shellyscribbles

[shellyscribbles]

Hallendrest Lore

Working out how Drest broke Hallendrest. Haven't yet decided if this is canon or not.

"Halvar?"

Drest opened his eyes.

They killed me! he thought. Those insolent little...children?

His children? No, their children.

But they couldn't have children.

No, they had one, several lifetimes ago. No, wait, he had one. They had adopted their daughter but she had died.

He squeezed his eyes closed again as the many lifetimes of memories assaulted him. All the memories that he had lost through the countless years he had lived. So much time had passed.

Yes, that was right, they hadn't had children. They couldn't. But they had created beings, races on their world. They were gods on Hallendrest and their subjects had killed him.

Drest, once known as Halvar, sat up, which was strange. He never appeared in the Line laying down before.

"What did you do?"

He looked up at Zuriel who looked past Drest at something. He frowned. There shouldn't be anything to see in the Line. He turned to see what his friend was looking at and was shocked to find a strange image of what seemed to be…everything. There was the impression of worlds and realms and the jagged gaps between, but just before them was the only relatively clear image: Hallendrest.

"What the..." Drest muttered as he rose to his feet. He turned away from the mind-numbing image and found that they stood in a small gap between the strange image of Hallendrest and something he’d never seen before. It was just as vast as the universe he had gazed upon with Zuriel, but it was all one. Filled with light and joy and life.

"Is that the house of souls?" Drest asked as he stood staring, awed by the sight.

Zuriel pulled his eyes away and turned to face Drest. “Yes," he turned back to Hallendrest, gesturing with his hand. "What is this?"

Drest tore himself away from the beautiful world of light and turned to face Hallendrest. It was a strange image. It was all of Hallendrest, both in small scale and full sized somehow. It was almost nauseating.

Which was another weird sensation he shouldn’t be capable of in the Line. He had no body here. What was wrong with the Line? The space where his immortal soul waited for the phoenix to revive him. It was as if the Line itself had become a small cord beneath them.

“Halvar?” Zuriel asked after the pause.

"It's Hallendrest." He said quietly. "It's the world we made."

Zuriel frowned. "Why can we see it?" He looked back toward the house of souls. "The line is so thin here."

Halvar shook his head. “I don’t know.”

“You’ve been gone a long time.” Zuriel said. It sounded almost like he was thinking out loud rather than addressing Drest. “It’s been thousands of years since you last came.”

“It has been a long time.” He narrowed his eyes, a specific image was rising to the surface, the already strange image warping before them. “I think I forgot. A lifetime must have passed. You would think I would remember dying regularly.”

Zuriel gave a brief laugh.

              He felt a stab of annoyance at his friend laughing at the fact he had lived so long he forgot that when he died a phoenix would revive him. Perhaps that was why Vontis seemed so upset. He could see her now. She sat on a mountain she had brought up to get his fallen body and herself out of the battle. It was something she had done before, though never on this scale and she certainly didn’t remember it.

              It seemed to be a sort of reflex she had when he died.

              Or when he died in battle at least which had been surprisingly rare. It had taken him some nine thousand years to die the first time. A fact he was sure of at the moment with all of his memories.

"Vonts," Drest’s voice was soft and full of longing. The many lifetimes of their lives together sat in his heart. He’d never had to see her like this before, from so far away. And she was frantically shaking his body, screaming mutely.

A sharp cry resounded around them causing both men to wince and look up where a great bird of fire flew. It made to dive at them, screeching, then circled and tried again before flying away over Hallendrest.

Drest frowned again. That wasn't right, was it? He didn’t normally see the phoenix come, but the bird seemed frustrated and he circled, repeatedly diving toward Hallendrest, but stopped as it seemed to come against some unseen barrier.

"No," Drest said, cold fear shooting through him. His Phoenix couldn't reach him to resurrect him. What happens to an immortal soul if his body can’t come back? What would happen to Vontis?

He took three quick steps toward the image of Vontis, reaching for her, calling her name.

The image suddenly blurred as she moved nearly faster than he could see.

Horrified, he jumped back and the image ceased its movement. There was now a structure around her, over the top of the mountain and she sat slumped against the wall, rags and bones on the ground before her.

