#it’s my morbo 🥺🥰

[reneesbooks]

19, 20 and 23 for the road trip ask!!

so Keelan and Maura do actually go on a road trip to Guildi in chapter 6. they're in a hurry on the way there but on the way back there are plenty of opportunities for shenanigans. the longer the trip takes the more annoyed her cousin (ruler of the Guildin Empire, as if Maura cares) gets so Maura has plenty of incentive to stall bc she is that bitch. anyway road trip is a sea journey bc the road version would involve a very large desert and Maura hates sand.

ask game here

19. Imagine your OCs getting pulled into a side quest when one OC claims that they saw a cryptid

Keelan 100% makes the entire ship divert course because he thinks he saw a sea dragon. Like hypes up the entire crew to help him hunt the mythical Sea Dragon of wherever they are. Maura is rolling her eyes to hell and back but she goes along with it because sea dragons do actually exist and have some potent magical properties

20. What happens when the vehicle runs out of fuel in the middle of nowhere?

I'm imagining this being they get sucked into a deadzone by accident--like no wind, no current, big-ass heavy ship that has to be rowed out. Maura is like "i could fix this with magic and erase everybody's memory but watching it play out is funnier" and sits back with some popcorn while the crew scrambles to get the ship going again. Keelan is in charge of the scrambling and is NOT having a good time, very much wondering why Maura doesn't just fix it with magic and erase everybody's memory

23. Imagine your OCs stopping by the side of a quiet road to go stargazing. Bonus points if they all end up falling asleep together, warm, happy, and surrounded by their friends.

wouldn't you know it this actually kind of happens already in canon

The deck is empty, the ship anchored and sleeping. Maura leads him to the helm and lets go of his hand, reaching up to grab the intricate carvings on the posts of the shade. She hooks her feet in the carvings and pulls herself up along the post. Keelan raises his eyebrow but follows her lead, climbing up to the top of the shade and laying next to her on the thick canvas tied tightly between the posts.

“Birdie and I did this once when we went to Guildi,” Maura says after a minute. Keelan stares up at the sky, registering the sheer number of stars before looking over at her. She fiddles with the ribbons on her nightgown, chewing on her lower lip. “When she turned six. It was only a month or so before you arrived. I showed her how to climb this and Father was furious. He said it was too dangerous for a little girl to do such things.” She inhales shakily and he reaches over to take her hand. Her exhale is steadier. “He told me that I had to set a good example.” Her eyes flick up to the stars, their reflection making her whole eye glow silver. “So that night, I asked Levi to use magic to sneak us up here so that Birdie wouldn't be in danger of falling while she climbed up.”

She says nothing more for a while, lost in the memory. Keelan scoots closer to her on the canvas, pulling her against his side while he again looks at the stars. He searches for Leyna's Basket, the western star blinking brightly at him at the tip of Leyna's finger. He nudges Maura's arm. “Have you ever heard the story of Leyna, the goddess of grapes?”

She keeps her eyes on the sky. “I don't think I have.”

“The whole thing is long, but the important part tonight is the story of her basket. She had an enchanted basket that could turn even the sickest, most unripe grapes into perfect wine grapes. People tried to steal it, so she hid it in the stars.” He points, leaning his head up next to hers to help her find it. “See the loop of stars there, and the line that goes to the middle? That's Leyna's basket, and her finger, placing the grapes inside.”

“The western star.” Maura makes a soft sound that could be a laugh. “And that's why the best wine is made in the west?”

“That's right,” Keelan says with a grin.

She is silent for another minute before she lifts her arm, leaning her head against his. “See that little triangle there? That's the Three Sisters, the first witches in the world. Raedoran queens are said to be descended from one of the sisters' daughter. Legend has it they wrote a spell to raise the dead and hid themselves and their secrets in the heavens before they could wreak havoc on the world below.”

Keelan stares at the triangle, winking peacefully at him. “That's...that's an interesting story.”

