CAMP NANO 2020 ― BENEATH

genre ― low fantasy target ― 20k (at least!) pov ― third person limited themes ― trauma ; coping mechanisms ; found family ; crime ; justice ; morality ; love

SYNOPSIS ―

they say baia valontiu was a city of opportunity, once. before the fires came. 

the first fire was two hundred years ago. no-one remembers exactly how it started, whether it was an errant spark or an act of arson; what everyone agrees is that it was devastating. three out of four buildings reduced to ashen shells, far more grief than a city could handle. but they rebuilt, covering over their losses and starting anew ― and they almost made it.

the second fire was fifty years ago. two years after the first greatship returned to baia valontiu’s harbour. still, no-one knows quite how it began, only that the only surviving buildings were the stone ones. everything else, simply hollow ― but once again, they rebuilt. they raised their city higher, yet again burying the ghosts and grief. this time, though, they left people behind: the people beneath, the lost and forgotten. this time, something was missing from the city above; this time, the city had grown claws.

the third fire hasn’t come yet, but they say it will. smaller blazes break out across the city, each stopped, each one lending venom to people’s whispers. maybe it’s this poisoned speculation that turned the city sour, cut-throat, only offering its sweet opportunities to those willing to spill blood for them. those like beatrice vulpes, a child of the ashes, orphaned in a boat fire. her surname means fox, but they don’t call her that; if they have to address her at all, they call her dog. clever, but dangerous too: she leads a gang of thieves and swindlers, running just outside the reach of both the law and the iron circle. it isn’t enough.

when a stranger offers her the reward of a lifetime, bea finds herself tasked with a suicidal mission: to venture into the bowels of the city, to venture beneath, to steal something that doesn’t exist. and maybe, just maybe, to find it in her shrivelled heart to save her city.

CHARACTERS ―

bea vulpes ― a career criminal, hardened and angry. you might call her arrogant, cold, but you’d have to acknowledge her ruthless genius. all she wants is to spite the world that took everything from her by taking it all back, consequences be damned. and yet ― the people she loves might just supersede that. ( she/her , 23 , pan , autistic )

matei giurescu ― an alcoholic engineer, the heir of a greatship family. he drowns his trauma in liquor and adrenaline, turning his back on his craft in favour of scrapping in alleyways and collecting bruises. what he doesn’t want to acknowledge is his role in bea’s past, the ties that used to bind them ― and the debt he owes her. ( he/him , 23 , gay )

valleri apostol ( vall ) ― the secret in bea’s cellar: an unpicker with the gift to rip apart the very fabric of the body, and a disgraced ex-doctor. his twisted experiments belie a gentle, curious soul ― but that belies a hunger unable to be satisfied. he longs to see the world, longs to know, yet is confined to the cellar by agoraphobia. ( he/him , 24 , gay , autistic )

kiriya el-salah ― a stranger in a strange land; she hails from across the sea, from tahran, disgorged onto the baia valontiu docks as a child. bea’s second, a staunch and loyal fighter with a secret hurt. she’s proud and vicious, but she wishes to be soft, calls for a homeland that doesn’t answer. ( she/her, 25 , lesbian , trans )

kit dimitru ― the city above calls him king of the underside, prince of the sewers, slime snake. the people beneath call him home. leader, amputee, mystery: no-one knows his full name, or what stokes the fire of his anger. what they do know is that he’s kind, too; his own smoke chokes him, his own promises breaking his back. ( he/him, 23 , bi/ace , disabled )

morningcome, a wip by e.d.c. – for camp nano april 2020

genre ; ya/na contemporary paranormal

themes & tropes ; friendship, death, mystery, horror elements, enemies to friends, isolation, coming of age, loss, grief, old hurt coming back to haunt a community, amateur teenage detectives, banter, gore & body horror

something’s off in windkerk, with its streets sunny and windswept, beaches muted, marram grass growing wild, covering the dunes alive and elegant. something is off, has been off for years now – there’s lights in the dunes, floating just beyond the tree-line.

summer comes, humid, clings to the skin something desperate. she brings strangers, holed up in small houses along dark roads – and they know nothing, nothing of the things that haunt the island of zuiderhaaks.

summer comes, dangerous, sly in the way she lays claim to bodies broken. she brings familiar faces, warped strange and haunted – and they know. they know what haunts the island of zuiderhaaks – what chases them round and round, until they give in, until they relent, until they return, back into the clutches of pine and sand and a community too close for comfort.

