#etienne lachance

[authoralexharvey]

Last Line Tag

Catching up on tags again. Also using this as an excuse to share the last lines of ASMLP. Granted, the book isn't done yet, but I finished the final chapter at least so. That's a win!

Tagged for this by @aether-wasteland-s, @redotter, @autumnalwalker, and @bardicbeetle. Thank you!!

A couple of steps later, he pauses again. “You have two weeks, Simone. Two weeks to change your mind, and then I will graduate and I will be far, far away from here. I can’t do anything further for Nadia—gods know how much I want to. But I can stop you before you end up like her all the same. “Do not mistake me, though. I do not offer this out of kindness for you. It is a last favor for Nadia and nothing more.” Etienne resumes his uneven pace through the dungeons. This time, he doesn’t stop.

Tagging: @linaket, @anoelleart, @magic-is-something-we-create, @author-a-holmes, @ashen-crest, and @memento-morri-writes. Have fun!

[authoralexharvey]

From chapter 18 of ASMLP:

She shoves him as hard as she dares, the ghastly vision granting her strength. “Get out.” One of his pencil-thin brows arches. “Not when you’re in such a state.” Then, softer, “…Don’t close yourself off from me.” Her jaw clenches so tight it ticks. Anger, viscous and black, bubbles within her. “As if you haven’t done the same?” He opens his mouth to speak, but she surges forward. “For weeks, you’ve scorned me and pouted and thrown your childish fits because you can’t stand not being the center of attention for once in your fucking life!” He reels back as if she’s slapped him. She almost wishes she had. “I—I’m sorry,” he says at last. “Don’t give me that. You’re just saying it because you know, deep down, I’m all you have.” Red fills his face in one fell wave. “Th-that’s not—“ “Isn’t it?” Stop this, some small part of her urges. Don’t shove him away, too. But she ignores it for the burning indignation consuming her. “You follow me around like a lost dog all the damn time. Don’t you know how annoying it can be, trying to placate you?”

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[hellpmeimobsessed]

Samrafi

(I’m putting Samrafi under a read more because she has done a LOT)

Name: Samrafi Race: Bosmer/Wood Elf Age: 180 Height: 5'6 Weight: 175 lbs Eyes: Red Hair: Black Companions/Allies/Friends: Cicero, Lucien LaChance, Erandur, Marcurio (Husband), Teldryn Sero,  Ralis Sedarys, Faendal, Ondolemar, Niruin, Talvas Fathryon, Neloth Telvanni, Captain Veleth, Ravyn Imyan, Revyn Sadri, Brand-Shei, Enthir, Nelacar, Ancarion, Garthar, Jenassa. Family: Marcurio (Husband), Sofie, Lucia (Adopted daughters), Dianah (Mother, Hero of Kvatch), Lucien LaChance (Alleged Uncle), Vicente Valtieri (Alleged Father). Guilds: The Dark Brotherhood, Theives Guild, Dawnguard. Worships: Sithis. Champion of: Sheogorath, Sanguine, Clavicus Vile, Hermaeus Mora (rejected), Boethiah, Meridia. Nicknames: Sam (only to her closest allies), Listener, Guild Mistress, Lass (Brynjolf only), Sister Elf (Faendal only), Boss (Teldryn Sero, Ralis Sedarys, Jenassa only), My love (Marcurio only), Mother, Matron of Mer (supposed). Primary Weapon(s): Bow and arrow, Ebony bow and Dwarven Arrows.

BACKSTORY/THE DARK BROTHERHOOD Samrafi is the daughter of the Hero of Kvatch and Lucien LaChance's former Silencer, Dianah. Neither have shared their last name in order to protect each other and any other relatives they had. Samrafi grew up with Dark Brotherhood teachings, and stayed faithful. She idolizes the Cheydinhal sanctuary members, and grew up hearing stories mostly of Lucien LaChance, Vicente Valtieri, Ocheeva and Teinaava, and was taught archery by her unnamed step-father. She is a very stubborn and edgy Mer, but should she take a liking to you, you will quickly find she is protective, caring, even a motherly type. She is a ruthless killer, when under contract, outside of that she cares very much for the people around her, and would do anything to protect them. She had planned to do everything alone, but after the events that unfolded during her time with the Dark Brotherhood, she brought Cicero and Lucien everywhere, and cherishes and even spoils Shadowmere. Since she grew up with older Brotherhood teachings, she knew the Five Tenets forwards and backwards, reciting them dramatically to Astrid before driving the Blade of Woe into her neck to 'silence her traitorous mouth'. She cares not for what Sithis does to her in the void, her fire fueled simply by the loss of her only family after her mother turned into Sheogorath. She spared Cicero for many reasons, the top among them being that Lucien was specifically telling her Sithis did not want Cicero dead, she had grown rather fond of the Keeper, and what Astrid had asked her to do was against the Tenets.

