“It’s- It’s-! I’m fine! Everything’s just fine! Peachy even, hah!” Cobalt says as he runs his fingers through his hair. Which he only does when stressed.
“It’s, ah, it’s been a little tough lately. A lot tough, lately. I’m just… really scared. And I don’t know why. I know I have a lot under my belt right now but I’m… alive. So that’s good.” Cobalt slouches into his chair and covers his face with his hands.
“I’m just.. everything’s fine. No one has to worry about me.”
[ID: a book cover. in the center is a red lute with gold wisps coming out of the hole. the lute is surrounded by blue vines and blue flowers with orange centers. the title on top of the lute reads “The Stray Spirit.” the text underneath reads “Lutesong Book One” and “R.K. Ashwick.” the second image shows both the front and back. there are more blue flowers and gold wisps on the back. end ID]
The Stray Spirit has a book cover!!
LOOK AT IT
AHHHHHHHHHH
!!!!!!!!!!!
IT’S SO PRETTY IM GONNA EXPLODE
IT’S LIKE IT’S A REAL BOOK OR SOMETHING
ahem. pulling myself together here.
I’m hoping to release this thing in the fall! as always, if you want to be the first to know about pre-order giveaways, ARCs, and release dates, the newsletter’s your best bet. the info will also hit Tumblr, of course, but a bit later.
GRACES TO THE GRAVE ⤳ aka GANG WIP; an april camp nano reintroduction
I am coming, death screamed to anyone who cared to listen. I am here.
GENRE; alternative historical fantasy
AUDIENCE; new adult
STATUS;draft 1.5? ish?
TROPES;enemies/rivals to lovers, gang rivalries, trio of best friends and their shenanigans, victorian era/slight steampunk world building, fighting the patriarchy, secret identities, marriage of convenience, “who did this to you?”
WARNINGS; violence, kidnapping, dark themes, murder, adult content
LINKS; accountability thread (x) | main tag (x) | excerpts (x)
SYNOPSIS;
Victorian London is on the precipice of destruction.
As civil war breaks out between the city’s most formidable gangs, Juliette Edevane finds herself with a daring mission: kill the leaders of the Bonellis and secure her position as heir to London’s underworld. But orchestrating the deaths of Ruth and Cassius Granville is not as simple as it may seem.
Juliette is swept into a world of murder, magic, and marriage - where a wedding between her and a long-time rival may signify the line between success and failure in her mission. Armed with such an alliance, she must navigate the dangerous waters of a London built on the blood of gang rivalries, where betrayal and death hides around every corner. And yet, with her own heart on the line, she must confront where her true allegiances lie: with her gang, with her husband, or with those she once thought to be her greatest enemies.
CHARACTERS;
juliette edevane. she/her. the jinx. a half-fae born into the night.
misty lygon. she/her. the jinx. a banshee made of death.
lun qi. he/him, they/them. the jinx. a warrior built from blood.
isaac farley. he/him. the bronze vipers. a criminal founded in sanguinity.
ruth granville. she/her. the bonellis. an assassin created in the underworld.
cassius granville. he/him. the bonellis. a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
AESTHETIC;pomegranate juice slipping down your chin, blood on a knife, dancing under the moon, stolen kisses, hatred that consumes you, love that feels like loathing
[ID: a banner showing a row of three potion bottles, white, blue, and yellow, against a dark brown background. The text to the right reads: “A Rival Most Vial” and “Potioneering for Love and Profit.” end ID]
Ambrose & Master Pearce: Snippets
Pearce, Ambrose’s potion master/mentor/absolute failure of a father figure, is one of those characters who haunts the narrative without being there. Here are some examples:
✨ Step 1, Preheat the Cauldron:
“Come on, Ames.” Dawn smiled. “This is your new neighbor. It’s exciting.”
“No, it isn’t.” Ambrose folded his cleaning cloth. “Master Pearce always said, he who brews fastest—“
“Brews alone.” Dawn rolled her eyes. “I know.”
✨ Step 2, Measure the Catalyst:
“Oh.” Eli’s face brightened as he unraveled the scroll himself. “That’s fun.”
