#WordWeavers 21. What does a typical breakfast/first meal of the day look like for your MC?
Ume: Fresh rice, miso soup, and a bit of broiled fish or onigiri from the konbini. Depends on whether Tomo or Shishi wakes up before I do or not.
#NMPrompts
#PennedPossibilities 706 — MC POV: Do your friends know about any regrets you have?
Ume: Yes, I think they do. The problem is that they also know I would probably do the same things over again.
#wss366 06/20 #TimeTravelAuthors
#FanFiction #TearmoonEmpire
The Norns
Chapter 1: The Rainy Season
The rain lashed Mai Tearmoon, soaking through the fluffy riding outfit Anne made her wear. Her horse, spooked by a thunderclap, disappeared around the edge of the forest ahead.
“To think a horse would betray me! What if the rebel army were chasing us?” Mai demanded of the wet grass. Not that any rebels were chasing her—this time. In her previous life, however, things had ended poorly: prison, a guillotine, one very final thud. Anne, her loyal maid, and Ludwig, that obnoxious Four-Eyes, were among her few good memories.
Determined not to repeat that unpleasant ending, she had resolved, among other things, to learn horseback riding. It was time well spent. She was a master of the jellyfish style. Hang tight, be with the horse’s rhythm, and let it make all the decisions. That counted as progress, didn’t it?
Yes, in this timeline, she had avoided the revolution, prepared for the famine, and headed off numerous plots by the Serpents. Still, she couldn’t forget those last moments, the squeal of the blade descending, the sharp sting, and the sight of people spinning as her head rolled by. No amount of time traveling or reality switching could cure the trauma of that moment.
After a furtive glance to confirm no rogue guillotines were giving chase, she rose, dusted herself off, and limped toward the sheltering trees.
“If only I had listened to Anne. She warned me it was the rainy #season,” Mai muttered. But it had been so sunny, and the clouds so far on the horizon. It had just been too good a day not to go riding.
Another thunderclap sounded, and Mai dashed under the trees. “Good thing Anne is not here. She would be so scared.” Mai’s voice shook slightly, but that must have been because of the fall. Simple thunder would never frighten the future ruler of Tearmoon! Yes, of course, it was Anne she was worried about, not herself. How silly to think otherwise.
Once under the trees, the princess gracefully shook off the water dripping from her clothes. No one would ever say she looked like a Saint Bernard shaking itself, not even an elegant papillon. Heaven forbid a shih tzu should come to mind.
The trees kept the worst of the rain off the princess, but her clothes were heavy with cold water. “I suppose they will come looking for me when I miss tea.” The thought cheered her, but also reminded her she was hungry.
“Good thing I've been studying foraging,” she thought. If occasionally asking friends about the edibility of plants on walks counted as studying, she had done plenty of it. Usually, the answer was that they had no idea. Why would young nobles know such things? They also inevitably hustled Mai away before she ate it, especially if the plant in question was a mushroom.
“There is no help for it,” she thought and began looking for likely nuts, berries, or fungus.
#microfiction #NMPrompts #NMV366 #Anime #Manga #LightNovel #Fantasy #JNovelClub
#WritersCoffeeClub 21. Which facets of your writing only work in the language in which it was written?
Hopefully, none. I keep an eye on how a mythical Japanese translation would work.
#PennedPossibilities SC insecurity
Kan-chan: How many times do I have to say I will not dicuss that.
#WordWeavers 20. If you could write a tie-in novel for any movie, tv show or game, what would it be?
I already did for Bloom into You: Regarding Saeki Sayaka.
Would I do it officially? Darn right I would.
Why wouldn't I? I'm a prolific fanfic writer as well as OG serial writer.
(There are a few others I could think of but that tops the list.)
https://www.pixiv.net/novel/series/8068643
https://archiveofourown.org/works/33963838
#wss366 06/19 #shake
#FanFiction #TheApothecaryDiaries
*** Pearl Farming ***
Maomao ran her fingers over the gourd’s surface. It felt normal, smooth, slightly irregular, with a mild grain.
