#of course i also have a lot of friends in writeblr who write stories where no one gives a shit!!

[drawnecromancy]

Get To Know Your Moots Writeblr Interview

Tagged by @ceph-the-ghost-writer, questions are from @davycoquette (and like Ceph, i'll link the template riiight here :))

If you see this post and consider yourself part of writeblr, please consider yourself tagged. I don't actually feel like I know enough people who would nod and go "yes, my blog is a writeblr", to tag anyone except @isabellebissonrouthier and @literarynecromancy LOL (also Ceph already tagged Jez so I can't tag him)

On the Tumblr Writing Community

How long have you had your writing Tumblr/Writeblr ?

Well, that's the thing isn't it.

This blog isn't a writeblr. I've defined it in the past as an art blog, because i made it in 2017 primarily to show my drawings to other people. The thing is that said drawings tend to be part of a bit of writing anyway, so of course I'm including that. And it's also a personal blog.

This is just my house man.

What led you to create it ?

Accidentally answered this earlier - I wanted to show my art to other people.

What’s your favorite thing about the Writeblr community ?

My friends ! I, genuinely, do not interact with the writeblr community much beyond my friends/mutuals. I have no idea how I stumbled into having genuine writeblr mutuals in the first place.

What’s one thing you’d like your mutuals to know about you ?

I tend to reblog on @irianeth without further comment because my brain is empty 99% of the time

Is there anything you’d like to see more of on your dash ?

...i don't know ?

What tips/advice do you have for someone who made a Writeblr today ?

Probably go in the writeblr tag and see how people do it ? I have no idea. Have fun I guess.

WIP it Good

Which Works-in-Progress (WIPs) or writing projects are you noodling about, lately ?

I've been a bit frustrated at my inability (largely due to time and energy constraints) to keep poking at my novel, Le prix du sang. [Hélianthe et Atropa tag] Genuinely I would like to be able to write a bit on it soon because i want this story out of my brain and into people's hands.

Other projects I've been Thinking about... Mostly roleplay stuff with @lee-thee-bee [Neseah tag]. There's so many AUs rolling around in my brain you have no idea. I can grab almost literally any character and go "here's an AU where shit goes differently". Sometimes it's better sometimes it's worse. Been rotating a funny one lately including fake kidnapping this time around.

How long have you been working on them ?

Le Prix du Sang ? Oh boy. I think it started before university, so probably in the 2017-2018 ballpark... Man, that's like 6 or 7 years.

Lee and I've been making Neseah since December 2023, I believe. Not even a year old but there's So much.

Do you remember what inspired them/what got you started ?

LPDS : I had a weird fucking dream. I was a woman, armed with a crossbow, running away from an entire village trying to kill me for being a witch. I eventually ended up in the living room of a sexy vampire who was basically offering me a job (helping him massacre the village) in exchange for letting me live. We massacred the village. I woke up like "hold on, if you change some things, it could be a short story". ...and then, the short story got out of hand. The village massacre is essentially just the first chapter.

Neseah : "Hey, do you want to do roleplay sometime ?" "Yeah sure !"

How much time, in your best estimation, do you spend thinking about them ?

24/7 for the Nesean guys as of right now.

Hélianthe and Atropa I mostly think of when I'm writing them, since I've got a Lot of things down for them I don't feel the urge to rotate them every second anymore. That, and it's no longer a hyperfixation.

When someone asks the dreaded, “What do you write about,” question, what do you usually say ?

Is it a dreaded question ? I reply "Fantasy". That's the truth.

Let’s Rotate Blorbos

Name any characters you created.

You mean, this long ass list that should be updated with everyone from Neseah ?

Highlights include : Alan, Hélianthe, Atropa, Anne de Monthaut (I LOVE YOU ANNE), Valiandra (The Emperor - he has his own tags bc I think about him SO much), Benadryl (we love Ben).

Not included yet on the long list, but will be included shortly : Maran of Neseah, Nelvaren of Neseah. Insane wizard son and unhinged ghost father. Also Nadir, who's basically "what if Nelvaren was a 25 year old trans catboy". (if you're wondering, yes, Nelvaren's also trans.)

Who’s the most unhinged ?

I think probably Valiandra. Due to the Horrors.

That and also the fact that sometimes he is his own parent in increasingly fucked up ways.

Who comes the most naturally for you to write ?

Maran and Nelvaren - due to being roleplay characters, mostly ! Spontaneity and being able to Just Get Into It feels important to me to sling stuff back and forth.

Hélianthe goes also fairly smoothly because he's fucking ridiculous.

Do you ever cringe at them ?

(Side-eyeing Hélianthe) You could say I do, yes.

How much control do you feel you have over your characters ?

All and none at all.

Sometimes shit Just Happens and Just Makes Sense (Alan dramatically revealing stuff about his past, him being Margot in Le Prix du Sang). Other times, a character presents me with an idea, and I rotate it, and go, no. Most times I'm between putting them in situations to see what happens, and/or building from things I want to write about.

You gotta be able to reverse stuff you don't actually want in your writing.

Do you enjoy people asking questions about your characters ?

Yes ! It's a lot of fun ! I don't get a lot of them and I'm 100% sure it's because I also don't send enough questions to others ! I want to get bettter at this tbh.

On Writeblr Engagement

What makes you want to follow another Writeblr account ?

If they seem nice !

What makes you decide against following ?

If I feel like I wouldn't vibe with them or their writing !

Do you interact with non-mutuals often ?

No. But that's because I don't go to the writeblr tags. Due to not being a writeblr.

Do your mutuals’ characters occupy space in your noodle ?

@bitchfitch's Arlo lives in my mind rent-free. I need to throttle him so bad but also I want to have a nice day with him and braid his hair or something. I am very normal about this goat. Also Adonis. Every so often I'm just like man, I wonder what Adonis and Ione are up to right now.

@isabellebissonrouthier's Chrysanthemum Clawe - Chrys is so fucking funny. I didn't expect she'd be my favorite but she's a disaster and I love her so much.

@logarithmicpanda's [SPOILERS FOR HEART OF STONE THAT WOULD TAKE A WHOLE PARAGRAPH PROBABLY]. Besides it, there's Ordyr my best friend Ordyr, I want to go hang out with her. And Orion. Funniest little shit I've ever met I need to redraw that slurping the source image.

@jezifster SHADOW. And Veronica to some extent but she scares me, while Shadow just makes me laugh so hard I want to study him like a bug

[geode-crystal]

Writeblr Interview tag game!

Wooo thanks for the tag @tildeathiwillwrite this looks like fun!

Open tag for anybody else who wants to answer these :)

Short stories, novels, or poems?

Yes, yes, and yes lol.

I tend to write novel-length things purely because I just... keep going XD I usually get more ideas than a short story allows. I do need to work on keeping things to the point sometimes!

But I have written short stories and one-shots (mostly as responses to promts) and I am very technically a published poet, since a few of my poems were published in a collection thanks to a writing competition back in high school .

What genre do you prefer reading?

Fantasy, full stop. I also love books that play on fairy tales and folklore.

Are you a planner or a write as I go kind of person?

I usually like to have a general idea of where I'm going, and figure the rest out along the way. Sometimes I make full outlines when projects get Really Big.

What music do you listen to while writing?

I either put on one of my incredibly random playlists or go to youtube and look for "relaxing [insert video game here] music." Pokemon soundtracks are actually really nice to write to.

Favorite books/movies?

Soooo many lol.

I'm a big fan of Disney and Pixar movies (as one of my previous posts made pretty obvious lol), particularly the Disney renaissance. Adore The Princess Bride. Love Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. Love Studio Ghibli movies, personal favorite being Castle in the Sky. Of course, we have the classic Muppet Treasure Island as well. And I love every version of Scott Pilgrim out there, the movie, Netflix anime, and graphic novels are all amazing.

And for books... oh my gods there are too many to list here, but shout outs to Catherynne M. Valente's Fairyland series, the Chrestomanci books by Diana Wynne Jones (as well as Howl's Moving Castle), Raybearer and Redemptor by Jordan Ifueko, and the Hero's Guide series by Christopher Healy. Percy Jackson, too.

A lot of my favorite whump moments come from the good old Deltora Quest series by Emily Rhodda and The Mage of Trelian by Michelle Knudsen.

Any current WIPs?

So many. Too many. I need to escape lol.

Do you like incorporating actual people you know into your writing?

I've based a few characters off of people I know before. Mostly my close friends. One of whom I write with a lot, so we've used each other as inspiration several times lol.

Are you kill happy with your characters?

