Hello, My Fellow Writeblr! While I Write Mostly High Fantasy, I Have Now A Grim Dark Cyberpunk Superhero

Hello, my fellow writeblr! While I write mostly high fantasy, I have now a grim dark cyberpunk superhero story in the works, called Open Secret Files, and will probably start posting about it soon. It includes all of the above tropes except for the fanfiction part, since this is my original story lol. It has vigilantes,troublemakers, superheroes and supervillains (often the roles between the good guy and bad guy are reversed, since some of the big superheroes of the world of my story have become corrupted and villainize those who stand against them), there is a lot of found family to be found (most of the main cast are a bunch of young outcast kids who form a group/foun family to fight a corrupt system), and there are plenty of morally ambiguous characters!

You can interact with me, if you want, in my blog: @mysticstarlightduck

hello writeblr - i’m looking for mutuals so please feel free to interact if you’re interested !!

reblogs appreciated! especially looking for:

people who like superheroes and/or supervillains and/or anything in that vein

enjoyers of the hero/retired hero and their yet-to-have-their-spirits-broken protégé

found family enthusiasts !!!

fans of morally ambiguous characters or villains that aren’t wholly sympathetic

fanfiction !! writers and/or enjoyers !!

Happy Blursday! Which of your blorbos should come with an instruction/care manual and what might it say?

Happy Blursday too, @writernopal!

Oh, definitely Bryn, Tanwin, and Nethen for this one!

Those characters have been through a lot, and have some heavy trauma which often triggers them. They should definitely come with a care manual, cause their emotional package is heavy.

But since those are too many characters, I will do the "instruction manual" only for Bryn. It would say:

Be supportive, not condescending. Do not treat him like he is weak, because he is not and can get stabby really quickly at this, and you don't want to be at the receiving end of this stabbing.

Do not, under any circumstances speak anything favorable about High Lady Avaline. Also, if possible, do not touch him unless he wants to initiate the hugging. Bryn is touch averse and not realizing this will get someone stabbed, and it will most likely end in the wounding of the hugger.

DON'T LET FIRE NEAR HIM. Seriously, do not. My boy despises fire so much that he'd rather feel cold during a blizzard than sit by a fire. If you don't want a young mercenary having a breakdown, don't let fire near him.

Help him in his revenge quest, and be supportive of his intent to destroy the House of Lady Avaline. This is seriously the best and quickest way to get in his good graces. Want Bryn to help you? Then help him in devising a plan to see that royal piece of work dead.

When around him, do not call anyone "insane", and respect those who actually are mentally ill in some way. His older brother succumbed to madness after the Agrannorian Civil War and the themes surrounding that are still a very sore wound to Bryn.

MAKE STRAWBERRY DESSERTS. I refuse to elaborate further. If you want to be friends with our bitter stabby mercenary boi, make him a batch of strawberry cupcakes and a medieval smoothie.

Spar with him. Help him win the brawls he starts. Support his fighting against the world and he is going to respect you. (My boi is the representation of the vine "I will not hesitate", and you better be on his side when he does this).

Bryn is surprisingly stealthy, so learn to not be scared whenever he pops up behind you in a shady alleyway. That's just his way of saying he is your friend.

Bryn may not seem like it, but he likes bad jokes. If he seems especially chatty or in a good mood, do make a lot of bad jokes and tell funny stories. He will be kindly amused. Even though he will likely not smile and remain with the same scowl on his face.

Also, on that note, it is vital to learn to distinguish his "I am your friend and this conversation pleases me" scowl from the "I will kill this bitch and dance on the blood of my enemies" scowl and the difference is very subtle. But there is a difference, and you better be good at noticing it.

All righty, let's try a storyteller... sunday? Can that be a thing? I want to know what your writing routine is! What do you do to make sure you have a productive, strong, and most importantly fun session?

Happy STS to you too!!! Thanks for the Ask, @lassiesandiego!

I had to think this through quite a bit. I don't know if I have a very specific set "writing routine", per se. But I do have a routine of sorts, so I will try to explain it lol.

I usually set writing time every day from 17:00 to 21:00 (give or take, it varies according to how creative I am feeling that day, the kinds of classes I have, or if I have to take more breaks), during the week. Before writing, I have a """self-care""" routine, which basically means that I spend five minutes making sure I am ready to write. It usually entails me washing my face and hands, using moisturizer, and washing off the moisturizer. I fix my hair - usually, I just brush it back, but sometimes I put on a tiara to hold it back. I make some black tea, which I bring with me to my writing face in my house's study.

Then I write. I might answer some Tumblr Asks first, or make some posts, but then I focus on what I feel like writing for the day. It can be actual parts of my WIPs, making character profiles, brainstorming or just writing down notes. I usually take a snack break around 19:00 and then come back to my writing.

When this session is done, I take a dinner break and either watch a movie with my family or come back for another, smaller writing session.

