#atomicverse

[hallowgracie]

To Another Year of Writing

As another year passes, it’s time for another reflection on this year’s production and what is to come. 

This year wasn’t nearly as productive as the year that came before, due to irl circumstances. Mind you, they were good ones--but ones that meant that I could not work on my creative endeavors nearly as much. I’ve had to learn more about prioritizing and focusing on one project at a time--the latter being one that’s still coming to me. 

The funny thing is, because my muse can be so flaky sometimes, I try not to post about the story until I’m sure it will stay. But then I don’t know where to start and I can’t share as much about how ideas start. Like the Kenna Darling series. 

A lot of that story developed off-screen, from talking irl to friends about the sort of stories I enjoyed as a girl, and being overcome with a desire to create that. The funny thing is, I’ve discovered that I really enjoy working on middle grade fantasy! This project has occupied my attention pretty consistently since May! 

I’ve also dipped my toes into attempting publishing. I’ve decided because the Atomicverse is just not what agents in general are looking for to post them back online where they can best be enjoyed. But the experience has taught me a lot about how to get started and what to look forward to when I’ve written something more palatable. 

This upcoming year, I’m going to try to post more about this project, to keep the fire burning and I’ll allow myself to be flexible. To let things change and shift around, and let you guys see it. 

And I’m planning on talking more about writing for middle grade. I absolutely love it and I want to share some of my observations. 

To another year of writing--for me and for you guys! What are you looking forward to writing in 2023?

[babyawacs]

@wired @wireduk @all @cnet @techpowerup .@debian all !seriously besides all secretstandards tocontrol youall from nonaccesisble hardwarelayers and electricalstandards and powerbatterycontrollers and remote timed things LNL6 is aring to ruleyouall isay broadvaluegeneration and LNL7 atomicversion for intels ie extra safety forthem butnotnecessarily ruleyouall

@wired @wireduk @all @cnet @techpowerup .@debian all !seriously besides all secretstandards tocontrol youall from nonaccesisble hardwarelayers and electricalstandards and powerbatterycontrollers and remote timed things LNL6 is aring to ruleyouall isay broadvaluegeneration and LNL7 atomicversion for intels ie extra safety forthem butnotnecessarily ruleyouall I am Christian KISS BabyAWACS – Raw…

[hallowgracie]

wip: atomic rebooted

genre | superhero, sci-fi, dystopia 

pov | dual first-person; switches between two narrators 

themes | coming of age, moral development, claiming your power, autonomy, fears of progress, greed is the true evil of humanity 

status | polishing & publishing 

summary | 

Kingsbury, Montana, 1979: A nuclear accident occurs at Atomic Energy's facilities, forcing the town to abandon the original settlement and rebuild a shining new city nearby as superpowers emerge in the survivors.

In 2019, two girls from New Kingsbury live very different lives.

Mira is a Sentinel, a superhero who is owned and raised by Atomic Energy. One of the failures of the program, her team seeks redemption by bringing in a notorious supervillain. But after her friend's betrayal and death, Mira has to go outside everything she ever knew and make alliances to find out the truth behind her friend's dying words: "They're lying to you."

Claire hates superheroes and villains-her mother was killed in the supervillain attack on City Hall when she was a little girl. But after a supervillain attack, Claire discovers her powers and her mother's legacy and has to grapple with the truth of what happens to civilians with superpowers.

Both girls will discover a secret that changes everything.

tags | (just ask to be added or removed) | @bigcmachine​, @paperburrows​

[hallowgracie]

Atomic Rebooted: Titanio

It wasn’t hard to find the source of the explosion. The big hole in the side of the local history museum was a pretty good indicator. Another good sign that that was our problem to solve was the figure emerging from the fire, wearing a mask that I’d only seen in the history books.

Well, it wasn’t the same mask. It was similar, with the robotic gunmetal gray covering of the mouth and nose, and the little lights that blinked a sinister blood-red. The suit, of dark green, blood red, and black, it all painted the picture of the villain my mom had fought.

“Dark Titan?” I took a step back and shook my head. I wasn’t able to comprehend what I was seeing. 