No no no no no, not at all lolol. It's exactly the opposite. I have so much difficulty permanently killing off characters, to the point that my first novel-length project way back in my first year of high school ended with the villain getting polymorphed into a fish instead of dying. XD

I only do permadeath when it is absolutely necessary for the story. But... well, to quote The Return of Jafar: "You'd be surprised what you could live through."

Coffee or Tea while writing?

Don't usually drink or snack while writing.

Slow or fast writer?

Completely depends on the project, but I would say fairly slow. Especially compared to my writing buddy they're an absolute speed demon lol

If you were in a fantasy world, what would you be?

Depends on the fantasy world, really. Definitely some kind of musician and/or storyteller, like a troubador or something. Maybe some kind of minor nobility, with all the "fun" I've had with the burden of expectations. I would love to have some kind of magic, especially if it's music-based. So..... basically a bard!

I'd also be very likely to be something not fully human, be that an elf or fairy or mermaid... or even a changeling.

Most fav book cliche:

There's a long list! But I really like Found Family stuff, and any time magic comes with A Price.

Least favorite cliche:

Characters getting pointlessly killed off just for the sake of Extra Drama.

Favorite scene to write?

Hurt/comfort, both ends! I especially love anything with added Guilt for one or all parties!

Reason for writing?

To paraphrase Brian David Gilbert: stories come to me in my dreams like a prophet receiving visions from an angry god.

I write because I'm always coming up with different ideas. I write because I was basically designed to study and create stories. Even if I don't physically write anything down, I will always find a way to tell some kind of story, be it just piecing together ideas in my head or through singing Broadway-style songs or even just attempting to draw a character. I write because it's just what I do!

[sharkblizzardblogs]

Writeblr Interview Tag

Thank you @sableglass for the tag, please feel free to include me in more like this!

Short stories, novels, or poems?

As in which one of those do I write? Novels

What genre do you prefer reading?

For Fiction

Fantasy/Dark Fantasy, Sci Fi, Apocalyptic/Post Apocalyptic, Folk Tales, and a few coming of age stories

For Non Fiction

Plant guides, Artist/animation, Natural History

Are you a planner or a write as I go kind of person?

Usually a write as I go, though sometimes that sparks the loose idea of a plan…well, more of a list of bullet points anyway.

What music do you listen to while writing?

Lots of stuff from Blue Turtle on youtube. Also a lot of DnD Ambience/WritingAmbience kinds of things and Bridgerton style pop instrumentals, basically anything without lyrics.

Favorite books/movies?

Hmmmm, right now I’d say: The Ocean at the End of the Lane, Bridge to Terabithia, The Poison Study trilogy, Paper Towns, and the Locke and Key graphic novels.

Any current WIPs?

Nowhere to Nowhere, a story about two sisters who walk through a gate while exploring on their camping trip and end up in another dimension, the land of the fae. After meeting a fae cat named Bryn, one sister is kidnapped and the other must work together with their new friend to rescue her. The story is told from the perspective of the cat, Bryn.

If someone were to make a cartoon out of you what would your standard outfit be?

A green sleevless shirt, denim shorts, tennis shoes and glasses

Do you like incorporating actual people you know into your writing?

I incorporate behaviors from people I know into my writing all the time, sometimes in a positive light and sometimes as a cautionary tale. Do I like it? Yes, I suppose so. It’s therapeutic in any case.

Are you kill happy with your characters?

No. If they die it has to have a specific purpose and I don’t find shock to be that purpose for most of my work.

Coffee or Tea while writing?

Neither. I despise tea and coffee makes my heart do unnatural acrobatics.

Slow or fast writer?

Slow writer, if only for the inconsistency. I am chronically busy and so when I find time to write I can easily do a thousand words or more in one setting but finding the time is more difficult than I’d like.

Where/who/what do you draw inspiration from?

Everything. I’ve always had an expansive imagination and it’s like any other muscle, the more you use it the stronger it gets. And of course I use people in my life, and the cats in my life, as inspiration too.

Most fav book cliche:

More of an archetype but The Hero’s Journey or Group of Misfits

Least favorite cliche:

Love at First Sight

Favorite scene to write?

I don’t think I can answer this without an essay.

Reason for writing?

Again, I need an essay here but the short version is:

Analyzing myself and those around me, picking us all apart and restitching us. Explaining what I’ve learned and what’s important to me without writing a memoir. Engaging my imagination and letting it run without bounds.

Tagging: @aziz-reads , @philosophika, @mauvelilywilliams, @faeriecinna

[mjparkerwriting]

Author Ask Tag Game

Thank you @rickie-the-storyteller for tagging me! Using The Bird Book to answer these questions even though I've barely dug into it yet.

What is the main lesson of your story (e.g. kindness, diversity, anti-war), and why did you choose it?

There's a lot going on here and my main characters are teenagers (which I never do because I don't really like writing kids). They are learning and growing every day, but if I could name one thing I want people to get from this story it would be the value of friendship, community, and accepting that some things are the way they are for a reason. I want it to be a coming-of-age story, but something that speaks more to me and my community.

2. What did you use as inspiration for your worldbuilding (like real-life cultures, animals, famous media, websites, etc.)?

Oh yes. There are tons of references to black culture and life and it's really a love letter to my childhood and my culture. This won't be the last time I say that exact line. The story is low fantasy so many elements of our world are present.

3. What is your MC trying to achieve, and what are you, the writer, trying to achieve with them? Do you want to inspire others, teach forgiveness, and help readers grow as a person?

My MC is a teenage boy named Johnny. Johnny is simple. Johnny wants a girlfriend. That is literally it. He is chasing after a girl. BUT besides that, there's a lot going into it and I want people to see themselves in Johnny. When they read it, I want them to be reminded of the stupid stuff they did as teens with their friends.

4. How many chapters is your story going to have?

Not sure. It may be around 25 chapters? I haven't worked out any goals for this yet.

5. Is it fanfiction or original content? Where do you plan to post it?

This is original content. I don't know how it will be put out into the world, but I will of course post snippets and fun stuff about it here, just like I did with TLBH.

6. When and why did you start writing?

I have been writing since forever. I've always just loved stories and loved telling them even more. I only got more serious about it when I felt like I couldn't find the exact stories I wanted. Then, I realized I could just make those stories. And then, I realized I could just keep making stories.

7. Do you have any words of encouragement for fellow writers of writeblr? What other writers on Tumblr do you follow?

Have fun with it! Do what feels right to you. It's your story, so you are what matters at the end of the day. Don't worry about who will read it. Just write something that you want to read.

I am tagging my "other writers" so that people can follow them and see how cool they are but also so they can maybe do this tag if they're up to it. These are some really cool people and it's very difficult to narrow it down. I just wanna tag all of my mutuals lol: @mjjune @girlfriend-champion @quinnharperwrites @macabremoons @fayeiswriting @writeblr-of-my-own @squarebracket-trick @toribookworm22 @words-after-midnight

[mauannacreates]

Writeblr introduction:

About:

Hey guys, I'm Mauanna, and I am a writer who loves to spread my knowledge about writing, while also trying to learn new things from courses, stories that are shown either in movies, books or tv shows or listening to podcasts!

It's a bit hectic to juggle all of these with my day job at times, but I still try to manage that, the stories that I create and this blog and a semi-newsletter thing that I do at Substack called The Story Student which I try to update every two weeks.

Oh, and sometimes I find myself in the deep intricacies of the web. Just spiraling throughout and trying to see how much I can learn about certain topics in a certain amount of time before I realize that it's pretty late in the night. 😅

Stories:

Current Book WIP: Conjured Secrets. (SoR Book 1)

The current series that I am writing is the Sorcerer of Runes series, which started out as a game idea in 2021, but has since evolved into a story in 2022 with lots of complexity and other things to know about my characters, the world they like in and the story as a whole.

I try to work on my stories every day, even if it's as little as a few hundred words, I try to make sure to update it day by day, from handwritten to typing and anything you can think of! (Even dictating, but I really do prefer to have that little voice guiding me as I'm typing than for me to speak it out)

Now, for the type of stories that I write, they're very family centric. A lot of the ideas that I am currently writing about also seems to be running along the lines of a fantasy-based world called the Sorcerer of Runes series.

There are four Elemental worlds that would be explored quite a bit throughout the series, but that's not the basis of this series. We start in an unknown land, one where there's a palace with lots of shadows lurking around the place. It explores on the secret alliances on who to trust, while also finding a prophecy of Spirit. One where it proclaims that Light and Dark will be Connected to Spirit for when the time comes. They refer to this, as the end.

