Yep, it’s that time! I’m (re)introducing myself, yet again!
»»—————————- 𓆩❤︎𓆪 —————————-««
So hi! I’m Locke!
➺ I’m a 21 y/o rising senior in college, majoring in psychology
➺ I’ve been writing for nearly eight years now, and after all that time, I actually have some idea of what I want to do with my work
➺ When I’m not writing, I draw, play video games, read, cross stitch, bullet journal, and dabble in photography during my free time
➺ Some of my favorite games are Minecraft, Stardew Valley, Coral Island, Guild Wars 2, Spiritfarer, and The Evil Within
❝ worlds are burning, my child.
gods alone cannot suffocate the flames.
My Writing
➺ My work probably fits quite loosely under fantasy, but I often dip into all sorts of genres, including but not limited to poetry, steampunk, dystopian, science fiction, supernatural, and more
➺ I’m polyamorous. My characters are polyamorous. Relationship webs are complicated and I love them dearly.
➺ I have quite a few WIPs on the backburner due to my rather chaotic writing style, with only one being a finished first draft. I adore them all and I can’t yet bear to part with any of them, so you’ll probably see some ‘new’ wip snippet pop up occasionally
➺ Lore and worldbuilding makes up most of my word count and takes up most of my time; it’s the most consistent thing I do!
➺ That said, it’s also my current focus, so expect a lot more of it!
my works // world anvil // north haven discord // pinterest
WIP // Fable
➺ My tale is an old one. That much should be quite clear. It is not, however, as it has been told... For in a memory as old as mine, there is a truth worth seeking; a light worth following. Perhaps in the candor of my tale, others will find the necessary inspiration to continue on toward their own light.
Summary
A fairytale retelling in the form of a journal come to life. Written by Myhren, or ‘Merlin’ as they may be better known, Fable contains lifetimes of experiences and the truth behind the fairytales we all know and love.
Fable mainly focuses on the stories of King Arthur, Camelot, Merlin, and associated characters. It is written from Myhren’s point of view, with some discrepancies due to the nature of their immortal life and their experience within a time loop. Entries are not all seemingly in order. Instead, the writings follow Myhren’s stream of consciousness.
Status
This is an ongoing, very long term WIP of mine. I’ve written some pieces, and brainstormed others. I’ll be releasing new entries as I complete them.
Phase: It’s complicated.
wip page / cast page / character intro
WIP // The Minutemage Compendium
➺ The MinuteMage Compendium is a browser-based RPG concept presented in an old-school rpg field guide format. Explore the world of Iane and discover its secrets!
Summary
A clock is ticking in the mist and fog; people have begun to vanish right off the streets, and dark knowledge is kept from the common folk. Thrust into an unknown world, it is up to you to bring corruption to light and save the clockwork city of Iane. Can you find the Minutemage Coin and open the doors before it's too late?
Status
Phase: Brainstorming. I’ll be designing items, NPCs, locations, creatures, enemies, and more. Eventually, I plan on making it into a physical guide and an RPG!
WIP // A Ghost, a Quill, and a Mockingbird
➺ Something in her remembers her past; a part of her that stands tall in the face of another's rage. Mountainous strength, hidden within a mouse. Confidence born of past instinct, of power, of creation and abandonment; Yet her conscious betrays none of it. Her spite does nothing to reveal what she had been so desperate to forget; what her rage continues to remember, impressively extreme for such tame, conscious memory.
Summary
Ghost has lived her entire life in an underground bunker on the planet Serus. The last of her kind after a swarm of vitians invaded her world and slaughtered her people, she spends her days in blissful spite where the vitians are unable to reach her.
It's not in any way peaceful, of course, to hear the screaming from outside the bunker, but as long as she has her music and drink to keep her company, she figures she'll be able to live a nice, conflict free life.
That is, until her simple day-to-day life becomes a bit more interesting; a little more chaotic. Her god has returned, and he's not at all what she expected, nor does he seem all that keen on leaving her alone.
Status
I’m proud to say that GQM, while my eighth existing wip, is the first to have a completed first draft!
