#holyatlas

[henrike-does-writing-sometimes]

The Reset

The last loop didn’t end well, leading to Asher having to face the Keeper all alone

I’ve finished the first version of the second draft, and as a little treat, I decided to post the new prologue ! I discovered that the old one basically ruined the whole mystery and horror aspects of the story, I also like this version much more lol

Enjoy~

Word count: 1260

Warnings: Blood, Injuries (no graphic descriptions), Death, Emotional manipulation, Psychological abuse

Wip: To The End, Set directly after their first attempt to escape the loop 

Characters: Asher Chiu, Others mentioned

: Taglist - @vacantgodling @waysofink @zonnemaagd @chazzawrites ​ @strangerays @drippingmoon @azuwrites ​ @drbibliophile​ @goldenzingy46​ @holyatlas​ :

Let me know if you want to be added/removed !

//

“Damn it!” Asher hissed through clenched teeth. His vision was starting to blur as tears continued to build. He willed himself to hold them back, in spite of the agonizing burn. He had to keep himself together, he had to keep trying. Even if he ended up suffocating, carnal desperation screamed for him to focus. 

Somewhere a bird sarenaded the solemn night, the only thing asuring Asher that he was indeed awake. That this was indeed reality. That he had failed. Had lost control of the motorcycle and failed. The vehicle rested somewhere on the desolate road. Unrecognizable, unsalvageable. Just like many other things keeping them company. 

The air was cold, biting at his exposed and vulnerable skin. Clawing at every cut it could reach. Asher’s only source of warmth was the blood coating his already numb hands. They were pressed with every last bit of his strength against the wound on Thea’s chest.

“Thea!” he called out. “Motherfucker, answer me!” his voice broke. Straining his spent vocal cords even further. It was a surprise he had any voice left at all. He’d been screaming like a madman, begged on his knees for Thea to respond. Even if he knew she wouldn’t, he still held on —To that faintest sign of movement, that weak sound of life from his best friend. Held on for dear life that the universe would be kind just this one last time. An innocent wish that everything would be fine.

“ANSWER ME!” Asher demanded, pushing harder against the wound in a frail attempt to stop the bleeding. 

“Please!” the burn in his eyes seized. Tears winning, breaking down his every defense before falling down his cheeks. Washing away the last of his energy. Asher’s tense body involuntarily went limp, hands resting defeated over the wound. The warm blood taunting him. 

“Please,” he sobbed. “Come back to me.”

His plea wasn't just for Thea, but he didn’t dare look up at the others. He’d caught a glimpse of them when he’d regained consciousness, and could properly take in the scene they’d ended up in. He had seen Eric’s mutilated legs and Samir’s bashed in head. Had called out with no response as he tried not to throw up at the sight of blood and bone. 

“That’s quite the mess you’ve got there.” a sudden voice spoke up behind him. Ethereal, and familiar in a way that made Asher turn cold. 

“Leave.” he cringed at his voice; Broken and thick with tears. 

“But I just arrived.” the Keeper said. The impossible entity had taken a stance before him. It’s silk fabrics of gold cascading around him. Asher refused to look at it. “And you look like you could use some help.” there was a chime of sincerity in its voice, one Asher could not deny. But it only made him nauseous. 

“I don’t want your help.”

“You have yet to learn what help I’m offering-” “I don’t fucking care!” Asher clenched his fists, ignoring the disgusting feeling of blood being squished in his palms. “You don’t want to help me! You only want me to be apart of your twisted game! I don’t want to play, I won’t!”

Silence. Then he felt it. The Keeper's presence mare inches before his face. Unintelligible eyes observing him like no animal or human ever could. Like it knew everything. The only thing familiar about the Keeper’s imitation of the human body were the hands. They could’ve fooled anyone who didn’t know better. Could mesmerize them with smooth and rosy pale skin. Asher knew better, and only felt disgust as it reached out to tenderly grab his own. Its power forcing his fists to unravel— to reveal the skin. Scarred and covered in blood. 

