My Ask Box Is Open!

My ask box is open!

You know, an interesting tumblr transformation that's happened gradually, and which I've seen no one talk about: ask-culture has essentially dropped off to nothing.

By which I mean, asks used to be WAY more of the tumblr economy. They used to be more common to send, and receive, and see. They were integral to the collaborative, forum-like behavior of old tumblr communities, not even to speak on the HUGE number of ask-blogs that used to exist to only be interacted with in ask-form.

I'm not saying this in a vying-for-attention way but instead in an observational way: I used to get way way more asks in like 2015, even with a fraction of my follower count. I wonder if it's due to the homogenization of social media sites? There's a lot more of this divide between "content creator" and "consumer" instead of just a bunch of peer blogs who would talk to each other. "Asks" aren't really a thing on twitter, are they? And as I understand it, the closest thing to an "ask" on instagram or tiktok would be a creator screenshotting some comment and responding to it in a new reel or video or whatever those content mediums are. Are asks just too tumblr-specific? Is that aspect of the site culture dying out as more and more people converge to using all their social media sites in the same way?

Enchanted Illusions: (Victorian Gothic Fantasy) Valentine Concordium Journal Entries (part 2)

Valentine Concordium, Year 53 After the Great Dawn, December 3, dusk.

Ever discover a new place in the very house you grew up in, a place that you had no idea was even a part of your house until you found it? Well, I believe I just did. At least that's something new, even if it's strange. After nearly 200 years of living in this mansion, I guess it still has its secrets to unravel. Just the distraction I was in dire need of.

Puzzling, but not ... unwelcome, I think.

I found the crypt hidden in the manor's woods, yesterday night during one of my many midnight strolls. It's always more difficult at night when my mind is clear and my thoughts so loud. But regardless, I digress. I guess I must've gotten lost, or walked further than I intended to, because, before I knew it, I was in a part of the forest I had never been to - something I would never have thought possible fifteen minutes prior. And there it was, the crypt, or what I guess was a crypt.

Curiosity - and a desperate sense of loneliness - got the better of me, and I decided to explore this new discovery.

It was as one might expect. Covered in centuries of dust, cobwebs, and many kinds of debris, but there was more to it. The further I walked, the more that became clear to me. To begin with, this was a crypt with no coffins. Among the piles of dust on tilted tables were stacks of ancient literature, carefully placed as if by a scholar's hand. The handwriting was vampiric, though the symbols that littered the leftmost corner of the pages were illegible, or at least unknown.

Every room and chamber of the crypt was like this, and the walls were decorated with torn silk banners with the faded outline of my family crest. The strangest place I ever visited had been within my grasp all this time, and I didn't even know it.

I spent hours walking around there.

My wandering led me to the furthest chamber of this crypt. It was chiefly empty, but not quite. There was a trapdoor on the floor, front and center. And pulling it open - though it took, admittedly, a remarkable amount of effort, even for a vampire - revealed a journal.

A familiar journal. Dusty and covered in cobwebs, but I would recognize that journal anywhere. Under the cover, there was a Hunter's silver locket, stained with dried blood. It almost burned my hand, almost. I was quicker.

Sebastian's journal, locked away in a crypt I didn't even know about until a few meager hours prior, with a Hunter's locket hidden within its cover. My brother had been studying something about the Hunters, judging by the contents of the unfinished journal. Something he shouldn't have discovered. The Hunters killed him for it.

Nothing about any of this makes sense, but yet... it does. In a strange, twisted way. Remarkable.

I wished to keep investigating, but had to leave before the first rays of the sun began to rise, not wanting to spend the next day stuck in a crypt I did not know. Still, I need those answers - it's not like there's anything better to do with my time, and the questions will keep eating away at me until I know the truth.

Tonight, I am going to go back there, to the crypt. This time, more prepared - and well-armed, I suppose. And will, I hope, discover what my family has to do with it, and why did they keep this secret from me. We'll see.

Taglist (ask to be -/+): @cabbojage

Happy WBW! What is the first thing that you think about/consider when you are building a new world? Is it the weather? Night/Day cycles? Maybe the food! Tell me about it!

Happy (Late) Worldbuilding Wednesday! Thank you so much for the Ask, @writernopal!

What is the first thing that you think about/consider when you are building a new world?

The first thing I tend to consider when building a new world, after choosing the time period and general vibes/aesthetics of that new world, is "How does the setting affect the lives of my characters, and why?"

I consider what are my character's lives and how they have been shaped by the world around them, what aspects of this world can I create for this setting that will be immediately relevant not only to the characters but the plot as well? That's what I focus on, when I am beginning to develop my books' worldbuilding.

When that part is well established and fully developed, I consider: what is this world inspired by? What ancient cultures, or time periods, can serve as inspiration for this world? I make a list and expand on that, jotting down ideas, vibes, concepts, and anything I can create based on that knowledge.

Then, the fun part begins and I can truly begin to create an immersive and functional world for this story to inhabit. This is where I truly start worldbuilding. I consider: how was this world formed, what is its current political landscape, what are the existing cultures/races of this world and what are their relations, what is the existing magic system, and how is it viewed? What are the fashion styles, foods, cultural quirks, traditions, etc.? Are there wars/conflicts/prejudice? Why? What are relevant events in this world's recent history and why do they matter to the current plot? The cool part of worldbuilding!

So yeah, I start by considering how the world impacts the characters and then plot, seek inspiration in cultures and historical events that fit the chosen time period, and then begin the actual - compelling - worldbuilding to create an immersive setting!

URL Song Tag!

Tagged by @writernopal for this one! Thank you so much for the tag!

Rules: List a song for each letter of your URL. (Tag as many people as there are letters)!