THE MIND OF MADNESS She had heard rumors of the Pelagius wing in Solitude during her brief time there, and decided to investigate. She was in shock as Sheogorath continued to recount the very stories her mother had recited to her; it was then she realized he used to be her mother. Saying nothing, with tears in her eyes by the end of the ordeal, she graciously accepted the Wabbajack and became champion of Sheogorath.

THE THIEVES GUILD She had hoped to find a new family with less murder involved in the Thieves Guild, and all was going well and smoothly, until yet another betrayal, this time by Mercer Frey, had occurred. She was eerily calm as the events unfolded, until she faced Mercer Frey, immediately disarming him and beating him to death with her bow. She had attempted to drown herself upon the collapse, only to be thwarted by Brynjolf dragging her out, completely oblivious to her suicide attempt, and she kept it that way until she became Guild Master.

FAILURES She considers her greatest failures, although few, to not being able to save Malborn during her mission to find more details about the Thalmor and the dragons, although saving Etienne Rarnis was a success, not acting on Astrid's obvious betrayal sooner, and not telling her mother, now Sheogorath, that she loved them and knew it was her.

DAWNGUARD She later joined the Dawnguard to kill vampires and keep her friends and family safe after she had to ride Shadowmere to the brink of any normal horses collapse when Faendal had contracted the first stage of vampirism during a random attack, but ended up helping Serana despite everything. Samrafi, however, left Serana and her mother, Valerica, in the Soul Cairn for two days among finding out they worshipped Molag Bal and had put Serana through such a ritual. After making peace with the fact that what was done was done, she returned and helped mother and daughter, discorporating the dragon Durnehviir in the process, and gaining the dragons respect, even helping him in his final and only wish to fly in the skies of Tamriel again, at first convincing herself it was only for the shout he could teach her, later on forgoing the notion and summoning him simply while travelling to give him freedom, even summoning him in Solstheim. She also aided Saint Jiub find his pages for his Opus, and informed Teldryn Sero what had happened to him after he mentioned the very question, bringing Jiubs Opus as proof. She didn't want to kill Arch-Curate Vyrthur, especially after learning he was betrayed by Auriel and allowed to turn into a vampire, but orders were orders, and he hadn't ceased his attempts to kill them, and so he fell to the ice sheet below after she landed the killing shout. They retrieved Auriels bow from Gelebor, who she frequently visits with books from her own library, and having hours-long talks with him about the history of Mer.

A NIGHT TO REMEMBER After the events of the Thieves Guild, she went to the Bannered Mare in Whiterun, where she had first called home, to drink her sorrows away, only to be approached by a man named Sam Guivene, only to later find out at the end of the run aroud he had sent her on whilst intoxicated, that he was the Daedric Prince Sanguine, and had little time to reject Sanguines Rose once it was in her hands before she was sent back to Tamriel, Rose in hand, with Lucien snickering at her upon her return. She still hasn't convinced him she had no sexual affairs during her drunkness, especially not with the Daedric Prince, but Lucien continuously uses the Roses mere presence as his evidence.