“Oh you poor, darling thing.” it hummed, moving one hand to cup Asher’s cheek. Tilting his head to look at it. And when he tried to turn away the other hand found his other cheek, and Asher was trapped. Held captive in the gentle touch of malevolence. Forced to stare up at the Keeper and its failed recreation of a human face. A resident of the uncanny valley, an expressionless wax doll. The Keeper let its eyes wander over Asher's face in dreadful silence. As if meticulously counting his every freckle and mole, measuring his scars and cuts, or memorizing the color of his bruises. 

“It is not their time yet,” it finally spoke softly. “You know it too.” Asher’s breath hitched. 

‘Don’t do this to me.’ he begged the universe. 

“Why not make this right again?” the Keeper said, swiping their thumbs under Asher’s eyes. Catching his fresh tears. “Why don’t we fix this, and then you can all go home?”

“I can’t.” Asher choked. He knew what it meant, knew what would happen. It was inevitable at this point, nothing he did would change that. A fight against the Keepers was a fight already lost. But Asher wasn’t known for giving up, even if there was no way for him to win. 

“You can’t?” the Keeper echoed. “Oh but you can. I know it.”

“Shut up.” voice raspy with tire, Asher squeezed his eyes shut. Hunted by the golden light. 

“Do you really not want them back?” its voice became louder. Silencing every other noise of the night kingdom. Becoming the only sound in the entire universe. “Is this the life you wish to live? All alone in a world not meant for you? Where all you can do is wander aimlessly, knowing you’ll never be enough. That you’ve scared away the last person who’d ever love you. Because why would anyone love or even care about someone like you? But they did, did they not? Despite it all, did they not care for you? Would you not wish to have them with you?” 

Each word only became louder and louder, pounding against Asher’s ears. And all he could do was sob.

The hands holding his face had begun to burn, leaving nasty marks on his already frail and broken skin. Gold had taken over everything around him, as the Keeper went on and on and on. Running Asher dry, lost in delusional thoughts and pleas to end the tournament. 

It would be fine for a while, he remembered it. A few weeks of calm, where everything was like it should. Where they didn’t have to worry about running out of time, or reality ripping apart, or being watched. A few weeks where everything was normal. He could do it all again, couldn’t he?

“Don’t you want them back?” the Keeper asked. 

And Asher finally broke, “Yes!”

At once the world came back, and Asher was free from the Keeper’s grip. He gasped, breathed deep to calm his nerves and shaking body, and stop his heart’s painful pace. He felt the Keeper looming over him, awaiting his go-ahead. Asher took his time, turning his dark eyes to the horizon. The sun would rise soon, night fading into a dawn he’d never see.   

On trembling legs he stood up, still refusing to look at the entity by his side. “Give them back to me,” he pleaded, with barely any voice left. “Please.”

“It would be an honour.” the Keeper said, reaching its hand out for Asher to take. He laughed in defeat, looking down on his blood soaked hand. “Don’t hate me too much for this.” he muttered to himself. Asher than took the Keepers hand, wincing at the burn and strange feeling of ethereal energy passing through him. As his vision faded into white static.  

[artbyeloquent]

i have come before you once more to request fun facts about rimon (and any other member of the cast if you feel so inclined). like i wanna know the insignificant to the story, super self-indulgent ones :)

hi hello this is perfect and i love you forever for it :') Rimon has been neglected in terms of their innermost interests and feelings because I've been way too focused on hammering out the plot. The following is half-made-up-on-the-spot and you're ABSOLUTELY allowed to ask follow-ups.

Rimon has a mouth like a sailor, and sometimes if they are often in a situation where they are forced to rein that in, a person may go months before realizing they have a VERY foul mouth. In Dev's words, "They've actually reined it in since they started at Te'ena."

Rimon is extremely suspicious of big talk. They often mercilessly tease people who make big claims or brag even if they like the person and are being "lighthearted," just because they find it incredibly amusing when people oversell themselves.

Rimon likes heavily spiced food. They're Ashkenazi, and so people often perceive them as a WASP when they aren't, meaning they often turn heads in a Mediterranean, Ethiopian, Thai, or Indian place (their four favorite ethnic cuisines just because of the depth of flavors and spice levels) because no one expects them to just sit there and take it.

Rimon is pretty pacifistic and prefers to resolve conflict through communication. Ironically, if any of their friends get hurt the first thing they'd want to do is punch the cause of their pain. Dev on the other hand WOULD blow torch someone if Rimon didn't hold her back.

