Character Poll Tag!

Character Poll Tag!

Thanks for tagging me @urnumber1star (here)!

Rules: Make a poll with five of your all time favorite characters and then tag five people to do the same. See which character is everyone's favorite!

I'll go with some of my characters from my WIPs!

Actual Tagging: @ray-writes-n-shit @kaylinalexanderbooks @the-golden-comet @oh-no-another-idea @thepeculiarbird

Supernova Initiative Taglist (-/+): @ray-writes-n-shit, @sarandipitywrites, @lassiesandiego, @smol-feralgremlin, @kaylinalexanderbooks,

@saturnine-saturneight @diabolical-blue @oh-no-another-idea

@cakeinthevoid, @clairelsonao3, @sleepy-night-child

@thepeculiarbird

Let me know if you'd like to be added!

OC Origins Tag!

Thanks for tagging me, @kaylinalexanderbooks (here)!

Let's go with Valen Cassidy (from Scrapyard Boys) and Kye Thalax (from Supernova Initiative)!

Rules: talk about the origins of the names and personalities (and maybe even the design?) of a couple of your OCs!

VALEN CASSIDY

Valen is actually inspired by a couple of things! Firstly, I was thinking about making a Mutant Inquiries (one of my WIPs) spin-off for a while now, and I wanted the MC of this spinoff to feel different from the soft, gentle, easy-going, and introverted MC of Mutant Inquiries (Matthias Harke). So I kinda did a 180° and went with a more aggressive, brash, anger-prone, impulsive, extroverted character - kinda the antonym of Matthias. Valen was also, initially, inspired by some side characters from some of my favorite TV shows and movies, as I thought "Hm, it would be interesting to have a character like that as an MC rather than a side character", so here some aspects of Valen's initial design and personality were born and then developed into something unique. Valen's journey of learning to heal and grow as he learns to channel his energy onto more productive and healthy coping mechanisms rather than succumbing to his anger issues, and learning to be calmer, is also rather cathartic. I think that's one of the reasons why I love writing this character so much!

KYE THALAX

Kye originally wasn't in the first version of Supernova Initiative's first draft, like at all. However, as I started developing the final versions of an outline for this WIP, I started to realize this story needed a tad more internal tension in the main crew and that Artemis' character needed a foil since he is going to become more relevant later on in the story. So, I came up with the character backstory and personality for Kye. In some ways, his story mirrors Artemis' own, while also opposing it:

both were raised by their fathers and witnessed their brutal deaths as young kids, but while Artemis is somewhat at peace with his father's fate and doesn't actually want revenge, rather wants to keep his father's memory and legacy alive, Kye never got over it, and became a bitter and dangerous person whose mindset is almost completely zeroed in on revenge.

while Artemis' mother was actually caring and well-intentioned (she spent nearly a lifetime looking for him after she lost track of him as a teen and never intended to have left him, and eventually does reunite with him now as a grownup and spends most of her arc making it up for her absence), Kye's mother was actually a vain, cruel, warmongering woman who only cared about her political cause and destroying the Junction (she is also directly tied to the very much untimely death of Kye's father, and was a pretty toxic/abusive partner even before that).

Artemis's personality is withdrawn, angsty, sarcastic, brash, funny, overprotective, warm, and fiercely loyal. Kye's personality is dangerously seductive, emotionless to strangers, sharp but oftentimes too literal, awkward, unpredictable, cold/calculating plus his loyalty is weak and fickle. They are pretty much antonyms to each other in every way despite being similar in other ways.

Tagging (gently): @sleepy-night-child, @kaylinalexanderbooks, @smol-feralgremlin, @oh-no-another-idea, @littleladymab,

@winterandwords, @eccaiia, @sarahlizziewrites, @illarian-rambling

@agirlandherquill, @anoelleart, @ray-writes-n-shit

@the-golden-comet, @writernopal, @anyablackwood, @unstablewifiaccess, @forthesanityofstorytellers

@i-can-even-burn-salad, @cakeinthevoid

@lassiesandiego, @thepeculiarbird, @clairelsonao3, @memento-morri-writes, @starlit-hopes-and-dreams and OPEN TAG

OMG I LOVE THEM BOTH! Their designs are super cool! @the-golden-comet

OC Picrew!

Thanks for tagging me @oh-no-another-idea (here)!

(picrew maker here)

Behold Jack Tithus (red-haired picrew) and Valen Cassidy (blond picrew), from Supernova Initiative and Scrapyard Boys respectively!