This adventure is something that will also be friend focused, yet there's some tension, a hint of romance brewing and lots of layers to this story that will question each of the character's intentions.

If you do want to see how some of my past writing is like, you can check out flufftober 2023 where I have written stories of my characters as a fun yet experimentation thing. I can't say that all of the things on there are accurate, I really did enjoy doing it.

Something you may also notice when you step to the blog and look at my story, is that I really like centering the stories I make on anthropomorphic characters. I guess there's a lot of distinction that you can create with animal characters that… Ok, yes you can do it for people too, I just like animals doing people things and it's something that you don't really see that often, especially considering that cartoons, movies or kiddie books that shows it a lot more, or it's an obscene thing in some literature that I've read… But hey, I also like researching the different kinds of animals too. 😎 Is there a possibility I'd make it on people? Maybe. That's something we'll have to wait and see if it happens another day.

Another thing that I seem to want to do is to make tag games. I'm not too sure if some of the tags that I make exists already, but I do hope that people enjoy it regardless. If you want some tag games that I've made that you want to be part of, here the Character personality associations playlist and the Word associations to story tag for starters! If I make enough tag games, I'll probably put it as a blog site of its own, but we'll see.

Extra information that I don't really know where to fit it, or it isn't relevant, but decided to put here anyway:

I think I am an INFP, if we are going by cognitive function terms. Especially since I landed that MBTI first before going all around the world, because hey! There's no way I'd be an INFP! Before ending back at it seven years later.

Well this is what I think, but I think I heard at least from a writing workshop that I went to that my mind has so many ideas that I could probably think of ideas for multiple prompts and there'd be lots of interpretations that'll come up. And another thing I notice is that I'm really interactive with people, so I'm probably a self denying ENTP or an ENFP 😂

In fact, I find with my story process, as much as I'd love to write stuff down and explore with how it's written, but there's some points where I am rigid with it until proven otherwise.

I love to see things develop into something better. But sometimes, it's as if the original ideas are better. Though I do like to add stuff that's more current to the character's relationships to each other and the events that they've been through.

For those who are interested in knowing where to find the tags of my characters, you can find it in the Tags Masterpost.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this updated version of writeblr as well as enjoy the stuff that I post on this blog.

[lesbunnian]

Introduction

Hello Writeblr! After much consideration and building of courage I realize that I technically am an Indie Writer and should be more on Writeblr. So here is me renewing my Pinned Post to make it a Writeblr introduction! I am Lesbunnian, known as Bun or Ulmaria, or even more names personally (Any/All pronouns). I am 21+ and graduated college for Graphic Design. All of my writings and creative works fall under the name of Meadow of a Rabbit! A dimensional space where all of my stories take place big or small. And I post the rough drafts of my works on Wattpad and Fictionpress. Before editing them myself and graphically designing them to become special Editions that I sell on Gumroad!

I mostly write fantasy and maybe sci-fi with a lot of representation and I tend to dip into darker topics. So I often have trigger warning before my stories for everyone's comfort. As a Black Genderfluid Pansexual myself I prioritize a diverse cast with diverse personalities and

My storytelling Carrd holds all of the info regarding Meadow of a Rabbit. and my lesbunnian carrd is more for commissioning artwork from me! Meadow of a Rabbit Carrd

Lesbunnian Carrd

Currently large stories wise I am working on 5 large works. All concept docs available on the Meadow of a Rabbit Carrd but I'll shall give brief explanations of each work and their content.

Apothecary Adagio is a Young Adult Fantasy Romance that stars Floria Faustus. A 31 year old ex-noblemon turned singer who investigates the town of Sunmire due to a high reporting of attacks by the terrorfiying creatures that roam their world, Zokaets. And how the Apothecary who owns a famous Atelier to see how they fit in the investigation.

CoLoR-LeS is an Adult Sci-Fantasy that stars Zephyr. A Blank who protects Alabaster Town within the isolated City called Void City. That after the fall of the problematic previous governing figure, the Triad, has fallen into a war between there factions trying to take over Void City: The Church of Saffron, The Knights of Amrin, and the Revolt of Caera. Zephyr who has forgotten their past but knows its their duty to protect all blanks finds themself in the middle of this conflict.

Grace of Wind is the Sequel to my already completed book, Tear of Ice. Taking place 6 years after Carmine's adventure, her friend Rio is called back home to his country of Itrora by his siblings. Only to be dragged into a conflict by the very political climate he abandoned all those years ago. With his family at stake Rio must set aside his own pride in order to protect whats more important.

Arcane Eclipse is an Adult Fantasy Story that stars Saule Alenov, a young person with an unremarkable life. A failing art career and a struggling home life, they mourn their dead friend, Gwyn with Gwyn's own father. But yet things become much more complicated than anyone could've forseen.

And Finally.

I , of course, work on smaller stories and other ideas as I go that are all shared and given sneak peeks and updates on my Patreon.

I also Roleplay! I have a canon character multiuse blog as @etgloria

Have a blog for Drakengard 3's Two at @venusphacelia

An oc multimuse at @amorfati-rp

And finally a rp blog for my original character and main character of Libraria Daffodil @booksofthelibrary

I do alot and am everywhere. But I hope this is a good introduction and tat I can finally start accepting myself as a writer. Thank you all for the support small or large. and I do plan to do more in the future. (Also thank you @coffeeandcalligraphy for being a nice source of comfort for me. I highly recommend her channel for people who struggle to acknowledge their writing skills) And I believe that everything for now. So Goodbye! and Remember, Be Kind.

[sayaratyriea]

really though, i’m feeling... a LOT of feelings about the she-ra finale. this is everything i’ve ever wanted?

i feel like a lot of representation, especially in other netflix shows, is going through the queer version of the “Strong Female Character” phase. kipo and season 2 of the hollow come to mind specifically... they have queer main characters! this is great! (neither one is white either, which is cool.) but there’s this Thing they both do to confirm it that leaves me feeling unsatisfied. like... there has to be A Scene. they want to say unambiguously, this character is gay, they want to say the word (and that’s great! good for them!), but they don’t want to bloat the cast with a love interest (or, the more cynical part of me says, make TWO gay male leads... looking at you, hollow, Let Adam And Reeve Be Gay). so in order to do that they squeeze in these really weird coming out scenes? and it’s never just the off handed mention, they both very specifically set it up by teasing romance with their main female character, and then pushing the gay guy into a corner where he has to awkwardly go “actually i’m gay” and there has to be a Moment(tm) and i don’t like those scenes that much. they feel ham-fisted and uncomfortable, like the characters are backed into a corner, it doesn’t feel like it’s happening on their terms. to me it’s the gay equivalent of that one female action hero who has to be like, “look at me i’m a GIRL and i’m TOUGH”.... or more accurately, those worlds in fiction where maybe we get nuanced ladies but their setting has to constantly remind us that it’s so SPECIAL because they’re WOMEN and LOOK HOW FEMALE THEY ARE while saving the day! the awkward “actually i’m gay” scenes have the same kind of vibe for me. and that’s an important phase of evolution for acceptance and representation, i think. it’s a breath of fresh air for a lot of people. but at the same time it feels like it’s... subtly still putting a line between these characters and “normal.”

but she-ra doesn’t do that. they just exist. nobody gives a shit and they just exist. it’s not “wait netossa and spinnerella are MARRIED??” they just go “aw look some cute background characters” and move on. it’s not “omg bow you have gay dads??” it’s “omg bow your dads don’t know you’re a rebel??” and nobody gives a shit that they’re gay. they introduce double trouble, a canonically non-binary character, and nobody gives a shit! there’s no “so you’re NOT a boy or a girl???” and no forcing DT to explain their entire gender, it’s just “double trouble is a problem, we hate them,” moving on. adora’s in love with catra. nobody gives a fuck that it’s queer, it’s just there.... it feels normal. the universe doesn’t question it, the universe doesn’t challenge it, they’re allowed to just be. and maybe that skips some of the requisite conversations back in reality (can’t 100% pin someone as NB without asking unless they’re wearing their pronouns on their body, and i’m sure moments like the awkward coming out scenes absolutely happen!) but in the realm of fiction it’s just... it feels so much better. she-ra is gay as fuck and nobody in-universe gives a shit. and it doesn’t feel so alienating, it doesn’t feel unexpected or shoehorned in, it doesn’t feel like it’s added for brownie points or tacked on after the fact. it doesn’t remind me that reality still won’t see me as normal... and that’s ultimately all i’ve ever wanted out of my queer fiction, and the ONLY other story i’ve consumed that did this was fucking homestuck. (and still not ENTIRELY, because like... it’s homestuck... and it actually went downhill with this in act 6. but nobody gave a shit that rose and kanaya were gay and that was nice.)

and there’s a place for The Coming Out Scene, always, but i personally find it so much more validating when things just... exist without having to be questioned.