MARRIED WITH KIDS She had no intent, nor did she think it was possible, for her to settle down and have a husband, or wife, or kids! But when she met Marcurio, she didn't know how to feel. She knew, obviously, how she felt about him, her mother had told her and described in detail what it felt like to be in love, but she didn't know how to say it, or even know if he felt the same. While on an adventure just roaming around the Pale with Cicero, they had stumbled upon a tent with an Amulet of Mara in it not too far from the Dawnstar sanctuary. She took it as a sign that her and Marcurio were meant for each other and wore the amulet around him to see if he'd take notice. When he did, she was ecstatic, and when they both confessed, they immediately headed to Riften to arrange their marriage. She had bought Proudspire Manor in Solitude not even a week before she got married to Marcurio, and they moved in immediately. Marcurio began running a store, selling whatever Samrafi found during her travels, and when she came home one day, she found Marcurio stressed and tense. When she finally found out what was wrong, being that Marcurio had wanted children, but he knew Samrafi's opinion on them, he hadn't wanted to ask, but it was eating him up inside. Samrafi admitted she hadn't even thought being married was an option for her, and they agreed to try for a child. Samrafi found out she was pregnant three weeks after her and Marcurio had begun trying, they were ecstatic, Marcurio had cried and thanked her for the opportunity to be a father what seemed like a million times. Samrafi was pregnant for three months until she had a miscarriage and found out if Samrafi tried for another child again, that even if she managed to carry a baby to full term, giving birth would most likely kill her, Dragonborn or not. That took a heavy toll on them both. The Dragonborn was nowehere to be found for another month before they started adventuring again, slowly coming back around to the happiness they felt when they were first married. While visiting Riften, Samrafi had visited the orphanage her assassin career began in, and was handed a pamphlet with details about adopting a child. She went back home to Marcurio, mentioning it, and he was more than happy about the idea, when Sofie had come running from the hallway, immediately latching onto Samrafi's leg and asking her if he was her new father. Marcurio realised she had already adopted Sofie from Windhelm, as they had run into the girl before when Samrafi had bought many of her flowers while there, and always bought her dinner and toys whenever they were in Windhelm. Marcurio was overjoyed and more than happy to accept her as his daughter. Not even two months later had Marcurio brought home Sofia, consulting Samrafi before going to adopt her and welcoming her to her new family. She even had a sister!

DRAGONBORN After a good while of being settled in, Samrafi was attacked by a group of Cultists who claimed she wasn't the true Dragonborn, that someone named Miraak was, and she immediately sailed off to Solstheim after informing her family that she was needed elsewhere. It was in the Retching Netch she had met Teldryn Sero, who she had hired to help guide her around Solstheim and teach her about the unique threats that Solstheim had to throw at her. Despite the Reaver Pirates, Ash Spawn and Netch, she hated Ash Hoppers the most. During her travels with Teldryn, she had met Neloth Telvanni, whom she had heard much about, and she had helped him with his tower, finding a steward and removing his former apprentice from the mortal plane. In turn, he had gone to Nchardak with her to find the Black Book of Hermaus Mora. She still helps him with finding heartstones to this day, and participated in a few experiments. She had even stopped a planned assassin of the Jarl, taking down a branch of the Morag Tong, the only competitors of The Dark Brotherhood, and members of House Hlaalu, winning over the Jarl's favor and earning a property in Solstheim, to which she offered to Teldryn Sero while she was gone, if he would lend his services to her when she returned.

UNEARTHED She had run the gauntlet of defeating Miraak and emerged victorious, and in her adventuring to find every location Solstheim had to offer, even climbing one of four of it's great mountains, she stumbled across Ralis Sedarys digging all on his own at Kolbjorn Barrow. She had offered and funded his expedition, informing him that she needed to return home, but if he needed any more assistance or more funding for the expedition, he should write her. On the docks of Solstheim, Captain Veleth, Councilor Morvayn and Teldryn Sero saw her off, however Teldryn Sero had declined to stay at Severin Manor, instead asking to accompany Samrafi to Skyrim, claiming he was bored of Solstheim. She agreed and brought him along with her, paying for his fair, obviously. She had made multiple trips back to Solstheim, opting to instead put Teldryn on babysitting duty while she brought Marcurio to Solstheim, to which Teldryn quickly shot the idea down, claiming he was no good with kids and would gladly return to Solstheim for the trip instead. After defeating the Dragon Priest Ahzidal, who was evidently found buried in Kolbjorn, something she found out far too late when Teldryn had stumbled upon the book titled 'The Descent of Ahzidal' while travelling to the barrow, they hastened their travel, knowing Ralis was well in over his head and fearing him dead, the adrenaline and fear of a repeat scenario with Cicero, fearing for worse results of not being there in time to save him, brought her to a sprint not even Teldryn could keep up with, she had actually cried out when Ralis was sent flying into the nearest wall as Ahzidal erupted into the chamber, and scrambled over to him once the Priest was defeated, she swore and made Teldryn swear not to tell a soul about what happened, knowing full well about not being in control of your actions when Brynjolf had been possessed to fight Karliah when facing Mercer Frey, and knew the regret Brynjolf still held, she offered to protect him so long as he travelled with her, to which he agreed. By the time their adventuring together was coming to a close, Samrafi offered either Honeyside in Riften or Severin Manor for Ralis to stay in, Ralis chose Severin Manor, and Samrafi saw him off to the docks and secretly payed for his fair and for Captain Gjalund to give him back his money plus the extra she gave him for Ralis when he got to shore. A week later she got a letter from Ralis thanking her for a new start and that he had received the money, and should she ever need his services again, he would be more than happy to oblige.