Phase: Paused. While I take a step back and move onto other things before revising, adding, and rewriting!
wip page / wip intro
OTHER WIPS // The Back-burner
➺ A list of WIPs I love very much and that have been set aside
It is worth noting that I tend to write a lot of standalone vignettes that don’t pertain to specific stories, as well as a lot of poetry that I like to call my ‘spout of bullshit’
Arcane // world anvil // tag
Alchemist // floating idea // tag
The Demon’s Eyes // world anvil // tag
Encounters of the Primal Sort // world anvil // tag
Faefinder // brainstorming phase // tag
Twisted Tales of Myth
➺ Ellyse of Wonderspire // world anvil // tag
➺ Servant to Dragon and King // floating idea // tag
Wane of the Lunar Human // floating idea // tag
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Queer people getting to be open and talk about their desire for sex is important in a world where queer people are prevented from being with the people they want
Asexual people getting to be open and talk about not wanting sex and never having sex is important in a world that tries constantly to sell sex to us as an inevitable activity
Disabled people fighting for the right to marry is important in a world that holds life-saving benefits hostage and prevents one from marrying
Women fighting for the right to divorce or to never marry is important in a world that pushes women into a subordinate role of "wife"
Ex-Religious people fighting for the right to leave a religion or not be forced to convert to a religion is important in a world that subjects everyone to predatory missionary work
Religious people fighting for the right to practice their religion and do so openly is important in a world that prioritized religions over one another--often Christianity but not always
And you could substitute many more things into this. Young people fight to not be infantilized by authority, but they also in some areas fight to not be adultified. Some people have to fight so hard for a variety of reasons to be able to grow out their hair. Some people have to fight so hard to be able to cut it. Some fight to be allowed to wear coverings, some fight to be allowed to wear nothing. Some fight to be left alone, some fight to get the care they need. Some fight to be able to leave, some fight to be able to stay.
None of these comparable fights are opposed to one another, because the fight isn't about the specific thing, it is all about the same thing: autonomy.
Someone's fight to wear a dress is someone's fight to wear pants is someone's fight to live alone is someone's fight to live with someone is someone's fight to be left alone by medical institutions is someone's fight to be able to medically alter their body.
It is the same fight. People who want the opposite for themselves that I want for me are my siblings. We want the exact same thing: the choice to be who we want, how we want, on our terms.
And I WANT that for everyone. I want people to be allowed to choose what I wouldn't, do what I wouldn't, because then I would be free to do what I want and need.
I just took Jabalí to the vet (routine shots, diagnosed as an angel baby) and I went and got her a pup cup afterwards and the people at the coffee shop loved her so much they gave her a second pup cup. (because the other barista wanted to give her one too.)
I think a lot of people misunderstand why enemies to lovers is so popular. It’s quickly become one of the most pervasive tropes in many novels. Is it the banter, the tension? That’s definitely part of it. But if that were true, then friends-to-lovers and literally any romance with good dialogue and characterization would scratch the same itch. For some, it does, but for many…enemies-to-lovers just hits different.
My theory is that it isn’t actually about love, not really. I think it fulfils a fantasy that no other trope can provide: the fantasy of being seen as an equal.
Think about what specifically makes someone an enemy in fiction. It’s not just someone the MC dislikes, it’s someone who can affect them in tangible ways, maybe even have the power to ruin them, challenge their worldview, expose their weaknesses, etc. The relationship begins with conflict because the characters are fundamentally opposed in some way. It doesn’t matter why, but they’re fighting. There is a struggle for dominance.
I would argue that the most impactful enemies-to-lovers moments are never the romantic moments, they’re the scenes where power shifts. They BOTH lose: they’re forced into a position that would have horrified them at the beginning of the story. They end up needing (or wanting) each other.
That’s why I think people are often disappointed when a supposed enemies-to-lovers story turns out to be a milquetoast attempt where they’re just kinda mean to each other for a few pages, and then immediately start making out. Where’s the risk, the actual threat? If the characters aren’t capable of genuinely affecting one another, then the relationship isn’t actually transforming in a satisfying way. The appeal is in the fact that they have power over each other, because the eventual trust they build requires real surrender.
