#thinking of doing it for NaNoWriMo this year

[sam-glade]

Happy STS! Let's talk about secrets. Do your characters or world have them? Are they considered a good thing or bad? Who in your cast is most likely to spill one? ♥️

Oh, Tori, you've activated an info dump - thank you💜

Answering for Days of Dusk:

Does the world have secrets?

Let me start with introducing you to merchants of whispers.

They're information brokers who specialise in a particular area - be it a geographical area, like a city, a county, or a princedom, or a topic, e.g. current events and politics (the Shadow), precious artworks and antiques (the Fox), lower social classes (the Tawny Owl), or curses and forbidden arcane knowledge (the Newt). These are the most famous ones, operating a little bit like the Dread Pirate Roberts in The Princess Bride. If one gets 'dethroned', someone else (usually the one doing the dethroning) will assume their identity. There are of course some minor and law-abiding merchants of whispers, who'll find you information like 'who does a plot of land belong to' or 'which rival merchant is looking to diversify', but they don't make for a good story, so we'll leave them be.

The Shadow is the most famous of them all, with the most robust network. They're to the world of twilight what the Prince of Light is in the sunlit world. Not officially a ruler, but without a doubt the most powerful figure with vast resources to get their way.

The Shadow is also the one wearing the Cloak of Shadow - one of the legendary four cloaks, imbued with the Weaveress's power. It will hide them in plain sight, make them disappear in the blink of an eye, and on the off-chance you know where they are and look directly at them, you still won't be able to see/hear/smell/etc. any recognisable detail about them. So, of course, it's a target painted on their back and the aspirational goal of any ambitious merchant of whispers.

They trade in secrets, which the aristocracy and other influential figures would like to keep to themselves, so there's a bit of an arms race between the two groups. Obviously using private messengers instead of the postal system is a must, but on top of that there are various developments such as tamper-proof wax which will change colour if someone tried to deform it once it set. There are methods of encryption complicated enough that by the time it's broken, the information is no longer relevant.

The insidious part of the merchants' of whispers mode of operation is that they never steal - they'll break in, copy the information, and exit quietly, so quite often you won't even know that you've been compromised.

It's almost a game or a competition between the government and the criminal underworld, believed to be bound by rules of honour - and so it is. It's a precarious balance, but to an extent it prevents the princes from squabbling among themselves at the expense of their subjects.

However.

There are also secrets that have never been written anywhere - so the merchants of whispers can't discover them. These are known only to the people who remember the Sun King when he walked the Earth. That includes the princes. They're the only group who knows that beliefs tangibly shape reality, and yes, of course they use it to maintain power.

Military secrets

Many of my characters are part of the Intelligence and Internal Security Corps of the Army, so they also deal with a lot of classified information and need to keep their mouth shut. Erya is the Captain General of IntSec, Varré her second in command, Gullin and Catnip are both brigadiers - so that's the top 4 in the chain of command.

Catnip in particular is responsible for gathering information. Her powers allow her to control small animals, who spy for her, which makes her an invaluable asset. And while she is the gossip queen, she knows very well what she should and shouldn't talk about, being the oldest and most tenured officer in the entire corps.

The most guarded secret there is that the Army can stop ruptures from appearing completely. No more threat to the population. No more people eaten by the Dark Ones. Buuuut if they did it, the whole institution wouldn't have a reason to exist, so...🤐

(Fun fact: being the nerd that I am, I've figured out access controls to the military archives, based on Bell-La Padula Model, and somehow managed to make it relevant to the plot...)

Are secrets considered a good thing or bad?

Neither. They're more like tokens or commodities, which can be traded and exchanged.

Do my characters have secrets?

Every. Single. One.

The two with the most world-shattering secrets are probably Erya and Ianim.

Who in your cast is most likely to spill one?

Lissan. Everyone other than him is very well-trained and used to dealing with either state or military secrets. So of course he's the one to run head-first into them on regular basis😅

If you made it this far:

Books 2 and 3 of DoD (The Prince's Shadow, Prodigal Children), answer what happens when the Shadow and the Prince of Light fall for each other. What will they choose, having the balance of the entire realm at stake?

