#such as ! note how they are all kinda average writing size OR p big except for the tail one

[moeblob]

OK I swear the reason I'm showing you this will have context in a couple days! But also, the fact B&N has a section dedicated to "well he may be a ten buuuuut" and included my current crime of "he's blonde" is like. Dang. Called out.

Didn't help I saw this with a guy and I said "oh no, my blonde enjoyer crimes called out!" and he said "better than redheads" and I'm like. "Sir, I have to inform you of my previous crime." and he was not pleased as he said "Fish... why....."

[missvalerietanner]

tagged by @jmhwriterblog​ and yeah, ‘course I’m gonna do writing stuff ;p

Rules: Answer the questions and then tag as many writers as there are questions answered (or as many as you can) to spread the positivity! Even if these questions are not explicitly brought up in the novel, they are still good to keep in mind when writing.

FIRST LOOK

(using The Seven Kings, ‘cause that���s what I’m wrapped up in right now)

1. Describe your novel in 1-2 sentences (elevator pitch)

The brutal assassination of a king sparks the partnership between a hated half-breed hungry for revenge and a well-educated prince whose father arranged said assassination. 

2. How long do you plan for your novel to be? (Is it a novella, single book, book series, etc.)

Editing the first book right now. Still need to finish its ending. And I was so excited, I might have already started to write the sequel... ‘bout two solid chapters in so far. AND there’s enough happening that it’d probably be a trilogy. 

3. What is your novel’s aesthetic?

I... suck at this question every time I see it.

I guess... I’mma have to go with redemption. 

4. What other stories inspire your novel?

Legend of Zelda for sure, mainly inspiration for the diverse kingdoms and people. And then, I dunno, there’s probably a little bit of every fantasy movie and book I’ve ever seen/read tucked in this story somewhere. 

5. Share 3+ images that give a feel for your novel

clicky - takes you to WeHeartIt

MAIN CHARACTER

6. Who is your protagonist?

Valerie Tanner and Eli Orphesis (named him during my Greek obsession)

7. Who is their closest ally?

They gain several throughout the story, but the main two are Roderick, a rancher and old friend of Valerie’s (practically a second father to her), and Elyn, one of the queen’s handmaidens who joins them on their journey. Oh and then Aaron pops up later, and he’s an old ally of Valerie’s as well. 

8. Who is their enemy?

Mainly: Darrean Orphesis (yep, Eli’s dad)

9. What do they want more than anything?

Valerie wants revenge for Garrett’s death, and Eli wants to forge a path to his own future, a future not doomed to exist in the shadow of his father.

10. Why can’t they have it?

Valerie: gaining revenge changes nothing; Garrett’s still dead, and she’s still an outsider

Eli: he has to grow up and learn who he is without his father’s title protecting him, and there are a LOT of tough lessons on the road ahead for my boy. 

11. What do they wrongly believe about themselves?

Valerie believes she’s completely alone and useless. She believes her life is worth little, and that spending her life in service to better people/better men is the best she can do.

Eli ... is pretty arrogant, so his are kinda negative. He believes he’s untouchable, that he’s immune to certain feelings (like pity and loss). He thinks he has all the answers.

12. Draw your protagonist! (Or share a description)

Valerie: 28, 5′8″ (172 CM), weighs 135 pounds (yes, I did), lean and muscular, smaller-than-average bust size, wavy brown hair that ends between her shoulder blades, deep/dark brown eyes, Caucasian, Ossa tattoo on her upper left arm (all black ink), muscular stomach, narrow hips, fit legs, covered in old/faded scars from battle and/or training, wears: black trousers that fit tight, knee-high boots, a fit undershirt to keep the girls pinned down and covered (;p), and a loose white overshirt to keep her cool. 

