#creatinmaven

[jaycewriteslikealot]

Last Line Tag!

Hey! So I was tagged by these amazing people: @elonanwrites @alextriestowritestuff @carrotgirl-weeb @sunflowersfor-amy and @creatinmaven !!! I already did this and haven't had time to write anymore since (😭) so I thought I'd just provide you with a nice length excerpt! This is from TSA, my wip about spies, and this is how Carol met her friends 😄

~~~

When she had initially received the scholarship, she hadn’t expected anything extraordinary to come from it. Sure, the fact that spies were real was unexpected, but it would still just be another school that she would inevitably get kicked out of for her impudent attitude. Another school filled with teachers that droned on about things she already knew and another grade full of idiots who took pleasure in attempting to degrade her confidence. It would just be another building of people whose IQs didn’t even come close to surpassing hers.

How wrong she was.

It was the first time since she was four years old that she was confronted by questions she didn’t know the answer to. She had never heard of the first spy to create a school, she had never studied how to defuse bombs, and she had never cared for Physical Education so she had trouble with combat training. For anyone else, the whole year would have been a disaster. Nevertheless, thanks to her IQ of 160, she was able to cram ten years of information into her brain in only one week. However, despite her swift adaption to the world of espionage, she wasn’t exactly welcomed with open arms.

“And where do you think you’re going?"

Carol looked up at the boy who had spoken (whom she would later learn was named Zachary Layton). He was tall and gangly, with black hair, and acne covering half of his face. His appearance was completed by a glare. A posse of glaring students emerged from behind him, all slowly surrounding Carol.

“To class,” Carol said matter-of-factly.

“I think you’re in the wrong place.”

Carol looked very unimpressed. “I may be new, but I’m not stupid.”

“You aren’t meant to be here,” the boy spat. “You’re a Normo.”

“A what?” Carol asked with a laugh. The boy only glared more. “What is that, the spy version of a Muggle?”

“Your kind is not welcome here,” he said, shoving her backwards. She looked rather affronted after being assaulted, both physically and verbally, for no rational reason. He continued to force her backwards harshly. “You’re not a spy. You got in on a scholarship. You don’t belong here and never will. You’re a Normo. Normos are not meant to be exposed to the concept of secret agents. No matter what Miss Hope thinks of you, you will never be accepted. You will never be appreciated. You will never be a spy.”

Carol raised her eyebrows in impassive surprise. “Wow. Rude.” She squeezed past the students who surrounded her as they all glared. “Not exactly the welcoming party I was expecting, but I’ve never been liked before, so why should anything change at the first school that’s wanted me here?” She entered the classroom, ignoring how the rest of the teenagers filed in behind her. “Also, boy-whose-name-he-never-gave, I am able to fully one hundred percent guarantee that I will be a better spy than you.”

“What makes you think that, you scum?” A different boy had spoken this time, and Carol simply looked at him boredly.

“Wow, very creative insult. Truly, I’m hurt by your words,” Carol said, her sarcasm remarkably evident. “But, if you must know, I am a literal genius, with an IQ higher than you can count—although you bunch seem like you couldn’t get past ten without trouble.”

There was a small snicker from the back of the room and every one of the bullies’ eyes widened in horror. Carol turned to see two more students sitting in the back of the classroom; the boy, looking at her with an impressed smirk, and the girl, looking at her nails stoically. The boy had side-swept black hair and warm brown eyes, while the girl had a messy blonde bun perched atop her head with eyes of icy blue—they were a perfect yin and yang. She watched as the boy gestured for her to come sit with them. No hesitation was needed for Carol to make her decision.

“Another genius at school,” the boy said. “It must be Christmas.” Carol’s eyes widened in surprise and hope. The boy was still grinning widely. “We’re both geniuses too.”

Carol felt her heart soar.

“I’m Gideon Zones,” he said, “and this one,” he thumbed at the girl next to him, “is Moira Lake.” Moira barely glanced at Carol, but nodded curtly. “Don’t take her aloof personality seriously, she’ll come around,” Gideon said with a laugh. “Hey, do you want some of my shrimp chips?”

Carol smiled in awe, feeling like maybe, just maybe, she was finally home.

[ragethewriter]

Character Question Tag!