“And there.” Maura moves her hand, pointing to another cluster of stars. “Teuthida and the Pearl Turtle. They're Birdie's favorite. Teuthida was a pet squid of the ocean goddess that swam too far one day and got lost in the stars and her friend, the Pearl Turtle, followed so that she would never be alone.” She traces the outline of the squid and the turtle in the air. Keelan looks over at her again. Her eyes are thoughtful, but not sad. “Do you think I'm swimming too far?”

“Hm.” He pulls her closer, tucking her against his side. She presses her cheek to his shoulder. “We are surrounded by stars.”

“That's not—”

“And I think I will follow you,” he adds quietly. “So that you will never be alone.”

They stay up there until dawn breaks over the horizon.

lacuna taglist (ask to be added <3):@serenanymph @lyssa-ink @oh-no-another-idea @lena-rambles @ashen-crest @tragicbackstoryenjoyer @serpentarii @allianaavelinjackson

[reneesbooks]

writeblr positivity tag

my wonderful morbo @serenanymph tagged me <3 gently tagging @lyssa-ink @lena-rambles @zmwrites @winterandwords and under a cut because it's long. blank questions at the bottom <3

1. What motivates you to write?

the thought of holding the finished book in my hands and being able to reread it and share it. also spite

2. A line/short snippet of your writing that you are most proud/happy of. If not maybe share a line of someone else's work you love (just please credit them)

y'all wanna see maura be a little bit fucked up and evil

“My father said something to me often,” Maura interrupts, her eyes narrowing. “The law is the law. None are exempt.” She tosses a disdainful look at the duchess. “Those who have no respect for the law will always have excuses for breaking it.” She bends down and tips the duchess's chin up with a finger. Keelan's fingers tighten around his sword. Maura tilts her head to the side. “Your Grace,” she says. “You asked for mercy. You shall have it.”

The duchess sobs. “Thank you, Your Majesty—”

“Do not thank me, wretch.” Maura's lip curls. “Your mercy is the mercy allotted by law. Tell me. Which foot do you value more?”

The duchess's lip trembles. “I beg you, Your Majesty, mercy—”

“You shall have it.” Maura's eyes are unforgiving. “Which foot?”

The duchess's eyes dart around the throne room, wide and terrified. “I—I don't know.”

“Hm.” Maura releases her and stands. “She can have more time to decide. Until she does, get her out of my sight.”

3. Which OC makes you smile every time you think/talk about them and what are they like?

i love all my children equally this is a mean question. currently my favorite chew toy is Jack, who is a minor character in my current wip. Jack is a pathetic disaster bisexual who was left to die as an infant but still managed to survive to adulthood and is using that luck to cause problems on purpose. he steals for a living and flirts for fun and profit. he is in love with his best friend/accomplice Arthur, but can't handle real emotions and is being really thickheaded about it. Arthur is too busy pining for him to notice. Jack is just a little guy. gay boy disaster man. also he killed like 20 people.

4. What process of writing do you enjoy the most?

working out plot/worldbuilding issues. i love sitting down and going "ok how am i going to make this make any gddamn sense" and then bouncing ideas around until i hit one that fits perfectly. yeah sex is great but have you ever found the perfect answer to your plot hole that ties together all the recurring themes and arcs in the story AND has an opportunity to use your overcomplicated worldbuilding?

5. What part of writing do you think you are the best at? (Yes stroke your own ego it's okay)

mainly dialogue. i love imagining conversations and i've been working on dialogue for a long time. my dialogue used to be so cringey so glad i learned from it

6. What is something in the writeblr community is most enjoyable?

we're all a little unhinged about our own writing so nobody minds when you get a little unhinged about their writing. safe space to be unhinged about people's writing

7. A writing tool/device you use that helps you with writing? (It could be speech to text, a writing program etc)

i use campfire write and i love it for keeping worldbuilding organized. it has a lot of visual tools which is great for me personally and it's very customizable. highly recommend it, there is a free desktop version that still gets you quite a bit of usage and the mobile app is free

8. A piece of worldbuilding that you like in your own story? (It could be the magic system, a particular place in the story, a law etc)

i've really enjoyed fleshing out the countries outside of Raedora and how their political systems and cultures are different. for example Guildi also is monarchical, but they have an emperor and their law is absolute, followed exactly as written based on the judgment of the emperor. Fierodia, by contrast, is the homeland of the dragons, so they have two governments--one for the humans, and one for the dragons--and both are a little more democratic in nature, with a Council of the Wise (elders) ruling the dragons while the most powerful magical human families sit on another council that takes petitions from representatives sent by villages and cities.