He stared at the scene wide-eyed. What was happening?

"I don't understand." Zuriel said. His voice sounded strange, choked. Drest was too confused and horrified to register how his friend must have felt seeing her after so many lifetimes. "I need to speak to The Great Creator." Zuriel said as he slowly turned away from the pitiful image of Vontis and walked quickly back to the House of Souls.

Drest wasn't sure how he knew, but as soon as Zuriel turned he knew the Line would vanish. He turned and reached out as he tried to open his mouth to cry out, but it was too late. Zuriel had already crossed the barrier that had rejected him.

Drest felt the space that had barely been there to begin, vanish. His soul was jerked back to Hallendrest. He screamed as the terror of what would come filled him. What would happen to an immortal soul, banned from The House of Souls when his body was nothing more than bones and dust?

He felt himself hurdling back toward the ground much as he did upon being resurrected, but this was different. Before, he always felt himself shrinking, shedding the larger mind that were his memories, the ones he couldn’t hold. This time he felt himself rip apart.

His very soul let out a sort of shriek as it shattered and scattered out across the world. Each fragment hurdling faster to the ground, gaining speed as they neared the ground.

Then he hit.

Over and over. One collision and a thousand all at once.

He took a sharp breath. Hundreds of breaths.

It was agony. His mind was suddenly filled to the brim with not only his own mess of lifetimes but several extra. A hundred names echoed through him until...

"Oren?" A gentle voice asked. "Oren, dear, can you hear me?"

He opened his eyes. A beautiful woman's face marked with concern hovered over him.

For a moment he lay confused. He'd never seen her before, except he had. It was his beloved Seriah.

He squeezed his eyes closed again. Who was he?

"Oren?"

Stefin?.... Alric?... Chasok?...

"I broke. I'm broken. Shattered." He muttered.

"What?" Seriah asked, alarmed.

Vontis!

Oren shook his head and sat up. "How strange." He looked around him. The name of the goddess Vontis echoing in his mind. And a deep longing.

"I feel strange." He said as he allowed Seriah to help him to his feet.

"Let's get you inside."

"Yeah," he said and shuddered.

#Hallendrest Lore #Drest and Vontis origins #I was working on some fun stuff around him dying after 9000 years #Makes the entire diety system of Vale work too #There are ways to become gods through immortality #Halvar #Zuriel #Aila #Drest #Vontis #Dresden #Oren + Drest = Dresden #This also makes a bunch of immortal crazy men that caught the rest of him

[shellyscribbles]

world building in Vale because after a month of being buried in Brandon Sanderson Novels I realize that there is no religion to speak of, the four faces are a monolith despite different home planets and there is no calendar.

After some 23 years approaching it strictly in terms of plot and characterization, I should probably fill the world out.

#Should help a lot with getting the feel right #right now its more like how I describe the bridges #just blank spans the characters walk through to get from one point to another #world building #Vale #The Shadow of Vale #Vale stories #I might build up some of the home planets as well #I only have one for the Wizards as it was connected to the plot

[shellyscribbles]

Find the Word

i was tagged by @shellyscribbles !

my words: effort, face, grate, hail (didn't have this one, sorry!)

your words: chase, craze, hope, join (i forgot to add words when i first posted lol whoops)

tagging: @frostedlemonwriter @cssnder @dragonbooksword (thank you all for encouraging me to share, now it’s your turn <3)

Effort: from Florence's Revenge

It still trickles over his fingers and soaks into his shirt. Bright and crimson red.  Derrin looks down at the wound, still groaning in pain, and then back up at her, and Florence is almost scared of the joy she gets from seeing the fear in his face. She knew that she’d enjoy seeing him squirm, but she’s having a fantastic time. She’s perhaps even overjoyed.  She makes no effort to lessen the grin spreading across her face, leaning forward to brace her arms on her knees as she sits directly in front of Derrin. He leans back against the wall, face distorted in pain and confusion. 