She looked up at the man, one of Meimei’s clients, who stood with three broad-shouldered women. They made the room look small. Behind them stood Madam and a few courtesans. Their delicate looks and midday drowsiness stood in sharp contrast to the newcomers, women who worked with their bodies, but in a completely different fashion.
Usually, there was trouble when women showed up at Verdigris House, especially if accompanied by a husband. There had been none today. This was business. Madam was doing a "favor" for a client and had pressed Mao with her special talents into service.
“May I shake it?” Mao asked.
“Yes, of course.” The man sounded nervous. Mao could smell his sweat from where she sat. Meimei said he played a good game of Go but was otherwise innocuous. He didn’t look like the head of the Pearl Divers Guild.
Mao shook the gourd. Rather than the sound of seeds, something more substantial rattled inside.
“And if I prove it’s a scam, I keep the pearls?” she asked, avoiding Madam’s gaze lest she lose her reward.
“Correct,” the little man’s tone lacked decision; he was too meek. He looked like the perfect target for a con. Mao considered asking for more but decided to avoid Madam boxing her ears for impertinence. Why was Madam the only one who could be greedy?
She glanced down at the fragments of another gourd lying on the table, mixed with inferior-quality pearls. Once ground, they would be fine for medicine, so she didn’t mind.
“And he said that unless you paid him, he’d sell the seeds to farmers and ruin your business?” Mao probed. It seemed a rather roundabout way to make money. Why not just grow the gourds yourself?
The man nodded.
She gave the gourd another shake, then ran her fingers across its skin. It felt right… Ah, there it was. One section felt different. Too smooth. She carefully explored and defined the area. It was circular, about the size of her thumb tip.
Turning away, she gathered a few things and mixed an acidic solution, stronger than vinegar but only slightly. Nothing that would cause a burn, but enough to dissolve a cheap varnish.
“It’s okay if I damage this slightly?” she asked.
The man glanced back at a woman with powerful lungs. She was probably his wife and the actual head of the Divers Guild. The woman made an imperceptible nod.
Mao didn’t wait for the man to speak. She had her answer.
She warmed her solution and gently rubbed the gourd’s surface. When satisfied, she dried the gourd and heated the questionable portion using a candle.
As expected, that section browned faster than the rest.
She showed it to the people watching. “It’s a fake. They’re trying to shake you down.”
The man’s wife looked grim. Mao was glad she wasn’t the conman.
#microfiction #NMPrompts #NMV366 #薬屋のひとりごと @yon #Anime #Fantasy #Mystery
#PennedPossibilities 704 — Share a scene or two with us that you’re proud of writing. (It doesn’t matter what story it’s from.)
2 parts yuri romance,
1 Part Miyazawa Lori
1 Part Lord Dunsany
1 Part H.P. Lovecraft (Bad ending carefully removed.)
Throw in a blender (My Mind). Add seasoning. #WIP
#Yuri Weird Tales.
The stairs were cut into the granite, each one uneven in depth and height, etched with ancient writing that twisted across the stone like brambles. We kept to one side, careful not to step on the script. Between the Torii gates, the mountain stretched bare and unforgiving. Sulfuric yellow and venomous green fireflies darted across it, swirling past drifting, misshapen spirits trapped in a hellish aquarium. When one drifted close, we saw its face, pocked with blisters, half-rotted, disfigured by disease. Some wept blood; others stared blindly, their pale eyes searching for contact. I did my best not to meet their gaze, but between the writing and the spirits, it was hard to find a place to rest my eyes.
https://www.pixiv.net/novel/series/11417104
https://archiveofourown.org/works/52770025
#WordWeavers 2025.06.17 — Are there any midsummer traditions in your world?
Traditional Japanese holidays. Obon would be the biggest. In my stories it and Tanabata are the biggest summer holidays mentioned.,
#wss366 06/18 #stalk
*** The Red Stalker ***
“What’s that?” the little girl said, pointing to a small red face with pointed ears. Its large, ice-blue eyes peered out from under the kotatsu. An unlit cigarette dangling from its mouth.