BLOOD ON THE ICE During the Butcher's reign of terror in Windhelm, Samrafi grew extremely frustrated with how many women had been slaughtered under her watch, and had even tried to protect his final victim, but she payed him back in kind by catching him and slicing his throat open, allowing him to die slowly and painfully, in as much fear as they did.

AVOIDANCES AND DISLIKES/IN THE END She doesn't care for being a vampire like her mother, nor does she wish to be stricken with Lycanthropy, she avoids the Companions due to both rumors of them being werewolves, and being too morally high for a Mer like her, and she has no wish to turn around now. She takes being Dragonborn with much pride, winning the Civil War for the Imperials with even more pride, but most of all she is proudest in managing to keep all of her family and friends safe, and will continue to do so, but pray for Sithis to have mercy on your soul should you find yourself on the other end of her bow.

[vokunsefahliil]

Profile: Nivenaen Nightmire

Sex/Gender: Cis female

Race: Bosmer

Date of Birth: 15th of Evening Star, 4E 149 (aged 52 in Last Seed, 4E 201)

Birthsign: The Thief

Occupation: Thief, assassin, mercenary for hire

Titles: Dovahkiin, Listener of the Dark Brotherhood, Guildmaster of the Theives’ Guild (currently working on this in-game...), and Champion of Auri-El, Baan Dar, Meridia, and Sanguine

Note: These are the titles that she accepts, not necessarily all of the ones she holds

Sexual/Romantic Orientation: Pansexual, demiromantic

Family:

Mineorn Foresthollow - father, author, deceased

Selnafil Timberthorn - mother, hunter, deceased

Bralion Evermist - eldest brother, travelling bard, alive

Falring Riverbranch - elder brother, hunter, deceased

Anil Mosswing - younger brother, priest-in-training, deceased

Languages Spoken: Tamrielic, Aldmeris, Bosmeris, Dovahzul

Preferred Weapons: Dual-wielding sword and dagger, bow, Destruction school of magic, Dragon Shouts

Strengths: Stealth, crafting, light weapons and armor

Weaknesses: Mob combat, most schools of magic, heavy weapons and armor, shield-wielding

Factions: Holds of Whiterun and Riften, Greybeards, Blades, Thieves’ Guild, Dark Brotherhood

Worshipped Deities: Auri-El, Baan Dar, Arkay, Herma Mora (this changes), Jode, Jone, Y’ffre

Note: While she worships Y’ffre, it is very loosely, and she does not prescribe to the Green Pact; after the events of the Dragonborn DLC, she loses any and all respect for Mora

Friends/Followers: Farengar Secret-Fire, Lydia, Adrianne Avenicci, Anoriath, Elrindir, Etienne Rarnis, Rune, Sapphire, Brynjolf, Cicero, Lucien Lachance, Ralis Sedarys, Ralof, Hadvar

Pets/Familiars: Shadowmere (horse?), Baan (hawk familiar), Meeko (dog)

I have nothing more at the moment, but questions are always appreciated.

[authoralexharvey]

ASMLP Accountability - Update 11

Intro || 1 || 2 || 3 || 4 || 5 || 6 || 7 || 8 || 9 || 10

It is kind of surreal to think that I am almost done this first draft. I've spent about a year working on this project, at this point. I almost don't want to see it end.

