#koboldwrites

[archaickobold]

I just remembered my queerplatonic sherliam fic, so I thought I'd just give it another little bump, because I'm really proud of it actually!!

[archaickobold]

(For context, my writing)

Fun fact! Lucas is one of the chronologically older characters I have in my world, as he was part of the first batch of characters I made along with the world itself! Miro and Slate came later, and Lucas has gone through some changes, but he's always been here.

He's also very much a sap, and loves to sing and play songs he's written for his partners, and his friends, because he's just full of all types of love. People have taken advantage of that love before, but he still is fundamentally himself, and wears his heart on his sleeve. And he may seem happy and optimistic, but that's not to say he's not without his struggles- he's just good at hiding them. No this is not healthy yes he is aware of this

[archaickobold]

Oh shit i almost forgot to post something for my writing today, uhhhhhh

Fun fact! When he was younger, Slate was incredibly classist, and never would've thought of dating a Lower like Miro for even a moment. Because of the whole being taboo thing. And then his mom died in front of him, because of an assassin, and so he ran. And then through shenanigans, he accidentally ended up in the Middle, and he was forced to realize that hey. They're people too. And then when he went to the Lower out of curiosity, he saw that again. It wasn't instant, and he certainly is far from perfect, but he's trying, he is realizing his past mistakes and owning up to them and doing better, and his boyfriends are happy to help keep him accountable.

[archaickobold]

(For context, my writing)

Fun fact! Miro is a Lower, and has many trust issues surrounding doctors due to. Previous trauma. And he also can be impulsive, especially when he was younger/as a teenager. And so, when he was about 17ish, he decided to ask someone with flesh manipulation powers to do back alley top surgery on him. They very easily could have killed him, but he didn't think about that fact, or chose to ignore it. But, as a side effect of this, the scars he got from that, instead of looking like standard top surgery scars, are in the shape of the person's fingerprints instead!

[archaickobold]

(For context, my worldbuilding)

Fun fact! In The City, due to the lack of space for orchards, tree fruit especially is expensive! To the point where only Uppers can be expected to afford even one fresh peach, especially because of how easily they bruise. Apples, oranges, and bananas are cheaper because they're sturdier, but fresh tree fruit- most fresh fruits tbh- are more expensive than even a Middleite could get. Though, some of them may be able to afford some blueberries or such as a treat on occasion.

[archaickobold]

First worldbuilding post! It's a long one, so I put it under a read more:

Basic worldbuilding:

The setting of all of this is a place just called The City, which is a massive, continent sized city consisting of interlocking skyscrapers, that has been standing for the past 5,000 years. There are some sci-fi, futuristic, cyberpunk elements, along with some dystopian elements, too. 

Notably, there is also a very firm class system, literally built upon the structure of the City itself. Most people in the City will never set foot on the ground in their lifetime, instead living in the upper floors of the skyscrapers. The people living at the very top, or the Upper, are called Uppers, the ones in the Middle are called Middleites, and the ones at the bottom, or the Lower, are called Lowers. Their wealth corresponds with their location– the wealthier a person is, generally, the higher up they live, even within the sections.

Along with the class system is a large amount of classism, as well. Uppers generally regard Lowers as being filthy and violent, and Lowers tend to regard Uppers as pretentious jackasses. The Middle tends to be less polarizing, but Uppers still look down on them for not being as rich as they are, and the Lowers see them as thinking that they’re better than them, or as Upper wannabes. Sometimes this is true, sometimes it isn’t.

The City is also split horizontally, not just vertically, into 21 different sectors and districts. Some of these are more worldbuilt than others, with some having fully fledged politics, while others are still essentially just names. It’s a work in progress! 

Additionally, another very important element of this is that everyone in the City also has some superpower, of some type. It first activates around 10-12, depending on how powerful the power is. The stronger, the younger it kicks in. For my existing main characters, this power can range from telepathy, to astral projection, to sound deadening, to aerokinesis, to teleportation, and many, many more. I could make an entire post just about how powers work, and I might just do that, later. 

Map:

Small, additional worldbuilding notes: 

Sol is the god of this world, though generally isn’t very relevant. Mostly used as an exclamation to replace “oh god” with “oh sol,” because I felt like it damaged the immersion.