 “Close.” The voice that came out was distorted, but there was something distinct male about it despite the robotic interference. I knew it like I knew the back of my hand—years of playing on headsets in multiplayer had trained my ears well.  

“The name’s Titanio. And I hope to someday be as great as Dark Titan.” The villain tilted his head—I couldn’t make out the color of his eyes, but they caught the lights of the city quite easily, giving off this glowing light. 

“I’ll enjoy testing my power against you, Psyche.” A red light appeared in the palm of his hand. 

The way the energy moved and flickered, I instinctively just knew, he had a power like mine. 

I held my hands out, letting the silvery-blue light form a little web from my gloved finger-tips, preparing my defenses.

Titanio laughed. “So you have noticed, we have a similar skillset!”

He began to circle me. I turned—I wouldn’t dare leave my cape exposed to him. 

“What were you doing in the museum?” I slowly brought my hands horizontal, parallel to each other as that little silvery-blue web formed an orb of light, similar to the one in the palm of Titanio’s gloved hand. “Don’t you know better than to take what doesn’t belong to you?”

“And don’t you know better than to play the vigilante?” He raised his eyebrows. “We both seem to have forgotten important lessons. But that hardly matters now. Let’s see what you’ve got!”

I spread my hands, and the light between my fingers formed a shield, just in time blocking his energy blast. It fizzled, my shield faltering against an equal but opposite energy. 

I splayed my fingers, knitting back together the hole in my shield as he continued to circle me. When I met his eyes again, he stopped and looked down to his hand. 

“Impressive.” He then looked back to me. “I wonder how much longer that shield will hold up, however. Especially if you don’t hold back.”

He threw his head back laughing. His laugh rang out like jagged notes from a broken synthesizer, discordant among the usual symphony of the city at night. “Bold—but I have a feeling you’ll regret that.”

He sobered, and he straightened his arm out toward me, placing the other hand over his elbow, as if he were stabilizing it. 

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

[hallowgracie]

Villain Story Excerpt: The Day He Disappeared

author’s note | Villain Story is a future project set in the Atomic-verse as a standalone and direct sequel to the events of Atomic Rebooted following a new protagonist, a girl called Laura who quickly finds herself in a precarious relationship with the new greatest threat to the city, Titanio. 

This is one of the flashbacks to Laura’s childhood—and one of the most important ones. Her childhood best friend, Nikola, disappeared under mysterious circumstances when they were both fourteen years old. This is Laura’s recollection of that night. 

I hope you’ll enjoy this little preview of the next project I’ll be working on when Crystal Magic is done!

content warning | implied kidnapping, gore, violence, and murder 

The night before Nikola went missing will always be imprinted into my mind. I could forget his face and his name before I’d forget that night. 

I remember the night air, hot and humid compared to the cold, arid chambers of first the movie theater and then the monorail we’d just stepped off of.

By the suburbs, fireflies darted about, blinking their secret messages to one another and anybody who cared enough to listen. 

We were laughing, allegedly about the movie, the latest Eternal Seas film and what was supposed to be the last one. But that wasn’t really what we were laughing about. It was the kind of laughter you can only give when you’re with your favorite person in the whole world. It comes from the joy of being together, of just being in each other’s company. 

We were just strolling down the blocks of our neighborhood. Most parents wouldn’t let their fourteen-year-olds out late at night in our city—especially because Dr. Electra was still active at the time. Much less let us return whenever we wanted.

But my childhood wasn’t like that. You can have all sorts of adventures when you have a super-powerful best friend willing to follow you to the ends of the Earth. 

Because my parents and Nikola’s knew that he would do anything to protect me.

I don’t think any of us knew what ‘anything’ would entail, however. 

Not until that night. 

It was supposed to be another perfect night in our idyllic childhood. Another one to file away with video games in the treehouse, ice cream trucks, and daring each other off the high dive at the public pool.

Everything was like that—up until a car stopped behind us and a man in black stepped out. 

Nikola turned his back to me and stuck his hand out. The man went flying, skidding onto the pavement. There was blood on the road.