Ambrose grimaced. Fun would not be the word he would have chosen for the incessant messages, nor what old Master Pearce would have chosen. Pearce had erased all the names from the Griffin’s Claw rose long ago, and Ambrose had kept the names erased upon his inheritance.
“Well, I should be going…” He looked to the door—but Eli was already holding up a quill.
“Weren’t you going to add your—?”
“No, no,” Ambrose said too quickly.
✨ Step 4, Add Salt:
“You, uh…all right there?” a voice snapped Ambrose out of his fuming surveillance of the rival store. He quickly straightened his robes and turned to his customer, a gnome pushing a healing potion across the counter.
“Perfectly fine, thank you,” he said, and rung up the customer without further conversation. Which was quite how everything was supposed to go—Master Pearce had always instructed him not to bother the customers. They didn’t want small talk, they wanted to buy potions. Best not to bother them, or anyone else, for that matter. Ambrose found such consistency in social decorum comforting.
But as laughter and gossip spilled out of Eli’s Elixirs, he couldn’t help but wonder what they were chatting about.
✨ Step 13, Wipe Clean:
“Down here is fine. Let me just…” He grabbed the stool from the front counter and carried it in. “Here. That should…um, work…”
After placing the stool, he ran through a quick safety check of his equipment, if only to ground himself. When was the last time he had someone else in his workroom as he brewed? It would have been years ago, with Master Pearce. He could recall his presence as clearly as if he were there—watery eyes, gruff voice, hardly a break in his frown when Ambrose held up a successful potion…
✨ Step 18, Snack Break:
“Always knew you’d be better than Pearce one day.” Grim sat back and shook their head. Banneker scoffed as he reached for a dumpling.
“Please,” he said. “He’s always been better than Pearce.” He rolled his eyes and waved his dumpling around. “Dumb Pearce, always with the don’t bother anyone, don’t owe anyone…”
Grim gave an affirming grunt. “Don’t come to street meetings, don’t come to bake-offs…”
“Don’t smile, don’t laugh…” Banneker stuffed the dumpling into his mouth. “Ugh, soboring.”
“Wasn’t that bad,” Ambrose mumbled, then nudged Eli. “How are the dumplings? Are they all right?”
Eli’s stomach churned as he quietly calculated how many years Ambrose had spent under Pearce’s influence, and he suddenly felt very, very grateful that Ambrose was sitting there, smiling at him.
✨ Step 21, Separate the Layers:
But the words went unanswered. Eli stood, wiped off his knees, and stared at the mute stone-speak. “How long has this been like that?” he asked. His tone was soft, but the undercurrent of anger flared deep.
“It’s…” Ambrose’s voice came out raspy, barely there, as if he had been smoking a pipe all day. The words stabbed at his throat as he spoke. “Always been like that. Pearce removed them—“
“Pearce, that son of a wood-eating—!” Eli burst, then ran his hands through his hair. “What if I hadn’t been here?” He started to pace. “What if I had chosen not to come in, or even walked away two seconds before? You would—you would’ve…”
✨ Step 23, Break it Down:
Soon he was standing in the street, just him and the quiet, dark air. He sighed and leaned more heavily on the staff in his hand. How much like Master Pearce he must look right now. Gnarled staff, potion master robes, guild signet ring. Standing alone with no one to call on.
TROPES/FEATURING: Found family, enemies-to-lovers (twice), sapphic romance, family secrets, technology and magic, secret villain, high stakes, poc main characters, ADHD main character, steampunk fantasy, and science-fantasy.
Irillia is a world torn apart by a 1000 year war for a country that could mean ultimate power for either the Zeyo Kingdom or the Kroba Empire. However, a mysterious force threatens to tear it apart and leaves a lingering danger in the air.
In the city of Taei, Inadi Allensia, a street-smart bounty hunter and occasional thief, relies on her abilities to survive and make a living for herself and her younger sister. Desperate and almost left with nothing, Inadi performs a high-stakes heist at the royal Zeyo palace. After it goes wrong, she expects Queen Ailon to send her straight to a royal death camp to wither out her days, but instead, the queen gives her an assignment. Illegal magic threatens the Prism which gives eoves their unique powers and holds the Irillia together, so the queen sends Inadi on a journey to the land of Saoli to find a Spiraler, the only Irillian with the rare ability to control energies. The catch is they’re in the maximum-security prison in an enemy empire where her people are a threat and Inadi must break them out without getting caught and losing her life. The other catch is that Inadi must travel with an annoying guard who might be hiding a secret of his own. The bounty is irresistible, so Inadi jumps at the chance despite it all.
