I Don’t Know Either Of These Cities, But Let’s Help Out A Fellow Writer!

Summer update

Tomorrow, I am leaving to enjoy a three week holiday, with a notebook, but without internet. I will be out of reach for a while, but do keep sending me messages and requests! Everything I have received so far has made me very happy, and I do believe it will continue that way :D. When I get back, I’ll start with the first in line. Have a great summer, everybody!

A moodboard for ‘Moe‘ by @whatdoyoumeantheresonly3episodes. I hope this fits the character you have in mind!   Requests for OC aesthetics are open

Exploring rural forests

- Bring a flashlight. Bring an extra battery. Bring another battery. Bring your headphones. Do not bring a camera.

- Set out after rain. It cleans the air.

- If a tree falls in your peripheral, it's a warning. Be careful, you only get one.

- If a tree falls right in front of you, something is out to kill you, and something wants to protect you.

- Those hooves you hear? Don't go looking, it's not a deer.

- You might get the urge to take your shoes off. Allow yourself to give in, if you are feeling reckless. However, no matter how familiar the ground seems, don't let it touch your ankles. Make sure you remember your name. Not all trees are born from seeds.

- The man with the dog does have eyes. He just shares them.

- If you come across a field with cows, check the height of the grass. Does it grow above your knees? Make haste. Do not dwell on the question what the cows have eaten instead.

- You might hear your own steps echoed in the bushes. Looking will not help you. There is nothing there to see.

- It's not thunder, it's moaning. You are lucky their pain is keeping them occupied.

- If you visit the abandoned house, don't close the door behind you.

- You can rest on a fallen trunk, but do not eat. You can lay your bag on a picknick bench, but remain standing.

- The carved signs are not meant for you.

- Horses do not step in puddles for they fear they will break a leg. Horses do not step in puddles for they fear they will be dragged under.

- The shadow is not that big, it's just closer than you think.

- The rolling fields look wonderful. Don't stay for the sunset.

HI! can you tell me about your fave oc? or first oc, or both? Maybe 1,3 and 14 for the questions.

Thanks so much for the questions! (I amgetting around to your moodboard as soon as I got my other laptopback :')) I will assume Cultor was my first real OC, becauseit's a little unclear when this all started, but all the others Iremember where either very vague or just me with a different name. Ican hardly choose a favorite OC, so I will just take the maincharacter of my currect WIP (who I do love, so there's that) ^^. 1.What was the first element of your OC that you remember considering(name, appearance, backstory, etc.)?First OC: I think thefirst thing I considered about Cultor was his race. He's a characterfrom a fantasy, and I made up a population group that was sort ofmaginalized. They consisted of people that were 'mixed': half humanand half elf, one/fifth troll and three quarters dwarf, that sort ofthing. For this story I made up a specific mythical being, which wascalled will-o'-the-wisp but was somethingnot-quite-feary-not-quite-human. His father was a human, his mothersuch a will-o'-the-wisp. Favorite OC: The first thing I found out about Tungsten was his dislike towards leaving stuff behind. His father works in a antique store and hegrew up surrounded by things that had once been precious, but werenow broken, forgotten and gathering dust. He would rather live a lifeon the outskirts of society, leaving no traces.  

2. How did you choose their name?First OC: Because I was eleven andstill believed all things have meaning, I looked up Latin words withtranslations that fitted Cultor as a person. If I remember correctly,his name means 'friend'. Favorite OC: Funny thing, becausethis whole story started with Tungsten's name and the names of histo-be friends. Sometime in the middle of high-school, I found this list in my chemistry book with theEnglish names of the first discovered elements. I am Dutch, so I didnot know these English names, and they struck me as quite beautiful.For some reason I thought they would make amazing stage names for agroup of traveling artists; the idea stuck, and here we are.    14. If you had to narrow it down to 2 things that you MUST keep inmind while working with your OC, what would those things be?FirstOC: Well, Cultor's father was the badguy (I was such an originalchild *ahum*), so his mental struggle about fighting his own dad waspretty important. The other would be his protective nature; he'sabout sixteen in the story, but he thinks himself quite an adult andhe is convinced he has to look out for everyone. Favorite OC:Tungsten's main goal is to find his place between the band of artistshe has just joined, so most of his actions are motivated by that.Further I think it's important to know that though he's quiet andshy, this never stops him from doing what he wants to do, tremblinghands and all.Thanks so much again!  

