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[elliewritesfantasy]

Me: Okay, Brain. Think about what happens next in this chapter.

Brain: *Skips three chapters ahead*

Me: No, no. This one, this chapter, the one we are writing right now.

Brain:.......*47 scenes forward*

Me: NO

[elliewritesfantasy]

literally what is the point of writing fantasy if you don't include luscious, evocative descriptions of banquet spreads

[elliewritesfantasy]

Escape in the Night

A/N: I never thought I would be posting fanfiction on this account. However, Baldur’s Gate has captured my attention and my inspiration for months now. I don’t even know if anyone will see this, but I enjoyed writing it, and that’s all that matters.

Some protective dadstarion for you all. And strong boss Tav. Female Tav x Astarion.

Snow fell in great white clumps, blanketing the forest in an eerie silence. Cold crept up your fingers, reaching further with every moment that passed. You remained crouched under the boughs of an old maple tree, the bare branches leaning under the weight of the snowfall. You were burdened with your own weight; a greatsword hung between your shoulder blades, a relic of your paladin oath long forgotten among other worries, and a bundle against your chest. It was the one spot of true warmth on this winter night. Your baby. Astarion’s baby.

Armelle.

Boots shifted, crunching snow and dirt.

“Astarion?” His name was barely a puff of air from your mouth.

“I’m here.” He appeared next to you, and knelt. His silver hair shone even on this starless night, a mess of curls barely tamed. His eyes searched your face, his hands clenched around his longbow.

“Where are the vampires?” you asked.

“They’re close. I need to get you out of here.” Astarion placed a hand on your shoulder, guiding you to your feet. “I’ve lost a lot of my vampiric senses, but not all.”

“I wish they would see reason.”

“I know.”

You had found a wish scroll for him long ago, as part of your promise after the defeat of the netherbrain. The wish scroll brought him not only the cure for him vampirism, but the promise of a wide open future free of having to hide in the dark. It brought him hope and the freedom to finally say that he could marry you without feeling like he had trapped you in a vampire’s nest for life. And it had brought him his second-most precious gift of all - the wrapped child you clutched with the strength of a mother’s fierce love.

The vampires didn’t know Astarion was cured. They thought he had sired a dhampir, the offspring of a vampire and a powerful being with hungers rarely fully sated. A dhampir would be an asset to their coven, and they wasted no time in searching you out in the two weeks you have had her. You hadn’t meant to have your baby on the way to Waterdeep for a companions’ reunion. She was early. A surprise. But you were already so far from home, it wasn’t worth it to turn back.

Maybe that was a mistake.

“Y/N.” Astarion broke you from your thoughts. “Waterdeep isn’t far. If you run, you can make it while I hold them off.”

“I can’t leave you.” Your soul burned with your paladin’s oath, and your hands itched to strike the vampires down with all of your holy might.

“Just for a second. I’ll meet you there I promise,” Astarion said. His lips lifted in his slightly crooked smile. “If we can survive the Absolute and the attempted end of the world, we can survive this.”

You steeled your nerves, drinking in his familiar confident expression, though it wavered just a bit as the bundle on your chest let out a small, sleepy whine. “Alright”

“I can smell you. I can smell her.” The crooning voice of the vampire master Kazimir cut through the dampened night. Your heart quickened.

“Run.” Astarion notched an arrow, his breath coming in quick, clouded puffs. “Run!”

You didn’t hesitate. Your boots dug into the snow, into the frozen mud and you sprinted with all of the strength left in your body. The lights of Waterdeep twinkled on the horizon. It wasn’t much farther. You could make it.

“Ah, not so fast.”

You skidded to a stop, your throat lurching with fear. Kazimir stood before you, red eyes shining with glee.

“I can’t let you go, not with that creature you have.”

“She’s not a creature,” you growled. You drew your greatsword.