I'll be using the songs on one of my Youtube Playlists for this tag!

M - My Goodbye - Epic the Musical

Y - Young Blood - 5 Seconds of Summer

S- S.O.S - Indila

T - The Plagues - Prince of Egypt

I - I Want To Live - Borislav Slavov (Baldur's Gate 3)

C- Carry On My Wayward Son - Kansas (Supernatural Soundtrack)

S - Speechless - Naomi Scott

T - The Things We Lost In The Fire - Bastille

A - Advienne Que Pourra - Fabien Incardona

R - Raging On A Sunday - Bohnes

L - Later Never Comes - Scrooge: A Christmas Carol

I - I'll Tell You A Tale - Karliene

G - Greater Than One - ericdoa and VALORANT

H - Home - Dotan

T - The Wave Soaked Maiden - Ginny Di

D - Drown With Me - Falconshield (League Of Legends Pyke Song)

U - Undone - FFH

C - Coming Home - Rival x Arc North x Cadmium

K - Killer In the Mirror - Set It Off

(There are far too many letters to my URL, and I am lazy, so I'm only gonna tag some people lol)

Tagging, gently with no pressure - @lyutenw @cabbojage @tabswrites @clairelsonao3 @late-to-the-fandom @rickie-the-storyteller @your-absent-father @exquisitecrow and OPEN TAG (for anyone else who wants to do this)!

OC Questions Tag

Thank you for the Tag, @tabswrites! Her post can be found here

I'll be doing this for Xarian Argyris, a deceitful fairy outlaw from my new high fantasy WIP, Tales of Wilted Flowers!

5 words to physically describe your OC (do you have a drawing? even better!)

Lanky, tall. Dangerous beauty. Metallic hair

Who inspired your OC? (can be your mum to a very famous fungi)

Uh... I don't really know if this is a valid answer but maybe: Julian Devorak (from The Arcana game), Astarion (from Baldur's Gate 3) and general fairytale lore. My character Xarian starts out running away from someone trying to kill him and being framed for something he didn't exactly do, is slightly unstable but a very good person where it counts, while also being a socially awkward trickster/liar and having a very confusing moral compass - and an obsession with strange knowledge. Take that however you will lmao.

Give me a song to define your OC (I will listen to it to enter in your WIP mood!)

I'll do one better! Here are five songs that define Xarian!

Willow - Bardcore Cover by Hildegard Von Blingin

No Good - Unsecret ft Ruelle

S.O.S - Indila

Wild Uncharted Waters - Jonah Hauer-King

Natural - Imagine Dragons cover by Caleb Hyles

If I met your OC on the street how would they greet me?

Xarian - while very refined and sophisticated - is still a socially awkward young adult at heart. He would likely greet you with a formal fae salutation (a little bow) and wish you a good day from a distance while being internally like "Oh, gods, please tell me you won't go in for a hug." The greeting would be short, but pleasantly polite.

Can your OC be your best friend? Why?

I mean once we get past the stabby-stabby "Come any closer and you'll be speaking to the sharp end of my blade" beginning and he eventually opens up to my friendship - and shows his true, kinder side - then sure! We'd make a good team and would have lots to talk about, especially about books.

Though his Number 1 best friends are - and will forever be, in his own words - his girlfriend Lorelai Wildwood and their friend (and travel companion) Rylisan Fenrith.

1 adjective and 1 noun to describe your OC (blue soul)

True friend

Tagging (gently with no pressure): @your-absent-father, @cabbojage, @clairelsonao3, @exquisitecrow, @liv-is, and OPEN TAG (for anyone who wants to do this)!

Happy Storyteller Saturday! Why did you choose the POV you did for your story?

Happy Storyteller Saturday! Thank you so much for the Ask, @gummybugg!

Why did you choose the POV you did for your story?

So let's consider my 2 Main WIPs!

The Last Wrath

Is a Multiple-POV story in 3rd person, and while all POV characters have vastly different experiences, their lives and the events in their stories are intrinsically connected. I choose a Multiple POV route for many reasons, chiefly because it allows me to explore different viewpoints and the effects of the story's arc through different lenses, while also moving the conflict forward in a compelling way. For example, we have:

Raelen Ashiren: a young Mageborn girl looking for a way not only to escape the war and discover the true secrets of her family's lost legacy, but also to find a way to save her older brother from a fate worse than death.

Zephyr Tellian: a talented sorcerer looking for an anti-dark magic spell that can counter the attacks of the villains (and prevent the War of Prophecy) while also looking for the cure of the curse that has been slowly but surely consuming him.

Princess Ellinor Dallantes: as the only survivor of the massacre of her family - the royal clan of Arkellya - Ellinor was raised by assassins and grew into a warrior who is currently leading the main rebel efforts against the Morosyn Empire's plans of conquest.

Darian Caelestis: a young potions-maker, son of infamous rebel warriors, Darian has lived in the shadow of a promise he could not keep, until he found the chance to make things right and save his long-lost best friend/boyfriend from the enemy.

So yeah, lol, it's a pretty varied set of viewpoints!

Tales of Wilted Flowers

Is a Single-POV story in 3rd person, with a few occasional bouts of Dual-POV here and there. The POV majorly follows the character of Lorelai Wildwood, a young outcast who wants to be more than what the world sees in her, as she goes on a winding adventure with some newfound allies, to stop an evil lurking beneath their kingdom's perfect surface. (Occasionally, as mentioned before, the POV of this book shifts to that of Xarian Argyris, a faerie outlaw who becomes Lorelai's love interest.)

I chose this specific POV because it lets me focus solely on the MCs experiences, while showcasing a bit of their thoughts and inner conflicts, which really comes in handy for writing a high fantasy adventure!