Face: from The Curse of The Human Condition

Run, the forest seems to scream. Alesya listens. As fast as her tired legs can go, she runs in the direction she was already going before that snarl stopped her. Her feet ache, her legs are burning, her lungs screaming for a full breath, her throat begging for just a sip of water.  The ground shakes with each pounding of what sounds like giant paws of a large beast against the forest floor. Bounding after her, snarling and snapping. The forest becomes a blur as she runs, the shadows morphing everything together. But the beast behind her is unrelenting as it settles into the chase.  The stench of its hot breath beats against the skin of her back, and curdles the blood in her veins. She shrieks as a shadowy figure of fur and teeth and claws creeps into the side of her vision, but when she whips over her shoulder to face it - face her death - it disappears as if anticipating her turn, staying just out of her vision. 

Grate: from Florence's Revenge

It seems that Kamori was just waiting for her to speak on it, waiting for something to cut the tension, because he sighs heavily and his stiff shoulders relax. “Yeah, thanks for not calling me out about that, by the way. Derrin just … he gets on my nerves. I know he’s my superior and I need to respect him but he just really grates on me sometimes. Something about him makes me uneasy.”  Florence hums, grinning softly. It’s always a good feeling when her hatred is validated. She’s not the only one to have a problem with Derrin. Of course, Kamori surely doesn’t dislike Derrin for the same reasons as Florence, and he definitely doesn’t hate Derrin as much as she does. Florence could kill him right now and not lose a second of sleep over it. “I don’t like him either. I think he’s a prick,” she says, which is a huge understatement.

#other writers #Oh love the present tense #Very interesting

[shellyscribbles]

And my daughter is now crying so I can't even try to rewrite it.

My computer just glitched and deleted everything I wrote today.

[shellyscribbles]

My computer just glitched and deleted everything I wrote today.

#I hate technology #it just closed #I didn't even touch anything

[shellyscribbles]

Thanks for the tag @elsie-writes!

Find the Word Tag

My words: dog, water, gorgeous, hat

Your words: festival, brown, paint, drag

I'll pull from End Times (HO book 3) cause why not

.

"My name is Izjik Meautammera and I'm not at all wanted by the wealthy Devaris family of Unity. They won't give you money for my safe and unconscious return-"

Watch it, End whispered. Izjik’s breathing hitched as she felt that awful, out-of-body experience return for a fraction of a second.

"-What I am," the woman continued shakily, "is End's avatar. It speaks to me, it controls my actions when it wishes. I have killed spirits and Chosen under its command. Immortality shatters beneath the stone of my washava. I have come here to ask for your help in our ultimate endeavor: destroying the gods and all life on this planet. You, your kid, your dog - it'll all be dead and gone. So, uh, who's with me?"

There was a beat of quiet, which soon stretched far past shock and into incredulous territory. Izjik began to sweat under the gathered stares. Her stomach took the opportunities to growl loudly in the tense silence.

Oh, why did we ever decide to trust you with this, End huffed.

.

The combination of blood, water, and some unidentifiable powder Bi'em had added bubbled and spat when it came into contact with the forge-bright metal. Twenari fought not to wince as it landed on her hands like hot oil flying from the fry pan.

.

On the other side of the table stood Sepo and Bi'em. The robot wore a similar pair of coveralls as Twenari, with tight bindings around the cuffs. Traversing a mountainside was one thing, but apparently, the gritty heart of the Araunian desert was a little more trying on someone with exposed metal joints. For his part, Sepo had managed to find a wide-brimmed hat and a pair of glasses with lenses of smokey quartz. Twenari was glad; she remembered how miserable he'd been in the incessant sunlight last time they'd been.

.

I'll tag @kaylinalexanderbooks @drchenquill @melpomene-grey @tildeathiwillwrite and open tag :)

#Other's writings #good writing #Especially the Dog one

[shellyscribbles]

Find the Word

Jumping on an open tag from @illarian-rambling <3

My words were: Festival, Brown, Paint, and Drag.

Your words: Effort, Face, Grate, and Hail.

From Hallendrest:

Festival is missing from all of my WIPs.

Brown               Reena braced herself and tried her hardest not to draw away as he drew near, leaned in and placed his warm lips to hers, pulling her against himself. She succeeded in not drawing away, but instead stood frozen like a statue in his arms. He released her and stood back. His brown eyes bore into her with a sort of challenge to them.               “You have no interest in going to bed with me and I have no interest in forcing you.” He leaned in once more and placed a brief kiss on her cheek. “Good night, Reena.”