“Oh, but she is. And what a delicious creature she would be to have. She should be raised by a real vampire, not a pithy elf and a weak spawn.” He drew his own blade, a wicked sharp rapier. “Hand her to me peacefully, and I will let you return to your spawn without fuss.”

“No.” You swung your greatsword in an arc, poised to strike.

“A shame. Then I will have to take her from you.” Kazimir lunged forward, blade catching on the woolen edge of your wrap. You lurched back, narrowly escaping his rapier. You raised your sword, letting the anger in your stomach explode outward, lighting the weapon with a golden light. The vampire hissed and shrunk back instinctually at the light. With a cry, you leaped forward, bringing your sword down in a blazing arc. The vampire recovered just in time, spinning out of the way of your smite, his cloak billowing out behind him. He vanished among the trees, flitting between them like a ghost. You reeled, then recovered, and grounded yourself in the snow. You had to be ready.

Your eyes searched the darkness desperately, your eyes struggling to perceive anything beyond the falling snow.

“Behind you!” Astarion ran from the trees, an arrow whistling through the air. It found its mark in the shoulder of the master vampire. He screamed, turning from you to Astarion.

A blast of blue light blinded you all in an instant. A dimension door appeared just to your left with a familiar hand reaching through it.

“Gale!”

“Come with me,” Gale emerged wholly, his hair whipping in the wind of the portal. “Quickly!”

“But, Astarion-“ you looked back the silver elf now fighting Kazimir with his dagger, locked in an expert hand-to-hand battle.

“You have something more important to think about now, eh?” Gale gestured to you once again. You closed your eyes tight, sheathing your weapon. With one last glance at Astarion, you let Gale pull you through the gate and into the candlelit drawing room of his tower.

Shadowheart was the first to run to you. “Y/N, what happened?”

You couldn’t answer, your body wracked with violent shudders and shakes. Some of it was from the cold, some from the fear that made your very soul twist. Shadowheart wrapped you in a blanket. Through a tendril of consciousness, you managed to pull aside your wrap to check on your baby. You collapsed into a chair at the sight of her, eyes still closed, asleep. Safe.

“I’m going back for him.” Gale began furiously searching for a scroll through the precarious stacks upon his end tables.

Shadowheart laid a hand on his shoulder. “You shouldn’t risk it. What if the vampire comes through this time?”

Gale shook his head. “I can’t leave him to that master. I remember how strong Cazador was.”

“We have to trust him,” Shadowheart argued.

You could only sit, your arms holding your baby to you, her head cradled in your hands. A prayer of safety rang through your mind again and again. You had been a thirty minute run from Waterdeep before, and with the fight, maybe it would take him an hour.

“Please, I need you,” you whispered. Gale and Shadowheart retreated, letting you hold your child and warm by the fire while your brain was wracked with thoughts.

Please. Please.

I should have stayed.

Please.

The door to the drawing room burst open. You ran to it immediately, blood rushing in your ears.

“I’m here.”

“Astarion.”

He was here, his armor streaked bright red with blood. His hair was clumped with gore, and a cut on his cheek shone. He drank your face in hungrily, then reached for the woolen wrap, pushing it aside to reveal the perfect girl curled at your chest, her fine, newborn-soft silver hair glowing in the candlelight. Astarion placed a hand on her head, giving her a soft kiss right above her brow. He pressed his forehead against yours, tucking you both into his chest.

Even years after his cure, the feeling of his body warmth was novel. You soaked it in.

“He’s dead,” Astarion said. He twined a hand through your hair, pressing you into his shoulder. “He will never bother us again.”

“I can’t believe you killed him.” You drew back, studying his face.

Astarion laughed, his brows crinkling. “What, you doubted me? Hero of the world, slayer of the netherbrain?”

“You know it was my sword that landed the final strike,” you teased.

Armelle stirred, drawing Astarion’s attention. Oh, how much he had changed. From only being able to care about his own survival, to dedicating his whole existence to the survival of two others. It scared him more than the impending end of existence did.