Tagging (gently): @sleepy-night-child, @kaylinalexanderbooks, @smol-feralgremlin, @oh-no-another-idea, @littleladymab,

@winterandwords, @eccaiia, @sarahlizziewrites, @illarian-rambling

@agirlandherquill, @anoelleart, @ray-writes-n-shit

@the-golden-comet, @writernopal, @anyablackwood, @unstablewifiaccess, @forthesanityofstorytellers

@i-can-even-burn-salad, @cakeinthevoid

@lassiesandiego, @thepeculiarbird, @clairelsonao3, @memento-morri-writes, @starlit-hopes-and-dreams and OPEN TAG

Writing Share Tag!

Thanks for tagging me @the-golden-comet (here)!

I'll go with a snippet from The Forgotten Ones - namely the beginning of the flashback to the day the Iron Inquisition invaded the continent and Sorin escaped the bloodshed.

TW. Medieval siege of a city, bloodshed, medieval warfare

[...] Screams echoed, ubiquitous, and the familiar clang of metal against metal sent chills down her spine. Sorin sprung to her feet, pushing past harried servants running down the hall,  practically throwing herself against the parapets of the balcony to overlook the chaos below. Citizens, traveling merchants, and nobles alike raced down the once peaceful streets, fleeing from enemy soldiers, clad in armor unlike she’d ever seen before. And the sights she saw, were incinerated into her mind forever - people dragged from their homes, parents killed in front of their children. A woman, trying to escape her pursuers, throws herself out of a window in a panic, falling dead and broken on the ground below. 

The overwhelming scent of smoke and blood filled her nostrils as the winds raged around the Keep, the smell of destruction pungent even from a distance. Fire roared in the distance, and tearing her eyes away from the bloodshed in the streets below, Sorin saw that the city walls - once considered unbreakable - were toppling down, consumed by flames that seemed to reach for the skies, filling the air with tar-like soot.

Sorin's hands shook, holding the parapets in a white-knuckled grip for a moment more before pushing herself away from it. Taking a deep breath, the girl steadied herself - those soldiers would inevitably reach the Keep. Sorin’s heart was racing, anger, and hatred mixing together in the worst possible way. 

As chaos continued to rage on, Sorin tried to steel herself and act - she was the daughter of the greatest warrior that had ever lived. Reikar blood flowed in her veins, the blood of the Elder Guardians. She was raised for this - she should, in theory, know what to do. But the soldiers below pushed forward, death spreading as fast as a hurricane, Sorin realized she was afraid, even though she tried to force it down. 

A loud boom echoed out, and the walls of the Keep shook. Sorin screamed, despite herself, falling to her knees and grasping at the floor to steady herself. After the tremor stopped, Sorin crawled to her feet, cautiously peeking over the parapets - down below, she saw a mechanic monstrosity, built out of raw iron and covered in glowing runes. It seemed like it was supposed to be some sort of battering ram, except much more powerful. More destructive. 

It hit the Keep’s iron gates with a force, rattling the walls once more, and before Sorin could even move, she heard the familiar whizzing of an arrow through the air and scrambled backward just in time to avoid being hit by it in the eye. It still scraped her cheekbone and drew a thin line of blood. “Fuck!”  Sorin cursed in anger, partly at herself for letting her guard down this badly. 

Sorin ran away from the balcony, into the Keep. And just in time. A rain of arrows surged in the horizon line, clashing exactly where she just stood - apparently, the attack took out some of the guards who were lined up on the upper floor, because she saw one of them topple over the walls, dragged down by the weight of his armor and disappearing downwards. 

The tremors continued, insistent, as she ran down the corridor. Cracks began to show on the marble walls beside her, and she wondered how much longer the Keep would hold. Finally reaching her room, Sorin was only able to collect her broadsword and a travel cloak before a deafening crash thundered through her surroundings - looking over her shoulders, she saw that some of the corridor’s wall had toppled and that the soldiers had managed to breach the Keep’s gates below. The additional clashing of metal and bloodcurdling screams that joined the ominous cacophony confirmed her suspicion. 

Pushing herself up on her bed, Sorin didn’t waste a second. She had to get out of there before the soldiers reached the upper floor. She had to… Dread interrupted her thoughts, her heart sinking. Arion. She had to find him - her lover was no fighter. He was a mage, yes, but not a warrior, and his sister was but a child. If those soldiers found the duo… Sorin shuddered at the thought, feeling faint. 

Dragging herself to her feet with determination, her fingers wrapped around the hilt of her broadsword with a deathly grip, Sorin raced to the corner of her room, where she knew a secret passage was hidden. Her father had been prepared, made sure that should something like this happen, she would be able to get away - Sorin only wished his caution had been only a father’s overprotective paranoia, and that this wouldn’t have become a reality,

But still, she couldn’t be more thankful for that caution now. 