The Head of the State is the person in charge of a sector or district, and their Keys are their advisors.

Dating between an Upper and Lower is seen as taboo and could get both the Upper and Lower socially ostracized if their relationship was found out. 

Lowers and sometimes Middleites will introduce themselves to strangers with a nickname, rather than their actual name, because unless you are willing to pay to have your private information kept private, it is very easy for someone to find it with just a name and appearance. Uppers can afford this privacy, Lowers and Middleites, not so much. 

Transphobia, homophobia, etc, are very, very much less of a problem in the City than irl. I don’t want to have it in my story too much, and so I don’t. 

Very basic description of some characters (Honestly, will probably be elaborated on more in a later post/through the writings):

Lucas: he/him, cis guy. Currently a Middleite, but was raised in the Upper. Dating Miro and Slate. Power is lesser astral projection, so while he can astral project, he can’t move anything around. Has made bad relationship decisions in the past, but is generally optimistic and upbeat. Lives with his dad, and has slowly started to adapt to the Middle. He tends to end up as more of a mediator, but he’s trying to stand up for himself more.

Miro: he/him, trans guy. Lower. Dating Lucas and Slate. Power is greater astral projection, so he can astral project and move things around some, like a poltergeist. Tends to be more mischievous and generally a little shit, but also fiercely protective of the people he cares about. Takes great pride in being a Lower, and while he isn’t the happiest about having to hide his class while in the Upper in order to date Slate, he’s willing to do it for him.

Slate: he/him, cis guy. Upper. Dating Lucas and Miro. Power is sound deadening, so when he focuses, he is able to make himself and anything he focuses on perfectly silent. He is the heir to Key, or an advisor for the Head of State. He’s apparently a little oblivious, but he’s smarter than he lets on, especially when it comes to politics. When it comes to street smarts, he is less knowledgeable, but he’s learning more from just being around Miro. He also has to hide his class when he’s in the Lower with Miro, but he doesn’t mind quite as much. It’s refreshing to him, really, to not be seen as anyone special. 

[archaickobold]

For the month of June, I’m going to be posting something about my original writing every day! It might be worldbuilding, it might be character facts, and it might be snippets or full stories that I’ve written! Mostly, I just want to share this, because it’s a passion project that’s been close to my heart for a while. I’ve only ever shared it with my friends, but I want to take a chance to talk about it here, too. 

I made this world back in late 2020, and it’s just grown naturally from there! There’s so much more I hope to do with it, but I think I’ll try to keep things relatively simple here, at least at first, and focus on one group of characters in one part of the world. It’s all going to be tagged as koboldwrites, if you don’t want to see it or if you want to read it all at once! And if you have any questions, please feel free to ask them, I absolutely love talking about my ocs ^^

[archaickobold]

The map I’ve been promising for my extensively built world

Notes: 

-This City is the size of an entire continent

-There is literally no difference between a district and a sector, it’s just different words for the same thing

-I have a named purpose, or supposed purpose for every one of these, as well as a name for everyone who’s in charge of each and yes it did take forever to come up with them all

-And yes, most of them have reputations too

-Why did I do all of this

-Most of these never even come up

-Of the ones I’ve mentioned

-It’s like, 10

-Well technically 11 but I only mention the Vibrant Sea District for it’s seafood once so that’s very different

-I’ve set stories in 5, and one of those was the Satellites, which are very different from the main City. If most of the City is cyberpunk dystopia, then the Satellites are solarpunk and I love them

-Also the entire City is a vertical City, built of skyscrapers connected by walkways, with each sector/district being broken down into Lower, Middle, and Upper. And yes, there is heavy classism at play, especially from people living in the Upper. No I’m not being subtle. 

[archaickobold]

So! I’ve finally done it, here’s a thing i wrote

Cassius Solis, in charge of a City the size of an actual continent, has to deal with four of the people under him- Matthew Reyes, in charge of research, Laura Kay, in charge of a number of things including textile production, Vesper Cooper, spymaster, and Theodore O'Gallagher, head military officer. And oh yeah, the hivemind that is connected to his brain, made up of the immortal dictators that came before him.

This is going to be interesting.

Cassius examined his reflection in the full length mirror, leaning close as he wiped away a non-existent smudge of eyeliner. 

