mrbexwrites

[mrbexwrites]

Two Truths and a Lie

Thanks to @eccaiia here, @mk-writes-stuff here, and @talesofsorrowandofruin here!

Rules: create a 24 hour poll with two truths and one lie about an OC!

I've done so many of these lately. How have I not done Akash?

Other Akash: OC in three, OC in fifteen, OC questionnaire, picrew

Other Two Truths and a Lie: Maddie, Robbie, Carla, Lexi, Ash, Wade, Carmen

Tagging @cherrybombfangirlwrites @diabolical-blue @duckingwriting @awritingcaitlin @ceph-the-ghost-writer @theeccentricraven @theelfauthor @nailamoonsi @mrbexwrites @somethingclevermahogony @writeouswriter @writeintrees @revenantlore @squarebracket-trickster + anyone else

TSP intro

TSP tag list (ask to be +/-): @thepeculiarbird @illarian-rambling @televisionjester @finchwrites

#I mean #who *can* function without their shirt tucked in?!

[mrbexwrites]

5 Lines Tag

@talesofsorrowandofruin tagged me- thanks

Rules: find lines in your WIP that contain the following: a line with food, a line with temperature, a line with fear, a funny line and a line with colour.

I'm trying to convince myself that I really do want to sit and edit Memento Mori , so using this as an excellent excuse to go over the drafts as they stand, and work out where I go from here!! Passing the tag onto: @sarahlizziewrites, @queen-tashie @morganwriteblr @magicmoon65 @pure-solomon and leaving an open tag as always :)

A line with Food:

I ran my eyes over the menu, aware of the painful silence and gawping mouths behind me.  “I’d like some pancakes with maple syrup, no bacon, and a cup of tea, please,” I tried another smile on Barb, but she just stared at my bloodied hand.  “I’m sorry, hun. We only take cash,” she sounded as if she was in a daze. 

A line with Temperature:

My legs were dead weights as I trudged across the courtyard, following my assigned guard.  I closed my eyes, and let the sunlight bathe over me. I wrapped my arms around myself, and shivered despite the heat of the day.

A line with Fear:

I swallowed hard when it was my turn. I remembered to hyperventilate to oxygenate my blood, allowing me to stay underwater longer. I had made sure to struggle against my restraints and expand my chest then they put the jacket on me, giving me wriggle room.  But try as I might, hanging upside down, I watched the water fill the tank. I managed to get one arm over my head, half free, but my second arm was still buckled behind me. The water soaked my hair.  “You can do this,” Avery cupped their hands around their mouth to shout encouragement to me. The staff looked on, several scribbling notes, consulting read outs from the heart monitor I was wearing, and muttering amongst themselves.  I struggled harder, trying to free my arm. The water quickly covered my eyes, and I was able to take one last gulp of air before my head was submerged.  I could see the others watching pensively as I managed to twist my arm out from behind me. My ears were filled with water, and I could hear my blood pumping, feel my heart thundering in my chest. I saw Peter punch the air with delight as I got my arm out from behind my back, but I didn’t have the strength to pull myself up to unfasten the restraints that fastened my feet.  Panic set in, and all of the training went out of the window. I thrashed in the water, spots dancing before my eyes, my heart about to explode.  I screamed, but that only let the air out and the water in.

A funny line:

“Please let there be tea,” I shuffled away towards the bathroom. “Of course there’s tea! I’m not a philistine!” Avery called after me with a mock offense in their voice. “Two and coo for me, Fred!” 

A line with Colour:

I turned on the copper tap, and the rainfall showerhead blessed me with hot water almost instantly. I ran my hands over the honeycomb pattern, tracing the rose gold coloured grout that held them in place.  The water turned pink in the shower tray beneath my feet, and I rested my head against the tiles. The water helped dissipate the grave-chill, but I still felt drained.

#tag games #Morgana Dodds #I'm not very good at writing humour #I always feel like I'm trying to hard to be funny and it feels forced :/

[mrbexwrites]

Character voice tag

I was tagged by @winterandwords here

No pressure tagging @mrbexwrites, @oh-no-another-idea, @squarebracket-trickster, @mthollowell-writes, and leaving an open tag

Your phrase is "I made a calculated decision" bonus points if it's "but man am I bad at math"

My phase is "I hate this"

I decided to go with the OCs from my unnamed Underworld Fanfiction because why not?