9. What piece of advice would you say to encourage others to write if they are having a rough patch?

open a blank document. i do this in a simple text editor (.txt) because it forces me to look at the words more (idk how else to explain it). write the dumbest thing you can think of. literally. if you get stuck, hit enter a few times and start writing something else. yes even if you get stuck in the middle of a sentence. do NOT let yourself sit there staring at a blank document, just write. even if it's bad and stupid and doesn't make sense. ESPECIALLY if it's bad and stupid and doesn't make sense. write the stupid little plot bunnies that you came up with in line at starbucks. bullet point a short story you'll never write. purposefully write the most gd-awful purple prose. have some silly little fun with it. rewrite snl episodes that you think would be funnier if you were in charge. anytime you are stuck for more than like 30 seconds hit enter three times and try something else. rinse and repeat until the gears start turning for the thing you actually want to work on.

save these files (i have a little dedicated spot on my drive) so that you don't lose your funky little experimental stuff. you never know what you'll find there later.

10. Tag some people whose works you love/have been your biggest supporters

i adore @serenanymph's wip beast and all the blorbos found within and how much she supports lacuna. @lyssa-ink's wips my beloved. @zmwrites has some incredible wips and an amazing writing style. i love the worldbuilding from @akindofmagictoo's dragonsong and @oh-no-another-idea is one of the biggest sweethearts on this website.

blank questions:

1. What motivates you to write?

2. A line/short snippet of your writing that you are most proud/happy of. If not maybe share a line of someone else's work you love (just please credit them)

3. Which OC makes you smile every time you think/talk about them and what are they like?

4. What process of writing do you enjoy the most?

5. What part of writing do you think you are the best at? (Yes stroke your own ego it's okay)

6. What is something in the writeblr community is most enjoyable?

7. A writing tool/device you use that helps you with writing? (It could be speech to text, a writing program etc)

8. A piece of worldbuilding that you like in your own story? (It could be the magic system, a particular place in the story, a law etc)

9. What piece of advice would you say to encourage others to write if they are having a rough patch?

10. Tag some people whose works you love/have been your biggest supporters

[reneesbooks]

poison for the dragon ask game <3

ask game here!

poison: share a snippet that’s all about relationships (good or bad)

double whammy of vonnie and keelan's friendship(?) and vonnie's relationship with her sister. don't worry about why keelan doesn't live in the castle anymore

It's getting late and Keelan's cheek is pressed to the bar, his eyes fixed on a drop of condensation rolling down the side of his glass of water. Vonnie appears in his line of sight, her forehead wrinkling as her mouth moves. He tries to focus on what she's saying.

“Gods' tits, O'Leyne, quit crying and stand up! Annie's closing up shop.”

“I'm not crying,” he says, sniffling.

“You're fucking drunk. A crying drunk. Shit, Annie, how much did you give him?”

Keelan doesn't pay attention to Annie's answer, pawing clumsily at his face in an effort to hide his tears.

“Keys,” Vonnie says, snapping her fingers in front of his face. More tears slide down his cheeks.

“Maura used to call me that,” he slurs.

“Fucking—your keys! To...wherever it is that you live!”

“Be nice to him!” Annie's voice protests. Vonnie argues again and Keelan stops listening, phantom hands carding through his hair.

“Okay, O'Leyne.” He's not sure when he stood up, but Vonnie has his arm pulled across her shoulders. “I'm taking you home.”

“It's not home.” Keelan stumbles into the doorframe. “It's wrong.” He cries harder. “She's not there.”

“Shit and dammit, O'Leyne, you have to stop crying,” Vonnie hisses. “People are going to stare. Which way?”

“Towards the lake,” he sniffs. “Everything reminds me of her.”