And yet, all good things must end. And I want to make this project better, which means I need to finish it first.

Did you know you can read the current draft of ASMLP right now for free? Three websites, three ways to read. We’re up to chapter 19, with chapter 20 coming next Wednesday. Unless you feel like subbing to my Patreon, in which case you can read chapter 20 right now to help tie you over.

Wattpad || Royal Road || ScribbleHub

Which reminds me: If you sub to my Patreon, you get advanced chapters of ASMLP before everyone else! You also get access to some short stories I have released for sale, and I’m working on starting a sort of “behind the scenes” series for my top-tier patrons soon. If you like my writing, it’s worth checking out. And this week, you get early access to my favorite chapter--one I've spent most of this project working towards.

Anyway. Let’s talk stats.

Chapters Done: 21/23

Current Chapter: 21 (Simone's)

Excerpt:

With the jerk of his chin and the flash of his hand, Etienne’s front door shuts. The figure depicted on the back begins to speak, but it’s muffled by Simone’s sweater, reduced to an icy chill down their back. On instinct, they step closer to him, heart thudding.

“I still don’t know who you are,” he says. “And yet, all of this… it fills me with some semblance of pride, I think.”

Tears swarm their eyes in an instant. Of course he would still be… impacted. Not that it matters. “Enough with the pleasantries,” they say through clenched teeth. “Can you work with these or not?”

“Oh, most certainly.” Etienne shoves the pages into his breast pocket before raking wild eyes along his walls. Simone follows his gaze. Many of the photos he’d hung previously have been taken down. One of the three white walls bears the faintest pencil marks across its surface. It’s difficult to make out the details, but between the smudges of black and the cans of paint on the floor before it, Simone deduces he’s preparing to paint another mural.

ASMLP Taglist (Ask to be added): @magic-is-something-we-create , @wildswrites , @chishiio , @broodparasitism , @writeblrsupport , @original-writing @artcoffeecats , @kingsinking , @comicgoblinart , @asterhaze , @linaket , @arigalefantasynovels ,

[authoralexharvey]

OC Name Meaning Tag

Was tagged for this one by @mariahwritesstuff and @queenslayerbee, so thank you!

Also tagging: @linaket, @k--havok, @alistonjdrake, @magic-is-something-we-create, and @ashen-crest. Have fun!

Rules: Put down an OC or more and tell what their name means.

I'm doing this game for ASMLP, where the names chosen had little to do with their meaning and moreso with the vibes of it all. That said, I did make a couple of intentional choices. The country this is set in also has a lot of French inspo (among others) and so that's the base I chose when going through names to try and fit my cast. I tend to go off of the vibes and "mouth feel" of it all. That said, let's look at all the major players and what their names mean!

Warning, this post is kinda long.

Simone Allard

French feminine form of Simon, which according to BehindtheName, is

From Σίμων (Simon), the New Testament Greek form of the Hebrew name שִׁמְעוֹן (Shim'on) meaning "hearing, listening", derived from שָׁמַע (shama') meaning "to hear, to listen".

Going back to Simone, "A famous bearer was Simone de Beauvoir (1908-1986), a French feminist and philosopher." and I think that's cool.

Their last name, Allard, is derived from the given name Adalhard and is

Derived from the Old German elements adal "noble" and hart "hard, firm, brave, hardy".

The last name was chosen intentionally, as Simone attempts to embody these traits (and ultimately fails).

Nadia Dupont

Nadia is a variant of Nadya, which itself is a Russian/Bulgarian diminutive of Nadezhda, which means "Hope". I didn't know this when I chose her name--I chose it off of Vibes TBH--but now that I do know this, it makes her name all the more ironic, I think.

Her last name, DuPont, means "from the bridge". That wasn't a choice intentionally done, either, I just thought the first and last name sounded nice together.

Etienne LaChance

Etienne, which is sans the little accent on the first E, is the French form of Stephen, which itself is

From the Greek name Στέφανος (Stephanos) meaning "crown, wreath", more precisely "that which surrounds".