Eli: ~26, 6′2″ (188 CM - people of his race are tall as fuck), blue skin (similar to Oxford blue but a hair lighter), black hair that is a bit shorter than shoulder-length and he keeps it in a low ponytail at the nape of his neck (sexy!), bright golden eyes, muscular and well-built, hands lack callouses (only trained, never fought), no scars or wounds, wears proper royal clothes like a prince should (tunic, trousers, knee-high boots, waistcoat, the works)

PLOT POINTS

13. What is the internal conflict?

Learning to accept help, realizing that people are more than their pasts or their titles and especially their race

14. What is the external conflict?

A power-hungry king and his massive army of well-trained, well-armed soldiers who are all purebloods, so they all have magical abilities.

15. What is the worst thing that could happen to your protagonist?

For Valerie, losing the people she loves who she tries to protect. She’s watched so many die. She tends to be pretty self-sacrificing because she’d rather jump in harm’s way and die if it means saving someone else. (She has some self-esteem issues as well, so wanting to be someone’s shield makes her feel useful, and therefore, good. She also values others’ lives over her own.)

For Eli... Failure’s a big one for him. He’s probably afraid to die, but I’d say failing and letting down those around him is worse. His mother went to great lengths to make sure he was cultured and well-educated, so with all his knowledge, if he fails, yeah, that’d probably be what would crush him more than anything. 

16. What secret will be revealed that changes the course of the story?

Probably the reveal of Eli’s power. He was never trained as a child like he should’ve been (for reasons!), and so since he’s a pureblood, his powers developed on their own. He’s powerful but uncontrolled, so his abilities start leaking out, so to speak, on their own.

The reveal of what his power actually is, is a good moment. It’s subtle, but as each of the other characters begin to realize just how much power he wields, they also start to realize how REAL everything is becoming: like the war, their chances of survival, etc.  

17. Do you know how it ends?

Yes. I know the jist. I know what I’m aiming for. How I get there, I dunno, and what’s said or done when we get there, I dunno. 

I know which port I want to dock in. Just not what it looks like. 

;p

(I swear I am not drinking.)

BITS AND BOBS

18. What is the theme?

Hmm... unity for sure, redemption’s a big one, some focus on equality, but I’d say mostly it’s about people finding their place in the world by following their own intuitions rather than falling into the role provided for them or forced upon them. 

[cue Disney music]

19. What is a reoccurring symbol?

Valerie has a tattoo on her upper left arm that marks her as a member of Ossa, so basically an outsider. After what happens in the opening chapters, she keeps the tattoo hidden whenever possible. But its meaning causes some tension with... basically everyone she meets. 

...there’s probably others, but I can’t think of any that don’t require a lot of explaining... and I was pretty vague on the tattoo for reasons.

20. Where is the story set? (Share a description)

In the country of Nubrya (hate the name, can’t find one yet to replace it). It’s the border country on a massive continent and is encircled by three (possibly four or five... haven’t finished plotting the map) other countries to its east, west, and north. The south of Nubrya is open to the water. Its eastern edge rises into steep cliffs overlooking coves dug into the mountain side to house the nation’s ships during the winter. The western border levels off into desert. The north is rocky terrain, isolated, and sitting on a raised plateau, so every step from the heart of Nubrya upward is a hike. And to the northeast, there is a massive mountain range, upon which one of the Seven Kingdoms sits. And to the east/southeast (before the cliffs) are the farms and vineyards of the country.

Every type of landscape and temperature zone and climate is represented. 

21. Do you have any images or scenes in your mind already?

Since the first book’s finished except for a few scenes and the final fight leading up to the already-written ending, most of the scenes are already down on paper. The second book, however, oh, boy! I have SO much planned and cannot wait for the willingness to write it down. XD

22. What excited you about this story?

I originally wrote this story back in high school. As you can tell by my username, I’ve kept the characters with me through the years. :] Recently (meaning last year, I think), I got to thinking about the original story from high school (titled: “The Unknown Soldier,” I think), and I missed it. So I dug out the original copy, started reading it, and by about, oh I dunno, page 2, I was ready to hang myself ‘cause the writing was THAT BAD.

But the plot was a good one. The characters were half-developed, but they had the potential to be so much better. So I remolded them, fleshed them out, added a ton more characters, revamped the settings, added MORE settings, dumped in a whole bunch of emotional turmoil, updated some names, increased the stakes tenfold, added more magical/fantasy elements, and landed these characters in a MUCH better story. 