Paint

              “Come in.” She heard his subdued voice call through the door in response to her knock. She entered to find him laboring over a model of some sort in the corner. He didn’t look up as she entered.               Reena stepped into the room cautiously, as if she had been lured in by someone she didn’t trust. She stood near the door and watched as Kallias carefully put a sort of paste onto a painted stick and slowly placed it atop the last. Despite his apparent care, the model was messy and resembled nothing in particular.

Drag

              “You are correct, Kallias. She does need to see the cellars. And so do you.” Khalid nodded and two of the guards stepped forward to take hold of Kallias who pulled away.               “She still needs to know. Are you going to drag her down the halls with a curious audience to see?” Kallias scowled at the councilman who gave a chilling smile in return.               “No. Of course not. You are going to the library and let the queen know she is wanted in the east hall. We can peel away witnesses from there.” Khalid stood to the side and gestured toward the doors.               The guards made another grab for the king, but he dodged them and made his way to the doors.

Tagging some new blogs: @agirlandherquill, @aestheic-writer18, @xenascribbles, @elizaellwrites and I'll pass on the Open tag if you feel so inclined.

#tag games #find the word #Hallendrest #writblr #my writing #snippets #games

[shellyscribbles]

Evi’s gonna be in part 5???

#The face I made as I tried to figure out why that was funny #then I remembered #Like Dalinar #Why are these jokes so funny? #My sister needs to read the cosmere just for these jokes #they are so up her ally

[shellyscribbles]

I am down to reading 3 books, one being my reread of The Stormlight Archives.

Haven't touched The Fire of Vesuvius in a while and I am only halfway through Deadhouse Gates.

I will probably finish my reread before I get through those two. It's way easier to read on my phone and I enjoy those books so much, though I am really starting to enjoy Deadhouse Gates. It is too bad those books take me so long to get into. Maybe I'll want to finish the series once I get through this one.

But I also want to get back to The Last Kingdom series that I am so enjoying.

But also I have a TBR of like 40 books that I already own and like another 20 I want to buy.

#I have a reading problem #But I did not realize how much my sil reads #she read more last month that I have this whole year #granted I could read 11 books a month if I had a good stack of sanderson to read #Or Andrew Klavan #Shelly reads things

[shellyscribbles]

Rereading The Stormlight Archives and its so much better now that I have read the rest of the Cosmere (I started with The Way of Kings 'cause I had no idea what I was doing).

There are so many great moments. It was fun to know they were coming, like I could enjoy them before they even got there (especially the Boots! scene).

But I also felt Kaladin's boon like the whole first part of the book lol

I had forgotten about Hoid as the coachman with Kaladin, Adolin and Shallan riding together.

Kaladin's second Ideal. Ugh. Love it.

#The stormlight Archives #Rereading the stormlight archives

[shellyscribbles]

Some pre 3rd draft scribbles

Having fun writing out some random scenes.

              “Zuriel, the camp!”

              Zuriel turned and looked at the field around them. “Shit.” He muttered as he called Pyre to him followed by Lonan. He’d need a sizable force to move with him to protect the civilians left at came. To protect Aila. He pushed the thought away. Tried not to think about what she would see if they were right about Samael attacking the camp personally.

              “He means to draw you specifically. It could be a trap.” Halvar said as he readied to form stairs to mount Pyre behind Zuriel.

              “He can’t follow me, he’ll only protect me.” Zuriel thought to himself. To Halvar he said, “Doesn’t matter. We have to protect them.” He turned and climbed his invisible stairs as Pyre came near.

              “Of course we do, just saying be alert.” He sprinted up his own stairs.

              Pyre rose and they joined Lonan who already hovered with a squad of flyers.

              Scouts say Samael is headed for the camp. Zuriel sent to Lonan as Pyre banked and rushed back toward the camp. Lonan and the flyers followed.

              Zuriel felt sick. Not only at what laid ahead but at what he’d have to do to the ones he loved before he even got there. Starting with Halvar who couldn’t join him. Not now.