On the corridor outside, among fallen marble stones and crumbling dust, she saw a servant girl scramble to get across. Sorin opened her mouth to call the girl in, to help her escape alongside her, but she was already out of sight by the time Sorin managed to collect her thoughts. 

Saddened, Sorin wished hat the servant girl would find another way out, though the rational, treasonous part of her mind whispered that it was unlikely. Shaking her head, Sorin reached behind her wardrobe and, with some effort, managed to topple it, revealing more of the stone wall behind it - most notably, one of the stones was salient, standing out amidst the others. Without a second thought, she pushed it, and after a daunting second, the wall began to split, revealing a dusty old staircase, cracked by time and lack of use, on the other side. 

Sorin straightened herself, slipping the travel cloak over her shoulders and readjusting her grip on her sword. The sounds drew closer, haunting, and Sorin practically leaped down the stairs, looking over her shoulder a few times. 

She only hoped Arion and his sister hadn’t been caught in the crossfire already, as she quickened her pace down the stairs. [...]

Tagging (gently): @sleepy-night-child, @kaylinalexanderbooks, @smol-feralgremlin, @oh-no-another-idea, @littleladymab,

@winterandwords, @eccaiia, @sarahlizziewrites, @illarian-rambling

@agirlandherquill, @anoelleart, @ray-writes-n-shit

@writernopal, @anyablackwood, @unstablewifiaccess, @forthesanityofstorytellers

@i-can-even-burn-salad, @cakeinthevoid

@lassiesandiego, @thepeculiarbird, @clairelsonao3, @memento-morri-writes, @starlit-hopes-and-dreams and OPEN TAG

Details for Historical/Fantasy Writing: Insights from a Reenactor

Writing is the main thing I do for fun, but I’m a multi-faceted lass with many hobbies, and I also do Roman reenactment. I find that by actually doing something, you learn things that aren’t possible through theoretical research alone, so here is a collection of small things I’ve noticed while reenacting that you could add to your writing for a bit of extra realism.

Loose long hair is ANNOYING. There’s a reason most depictions you’ll see of women in history show them with their hair up and/or covered, and that is pure practicality. Having hair in the way is a massive pain (this would be particularly true for working women with stuff to get done).

Repetitive tasks aren’t boring if you have someone to chat to. When we do events, I’m in the textiles tent, and as the most junior member of the team I’m the one who does the spinning. Most events are 10-4/5, and you’d think 6/7 hours of spinning (with a break for lunch) would be boring, but actually, once you’re practiced you can do it on autopilot while you natter! I’m sure this is how people managed samey tasks back in ye olde days.

Speaking of spinning, working with textiles leaves its mark. If you’ve been spinning, sewing, or weaving for a long time, you’ll feel it. It knots up your shoulders and, perhaps less obviously, the friction of fibre against your fingers can wear away just enough skin to make them tender. Thimbles help with sewing, but not spinning or weaving.

Wool is WONDERFUL. I love it. It has a reputation as being scratchy and itchy, but when it’s finely woven/spun it is fantastic to wear. It keeps you cool when it’s hot, and warm when it’s cold. It also has the fantastic property of keeping you insulated even when soaking wet, which is why wool cloaks are so brilliant.

Linen is also wonderful. Lovely against the skin and cool in the summer (but for the average person in history, it’s more expensive than wool).

Woodsmoke gets everywhere. It stings your eyes and makes your clothes and hair smell smokey. However, after a little while the smell becomes just a background thing (and you get pretty practiced at anticipating when the smoke is going to change direction so you can move out of the way). It also keeps insects away!

Cooking over a fire takes longer than you’d think. If we start an event at 10 am, that means we’ll usually be having lunch at 1-2pm. However, we do have pretty elaborate meals, and have to start the fire from scratch every day (a lot of the wait time is getting the fire to cooking embers). If your characters are cooking simple fare over a fire that you’ve started from being banked, it’ll be quicker.

You want different footwear for different purposes. Hobnails give you great footing on soft/muddy ground, but on pavement they offer no purchase at all and will KILL YOU (okay, this is slight hyperbole, but there is an account of a centurion running from grass to pavement, slipping over and getting killed by his enemies). City wear would likely be leather and clogs/pattens.

CLOAKS CLOAKS CLOAKS! They are so versatile. They keep you warm, they keep you dry, they can be a blanket or an impromptu bag. Essential equipment in my view.

OC Questionnaire Tag!

Thanks for tagging me @alinacapellabooks (here)!

Your OC Questions:

How good is your sleep schedule?