[pens-swords-stuff]

do you have any tips on how to write realistic exes? i’m writing a story and my character love interest, and his ex are involved a lot. i wanted to know if you have any tips on how to do that, and some realistic reasons a couple can break up?

If your character's break up is a significant part of this story, and you don't know why they've broken up yet, I think it might be best to go back to your basics and develop your characters a bit more.

I'm a character-driven writer, so from my perspective the best way to figure this out is not by starting with a list of reasons why breakups occur, finding one that sounds interesting and using it. Instead, I would start with the relationship that your characters had. Break ups happen because something wasn't working — and that something is highly dependent on the relationship.

So what kind of relationship did your characters have? Was it a good relationship that they both enjoyed a lot, or was it not so great? Were they compatible? How long were they together? What wasn't working? Did they try to fix it? There are so many different kinds of relationships, and all of them are unique. Some couples were a whirlwind of passion, but once the honeymoon period ended they couldn't sustain it through the mundanity. Some couples were best friends that tried dating and realized that it didn't work. Some couples bring out the worst in each other and not the best. You need to figure out what the relationship was like first, and then figure out what didn't work out and why.

Also! It's no secret that I'm highly skeptical of the idea that writing needs to be realistic. That being said, I still think that breakups are one of the few places where you can get away with being super over-the-top and wild, but still fall under 'realism'. And that's because batshit insane reasons for break-ups happen in real life.

The reasons why break ups happen don't have to be rational. Of course, they can be! There are people that break up because they can't make long-distance work, because they mutually agree that it's a good idea, they fell out of love, someone cheated and the other couldn't forgive them... But also, people have broken up because they didn't like their partner's new haircut, or because of some really small stupid disagreement that blew up to ridiculous proportions. Those small things are often indicative of a larger pattern, but not always. And this goes for the relationship that they have after separating too. Some people will be rational about it yes. Others might be wild and unhinged, and that happens in real life too.

My advice to you would be to stop focusing on what's realistic for exes and breakups. Break ups can be clean, and they can also be messy, and what's 'realistic' depends entirely on the people, and the relationship that they had. As long as it makes sense for your characters, it's realistic no matter how boring or wild it is.

So go back to your basics. Figure out who your characters are, and develop their relationship. Something in that relationship didn't work, and that will lead you to why a couple might break up. And the personalities of your characters will determine how that problem led to a breaking point, how it was handled in the moment, and how it's handled after the separation.

Good luck!

Remember, all advice is subjective! So don’t take this too seriously. This is just one person’s opinion.

If you’d like to ask me for advice on writing or running a writeblr, please check out my Ask Guidelines and FAQ first.

Ask Guidelines | FAQ | Advice Masterlist

[ren-c-leyn]

Hey Ren!

Here's a fun one today. Do you have Writeblrs you would recommend? Especially for your December Challenge.

Here's a challenge for you! Hit me up with at least 10 or 11 that would be willing to have me read them for this challenge 😤 [take your time of course I know this might take a hot minute. feel free to include as few or as many Writeblrs as you want!]

I ofc love fantasy and romance but anyone you recommend I will enthusiastically check out (;

@bloodlessheirbyjacques ✨📘👓📚

Hey, Jacques ^^ Here's my recommendation list -

@writingonesdreams, as you well know, is a fantastic writer. I'll always scream praises for Dreams' comforting style and complex characters. Absolutely love the Tears of Iron cast and the snippets I've been able to read.

@queerlilchinchin changes projects frequently, but she always has something cool cooking in the fire. If you like fantasy and crazy creatures, I'd recommend hunting down her Fantastical World of Dreams project. I'm not sure if she's transferred all of the chapters to the new blog, though, so you might need to ask her about it.

@vermontwrites Severally underrated writer, seriously. They work with a lot of different genres from sci-fi, to historical fiction, to fantasy, and they are one of the very best writers at balancing beautiful descriptions with pacing that I've had the pleasure of reading. Some of those descriptions still live rent free in my head even though it's been more than a year since I read the story.

Like queer romance in your fantasy? @writeblrfantasy is an amazing writer who has snippets from tons of fantastic WIPs. High fantasy and Dark Fantasy elements are on point, characters are beautiful and complex, and Lila knows how to play my heartstrings like a freaken violin. She also does this cool thing with her scenes where it'll start with one emotion and then end at a completely different emotion and it is effortless and never really jarring. I can keep rambling, but we've got more writers to cover.

@sleepyowlwrites Another really versatile writer whose done various genres, but I'm particularly fond of Dirt in the Doing, a modern story that's about platonic bonds and complex character dynamics and tragic backstories. Her poetry is also amazing and fantastic. I seriously love it and every time I see Sleepy-friend has written a new one it makes me very happy.

@notwritinganyflufftoday has recently come back from her hiatus. Very good with writing emotions and distinct character voices. I distinctly remember crying at some ungodly hour of the morning over a snippet from a project she was working on where the story was about the people the chosen one left behind while heading out on a quest and was told entirely through letters. It was so, so good.

I haven't seen her around as much, but @austrohungarianwriteblr has a very fun, very quirky historical romance story that's about a noblewoman and her very introverted music teacher falling in love. Her writing style is very fun, very energetic, and I love the characters.

@hyba is one of my oldest mutuals and has several awesome projects going on. Very versatile as far as setting goes, working in everything from fantasy to sci-fi to modern era, but she's primarily a suspense writer. My favorite projects of hers are The Pirates of Sissa, a fantasy setting with complex politics, and A Cure for Happiness which is a fun and quirky high fantasy story where people are dying of being too happy.

While I unfortunately haven't had the chance to dig into his writing itself, @magic-is-something-we-create has some pretty freaken epic world building going on in his fantasy series. Like, if it's even half as good in the writing as it is in his little world building introduction posts it is an incredible world. I'm planning on digging into his archive and hunting down whatever snippets and excerpts I can find when I get the spoons and free time to do so.

I've read a few pieces by @perasperaadastrawriting and @dragon-swords-prophecies and they've both got some promising fantasy stories in the making.

I can't very well tell you to read your own writing, that'd be considered cheating for the challenge ;p

Unfortunately, that's the end of my recommendations. There were more I wanted to whole-heartedly recommend, but it seems that they've left tumblr. I wondered why my dash was feeling empty and I hadn't heard about some of my favorite projects in awhile :/

Have a nice day/evening.

[studiare-con-asteria]

𝚊 𝚖𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚙𝚘𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚋𝚕𝚎 𝚘𝚞𝚝𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚜: 𝟺

hi! its my first time here submitting smth for ampo, and if you don't know what that is, it's a writeblr event hosted by mika @strawberrystarcake and nico @chaotic-queer-disaster! they have a blog all about it (@.a-million-possible-outcomes), check it out if you want :) anyway the word count here is around 2.3k and it's also my first time writing a story this long so . don't expect anything big or deep, i'm still trying :D i just did this for fun and i had lots of em LOL no tws ^_^

"autumn was a peculiar person. she was secretive. she was quiet. she was the most introverted person i know. but she's still my best friend."

that was via. fifteen years old. she's talking to a new student in school. he thought via was talkative and loud.

"we met when we were around 12 years old, you see. she was a new student here in this school, and being the extroverted kid i was, i marched right up to her and introduced myself, just how i'm doing it to you right now! she started avoiding me but i was very clingy, and so she had no choice but to put up with my nonsense."

the new boy looked very confused and obviously didn't want to be there, but it looks like he had no choice.

"we soon became very good friends!", she continued, "i picked her up every morning and brought her home every aftern-"

"look. i don't have time for this. you're just not my type of friend. now c-"

"oh and she disappears very randomly at times, probably to visit her mother."

he was rather intrigued. just a little bit.

"wait, who takes care of her then?" he asked

"no one" via said simply. she's a very mature being. she's pretty good at taking care of herself"

𝚊𝚞𝚝𝚞𝚖𝚗 ; 𝚊 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚡𝚒𝚊𝚗 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚘𝚍𝚊𝚢

𝟷𝟿𝟿0𝚜

autumn was a very peculiar person and she knows it. she liked being called peculiar. it was a compliment to her.

her life was quite simple. gets picked up by via at 7am, brought home at 3pm, and she disappears to who knows where until she is picked up at 7am again the next day.

that was a lie. her life is not simple at all. her life is the opposite of simple. it was hard, tiring, draining and demanding. most people would probably switch lives with her, but trust me. that is not the way to go.

so, what is she? is she a princess? is she a heir? no. she's a heaxian.

she comes from a land called heaxia, some place near japan and taiwan. of course, it's invisible to the naked eye.

heaxians are-- powerful. they get to choose a power to keep for life when they come of age (14) and is assigned to a country. their lifelong goal is to retrieve the eyes of the heax from every country there is.