Riley

I think I'd rather try sunbathing.

Simone

Do I have other options?

#hardcore relating to Simone in this one

[mrbexwrites]

Vague WIP Summary

Tagged by the fantastic @winglesswriter

Rules: Summarize your WIP in 15 bullet points, but do it badly

Passing the tag onto @ryns-ramblings @minutiaewriter @writingamongther0ses @christaaah @meerawrites @cee-grice and leaving an open tag for folk who may want to join in :)

Consider this a bad summary of Blood Covenant (Formerly known as Blood Harmony- but I've changed the title to something that fits the themes better- I hope!)

Mavis' character arc in a nutshell:

One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter

Small act of terrorism/freedom fighting

Have first kiss with Nemesis before being blown up

Survive

Indulge in some daddy issues

Get expelled for being too good at your job

Make plans to redeem yourself

Get a tattoo

Redeem yourself

Get kicked out again- this time for being bad at your job

Confront your daddy issues and childhood trauma

Repress that trauma through alcohol and bad decisions. Have an existential crisis/pity party

Use those bad decisions (and a crowbar) to work on healing your inner child

Confront Daddy Issues with the crowbar, and some mild arson

Learn absolutely nothing from all of this; repress everything, and get on with life.

#mavis baird #She's a great character to write #very cathartic #but writing out her story #man...i feel bad for the things I have put her through. #Sorry Mave

[mrbexwrites]

Heads up, Seven up

I got a few tags for this...So i'm gonna squish them all into one

Thank you all for the tags @mrbexwrites here @squarebracket-trickster here @mthollowell-writes here

No pressure tagging but because it's funny to me too - Throwing the tag back at @squarebracket-trickster, and because of her post @sarahlizziewrites. And then @kaylinalexanderbooks, @winterandwords, @oh-no-another-idea, @squarebracket-trickster, @aquadestinyswriting, and throwing on open tagging(I'm cheating anyways...I write I don't need to know how to count)

My lines are bellow the break

Cheating a little, I just did some last line tag sooo I went with the last WIP I opened before that one and grabbed those lines instead.

It will be from my Sparrington Soulmate AU - it's the morning after so things are implied

James grumbled under his breath as consciousness started returning to him. He could not remember sleeping so well for years and was reluctant to give it up. There were strong wiry arms wrapped around him though and a slight pounding in his head that told him he had drank far too much the night before. Since loosing his commission that wasn't all that uncommon. Though he had no idea where he was. The last thing he could remember was being on Sparrow's ship. So the question was, which crew member he- "Mornin' Love." Jack mumbled pressing his face into the back of James' neck, lightly mouthing at it and pressing his hips forward so James could feel how good of a morning he thought it was. And if it gave the other an idea or two, Jack was not going to complain.  James could feel panic clawing up his chest, trying to grab ahold of his throat and choke him even as the other man  seemed to noticed that something was very wrong and stopped pawing at him. James felt Jack shift behind him until he could lean over him, frowning down at him

#uh oh #Don't worry James #most of us have been there <.<

[mrbexwrites]

As someone who had the same anxieties, let me reassure you; The Writblr community is awesome. I dipped my toe in the water with regards to sharing my WIPs by joining in tag games- Last Line tag, Heads Up, 7 Up, Find the Word etc- are really great for being able to share little peeks for your followers.

I find tagging others in the games helps my posts reach more people who will comment on my works in the tags. (Not to mention, the golden rule of always reblogging the post of the person who tagged you; reblogs are the only way to share things. Likes don't spread the Writblr love!) The comments let me know what is and isn't working. I've built up from sharing snips in tag games to reaching out for beta readers, and I'm now considering publishing my stories online for *everyone* to read.

I've found this community to be so friendly and helpful; we're all in the same boat, and we've all been where you are. Getting feedback has helped me improve as a writer, and also built my confidence.

I would absolutely recommend putting your WIPs out there- even if you start with tag game snips; you won't regret it :)

i want to share my writing, but also i don’t, you know? i think i’ve shared on here once and it gave me so much anxiety. but also yall will never know my writing if i don’t share it. but also im terrified.