I screamed, my hands flew to my mouth—just as someone came up behind me and grabbed me, wrenching my arms behind my back. I cried out in pain, tears stinging my eyes. I kicked and screamed as more of them came out of the bushes, surrounding Nikola. 

I screamed louder, trying to get anybody to hear us, to help us, to save us.

But no one was coming.

Nikola must’ve realized that about when I did. Because that was when he showed his true power. 

He threw out his hands in wide, frantic arcs—and his power cut through them all, a scorching energy blade. It ended at the man holding me captive, cutting off his head. He crumpled to the ground, and I pulled away. 

But I couldn’t pull my eyes away from what Nikola had done.

I might’ve started crying there, if I hadn’t somehow been able to look him in his shell-shocked eyes. He needed me. 

Specifically, he needed me to be calm now, to be in control.

“Are you okay?” I think we ere both shaking, just standing there in the summer air. 

“Yeah.” His voice was a million miles away. “You?”

“I’m going to be okay.” I nodded. 

He looked over his shoulder all of a sudden—he must’ve heard something. 

A stray cat walked on past the abandoned car.

“Someone probably heard that—and if they see this, then—“ His green eyes darted about in a panic. “Then Atomic Energy will come and—“

“Well, then we’d better get out of here before someone finds out.” I grabbed his hand. “Come on!”

We’d never run faster in our entire lives. Not even when we raced in the park, or on the playground in elementary school. Not even when we were running late to a family dinner my mom was holding for some of my dad’s co-workers. 

Instead of going back to either of our houses, we hopped the perfect picket fence separating the backyard from the rest of the world.

By the time we heard sirens in the distance, we were safely in the treehouse.

It was only then that I became aware of the blood splatters on my tank top.

“I think if I wash this out, then we should be able to get away with this.” I plucked at the stained fabric, surprised at my own even tone. 

Nikola said nothing. He sat curled into a little ball, knees to his chest, rocking slowly as he looked off into the distance with those shell-shocked eyes. 

After a long silence, he looked up to me. The light still did not return in his eyes. 

“Do you think anyone saw us?”

“No.” I shook my head. “It’s nearly eleven, all the windows were dark.”

“I killed them.” His voice cracked. “Oh my god, I—“

“They were trying to hurt us, it was just self-defense, right?” I placed a hand on his arm. “It was just self-defense, no one would be mad at you if they knew.”

I paused. “And no one’s going to know. This can stay our secret.”

“Another one.” 

I shrugged. “One of many.”

He closed his eyes, burying his face in his knees. 

“You also saved my life.” My voice went soft, like falling snowflakes. “And I’m grateful.”

He looked back up at me. “I guess that makes it worth it.”

“And for what it’s worth, I thought it was a good night. Before those guys came.”

He managed a smile. “I should probably get you back home, then.”

I shook my head. “No, I want to make sure you get back safe.”

“It won’t be a problem.” He grinned, like everything was back to normal. “I can take care of myself.”

Like he hadn’t killed five men. 

Like everything wasn’t about to change. 

But I was stupid and I wanted to believe in him.

So I reluctantly nodded. “Fine. But only because you’re just hopping the fence next door.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow morning, Ashling.”

With that, we both went out of the treehouse and hopped back over the fence. I went inside, and looked back once, to make sure he was going in the right direction.

After all, it was just to the house next door.

Satisfied, I closed the door and ran upstairs. Mother had told me she wouldn’t stay up before she left, because she trusted Nikola would get me back home safe.

She was right about that.

But I wasn’t the one she needed to worry about all along. 

I remember washing out my tank top, switching into pajamas, how I passed into such a deep sleep, the rest of the night only felt like a second passed.

When I woke up the next morning, I’d gotten dressed and headed over to the Faradays’ house, rang the doorbell and everything.

Mrs. Faraday cracked open the door, with circles under her eyes and wearing her favorite old pink bathrobe. 

That’s when I knew, before she even put it to words.

“Nikola never made it home last night.”

[hallowgracie]

She dreamed of murky darkness, like a fog settled over the streets of New Kingsbury. Figures passed in and out of her vision, with distant sounds calling her beyond the edges of her vision. She tried to reach for them, to walk to them—but she never left it.

