D.D. is writing

… of guerrilla warfare, especially when it comes to youth. The portrayals of PTSD and depression especially resonate.

It’s clear to me now that my own writing is still highly influenced by this series. It remains a favourite and always will be.

Give Animorphs a read. You won’t be sorry.

Getting a little personal here, but Animorphs was *the* formative series for me. I think I’ve always been a storyteller, but this is where the love of fiction was nourished. Rereading the entire series as an adult a few years ago truly made me appreciate the grim realities and darker depictions…

#booksky

So far I’m captivated!

A photo of the book, “Motheater” by Linda H. Codega. Behind the book is a blurry sleeping dog on the end of a bed.

Just started this tonight and have been looking forward to reading it for weeks. I’m only one chapter in and can already tell this one is going to be a favourite.

“Motheater” by Linda H. Codega.

#AmReading #BookSky

That’s the one! Very informative. I didn’t need to know any of it and now I know… so much…

Listen, I’m not even the kind of person who can watch Dr. Pimple Popper, so this was a major test for me. What we do for The Character.

The things we research as writers… I fell down a rabbit hole of YouTube videos last night watching a farrier fix the hooves of several different cows, all because I needed to know what an abscess in a horse’s hoof looks like for an upcoming Kai scene. #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #AmDrafting

A character moodboard for “Rhaizel Seablade” (don’t judge the surname; he gave it to himself at six, thought it was intimidating, and now just owns it). His stats are under his name to the left: “age: 26; class: rogue; background; pirate.” Bars are below with different levels of full. “Constitution” is almost full; “Dexterity” is about 8/10 full; “Strength” is under half full; “Charisma” is about 8.5/10 full; “Intelligence” is just over half full; and “Wisdom” is about 2/3 full. To the right are three banners in a row: a pirate sword, ocean waves, and a primarily-orange calico cat. Below these are five circles with solid colours: a deep teal, reddish-brown, sandy-gold, deep purple, and light aqua. Under to the left are three square images: a close up of marine iguana scales; a cormorant spreading its wings; and a whale shark. To the right of these are two digital drawings of the character. Both show a young man with warm, russet-brown skin, freckles, and medium-length black hair with tight waves. Half his hair is in a bun. His left eye is grey and right is gold. His left ear sports a silver cuff as well as a dangling earring made of a shark tooth. The left drawing is a profile view, the right is 3/4. At the bottom is a quote: “Oh, what a ride, I identify my devil / Wings to the sky on a run from trouble” from “Don’t Cry For Me” by Cobi.

The third Goldnote and tritagonist, Rhaizel! He was abandoned at birth for the “curse” of his eye, eventually adopted by a pirate captain. Now he’s fearsome and ruthless, but underneath, he has a softer heart than he wants to admit.

#AmDrafting #Moodboard #OriginalCharacter #WriteSky #FantasyWIP

A character moodboard for Kaijmir Luxlin. His first name is in maroon, his last name in a dark grey with hint of purple. Text below the name reads “Age: 26; class: warrior; background: farrier.” There are stat bars below: “Constitution” about 1/3 full, “Dexterity” 2/3 full; “Strength” almost full; “Charisma” about 1/5 full; “Intelligence” about 9/10 full; and “Wisdom” a little more than half full. To the right are three banners: A knight’s belt with the hilt of a sword; a farrier with a horse’s hoof; and a galloping white horse. Below are five circles with different colours. Red, Blue, Grey, Brown, and Grey. Underneath to the left are three square images: a striped lizard skin, a harpy eagle, and a maned lion. To the right are two digital drawings of a young man with peach skin; one is a profile and the other is 3/4 view. His hair is shaggy and auburn with sun highlights. His left eye is monolidded and light brown, and his right is covered by a black eye patch. There are two subtle brown boxes offsetting the drawings. At the bottom is a quote: “I don’t worry any longer / Cause when your heart dies, still your soul cries out for more” from the song “I Walk On Water” by Kaleo.

The second of the tritagonists: Kai! Kai comes from humble beginnings and works hard to take care of his loved ones. He was born at sea during a storm, resulting in an accident that cost his right eye.

#AmDrafting #Moodboard #OriginalCharacter #WriteSky #FantasyWIP

A character moodboard for fictional character, Validrenn Domayne. The text at the top denotes her name. Text below states “Age: 26; Class: Mage; Background: Noble.” Following this are the six D&D stats of Constitution (a bar is about 2/3 full); Dexterity (a bar is under half full); Strength (a bar is about 1/5 full); Charisma (a bar is about 9/10 full); Intelligence (a bar is about 8/10 full); and Wisdom (a bar is about 7/10 full). To the right are three rectangular images of a supply of witchy potions and other materials; under is a close up of a rainbow boa constrictor; under this is a colourful photo of orchids. Below are five circles in primarily pastel shades of purple, blue, red, teal, and yellow. Below to the left are three small squares: a close up of scales, a chameleon, and a luna moth. To the right are two digital drawings of the character, both featuring a young woman with dark brown skin and long, wavy black hair. The left drawing is a profile with her left side available. The right drawing of the character has a golden right eye, dark brown left eye, a nose piercing, and yellow and blue ribbons in her hair. At the bottom is a quote containing lines from Rhiannon by Fleetwood Mac: “And wouldn’t you love to love her? She rules her life like a bird in flight And who will be her lover?”

Decided it was better to have just the art and no insp.

Almost done with the first chapter from her POV. Have two more moments to write and then onto chapter two! #AmWriting #Writing #WriteSky #AmDrafting

A character moodboard for fictional character, Validrenn Domayne. The text at the top denotes her name. Text below states “Age: 26; Class: Mage; Background: Noble.” Following this are the six D&D stats of Constitution (a bar is about 2/3 full); Dexterity (a bar is under half full); Strength (a bar is about 1/5 full); Charisma (a bar is about 9/10 full); Intelligence (a bar is about 8/10 full); and Wisdom (a bar is about 7/10 full). To the right are three rectangular images of a supply of witchy potions and other materials; under is a close up of a rainbow boa constrictor; under this is a colourful photo of orchids. Below are five circles in primarily pastel shades of purple, blue, red, teal, and yellow. Below to the left are three small squares: a close up of scales, a chameleon, and a luna moth. To the right is a digital drawing of the character with her visual inspiration of Simone Ashley. The drawing of the character has a golden right eye, and yellow and blue ribbons in her hair. At the bottom is a quote containing lines from Rhiannon by Fleetwood Mac: “And wouldn’t you love to love her? She rules her life like a bird in flight And who will be her lover?”

Thought I would make some character sheets/mood boards for the primary characters, for fun.

Starting with Vali! She is one of 3 Goldnotes—a person born with a deep connections to dragons, and other Goldnotes. I used D&D stats as they’re effective, though nothing else is D&D related.

#amwriting

Hello BlueSky! Have an official account set up to network and keep focus on writing. Currently working on “The Goldnotes,” the first novel in a planned trilogy.

- High fantasy/romance
- Queer lead characters
- Themes of environmentalism & anti-fascism/anti-colonialism

#amwriting