Days of Dusk taglist (please message me to +/-): @acertainmoshke @another-white-void @cee-grice @cljordan-imperium @elshells @poetinprose

#sunblessed realm #sts #ask and i shall answer #info dump #merchants of whispers #the prince's shadow #thinking of doing it for NaNoWriMo this year

[carnivalcarriondiscarded]

yeehaw just wrote over 3k and i can't publish Any of it without miles of fantasy au context

#technically its a full scene and a half #brain: hey what if a solid thousand words was just silly puppets having breakfast #and then i said 'damn youre so right' and yeah. silly puppets having breakfast and arguing over ale vs mead #i love writing from barnaby's pov. im so unfunny that its ruining his reputation #i go There Could Be A Joke Here #but head Empty so there isn't one. i continue on. rinse and repeat #anyway big scene of barnaby and wally bonding #as i was writing i was honestly like 'the wallaby enjoyers would have a field day with this' #am i one of them? no. however i know my 'qp barnaby and wally' belief bleeds into my writing #so yk. its easily read either way. #of course i immediately counteract it by sprinkling in a laughingstock crumb or two but yk yk #fantasy au is so fun to chew on... everyone gets to say Fuck and threaten genuine violence... #absolutely unprompted #speaking of writing im actually going to Attempt nanowrimo this year #im gonna try to belt out the roughest rough draft of a standalone book idea #i still need to finish the outline but! im sure i can do that in 10 days! #but anyway ive been having so many fantasy au feelings lately idk why #i think i need to rewatch lotr! extended editions of course im not an animal. #well i am. but - yeah whatever yall get it #im craving that sweet sweet high fantasy & worldbuilding & high quality cinema

[runawaymun]

finally settled down and so it's time to embark on day one of Nanowrimo

#I haven't done it in years but i'm doing it this year #to be fair 1667 words really is not all that much for me to write in one day #that used to sound like a lot the last time i did this lol #i think the last time I did nanowrimo it was for a rewrite #anyway this year i'm just counting all my WIPs and working on whichever one suits me #for a collective of 1667 words a day #miiiiiight stream a couple write ins #we'll see

[burningupasun]

I'm not saying I'm gonna finish the fanfic I haven't touched in 6-7 years, because whew boy. But I will say that I've spent the last 2 days re-reading She's Breathing and Still Breathing in entirety to see if I can even remember how I was going to finish it, lol, or if it's even possible.

#bethyl #the problem is i haven't watched TWD in literally 6 or 7 years and idk how much i even remember of it #there are references in these stories that i have zero recollection of #because i have a horrible memory #so if i did even try to finish still breathing idk if i could do it justice #because i have lost all concept of the vibes of any character besides beth and daryl #on the other hand i feel bad for never finishing it #and it would be good practice for nanowrimo next month #idk who i'm even telling this too lmao y'all probably forgot i existed #i've just been thinking about it since that ask message the other day

[revenantghost]

NaNoWriMo trying to recruit me while I'm over here like

#I won NaNoWriMo for at least five years in a row #I think it might have been closer to eight but memory is HARD #Like y'all #I WISH I could win #But it's been like... two or three years...... #Stop making me feel bad #(I could unsubscribe but I like to dream that maybe someday I could do it again) #Yadda yadda

[elliesgaymachete]

Ok i finally have a vague idea for nanowrimo this year we’re gonna do something that’s NOT fantasy so we don’t have to do a fuckton of research and worldbuilding we are just keeping it simple and hoping for the best

Anyway if you are also doing nanowrimo this year feel free to add me @gaymee we can be writing buddies ✌🏽

#i didn’t do super great last year but i think it’s because that specific world needed so much worldbuilding #and i wasn’t excited enough about the idea to figure it out #so this time we’re just gonna wing it with a simple setting and let the story and characters carry it #and hope for the best lol #nanowrimo

[mossflower]

ok while i’m ignoring the fact that i have a 9am lecture in six hours does anyone want to listen to me rant about nanowrimo