𝚐𝚊𝚋 ; 𝚠𝚑𝚘 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚒𝚝 𝚊𝚕𝚕

𝟷𝟾𝟾0𝚜

the gods were bored one day, so they decide to play a little game. there is a little pebble, as smooth as glass or marble, as shiny as a silver platter, and as big as a thumb would be lying around on the ground once a year. the gods would drop the gift in every country for a whole 24 hours, and if ever the rock finds a person worthy, it'll show itself. the person in question now has the ability to get powers of their choice, and the game is over.

a 10 year old girl, gab, was skipping around her garden, she saw something shiny. she thought it was a coin at first, but it was far too thick to be one. then; it snapped. "mama! mama! i found the gift! the gift in our country!"

of course, her mother was very doubtful. "how do you know this is real? could this be a copy? a prank? gab. you can't jump to conclusions."

gab felt it. she knew she's found the gift.

that night, the gods, miles and ysabel, visited her dream. "hello gab! as it turns out, you have found the gift! congratulations!" gab was too starstruck to speak. she was standing on a cloud, and it was very bright. it seemed to her that there were castles in the distance. "why am i standing on a cloud?" they both laughed. "this is infinite magical powers we're talking about. anything is possible."

gab chose the power of teleportation which was very convenient on her part. her powers were passed on only to her worthy descendants. to be specific, only around 35 out of around 80 descendants got the gift, which all happened in around eleven decades.

now here's the catch. the gods' game backfired. they didn't think it through. you see, after gab has officially gotten her power, the gods lost power over the stones, which means a whole other race of heaxians could arise just if one more puny little childless human being, as the gods would call us, finds a stone- which could be a big problem, since they never wanted the heaxians to take over the human population.

which brings us back to the present, the 1990s

𝚊𝚞𝚝𝚞𝚖𝚗 ; 𝚊 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚡𝚒𝚊𝚗 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚘𝚍𝚊𝚢 ; 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚛𝚘𝚍𝚞𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗

𝟷𝟿𝟿0𝚜

autumn was in her condominium, heading out to another part of the state to search for the eye of australia. for the past three years, she's been in melborne and today, she's decided to go near that one cafe a few blocks away from school. she's been able to search the entire school just last week, and nothing, as she expected

there are two more heaxians in australia- milo and taylor. we're not aware of their location, but we'll find out soon enough.

i haven't told you about autumn's power yet!! well, she had a very hard time deciding on it. when i say hard, i mean a really hard time. it took her weeks to decide because she had too many ideas, but settled on seeing the future. the catch was she only had 10 minutes to visit the future every two weeks. all she had to do was find her inner peace, say where in time she wants to go to, and snap.

𝚊𝚞𝚝𝚞𝚖𝚗 ; 𝚊 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚡𝚒𝚊𝚗 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚘𝚍𝚊𝚢 ; 𝚐𝚒𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚒𝚝 𝚊 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚝

she has always wondered what would happen if she looked into the future regarding the eyes. would everyone be able to collect all 195 eyes? seeing as they've collected about 1/4 of the eyes in 120 years, it seemed unlikely it's going to happen anytime soon. she's always debated whether she should give it a shot, because she's not even sure if that's possible. although there's no harm in trying, right?

that night, she's decided to do it. she went into her room and locked the door, closed the windows and curtains

"am i allowed to do this? probably not. does this violate a rule of the heax? probably. will i do it anyway? yes of course, for gods sake i need some exciting things in my life."

she needed to find her inner peace. her brain had to empty. her strategy in doing so is imagining herself floating in nothingness. a white place and nothing more. when she felt ready, she did.

*snap*. "take me to the next century."

she felt the sensation of being sucked into a loophole, just as you would feel if you went on a merry-go-round; just exclude getting dizzy. around and round and round again, until she is dropped into what is supposedly the 2090s.

"oh no."

𝚏𝚞𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚎.

𝟸0𝟿0𝚜

everything was. magic. everywhere. was magic. teleporting, super speed, invisibility, you name it. as she was going to walk up to a nice looking lady for some questions, she felt a tingling sensation and she was brought back to the position she was in when she first arrived. everyone started clapping and laughing.

"what- what the hell just happe- excuse me? excuse me, yeah you, what just happened?"

"you uncultured and disrespectful child may i add. raine just did her Thing."

"raine? her Thing? what?"

"jesus christ, that's not funny. some kind of comedian you are, aye?

"sorry. where am i again?" she added. "my head's feeling funny." god, that was a horrible fib, she thought.

the lady shakes her head. "honestly, woman, did you hit your head on the way? you're in calagary, canada, where the heax magic is strongest.

"oh. okay. thank you, anyway i best be going, see you."

"wait! where are you going? how do you know wher-" but she was already off.

.

it was a horrible sight, i can tell you that. chaos everywhere. no control, and no government in sight to stop it all.

you may be thinking of a place with paper planes all over the streets with cars zooming past the speed limit and plastic bags flying all over the air. here's the thing: it's not that kind of chaotic. everything was actually neat when it comes to actual pollution, because ella was always there to help. she's an environmentalist, and she chose the power of tidying up. in a snap of a finger, she can put all the trash in the city disappear into oblivion. gone. disappeared.

of course, just because ella can clean them all up, it doesn't stop her from reminding everyone to avoid littering. every 2 months, with a help of her friend alex, who can make his voice heard by a thousand miles, they have programs about the environment. autumn was fascinated by ella's and alex's determination. back at 1990, people couldn't care less about the environment. "maybe the future isn't so bad after all."

she was wrong. she visited a nearby cafe and observed that the non-heaxians were the laziest asses in the universe. everyone is complaining. "hey yOU! MAKE A CUP O' COFFEE APPEAR! IM THIRSTY!" "ey, get my cup from the counter please? can't you teleport?" noise pollution was booming.

and then she saw a girl, around her age. she looked stressed. autumn was in dire need of explanations.

"uh hey there. question. who's raine?"

she looked startled and took off her earbuds. "oh sorry, didn't see you there. you must be knew here. raine's a popular person here in our country and she has the power to turn back time."

"oh. makes sense. thanks."

she also noticed the girl looked distressed and disappointed.

"y'alright?"

"no, no i'm not alright. this world is doomed. everyone is relying on these.. heaxians, theyre called? to do the work for them. hell, my sister wont even learn to drive since her heaxian of a best friend can fly her to wherever. everyone is taking everything forgranted. the heaxians can do nothing. our mayor believes that humans have higher power and authority over them. they're used as slaves."

"my mother and father were heaxians. they both died three years ago because they weren't doing as humans would tell them to. they thought that their sacrifice would inspire other heaxians to fight back. it was no use. their death was put in vain. cowards." she stopped, and added "i wish i was born in the past. maybe in the 1990s. lovely place."

she started tearing up. autumn felt the need to pat her back consolingly, and she did. they both smiled at each other.

"i agree with you completely. this is utter chaos. sure, there are peacemakers everywhere and environmentalists, but the true magic of life is gone. words like 'hard work' and 'determination' and 'patience' are washed away in a sea, forgotten."

she couldn't be more relieved to hear that.

"oh, and what's your name?"

"kim. kimberly vega."

"wait what?"

"yeah? w-"

and she felt it again. she was sucked back into a loophole. her head went round and round and round and then suddenly she felt like falling. and then she was back. the lovely 1990s. she has never been more relieved to be back. autumn vega couldn't be more relieved.

.

autumn died at the age of 82. funnily, she got to visit her town in australia as a spirit, in around the 2080s. it was hilarious watching them all go wild. newspapers, radios, cellphones and televisions all blasting the same questions. "MAGIC EXISTS?????" "WHAT THE HELL ARE HEAXIANS??????" "IS THIS THE END OF IT ALL?????"

people in heaxia were also panicking. "IS OUR MISSION A FAILURE??? WILL THE WORLD BE DOMINATED BY OUR KIND???? ARE OUR DECADES OF WORK WASTED?"

she knows how this ends, of course.

𝚔𝚒𝚖 ; 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚞𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚎

𝟸0𝟿0𝚜

fast-forward. a hundred years later. it's 2090 now, and kim vega was in her comfort cafe with her usual caramel macchiato. a 19 year old, as usual, pissed with the world.

a strange girl suddenly appeared outside her window, she looked younger than her. she looked confused but no matter. kim had nothing to do with her.

ten minutes later, the girl entered the cafe and started walkimg towards her. thoughts like "what does she want with me" and "get off me i dont need friends" revolved around her head in less than 3 seconds.