On earth, Reese Bayer is adjusting to life in Calgary after the sudden murder of her mother with her dad and younger brother Liam. However, her dad goes missing only to be left with a trail of black dust. Before they can comprehend it, Reese and her younger brother are dragged into the magical world of Irillia which may be connected to her family.
When Inadi and Reese cross paths, they become more intertwined than they ever expected. As they all join to rescue the prisoner and look for Reese’s dad, they find out about a secret organization that may hold the secret to ending a never-ending war in Irillia and bringing peace, and Reese might just have the key. And when they discover secrets that can change everything, they find out that they need each other just as much as Irillia needs them.
So we’re doing this again. The Order of The Key remains my Camp Nano project. We’re continuing the second draft of The Order of the Key. I don’t want to finish it, I just want to make some progress.
I was planning on editing Misfits for Camp Nano, but I suffered burnout this month so I decided not to do Camp Nano. A couple of days ago, I continued editing the second draft of The Order of the Key.
I wrote the first draft a year ago, which fazes me because it doesn’t feel like a year. Now I’m going to edit it, and edit, until I can query it.
I won’t be doing frequent updates like I usually do, instead, I’ll only be doing updates once a week, which should amount to 4.
Taglist (if you interact this post positively you get added to the taglist) (ask to be +/-)
After fourteen years of theft and smuggling, BRIMhas finally got his hands on his very own (and very small) spacecraft to explore his solar system. Together with his partner in crime, RASMUS the bear-cat, he blasts off towards the stars, hoping to leave his home planet behind him for good.
But in space he finds no peace. The ruling corporation CEPHEUS has expanded to every nook and cranny of his solar system, eager to expand further, exerting their control in every part of life. Brim, always looking for opportunities, sees his chance and begins smuggling antiques to cater to the new aristocracy. For a while he is content …
… until, that is, one of his deals with MERAK, the biggest broker in the whole galaxy goes terribly wrong. The goods hadn’t even left his hands until a beam flew past Brim. Two more follow as Merak’s body collapses, falls to the ground and dissolves.
He does not remember much of what happens next. Shots are fired at him, but someone drags him out, into their spaceship, away from the chaos. There he meets CAPELLA, an energetic trigger-happy pilot, who greedily snatches the lamp Brim has been clutching out of his hands, smashes it open and reveals a ruby emitting an ominous dark light.
He soon learns that he has thrown himself into a conflict that spans far beyond his solar system. Now Cepheus wants him imprisoned, the dark side wants him dead, and if he is to believe Capella, the stars are hungry for blood.
And as much as he does not want to admit it, he’s going to need some help.
characters |
RASMUS and BRIM—half man, half bear-cat; this duo found their niche in the interplanetary black marketsmuggling antiques. Though Rasmus’ withered heart has no place for another person, a bear-cat was the perfect fit. Now they are inseparable, roaming the stars, lying low to avoid any trouble. Though trouble has its way.
CAPELLA—growing up, she worshipped Cepheus’ pilots, causing her to join the academy where she quickly rose to the top of her class. She was later expelled when caught sneaking around the headmistress’ office at midnight. Though if what she found that night is true, she wouldn’t want to be anywhere near them. Unless she was there to burn it all down.
YOUSSEF—when his life-long dream of becoming a poet doesn’t work out, he turns to the academy, finding harmony in the humming of the engines he maintains. When he catches wind of Capella’s expulsion, he can’t help himself from going after her, hoping that her gunfire will illuminate the way just like the heroes in his stories.
GUIYING—heir to one of the richest houses in the galaxy, only to throw it all away in a game of starsnap. As a punishment, she is sent away to an unimportant solar system in the galaxy’s outer rim, where she spends every single moment plotting her revenge. Revenge on whom, you may ask? On everyone.
A random snippet from my sci-fi novel starpath, featuring a grumpy intergalactic antiques dealer and his red panda, supported by a trigger happy pilot, a disgraced aristocrat and a poet-turned-engineer.This snippet takes place somewhere in the third/fourth act.