I was tagged by the amazing @pen-for-sword. Thanks a lot! 1. Who has the darker backstory, your protagonist or your antagonist? My protagonists (all of them). My antagonists are usually motivated by a false sense of what is right, rather than a dark backstory.

2. What creeps out your main character? Tungsten is creeped out by old, empty buildings full of cobwebbs and memories. Tin dislikes superstition and the idea of bad omens or spirits. She freaks out about stuff she can't fend off with her hands. Silver doesn't deal too well with closed spaces; he needs to know he can get on the road when he wants to. Phosphore can get anxious in big groups of people.  

3. How long have you been working on your latest WIP? Since december 2016.

4. Which character is most like you and why? I suppose I gave all of the Elements some of my characteristics and made them wholly unlike me in others. But if I had to choose one, I'd say I am a combination of Tungstens unease and will to travel and Bismuths instinct to nurture.

5. What genre is your latest WIP? Historical fantasy.

6. What’s your main character’s idea of a perfect date? Tungsten would like something simple, quiet and sweet. Maybe a walk in a pretty forest or watching a sunset while holding hands.  

Silver has a hard time being vulnareble enough to actually date anyone, so if he did, he would love something that proves to him his partner has put thought and effort into it. Something with style and grace, like a surprise-diner in a fancy restaurant.

Phosphore would like to visit a museum, stroll around silently, and have a cup of coffee afterwards to discuss the art and maybe life.  

Tin is the hardest to satisfy with a date. She would want to do something unconventional and no-nonsens, like join a protest mars. It's more about getting to know someone right away than being romantic.  

7. If your main character was an animal, what would it be and why? Tungsten would be a bunny: small, soft, nervous and impossible to dislike. Silver would be a cat. He wants all of your attention and love, but the moment you get close to actually pat him, he puts out his claws and hisses. Phosphore is a swan: solemn, beautiful and serene. Tin would be a guard dog. She is loyal to those who need her to be loyal, but any threath can be sure to be bitten. And she does not bother to hide that dangerous side.  

8. What books/films/songs have influenced your WIP, if any? Though the story has nothing to do with it anymore, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them did spark my first idea of the atmosphere. The soundtrack also helped a great deal.  

9. What annoying writing habit do you have? (ie, too many commas, too many looong sentences etc). I can't properly connect one scene to the other, so I always end up with a list of two-page scenes instead of a seamless story.

10. Describe your WIP in one sentence. Eleven run-away magicians and artists attempt to live at the edge of society, but get caught up in a Romantic rebellion instead

I am tagging @dreamsofbooksandmonsters, @anightravensecho, @ladyliliana, @temporarysentences​, @authorisada and @andtheotherwriter. Don’t bother if you don’t feel like it!

I write historical fantasy, with a cast containing gay, bi and nonbinary characters.

Smash heteronormativity and cisnormativity in fiction blog masterlist!

Sci-fi

@albatris Sci-fi short fiction with a variety of lgbtqai+ characters, equal part humor and serious themes.

@kioskwrites Science Fiction and Fantasy without straight characters at all.

@perringcentral both Science Fiction and Fantasy with LGBT characters.

@knightedwriter Sci-fi (Contact), Fantasy (The Moon’s song) and WIP (Death’s name) featuring queer characters as leads (including a non binary and a trans characters) and lgbt+ relationship.

@morrigans-ink-0124 Sci-fi book (Aerium) that features two pansexual, polyamorous characters, a genderfluid, aroace and a bisexual characters.

Fantasy and Paranormal

@justaprettylittlesoulwriter Vampires, werewolves and paranormal WIP in general with racially diverse lgbtqai+ characters.

@ziggy-writes-stuff Alchemy steamfantasy WIP with an almost all lgbtqai+ cast, with racially anc culturally diverse characters.

@elliot-orion Fantasy and Urban fantasy with lgbt and polyamorous characters.

@authorisada stories with ace (Council of Thieves) as well as other lgbt (Curse of the Crimson Throne: Courtesan) main characters.

@cog-writes High fantasy steampunk (MotU) with bi and ace protagonists, as a cast of lgbt+, POC and disabled characters.

@jmlascar Fantasy (Letters from the Underside) with an ace woman and a bi man as main characters, as well as with a lgbt+ diverse cast and romance.