On the weekends, this routine varies. I have free weekends, and usually, because of this I write during the morning/afternoon as well, but I also maintain some of my nightly writing routine.

I hope this answers your Ask! (:

Writing Prompt #2344

He crouched besides the child, hoping he had succeeded in wiping every bloodstain away, and that kindness could reach his eyes once again.

"Do you want to come with us?" He asked. "We can take you somewhere safer than here."

Happy STS! A bit of a lighter question today! Let's pretend you're throwing a WIP-themed party. What sort of food would you serve? What would you put in the goody bags for your guests?

Happy Storyteller Saturday to you too! Thank you for the Ask, @writernopal! 💕

I never thought about something like this! It seems like such a cool thing to actually do though, lol.

If I were to throw a party inspired by my main WIP The Last Wrath - it would certainly be an incredible experience for me. Given that it is a dark/high medieval fantasy the decorations would be such a cool thing to do and have custom ordered so there is a whole aesthetic for the party! And of course, all the guests could dress as characters from the main cast, or even with clothes inspired by the fashion of the multiple kingdoms of Agrannor - it would be a cool "costume party", rather geeky, lol. It could also take inspiration from some of the best aspects of the actual Masquerades that happen in Agrannor!

As for the food, this is tricky, because most of the food in the story is made of fantasy ingredients lol (like, Vellamere is known for dishes made out of sea monsters like krakens and gigantic beasts). BUT... They would be very cool to adapt. So there would be richly flavored seafood dishes inspired by Vellamere's famous cuisine, exquisite fruit desserts for an Adrellios-inspired buffet, stews/soups/and all the kinds of warm food (as well as warm drinks - especially warm wine) for the Kestrall-inspired bits... Things like this!

For the goody bags, there would be custom-made knickknacks inspired by things that actually appear in the novel, such as earrings with a runic-amulet pattern, bracelets that look like armor braces, sea shell jewelry like the ones Nadinne wears, maybe even some fake daggers that have the Gilded Vipers' oath written on it.

It would certainly be a fun thing to plan and participate on!

Happy WBW! What hairstyles are popular in your world? Are these hairstyles you can do at home or ones that you'd have to pay a professional to get done?

Happy Worldbuilding Wednesday to you too! And thanks for the Ask @writernopal!!!

(Disclaimer: This will be a long post since I picked up some images from Pinterest for reference and want to detail some of the more kingdom-specific styles)

What hairstyles are popular in your world? Are these hairstyles you can do at home or ones that you'd have to pay a professional to get done?

In Agrannor, there are many regions and kingdoms of varied cultures, and therefore, many styles that are available everywhere. Some kingdoms might value beauty and style more than others, while others might prefer practicality and usefulness. It is also very hard to describe hairstyles like this, but I will try my best! (:

Many styles are popular throughout Agrannor. If we take a more broad, general view of the entire continent (as in considering the styles that prevail all across the land regardless of where you are from) we would certainly find some specific commonly popular hairstyles. Long, loose (untied) hair styled with braids, as well as shorter, more detailed styles seem to be very popular throughout the continent (You can see that by how the main cast dresses: Raelen has long hair that is often loose/untied and braided, Azra has short hair that he ties back into a ponytail, Vall has long hair that is usually tied back or completely loose, Emryc has very short hair, Ellinor has a similar hairstyle to Raelen but more voluminous, Ragnah has short shabby hair styled with colorful beads and ornaments, and so on).

So, braids, ponytails, and loose (untied) hair seem to be the most prominent. And usually, people will mix those styles together to fit their own personal aesthetic, the level of practicality they want, and other personal things.

Here are some pictures from Pinterest for reference:

And so on!

Also, unless you are: 1. A royal/noble, 2. An important member of the court/army, 3. A very rich merchant/influential person, you would likely have to style your hair by yourself, as "hairstylists" are often incredibly expensive in Agrannor and in some kingdoms, the trade is known by only some royal servants of high standing.

However, if we want to consider more kingdom-specific styles they would be very interesting too: (I'll list the most remarkable examples here)

ADRELLIOS: In this Golden City, style and beauty are everything. They strive to stray from what is commonplace and often style their hair in unique and often incredibly intricate ways. In Adrellios you are likely to find people with delicate updos that would take hours to make, style with only the finest of the kingdom's jewelry, gold, and silver, and surely tied/braided with the best colorful silk, all of it shimmering in the sun. Since this is a city near the desert, they seem to prefer styles that are either shorter or outstanding updos that keep all the hair tied up. In this city, you would be very likely to encounter humans with their hair dyed unnatural colors, the most common ones being purple, turquoise, and orange. Also, you would likely find the medieval equivalent of a hairstylist, who could fashion your hair into the most beautiful trend of the season, if you have enough gold pieces to pay for it that is.