Her mother continued, calmly brushing her daughter’s hair. “What, dear?”
“The little man. He follows me around.”
“That’s the ‘The Red Stalker.’ Aunt Matsumoto brought him home from America. When she opened her suitcase, it was tangled up in her…” Mother Yoshioka paused, thinking of how to say this delicately. “Tangled in her clothes. It’s been living in the attic ever since.”
“It’s always writing what I do in a book.”
“If you’re a good girl, they will bring you good luck, like a Zashiki Warashi. If you’re bad, they punish you. They keep track of everything you do, naughty and nice, in that book.”
“Everything naughty? Like when I don’t share my toys or run in the house.”
“Yes, like that. But they also keep track of when you clean your room or brush your teeth without being told.”
The girl cried softly, thinking about all the times she snuck treats before dinner.
“But I know a secret. Do you want to know it?” the mother whispered.
Her daughter’s head nodded.
“It’s easily bribed with cookies, mochi, or milk. This one has a fondness for celery stalks stuffed with peanut butter.”
“Oh!” the little girl began smiling again
#microfiction #NMPrompts #NMV366 #elves #Yokai
@samkalensky.com @samkalensky
@ShadowPlay
#WritersCoffeeClub 18 The eye of the duck: Share a ‘nonessential’ scene in one of your works that ties the piece together.
Like others, I am puzzled by the idea of nonessential but tying things together. I suppose it scene that could be written around but is primarily there to inform.
The following scene is from the early portion of "Konbini Idol," and sets up characterization for two MCs and rational why Ume is looking for a girlfriend when she is married.
A portion of the text in alt text.
#NMWCC #NMPrompts #Trans #TansMasc #PolyAmory #polyamorous #KonbiniIdol
#PennedPossibilities 703 — Does your antagonist (or your villain) have any noticeable scars? If so, what are their stories?
Since no one is allowed to look at the Empreress's body no one knows.
#WordWeavers 18. If you could have written any other author's book, what would it be?
As an artist, none. But on other grounds, "Harry Potter" to steal that vile woman's platform. And the money.
#wss366 06/17 #strike
#FanFiction Nia Liston: The Merciless Maiden
*** Leaf ***
Did I just see that?
I would have missed it entirely if she hadn’t winked at me. It was a bold, brassy move and totally unnecessary. Unless, of course, the whole point was to catch my attention.
With that wink, she slipped past the guards and vanished. Just like that. Not even Lynokis had seen her do it. Could someone really have that much chi and still hide it so completely that I would miss it? The crowd at the stage door was dense, but not so dense that I wouldn’t notice that much chi. Warriors and adventurers were so thick that the air reeked of untapped chi, like the air at a wrestling match: musky, dense, and strong. But hers was smoke, soft, weightless. I would have missed it without the wink.
Unbelievable as it was, she had hidden it even from me. I’d been so focused on “strength” that I forgot “lithe.” I had never considered that approach. My heightened reflexes made me superhumanly fast, but this was different. Minimal force, perfectly timed. A leaf toppling an oak.
I had to find this person. They could teach me so much. An oak is easy to find, but a leaf... less so. Still, I had seen her now, and I would find her again.
My billion kram had earned me a place near the stage, and a royal decree had exempted me from active filming during the ceremony. Not even my director, Bendelio, could overrule the king.
Bendelio, take that!
It was almost as good as punching him in the face. A double chi strike. One! Two! I could feel his jaw fracture. I’ll get you one of these days, Bendelio.
But no, there he was with his peculiar smile, directing the filming. After the awards ceremony, he’d booked me back-to-back interviews with star contestants. I couldn’t even count the number. That evil man, how I hated him.
Wait, there it was. A flicker of chi to the right of the stage!
Center stage!—There she was, flaming red hair and a toothy smile.
Everyone looked confused. Where had she come from?
A bow and a look in my direction. No, a look at me! Our eyes met for a second. A wink as if to say, “See, I struck again!”
Then she and the trophy were gone. A leaf on the wind.