“It doesn’t matter anyway.” He traced Armelle’s rounded, flushed cheeks, taking in the hair that matched his own, the nose that matched yours. “I have everything that I need right here.”

[elliewritesfantasy]

HELLO ALL!

Man has it been a while. College completely stole me away for a couple years, and unfortunately, that means I had to focus more on that then writing. But finally, I have the time and space and the ability to manage my time so that I can finally write again!

Since I haven’t been on in a while, I honestly don’t recognize my dashboard. A lot of my old writer friends have left, and also the updates confuse me (my one boomer tendency is to be confused by technology). That being said, if you are a writer here, reblog/like this post! I want to follow more of you and get back into the community, and I also want to support your works. I write fantasy mostly, but any genre is perfect.

Another note - my tag list is extremely old. Once I start posting with it again, if you would like to be taken off it, I won’t be hurt, I honestly understand. If you’d like to be added to it, you can also tell me that either in tags or my ask box!

I can’t wait to be back - I am so excited to connect with you all again!

- Ellie

[elliewritesfantasy]

Resources for Writing Injuries

Patreon || Ko-Fi || Masterlist || Work In Progress

–

Head Injuries

General Information | More

Hematoma

Hemorrhage

Concussion

Edema

Skull Fracture

Diffuse Axonal Injury

Neck

General Information

Neck sprain

Herniated Disk

Pinched Nerve

Cervical Fracture

Broken Neck

Chest (Thoracic)

General Information

Aortic disruption

Blunt cardiac injury

Cardiac tamponade

Flail chest

Hemothorax

Pneumothorax (traumatic pneumothorax, open pneumothorax, and tension pneumothorax)

Pulmonary contusion

Broken Ribs

Broken Collarbone

Abdominal

General Information

Blunt trauma

Penetrating injuries (see also, gunshot wound & stab wound sections)

Broken Spine

Lung Trauma

Heart (Blunt Cardiac Injury)

Bladder Trauma

Spleen Trauma

Intestinal Trauma

Liver Trauma

Pancreas Trauma

Kidney Trauma

Arms/Hands/Legs/Feet

General Information | More

Fractures

Dislocations

Sprains

Strains

Muscle Overuse

Muscle Bruise

Bone Bruise

Carpal tunnel syndrome

Tendon pain

Bruises

Injuries to ligaments

Injuries to tendons

Crushed Hand

Crushed Foot

Broken Hand

Broken Foot

Broken Ankle

Broken Wrist

Broken Arm

Shoulder Trauma

Broken elbow

Broken Knee

Broken Finger

Broken Toe

Face

General Information

Broken Nose

Corneal Abrasion

Chemical Eye Burns

Subconjunctival Hemorrhages (Eye Bleeding)

Facial Trauma

Broken/Dislocated jaw

Fractured Cheekbone

Skin & Bleeding

General Information (Skin Injuries) | More (Arteries)

femoral artery (inner thigh)

thoracic aorta (chest & heart)

abdominal aorta (abdomen)

brachial artery (upper arm)

radial artery (hand & forearm)

common carotid artery (neck)

aorta (heart & abdomen)

axillary artery (underarm)

popliteal artery (knee & outer thigh)

anterior tibial artery (shin & ankle)

posterior tibial artery (calf & heel)

arteria dorsalis pedis (foot)

Cuts/Lacerations

Scrapes

Abrasions (Floor burns)

Bruises

Gunshot Wounds

General Information

In the Head

In the Neck

In the Shoulders

In the Chest

In the Abdomen

In the Legs/Arms

In the Hands

In The Feet

Stab Wounds

General Information

In the Head

In the Neck

In the Chest

In the Abdomen

In the Legs/Arms

General Resources

Guide to Story Researching

A Writer’s Thesaurus

Words To Describe Body Types and How They Move

Words To Describe…

Writing Intense Scenes

–

Masterlist | WIP Blog

If you enjoy my blog and wish for it to continue being updated frequently and for me to continue putting my energy toward answering your questions, please consider Buying Me A Coffee, or pledging your support on Patreon, where I offer early access and exclusive benefits for only $5/month.