‘Cassius, you’re going to be late,’ a voice spoke in his head, but he didn’t even blink. 

“It’s five minutes, and I’m the Head of the entire City. They can wait,” he mumbled, continuing to go over his makeup with a critical eye. 

‘Yes, but it could be a matter of national importance,’ the voice argued again, and he rolled his eyes. 

“Or, it could be another hour long meeting of them bickering. They don’t need me there for that,” he countered, leaning back slightly, satisfied. He tugged at his white and gold coat sleeves, straightening them, and sighed. “But, maybe I should be there to stop them from killing each other. I don’t need the extra paperwork.” He strolled out of the room, not even paying attention to the staff that bowed as he passed. The golden soles of his boots flashed in the sunlight that was streaming in through the large windows, each step neat and sharp on the marble floor. The walls were covered with garish displays of wealth in the form of mosaics and tapestries made out of literal glowing fibers, but Cassius didn’t pay them any mind. He lived here, after all, so they were nothing new to him. 

After a few minutes, he arrived at the meeting room, exactly 4 minutes late. The others in the room stood, but Cassius waved them to sit, taking his own seat in the large chair behind the opulent wooden desk. He examined them- there were four of them, today. One, tall, pale, with steely gray eyes and black hair that had a few streaks of silver, cropped close to his head. Another had medium brown skin, her dark purple hair almost black. She was younger than the others, and about half a foot shorter than the gray-eyed man next to her. However, he wasn’t her main focus, as she was in a heated debate with the man across from her- He had piercing green eyes, and a permanent scowl on his face. It only deepened as the woman talked, his thick black brows creasing in anger. Despite the chaos happening right next to her, the final person sat quietly, a small smirk on her face. She had incredibly pale skin, and light green hair with a few gray streaks, her gray eyes peering out from behind her glasses. While there was nothing particularly outstanding about how she was dressed, she had a presence that was hard to dismiss. Cassius cleared his throat, loudly. When that still wasn’t enough, he cleared his throat again, before resorting to telepathically asking both of the people who were arguing, 

‘Would you please pay attention?’ He didn’t even try to keep the condescension out of his voice. The two finally calmed down after that, and Cassius relaxed slightly. Maybe they were in a good mood, and they’d actually be able to get work done, rather than fighting to keep the two of them away from each other’s throats. “Now, Matthew, Laura, I’ve heard you have something you want to tell me?” They both started talking over each other, and Cassius held up a hand, just barely holding back a sigh. They fell quiet. “Why don’t we start with you, then, Laura?” 

“He’s trying to sabotage me, I just know it! Shipments getting stopped at the border, at his border, might I add, and I need those shipments, I’m just trying to do what’s best for this City and he’s over there, trying to sacrifice what we’ve been working for, just to get his petty revenge-” 

“I was only doing it because she was stopping my researchers! They were doing their jobs, taking samples-” 

“They were kidnapping the people under my jurisdiction!”

“A small handful, that’s all,” Matthew said, waving a hand dismissively. “And their research is what really betters the City, how many technological developments have we had because of them, hm? Certainly more than the person in charge of textiles,” he spat, and Laura glared at him. 

“For your information, my sector does more than just fabric, and even if it didn’t, I’d like to see how far you’d make it without your fancy clothes.” 

“Farther than you’d make it without all of the life changing innovations that my people-” 

“Enough,” Cassius raised his voice. “Matthew, stop blocking her shipments and tell your scientists to stop kidnapping her people. Use your own, you have plenty of them to choose from. Or at least, you should, according to the census data you’ve given me. Laura, don’t antagonize him. There, is that fair?” 

“Not at all-” Matthew started, but Cassius ignored him. 

“Good, then that’s settled. You two, leave. I have more important issues to deal with,” he said, dismissing them with a wave of his hand. Matthew huffed, but reluctantly left, following Laura out. Once the door had shut behind them, he turned to the green-haired woman. 

“Apologies, Vesper. They insisted that I needed to hear their complaints. A waste of my time, as usual.” Her smirk didn’t waver as she said, 

“I understand, your Excellency. They can be a bit out of hand, however, so would you like me to take care of them for you?” He considered it briefly, but shook his head. 