Rimon has such a memory for Talmud it's often joked they should be a Rabbi.

Rimon is wigged out by horses. They'll still get near one, but unlike their friends, they find the concept of this huge, splinter-legged animal with a huge nose and teeth to be the stuff of nightmares.

They get a discount on their Brookline rent because I hate landlords because they helped the elderly couple who are renting the units to renovate some of them.

They know a lot about plants, but not survival/rural style like I do. They're more like my partner in that they wouldn't know a blackberry from a holly bush, but they can tell the difference between all the types of philodendrons. They chalk it up to reading too many of those big illustrated science encyclopedias their dad kept around.

They have a huge family that they mostly stay away from because they are an introvert and huge Jewish families are fucking insane (affectionate).

They prefer tea to coffee.

They dress pretty goth for a 44 year old but they really like those boho patterns with the pretty florals on them. ("Shut up.")

After an incident in their past left them with the Gift (long story but it's what allows them to interact with ghosts and demons so readily. I really need to rename it. Is Veilsight too edgy?) they keep a Will that they update every 6 months or year.

They're not a gourmet cook by any means but they like making childhood comfort foods and they're good at living alone. They prefer it!

They have a soft spot for cats, especially disabled/senior cats. They've done cat rescue/rehab in the past.

They are extraordinarily awkward with kids and treat them like little adults, which inadvertently works out perfectly in their favor and kids love them. They still don't understand it.

They get really grossed out by dirty bathtubs but would wear clothes for a week straight if needed.

I'm sorry this was so long I love Rimon 😖

Also this reminded me that I have a "mother of all character questionnaires" I keep saved in my drive, and I should really make a copy for Rimon. maybe even count it toward my nano word count.

[supersymmetrys]

hi, i think in the angel's city look so, so good! i would love to be on the taglist :)

Hello, truly thank you so much!! And of course, I'll tag you in future posts <3 <3

[snowinks]

ironbloods sounds right up my alley therefore if you have a taglist, i would love to be on it :))

there is!! I'll add you right now:)

[sparrow-orion-writes]

Hi, I love him! He seems delightful!

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐃𝐔𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍

NAME: jakob ‘jack’ ledger

AGE: 26

PRONOUNS: he/him 

STRENGTHS: charismatic (enough), quick-witted, agile, “never underdressed”, can technically shoot a gun & a (good enough) runner. 

WEAKNESSES: cowardly, easily agitated, lazy, greedy & vain.

jack ledger is a man completely lacking in both back bone and true purpose. he goes through life without any real care, adult responsibility or plans for his future. that, my friends, is what someone would say if they were writing total lies about me! i have a purpose which is also my future goal and one could argue (and i will) that it is also an adult responsibility. i’m going to be rich. not only rich, i will also be insanely famous! now, now, hold the applause. i know exactly what you’re thinking right now. how will i do it? simple, my friend. i, jack ledger, will take on the task of finding (and taking) the never before seen hidden treasure of eden.

FUN FACTS: loves dad rock, only drinks warm-hot beverages because he gets brain freeze, sneaks off to the storage closest to smoke weed, sits in his boss’ chair and mocks him for at least fifteen minutes every day, doesn’t watch the news.

[izzyspussy]

Word Find Wednesday!

Give me a line from your WIP that has the word betray (or any conjugations thereof) in it!

tagging mutuals just to get this seen, but anyone is encouraged to participate! @theskeletonprior @kittensartswriting @isherwoodj @hotelgf @chishiio @ozwrites @gravelydevoted @prettyquickpoetry @thewombatwarren @acoffinwrites @penspiration-writing @blind-the-winds @kaiusvnoir @holyatlas @motelbf @ashen-crest @greenlavanders @anjaspace @jezifster @ellierenae @garthcelyn

[sparrow-orion-writes]

OC's as "ten's buts"

rules: list your ocs as “tens but” to give us a not at all comprehensive scope of their characters

I was tagged by @pluttskutt

Ari: He's a ten but extremely self-involved

April: He's ten but will kill for fun.

Eli: He's a ten but is extremely stubborn.

Neptune: They're a ten but definitely an alcoholic.

Edward: He's a ten but has unresolved issues regarding his own self-worth.

Alicia: She's a ten but she is still a little in love with her husband's brother.