Rules:  Pick one of your characters, answer these questions, tag some people <3 I was tagged by @rosecorcoranwrites (thanks homie! <3), and the character I’ve picked is Arcana - the snarky, Hybrid clan mastermind!

~ ~ ~

1) What was the first element of your OC that you remember considering (name, appearance, backstory, etc.)?

Well, since the Hybrid Clan is a collection of mythical creatures, I had to start with the fact that she’s the kitsune.  I built her character based off her animal traits, the backstory they required, and talents that would reference her myth origin as a trickster entity.

2) Did you design them with any other characters/OCs from their universe in mind?

YUP.  Firstly, because i wanted the kitsune to be part of the protag-friend-trio, so I had to round her out a bit alongside Talon and Ira.  Secondly, because the Hybrids come in pairs so I had to consider her canon baeeeeeee <3 

3) How did you choose their name?

Well fun fact, Arcana is not actually her name - or rather it’s not a name at all, in her culture.  Djinn’eylah refused to give her daughter a proper name of inheritance, and instead referred to the child as “the arcana”, or “the secret”.  By the time she reached the Hybrid clan, Arcana decided to embrace this title as her “name” and call-sign - as she’d formed an identity around her secrets.  

So TLDR: I needed her (latin) name to be in line with her backstory and her bitch mother.

4) In developing their backstory, what elements of the world they live in played the most influential parts?

Hnnng oh man so much of it, where to start.  Arcana’s Breed (or one of them) and all the slave-race mess obviously dictated how she was raised - in this case, as a little Fox-Blood gremlin wired into the database of the Scribes and their archives. (She’s essentially her culture’s equivalent of a kid raised on unsupervised internet access.)  There’s also all the world elements that formed the framework of her abusive childhood, her mother’s story, and explanations for why Arcana is the way she is - but that’s a TED talk for another time.

5) Is there any significance behind their hair color?

Yup - platinum blonde goes well with fennec fox ears.  But more importantly: she got it from her mama.

6) Is there any significance behind their eye color?

Also yup: as she did not get it from her mama.  Her eyes are a vibrant violet/indigo/cerulean mix that doesn’t belong on land mammals.

7) Is there any significance behind their height?

Lol yes... the Fox-Bloods have the amusing reputation for being the smallest canine Breed - on par with the Domestics.  Compared to timberwolf behemoths like Caecius, her 5′5 stature is clearly not built for feats of strength.

8) What (if anything) do you relate to within their character/story?

Definitely her sense of dark humor, lazy extroversion, and bravado.  She’s the type that pulls all-nighters in spouts of chaotic genius, socializes like the most idgaf bitch on the block, and flips down her shades to watch the apocalypse.

9) Are they based off of you, in some way?

Heck yeah.  Of all the Hybrids that took bits and pieces of me - she ended up with the biggest share of my personality.  It mostly comes through in her manner of speech.

10) Did you know what the OC’s sexuality would be at the time of their creation?

Yup.  Though I have discovered a thing or two about other facets of it while writing her.

11) What have you found to be most difficult about creating art for your OC (any form of art: writing, drawing, edits, etc.)?

Drawing her GOD DAMN TAILS.  HOLY SHIT.  THERE’S NINE OF THEM.  WHAT THE FUCK ARE THEY EVEN DOING??? TOO MUCH, THAT’S WHAT.

12) How far past the canon events that take place in their world have you extended their story, if at all?

Well I can’t say anything about canon, yet - but in my head she has a whole future laid out for her, her bae, and all her mischievous little foxy sons! she has five of them send help

13) If you had to narrow it down to 2 things that you MUST keep in mind while working with your OC, what would those things be?

1) She is self-destructive, self-hating, kindof a bitch, and definitely needs help. 2) ... ask nicely.

14) What is something about your OC that can make you laugh?

Her snarky snark and her sailor mouth.

15) What is something about your OC that can make you cry?

The crushing, overwhelming weight of her selfless existential guilt.

16) Is there some element you regret adding to your OC or their story?

Yeah, the fact that the coolest part has to happen off-screen.  Maybe I’ll just write side-stories for it.

17) What is the most recent thing you’ve discovered about your OC? 

  (✿ʘ‿ʘ)  If I break her thoroughly enough, she is prone to a whole host of unhealthy behaviors.

18) What is your favorite fact about your OC?

She’s part octopus, and that will never not be hilarious to me.