"uh hey there. question. who's raine?"

crap. she pretended not to hear her. who's raine???? what kind of question is that? kim thought to herself.

sigh. i guess i'll have to answer. and so kim went on about raine and her popularity.

"y'alright?"

i knew it, she thought. now what do i tell her. suppose i'll tell her the truth, she's going to think ive lost my mind. no harm in doing it though, i don't even know her. and kim started talking about how she hated the future, about her parents, and about how she wished she was born in the 1990s instead.

to kim's surprise, the strange girl agreed with her.

she started patting her back. kim was pretty touched.

"oh and what's your name?"

"kim. kimberly vega."

"wait what?"

"yeah? why? anything wro-"

she couldn't finish her sentence because the strange girl was surrounded by little lights. they looked like fairy lights but she couldn't see the cord. what. is. happening.

in a blink of an eye, she was gone.

"huh. weird. sucks i guess"

𝟷𝟿𝟿0𝚜

"and that's all i know about autumn. she was very mysterious, you know?" via concluded

"yeah. i know. anyway, best be off now. i've got a story to narrate."

.

yep. i'm milo, yeah, does that ring a bell? thought i'd like to surprise you.

there are some unanswered questions to the tale, and all we can say is we don't know. how did the humans learn about our magic? wasn't it supposed to be kept secret? and what happened to kim?

you know, sometimes our questions are better left unanswered.

the heaxians will always be remembered, but i'm not sure if it's something to be proud of.

[solennitawrites]

WIP & Writeblr Intro!

About Me

You can call me solennita or A.H. or whatever your heart desires. I am in my late twenties, South American, bi, living with ADHD, and you can refer to me using they/them pronouns. I have been writing since I was a child but more or less had to set it aside from high school until last year when the pandemic hit and quarantine gave me an opportunity to finally revisit this novel trilogy idea I began about 15 years ago in a dilapidated, blue composition book and commit to actually completing it.

WIP Intro

Working Title: The Sapphire Room

Inspiration: South American mythology and legends (mostly Venezuela, but also Colombia, Chile, and Peru)

Genre: YA Fantasy, Latinx Fantasy, Adventure, Coming of Age

Status: Writing (Chapters 1-3 are up on Wattpad).

Premise: On the continent of Amasi, where a unique mineral, aranate, and advancements in metalworking have resulted in a highly secular and technologically developed society, two fifteen-year-old, orphaned girls have grown up together in Namina Boarding School, a remote institution situated in the middle of the swamplands at the edge of the Arúni Rainforest. One night, Nina and Adelaida discover a hidden object in Namina’s attic—a golden hourglass filled with diamonds and mysterious engravings. Nina and Adelaida begin to learn that this object is not all that it seems, and that familiar faces in Namina know more than they let on. Roped into a dangerous but enticing adventure taking them across all of Amasi, the two friends must face challenges beyond their wildest dreams and learn who to trust as everything they thought they knew begins to slip away. With dark and powerful forces threatening to destroy all life, can these two young girls learn the truth about Amasi’s mystical history, and themselves, to save the world before it’s too late?

Characters: Zafira Fam (Nina, Adelaida, Noémi, Milaraya, & Zo); Brujxs Fam (Maiara, Irália, Aracéli, Mireia, & Tamaya); Namina Fam (Amara Quila, Sol Acedo, Luciana Quíspe, Aria Nuali, Ortensia Rayena, Úrsula Bira, Valeria Vera, Candé Intira)

Tag Navigation: General TSR; Geography; Characters; Plot; Excerpts

Intro to Amasi Posts: Yanura, Orona, Guayra, Islas Maracainas (Maragua)

About My Writeblr

I hope to use this blog to help me work out world building and plot ideas, as well as character development and all that jazz! I’ll likely post excerpts here and there (many of which may just be background writing exercises for story building rather than actual scenes!) and welcome as much feedback and critique as folks are willing to give!

I'll also reblog writing resources, advice, tips, and of course, others' works and I'm open to tag games, asks/ask games, and just general getting to know each other! I may reblog non-writing posts here and there as well, which I’ll tag as “not writing.” 

I am still very much in early stages and my posting may be sporadic as I am graduating law school soon and then will be taking the bar in the summer, so hope y’all will bear with me :) But please feel free to let me know if you’re interested in being tagged in any of my WIP posts (and feel free to specify -- i.e., only character posts, only excerpts, etc.)!

About My WIP

My current WIP is tentatively titled The Sapphire Room. You can use the navigation links to check out TSR posts (general tag; excerpts; geography; characters; and plot). This is a project that has undergone a lot of revision from when I first had the idea at around 12 years old to now, when I’ve been able to dive more into world and story building.

A huge motivation/inspiration for my is the lack of latinx fantasy in YA fiction. I adore YA fantasy stories, YA coming of age stories, and YA adventure stories, but I’m tired of reading the same adaptations or variations on the very Anglo-centric narrative. Latinx history and culture is so rich and diverse, though much of the cultural stories have been lost today as a result of colonization and its aftermath.

I decided to reach out to my family about this and started collecting myths and legends from my South American country, and researching those from others in the region. There’s a lot of overlap among the stories shared, especially between Venezuela, Colombia, and Peru, as well as Chile to an extent, so this is where the basis for my worldbuilding really comes from.

As a first-gen latinx immigrant who grew up in a pretty conservative, Catholic area, stories like Romina Garber’s Lobizona and Tehlor Kay Mejia’s We Set the Dark on Fire would have changed my life. I want to make sure my story can serve a similar purpose for young, latinx readers who struggle to see themselves represented in stories they love.

I am very intentional about including racial representation (afro-latinx characters), gender and sexuality representation (queer, trans, and NB characters), and disability representation (characters with both physical and mental disabilities). Though I share some identities I will be writing about, I obviously will be going outside of my own experience in many ways and welcome all critiques and feedback on how I can improve in any of these aspects.

I am also being very intentional about writing an escapist and entertaining story where racism, colonialism, and trauma are not fundamental parts of the story. There will be conflict and pain and sorrow, but after seeing story after story that focuses on the toxic machismo in latinx cultures, on racism and colorism in fantasy settings, and other forms of discrimination and trauma in QTPOC fantasy narratives (all of which are really, really important stories to tell!!), I really am aiming for my story to be different and serve as an entertaining escape.

As mentioned, please feel free to let me know if you’re interested in being tagged in any TSR posts and please feel free to send any feedback, questions, criticisms my way at any point!

[albatris]

WIP list tag!

thanks @kittensartswriting for the tag!

Rules: Share a list of the stories you’re currently working on, regardless of whether or not you have whoa hold UP there is a MOUSE outside I repeat there is a SMALL CREATURE trying to SCALE my front door aaaand there it goes it’s gone. away into the night

uh

regardless of whether or not you introduced them to writeblr. there was. a mouse

All the Doors are Open: YA fantasy-ish something-or-other set in South Australia! Cracks in the universe called Ports are appearing and wreaking havoc with reality, and folks are pretty sure the end is nigh. One plotline follows Tris, who’s just witnessed a freak car accident that somehow caused his older brother to vanish from existence entirely. The other plotline follows Noa, who’s just had a run in with a weird Port and is now starting to bend the reality around her. Other notable MCs are Shara, conspiracy enthusiast on the hunt for the source of the apocalypse, and Kai, dealing with the emotional repercussions of emerging from a seven-year time loop to find that their family thinks they’re dead. A story about interconnected mysteries! And kindness! And mental illness! And other stuff! 

Undertow: My big ol’ ideas melting pot! Don’t know where to put an OC or a cool worldbuilding idea? Have a random scene you want to write but don’t know where it fits? Toss it in Undertow, it’ll work itself out somehow! Lots of wholesome, lots of angst, lots of self-indulgent daydream plots that go approximately nowhere. It’s a comic, if I ever get my shit together! The story primarily follows Aster, an amnesiac clairvoyant delivery driver with a truck that runs on stories, who joins forces with Kit, a schizotypal necromancer trying to reanimate a T-rex to honour his ghost wife. The two embark on a cross-country roadtrip, meeting new friends and investigating strange magical goings-on. 