#Other Writblrs will want to cheer you on #trust me #you can do this :)

[mrbexwrites]

Search your manuscript

📝 Search for the given words in your WIP. If you don't have a word, you can use a variation on it or a word with a similar meaning with help from thesaurus.com

Thank you for the tag @winterandwords here No pressure tagging:

@author-a-holmes, @mrbexwrites, @rachaellawrites, @kaylinalexanderbooks, @squarebracket-trickster and leaving an open tag

Your words are - Slice, Carry, Punch, Damage

And my snips are bellow the cut!

dry - From You Spino Me Right 'Round (CW-ish? arousal mentioned)

Vitale huffed an irritated breath and pulled his mate's hand up so he could inspect his injury. He was disappointed to discover he had been right about the weakness of his mate's skin. He had hoped it was more durable than he had thought. But there was a small stream of blood sliding down the smallest clawless finger to prove that Vitale had been right. Leaning forward his tongue flicked out and he carefully captured the blood and drew his mate's finger into his mouth, using his own lips to block his teeth from damaging his mate further. His mate made more sounds he could not understand but he thought might be his mate's way of communicating. Vitale lifted his gaze and looked up at his mate not convinced that he would be able to understand any more from his observations but having to try. Just in case there was something he could figure out.  Anthony slipped his own tongue out to lick his dry lips as the strange man stared up at him. He could feel the other's tongue curling around his finger and it sent a bolt of arousal through his body. A pulse he still was not sure he should actually feel. But he was no longer sure that there was any actual danger from the stranger. Even if he did not seem to understand anything Anthony had said. The other man pulled away from his finger, dropping his gaze back down to Anthony's finger and examining it. His rough fingers added pressure and moved up to Anthony's palm then arm. He felt a spike of fear feeling the sharp claws against his skin. Vitale tried to focus on his mate's well being. He was examining him for more injuries, telling himself that it was not so he could keep touching his mate even if the way the soft flesh molded to his touch fascinated him. He thought about the way it would feel if he pressed his mouth against his mate. He felt his own arousal pulsing through his body. He had barely managed to avoid pinning his mate down and exploring his body when the taste of his blood had sent pulses of arousal through his body. But at the moment there was the bitter burn of fear drowning out the scent of his mate's previous arousal.

why - From my Underworld fic

“It’s shocking.” Simone admitted. “I know the feeling.” Riley glanced sideways at the clock. There were still a few hours before sundown. She chewed her lip lightly while an internal war raged in her mind before she finally sighed. She hadn’t lied when she told Selene that she would choose her sister over the coven. “Listen. I’m glad ya called. Something’s happened at the Coven. Something big.” “Why are you telling me?” Simone's voice was defensive over the phone. Riley's lips twitched in a smile. She was glad her sister suspected her of treachery, it meant she was less likely to get killed by another death dealer because she would be cautious. “Because you’re my sister and I refuse to watch you die. Viktor has been woken up. Lucian should understand what that means if he’s half as old and smart as they say.” “…You’re really abandoning your coven to help lycans?” Simone's voice was laced with disbelief and shock, possibly a bit of hope as well. “No. I’m abandoning the coven for my sister. If it helps out some other dogs then so be it.” Riley talked over Simone when she tried to speak. She knew if she didn’t say it now she may never say it. “I’ve got very little personal attachment to anyone in my coven. Definitely not the same as you have to the brute that came with you to meet with me.” “Raze is not a brute!” “AND you are my sister. No matter what we are changed into that will not change.” Riley ignored the interruption. “I refuse to be your enemy. I’m going where ever you are.”