A lot about the story excites me, but to know I revitalized an old story, pried it off the gurney, and zapped it back to life--a life better than the one it had before--that excites me. :]

23. Tell us about your usual writing method!

Frantic. Messy.

I write scenes as they come to me. Stitch them together later with transitions, and edit to fix any time lapses or to plug in missing information. I do outline, but they look like this:

Guy does this thing. it’s cool, but not too cool. Then girl finds out. And note for later: the girl’s really a guy. OH! And remember by scene five to put in a live rooster or else the whole chicken joke won’t make ANY SENSE. End with badass scene with knives. RESEARCH: knives.

Hey, I just made that up on the spot. Welcome to my brain.

But that’s the basic idea behind what my outlines look like. XD Except, I do usually write my outlines in ALL CAPS and important items are bolded or highlighted. But that’s a minor detail.

Rooster.

...

Thanks for reading if you made it this far.

NOW GO WRITE! (or tag yourself and do this. T’was fun.)

[popopuko]

It’s been like 8738546 years since I did one of these, so here’s a personal questionnaire under the cut!

Name: Popuko/Cake/Cosmo

Age: 21

3 fears: Jellyfish, being abandoned, not getting my dream job

3 things I love: My friends, my bf & gf, music~

4 turn ons: I’m ace, though things that come close are long roadtrips and scholarly lectures

4 turn offs: being a jerkface, ????

My best friend: I don’t like to choose just one person, but my closest friend throughout middle school to today is my gf Kern!

Sexual orientation: Ace~

My best first date: 

idk, like all of them? I’ve never been on a date where we really called it a date

How tall am I: 5′4″-5′5″

What do I miss: my bf Luke, who’s on the opposite side of the country!

What time was I born: idk

Favorite color: Medium spring green

Favorite quote: "‘Eggs aren’t real,’ she said. ‘Nuh-uh, show me an egg! That’s not an egg! What’s an egg? Who let you in here?’"

Do I have a crush:

Favorite place: Wide, open grassy fields~

Favorite food: Garlic bread, coconut shrimp, a few too many things to all write down!

Do I use sarcasm?: Not usually! I prefer being blunt, but I still use it to joke around a bit.

What am I listening to right now?: “i was feeling down then i found a nice witch and now we're best friends” by In Love With A Ghost

First thing I notice in a new person: How they treat other people

Shoe size: 9.5, me me big feet

Eye color: Deep brown!

Hair color: Brown with amber and gold highlights!

Favorite style of clothing: tbh? 80′s colorful nonsense

Ever done a prank call?: Nope

Meaning behind my URL: I’M POPUKO, YOUR AVERAGE 14 YEAR OLD 7TH GRADER THAT YOU’D FIND ANYWHERE

Favorite movie: Princess Mononoke, Gravity, and The Lego Movie!

Favorite song: idk if I can pinpoint an absolute favorite, so take this ongoing list of most of my favorites lol

Favorite band: are you sure you want me to list them all (Modest Mouse, Passion Pit, and Of Montreal are wayyy up there but I have like 2897427384 I consider to be my favorite)

How I feel right now: Kinda hungry, kinda sleepy

Someone I love: My friends, my bf, my gf~

My current relationship status: If it wasn’t obvious already, I have a bf and a gf lololol

My relationship with my parents: 

I like them, but I ain’t gonna live with them again, y’know?

Favorite holiday: I celebrated Christmas for the first time last year and !! I really loved it!!!

Tattoos and piercings I have: Earlobes pierced when I was a baby!

Tattoos and piercings I want: I kinda want a little Saturn tattoo that looks like this:

Or maybe one of those minimalist constellation tattoos!!

The reason I joined Tumblr: I was trying to get away from my previous social media site of choice (deviantArt), and one of the artists I was following already had a tumblr so I hopped on over in late 2011!

Do I and my ex hate each other?: Nope! We haven’t talked in a while, but we’re still pals~

Do I ever get “good morning” or “good night” texts?: Every day~ ♡  

Have I ever kissed the last person I texted?: Mmhm~

When did I hold hands?: Lots of times! (???)