Shoutout to my $15+ patrons, Jade Ashley and Douglas S.!

[elliewritesfantasy]

Writing Theory: Chekov's Gun

"If you say in the first chapter that there is a rifle hanging on the wall, in the second or third chapter it absolutely must go off. If it's not going to be fired, it shouldn't be hanging there."— Anton Chekhov. This simply means, if you include a detail in a story it should have some meaning to the plot or the overall story.

Why Chekov's Gun is Important

Over the years, Chekov's Gun has become an important rule where foreshadowing is involved and often gives your readers some idea of what is to come without giving it away. It can be a fun element for writers to pepper in as well as set up a plot point or an oncoming event. Chekov's Gun keeps writers on track with their details and can be used to put your readers into an unconscious state of knowledge about the following story.

How Can Writers effectively write Chekov's Gun

The main thing about Chekov's Gun, is utilising your details within the story and showcasing them in a way that is notice-drawing but not so much as to be provacative with it. In simple terms, you want people to notice it but you don't want to wave it in their faces.

The details that you add (and I'm not talking about details as in the colour of the walls, I mean details such as an item that is focused on) should impact the story in some way. These details are often elaborated on with the narrative and are given a little bit of exposition. For example, consider:

In a Prisoner of Azkaban, Cornelius Fudge recounts a meeting with Sirius Black in the prison. He makes a point of noting that Sirius had asked for his newspaper, chalking it down to Sirius's inhumanity. However, that paper is the catalyst of the story in this book. Sirius sees a picture of the Weasley's on holiday in the paper, spotting Peter Pettigrew, a traitor and agent of Voldemort. The paper acts as Sirius's inciting event to act.

In Greek Myth, Perseus and his mother Danae were exiled from her father's kingdom after a phophecy stated that the King would be killed by his grandson. Years later after Perseus went on his quest, married a Princess and won himself a new kingdom, he attended a sports event where all the Kings of Greece attended. Perseus threw a discus accidentally killing an old man in the crowd. The old man? His grandfather.

Or perhaps the most famous literal example, in the film Shaun of the Dead, Ed points to a shotgun above the bar at the Winchester. He goes on a big long yarn about how the gun is real. During the action packed climax of the film, Shaun tells him that the gun couldn't possibly be real because... Then the gun goes off and is used to save Liz and Shaun while the others are consumed by zombies.

The Do's and Don'ts of Chekov's Gun

Do consider Chekov's Gun to be anything, not just an item or a thing. It can be the name of a person (Marwyn the Mage) or even a certain skill a character has (Mary Ravenwood can drink grown men under the table, a skill she uses against the Nazi).

When lampshading the item/person/detail, do not embellish it too much. Afford the detail enough attention so the reader can remember it but not so much that they notice it.

Do remember that Chekov's Gun must at some point be fired. The person/thing/detail must have some impact. (the locket Harry attempts to throw out at Grimmauld Place ends up being a Horcrux)

Don't think the reader won't remember the gun. Most readers with experience will clock a Chekov's gun from a mile off.

Do make sure that the gun is in the minds of the reader. Whether you have characters mention it flippantly or you show it over the course of the narrative (the famous lemons of "Braavos'' in ASOIAF).

The gun does not have to fire immediately but it does have to fire at some point.

[elliewritesfantasy]

It’s taking me three hours per chapter to edit Wayfinder oh my lord.

I guess that’s what happens when you wait two years to start editing. Your writing style changes and now you gotta adjust everything! AHHHHHHHH

[elliewritesfantasy]

So excited for you!!! I can’t wait to read it

Blackheart: Available Now!

IT’S FINALLY HERE! After years of work, my very first book is live and able to be purchased. Buy it right here!

A dark sun rises over the East.

The soldiers sent to investigate the mysterious fog never returned. Alexander was a gambit, a last-ditch effort to see if mankind had any hope to stop the end of the world.