Try - from the Avatar(cameron movies) Jake/Tsu'tey A/B/O verse WIP

Tsu'tey held his mate across his lap. He had tried to force a tsaheyl, hoping it would pull his mate's soul back, but the body was unresponsive. All he could do was stroke his hand through Jake's hair and down his back. He placed his mate into their sleeping hammock, closing it so no one would disturb or peer at his sleeping mate while he was vulnerable.  Stopping one of the young warriors, Tsu'tey asked where he could locate Grace. The dreamwalker should be among them by now. She would know what happened to his mate. And she would fix it. She could inform the other sky people that Jakesully was now Tsu'tey's and would no longer be walking between the two peoples. She was talking to Nyteri, Mo'at, and Eytukan. Tsu'tey nodded his thanks. He needed to inform the clan leaders he had taken a mate. Tsu'tey was glad Jake would not be there. If Nyteri took a mate before talking to him he would try to return them to Ewya. The Olo'eyktan and Tsah��k did not have to be a mated pair but it was rare they were not. And they had been promised to each other after Sylwanin. He wasn't stupid, they respected each other and trusted the other to help each other lead their people to the best of their abilities. After greetings were exchanged Grace was the first to speak. She asked Tsu'tey if he could tell her where she could find Jake. Tsu'tey's lips pulled back and the woman took a step away with wide eyes at his angry hiss. "No."

fly - From Unnamed Fantasy Western Thrupple

“I want to be clean when we make it back to town.” Clara defended her decision as if the beast would actually respond to her. “Without worrying about some pervert peeking.” Again the hippogriff tossed his head, turning to nip at a fly. His tail lashed irritably from one side to the other as he tipped his head and scented the air. Clara watched him for a moment, and when it appeared there was no scent in the air that alarmed him she huffed a breath out at him. Clara gulped a lungful of air before dunking herself under. She broke the surface with a shiver before swimming over the opposite side of the creek. She released a sigh as the sun hit her even if the water was still too cool to be comfortable the sun more than made up for it. After scrubbing for as long as she could stand being in the cool water, Clara pulled herself up onto a sun-warmed stone and fanned her hair out over it. She idly traced her fingers against the smooth stone beneath her with one hand while her other traced the faded bruises across her skin. She added pressure carefully, more to assure herself that they were healing better than she would have thought, she sent a silent thanks to whatever deity would listen for elven healing salves.

#other people's writing #I love 'fly' snippet #they're all great #but the last one has a hippogriff

[mrbexwrites]

Making a small accountability post to make myself actually do what I have been aiming to do for 2024. Mainly because I've managed to weaponise my own procrastination into avoidance behaviour. Which isn't great.

I started this blog a couple of years ago to work up the courage to share my WIPs rather than having them languishing in my google drive. Last year, I took a massive step (for me) and shared my work with some beta readers, and had really helpful & constructive criticism. Based on that feedback, I've been working on my editing skills and rewriting parts of my WIP to get it to the place where I want it to be.

I'd set myself an arbitrary goal of when I get x number of followers, then I'd make an account on Wattpad and actually upload part I of Memento Mori. I'm now quite close to that random, arbitrary number of followers, and this is where the avoidance behaviour has set in.

So yeah, my making my intentions public, I'm hoping that this will spur me on to meet my own goal, because I feel that if I don't make the next leap soon, I'm never going to move forward as a writer.

#talking to the void #just let me ramble to myself #accountability post #I'm also accutely aware that if I don't don something with my WIPS #I'm just going to keep picking away at them #which isn't a bad thing #just...I like things to be done #and if it's uploaded somewhere #then in my head- it's done! #And I can leave it alone instead of constantly tweaking it

[mrbexwrites]

Last line tag

One that I've gotten couple tags for

Thank you for the tags: @mrbexwrites here @talesofsorrowandofruin here

My last line - From a short story I did for Easter for my REAM.

"Fuck." Sotir closed xirs eyes against the dizzying colors. "For eternity," Jude promised.

No pressure Tagging: @mthollowell-writes, @squarebracket-trickster, @oh-no-another-idea, and an open tag

#“for eternity” is a line #love it #other people's writing

[mrbexwrites]

The talented and kind @owlsandwich went and designed (with some input from me) a city crest for Thereafter, the post-apocalyptic fantasy city in my Serial Novel (check out the FAQ.) I am forever grateful for his wise guidance and saint-like patience with my flighty ass.

To speak briefly on the symbolism we went for with this thing. The idea was to make the crest tell the history of thereafter and how its founders conceptualize the nascent city. The matted gold represents the nourishing, elevating nature of the magical worlds from which Thereafter is built. These worlds are places of wonder and magic, yes, but also functionally training grounds for tween adventurers from our reality, per the Portal Fantasy trope. The purple is meant to represent the majestic glories, riches and dignity of the worlds lost to The Calamity.