The group stand huddled around the control panels. The brig is comically large, the few panels and workstations barely enough to fill a tenth of the room. Its walls extend out into the darkness, where technicolour lights shimmer in the distance, resulting in nothing more than faint starlight. The sun’s red light mingles with the darkness like brushstrokes. “You sure you can fly this, bug?” Guiying says, kicking against the panel. Capella leans forward onto the control panel. “Just because it’s three hundred times bigger than a starfighter, you think I can’t fly it?” Guiying looks over to Capella and shrugs. “I’ve found the reactor,” Youssef’s voice says through their earpieces. “Let me know if something … explodes or something.” Before anyone can raise concerns metal cries echo throughout the ship. The floor vibrates, rumbling loudly, protesting, before settling into a soft hum. The panels in front of them buzz to live, cyan holograms claiming the empty space between them, showing walls of numbers and data sprinkled around a model of the local solar system. “Well done kid,” Guiying says. “I’m older than you,” Youssef replies. “Biologically, yes.” Capella taps her earpiece and mutes it, taking in the screens with an awestruck admiration plastered over her face. She nods to herself, a grin from ear to ear. “We can get out of here,” she says, turning to Brim. “You ready?” Brim stands in front of the central panel, his tattered cloak almost regal in the crimson sunlight. He plucks a berry off his straw hat and feeds it to Rasmus, whose orange claws snatch it out of his hands and swallow it whole before standing up on Brim’s shoulder on his two back paws. He puts his front paws to his side, mimicking Brim who puts his hands back in his pockets. “We have a promise to break.”
The future of humanity lies in the capabilities of their AI. But when they’re discovered by a galactic civilization that outlaws artificial intelligence, can pilot Sylas keep his AI partner a secret? (x)
[ID: a book cover, front and back. The white text on a dark brown background reads “A Rival Most Vial: Potioneering for Love and Profit.” The author name is “RK Ashwick.” The text is set between two lines of potion bottles, all gray except for one blue and one yellow. The back cover reads “The art of running a potion shop and definitely not falling in love.” end ID]
Ok, I admit it, Canva is way too much fun. Highly recommend it as a procrastination tool.
Testing out a new title and subtitle! Thoughts? Feelings?
[ID: a digitally drawn banner. On the left, a man with light brown skin and dark curly hair holds a lute. Glowing blue flowers grow out of the lute’s sound hole. On the right, the text reads “The Stray Spirit.” End ID]
Emry Karic Learning™
Slightly ashamed to say I didn’t really nail this until draft 8, but better late than never, right?
Have some Emry for your Monday, from The Stray Spirit:
(no tw/cws)
Chapter 11
“Cal, you said something about a scholar,” Aspen said before Emry could respond with something unwise. “What is that? Is that like a student?”
Cal’s face smoothed out as soon as she looked away from Emry.
“Not really,” she explained gently. “I’m a student now, but I’m hoping to become an official Academy scholar within a few years.”
Aspen frowned. “So…what exactly is it?”
The annoyed spark simmering in Emry’s chest flared into words, fast and biting.
“It’s someone who has all the knowledge in the world and chooses to do nothing with it,” he snapped. “Someone who refuses to go out and actually use their talent. That’s what an Academy scholar is.”
Chapter 31
“And what about after that?” Dev swirled a spoon around his own teacup. “Surely you’ll be graduating from the Academy soon?”
“Oh.” Cal hesitated. “Not just yet. I’ve still got a few courses I’d like to take…”
Emry’s twinge of annoyance was brief this time—a dull spark, easy to shrug off. “What sort of classes are you looking to—”
Then Dev cut him off, dropping his spoon on the saucer with a clink. His eyes were locked on Cal. “Wait, I know where I’ve seen you.”
Cal narrowed her gaze over her own cup. “On campus?”
“No. Hasek’s election three years ago. You were a volunteer, weren’t you?”
It was Cal’s turn to choke on her tea as Dev continued blabbering.
“Yes, I thought I recognized your voice! Flyers at the square and all that, right? I recall someone beating the opposition’s aide so soundly in a debate, I thought they were going to cry. The victor was you, wasn’t it?”
