Wip Grim City Chronicles - Tumblr Posts
OC Outfit Tag!
Thanks for the tag, @kaylinalexanderbooks (here)! I'll go with some characters from Grim City Chronicles for this one because I happen to be inspired (and because finding proper pictures of outfits for my very high fantasy and space opera WIPs is a pain lol)!
Rules: post pictures of your OCs' outfits!
GRIM CITY CHRONICLES
Henri Brookes
Willem Wrightt
Ilya Nikitinov
Tagging (gently): @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
@topazadine, @thepeculiarbird, @clairelsonao3, @memento-morri-writes, @starlit-hopes-and-dreams and OPEN TAG
Oooh this is a cool idea, @thecomfywriter!!!! I'll go with Ilya Nikitinov and Gemma Arwyll from Grim City Chronicles - since they're (respectively) a con man and a talented thief who more often than not specialize in improvising lol.
Okay, let's see how they handle this (I'm assuming this is a heist where the characters want to get some sort of information/money or an Important MacGuffin from a secure location. Let's pretend they're stealing something from the Main Villain's manor in the story, just because it's more realistic for them, and it's the only thing I can think of lol - since they would never rob a bank)!
Part 1 - The Distraction
After making sure the dark mage is not home, they sneak in at night, after stealthily climbing over the high, vine-covered metal fences surrounding the manor's lands, and making their way through the cursed orchard toward the house proper, they devise a plan to distract the mage's enthralled servants - and given that some of those servants are undead, a simple distraction would do quite well to get them out of the way while the duo gets in and out. Using the book, Ilya ties the string around it, before drenching the book in oil and securing the fueled lantern to it. With one of the matches, he lights the improvised fuse (the string) on fire, and throws the contraption through a strategically chosen window - the book's weight will be heavy enough to break the glass, while the oil drenching it and the field lantern will ensure that a considerable fire spreads out once the lit fuse reaches it, which would hopefully keep the undead servants of the dark mage occupied for a while.
Part 2 - The Theft
While Ilya prepared the distraction for the servants, Gemma located a wall - on the opposite side of the manor - close enough to the room where they'd been told the vault was and started digging a hole in the wall using the enchanted shovel. Once it was done and big enough for both of them to climb through and the distraction was already in action, she beckons Ilya to follow her as they sneak into the actual manor through the hole she dug. Once inside, the duo silently make their way through the twisting maze of corridors made to confuse any and all outsiders in the manor and avoid any of the cursed furniture and living traps that might notice the invasion and consider them a threat. Finding the dark mage's office, they notice it remains guarded by two skeleton guards, who apparently hadn't moved from their stations even with the fiery distraction the duo caused across the manor. Ilya carefully throws the cup to cause noise in the far end of another corridor, and one of the guards goes to check it out, while one remains, though looking in the noise's direction. Twisting the Henley into a rope-like shape and stealthily sneaking behind the remaining guard, she swiftly wraps it around its bony neck and with one swift motion, snaps its neck and head clean off. She doesn't feel bad about it - for one, this is a corrupted skeleton working for their archnemesis, for two, it probably will get restored and "revived" later when its master returns. Meanwhile, Ilya quickly locked the door to the room the second guard had walked to, trapping the skeleton inside (and since these skeletons can't speak or scream, it won't alert the others). With the two guards out of the way, the duo rushes to pick the lock to the dark mage's study room. It takes a bit of hasty team effort, but eventually, they're able to turn two of the remaining wooden matches into improvised lock-picking tools but are unable to open the door - finding that the lock has been enchanted with a warding spell. Running out of time, they choose to use the enchanted shovel instead to carve a hole in the wall of the room, beside the door, and walking in.
Within the macabre study room, which is filled with specimens preserved in alcohol/chloroform, skulls, bloodied tools and creepy sigils & an undeath tome, the duo eventually finds the safe. It seems locked with a spell, but it is thankfully small enough that the two of them can realistically carry it. It takes them a lot of effort to pry it off the wall, eventually using the enchanted shovel to carve the metal safe out of the wall it had been embedded into, without damaging it. Outside, they can hear the trapped skeleton slamming against the door of the room it was locked into, the the groans of the other approaching undead servants getting closer - their distraction must have been dealt with. Gemma puts on the gloves - as not to risk touching something rotten or just getting into raw contact with dark magic - and also picks up the mage's undeath tome, placing it atop the safe they've just pulled from the wall so they can steal both things.