Not until the call of the incandescent lights above her finally pierced through her haze. 

A jolt of energy passed through her limbs, causing them to twitch as her brain struggled to catch up to her body. Her eyelids weighed like lead. She turned on her side as she struggled to open her eyes. The cool sheets rustled beneath her skin, reminding her of home. 

But something told her that she didn’t make it home last night. Memories of the street, of the men who approached her in the dark sparked an urgency. A groan escaped her lips as she forced her eyes open, only to shut them again in attempt to blink away the bright lights.

“Oh good, you’re awake—I wasn’t sure how much longer it would be. They gave you a lot of morphine. . .”

Laura froze, the pit of her stomach curdling in anticipation of what she would see when she opened her eyes. The tinny and modulated quality of the voice, and the underlying tones of a boy she used to know told her exactly who she was with.

She opened her eyes because she had to—she couldn’t shy from the truth even now. 

Titanio loomed in front of her, mask still on, the lights twinkling sinisterly.

“Those men—“ She struggled to find the words. Her tongue felt too heavy, too difficult to move and put voice to. “Was it—was it you?”

“I didn’t order them.” His expression hardened, his eyebrows knitting together. “If I wanted you brought to me, I’d come and get you myself.”

Ice shot through Laura’s veins, dread knotting her intestines as she blinked up at him. 

He shrugged, his voice nonchalant. “So I killed them for it.”

Laura’s heart beat faster. She hadn’t known what those men would have done to her, to use her as a bargaining chip for Titanio. But she didn’t want for anyone to die like that—by his power. 

“Nikola.”

He flinched, as if she had struck him. 

[hallowgracie]

Excerpt: Playing With Power

I stared across the room at my dresser and all of the little trinkets and stuff on top of it, wondering how I could repeat what I did when I somehow lifted the monorail in the air above me— not very high, and only for a second, but still.

How did I do it?

That was the question that plagued me as I turned my hands over and over in front of me, sitting with my legs crossed on my disheveled bed.

I remembered that I’d just pushed my hands out, as if would somehow had helped— and then the miracle happened, for it did.

I tentatively drew my hand back.

Am I really doing this?

I could see myself in my mind’s eye, and I looked like a big dork. A bigger one than I was already.

Still, I pushed my hand out, as if I was shoving something.

A plastic picture frame went flying off the top of my dresser.

But this time, I saw something else to it— a faint silvery-blue wave of energy that emanated from my hand and dissipated quickly upon hitting the picture frame. It was so translucent, you could barely see it.

I’d missed it during the monorail accident, and luckily, so had everyone else in the chaos.

I then tried to conjure a bit of it into my hands— and there sat a ball of pure silvery-blue energy just there, glimmering softly, gently. It was beautiful and powerful and it was mine.

I flexed my fingers and moved my hands instinctively, growing and playing with the light— letting it grow and surround me, before letting go and allowing it to fizzle out.

[hallowgracie]

Costumes for the Main Four, Mercury, Aegis, Warlock, and Renegade

[hallowgracie]

Atomic Rebooted: Update [06/25/21]

tags | @bigcmachine​, @paperburrows​, @moshpitwallflower​ 

chapters completed | 64/66

chapters posted | 20/66

wordcount | 94K

notes | I brought down the chapter count again because I realized that chapter could be compiled into another one, Claire’s final chapter and do more there. Anyway, I have about half the climax done, and I’ve added more to Mira’s final chapter/epilogue to better wrap up her storyline. 

I intend to rework Claire’s finale chapter because it isn’t even close to the length of Mira’s, and since Claire has the first word, she’ll also have the last one in this novel.

That said, I’m excited to wrap up production on this novel and begin working on some new ones and continue the revamping of certain others. (And there’s a spinoff on the way for Atomic Rebooted that I might post some concept work for soon but shhh)

[hallowgracie]

Atomic Rebooted: Update [06/19/21]

tags | @bigcmachine​, @paperburrows​, @moshpitwallflower​

wordcount | 90,914

chapters completed | 63/67

chapters posted | 16/67

notes | I noticed this week that there are a lot of new names and icons here! Thank you so much for taking interest in this story! I hope you’ll enjoy some more bonuses coming soon as I continue to work on finishing up the climax and continue to post all summer four times a week. 