Ana: She's a ten but she takes on way more than she can handle

Lucia: She's a ten but she buries her negative feelings under six layers of positivity.

Ember: He's a ten but he's an arsonist.

tagging:

@dismembered-narratoror

@penspiration-writing

@ramyeonpng

@drheartstealer

@holyatlas

@mary-is-writing

@indigocaster

@writeintrees

@sir-crocodile-slut

[oh-no-another-idea]

Last line tag

Instead of tackling the huge pile of tags I’ve so kindly been given, I’m going to hop on @sleepy-night-child‘s open tag and share a few lines I wrote today!!

Quin waited as patiently as someone with a fried leg and a whole space station full of guards after them could wait, but the mechanic took his sweet time fiddling with things and ripping other things apart, and doing who knew what else. Losing his cool, Quin limped over to a big screen that looked communications related, and swiped at the menu.

I’ll tag @ashen-crest @holyatlas @memento-morri-writes @thanatostouch @sleepyowlwrites @emelkae and anyone else who wants to join <3

[bardolatrywrites]

Theme Tag Game

Rules: Bold the themes that appear in your WIP (& italicize those that are loosely covered) then tag 10 people.

I was tagged by @pen-and-inks ages ago! Still kind of on hiatus, but I’m steadily working through my backlog of tags.

WIP: current flash fiction piece 

addiction | beauty | betrayal | change vs. tradition | chaos vs. order | circle of life | coming of age | communication | convention vs. rebellion | corruption | courage | crime and law | dangers of ignorance | darkness and light | death | desire to escape | dreams | displacement | empowerment | facing darkness | facing reality | faith vs. doubt | fall from grace | fame and fortune | family | fate | fear | fear of failure | free will | friendship | fulfilment | good vs. bad | government | greed | guilt and forgiveness | hard work | heroism | hierarchy | honesty | hope | identity crisis | immortality | independence | individual vs. society | inner vs. outer strength | innocence | injustice | isolation | knowledge vs. ignorance | life | loneliness | lost love | love | man vs. nature | manipulation | materialism | motherhood | nature | nature vs. nurture | oppression | optimism | peer pressure | poverty | power | power of words | prejudice | pride | progress | quest | racism | rebirth | relationships | religion | responsibility | revenge | sacrifice | secrets | self-awareness | self-preservation | self-reliance | sexuality | social class structure | survival | technology | temptation and destruction | time | totalitarianism | weakness | vanity | war | wealth | wisdom of experience | youth

Tagging: @pens-swords-stuff, @meixiaotian, @inkybookwyrm, @starryeve88, @holyatlas, @ziyin, @writing-with-melon, @dreamvevo, @chariklos, and @ryns-ramblings. ^^

[writeouswriter]

i just had to drop in and say thank you so much for always having a kind word for my wip, it truly warms my heart every time :))

Oh it's my pleasure! Your writing style and your humour and your characters and everything genuinely astound me. I adore them so much already despite what little I've seen so far. I mean it's not too, too often I run across a few short posts and think immediately "my God, this person can write," but damn, you write so well. The voice you've created for this project is *chef's kiss*. Seriously everyone go check out @holyatlas' Tales From the Wasteland.

And I wish you all the luck with your writing, I'm so excited to see more!

[careful-pyromancer]

ily /p @holyatlas @oh-constantine @anjaspace @raisapathy @writing-is-a-martial-art @asher-writes

[henrike-does-writing-sometimes]

The Neon Trilogy, In which a boy’s world gets turned upside down when he’s labeled both a savior and a doomsday machine, with no knowledge of which one is true. 

Current Stage - Draft 0, Writing as I please Genre - Low Fantasy | Sci-Fi Setting - Fictonal Big City by the Coast (don’t quite know where) Books - Neon Pink | Neon Cadaver | Neon Pheonix

Synopsis - André’s eyes are weird. Everybody knows that. They’ve been changing colors for his entire life, and what started as brown eventually became violet. The doctors have diagnosed it as chroma flux, a rare eye condition wherein the iris changes its color every so often. So when André’s eyes one day become a vibrant pink, it’s not as weird as most would assume.

What is weird is when André’s blood suddenly turns pink too. Even starting to glow. 