How long does it take me to get up in the morning?: Getting out of bed... if I have a choice in it, like an hour, otherwise when my alarm goes off, right away!

Have you shaved your legs in the past three days?: 🤔 ...Nope

Where am I now?: In my room, sitting at my desk

If I were drunk and can’t stand, who would be taking care of me?: Probs my gf, though I can’t drink lol

Do I like my music loud or at a reasonable level?: Reasonable level! Except for specific songs or at concerts

Do I live with my mom and dad?: Not anymore!

Am I excited for anything?: I’m super excited for IREC this June!! I fuckin love road trips and last year was so fuuuuun

Do I have someone of the opposite sex I can tell everything to?: “Opposite sex” lololol (I do have people I can tell everything to tho!)

How often do I wear a fake smile?: Usually to be polite I do, but I wear a genuine smile more often than not!

When was the last time I hugged someone?: too long ago

What if the last person I kissed was kissing someone else right in front of me?: 

I mean we’re both poly, so I’d just like. look away idk

Is there anyone I trust even though I should not?: Not really?

What is something I disliked about today?: Uhhhh all this work I gotta do by the end of the day tbh

If I could meet anyone on this earth, who would it be?: Kinda cheesy, but probs either Markiplier or Jacksepticeye lololol

What do I think about most?: Overall? Probs my gf and bf

What’s my strangest talent?: Uhhhh I can wiggle my ears and also smite everyone and anyone at Kirby Air Ride lol

Do I have any strange phobias?: J...Jellyfish........................

Do I prefer to be behind the camera or in front of it?: Behind! I love filming and photography

What was the last lie I told?: me @ myself: You can totally have all of these clips cut and uploaded by 2pm!

Do I prefer talking on the phone or video chatting online?: Neither <:3c

Do I believe in ghosts? How about aliens?: YEAH BOI

Do I believe in magic?: Maybe!

Do I believe in luck?: Maybe! I’m sorta conflicted on this one, hah

What’s the weather like right now?: Cloudy! Prob gonna rain later

What was the last book I’ve read?: “The Fan Fiction Studies Reader” by Karen Hellekson and Kristina Busse, it’s a class reading lololol

Do I like the smell of gasoline?: Sorta!

Do I have any nicknames?: Cake and Cosmo are sorta nicknames! I’m debating changing my legal name to Cosmo though

What was the worst injury I’ve ever had?: I mean I got pneumonia from dumb shit I used to do when I was a kid lol

Do I spend money or save it?: Save most of it!

Can I touch my nose with a tounge?: I can touch the bottom of it!!

Is there anything pink in 10 feet from me?: Some fake roses, a soft pink and white squishy kitty my friend got me, a truffula tree I painted, a box that holds my Pokemon action figures, my galaxy backpack, my stuffed stegosaurus that screeches when you squish it, and my carrying case for my 3DS + games!

Favorite animal?: I like foxes, crows, owls, and bearded vultures!

What was I doing last night at 12 AM?: Playing Kirby Air Ride lololol

What do I think is Satan’s last name is?: S....tanford...........................

What’s a song that always makes me happy when I hear it?: L no Shisou from the 3rd Death Note OST always has good feelings, also a lot of Passion Pit’s songs! Esp Constant Conversations

How can you win my heart?: Be nice to people, have a sense of justice, and teach me things I don’t know~

What would I want to be written on my tombstone?: “You’re next.” LOLOLOL (jk, I can’t really think of anything atm)

What is my favorite word?: I’ve always said it was “inversion,” but I like “komorebi,” too!

My top 5 blogs on tumblr:  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

If the whole world were listening to me right now, what would I say?: 

I can’t take that kind of pressure dude

Do I have any relatives in jail?: Nope

I accidentally eat some radioactive vegetables. They were good, and what’s even cooler is that they endow me with the super-power of my choice! What is that power?: Shapeshifting!!!

What would be a question I’d be afraid to tell the truth on?: “What mental illnesses do you have?”