Which,,, somewhat fits, given his kinda prissy nature and thinking he's better than everyone (he's right. somewhat).

As for his last name, LaChance, that just means "chance, luck" which was partly chosen off of Vibes and partly chosen off of irony, as he's got the best outcome by the end of all three of the MCs.

Chantal Bellarose

According to BehindtheName, Chantal means

From a French surname that was derived from a place name meaning "stony". It was originally given in honour of Saint Jeanne-Françoise de Chantal, the founder of the Visitation Order in the 17th century. It has become associated with French chant "song".

Which is cool! But I mostly chose it off of Vibes and because I like the name. As for her last name, I know for a fact I saw it on the surname section of BTN but now it's trying to gaslight me. Anyway, I just think it's pretty.

Professor Darzi

Darzi as a surname is a Persian word which means "tailor" (allegedly). I chose it partly because it looks nice and partly because Professor Darzi is such a tailored and well put together man.

Doctor Aiza

Aiza as a last name comes from "Aizt", Basque for "rock or stone" (allegedly). According to BTN, as a first name it's possibly Urdu in origin, but gives me no meaning beyond that. However, when I look it up, I'm told it can mean "replacement or substitute"... Either way, I mostly chose it for Vibes but it,,, oddly fits, in a way.

Professor Favreau

Favreau is a diminutive of Favre, which is itself a variant of Fèvre, which is

Occupational name meaning "blacksmith" in Old French, derived from Latin faber.

This was somewhat intentional, given the Professor's personality and appearance. As Nadia says,

She’s a monochrome woman: grey coat, black scarf, white hair. The brightest things about her are the chunky rings she wears, a rainbow of gems gleaming in the watery sunlight coming through the window behind her.

Alienor

Found this one on a French list somewhere. This is a variant of Aliénor, which is the French form of Eleanor, which gets this entry on BTN:

From the Old French form of the Occitan name Alienòr. Among the name's earliest bearers was the influential Eleanor of Aquitaine (12th century), who was the queen of Louis VII, the king of France, and later Henry II, the king of England. She was named Aenor after her mother, and was called by the Occitan phrase alia Aenor "the other Aenor" in order to distinguish her from her mother. However, there appear to be examples of bearers prior to Eleanor of Aquitaine. It is not clear whether they were in fact Aenors who were retroactively recorded as having the name Eleanor, or whether there is an alternative explanation for the name's origin.

I just chose it cause it sounded cool, to be honest.

[authoralexharvey]

Which characters get along worst?

Hey there! Uhhh let's see.

Etienne and Simone are one step shy of mortal enemies, tbh. It's mostly one-sided. Etienne hates Simone with a fiery passion and would strangle them if he could. Simone's negative emotions are mostly related to being annoyed Etienne hates them so much.

Stepping away from ASMLP for a sec. Maka and Katalin aren't like. Enemies persay but they definitely don't like each other and each sees the other as a sort of means to an end.

By far, though, the people who get along with each other the worst, is absolutely Toshiko and Fel. Like. While the hatred is still somewhat lopsided (Fel finds Toshiko annoying. Almost like an errant bug but... somewhat cuter?), they actively try to kill each other. Numerous times.

The crux of their issue comes down to this: Toshiko is an intensely religious (paladin???) warrior who hunts monsters for a living. She's had to kill friends and family members who have succumbed to their monstrous forms, so she's... Got quite a viewpoint about them (monsters). Fel, meanwhile, is someone who existed, became a monster, and then clawed her way back into human form through sheer force of will. She's not the same person from before, of course, and now she possesses the ability to revert to her monstrous form at will. However, her very existence is the antithesis of everything Toshiko stands for. And thus she must die.

Or, at least, so Toshiko thinks she should. Their relationship arc is very twisted and very delicious and very slow to develop.

Thanks for the ask!

[authoralexharvey]

My favorite OC of yours is Etienne. I would slap his ass every time he speaks about an art piece. I hope he appreciates that.

@linaket is this you? You're the only one I know (aside from me) who loves him this much.

Jokes aside uhhh fuckin same probably. He's a little weird about physical contact but he'd like,,,, bashfully pleased that someone that isn't Nadia is listening to him and he would absolutely talk your ear off about his myriad of murals or his favorite pieces of arcane abstractivism. He eats that shit up.

