerie space. I was not a large person and wore no shoes nor a great and fancy nightdress that might flutter behind me to create some sound as I went. Was this what a ghost might feel like? It must be. The thought should strike me as sad, but instead, I felt happy. How peaceful it must be to wander the world untouched and unchanged by its horrors. Simply to exist as an onlooker with the freedom to say, ‘Better you than me.’

force

From AASOAF 1:

If eyes were the window to the soul, then hands were glimpses into what forces weathered a person, not unlike looking at the rings within the stump of a fallen tree or the colorful layers of sandstone.

From Cass

eight

From AASOAF 1:

“Aye, she be. But she convinced me to jump into a well durin’ the dry season when I been a lad of eight so she be sly too.” He declared with a laugh. “How?” I asked wide-eyed. “She said wells be portals to the Kin’dom of Frogs, and I wanted to go there to see as so for myself. So I jumped into the first well I could find. Broke my leg and near scared my mother to death.” He said with a nostalgic look on his face. 

ear

From AASOAF 2:

I sat up with a small gasp, the voices of the night forest filling my ears instead of his familiar one. The same tears wet my cheeks, but no matter how much I brushed them away, they wouldn’t stop falling.

empty

From AASOAF 2:

But the dreams rarely came. Instead, the times when I lay with my eyes closed became spaces of terror. I started to wish the wind would take me to the very end of the world and throw me over its edge, but it didn’t. Rather plainly, it brought me back to this place, which only seemed more wretched and empty than ever.

eager

From AASOAF 2:

I fell back into my seat abruptly as he eagerly ordered us to move up the hill. He must really not want me to change my mind about deciding to stay. And judging by his current expression and previous actions, he was rather pleased with himself. I frowned deeply now. I suddenly didn’t want to think about why.

end

From AASOAF 2:

The turning of wheels and the rhythmic creaking of an approaching carriage pushed my eyes open. I supposed it was time. I sat up with a sigh and got out of bed, slipping on a silken robe, then peered out the window with a frown to see the aforementioned vehicle coming to a stop at the end of my drive.

From Kraken

hug

From AASOAF 2:

He hugged me close as we labored towards the door, each step feeling like one taken through heavy mud with dense chains affixed to our ankles. Once inside, he struggled to shut the door, and an eerie, deafening silence met us.

comfort

From AASOAF 2:

He nodded, trying to keep his face steady. “...I nay be deservin’ of ye.” “Yes, you are.” I replied softly as I inched closer to him and gently took one of his hands into my two. He nodded and pulled me close to him, but the way he embraced me was like that of a child seeking comfort.

free

From AASOAF 2:

“So, Miss Jane, is there anything I can get you? You may ask, and I will do my best to provide.” I said, bobbing my head at her. “How do I know I can trust you?” “Because I trust you.” I replied softly, “Miss Jane, I will take whatever you tell me as unadulterated fact. So, since I believe you, you are free to also believe me. I’m rather uncomplicated, you see.”

flower

From AASOAF 1:

I sighed quietly as another knock came at the door, removed my apron, and then wiped my hands clean of pollen from my flower-arranging escapades. My skill had greatly improved at the task now that I had been doing it for a few years. I hadn’t forgotten how the first arrangement I put together was tossed straight out the window by Lady Price, claiming it was the ugliest thing she had ever seen.