@elle-ecrit-lamour LGBT Urban Fantasy and High Fantasy involving Angels and Demons.

@dancingdarklingwrites Fantasy that features primarily LGBTQ+ characters, polyamorous relationships and non-vanilla romances. Also own voices works as a non binary, genderfluid person.

@ejsmagazine Fantasy and Sci-fi full of LGBT+ characters, also on Wattpad and Fictionpress.

@nanaschreibt German writer of a book about a genderfluid magician.

Horror

@merlebaes-writing-resources Fantasy(The Demon apprentice), sci-fi, and horror writer (short stories), both of short stories and novel wips. A diverse LGBT+ and non-white cast is present in their work.

Action and Thriller

@lynnafred Superhero action story with a predominantly LGBT cast.

@panticwritten Supernatural thriller, but also variations of Fantasy and Fluffy, with a recurring agender, bisexual, greysexual and poly protagonist and a demisexual love interest.

General (or non specified by the author)

@writing-under-stars Fiction with Ace and lgbt character.

@pheita Stories and WIPs with mainly queer and heteronormativity defying character.

@scribble-dee-vee Fantasy and YA projects with sexuality, gender and race diverse character, plus resources on her blog.

@theguildedtypewriter a writembrl that focus both on LGBTQ+ and straight characters, trying to “use every color of our awesome fu****g Rainbow” 

@theocaddictscorner Not a single one of their characters is both Cisgender and heterosexual.

@gettingitwrite Various works that all feature LGBTQIA+ characters and a WIP (Rabid) with an ace persone and a lesbian woman as main characters, as well as queer background characters.

@ruejuge Most of their characters are on the LGBTQ+ spectrum, feature a bisexual main character and a mlm romance.

@jade-island-lives Most of their work involves LGBTQIA+ characters and relationships.

@brynprocrastinates Writes almost exclusively LGBT+ characters, including ownvoice nonbinary protagonists and love interests. Part of a collab of nonbinary Writers to create a guide to help binary people in including non binary characters in their stories.

@mossywritings Writer with a lesbian main character.

Correlated (promotion, resources etcetc)

@jessicameats Promotion of LGBT+ Sci-Fi and Fantasy, giveaways and recommendation lists.

This list is gonna be updated!

Rules: Go to page 7 of your WIP, go to the 7th line, share 7 sentences and tag 7 more writer-blogs to continue the challenge. 

Thanks for tagging me, @sancta-silje!

From Elementary: Maybe it was magic that triggered the memories. Walls sprung from the ground like weeds, kitchentools growing against them as fungi. A chair rose beneath him and suddenly his legs were too short to touch the ground. 'Your mother and I need to tell you something.' Eight years old: his father in front of him, kneeling so their eyes met, seemed bigger and stronger than he'd ever be. He gave his mother a quick look. She smiled with her lips tightly closed.

I’m tagging @fragrant-stars, @a-getaway-car, @greenhousewriting, @temporarysentences, @pixel-letters, @theimpossiblescheme and @hawkeyesout-punks.

Here is an aesthetic for Noah, composer and murder suspect, by @thewriterandthestoryteller. I hope you like it! 

Because the story of your life // becomes your life 

- Lisel Mueller 

Phoebe Bridgers, I Know The End / Augusto Boal, Theatre of the Oppressed / Lisel Mueller, Why We Tell Stories / Sleeping at Last, East / Pat Barker, Silence of the Girls / Brandon Melendez, How to Write the Quantum Mechanics Uncertainty Principle into a Promise to Return Home / Lisel Mueller, The Story / Richard Siken, Litany in Which Certain Things are Crossed Out 

Last Sentence Tag Rules: Post the last sentence you wrote and then tag as many people as there are words.

Thanks so much for tagging me, @concealeddarkness13! From Elementary: “ 'If you promise not to yell, I'll let go of your throat, and we can have a talk.' “

Little bit of a cliche, but at least there is a cliffhanger to the ending of part 1!

That quite a long sentence, so I’ll just tag some people: @anightravensecho, @dreamsofbooksandmonsters, @ladyliliana, @andtheotherstars, @mj-writes, @lethalblizzard, @whatdoyoumeantheresonly3episodes, @knightedwriter, @panticwritten. No pressure, though!