Thanks for the ask!!

[authoralexharvey]

At the risk of him looking even more problematic, I am now entertaining the notion of Etienne LaChance being a trans man

[authoralexharvey]

📝 feel like I don't know anything about your wips these days 👀

Hey June!! Hope you're doing well! Don't feel bad I hop around a lot on things so...

📝Share a snippet of an unposted WIP, with or without context.

"Oh, most certainly.” Etienne shoves the pages into his breast pocket before raking wild eyes along his walls. Simone follows his gaze. Many of the photos he’d hung previously have been taken down. One of the three white walls bears the faintest pencil marks across its surface. It’s difficult to make out the details, but between the smudges of black and the cans of paint on the floor before it, Simone deduces he’s preparing to paint another mural. The realization gives them pause. He was impressive enough when they thought his pieces elaborate enchantments, but he paints the whole image himself? How? “Hours upon hours of work,” Etienne says, as if he’s read their mind. When they turn on him, incredulous, he takes a half-step back. “You were staring quite intently at my next project,” is all he says in elaboration. At this, they frown. “Aren’t you graduating in a few weeks?” “Hopefully,” Etienne mutters, more to himself than to them. Then, with a snort, “Of course. And these murals are not just for my amusement.” Another wave of his hand. The river mural on the back wall ripples. Yellow and grey sigils flare to life at each corner of the wall. Illusion and Transmutation. Of course someone as prissy as him would go for such deceptive forms of Casting. “Impressive,” they say, fighting to sound like they mean it. “I commissioned the spell from—“ With a cough, Etienne straightens, cheeks gaining a rosy hue. “Doesn’t matter.”

This is from the second-to-last chapter of my sapphic magic college book, A Sharper, More Lasting Pain. This one I do remember mentioning to you, but it's been a while. I'm almost done with the first draft now!! So that's exciting.

Anyway the context here is kinda cute and kind of sad because Simone (MC) and Etienne (Simone's girlfriend's best friend) are both nerds in different ways, both of which get some display here. Simone is the more "book smart" kind of nerd who knows a lot about a lot and especially about magic (since they're at college for it). Meanwhile, Etienne loves gushing about his art. Neither of them have the time for this. I just like this moment of him getting carried away by the thrill of his work yaknow?

[authoralexharvey]

Something something having to work with your ex boyfriend to try to bring your best friend back

that's all I'm going to say at this time.

Listen I fully intended ASMLP to be a standalone in a series of standalones and nothing more but....

......

But imagine, though....

[authoralexharvey]

A Sharper, More Lasting Pain, a novel by @space-cadead

The Basics

GENRE - dark fantasy, dark academia, high fantasy

INSPIRATIONS - Bloodborne, Dungeons & Dragons, The Radium Girls, Sorcery of Thorns

POV - third-person limited (present tense), alternating POV

TAGS, THEMES, AND TROPES - (dark) academia, authority and its abuse of power, conspiracies, fighting fate, lgbtq, magic, manipulation, memory alteration, monsters, one-night stand to lovers, runic/sigil magic, the inevitability of death

CONTENT WARNINGS - body horror, chronic illness, drug use, mild kink, sex, terminal illness (ish), violence

STATUS - first draft, currently at 25k words

THE CHARACTERS

Simone Allard, a second-year Abjuror who loves getting to the heart of a matter. An over-achiever, they often work themself to the point of exhaustion to get the answer they seek.

Nadia DuPont, a third-year Diviner who is tired of this shit. Despite near-constant sickness, she considers herself the life of the party.

Etienne LaChance, a third-year Evocator and Nadia’s best friend. Around the time of her disappearance, a monster critically wounds him and leaves him for dead.

SUMMARY

After their girlfriend’s best friend is wounded in a monster attack, Simone Allard stumbles across a plot much deeper than they anticipated. As they work to find a cure to their own forming illness and find out the truth, two questions remains: where is Nadia, and how was she involved in all of this?

Nadia DuPont doesn’t know how much time she has or even what is ailing her, but it all gets more complex after meeting Simone on a field trip. As they both race to find a cure, Nadia's certain of one thing: Simone will be the source of her ruin.