              I know this is going to be confusing and I know it’s going to piss you off. I’m sorry. You’ll understand after it’s over. I love you brother. Please trust me. Zuriel sent and then formed a block and lifted Halvar off of the dragon’s back.

              What are you doing?! Halvar sent back as he clawed at the block that now moved backward, holding him over open air.

              You’ll have to form a slide. I can’t focus enough to lower you safely.

              “Zuriel!” Halvar yelled as the block released.

              Halvar flailed and then formed a block to stop his descent which he hit with force that nearly sent him stumbling off the small platform he’d managed to make. He saw the last two flyers break formation to catch him, but they stopped not long after turning and hover a moment before returning to formation.

              “What the hell are you doing?!” Halvar cursed and tilted the block, shifting it to ease him to the ground, into the thick of battle.

              Lonan looked with concern at Zuriel.

              “At least they obeyed.” Zuriel thought. He hadn’t been sure they would. He knew how the order sounded. Halvar was his primary guard and he had just ordered him left behind as they moved to intercept Samael.

              It will make sense. I promise, you need to trust me. Zuriel sent, trying to reassure his commander.

              Lonan nodded though his expression still betrayed doubt.

#The Shadow of Vale #Scribbles #my writing #Zuriel #Halvar #Lonan #Arc 3

[shellyscribbles]

All of You!

MUTUALS!

FOLLOWERS!

PEOPLE I DON'T KNOW!

I will speak to you! I want to speak to you! I want to help you!

I will reply to your posts and send you asks, you need only ask me to. You don't have to follow me or even look at my posts.

I am the Little Victorian Writing Ghost Beyond your screen and I am here for you.

I'm here to cheer you up and be honest about your writing, or just talk if you need me!

(I will not be on after 10:00pm/may just stop responding after 10:00pm because I need to fix my sleep schedule. But do message me because I will see and respond to them in the morning)

Summon me by @ing me, replying to this post, reblogging this post, or DMing me, and I will be your Assistant Writing Ghost!

Writing Ghost for Hire!

I am a woman!

My name is Ellia!

And I'm here to help!

(My only requirement is No NSFW, I am a little ghost. Thank you! But I will take violence for days!)

@ajgrey9647 @aestheic-writer18 @agirlandherquill @danielleitloudernow @kia-is-poisoned @deluluriddhi @katwritesshit @jeremy-no @sunnyjustice @latay7 @darkandstormydolls @ryahisbored @phoenixradiant @somethingclevermahogony @illarian-rambling @thepeculiarbird @baconandeggs-25 @jesusfreakspeaks @sl-vega

#writeblr love #writeblr community

[shellyscribbles]

looking for writeblr accounts to follow!!!

Hi, my name is Xena! I want to follow fellow writers whose stories I can enjoy and learn from! please interact with this post if you’re a writer account - even if you don’t post your writing!! even if you just post about your writing experiences!!! i want to follow you all! let’s be friends <3

#writers of tumblr #writeblr #Hello!

[shellyscribbles]

Just in case anyone was confused or concerned.

Drafting is a skill. And it's a skill you can learn. If you ever look at your first draft and go 'actually this is good' do not immediately go 'no it's can't be good it's a first draft'. If you've been writing for a while (like years) writing a draft that is perfectly serviceable and only needs some editing without a ton of cutting is like... fine.

I spend a lot of my time 'writing' and 'rewriting' drafts 6-10 times in my head and when they finally come out as my 'first draft' (or a second in some cases) it's already been through 2-8 revisions. The work has been done and the words I'm writing are the culmination of those revisions. I just didn't write it down.

Not all revisions have to take place in meat space or as text on a screen. Revisions happen as you play out scenarios over and over again in day dreams or bed time stories. Your first draft is not something that Must be conquered and tamed into something presentable. Sometimes you nail it because you've spent all the revision time already.

This is not something that comes to everyone. But it is something you can get good at. You do not have to agonize over a 5th rewrite if the first time you've put words to paper is already the 6th revision that's gotten better every time. There's a lotta 'you gotta suffer to make a book good' in writeblr I just don't agree with. You can just nail it the "First Time". Not every time. But you can.