Cal looked as if she wanted to sink into the discarded jackets covering the couch.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said sharply.
“No, no, it was definitely you!” Dev had resumed his circular pacing, while she remained in place. “Your stance was on maximum working days, wasn’t it? Too bad Hasek didn’t actually believe all that campaign talk…” He slurped his tea. “So what on earth are you still doing at the Academy?”
Emry’s annoyance flared, but not towards Cal.
“Studying what she wants to,” he cut in, his words as edged as hers. “Now, I believe Cal wanted to go through the presentation one more time?”
[ID: a digitally drawn banner. On the left, a man with light brown skin and dark curly hair holds a lute. A glowy red rose grows out of the lute’s sound hole. On the right, the text reads “The Spirit Well.” End ID]
WIP Intro: The Spirit Well (sequel to The Stray Spirit)
[spoilers for The Stray Spirit below]
Logline
A bard and a forest spirit form a band (badly) and get into politics (badly).
Blurb
The Auric Guild is not what it seems.
After saving the province from a magical apocalypse, Emry and Aspen move into the city as Guild members, hoping to live life as simple bards.
But when spirits begin to wake up all over the country, the Guild reveals its true mission: uphold peace between the provinces. Its old guard of musicians once doubled as spies, ambassadors, and propaganda artists, hiding their actions behind song and smiles. And as the world struggles to adapt to the existence of spirits, Emry and Aspen must take on the mantle.
They quickly pull together a rag-tag musical troupe and accompany Council aide Cal on a political negotiation across the border. Here, province leaders eye spirits as fresh pawns, spirit cultists claw for power, and a familiar scientist tempts both with a dangerous discovery about the source of the apocalypse.
And while this scientific revelation threatens to tear the provinces apart, Emry and Aspen come together with a dangerous experiment of their own: how far can the limits of spirit possession be stretched?
The Basics
This is the sequel to The Stray Spirit, making it book #2 in the Lutesong Chronicles! Expect more music, more spirit magic, and of course, more Emry, Cal, and Aspen.
New Characters
A Guild member is nothing without his troupe. Here are the three new musicians, hand-picked from the Vornik music scene.
Let’s hope they get along eventually.
Sage: she/they, singer & fiddler. Words flow out of her mouth as easily as breath- for better and for worse. Adores pastels, tea, and smiling.
Everett: she/her, drummer. Life of the party both on stage and off it. Life’s not much without booze and pretty ladies, amirite?
Ivan: he/him, bagpiper. Old, wrinkled widower, only happy when playing music and reading. Just leave him alone and you’ll get along just fine.
My pinned post will have links to the WIP intro page. I also have a taglist! If you want to get notifs for artwork, snippets, and writing updates, please ask/DM/reply to join.
Adding the TSS taglist here- will probably just turn into the series taglist, if folks are okay with it:
Me: I’m almost done this chapter! I just need the last line!
*one week passes*
Me:Finally, I have found the perfect ten (10) words to end this chapter!
So yeah, the final teensy weensy bit really kicked my ass for some reason.
What’s Different?
Chapter Summary: Cay wakes up from getting knocked out in Chapter 2 and we learn about his living situation with the Charmer siblings, Jack and Ev.
This is kind of a ~plotless~ chapter. It’s more focused on developing Cay’s side of the story, putting down a nice solid basis to build off of, etc.
Changed:
> I have this really bad habit of always forgetting what happens to the characters in the previous chapter and retaining that continuity. In this chapter, I totally forgot Cay had a bad nosebleed in the last chapter and now should have dried blood on his face and clothes. It’s a small thing, really, BUT I found theeeee perfect place to fit this piece of info into the chapter. There’s a moment where Cay and Jack are left alone while Ev goes to deal with something, and originally they’re just sitting there……awkwardly……..but now I changed it so Jack helps him clean the blood off his face during this time :^)
Added:
> I focused a lot on describing where Cay lives with the Charmers, something that was super lacking in the previous draft (probably because I couldn’t figure out how to explain it without it sounding boring lol). They live in this pair of connected space escape shuttles, one serving as their living quarters, one serving as a clinic that Jack runs. I added a lot more detail describing what the interior looks like, specifically the living room and the bathroom.