Because here’s the thing about enemies; they pay attention, and usually more attention than anyone else. They notice weaknesses because they’re actively looking for them, they notice strengths because they need to account for them. They notice habits, blind spots, ambitions, fears.
They study the MC with a level of scrutiny that borders (and later crosses) intimate, but unlike friends (or supporting characters in the MC’s corner) they’re not willing to give them the benefit of the doubt, they don’t overlook flaws out of affection. Which is exactly what makes the eventual romance so satisfying. It feels earned.
It’s easy to imagine being loved by someone who sees the best version of you, but it’s an entirely different thing to be loved by someone who has seen you at your worst. That’s why this dynamic often feels more convincing than romances where the characters are immediately into each other.
I imagine there are many who go through life feeling misunderstood, or worse, that the people who love them only love the polished, perfect version they present to the world, almost like impostor syndrome. But what if there was someone who couldn’t be fooled by this carefully constructed image?
When someone more powerful chooses someone, maybe the fantasy is protection. When it’s someone less powerful, the fantasy might be admiration. But if there’s someone intelligent and observant enough to see the MC as an equal, the fantasy there is the most intense and honest validation.
Which means enemies to lovers was never about turning hate/annoyance into love, it was about turning power into vulnerability – which is a terrifying loss of power, which THEN leads to intimacy.
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I hesitate to make this a sweeping statement, but I do think that to be a writer, you have to on some level love words as an artistic medium. Words can't just be the annoying limitation that make it more difficult to share your beautiful daydream. They can't just be the storytelling method you choose because you don't have the skills or resources to make any other kind of media.
You have to love the art of words for its own sake. Love the sound of words--how you can make music of a million different rhythms and moods, how the words and sentences you choose can make a million different atmospheres. Love what you can do with words--paint an image, share an emotion, put a person into a scene that only exists in the world of imagination. Love the different ways you can use words--different points of view and tenses, different formats and styles that can each provide a different experience of the story for the reader. You have to love words as your artistic tool and delight in learning new ways to wield them and new effects that you can create with them.
If you don't love words, there are other ways to tell a story. Writing is an artistic medium with it own strengths and weaknesses, and using it as your artistic medium should be a deliberate choice made out of love for this artform.
Brittany Harris, the cellist, is apparently more on tiktok but here's her youtube - her website that seems a little outdate but at least has links to some of her tracks on spotify
King Legacy, the rapper, doesn't seem to have an online presence but by god does he kill it
ao3′s orphaning option is cool and a good idea but mostly very fucking funny. i posted this work for fun when i was younger and i still want people to be able to come back to it if they liked it, but now im an adult professional and i dont want it attached to my name. whats the word for that? umm, anonymously posting? no. i want something that indicates i murdered this story’s parents
it’s sooo funny when rude customers encounter employees who can deny them service for the first time.
i was working at a little cafe where I could deny service over bad behavior, harassment etc. & mask mandates had just ended a week before & already people were being weird about me still wearing mine—an N95, the kind shaped kinda like a duckbill.
so this man walked in, looked at me sooo scathingly, laughed at me, and said “damn. never known a woman to choose…practicality over looks.”
And I just said, “oh. you can go, you’re not getting a drink.” And he said, “what???”
I said, “sir, you just walked in at 6 am & called women impractical and me ugly in one sentence.”
And he was so astonished he didn’t even argue he just turned around and left 💀🙏🏻 it was like he suddenly became self aware
One summer I was running ferry rides across a lake so people could see the waterfalls without walking 6 miles when a guy snapped my bra strap as he was boarding the boat. So i immediately threw him off, he started yelling for my manager, my boss cheerfully informed him that, yeah, she’s the captain of the boat and she can kick off anyone she wants. He goes to storm off, looks expectantly at his girlfriend, and she just goes, “Well, I’M not walking six miles, Michael! I’ll meet you back at the car!” and sits right back down!!!!