Part 3 - The Escape
Pushing the small but heavy safe closer to the room's window, Ilya uses it to brace himself in order to kick the window out. After one kick, the glass began to crack, and with a second and third kick, the window flew out in shatters. With the servants getting ever closer, the duo starts to lift the safe - though with considerable difficulty - until it is at the same height as the now broken window. With a combined effort, they place it on the windowsill and push it out, letting the armored safe tumble into the dead grass below. Despite it being a big fall, the metal safe remains unscathed. Now onto the tricky part. Having run out of their limited supplies, they must figure out how to get out through this window before the servants reach them. Gemma then has an idea! Running to the dark mage's creepy wooden desk, she picks up two sturdy-looking daggers, apparently reinforced with magic as well, and climbs out of the window - the plan is for them to use the daggers as tools to hold onto the cracked stone wall until they're close enough to the ground to jump down. She gives the daggers to Ilya, who goes first - climbing out of the window, he takes a second to steady himself, before nailing one of the daggers to a crack on the wall, and then the second one. He does this again and again like a rock climbing spider, before reaching the point where he can rip out both daggers and fall to the floor unharmed. Once there, he throws the daggers into the window where Gemma is waiting, and she climbs out of the window, using the daggers to climb down just as he did. Discarding the now-damaged enchanted daggers on the floor, the duo picks up the heavy safe and the undeath tome - and then scuttles off in the direction where they first came from, into the cursed orchard and then through the iron fences - with some difficulty given the carried weight - and then out of the manor ground and towards the grey beaten dirt street where their friend, Phyneas, is waiting for them in his dad's automobile, as their getaway driver. After shoving the enchanted safe into the car and clambering in, the group drives away, quickly leaving behind the cursed manor.
Tagging (in case they wanna try this out!) - @kaylinalexanderbooks, @oh-no-another-idea, @littleladymab,
@winterandwords, @eccaiia, @the-letterbox-archives, @the-golden-comet,
@clairelsonao3, @eccaiia and OPEN TAG
🦹♂️GAME- morreial's heist supplies 🦹♂️
While I lay there, waiting (I really did want those fruits), I scoured through my drawers, looking to collect all the necessary materials for this operation: a piece of string, a lantern, oil, matches, a book, a cup, an enchanted shovel, and a pair of gloves. And, of course, my navy blue Henley I found Caramel napping in the other day.
╚══ஓ๑♡๑ஓ══╝✧༺♥༻∞╚══ஓ๑♡๑ஓ══╝
tagging the TCW crew and all my followers to ask yall a goofy question: bolded above in blue are the tools Morreial uses in chapter 18 of Throne of Vengeance (ToV) to commit a heist of an armoured vault.
My question to y'all is-- how would you (or your ocs) use those supplies to commit the heist?
lmao this is so silly, but i'm curious, because editing me is reading this for the first time in months and i'm genuinely curious on how this man managed to pull this off when THIS is what he put in his toolbox.
Have fun!
✧༺♥༻∞
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Writing Share Tag! #1
Thanks for the tag, @wyked-ao3 (here)!
Let's go with a creepy lil snippet from Grim City Chronicles.
"Knock, knock, little dove, where are you," Came the haunting, sing-song voice somewhere behind the wall, stalking the corridor beyond it, mocking him.
Anatole kept himself pressed against the door, holding a hand over his own mouth to muffle any sounds that could come out unbidden. In his other, free, hand he held Renèe's amulet.
He'd never been more sure that he was going to die. Still, a part of him held onto the magic pulsing within the amulet, and that part of him forced him to not give up just yet. It's just that the figure hunting him wasn't about to give up either.
A door swung open somewhere further down the hall, and Anatole could hear the creature ruffling through that other room, looking for him. "Your friend" Cousin! Anatole corrected, in the back of his mind My cousin!, before the creature continued "He can't help you now. But maybe you could help him. I'll take you back to him. And you'll be together. Forever."