> This is actually an addition to a previouschapter, but it was a change that needed to be made so that something in thischapter would make sense. I added a part where Cay’s aepid (pterosaur) gets hurt trying to protect him from feral animals. How to make someone’s guilt complex worse 101.
> Generally, I just hinted more at Cay’s Tragique Past™. I haven’t talked much about this before, but basically his little brother died five years ago and he blames himself deeply for it :^( He was supposed to have died that day too, but he was instead rescued by Ev and nursed back to health by her and Jack, so…..add survivor’s guilt to his list of suffering.
> Also added more lore for worldbuilding! And that will be today’s excerpt.
The Stillness started with Skiara. She had been unjustly slain, her blood scattered across the sky, and as punishment to mankind, the world was to end. For six days it stood still, no sunrises, no sunsets, only a flat grey sky. Water springs turned dry, and crops withered away. The people prayed for forgiveness—they burned the last of their food as offerings, allowed themselves to starve, and only in this display of remorse did the gods take pity.
Cay closed his eyes and imagined the path of the dead. He imagined walking toward the horizon, where the red arc met the ground, and when he reached the end of the world, Skiara was there, hands outstretched as she welcomed him into the land of the dead. His parents stood in the distance, holding Jamie’s little hands, so far away they were blurred by the wind and stardust. Cay wanted to run to them, dive into their arms, but he couldn’t. He remembered the promise he had made to Jamie. I’ll protect you. I’ll keep you safe. He couldn’t bear the disappointment in his parents’ eyes, or the hatred in Jamie’s. I’m sorry, he would say. I’m so, so sorry, but no amount of remorse would change what happened.
So in the end, he only whispered, “Happy birthday, Jamie.”
The chapter will probably need another polish pass, but for now I’m gonna move back to Chapter 4, which I left in the middle of editing because I just could Not figure out how to go about it.
Chapter 5 marks the unofficial end of Act I. Instead of forging ahead to editing the rest of the book, I think I’ll make sure Act I is perfectly polished first, or else I’ll just be building the rest of the book off a flawed start, the very thing that ruined my writing process in draft 2.
C’est tout! It’s exciting to see this book coming together hehe.
Why I’m a Proud Quitter of Camp Nano (Writing Update)
☀ INTRODUCTION ☀
Here’s my first writing update in a while, because I thought I would finish the month. I didn’t finish, but I actually feel glad that I did.
☀ STATISTICS ☀
Projects I’ve worked on: The order of the Key, worldbuilding for The Order Trilogy
Proudest Accomplishment: Quitting Nanowrimo!
☀ COMMENTS ☀
I quit Nano for the sake of my WIP. I found I was rushing my goal just to fit a word count, and I wanted my editing to be detailed. I decided it wasn’t ready to edit yet, and I’ve focused on other writing. I’m doing an off-books, Camp Nano, which is where I just work on whatever I want without recording it.
I’m doing more worldbuilding for The Order of the Key because I wanted the world to be super detailed and be lush. I kind of wrote the first draft with barely any worldbuilding, so I’m trying to fill in the gaps.
I posted a fanfic online, which I’m super proud of. I’ve been wanting to work on more fanfic for a while and I’m glad it’s doing well and people and enjoying it.
I’m also working on more articles and content writing, which is also doing well online.
For Camp Nano July, I’ll probably work on my screenplay more and plan it.
☀ GOALS ☀
I actually have no goals. I just wanna vibe and worldbuild.
