nothwell

[nothwell]

Get. Onto. Your. Representatives.

(And romance fans / writers? THIS MEANS YOU.)

[nothwell]

Get. Onto. Your. Representatives.

(And romance fans / writers? THIS MEANS YOU.)

[nothwell]

The 2025 Swordtember prompt list is here!

If you're unaware, Swordtember is an online creative challenge I started back in 2020. The challenge is themed around swords and takes place across the month of September. From 3D models to D&D campaigns, and everything in between- it's always a blast to see what people make!

As always, this is intended to be a low stress challenge. There's no need to participate daily (I sometimes sit it out entirely because life gets so busy this time of year!). There's also no pressure to follow my prompt list- I know other people put out some amazing lists (and you can totally just freestyle and do your own thing, of course).

During September I'll be rounding up my favorite entries on Saturdays (Sworderdays?) from challenge participants to share on Bluesky and Instagram. Just post with #swordtember ! I'm so excited to see what people make this year.

Here's the written out prompt list:

shell

moss

automaton

scale

bell

fossil

clock

canine

feline

rodent

reliquary

concealed

bloom

rot

lace

carved

gem

beetle

membrane

vapor

ring

swan

owl

venom

bubble

harpy

spring

summer

autumn

winter

[nothwell]

welcome to my epic fantasy world. we have many developed fantasy kingdoms with 2000 years of rich lore and history. and to the south you can see the evil sand people and to the east theres japanchina.

[nothwell]

characters raised to be tools

Weapons. Trained, tested, forged in steel and fire. Failure is an inevitability that ends in death. Pain should not be felt--it should be recognized, familiar, and inconsequential

Martyrs. In the form of servants and princes, of leaders and underdogs. If blood is necessary, the martyr will lift their hands and offer it all

Shields. Like tempering a sword, but only to bear and not to lash out. Wounds are medals--not symbols of pride, but symbols of worth. A pretty shield is useless; scars mean a job well done

Experiments. Raised on the cold comfort of a lab table. Restraints are only necessary when they're not in their right mind. Is it honorable, to be twisted beyond recognition? Or is it just a necessary evil?

Monsters. Cruelty, caution, and regarding one as a creature beyond reasonable thought is tempering in its own right. But if you keep a leash at the right length, perhaps the massecre won't reach you. One can hope.

Idols. Pretty face, pretty name, pretty hands around their shoulders and throat. There to seduce, manipulate, force any feeling to come to the surface and twist it to their favor. Any genuinity stays locked behind the guilded cage that surrounds their pretty little heart

Trophies. Status and wealth and the traditions that keep someone at their heels, on their knees, to display and serve and decorate one's ballroom.

Sacrifices. Drenched in honorable clothes, prepared and adored and cleansed. The gift of hope at the cost of one's life. Is it taken with no fight? How can you escape the ropes you were born in?

[nothwell]

"why do you write?" because it’s the only way to silence the characters pacing around my brain like victorian ghosts with unresolved issues that prevent them from moving on.

[nothwell]

always a little funny to me when filmbros are vehemently anti fanfiction but love to discuss film theories. Maybe my theory is that the 2 main guys sucked each other off. And swallowed

[nothwell]

Chapter Twenty-One of A Mirror for the Prince's Shadow - a historical m x nb romantasy featuring dark academia, hurt/comfort, and dragon royalty - is now on Patre♡n! Wherein a confession is made.

~

Before he could think of anything intelligent, wise, or prudent to say to his long-neglected prince, however, Emlyn spoke.

“Please—may I have a word?”

Rat bit down his instinctive reply; that Emlyn could have anything xe damned well wanted from him, and half of it without ever needing to ask. But he couldn’t shake the disquietude he felt at that one particular word, please. Princes didn’t beg.

Belatedly, he replied, “Of course.”

Brisk. Efficient. Plain-spoken. Toneless.

None of which seemed to ease the unaccountable grief in his prince’s gaze.