“No, that’s quite alright. They do have their uses, sometimes,” he said, and the voice in his head- a different one, this time- said, 

‘Not to mention, the stability in Matthew’s sector is incredibly fragile. Removing him from power might be just enough to spur on a revolution, and I don’t think we need to remind you, Cassius, what happens if you’re responsible for a large scale revolution.’ 

‘I’m well aware, thank you. Now, would you please leave me alone, I need to focus.’ 

‘Sorry you don’t want the help of an entire group of immortal leaders, who all have far more experience than you. But please, if you think you can do this alone, go right ahead.’ The sarcasm was practically dripping from their mental voice.

‘That’s not what I meant at all, and-’ Cassius cut himself off. There was no point arguing with the hivemind when they got like that. Instead, he carefully returned his attention to Vesper, who was watching him with a careful eye. Suddenly feeling very uneasy, he quickly said, “You said you have some reports for me?” Her expression was unreadable, and he was only able to feel a brief flicker of some emotion with his telepathy before it was gone as she said, 

“I do, your Excellency.” She laid a small cube device on the desk, which lit up with a light green glow as it projected an assortment of documents into the air. “My spies have seen an increase in small skirmishes here,” she tapped an area on a map, “And here. These resistances aren’t strong, or organized, but they may be something to keep an eye on. Or, if we want to cut it off now before it gets too out of hand, I’d recommend making an example out of some of these… idealists,” she said. Her tone was neutral and unreadable, but something about the way she said the word ‘idealists’ made it seem as if it was slime in her mouth. Cassius nodded slowly, as the last person spoke up. 

“If I may, your Excellency, but I would advise against that course of action. That might give the rebels a rallying point, rather than scaring them into submission.” 

“I’m not telling you how to do your job, Theodore,” Vesper said, voice level with a cutting undercurrent. Theo just raised one eyebrow. 

“And I’m not telling you how to do yours, just making a suggestion.” 

“And I thank you both for your work,” Cassius interrupted, before they could start arguing. He’d had enough of that with Matthew and Laura to last a lifetime. “Vesper, Theo, I’ll take both of your words into consideration. I think it might be best if we enforce a stricter guard presence in these areas, but I don’t see a need to have any further action,” he said, looking Vesper in the eye, despite the fact that he was more than slightly intimidated by her. She was quiet for a long moment, meeting his eyes with a level, unreadable gaze. Her smirk never wavered, as gray eyes met gold. Just as he started to squirm, she nodded, simply saying, 

“Of course, your Excellency. As you say.” With that, she stood, not waiting for Cassius to dismiss her. She left, the door silently closing behind her. Cassius immediately deflated, sinking back in his chair and closing his eyes. 

“Theo-” 

“I’ll do my best to ensure she doesn't kill you,” he said, his tone serious, though there was an amused twinkle in his eye. Cassius groaned, massaging his temples. 

“Why,” he muttered. “Why did I ever take this job.” 

‘Because you wanted immortality, and practically limitless power and wealth?’ one member of the hivemind offered. 

‘That was a rhetorical question and you know it,’ Cassius replied, not letting the telepathic communication show on his face. Not even Theodore knew about the hivemind’s existence, after all, and he did want to live, and to be immortal, so he had to keep it a secret. Theodore, unaware of the silent communication, said, 

“I don’t know, Cassius, but you’re here now.” Cassius nodded tiredly. 

“That I am,” he mumbled, before looking up at Theo. “You didn’t have anything else for me, did you?” 

“I just wanted to make sure that Vesper wouldn’t try to kill you, or that you wouldn’t be caught in the crossfire between Laura and Matthew,” he said, a small smile on his face. Cassius returned the smile with one of his own, before closing his eyes again. 

“Thank you, Theo. I don’t know what I’d do without you.” 

“Just doing my job,” he said quietly, and Cassius had to shake his head slightly, his smile still in place. As the head of his personal guard, sure, maybe Theo had to provide him with some form of security, but he had chosen to guard him himself. Cassius very much appreciated Theo’s presence, as the one person he felt he could genuinely trust. And maybe that was because he was also his official second in command, but maybe it was also because he had proven trustworthy, time and time again, for the past 14 years. He let out a breath, pulling himself back to the present, and bracing himself for the rest of the day. He was sure he had plenty of work to do, and avoid, as usual.