KESTRALL: In the snowy mountain kingdom of the soldiers and dragon riders, hairstyle usually focuses on being practical, as ephemeral things such as delicate beauty and spending time styling your hair won't get you through the battles and the winter. (Here, you'd be very likely to encounter those styles I showed above in the pictures). However, their Code of the Old Warriors also has some interesting takes on hair - and how the way you should style it to reflect your accomplishments in battle. This would get too complicated to explain, but basically, you can tell someone is a warrior by the hairstyle they use and you can also tell how accomplished they are. A serious warrior would be expected to follow this "Dress Code". Braided hairstyles are incredibly present in this kingdom.

ERGYRE: Very similar to the styles found in Adrellios, though they have a penchant for iron and steel ornaments, as well as ones made of colored glass. Crystals and rare minerals from their mines are also commonly used by them for hair adornments. Some nobles and even some of the common people (or rebels) like to have silk and colored wool "sewn" into their braids (don't worry, not in a hurtful manner, just sewn into the already done braids).

THE MOROSYN EMPIRE: Though there are many kingdoms in the Morosyn Empire, their styles seem to follow whichever is most popular in the Imperial Capital at the moment. Their hairstyles value symmetry and show impeccable attention to detail. Blond, White Silver, and Pitch Black hair seem to be the beauty standard and some people will either dye their hair to match it or to exacerbate their already existing features. Ornaments are common but they also follow a certain sense of stoic symmetry and delicate details.

VELLAMERE: Loose/Untied styles with gently placed ornaments, small braids, and loose buns are very common here in Vellamere. In this seafaring kingdom, your hair would usually be styled in such a manner that it could flow easily in the wind and in the flowing water. Long curly hair, delicate tiaras, and cloth ornaments are very popular, as well as those made out of iridescent sea monster shells and the famously important gemstones found in their seabed. Your style should be proper to both sail the seas and attend a high-end masquerade ball, but this is easy to achieve here.

LIRANTHIS: This is a city that values intellect and delicate beauty at the same time, while also preferring more "rational" and practical hairstyles. You would likely find styles of all shapes and sizes here, though shorter ones seem to be more popular now, as well as many pastel/mildly colorful ornaments that often serve the very practical purpose of keeping your hair out of your face during your scholar enterprises.

Also, there are some Non-Human species in Agrannor that have hairstyles worth mentioning:

The Elves: (This will apply to their native culture and not to those elves that are captive slaves of the kingdom of Ergyre or the Morosyn Empire) Elves are often born with "unnaturally colored hair", which means their hair is often some shade of blue, blood red, pure white, or other rare colors. But "normal" human colors such as brown, blond, black, hazel, red, etc, can also occur. They keep their hair long and usually style it with very thin braids. On important occasions, such as weddings, the first birthday of someone's child, etc, they use specific styles made just for the occasion. Horned elves sometimes style their fringe in braids that surround the base of both horns. Their styles are highly personal. Ornaments are rare but not uncommon, and the most popular ones are woven into their braids or adorn their horns.

The Fae: When the Faeborn were still flourishing, prior to the massacre of most of their population during the Agrannorian Civil War, they had vastly different colors of hair which usually indicated what kind of faerie they were (a sky fae, an earth fae, a tree fae, a water fae, etc) and their home "nest" of origin. A tree Fae would have ornaments not only made from materials surrounding their home tree but would style their hair much differently from a sky Fae, for example. Also, their hair is said to have a naturally occurring glow to it that is born from their strong connection to natural magical forces that run in their blood, similar to bioluminescence but still different, and it is visible at any given time of the day. Nowadays, however, after the death of most of the Faeborn population, the surviving Fae try to pass as human by using human hairstyles (or entirely hiding their hair), hiding their ears, or even dyeing their hair a naturally "human" color.

The Merfolk: This is where things get complicated. The merfolk don't have "hair" per se (as in they don't have the strands of fur that we humans call hair as it would be impractical for their lives in the deep ocean), but they have hair-like appendages that grow in strands out of their head (think of the Twi-Lek from star wars, now imagine what they would look like with multiple, thin lekkus, this is honestly the best metaphor I could come up with to explain how merfolk hair works in the TLW universe). These strands mimic the color of their skin (which can be varied, but usually is either blue, deep blue, grey, purple, pitch black, pure white or multiple shades of green). Also, since said "hair" is made out of bone/keratin, muscle, and skin, it can never be cut - and doing so would be incredibly painful to the merperson. The "hairstyle" varies according to which "sea creature" they are similar to and the environment they live in. It can be styled with pieces of coral, tiaras made of colorful seaweed, ornaments carved out of flotsam, or woven with rope from sunken ships. More recently, since they began to openly interact with humans in the Storm Isles, they have begun to use some human-made ornaments as well.

Thank you for reading it this far! I am super excited about this answer, and I loved how much your question made me think about the world from my current WIP!!! 💕