The Calamity itself, this impossibly large and impossibly violent destructive force, a natural disaster of the supernatural, if the reckless efficiency with which it annihilated magical worlds doesn't speak to a focused consciousness of some sort. To represent this incomprehensible disaster, we went with intersecting lines in black, representing sorrow with outline in the raguly style that is meant to represent difficulties or challenges, as well as alluding to the imagery of something being cracked or broken.

For a little while in the design progress, this was all there was, but the addition of a symbol really pulled it together for me. As it stood, the city crest represented worlds of learning and majesty forever lost to calamity, and while that's not really incorrect per se, it is a bit of a bummer for a symbol of this sort. So, we added the beacon, both to represent the calling of our protagonists, the Heroes in a sort of Gondor Calls For Aid-type of situation. In addition, I feel this beacon also functions like a sign for safe haven, a place for those whose homes have been destroyed to seek safety and, perhaps, a fresh start. It also ended up looking like the beacon cast golden light up/to the sky and down/along the ground on account of the gold color, while leaving the shadows around purple, which I thought was neat.

#worldbuilding #other writers #I love the worldbuilding in this heraldry

[mrbexwrites]

Chrissie's of London (taglist)

picrew

#Silas! Nooo!

[mrbexwrites]

Just printed the first 100 pages of 🌙 LIFE IN BLACK AND WHITE's first act for its final consistency read pre-querying! 😭🎉 We're getting there, slowly but surely...

#honestly #i'm so excited omg #other writers

[mrbexwrites]

#painfully accurate

[mrbexwrites]

Head Up Seven Up

@oh-no-another-idea thank you so much for the tag~

Finally wrote some of this scene that's been playing out in my head for like a week now. This is part of why I want to scream about Liam from a rooftop. There's more than seven lines but I feel no one will complain. Last part of of the scene is in this post.

“Tatter tot!” I wrapped my arms around the excited nine year old. I laughed as I lifted her up and swung the apartment door closed behind me. “Smells good, Natawista,” I said over the popping of the oil as I walked into the small kitchen area. “Don’t call me that,” Nattie replied with an eye roll. “And don’t eat any of the bread.” She smacked my hand from the pile of temptation waiting to grow on the counter. “Come on, Nat, it’s the best fresh, right Tot?” I turned to Kaye who was still latched onto me and growing heavier by the second. “Yeah!” She readily agreed to her mother’s chagrin. “Whatever, this needs to last the next few days and I can’t be letting the biggest mooch eat it all.” Nat said, the oil nearly drowning her words out as she carefully placed another flattened piece of dough into it. “Mooch? I am nothing but a contributor to this household.” I turned and placed Kaye on the counter separating the kitchen and main room. “You’re getting too big to carry, girl.” “Yeah, uh-uh, I’ve seen more of Kenai lately than you.” As if summoned an excited mnrow sounded from a black shadow trotting down the hall.

Soft tagging: @romances-not-tragedies @blue-kyber @isherwoodj @violets-in-her-arms-writes and as usual OPEN TAG

Would like everyone to know that Nattie's full name is actually Nathalie. Liam just likes annoying people. Also Natawista was a Blackfoot interpreter/diplomat.

#Thanks #Now I want fresh bread!! #other people's writing #Liam def gives off cool big brother vibes

[mrbexwrites]

before the poll, a quick definition of terms:

"mutual" - you found this post from a mutual (on their blog or your dash) "following" - you found this post from someone you're following, but who isn't following you "random" - you found this by scrolling through someone's blog, who you don't follow. this includes people following you "For You" - you found this on the For You page "recommended" - you found this in a "Check out these blogs" popup, or a "recommended" post when looking at a different post "other" - you found this post some other way. comment how? "reblog ✅" - you're going to reblog, queue, or schedule this post "reblog ❌" - you're NOT going to reblog, queue, or schedule this post

with that out of the way:

[mrbexwrites]

Reblog to give the person you reblogged from the ability to finish their WIPs

[mrbexwrites]

#mental age of 33 #old in mind AND body #but my mind is slightly younger at least #😭