What follows is a downwar spiral where the world he once thought he knew shatters completely. Alien creatures begin hunting him down, claiming him to be both a savior and a doomsday machine. Which one is the truth ? No one seems to know for sure. Either way, André is forced to adapt all too quickly to ensure the safety of as many people as possible. And with new strange powers and the desperate need to figure out who to trust, André might just break apart.

Main Characters -

André Hernandez, The Neon Phoenix: Extroverted, patient, and helpful, he’s a nice mix of nerd and jock with his knack for programming and parkour. He’s open-minded and while there are some expectations, he’s keen on hearing all the sides before coming to a conclusion. A hopeless romantic with no flirting skills to speak of. 

Salena Bashir, The leader: Observant, strategic, and easy-going, she’s a powerhouse when it comes to performances. Quick to take the lead, even quicker to call people out on their bullshit. She’s athletic, star player on the baseball team and artistic, doodling on any surface that comes her way. Not to forget her being squeamish. 

Piper Hawkins, The Scientist: Curious, stubborn, and imaginative, they’re the smartest one in the group, also the most chaotic. They’re always interested in learning new things and value science and philosophy greatly. While not argumentative per-se, they do enjoy being challenged. Lives almost purely off of caffeine and sheer will.

Xavier Eltsov, The Mediator: Poetic, attentive, and caring, he’s the voice of reason, as best as he can be, that is, with his tendencies for dumbassery. He’s clumsy and awkward in most social and public situations, but he’s unconditionally kind and is always available is anyone needs to talk. Writes a lot, especially for theaters. 

Raj, The Innovator: Gentle, mature, and intelligent, she’s an absolute ray of sunshine for an Apex predator. She’s still cautious about the strange world she’s been sent too, but she’s eager to learn everything about it. Finds immense beauty in the mundane and ordinary.

Epsilon, The Mentor: Protective, apathetic, and clueless, they’re very keen on following their orders, even though they seem to have forgotten them. They’re incredibly strong, and just as soft once that first layer begins breaking down. Asigned as André´s mentor, even though they don’t really know what his purpose is. 

Themes - Self-worth | Friendship | Love | Trust | Morality | Humanity | Defying Destiny | Falling In Love With Humanity | Mental health | Chosen one | Found Family

Main Theme - The Phoenix : Fall Out Boy

Warnings - Violence | Death | Minor Body Horror | Manipulation | Kidnapping | Torture | More May Be Added

What I Got To Offer ? Diverse cast (LGBTQ+, ethnicity, etc.), healthy relationships both romantic and platonic, Some cute romances, a mess of a mentor doing their best, that good ol’ Angst and Aliens

Tags - The Neon Trilogy | TNT Playlist

: Taglist - @zonnemaagd @write-the-stars-and-shadows @mel-writes-with-her-dragons @stormharbors @yejidoesthings @writing-is-a-martial-art @holyatlas :

Let me know if you want to be added/removed !

[artbyeloquent]

Countdown to NaNo: Character Intro I

[ Photo ID in alt. Text transcription below. ]

Ariel 26 • he/him/his

Department: Inter-Planar Relationships (IPR) Veilsight obtained: at age 11 when his paternal grandfather died Direct superiors: Rimon, Dev Coworkers: Yael, Brooke Subordinates: None

Ariel is a distracted young man often described as aimless by his mentors and supervisors. He has a knack for picking up on patterns and spends much of his free time consumed by video games. His jovial aura and goofy smile hide most other emotions. His soft heart is easily bruised and tends to isolate himself from new experiences, good and bad.

Favorite people: Rimon, Yael, and Nomi (his sister) Favorite things: Sleeping, missing work, Rubiks cubes, denim jackets, a good pair of sneakers, the scents of leather and lavender

Taglist (ask to be + / - ):

@ellierenae @objectsofpower @the-finch-address @mr-writes @afoolandathief @weaver-of-fantasies-and-fables @gabelish @v-ahavta @druidx @ashen-crest @pe-ersona @moononherwings @stories-by-rie @punkluvr @holyatlas @wildswrites and our newest, @notwritinganyflufftoday !

The goal (if I can stick to it, lol) is one every day until NaNo begins!

[supersymmetrys]

I haven't posted a lot here and this is my way of apologizing... a silly fun (re-) introduction for my main WIP: In the Angel's City!!!