The City of Palethorn is a land cursed by death and corruption. Encased in a dome of darkness, it is infested with unholy beings broken free from the Underworld. It is there the knight called Alexander must journey to, walking through the black mists and arriving at a silent tomb.

Soon he’s sprinting through alleyways, running from hordes of infested citizens, and fighting for his life against monsters he can barely comprehend.

Trapped in a city overrun by abominations, outmatched, and in a race against time, the knight must find a way to break the evil magic strangling the city before it spreads to the outside world.

Of course, a lone knight has no hope of defeating the armies of the damned alone. Thankfully, other fools have come to the city to fight desperately against the darkness, some even stronger than him. Perhaps, Alexander thinks, there’s a chance.

Still he wonders which is worse; The demons bringing forth the apocalypse, or the creatures that once lived in Palethorn, still clinging to life underground. Can he really trust that which is not human?

Blackheart is the first published work about the world of Deaco, a fantasy realm of my own creation. Inside, you’ll find a tale of a knight’s struggle in a shadow-covered city against demons and corruption, along with his inner struggles against his own preconceptions about the world he lives in. Character sketches and cover art was done by a skilled friend of mine. A lot of inspiration from this story came from Demon’s Souls and tabletop RPGs like D&D.

This book features:

-Over 500 pages of lore, adventure, struggle and change

-Traditional Fantasy, both Dark and High inspired by classic and modern stories, books and games

-A world seeped in magic, inhabited by humans and many other fantasy races

-Full sketches of the main cast by the talented artist Patrick Smith, shown between chapters

-Lore involving magic, the races of the world, history, culture, faith, economy and government

-Character development between the protagonist and the world he misunderstands

-A dramatic and emotional final confrontation against a tragic evil

Tumblr was where the majority of this book was written, edited and developed over time, so I’m especially excited to announce it here! All of you who’ve been following me for the past few years, I really hope you’ll enjoy it! Thank you so much for the constant support. Check it out and spread the word!

Tag list: @tinydragonadventures​, @lady-redshield-writes​, @sheralynnramsey​, @tawnywrites​, @writer-on-time,  @oceanwriter​, @zwergis-spilledink​, @fluffpiggy​, @elliewritesfantasy​, @homesteadchronicles​, @laurenwastestimewriting​, @elaynab-writing​, @the-ichor-of-ruination​, @writer-candy, @shewrites-sometimes​, @chazwrites​, @thewritingcaddy​

[elliewritesfantasy]

WIP INTRODUCTION: The Trial of Lords

After the lord she serves is poisoned, Fenrissa Orphan-Bone enters the Lordstrial: a deadly, ritualistic contest to determine who will succeed her late liege. The Lordstrial is open to all, even lowly kitchen scullions such as Fenrissa, but the late lord’s heirs will take part, as well, and since they have every advantage, the odds are in their favour. But Fenrissa has her own reasons for risking her life on the trial grounds–the heir to the royal throne far to the south executed her mother, and in the realm of Skjormari, the lords of the eight provinces hold the ruler’s life in their hands, and have the power to kill that ruler if they commit an act of great tyranny. Lady Anavise will be queen someday. And, Saints willing, Fenrissa will take her late liege’s throne. After that, Fenrissa can take her revenge… and she’ll stop at nothing to get there. The Lordstrial is merely the first step of many. Fenrissa isn’t about to let something as small as that get in her way.

WIP INFORMATION

Genre: Middle/High Fantasy

Type: Book One in what will hopefully become a series

Status: First draft in progress

Expected Word Count: approx. 100,000 words

WIP Page: here (also linked in title above)

WIP Tag: #trial of lords

If you’d like to be added to the taglist for this WIP, either let me know on this post or send me an ask!

More info under the cut.

Keep reading

[elliewritesfantasy]

[elliewritesfantasy]

I’m looking for more writeblrs to follow.