Anatole didn't like how that last word sounded - especially not since it came out of a ghoul summoned by a dark magician. Given its undertones, something about it told him that the 'forever' meant 'stuck-together-between-life-and-death'. And that was not one bit appealing.
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
@differentnighttale, @leahnardo-da-veggie
@wyked-ao3 and OPEN TAG
Roast Your OCs Tag!
Thanks for the tag, @urnumber1star (here)!
Rules: boil your OC down to their barest, most cliche, stereotypical essentials, and phrase it like a headline
Let's go with some of the cast of Grim City Chronicles, my Victorian/Edwardian historical fantasy WIP!
GRIM CITY CHRONICLES
Willem - Anxious seventeen-year-old indentured servant with severe self-esteem issues and a heart of gold, got involved with an insane sorcerer and now doesn't know what to do about the ✨consequences✨
Jesse - Sprightly little boy way too good for this world and who radiates Oliver Twist vibes in the best way
Vince - BREAKING NEWS: Angry local Victorian Era prostitute pretends he doesn't care about anyone other than himself and his cousin. But cares IMMENSELY
Peggy - Seemingly bubbly adorable girl whom everyone thinks is a historical version of a manic pixie girl but is actually much more than that. Also, she loves macabre, gothic things and has a bug collection.
Ilya - Chaotic con-man who also happens to be a musician - loves a good measure of troublemaking chaos and makes it everyone else's problem
Dasha - Hyperactive teenager obsessed with explosives and inventing new machines with clockwork. Will blow something up if too bored.
Gemma - American thief who moved to London and just wanted to have one normal day but ended up caught up in a whole conspiracy with a bunch of other young weirdos instead.
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 @thecomfywriter
@thepeculiarbird, @clairelsonao3, @memento-morri-writes, @starlit-hopes-and-dreams @amaiguri
@differentnighttale, @leahnardo-da-veggie
Roast Your OCs Tag!
Thanks for the tag, @urnumber1star (here)!
Rules: boil your OC down to their barest, most cliche, stereotypical essentials, and phrase it like a headline
Let's go with some of the cast of Grim City Chronicles, my Victorian/Edwardian historical drama/fantasy WIP!
GRIM CITY CHRONICLES
Willem - Anxious seventeen-year-old indentured servant with severe self-esteem issues and a heart of gold, got involved with an insane sorcerer and now doesn't know what to do about the ✨consequences✨
Jesse - Sprightly little boy way too good for this world and who radiates Oliver Twist vibes in the best way
Vince - BREAKING NEWS: Angry local Victorian Era prostitute pretends he doesn't care about anyone other than himself and his cousin. But cares IMMENSELY
Peggy - Seemingly bubbly adorable girl whom everyone thinks is a historical version of a manic pixie girl but is actually much more than that. Also, she loves macabre, gothic things and has a bug collection.
Ilya - Chaotic con-man who also happens to be a musician - loves a good measure of troublemaking chaos and makes it everyone else's problem
Dasha - Hyperactive teenager obsessed with explosives and inventing new machines with clockwork. Will blow something up if too bored.
Gemma - American thief who moved to London and just wanted to have one normal day but ended up caught up in a whole conspiracy with a bunch of other young weirdos instead.
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 @thecomfywriter
@thepeculiarbird, @clairelsonao3, @memento-morri-writes, @starlit-hopes-and-dreams @amaiguri
@differentnighttale, @leahnardo-da-veggie
🌈 Rainbow: What is your favorite character dynamic to write? Give us an example from your WIP!
Thanks for the tag!
I like a lot of character dynamics, lol.
But I would say that one of my favorites is the Sunshine & Moonshine, and its variants:
From What Lurks In The Hollow: Christine Nespor/Dylan Millihan (Chaotic Sunshine/Withdrawn Moonshine)
From Grim City Chronicles: Vince & Peggy (Angry, Desperate Sunshine who will Stab Someone & his bubbly yet disturbingly quiet Moonshine cousin)
From Arrow of Nightfall: Isolte & Kiaran (Anxious Sunshine/Emotional Wreck Moonshine)
From Supernova Initiative: Jack Tithus & Deimos Soll (Selflessly Self-Destructive Sunshine & Gult-Ridden Morally Grey Moonshine)
Etc!