The expression on his face when he was told that he couldn’t get on the boat, then immediately told that his girlfriend was ditching him? PRICELESS. he just blinked at her and then stormed off like a child. I gave her a free hat and was like maybe rethink this relationship…….
i once had this fucker come up to order a beer. while i pour it he shows me the wanky fucking chemical structure tattoo on his arm and he’s like “hey. you know what this is” i was like “nah sorry” (never cared abt chemistry in school, plus having to look at a some rando’s pretentious tattoo gives me the douche chills). he decides to respond with “heh. you must not read many books”
i immediately stop pouring his beer. i reply: “heh. you must not want this beer.” thirsty boy immediately starts groveling like a worm “please please no i do want the beer im sorry im sorry” believe me when i say it was one of the most pathetic things ive ever witnessed
I worked retail during the early stages of my transition, one time some fucknozzle was asking me pointed questions trying to figure out what my gender is. my boss was at the other till, talking to a customer who happened to be one of his buddies that he worked demolition with before switching to retail. these guys are tall and visibly strong as hell, the definition of Guys You Don’t Want to Fuck With. my boss knew that I’m trans, and he’d already told me that he’d have my back if any assholes tried to spew transphobia at me.
so this fuckwit lets me finish the transaction before hitting me with the question, “don’t you think this tranny stuff is going too far nowadays?” I immediately turn to my boss and his buddy, and the asshole sees this, spins around and ZOOMS out of the store.
my boss may be professional enough to not chase this man down in the parking lot, but his buddy doesn’t work here, so he doesn’t have to follow the same rules.
I didn’t get to see this part, but from what I was told the fuckwit got chased across the parking lot back to his car, all while yelling “I’M SORRY I DIDN’T MEAN IT” lol. lmao even. talk shit get hit you fucking fool. I’m glad he didn’t actually get his ass kicked in the end but I hope that fear stays with him forever
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it’s sooo funny when rude customers encounter employees who can deny them service for the first time.
i was working at a little cafe where I could deny service over bad behavior, harassment etc. & mask mandates had just ended a week before & already people were being weird about me still wearing mine—an N95, the kind shaped kinda like a duckbill.
so this man walked in, looked at me sooo scathingly, laughed at me, and said “damn. never known a woman to choose…practicality over looks.”
And I just said, “oh. you can go, you’re not getting a drink.” And he said, “what???”
I said, “sir, you just walked in at 6 am & called women impractical and me ugly in one sentence.”
And he was so astonished he didn’t even argue he just turned around and left 💀🙏🏻 it was like he suddenly became self aware
One summer I was running ferry rides across a lake so people could see the waterfalls without walking 6 miles when a guy snapped my bra strap as he was boarding the boat. So i immediately threw him off, he started yelling for my manager, my boss cheerfully informed him that, yeah, she’s the captain of the boat and she can kick off anyone she wants. He goes to storm off, looks expectantly at his girlfriend, and she just goes, “Well, I’M not walking six miles, Michael! I’ll meet you back at the car!” and sits right back down!!!!
The expression on his face when he was told that he couldn’t get on the boat, then immediately told that his girlfriend was ditching him? PRICELESS. he just blinked at her and then stormed off like a child. I gave her a free hat and was like maybe rethink this relationship…….
i once had this fucker come up to order a beer. while i pour it he shows me the wanky fucking chemical structure tattoo on his arm and he’s like “hey. you know what this is” i was like “nah sorry” (never cared abt chemistry in school, plus having to look at a some rando’s pretentious tattoo gives me the douche chills). he decides to respond with “heh. you must not read many books”
i immediately stop pouring his beer. i reply: “heh. you must not want this beer.” thirsty boy immediately starts groveling like a worm “please please no i do want the beer im sorry im sorry” believe me when i say it was one of the most pathetic things ive ever witnessed
I genuinely believe that part of why it has become so normalized to be openly callous and evil in politics is that customer service culture has trained affluent people that they can treat everyone they consider beneath them however they want and still be treated kindly.