Bright and Burning Things: Not quite YA but whatever the step before it is! Fantasy/supernatural! Following the story of Max, a dead kid who does a runner and goes ghost on their way to the afterlife in order to solve their own murder. There’s a bit of a time limit though, ‘cause if they linger too long their soul will start to unravel, and they’re also being tracked down by agents of the afterlife who want them to pass on. The story follows them over the course of one night as they puzzle together the mystery of their death, with the help of several new friends. Also featuring a runaway vampire queen who robs pizza stores to feel alive, a socially anxious uni student and a socially anxious demon being forced to share a body, and Death, who is a hippie and drives a minivan. 

tagging @tracle0 @chauceryfairytales @goose-books @tsfennec @polyacery​ @gailywriting with absolutely no pressure!! feel free to ignore!! also, I hope you’re all having a nice day ^^

[lilquill]

On Representation, Diversity, and “have characters of color just don’t write about the experience of being a person of color”

Alright. I’m gonna piss a bunch of people off and also confuse a bunch of well-intentioned white people because I don’t think that you can write about a character of color without talking about the experience of being a person of color of a certain culture.

Seriously. There’s so many conversations celebrating how people have narratives where it “doesn’t matter” that one of their characters is a person of color and that their characters’ identity as a person of color “doesn’t affect the storyline” or whatever.

I’m going to cut right to the chase here: as a reader and storyteller of color, I’m not a fan of narratives where race doesn’t affect the story.

My race and culture and ethnicity ABSOLUTELY impact the way I perceive the world around me! For instance, many South Asian families bond with lively debates and discussions and lovingly roasting their family members. The way that I develop positive relationships, often with a solid dose of conflict and loudness and argument, is therefore fundamentally different from the way a white person would develop relationships; in fact, many white people are intimidated by how loud South Asians like myself are. We’re dramatic and loud and love jokes with wordplay! That’s just how it is and it means I form bonds with people differently.

I also have different values. White people are often more individualistic in culture, with more weird distant formal bonds with their parents (shit like referring to their parents by first name or, on the other end of the spectrum, calling their dads “sir”???) as opposed to the more comfortable and closer bond I have with my parents, where my family is all up in my shit literally all the time LMAO.

Literally white families are SO DISTANT to the point where white people consider practices like co-sleeping with your young child, something very common in South Asian families, to be child abuse?? Like, as if keeping your baby in a crib in another room where they’re not close to you and it’s harder to hear them isn’t dangerous but apparently suffocating a child while sleeping (which is very rare especially since co-sleeping is a practice that has gone on for MILLENNIA) is the bigger threat here??

White kids might perceive that as invasive or a violation of their privacy; I don’t perceive it that way because of the way South Asian families are structured. There’s a stronger emphasis on closeness with family. Of course, there are situations of kids being estranged or difficult family relationships or child abuse in South Asian families as well, but family is more valued in my culture.

The plants I put in my garden are different because of my identity; flowers like bela (Arabian jasmine) and bougainvillea and roses and gladiolus and marigolds and such things are what I’m fond of because of biases based on what my parents and grandparents like. I even once grew nenua (a type of squash). (I’m gonna get my hands on a raat ki rani soon I hope!!) And, of course, not every South Asian is partial to these flowers, but there’s definitely a cultural aspect as to why I personally like them!

The colors and patterns I gravitate towards are also different! I’m not a big fan of western “neutrals” and I find bright colors more appealing, especially because hey, those vibrant shades look better on brown skin! And GUESS WHAT, part of why the western world gravitates towards neutral colors in formalwear is because of colonialism and a disdain for the vibrant colors and dyes that colonized countries used. I love wearing jhumka earrings and statement necklaces and bright, vibrant jewelry as well. Now, obviously, this isn’t the case with every South Asian, but there is certainly some level of impact on these choices from my culture and upbringing.

Hell, even the food I eat is different! I drink chai in the evenings. I gravitate towards spicier dishes and better seasoning. I don’t eat meat other than fish/seafood and chicken and occasionally turkey because of cultural stuff, though ofc lots of South Asians are vegetarian and on the flip side lots of South Asians DO eat red meat and stuff.

And this isn’t even universal to ALL South Asians by any means, because my parents are specifically Hindu and from northeastern India and I’ve grown up in California! And there’s so many other details I could go into but for the sake of not writing a twelve-page essay I’m stopping here. 

Basically, my point is, I don’t want representation where race “doesn’t matter” to the story. Race impacts so many aspects of my life and how I perceive and interact with the world around me.

It’s ridiculous to me how so much “representation” is basically just starting with a default of a white character, making her brown, avoiding the stereotypes, and that’s....it. It doesn’t feel real. It doesn’t feel authentic to take away cultural impacts on your characters. People start with white western archetypes and tropes and try to mold them to fit characters of color, instead of starting off with an authentic character of color, and it really, really shows.

Especially because Tumblr and writeblr are such white spaces, and also because culture is usually picked up from the environment as opposed to online, the conversations centered around “representation” are always about “don’t do x stereotypes” as opposed to how to actually learn about other cultures and actually....write a character of color. So many of y’all only know how to NOT write a character of color as opposed to how to ACTUALLY write a character of color.

I see so many lists of tropes and things to not include in stories, and not enough things about values and family structures and food and fashion and ways of developing relationships and all that fun stuff that will shape who you are as a person.

And some of y’all don’t even TRY to, I dunno, engage with the culture of your character of color to actually write them. For instance, if you’re writing a South Asian character, go explore South Asian cinema! Go make South Asian friends who can tell you little details about their lives as they, y’know, exist and are your friend! In general, explore the movies and literature and music and dance types and food and drink and whatnot of the culture your character is from! Form relationships with people of those cultures; it’s the internet! I know this is a super white space but there’s PLENTY of poc on here! Make an effort, not just to avoid harmful stereotypes, but to write a character of color whose identity actually MATTERS.

When I’m reading escapist fantasy/sci-fi/romcom/etc. literature where characters aren’t being hurt by racism, I don’t want a story where RACE doesn’t exist, I want a story where RACISM doesn’t exist. I want cultural understanding, empathy, and compassion!

I don’t want a role a white character would play just switched out with a character of color.

For instance, in the movie To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, Lara Jean’s identity as East Asian is reflected in her fashion choices; book author Jenny Han lent inspiration for this. The Yakult drinks she likes, inspired by Korean tastebuds, plays a role in the story, too. These are details that don’t necessarily heavily impact the plot; it’s a fake-dating high school romcom. But they make a more real, fleshed-out character. They’re little details, little in-jokes and references, showing that the character’s race and culture actually MATTER to the story.

There’s a part in Pacific Rim where Raleigh Beckett, a white man, is frustrated with Mako Mori, a Japanese woman, for not going against the wishes of her father figure, Pentecost. When he tells her she doesn’t have to obey him, she responds, “It’s not obedience, Mr. Beckett. It’s respect.” This depicts her cultural understanding of family and respect; her relationships and her responses to things are impacted by her culture.

This is what I’m talking about! In order to write an actual character of color, you MUST write about their experiences to a certain extent. Of course, don’t make your characters of a certain culture a monolith in terms of personalities and responses and all that, but understand how they may be similarly impacted by their identities.

Now, don’t write a whole damn novel about a character coming to terms with their racial identity and coping with racism, but you absolutely MUST holistically incorporate their identity into your narrative.

Otherwise, it’s not actually representation. It’s you essentially writing a racebent white character. It’s you using a white default and trying to adapt it to totally different experiences.

[welcometowriteblr]

WELCOME TO WRITEBLR’S FOURTH SHINING STAR IS @ikilledmyocs aka June! All votes were done through the WTW Server.

WTW: How does it feel to be voted a favorite writeblr?

June: I can’t say I’m that surprised considering I literally made WTW but I’m still honored that people voted me regardless!

WTW: what do you think you’ve done so far that’s made the most impact on writeblr?

June: I’d say Welcome to Writeblr is the most impactful thing I’ve done so far. We’ve grown so much in such a short amount of time and I’m looking forward to where we go from here. I have a lot of things planned for WTW in 2021!

WTW: What’s your biggest piece of advice to other writeblrs? (Writing or Blog related)

June: I’d say to just do what you like and don’t try to copy others. Some things work better for others and that’s just the way it is. Making your own brand and sticking to what your good at doing is the best thing you can do because everything has something that makes them different!

WTW: What’s been your favorite part of being a writeblr so far?

June: The community of course! I’ve made so many friends on here and they’ve all been so supportive of everything. I’ve grown so much more confident thanks to these people and I’ve written more than ever thanks to them. I owe almost everything to writeblr for making me who I am today.

WTW: What are your biggest goals for the next year in terms of being a writer?

June: I’m going to make more progress on my WIP Unsuper and hopefully outlining things for my other WIPS!