#so. last year i decided to do it very last minute with zero planning #it was not a good story but i had a lot of fun writing it and!! i actually finished it!! #this year i have planned a story. i have a plot. i have characters that i like. i have themes and settings and all that jazz #but i kinda just want to abandon it and work on an older project!! which is very annoying #the older project is part of a whole damn universe i’ve been developing the past few years. i am Obsessed obsessed with everything abt it #it’s very close to my heart and i really want to make something of it! and i don’t think i’m a competent enough writer to do it justice atm #also if i abandon my current nano project i highly doubt i will ever actually write it #which would be a shame because i like it! it’s a story i would have liked to read when i was like fourteen fifteenish #and tbh would still like to read now #i think actually writing it would be good practice! and i know i would enjoy it #when have i ever not enjoyed anything featuring magic time travel and lesbians. like honestly #i don’t think it’d take long for me to start writing the older project after nanowrimo either #i have a tendency to get stuck in brainstorming hell but i know how it ends. which makes everything much easier to sort #also if i don’t write something featuring the love of my life maria soon i think she will physically claw her way out of my brain #so there’s that <3 #morganposting #nano 2023 #now thats a scary tag to be using

[kiliinstinct]

Decided to Participate in NaNoWriMo this year! Which means I'll probably be even more quiet than I normally am, and there wont be much chance of seeing other fics updating until December during the whole thing. BUT! If you're a writer, whose also participating, and who happens to have an account on Nanowrimo.org - you should totally add me as a friend.

#Kili Talks #Just saying #National Novel Writing Month #NaNoWriMo #i'm cheating and not working on something new #but that's okay #if i succeed this year #then i'll try something original next year #i think #anyway #do it #add me #if you want #don't make me beg here

[sinking-into-mist]

I got back to trying to write the Olli/Aleksi fic I mentioned last(?) week, and this is basically how it's going

me: this will be a cute fluffy sfw story

o & a: but what if we kissed... and our hands started to wander... and things got a little heated...

me: sure, a bit of that sounds great 👍 just don't get too carried away!

o & a: *kissing, groaning, neck biting, slight scratching, moaning*

me: okay that's enough! let's go back to the cute fluff and wrap up this fic

o & a: no 😊

me: i won't let you continue. go to bed boys.

o & a: okay!

me: ... wait, i meant, go to bed for some cuddles and sleeping!!

o & a: lol sure 😏 *undressing each other in between heated kisses*

me: i did not see that coming

#characters doing whatever the hell they want is both the best and worst thing about writing #also. the fic i'm writing now is so clumsy but i was like it's just because i haven't written in months and i'm rusty #but last night i took a look at some of the fics i've written earlier and maybe this is just how bad i am at writing 🙈 #anyway i still want to get back to writing more because it's lots of fun even if the quality is low #and ofc i have to do nanowrimo also this year so it'd be nice to try to write a few stories before that as warm up #i was thinking of attempting to write a drabble or something for each bc pairing #but actually i might be more tempted to just write some olliallu stories #because i'm in the mood for that and also apparently so far i've written only like 5 olliallu fics and that needs to be fixed #idk we'll see how it goes 🤷‍♀️😅 #not that i think anyone cares about my story ramblings considering i haven't even published any fics lol #just felt like rambling anyway 😂 #ALSO if someone is planning to do nanowrimo and wants to talk/rant/panic about it hmu

[wickedhawtwexler]

i think i might do camp nanowrimo. to get ~*~ back into the groove ~*~ of writing every day

#i've been slowly getting over my writer's block this last month or so #and i think getting back on adderall has helped push me over that last hump #i'm not feeling as motivated to write as i did like. two years ago. when i was writing 80-100k a month #i don't think i'll ever have that output again bc now i have more hobbies and actually have a social life lmao #i think i'm gonna aim for like. 30k for camp nanowrimo. 1000 words a day on average #i have two ideas i want to write. both are urban fantasy. i'm stepping outside of my sci-fi bubble for a bit #also i'm not gonna be doing the official camp nanowrimo bc of all the shit that's going down lmao. i'm participating in stuff on discord #m.txt

[mogseltof]

i have reached the point in november where my brain feels like a lost boiled noodle

#limp #cold #and flavourless #nanowrimo #nano23 #it speaks #13 years of doing nanowrimo you'd think i'd remember i always reach a point where my brain and hands refuse to cooperate with the goal #i have finished every day on track so far so help me god i will see the last three out #cannot believe my brain is failing me right as i get to write a sick fight scene

[sixofravens-reads]

I've hit this fun mental block where none of the books left on my 2023 TBR interest me very much, and I keep looking at aaaalllll my other books and going "why don't you just read one of them?" But my brain is like, "NO! new books are for good readers who finish their goals!!"