It's also crazy how much more polite people are when they know they are talking to a government employee. Once a week I staff a state "wildlife support" phone line, and very rarely do I ever have a negative interaction, even though MOST of my job is telling people "no we don't perform that service, and there is no agency that does." "no, we can't help that animal, and neither can you, as that is illegal." I tell people "no" up to 30 times per day and I've only had a prickly customer about 3-4 times, and properly yelled at only once. (And if I get yelled at I am allowed to end the conversation.)
Meanwhile, when I worked at PetSmart grooming, I got yelled at MULTIPLE times EVERY day. Over a dog's haircut that I didn't even do.
something about Toy Story toys is so strange to me. versions of animated characters based on real world toys, turned back into toys that are slightly different than the actual toys. slinky dog with a rubber spiral instead of a classic metal slinky. the porcelain bo peep and cloth woody turned into jointed plastic action figures. when toy story 4 came out and i saw a $30 talking action figure of forky, a character made out of a spork and a pipe cleaner, i stood in the walmart toy aisle staring at it like cameron from ferris bueller's day off staring at that painting in the art museum
I had a cat we rescued from an abuse case where she had to have minor reconstructive surgery to regain jaw function, and she went straight from that into a foster scenario where all of the other cats bullied her relentlessly and she could not leave this person's bathtub without being attacked by 3-5 other animals. She spent a month under my bed.
I did not bother her. I felt so bad for her, I just gave her all the space and time she needed to feel safe. I had a litter box at the foot of the bed, I never saw her use it, but it needed cleaning each morning. I put her food and water on a tray and quietly slid them under the bed to her. After quite some time, I would feel her get up into the bed with me as I slept and curl up gingerly by my feet. I just pretended to remain asleep.
One afternoon as I sat on my couch watching TV she quietly emerged from under my bed. She looked around and then slowly made her way to the opposite side of the couch, climbed up, and laid down there. After a few commercial break she got up and laid beside me. By the end of the show, she was jn my lap. I offered her a gentle head touch and she started purring so hard and so fast I could hear her inhaling between purrs.
Game where the ancient hero is awakened from the deathless sleep of centuries in the hour of their people's greatest need, only to find that civilisation is thriving and there are no obvious threats on the horizon; the game then becomes a fish-out-of-water detective sim as they try to figure out what woke them up, and also solve other, smaller mysteries along the way.
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Couple things here, for when you do this to people:
1. if you get the “answer my call” text, NEVER ANSWER THE CALL.
They are calling you because they want to have the conversation verbally, and be able to lie later about what they said or didn’t say. Force them to continue via text or email- force them to continue the conversation in writing or not at all.
2. “Lack of 2 weeks notice is unprofessional!” or the other version, “Not providing notice is illegal!”
No it isn’t. Neither is true.
And in the US, all states except Montana are “at will” employment (though you may hear an employer refer to it as “right to work” to make it sound better, it’s the same thing). Sure, at-will employment means they can fire you without cause, BUT! It also means that you are not legally required to give a reason for quitting, or to give notice of any kind.
Is it polite to give notice when you can? Sure. Do bosses expect it? Absolutely. But that does not make you legally required to provide it.
3. The only thing I would change in the worker’s interaction here was their response when initially asked to come in.
Employee: “Hey Mark. Sorry I’m unable to cover the shift tonight because I’m studying for my exam tomorrow.”
Don’t give a reason for your lack of availability. It may be tempting to. You may feel rude if you don’t.
DON’T DO IT.
You do not owe your boss any information about what you do off the clock, and any reason you give will only ever be used against you.
Boss: “Hey I need you to cover Jasper’s shift tonight.”
Employee: “Sorry, I’m not available.”
And leave it at that.
Do not elaborate.
Do not offer additional information.
When you boss asks you to elaborate, because they will, be polite but firm. “With respect, that’s personal. I’m sorry, but I’m unavailable to cover this shift/work late/come in early/etc.”
Be a broken record- you’re unavailable. That’s the only information they need to know, and it’s the only information they have a LEGAL RIGHT to know.
Please stop giving your bosses information they don’t need to know and don’t get to have, because they’re only going to try and use it to fuck you over later.