LINKS

First Lines

Cover Reveal

Read it on Wattpad

TAGLIST (ASK TO BE ADDED)

@magic-is-something-we-create , @wildswrites , @chishiio @westcountrygothic @writeblrsupport @original-writing

[authoralexharvey]

Heads Up, Seven Up

Trying to catch up on tags again, so... Tagged by @my-cursed-prince, @menagerie-of-monsters, @1legitconnor, @isabellebissonrouthier, and @andromedaexists for this one. Thanks, guys! I normally do seven sentences, but I'm doing seven paragraphs cause I like this section lmao

The pain is a foreign enemy in her blissed-out state, an errant fly buzzing around her mental feast. She carves craters into the couch with her nails, clinging to the peace she’s fought so hard for. In these moments of twisted desperation, the pain intensifies. It blooms into a storm of sensation behind her eyelids. The blackness she’s previously been suspended in comes alive in a wash of oranges and reds and greys. A dull roaring like the approach of a storm fills the silence. After several seconds, she recognizes what she thinks are words. Meat. Consume. Food. Bite. Meat. Meat. Meat. Nadia snaps back to with a gasp. Etienne raises his head from the opposite couch with a giggle, his body wreathed in darkness. “Are you okay?” “I-I think so.” As she speaks, she runs a hand through her hair. With a hiss, she realizes she’s dragged her nails too hard across her scalp. She untangles her fingers and examines them for blood. Before she can think, an ear-piercing shriek escapes.

If you want to see the whole of chapter 12, I just posted it on Patreon tonight!

Tagging: @ettawritesnstudies, @linaket, @author-a-holmes, @jamieanovels, @silvertalonwritblr, @doikayt, and @theglitchywriterboi. Have fun!

[authoralexharvey]

Last Line Tag

I get tagged in this one a lot and still have a fat backlog so I'm combining some tags. Not that I want people to stop tagging me. By all means. Please do. I love sharing! Especially right now.

Anyway this time I was tagged by @little-mouse-gardens, @faelanvance, and @aghostwriteblr so thank you all very much! This is a longer one because I'm really in love with the scene and the (negative) character development. We stan people who get worse.

“She was…” The hesitation is multi-layered. Simone closes their eyes, waiting with growing impatience for the answer. Then, finally, “I don’t remember that, either.” Their eyes snap open. They don’t remember crossing the room, don’t remember picking Etienne up by the scruff of his pathetic shirt and slamming him against the door so hard it groans, but then they’re there, panting with exertion and the suddenness of their movement. Teeth grit against the pain lapping at their bones, they keep him pinned. “Bull. Fucking. Shit.” Simone has never been an imposing figure. Bookish, perhaps or a wealth of knowledge, depending on the person they speak to. But intimidating? Never. Never has someone’s voice quaked when speaking to them. Never has someone's eyes widened in fear at their presence. Until now.

Tagging: @carrotblr, @mysteries-x-mistakes, @luxulyann, @magic-is-something-we-create, @ceph-the-ghost-writer, and @saintedseraph. Have fun!

[authoralexharvey]

Having fun with it already.

Etienne LaChance wakes up screaming. In the first microseconds of consciousness, he is assaulted by the monstrous visage of his best friend, the way her lupine jaws had closed around him on the day of her death. The stench of his own blood is thick in his nose. His heart gallops, threatening to break away from the cage of his chest.

I think... I want to try to publish ASMLP next year....

[authoralexharvey]

Heads Up, Seven Up

Was also tagged tonight by @autumnalwalker so thank you very much! I have a couple more than seven sentences, for context's sake.

“There are two ways this can go, Etienne. Firstly, you can volunteer the information willingly. I get what I need from you and I leave and we pretend this never happened.”

He snorts. “I don’t have the patience for this.”

“Which leaves option two.”

“Get out before I call the nurses myself.”

They pick up the vial of Serenity, amazed that their hand doesn’t tremble, and hold it into his line of sight. At once, he pales.

“Wh…Where did you get that?”

Tagging: @faelanvance @monstrouswrites @magic-is-something-we-create @westcountrygothic @spirit-of-helimire @marinesocks and @writingpotato07. Have fun!