WTW: What are your top 3 blogs?

June: This is hard because I have so many recommendations, but I’ll narrow them down just for this. @moariin aka Reni has been a blog I’ve followed since I joined writeblr and I look up to her so much! I love everything she makes and I her style has inspired so much in my own. I also love @atelierwriting aka Tris who has also been a blog I’ve followed since the beginning. She’s such a good and helpful friend and I’m so glad to be friends with her! I’m so grateful for everything she’s done for me. Finally I’ll have to go with @tsainami aka Sai who once again is someone I’ve followed for such a long time! Her wips are some of my favorites on this website and I’m always blown away by everything she posts. 

June can be found on Wattpad @/ikilledmyocs

Her current WIP is We Are Unsuper. A science-fiction and fantasy dystopian set in a world where superhumans and regular humans live in a divided world where superhumans are used against their will for the so-called benefit of humanity. The story follows a rich socialite who’s mysterious father runs the floating city and a former superhuman slave who fights with the rebel group Unsuper who both end up on the front line of the revolution of a changing world.

[isanyonetoknow]

[ID: black screen with a vulture on the right. It is looking to the left at a block of text. The header of the text says “Writeblr (re)Introduction” and the text underneath says “aka @isanyonetoknow has been here for a while and realized they never actually made a writeblr intro. oops.” End ID]

*waves* hello! so it turns out that i apparently? didn’t do a writeblr intro? at least, if i did, i can’t find it. so here is mine + a bit of a wip/writeblr search, because it has come to my attention that there’s not enough content on my dash.

who am i:

absolutely not a vulture posing as a human

like come on. where on earth would you get that idea. 

anyways i’m not a vulture. obviously. and you can call me ash. 

they/them pronouns please and thank you

i mainly write + draw on here, content wise

from time to time i’ll put out a post asking if anyone has something they want me to draw, like an animal. you’re free to send these recs anytime as long as they are safe for work/not outrageous/not you being entitled to my time. you know, basic things like that.

i also post thoughts into the void, as you do. 

what am i looking for:

fantasy (low/high/urban, it doesn’t really matter) ; scifi ; heist-esque ; containing crime families ; containing revolutions/rebellions ; containing road trips or people on the run

found!!! family!!!!

preferably minimal to no romance

SFW

character driven / character-centric

oh yeah and preferably a happy ending or at least, things aren’t as awful and terrible at the end. 

if your WIP has any or several of these, then i’m probably going to be interested. if not, let me know of your WIPs anyways, because i’m interested in learning about more WIPs!!! (i only ask that you only let me know about SFW/not overly filled with romance WIPs, though. i’m not comfortable with a lot of romance or things that are NSFW)

and of course, i have to plug in my own stuff, so under the cut, i’m going to talk about the WIPs i talk about on here.

the WIPs you can find on here are To Win A Prince, The Prison, Narrations, In the Name of a Capitalized Lord, and This Time Around. 

To Win A Prince | intro

After receiving three ridiculous tasks from the king, ex-Knight Aurelius Lijne embarks out on a journey to accomplish them so that they can finally marry their best friend, the crown prince, in peace.

Along the way, they’re saddled with people from all forms of life–from the bard who’s only here for his finals to the elf who might be a spy but is definitely a convict and fugitive to the Fae who’s spent more years among cowboys than their own kind.

Then again, what did Aurelius expect, when one of their tasks involved stealing the Dark Lord’s shoes of all things? 

fantasy + found family + a road trip essentially + forgiving (yourself) + healing + prying the teeth of the past from you because you can’t live there anymore, you can’t, that land only exists as long as you let it, it only exists as the teeth and the memory of pain. 

The Prison | intro

A traumatized teenager, the magic that they’re a vessel for, and the human experiment they rescued along the way journey together to save the last remaining sources of magic, while trying to avoid their tumultuous pasts.

found family + magic + mystery + some things you can’t get over and some things you shouldn’t get over and some things you’ll get over regardless of if you should or can because getting over it is the only way to live

Narrations:

One: a rebellion in a city that’s been stretching on for years; magic churning when before, it had been barely stirring; we finally figure out where the missing go. 

Two: people fall in between the cracks, and it hasn’t been a problem, except that the cracks have been growing larger and larger with each passing day. 

Three: the story is never what it looks like. no one knows where the truth ends and the lies begin. 

Four: a conversation between two prisoners, and their subsequent escape. 

aka four interconnected parts that span worlds. intro(s) + more details coming soon. 

found family + magic + space + time/dimension/reality travel + corrupt governments/agencies + revolution + possible apocalypse but not in the way that you think + fighting apathy and the desire to watch the worlds that failed you crash and burn because there are people worth saving 

In the Name of a Capitalized Lord:

Sasha has been wandering between lorddoms for almost as long as they could remember. And if there was anything they had learned, it was to never try and gain entrance to the walled lorddoms. The walled ones always had something to hide, something to protect, or something to fight against, and none of those was what Sasha, who always wished for a simple life, wanted. However, when hunger and fatigue grow too great, they try to gain admittance into a walled lorddom. And they get in. 

And they can't seem to leave. 

So they’re stuck in this walled lorddom, avoiding the lord that absolutely no one wants them to encounter, without anyone ever telling them why. 

It looks like they have to do all the work themself. 

mystery + historical fiction-esque + family dynamics + found family (literally) + mending relationships + sometimes it’s so much better to think that no one’s there watching and sometimes it’s so much worse

This Time Around

The one time Aleksei Aband tried to be of help, they got kidnapped and thrown on a pirate ship. The one time Hiro Kumagai tried to make his life interesting, he almost got killed, and then kidnapped, along with the resident “Kid You Stay the Hell Away From”, by pirates. 

Well. 

At least he did make his life interesting. 

pirates + curses + found family + healing + redemption + you shouldn’t have to owe your family for taking care of you or for being existent but that doesn’t mean you don’t feel that way and that doesn’t mean you don’t feel guilty every time you think you’ve let them down. 

[thewholeuniverseisrighthere]

Okay so ideally, when it comes to wanting to be a writer online, what I want online is this:

1. A separate Tumblr account for writing-related content (a.k.a. a writeblr) that is not for actually posting my writing (save for a few excerpts here and there as part of games or anything I’m just that proud of). It would be for interacting with other writers, building a community of writer mutuals and ongoing/popular stories that are in our orbit, exploring, maybe sharing tidbits about the history of my characters, world, etc. or stuff I love about my writing/story itself, memes, and generally just enjoying myself alongside others in a space dedicated to writing.

2. An account on a separate site that is actually made for posting writing in order to share my actual work. The reason I’d never try Tumblr is because none of the people who use this site-- the people who make up the audience I’m trying to draw followers/fans from-- came here for long-form posts or series to follow, and this site simply isn’t built to be used like that. I’ve had too many friends try that and receive a dishearteningly little amount of interaction to believe it would work out for me. Of course, part of my ideal is for this second site to be one where I immediately gain traction on a level that is initially small but grows at a consistent rate over time ft. enthusiastic fans and interaction that altogether make me feel motivated to write, proud of my work, and like writing is a concrete and substantial part of my life that I can claim, but I won’t let my dreams get ahead of me.

My issue is, I can’t find any content I actually like in the Tumblr writing community. I’m hoping I just haven’t looked hard enough and that the content and creators I would really enjoy just need a minute to find. I don’t know how to put it politely, but to me it feels like Tumblr has always been a platform that’s populated by internet people who knew/felt that they and their interests and content wouldn’t be welcome anywhere else, and that really shows in both the Top and Recent section of #writing. I just don’t like, enjoy, or want to be associated with what I see.

Then there’s the fact that a superior site for sharing writing has yet to be identified. Nothing guarantees meaningful interaction or any at all, alongside missing a shitload of other criteria. I know it’s a lot to demand, but I refuse to let this standard go. I want to say that interaction doesn’t matter to me and that I write only for me, but it’s just impossible to ignore the numbers and even harder to keep convincing myself it’s not a tell for the quality of my writing. To me, interaction is just part of the experience. I’ve also heard from a ton of people who have been on Tumblr and other writing sites for at least a decade or two that the social scape has changed and that things went from “nearly all readers show their appreciation and damn near offer a whole review” to “readers find it acceptable to only offer the smallest form of acknowledgement available or none at all,” so, if they’re right, this pursuit feels extra hopeless.

All in all, I’m going to keep up hope about finding and building a community that I like on Tumblr and stumbling upon a site for posting full-lengths that satisfies me, but, yeah, this all is why I don’t ever bother to present myself as a writer online.