“Oh for fuck's...alright.” She adjusts her hold on his arm. “You remember I wanted to be a bard? The reason I joined the city guard instead is because my parents died and left me to take care of a baby sister so young that they hadn't even had the chance to name her.” She takes a deep breath and Keelan focuses on the lines around her mouth, twenty years of being a soldier compounded and held in one crease. “I had to take care of Baby Mallory and needed money. City guard was easy enough and it kept the two of us safe.”

“You have a sister?” Keelan manages to say, before he leans over and vomits into the gutter next to Vonnie's feet. She grimaces and pats his back.

“Yes, I have a sister. She'll be twenty-two in half a moon.”

“Does she live with you?” He nearly stumbles in front of a carriage and she has to yank him out of the road. “Do you need to get home to her?”

“No,” Vonnie says, shoving him when he collapses against her. He forces his feet to move. “No, Baby ran away when she was seven because she just couldn't stand to live with me anymore.” She barks out a harsh laugh. “She was always a stubborn shit; runs in the family.”

“Did you ever find her?” Keelan grabs a handful of her cloak to steady himself.

“I did,” Vonnie says simply. She glances down at him. “Which way?”

“West. Was she okay?”

“Gods fucking—I swear, O'Leyne, if you remember any of this in the morning, I will knock your head until you don't.” She inhales deeply. “She'd gone to an orphanage. The nuns there wouldn't give her back to me. They said that Baby told them all about me, about my vices and sins.” She spit the words, her nails digging into Keelan's wrist. “I could only get her back when I proved myself worthy. I spent years fighting and bleeding to work my way up to lieutenant. But when I went back for Baby, she wouldn't come. Wouldn't even see me. Said I was a disappointment and a sinner and that she was going to become a nun and pray for my soul.”

They're at Keelan's front door, Vonnie's freckled fingers pushing his keys into the lock. She deposits him on his couch and grabs a bucket, setting it on the floor next to him.

“You're nice,” Keelan mumbles, and she snorts like she doesn't believe him. “I'm sorry your sister would rather be a nun.”

“Yeah, me too,” she says, and leaves.

lacuna taglist (ask to be added <3): @serenanymph @lyssa-ink @oh-no-another-idea @lena-rambles @ashen-crest @tragicbackstoryenjoyer @serpentarii @allianaavelinjackson

[reneesbooks]

Hello and happy blorbo blursday! Your characters have been sent to the modern world, how do they adapt? Feel free to answer for them either as a team or individually!

hello love <3

for this I'm assuming they are sent to our world, with no magic (bc it comes from the moons that we don't have), but with their full memories of their lives in Raedora. assuming that they're not immediately arrested for doing something to someone that irritates them that would fly in Raedora but not under modern criminal statutes, I think they would eventually learn to be okay with it. like, they dreamed about being farmers anyway and the american midwest is what i based the abandoned farmhouse's vibes off of so they would probably be comfortable there. it takes Maura a long time to get used to no magic, but Keelan helps her through it. They abhor cars/buses/vehicles that run on motors in general bc Maura can't figure out how they work without magic (and Keelan hates what his wife hates) and they are absolutely the freaks who ride a horse around town. Keelan's good at farming grapes so they make a decent living, but they can't figure out technology for shit. Keelan can barely read and Maura hates screens bc they give her headaches (not projecting) so neither of them learn. everyone in town thinks they're amish until Keelan swears to Leyna and they all frantically google that and find nothing. at that point everybody is convinced they're aliens. Keelan and Maura do not notice and carry on their little farmer lives.

Arthur and Jack are having a blast. Locks are locks regardless of the universe and Arthur's good at picking those. no magic? no problem! Jack was born with literally no connection whatsoever to magic anyway and Arthur doesn't know how to use it yet so they're fine. they find a big city and get an apartment and basically return to their old shenanigans. they recruit their teenage neighbor that's into coding to help them learn technology and the teenager absolutely tries to get them to admit their feelings and kiss while teaching them the techy stuff they need to avoid the cops. when they have enough money, they disappear to some place tropical like they always wanted. happy endings :)