~~~ AND I WILL TAG @authorkimberlygrey , @wingedcatwblr, @siarven, @constantbellpepper , @adiwritings, @callmeweeeh, @sadragons and @creatinmaven !

[oceanwriter]

Last Line (tag)

I was tagged by @paladin-andric @katiehahnbooks @awolfthatwrites @converginglives x3 @creatinmaven @raevenlywrites @ratracechronicler and @indecentpause -- Thank you all so much! I’ve finally been able to do some writing and have some last lines to post :)

“I know you love me. It's just that-”

Julia muttered her disapproval as she held up her hand. First kissing them, she pressed her fingertips to his lips. “No more tonight.” Taking his arms and guiding him back against the pillows, she then stood. “I'm going to make us both a cup of tea. Please… try to relax. Remember to breathe. The sun will be up any minute. Focus on the sunrise. I'll be back in a few minutes.”

Despite his present anxiety, Donny managed a small smile. No matter what she said he'd never believe he deserved her. No man did save Michael. He watched wearily as she left the room, saying softly to himself. “I love you, Julia.”

I tag (if you’d like) @paper-shield-and-wooden-sword @silverscreenwriter and @teacup-universes

[realashergray]

Get to know the writer tag!

I was tagged by @swaynewrites (thanks pal!)

1) What is your favourite book, and your favourite author? Hmm... I loved The Red Tent by Anita Diamant, and as for authors I love David Levithan and Rick Riordan!

2) What’s the longest time you’ve spent working on a WIP? Well, I’ve been working on Hell Fire for a little over three years now, and it’s pretty close to being done! But I also wrote my first novel over the course of fifth grade through seventh grade, so that came pretty close (it was terrible and also I don’t have it anymore because I had written it in iPhone notes and then that iPhone took a swim and died)

3) What’s your favourite character that you have ever created? I love Alvah Mencher a lot because he can make light of any situation, while still keeping it real. But my favorite character changes a lot. Right now I think I might be switching over to Rebekah

4) Have you ever based a character on someone you know? (family, friend, co-worker etc.) Definitely! All the time! Although I rarely shape a character exclusively by one person I know. I don’t know anyone, even myself, in all their dimensions and facets, so in order to create a three-dimensional character, I have to add bits of lots of people I know!

5) What is your favourite WIP you’ve written? Well, Hell Fire is pretty good in my opinion, and I’m also excited for something that’s going to be a sequel to it (even though they’re written in completely different styles lol consistency whomst?) but fun fact I made a picture book as a very small child, that I still have, about a little girl losing a tooth, and I gotta say that’s pretty fun to read

6) What’s the best response you’ve had to one of your WIPS? oh my gosh @neeksknocks and @xanderswriteblr are my best bros, they’ve said such awesome things about my characters! I love when people have insights about my characters that are super right, it makes me feel better about how I write them! akfjaslkfasl I’m feeling happy just thinking about it

7) What’s the best film/television show you’ve seen based on a book? Hmmm, I loved Love, Simon a lot, and the parents especially got to me and made me cry... I didn’t love the friends’ treatment of Simon when he was outed, and also Leah was supposed to be fat, but otherwise I really enjoyed that movie. I also loved A Wrinkle In Time! So many great actors!

8) Have you ever written something as a joint project with a friend or a fellow writeblr? If you haven’t, would you want to? I have tried to, many times. Unfortunately, they haven’t gone any further, but I would love to keep trying! If any of my author friends on here would like to write with me, they can message me and I will be 100% down!

9) If you could change something about a popular bookseries, what series would you change and what would the change be? I have so many choices, but first and foremost I would fix Harry Potter since that series is so influential. I would increase the POC, LGBTQ+, disabled, and fat representation, and actually have them written well, with the help of beta readers and such, as well as taking fan criticism more seriously. And I probably would either delete The Cursed Child from existence or else seriously change the premise because I absolutely do not believe that (spoiler alert) Hermione and Ron would raise their children to be judgmental on the basis of someone’s parents, and I cannot imagine Harry being a bad father, given the abuse he endured from the Dursleys.

10) For the Harry Potter fans out there, what is your favourite character/spell/scene? (If you haven’t read or seen Harry Potter, i’d recommend it 😁) Alright, let’s see. Favorite character... I think Ron? Or Molly? Or Ginny? One of those Weasleys. Their family reminds me of my household (we have a lot of people in my house) and I really admire their loyalty, strength, and bravery

Alright now here’s my questions, and I’m tagging ten people that I want to get to know better to answer them. @damawrites @writerlydays @pazwrites @storybooksarah @angespoir @erinisawriter @norroendyrd @writing-in-the-wings @shelbytakaiwrites and @creatinmaven

1. How do you like to plan your WIPs? Do you have a method you use?

2. Has anyone ever inspired you to write? Like a mentor or an idol?

3. What is the worst book you’ve ever read?

4. Did you do really well in writing classes in school, or really badly?

5. What’s your favorite trope?

6. What’s your least favorite trope?

7. Is there a vice you have? Like coffee or candy or alcohol?

8. What hobbies do you have, besides writing?

9. What’s your dream job?

10. Do you hope to self-publish or try a publishing company?