There was no mistaking it; that was a challenge. When I catch up with you, Miss Flaming Hair, you’re either going to teach me your tricks or I’m going to pound you into dust. Pow! Crumpled leaf dust.
#microfiction #NMPrompts #NMV366 #FanFiction #LightNovel #Manga #Fantasy
#NiaListon #NiaListonTheMercilessMaiden #MartialArts
#凶乱令嬢ニア #凶乱令嬢ニア・リストン #ニア・リストン
#writerscoffeeclub 17 June. As a writer, how anonymous do you want to be?
Is it anonymous if most people know you by your pen name?
I guess so,
I don't want crosses burned on my lawn (If I had a lawn) or any more bricks thrown through my window. (Yes, I have had that experience, but not related to my writing.)
So basically, I don't want the fascists to know my street address.
#wss366 06/16 #swallow
#FanFiction #IsTheOrderARabbit?
*** Swallow’s Waltz ***
“Under here, everyone,” Maya yelled as the rain began.
It was dry under the railroad trestle. An odd mixture of old creosote and new rain scented the air. Cornflowers bloomed in the shelter of the old posts, the same soft blue as Chino’s hair.
Across from them, a shadowed area stretched under the tracks. “Let’s pretend a troll lives here. Fee. Fia. Foe…” Maya began.
“Let’s not,” Megu and Chino said.
Outside their shelter, a drizzle fell, but heavy cloud masses hinted at a downpour.
“Look, swallows,” Chino said, pointing. Outside the bridge, they darted between raindrops, catching and swallowing the evening gnats as they wove a dance.
“Woah!” Megu said. The magical moment entranced the three as they watched.
Chino squeezed Megu’s hand, eyes wide. “It’s like a waltz.”
Megu nodded. “A rainy-day waltz.”
Thunder rolled in the distance like drums warning of a climax, but the dancers continued the ballet for the three young observers.
Maya suddenly shattered the moment by making zig-zag motions with her hands. “Let’s run home. I bet I can dodge rain. The person who gets the wettest is a rotten egg.”
“No.” Chino was firm, the wonder still sparkling in her eyes.
“Look,” Megu said, pointing, “nests. I wonder if there are chicks.” The three peered at the mud-and-straw nests nestled beneath the bridge beams. It was another wonder on display.
“They must be ‘Mud Dobber Swallows,’” Chino said. “I saw them in a book at school. Let’s just watch.”
They lingered, the rain a gentle backdrop to their fascination, until Megu blinked. “The rain’s stopped. I want to show the others.”
“Yeah!” And off they ran to Rabbit House, accompanied by delighted shrieks as Maya discovered a rain puddle, followed by, “Hey, wait up!”
#microfiction #NMPrompts #NMV366 #FanFiction #Anime #Manga
#JougaMaya #条河麻耶 #NatsuMegumi #奈津恵 #KafuuChino #香風智乃 #ChinoKufuu #ChiMaMi
#SliceOfLife #Iyashikei #ご注文はうさぎですか? #GochiUas #ごちうさ #BarnSwallow
#MarkethingMonday
Five things your readers would hate about your MC.
Ume
1. She intellectualizes pain.
2. She lets others lead emotionally.
3. She can sound superior without meaning to.
4. She avoids hard decisions until cornered.
5. Her morality is pragmatic, not pure.
* Bonus: she smokes.
https://archiveofourown.org/works/52770025
#NMMM #NMPrompts #KonbiniIdol
#PennedPossibilities 701 — MC POV: What is freedom to you?
Ume: "Just another word for nothing left to lose."
Sorry, stupid joke, but "I don't know" sounds just as dumb.
#writerscoffeeclub 16 June. Do you write out accents phonetically/use eye dialects? Why or why not?
I use both sparingly and usually only in clearly defined situations, such as "pirate" or "Snake" speech.
Accent and eye dialects carry baggage which I don't want to carry into my writing. I am not good enough to write quality dialect speech and don't want to use stereotypes.
I do wonder if this doesn't result in non-privileged speech disappearing. But since I speak a slightly archaic white bread English, I am not up to the challenge of promoting the normalization of unprivileged speech.
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