What is my current desktop picture?:

Had sex?: Nope

Bought condoms?: Nope

Gotten pregnant?: Nope

Failed a class?: Nope

Kissed a boy?: Yep!

Kissed a girl?: Yep!

Have I ever kissed somebody in the rain?: Nope

Had a job?: Yep!

Left the house without my wallet?: Probably lol

Bullied someone on the internet?: No??

Had sex in public?: wtf

Played on a sports team?: Does high school PE count lol

Smoked weed?: Nope, kinda scared of what it would do to me

Did drugs?: Not recreational!

Smoked cigarettes?: Nope, and I can’t because of my chronic bullshit

Drank alcohol?: I’ve tried a few things: beer (DISGUSTING), a fruity concoction at a party (p good!), jello shots (yum!), wine (white is better than red), and prob had a sip of champagne at some point

Am I a vegetarian/vegan?: Nope

Been overweight?: Nope

Been underweight?: Almost

Been to a wedding?: Yep

Been on the computer for 5 hours straight?: Yeah?? I’m an engineer what do you expect lololol

Watched TV for 5 hours straight?: My brother and I used to marathon stuff like Avatar: The Last Airbender!!

Been outside my home country?: Nope

Gotten my heart broken?: Yyyyyymaybe...

Been to a professional sports game?: Nope

Broken a bone?: Nope

Cut myself?: Not on purpose!

Been to prom?: Yep!

Been in airplane?: Hell yeah

Fly by helicopter?: Nope

What concerts have I been to?: One (1) Modest Mouse concert! It was hella

Had a crush on someone of the same sex?: lol

Learned another language?: Took Japanese in high school! Wanna learn Russian.

Wore make up?: Twice: once for senior high school pictures and once for prom, lol

Lost my virginity before I was 18?: Nope

Had oral sex?: Nope

Dyed my hair?: Nope

Voted in a presidential election?: Nope

Rode in an ambulance?: Nope

Had a surgery?: Yep! Had wisdom teeth removed

Met someone famous?: I don’t think so?

Stalked someone on a social network?: Nope

Peed outside?: Nope

Been fishing?: Yep! I let all of my fish go lololol

Helped with charity?: Yep

Been rejected by a crush?: Nope

Broken a mirror?: Nope

What do I want for my birthday?: tbh? Cute outfits

How many kids do I want and what will be their names?: I don’t want kids

Was I named after anyone?: Nope

Do I like my handwriting?: It’s apparently only legible to me, but I don’t mind it

What was my favorite toy as a child?: DRAGONS

THESE GUYS WERE THE COOLEST SHIT EVER OKAY I HAD LIKE TEN OF THEM

Favorite TV Show?: For things that aren’t anime, Steven Universe!

Where do I want to live when older?: A house in the suburbs of the Pacific Northwest were we can have a yard and dogs!!

Play any musical instrument?: Took piano lessons as a kid and played the flute in band!

One of my scars, how did I get it?: I used to pick at my skin a lot and it left scars on my arms lololol

Favorite pizza topping?: Olives!

Am I afraid of the dark?: Sometimes

Am I afraid of heights?: Mmmmmmaybe.............

Have I ever got caught sneaking out or doing anything bad?: I got caught sneaking candy a couple times as a kid lololol

Have I ever tried my hardest and then gotten disappointed in the end?: Yep

What I’m really bad at: Socializing in person, I’m so boring irl lmao

What my greatest achievements are: Just getting to where I am today, probably.

The meanest thing somebody has ever said to me: Can only really think of one thing, it was when one of my brothers called me a “spoiled brat” back when I was like 10 years old. idk why that one stuck with me.

What I’d do if I won in a lottery: omg pay off all my friends debts and move them out into their own apartments. Also like? Get some tickets to be launched into space by Blue Origin and also buy a house. Then a shitton of charities

What do I like about myself: I like my hair and my eyes, and my fast metabolism! Still working on finding things I can immediately point out that I like about my personality, but I like how patient I can be

My closest Tumblr friend: Luke!

Something I fantasize about: Working at SpaceX tbh

Any question you’d like?: I’m down to answer anything anytime!