Taglist (ask to be added!) @holyatlas @reelvintageworld @kjscottwrites

[snowinks]

hi

after 73 years i have finally decided to upload something that is wip related <3 intro is right here

EDIT: I WAS MISSING TWO SLIDES AND I DIDN'T REALIZE IT MY BAD GUYS

ironbloods taglist:

@suhaylahs @stormharbors @loverofallthingssmart @biohazard2017 @flowerwebs @catautism @loveletterer @writingbyjillian @thats-my-type-writer @holyatlas @pyaarisms @ladywithalamp

[pepsiwriteswords]

Word Find Tag

!!! :D Thanks for the tag @emelkae!  My words are avoid, uncomfortable, hand, and sleep.

Let’s see what I’ve got!

Happenstance:

  Avoid

   By the time she finds it, there’s someone sitting on the bench to her right.

   He’s focused on the phone in his hand, giving her the opportunity to look at him. 

   Also Korean, though his skin is fairer than her own, and his hair darker. Somehow wearing jeans, despite the heat. His hair isn’t quite long enough to hide the tips of his ears, and it takes Su-Jin a moment to realize they’re not turning pink because of the sun.

   She rises again slowly, so as to avoid drawing his attention to her, and tries to be subtle as she stretches in his direction to peek at his phone.

   Bless whoever decided that smartphones should get bigger as the years pass rather than smaller; it makes snooping so much easier. Just as she’s about to give up on getting a look at anything particularly scandalous -- he’s got a university’s webpage pulled up and she’s not interested in grad school, thanks -- a notification comes across his screen and he taps over to it.

   A text, from someone in his phone as ‘Love’ followed by a little smiley surrounded by hearts and a smaller emoji she can’t really see.

Roses of Silver:

 Uncomfortable:

   Nitya takes a deep breath, hand against her sternum. "Can we start with how the shift works? Is it controlled by the moon? Does it hurt?"

   "We only shift during a full moon, yes. As for the pain . . ." Imani turns to face Nitya as she walks, pace not slowing. "The only shift that hurts is the first one. After that one, it's mostly just uncomfortable." Her hands start moving as she talks. "Ona--she's our primary medic back at base--taught a bunch of us newbies about how shifting actually works."

   Nitya almost wishes they weren't walking while talking. She kind of likes the image of a younger Imani sitting at attention with some other kids while an adult paces in front of them. It's one she thinks she'd like to dwell on a little longer. "Didn't you say you were turned at thirteen? And you actually listened?"

Children of the Dreamer:

Hand

   “No, but it was so weird, though,” Lyric says, walking backwards ahead of the group. Her hands are flying as she talks, wide gestures not so much emphasizing what she’s trying to tell them as distracting from it. “I’ve never heard this song before, and the person singing it didn’t have a face!”

   Elliott’s only partially listening, Lyric’s excited rambling reminding him of his own dream the night before.

   Ava, sitting next to him in the grass, picking clovers and dandelions to make a wish. Her blonde hair tucked into a beanie, blue eyes wide with emotion he wasn’t able to identify before waking up.

   Humming a tune he’s never heard before. 

The Sun Rose:

Sleep

   The forums are full of people planning end of the world parties and outings, started by believers and nonbelievers alike. One thread in particular catches her eye.

   So if the world is ending, wanna go on a road trip?

   The timestamp is recent enough, and the location is a city only a few miles away now. That’s enough to get her to select it and read the actual post.

   I’m not sure I believe that the world is actually ending – we’ve had like 6 “world ending events” and 4 different sets of “unprecedented times” in the last 4 years alone. BUT. If it is actually happening this time, I wanna road trip with a couple of strangers and get in trouble and sleep in the back of a van with a shitty mattress and just have one of the many experiences all those teen movies promised me growing up. Anyone with me?

   Rhosyn taps the side of her phone with her index finger contemplatively, then taps on the username – starbeans – to view the poster’s profile.

Tagging . . . @kjscottwrites @blind-the-winds @holyatlas and leaving an open tag for anyone who sees this & wants to join in! Usual policy of ‘do if you want, don’t worry about it if you don’t’ applies. :P

Your words shall be . . . Justify, blade, circle, keep. ^^