GENERAL TAGLIST (ask to be +/-; I’m just tagging people I’d consider to be mutuals of some sort)
to introduce you all to the characters of starpath,I will be posting six short scenes, each featuring a combination of two characters, similar to how I did this for farewell my eyjafjörður. I’ll also sprinkle in as much world building as I can. For the first one, enjoy a short conversation between Guiying and Youssef~
“Hey Guiying, what’s your starsign?” Youssef asks, the question barely able to sneak in between the sounds of his hammer slamming onto the hull. Guiying sits laid-back on a chair, her golden heels placed on the desk in front of her. “Starsign?” “You know, constellations, fatelights, stuff like that.” Guiying turns back to the dagger in her hands and continues to sharpen its edge. “Never heard of it.” Youssef takes off the steel mask and offers her a frown. “Really? I thought you’d be into those kind of things. They say the people of Earth used the stars to read their own fate. “Do you really believe what those priests say?” Guiyung says, her hand squeezing the handle of her dagger, veins showing their true nature. “Earth is just a fantasy. You shouldn’t let those zealots put ideas in your mind.” Youssef moves his hand to his chest, checking for the pendant underneath his shirt. “The fog back home prevented me from seeing the stars at night, so as a child I’d read all about the stars in the books of the old library. But since we don’t know where Earth was…” “You don’t know how they saw the stars either.” Youssef nods, the contemplation in his eyes quickly hidden away behind his mask. “Still, it gave me something to believe in.” “You see this?” Guiying says, failing to miss a beat. She holds her dagger in the pale synthetic glow, yellow light turning orange against the golden blade. “This is what I believe in.” A sigh escapes from Youssef’s vizier, as he turns back to the hull. “A snake through and through, I didn’t need to ask.” “A snake, huh…” Guiying says, inaudible, and grins.
What it is: NA “light grimdark” Fantasy I’m so bad a genres I’m sorry
Themes: friendship and trust, power, self-worth, loyalty, beauty, choice and responsibility, redemption
Story Overview: A blackmailed pit fighter defies her scheming parents and uncovers deadly secrets as she races to protect the stranger she was supposed to kill.
In an ancient desert city, Ailin is sent to assassinate a stranger. Instead, she fakes his death, struggling to learn why he was targeted with the help of a rescued forger. When her target is discovered alive, Ailin races to keep ahead of the new assassin coming for all of them. With time running out, and the city closing in, Ailin initiates a desperate plan to end the cycle of violence one and for all. In the aftermath, sand settles over a city forever changed, and Ailin assembles the pieces of a fresh start.
Time-touched Ailin’s body can sense what is about to happen to it in the seconds before it does. This, coupled with a lifetime of intensive combat training, has molded her into a deadly weapon. She reluctantly helps her parents hustle pit fights, deal with threats, gather information, and other such unscrupulous dealings. When they send her to assassinate a stranger, Ailin turns her back on her blood-soaked past for a dangerous rebellion against everything she’s ever known. As her old world closes in, Ailin must choose how far she’s willing to go to forge a new life.
For a lowly government clerk, Zaul holds far too many secrets. A talented forger, he has gained himself a large network of contacts, all on his side until he becomes too much of a threat. He’s beginning to suspect his hobby-turned-criminal-enterprise has gotten away from him, but he’s not as unprepared for the consequences as his enemies might think. With his own lineage of power, Zaul has one trick left that no one has ever discovered, and he hopes they never will.
Dymas has held the same job for the past 12 years, every day nearly identical to the one before, exactly as he likes it. He handles all channels of information between the Oracle and the outside world, and runs a tight, efficient department. But some of his staff may be attempting to undermine the Oracle, one of his clerks is definitely a criminal, and a strange pit fighter claims there’s a steep price on his head. With his nice neat life thrown into terrifying chaos, Dymas struggles to choose who to trust, and survive the strange new world of plots, assassins, and unknowns.
Status: Fully outlined, working on writing the outline draft (or “zero draft”)
[ID: two images. The first is of a watercolor bookmark, with a pale blue flower, green aspen leaves, and the text “The Stray Spirit.” The second is a digital drawing of a lute with flowers and vines growing from the rose. end ID]
thinking about pre-order giveaway stuff…
sorry the bookmark uploaded so big. but I was thinking about this bookmark and this lute sticker as pre-order giveaways for The Stray Spirit! thoughts?
[ID: a digital sketch of a woman against a marble-textured backdrop. She has light brown skin and black hair chopped at chin-length. She’s wearing a beige tunic, high-waisted brown pants, and is holding a red coat over her shoulder. end ID]
The Spirit Well: Everett the Drummer
she/her
early 20′s, if that
100% gay
shorty mcshort short
(I still may toy around with appearance and such, this is early stages)
Why play one drum when you can play five?
Everett’s unconventional drum set-up—complex, haphazard, insanely loud—has earned her a spot in the Auric Guild’s newest troupe, led by some kid named Emry Karic. She never much cared for the prestige of the Guild, but the money? The stages? The parties? Hell yeah, that’s what it’s all about.