#anyway ive been 'reading' dalamar the dark for like 3 days and im on page. 5. #zero motivation to read #thinking about goals for next year. they're gonna be much more open-ended #'read these 82 books in a year' was a good idea until i had 14 books left and wasn't in the mood for any of em #anyway. just complaining. i don't think there's a solution here except not forcing myself to read and seeing if my brain comes around #im also doing nanowrimo (badly) and work has been stressful so that kills the reading desire #i HAVE been enjoying watching movies/tv lately though which is unusual but nice for a change #thinking about reading

[bookwyrminspiration]

ur frustration with nanowrimo is so real im So fucking pissed with it because i joined on nov 2 so i'm ALWAYS 1667 words behind even if i literally wrote met the writing goal. I hate it. I also Refuse to be bested by it

missing a single day of nano is SO devastating. or at least it feels like it, because (in my experience) the best way to make it up is just to slightly increase your word count each day for a while until you catch up. but that leaves you under par for like at least a week and it's just so!!

but as devastating as it feels, people miss days all the time and still win! so I have complete faith that you are still fully capable of completing the month :)

#nanowrimo #quil's queries #loveution #i think nano is going to be particularly difficult for me this year #i think this might be the busiest i've ever been while doing the challenge #but I am determined to make it work! #not giving up my six (seven?) year streak! #i lost track but it's definitely one of those #but anyway #we've got this!!

[tyrannuspitch]

everyone be quiet. me and my favourite fanfiction that hasn't updated in a year are having a moment

#<- exaggeration for the one i'm thinking of but i'm still loyal to one that hasn't updated in three actual years #idc. maybe YOU feel '''betrayed'''. i have faith though. #<- entirely genuine btw. the betrayal narrative around unfinished works baffles me. 1. entitled 2. how do u Know it's abandoned. #they could literally be getting around to it... we can't all be nanowrimoers.....

[findrythehobbit]

Alright. Trying to do Nano this year to make some actual progress on a novel I’ve been picking and plotting at for like a year now. To be honest I have no expectations of finishing, but I’m excited to push myself a little and see how far I can get.

Work today tried to personally have me murdered, so I’m closing out day 1 with a grand total of 206 new words. Hoo boy. But it’s progress!!! It’s words on the page!!! I’m taking it!!!!!!

#look upon my two paragraph kingdom and weep!!!! #I kid I kid #nanowrimo #trying to do this with optimism and fun this year #in the past I’ve tried to do this the wrong way I think. #I got too serious about it and then got stressed if I missed days or had bad days #and wojod then just burn out two weeks in #have yet to complete a nano!! so that’s like. the only goal. steady steps. #so I’m trying to be kind to myself this year and just do it for the heck of it. for the shits and gigs.

[floral-hex]

I wonder if any of my mutuals are doing nanowrimo this year. Is that still a thing that people do?

#I feel like this is a question I should be asking back in 2014 or something #is it even still relevant? #not a critique. I think it’s cool. #words that instantly send my ass back to my early tumblr years: nanowrimo. nerdfighters. onceler. skeleton war. president’s shoelaces… #makes me feel so old now…. anyway! #I never see anyone mention it. then again maybe it’s just not relevant to my ‘circle’. and it is only once a year so 🤷🏻‍♂️ #I think it’s fun they made a whole month to write and support other writers. it’s cute. #I love when mutuals are creative #lemme read your poorly edited 50k gay fantasy novel pls (SERIOUS) #you think your writing sucks? even better. that’s zero pretention baby. I love that. #also I’ve been thinking about trying it but also am hesitant to talk about that bc I hate hyping things I’ll probably fail at #but also yeah I think it #sorry I got distracted what was I typing… #my brother texted me he has robotics club after school and I spent 5 minutes looking for a good robot gif and forgot what I was doing #uhhh… books cool #i love books #i love you #you can ignore this #text