Do you have any siblings? If so, how good is your relationship?

What was the toughest time you had to endure while growing up?

I'll go with Quince Warren, Jack Tithus, Valen Cassidy and Meridian Shardd!

(Quince & Valen are from Scrapyard Boys)

(Meridian & Jack are from Supernova Initiative)

1) How is your relationship with your parents?

Quince: "Well. I didn't know my parents very well, but I knew my uncle. He was a great guy - a bit arrogant and flashy, sure, but he was amazing. Uncle was a part of Team Nemesis, a superhuman team that was Spectre's sweetheart for a long while. Magmatorch - the most powerful superhero of his time. He pulled a few strings so that me and Emily didn't get sent to the Spectre Academy early on, but... that made him a target, after a while. So he's not around anymore, because the people in power couldn't control him."

Jack: "My parents were great! We were best friends, and they were quite honestly the best guardians anyone could ask for. Kind, understanding, funny, no-nonsense. They were killed by the Junction when I was a pre-teen, so it's been just me, my sister, and our adoptive brother against the world since then."

Valen: "Mom was the best, the most amazing woman in the world and the greatest journalist that this city ever had. She always knew what to say, and always had the funniest remarks! But then the so-called 'mugging' - that was actually an assassination - happened, she died and the city tried to pretend it wasn't a sanctioned hit to get rid of a loose end who was asking too many questions. Yeah right, as if my mother would ever go down without a fight! She was a tough cookie."

Meridian: "I don't have parents. I'm a sentient mix of flesh and electronic machinery - a sentient robot, or a cyborg if you will. Made from spare parts. I have - had - a Creator. She was awful."

2) What’s something you can’t live without?

Quince: "The people I care about - my sister, my friends, everyone I love! I don't want the Spectre ruining that too. On a lighter note, I also can't live without something fun to do, without pizza, and without music!"

Jack: "For sure my siblings and my crew. If there was something I could always count on, as uncertain and chaotic as our lives were, is that they'd always have my back. And I'll be damned if I don't do the same for them. I can live through almost anything if I'm sure they'll be okay."

Valen: "Freedom. I hate fuckers who want to tell me how to do and when to do it - around here, the government thinks it has the right to control every aspect of citizen's lives and I hate that with all my heart. They don't get to manipulate everyone and act like that's okay - and I don't want me and my friends having to grovel at the feet of a bunch of motherfuckers who couldn't care less if we live or die."

Meridian: "I'm not certain. But I would say that something I would not like to give up is my autonomy and dignity. I wasn't treated as a person for a long time, mostly because most people saw me as a pretty machine and nothing else. And my Creator enabled that. So now that I'm finally free, I don't want to become a mindless robot again."

3) What’s something that happened in your childhood that you didn’t fully understand until you grew up?

Quince: "I guess that as a kid I didn't get just how corrupt and dangerous our country's government is and was. Like, I was the nephew of the nation's number one hero. Everything was press conferences, fan conventions, private jets, VIP lounges, etc. We were practically movie stars, as far as I knew. Everyone loved us - and it wasn't like the Agency's dirty work was out in the public. I had no idea about it, their publicity was perfect, and for a while, I genuinely thought they wanted to do what was best for the people of this city. What I didn't realize is that Uncle and us were merely puppets for the agency, and if we walked out of line there would be consequences. When I found out the real truth behind the existence of the Spectre Academy and Agency, it was too late."

Jack: "I'm not quite sure (chuckles). For real, I don't think I know how to answer this question."

Valen: "Like what? I wasn't a dumbshit - pretty much nothing went unnoticed. I was always a perceptive kid, and that was a blessing and a curse. Still, being clever is the difference between living to see the next week or ending up dead in a ditch when you're on the run from a bunch of crazy fuckers in suits."

Meridian: "Um. I was never a kid. I was 'born' - or rather made - to look as a young adult. Since I'm made of artificially organic material, I do actually age - but much slower than actual humans. So I can only age from my current self and forward, but I was never a kid."

Tagging (gently): @sleepy-night-child, @kaylinalexanderbooks, @smol-feralgremlin, @oh-no-another-idea, @littleladymab,

@winterandwords, @eccaiia, @sarahlizziewrites, @illarian-rambling

@agirlandherquill, @anoelleart, @ray-writes-n-shit

@the-golden-comet, @writernopal, @anyablackwood, @unstablewifiaccess, @forthesanityofstorytellers

@i-can-even-burn-salad, @cakeinthevoid

@lassiesandiego, @thepeculiarbird, @clairelsonao3, @memento-morri-writes, @starlit-hopes-and-dreams

@wyked-ao3 and OPEN TAG