#drafting #revising

[shellyscribbles]

Updated March 18th, 2024

--

Writeblr intro ~

Hi! My name is Emberly Erick and I’m a writer and digital artist. My current WIP is a cyberpunk superhero novel called Anomaly.

I’m hoping to use this blog to promote my original work and hopefully some more projects in the future!

My art tag: #emberlyricart

My writeblr tag: #emberlywrites

My instagram: here - more art of my characters + a few animations

My twitter: here - not as active yet

—

My WIP ~

Anomaly

Above; Jaith and Emeren, two of my main characters. They have a boss/bodyguard relationship.

Emeren - formerly the diplomatic leader of the captured laboratory anomalies, Emeren became a hate-filled revenge-seeking bodyguard for Jaith, who he admires more than anyone in the world. Emeren's powers are super speed and reflexes. Alias: Ghost

Jaith - the leader of the anomaly gang Solstice, Jaith is arrogant, flirtatious, and a little devious; no one really knows his true goals for Solstice. He takes Emeren for granted and doesn't return the blind loyalty his bodyguard has for him. Jaith's powers involve light manipulation. Alias: Helion

Above; Shraya and Aleto, two more of my main characters. They work as vigilantes together.

Aleto - like Emeren, Aleto was traumatized from her time in the laboratory, but the experience made her a strong leader and was able to step up and take Emeren’s place. She now leads what is left of her laboratory anomaly family. Her powers gave her insectoid eyes and two pairs of wings. Alias: Dragonfly

Shraya - a former member of one of the strongest anomaly gangs in the Layer, Shraya now spends her time protecting her lab family from zenforcers and rogue anomalies while still maintaining her title as the reigning champion of the anomaly arena. Her powers are enhanced strength and retractable claws. Alias: Berserker

Basic Summary - A group of superheroes try to overthrow their anti-superhero government while working through their past traumas.

Progress -

First Draft - 101k/ 100k words DONE!

Second Draft Outline - beginning stages

——

---What to expect from my blog ~

WIP snippets of scenes

Character sheets

Character art

Writing ramblings

Moodboards

Writing progress

Tag games

Character art

Please feel free to send me messages/asks about my story or my art! I would love to hear from you!

—

---Misc ~

Fandoms: sorry if this rando writeblr blog follows you, I have a few fandoms I'm into at the moment, such as:

World of Warcraft

Overwatch

Detroit: Become Human

Hazbin Hotel

The Beatles/many other bands

Avatar: The Last Airbender

The Owl House

Pokemon

Sims 2

Persona 5

Currently reading: Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse

#other writers #writeblr #introductions

[shellyscribbles]

Some Shadow of Vale scribbles

              Zuriel felt something in him break at her despondent expression and lifeless voice. He let out a frustrated sigh. What could he say? He understood perfectly now why she wanted to fight and why Cyrus had agreed to train her. No one wanted her on that battle field, but they both understood that she was likely to march out onto it anyway and would need to defend herself. He frowned.

              “And what if we lose you?” He turned to look at her. “What are we supposed to do without you?”

              Aila met his gaze, a small spark of life now settled in her being, wrestling with the darkness. “Then he wins.” She faced forward again. “He doesn’t get to win.”

              She wiped away fresh tears as anger and sorrow rose up in her chest at the memory of Zelena scolding her as she lay on Leora’s grave. The same memory that lifted her when she’d first returned to Vale and found the dead ruins of Api. The command to survive and fight that she could not abandon.

              “How can I convince you?” Aila asked.

              “Of what?”

              “That I should fight.”

              Zuriel sighed. “I understand why you want to, Aila, but we need you safe. I need you safe.” He met her eye. “I will get Vale back for you and the Nymphs, but I need you to still be here when I do.”

              “I need him dead at my hand.” Aila said shortly and got to her feet.

#Zuriel and Aila #The Shadow of Vale #TSoV #Zuriel #Aila #Predraft scribbles #my writing #scribbles

[shellyscribbles]

Actually working on the Outline for the third draft of The Shadow of Vale. It has to have been at least I year since I've made any progress on this one.

#muttering about writing #sort of #outlining doesn't feel much like writing #more of daydreaming but on paper