Please reblog if you’re any combination of the following:

Over 18

Don���t post NSFW images (writing is ok!)

Post original content

Share writing tips and resources

Post original writing advice and resources

Write LGBTQIA+ and/or POC characters

Write Sci-fi and/or Fantasy

Write Horror

Post reviews of books

Or, comment the name of your writing/writeblr blog if it’s not your main.

Also, if you’re posting sci-fi/fantasy/horror OC, please feel free to tag me in your stories!

[elliewritesfantasy]

I haven’t written anything in forever.

I finished my first draft over a year ago. About 140,000 words just sitting in a Google doc. It’s my baby, my pride and joy. I never thought I would be this scared to read it again.

I miss writing so much. I haven’t done it in months due to college and coronavirus and a myriad of other things. Yet now I have the time and mental space. And I still can’t bring myself to touch that document.

It’s like I’m scared to be vulnerable again. Writing is so personal and emotional, but that takes so much energy.

...maybe it’s time to just take the plunge. What’s the worst that can happen?

[elliewritesfantasy]

just a reminder:

a black girl character growing her hair out long breaks more stereotypes than a black girl character having short hair

a black girl character getting to be soft and fragile breaks more stereotypes than a black girl character being strong all the time

a black girl character being protected and comforted by others breaks more stereotypes than a black girl character having no one to look out for her but herself

a black girl character being considered pretty or cute by other characters breaks more stereotypes than a black girl character being considered unattractive

not everything that is empowering for white girls is empowering for black girls

the sexism we face overlaps, but it is not the same

[elliewritesfantasy]

rereading a story you wrote yourself to satisfy ur own SPECIFIC thematic explorations and such

[elliewritesfantasy]

all the tips I found for drawing a fantasy map are like :) "here's a strategy to draw the land masses! here's how to plot islands!" :) and that's wonderful and I love them all but ??? how? do y'all decide where to put cities/mountains/forests/towns I have my map and my land but I'm throwing darts to decide where the Main Citadel where the Action Takes Place is

[elliewritesfantasy]

When I write something that actually isn't terrible

[elliewritesfantasy]

→ HI! ✦

Hello there! I’m Theta, you might know me as Lysander, I figured, since I’ve switched blogs, let’s make an actual introduction. Some quick facts ‘bout me?

19

Studying Astrophysics/CS, and interning at an aerospace company. So I literally do rocket science.

I’m a wannabe astronaut. It’s either never going to happen, or it’ll happen and I’ll scream of happiness a little bit.

A really big fan of scifi. Like I basically live on scifi and fantasy

Will randomly disappear for two weeks when I have finals. 

→ MY WIPS. ✦

𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕃(𝕚)𝕗𝕖 𝕠𝕗 𝕃𝕦𝕔𝕪 𝔸𝕞𝕒𝕣𝕒𝕟𝕘𝕘𝕒𝕟𝕒 - political intrigue, realistic fiction

Lucy Amaranggana is one of the most powerful people in the world, and she has never done an interview. Lina Oliver, on the other hand, is a reporter, and she’s just got the chance to interview her.

𝔾𝕙𝕠𝕤𝕥𝕤 - science fiction

When robots begin to not only act like, but hold the memories of the death, one Thai-Chinese girl is forced to reconcile the recent death of her grandma, with the robot that claims to be her.

𝕎𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕎𝕒𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝔾𝕒𝕧𝕖 - fantasy

While one girl finds herself in an alternate dimension and learns she must slay a god to get home, three witches band together to fight the ban on magic, and a group of elves try to start a revolution. Everyone is gay.

𝕋𝕙𝕚𝕤 𝕃𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕚𝕤 𝕆𝕦𝕣 𝕃𝕒𝕟𝕕 - science fiction, horror

A group of land surveyors stumble across ruins on a planet which is thought to have never been inhabited, but something stalks them as they try to piece together the past of this world.

I’d love to hear from you and hear about your own stories and characters btw! Since I’m switching idk who I’m following anymore.