~

Joining me on Patre♡n will give you access to “drawer fic” – aka the 500k+ words worth of manuscripts that have been shelved until I figure out how to fix or finish them. You'll also be invited to join an exclusive Discord server just for patrons!

A new chapter will go up every week. Missing (unwritten) scenes will be indicated by brackets describing what would probably happen if the scene were written. Example: [in this scene Aubrey and Lindsey ride a carousel]

Currently posting… ♡ A Mirror for the Prince's Shadow (historical m x nb romantasy)

Completed works... ♡ the Aubrey & Lindsey solar fantasy project (mm) ♡ A Willing Canvas - John Halloway x Lord Cyril Graves (mm) ♡ The Train Job - Rowena Althorp x Rebekah (ff) ♡ Hold Fast 2 - Hold Faster (mm) ♡ Vampires Vampires Vampires (mmm) ♡ The Sebastian Nothwell Contemporary Expanded Universe (mmm+) ♡ Theo. (transmasc historical mm romance)

See you on Patre♡n!

[nothwell]

Woodsy, cobwebby, agony column.

I'm stealing this from Twitter

Here's the link

I am a high-definition gateway drug body double!

[nothwell]

Thinking about the homeschooling family who frequent my library and who pulled their teen son out of public school because they wouldn't accommodate his learning disabilities. For context I am in the American South, that mythical land where the education system is so bad that it's not anyone's personal fault that they never learn anything, because they're so helpless and stupid.

Anyway, they were doing basic math and reading and writing at home and had their standard curricula for that, but their project for a year and the reason I saw them every week for a year is that he was learning about 1 country each week. They would get three books, one about the country's history, one about her food, one about language (if possible) or travel (if not). They would read select chapters from all three (he rarely cover-to-covered them, especially if I didn't have books meant for young readers about a particular country, as our collection for such matters is often 'not great buddy') and make up a worksheet of basic facts and history at the end of the week, when the family would also cook something form the cookbook together to eat for dinner.

South of the USA. Public library with books that were not ideal. He didn't even read the whole book if it was too big. They didn't even go looking for the books themselves, they went to a local building with free services, asked a worker there to find them the books, and went home.

You can learn about the world around you! It can be fun and delicious! Your local librarian will not say a word if you want easy books and no one will ever know if you don't read the whole thing! If you have been waiting for a parent or teacher or pastor to tell you what to learn, REBEL! GO LEARN ABOUT THE WORLD AROUND YOU ON YOUR OWN!

[nothwell]

Behold, a gorgeous poster of the gay explorers illustrated by the lovely @bencalico !

I am so in love with their expressions, the whimsical background and the elusive butterflies. Not to mention Maggie is so FLUFFY!

You can add a poster onto your Kickstarter pledge here 🧭🏳️‍⚧️

[nothwell]

if you plug your headphones into a hole in tree you can hear tree thoughts. stuff like “birds live in my hair” “water is my favorite” “the sun is my boyfriend”

[nothwell]

Choose your fanfiction fighter 🌚

[nothwell]

me normally: i'm not personally a huge fan of modern art

me around right wingers: I love modern art sooooo much and I think there should be litter boxes in schools also

[nothwell]

"They go to SEX CLUBS and pretend to be DOGS!"

Yeah well you go to church every Sunday and pretend to be a good person

[nothwell]

Prior to this historical phase in my life, I wrote many queer fantasy books. And I'll continue to do so, because I love both fantasy and historical fiction.

Adventures in Levena is a queer urban fantasy series following a group of friends as they learn how to love, and live, later on in life.

The Rebel Foxes is a queer dystopian fiction following a pack of mutants as they overthrown the government and form a messy polycule.

The Voice of Wild Places is my upcoming queer historical fiction following two former childhood friends as they search for lost legend Percy Fawcett, and the city he was looking for.

You can currently obtain my digital backlist, including The Voice of Wild Places, through its Kickstarter Campaign.