What is the most common trauma you give your characters? The one that most/many of them have. For example abandonment issues, survivor's guilt, something along those lines
Thank you so much for the ask, @an-indecisive-nerd!!!
Sorry for the late response btw - these past two weeks were really tough on me due to the fact I was anemic AND had a really bad flu, but now that I'm 100% back to health I'm ready to catch up with my asks and tags lol
I think a few of the most common traumas my characters face in my books are the following (mostly because I'm a whump enjoyer but also because those things are really plot relevant too):
Familial Loss - Most of my Main Characters have suffered some kind of familial loss in their past. A lot of them don't have their parents and if they have the good one is usually dead and the bad one is hunting them. Examples of this in my stories include: the Millihan siblings from WLITH lost both of their parents at a young age, Savvy Hahn from WLITH lost her half-brother to a brutal kidnapping when she was six, Adahm Ryker from Scrapyard Boys lost his childhood best friend when he was 12, Kaelan Brimcaste from Arrows of Nightfall lost his older brother and only guardian he ever had to an execution, and so on.
Poverty and Oppression- Many if not most of my MCs have suffered poverty in their past. In Grim City Chronicles Willem and his brother are street urchins in a Victorian Era-inspired city, Vince became a common prostitute to pay the bills and his cousin Peggy is a thief, and Ilya is a conman renowned for swindling nobles. Most of the characters from Scrapyard Boys suffered from various forms of poverty plus they live in a cyberpunk dystopian regime that is infamous for its oppresive and murderous tendencies. In Supernova Initiative, before Jack and Cassie Tithus became the richest and most wanted intergalactic thieves in the galaxy, they were just common street urchins in a backwater moon that was swamped by crime of all kinds. Even in WLITH - though NOT to the same extent as the other books, since the MCs in this book do have some stability - the Millihan siblings aren't exactly well off and Dylan often has to have 3 jobs just to pay the bills and settle their grandmother's debts that are still in their name.
Torture and/or Major Injuries: Many, many, many characters in my medieval high fantasy stories (Arrows of Nightfall, Realms of Loss, The Last Wrath, Crooked Fable, etc) AND in my science fiction stories (Scrapyard Boys, Plague of Tomorrow, Supernova Initiative) at one point or another of the story undergo some form of torture or continuous injury at the hands of their enemies.
Abandonment Issues & Betrayal - Though not as prevalent as the other traumas above, a lot of the cast from many of my WIPs has some form of abandonment issues. Erin Niemand from WLITH has very much unresolved abandonment issues due to her mother blatantly walking out on the family after cheating on Erin's dad. Adrien Rosetrom from Scrapyard Boys was literally kicked out from home and abandoned by his grandparents when he was 15. Victor Moreau in Grim City Chronicles was betrayed and shunned by his best friends when he was turned into a vampire at the age of 20, and lost his son to a monster hunter his so-called 'friends' sent after them a few years later.
Sexual Harassment: To a lesser extent (this time probably as some form of catharsis for my inner child 😭lol, but I'm fine btw) but still there, a few, specific characters in my WIPs have suffered some form of harassment or even, unfortunately, assault. Dylan Millihan in WLITH is stalked by a 50-year-old cougar (Mrs. Adelaide Draycott) who is disturbingly enamoured with him and wants to get the 23-year-old to fall in love with her or at least sleep with her at all costs, which she luckily fails at everytime but is still harassment. Adrien Rosetrom (Scrapyard Boys) has been catcalled, received inappropriate touches/groping or even snide comments from multiple men in clubs throughout the years due his job as a stripper - and the same applies to Vince in Grim City Chronicles but to a worse extent. (Also in Scrapyard Boys) It is implied Adahm Ryker suffered some form of assault by Dr. Gladys from the PHANTOM Labs when he was a teen, though any details are unclear. In the same WIP Karima Sallow offhandedly mentions that Caroline Tarych and her husband James both had a grooming-like attitude towards her before the Tarychs massacred House Sallow.