[archaickobold]

Yes I'm gonna make a post analyzing one of my own OCs and no one can stop me

Okay, so. Cassius Solis, a guy I dont have a picture of bc I cant draw but basically he's white, he's blond, he's tall, he wears exclusively white and gold, and oh yeah he literally glows bc in this universe superpowers are just A Thing and thats the side effect of his. When I was making his character, I didn't put a lot of thought into him, bc he was supposed to be a 2D, distant Bad Guy- indirectly making the lives of all of my characters difficult bc hes the one in charge of the dystopian City they all live in. Pretty boring and basic, just a name that would be mentioned sometimes.

-then-everything-changed-when-the-fire-nation-attacked-

Then I started talking about him with my qpp, and then writing him, and what do you know, he got character development! Is he a classist jerk? Yes! Has he murdered and manipulated people without a second thought for his own gain? Yes! Does he avoid his responsibilities any chance he gets? Also yes! But, hes also living under the constant threat of death from another character (though granted, he wouldn't be in this situation except for his own greed and vanity) and he does try to be a dad! Hes not very good, but the effort is there. And he has anxiety, and he's aroace, and he does /not/ support transphobes, though maybe he goes a bit overboard with the death threats but it's fiiiine. And hes just, objectively, a horrible person, but at the same time, he can be sympathetic. And while he's not my absolute favorite character to write, (though I do like writing him still) I am really proud of how he turned out. Also if I ever met him in real life he would probably insult me for not being rich and I'd punch him in the jaw.

[archaickobold]

Prompt: Senior

Dana was sitting on the couch, upside down as per usual, looking over at the others. “As the oldest in the group-” “You might be older than Fynn, but we’re twins,” Evren commented dryly, and Dana hummed. “We don’t know which one of us is older, and one of us had to be, so I’m gonna say it’s me. So-” “What would you do if I said I was the older twin? If that’s a thing we can apparently declare,” Evren teased, grinning. Dana stuck out nys tongue. “I’d tell you you’re wrong, and to listen to your elders. Now-”

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Prompt: Comprehensive

“Do we really need all of this?” Dana asked, and Evren looked up from where they had been sitting, their notes strewn about them. “Do you want to get put in jail? I’m planning for every eventuality-” “And I’m planning on telling you to take a break,” Dana said, hands on eir hips. Evren sighed. “Dana-” “Nope! No protesting!” he said cheerfully, before picking them up, ignoring their continued protests. “If you wanna be ready for tomorrow, try getting some sleep. You’ll need energy to run away from guards!” fae said cheerfully, and Evren shook their head, finally giving up.

[archaickobold]

Prompt: Sphere

“Watch,” Fynn instructed, holding out his hand, flat. He concentrated, and a smallish orb of light appeared, hovering mid-air. “Woah,” Mar said, their eyes wide. Fynn smiled, and shifting lights appeared on it, the colors fading into blue, to purple, to red, cycling through the rest of the rainbow again and again in an iridescent display. “It’s simple, but fun,” Fynn remarked quietly, focused on the sphere hovering above his hand. Mar nodded silently, transfixed by the colors. Fynn glanced over at them, and, smiling, added a shimmer to it. Judging from Mar’s small gasp, they liked it even more.

[archaickobold]

Prompt: Spin

“Well?” Alan asked, spinning Eric under his arm, grinning as the other’s warm pink dress flared out around him. “Are you having fun?” Eric gave him a smile that made him melt. “Absolutely. But are you?” Alan had to laugh slightly. “With someone as wonderful as you, how could I not?” he asked, grinning as he started to spin Eric again, only to be surprised as he spun Alan instead. “Well, I’m glad. And I’m so glad I got the chance to meet you, dear.” At the pet name, Alan couldn’t help but beam. “I’m glad I met you too.”

[archaickobold]

Prompt: Temporary

Sage hummed as they brought the flowering vine to life. They were gorgeous- red and yellow flowers interspersed along the vine that clung to their arms. He laughed at how affectionate it was- this one seemed especially attached. “I love you too, I promise,” he reassured, gently stroking one leaf as they stood up, moving around their room, watering all of his potted plants. They sighed. These plants, as much as he loved them, would only ever be short lived. And the ones he had to sustain themself even moreso. “I’m sorry,” he whispered, resting one hand on a pot.