I did bump up the chapter count by one since my last update, the climax needed an extra chapter sequence pacing-wise, so I had to fix that. I’ve been keeping up with the postings on the various websites. 

If you have any questions, or even just want to say hi, feel free to drop by my inbox!

If you want to read Atomic Rebooted, click here to read it for free on Wattpad. 

[hallowgracie]

I have come to the conclusion that Mira wakes up every day and chooses violence.

[hallowgracie]

“Did you worry about me?”

“No,” he admitted. “Because I think I’d feel it, if you died. And I think you could get yourself out of just about anything.”

Except my vigilante responsibilities to the entire city. 

“I don’t believe in myself that much.” I laughed.

“Leave it to me, then.”

[hallowgracie]

Quick sketch of the Sentinels’ costumes. They all wear some creative variations of these general designs, meant to emulate more modern movie costumes, with padding and color-blocking. No capes, of course, and they are in the company’s colors, with the logo on the pin on the neck and the belt buckle.

The silhouette of the top was also inspired by 50s Varsity jackets to get the element of the futurism in the Golden Age of Comics that inspired New Kingsbury’s architectural design.

Atomic Energy often markets and licenses the iconic imagery of their Sentinels as a way to make up for the costs inherent to training, raising, brainwashing, and supporting their superhero army team.

[hallowgracie]

Atomic Rebooted [07/16/21]

status | publishing

chapters written | 66/66 

chapters posted | 34/66

wordcount | 96.7K

author’s notes | This is it! I’ve finished writing Atomic Rebooted! All I have to do is publish, so I’ve moved to a daily posting schedule on Quotev, Tapas, and Wattpad! Thank you guys so much for your support! I’ll have some more projects posted in the horizon, including a spinoff set in this world that I’ve already posted some excerpts of. So keep an eye out for that!

[hallowgracie]

This would be the first day of my last real summer. Exams had ended last week, and today they finally let us go  free. In another week, I’d walk across the stage at the concert hall downtown and get my diploma.

I’d be free of pubic school and mandatory education.

I’d spend my last summer in New Kingsbury and my last summer as a big kid.

Internships and responsibilities would come with the college summers. The dread of losing all that newly-earned freedom at the end of the summer weighed on me like all of the binders and notebooks in my backpack. 

I stopped again, breathing a little heavier. The sun blazed overhead, and I prayed for a cloud to drift over it, just to cast the world in its cool shadow.

Instead, the sun was briefly blocked out by a red cape, stark like a balloon against the sky. I lifted a hand to shield my eyes from the sun and followed her path.

Downtown. Good.

I started to walk a little faster. My mother always told me that when a hero was flying overhead, it was better to run in the opposite direction. 

You don’t want the trouble that comes with those reckless, self-sacrificing idiots.

I could picture her expression perfectly, how she pursed her lips and would pause in whatever task she was doing. A rarity for my mother, as her hands always moved, even when she spoke. 

Still, I couldn’t help but spare another glance at the fading red blur. I recognized the royal red shade of the cape—it had to be Reign, one of the heroes who fought against the supervillain Tenebrous last November. 

I wondered idly if the rest of the New Crusaders were there, wherever the trouble was. 

I realized that I’d come to a stop again, and so I continued my trudging towards home. 

The tram rattled overhead, carrying with it a breeze that ruffle my hair and a few seconds of shade. I glanced at my watch—my little brothers and baby sister would have their buses come by soon.

If I didn’t get home soon, my mother would worry.

And no one liked it when my mother worried.

[hallowgracie]

“No,” Tenebrous said sharply, and with a flourish, the chip in his hand disappeared completely. “This is yours. Go home, Psyche. The last thing your father needs is another tragedy. And as for you, Renegade—“

“I’ve got nothing to lose.” There was fire in Renegade’s dark eyes. “There’s nothing you could do to me, nothing you could say—“

“Not even as your father?”

I expected some kind of Empire Strikes Back moment. You know, dramatics, the wailing, all of that. 

Renegade just snorted. “You’re not my dad.”