[…]

hanne haan swears something’s been tapping on his window at night, leaving bloody fingerprints on a washed wood windowsill.

aart berkenbosch is running, from what? he’s not sure – it nips at his heels something vicious, forces him to return to a place he thought forgotten.

senna vinke follows her friends in a desperate escape, leaving a city visceral and hazy, she finds a welcome in dunes and silky summer wind.

teun van zijl loves wholeheartedly, loves something dark and twisted, chases it breathless – it slips through his fingers, sand through an hourglass

mees teuling is out to hurt, set on bloodshed and danger, as she chases monsters called legend, she finds herself lonely, like walls closing in.

lau de jaager just wants to be found, and as she searches for meaning, for purpose, she finds more than she’s bargained for.

( page ) – ( content ) – (inspiration) – ( playlist ) – ( unsplash )

taglist ; let me know if you want to be +/-

THE CHARACTERS OF BLOOD AND BONES — AMARA EKENE NWANKWO

A Child of the Mother Marrow, a Child of the Bone, Amara is the master of an ancient alkemy. She is the feel of a dead thing, swollen and slick with decay, beneath shaking hands; she is the taste of rot between pointed teeth; she is the smell of sky before a storm, the heat of air clinging to life, the sound of thunder as it cuts the azure against a molten rain. Amara is the quiet of a thousand dead—she is their butcher, she is their savior; she is their blood, she is their bone.

YANG HUILING — THE EMPRESS

The Empress is a primary character and key plot device, being the watcher of the House of the Heron, and the target of Emperor Huang Lei. The origin, age and identity of Yang Huiling is obscure, as is the House of the Heron and the fertile land she watches over. She is well-known by surrounding empires, more myth than fact, but never seen. Among Huang Lei’s troops, there is much speculation about the mysterious Empress. Some think her a fallen deity, others think her a demon. Some imagine her as an old hag with pockmarks on her skin and reeds for hair, but that is untrue. In recent years, she has been plagued by a strange illness, and the Empress spends her days largely confined to her chair or bed, unable to walk for more than a few minutes. She is the embodiment of Mother Earth, and her fading territory is home to many of the creatures and spirits forgotten by man. 

Excerpt reads: “I’m dying, my dear. And so is the world.” The Empress wound the piece of twine around her thumb, tighter and tighter, until the tip of her finger was a startling shade of red.“You can tell your Emperor I make no move against him—“ The Empress leant forward, teeth sharp and eyes cloudy. “But this land is as old as time, and home to many things. I cannot promise the same of its inhabitants.” 

THE FLORENCE FILES ➵ FLORENCE EVANGELINE SIDDAL

18 | BRITISH | SHE/HER | BISEXUAL | TRANSFEM | ARGUABLY THE MAIN CHARACTER HERE

She is bleeding from the mouth but she doesn't seem to care. Florence is burning, and her spires and bridges are going up in smoke. 

"I will live forever," the girl-city hisses through scarlet teeth, and she means it. 

Florence Siddal has always had her story written for her—to be the Perfect Siddal Child, a blip in history like all the other Perfect Siddal Children before her. A vague shadow, here for a few years then gone, no impact left on the world at large. 

No one really knows Florence, and she's glad. She has learnt to hide her thoughts well, cloak them under layers of code and mystery until they seem like nothing more than nonsense. If they know her thoughts, then they have something to tether her down with. But push comes to shove, and she finds herself looking Death in the eye much earlier than she expected. So in her last moments, she makes a choice. She leaves behind the key to decode her private journals, a catalyst that will lead to either revolution or disaster.

 Florence Siddal will make a mark. It's just a matter of how.

BLOOD RITES CHARACTERS: nikko aragon

-> (a character reintroduction by j.c.r. @starsofate)

EXCERPT:

“It’s their whispers and stares that grate on his nerves the most, following him everywhere he went. Eyes boring into his soul but never seeing him, always seeing through him. He wonders what they’d think if they really looked hard enough.

Would they be afraid of the monster lurking inside?”

Nikko Aragon is the disappointment of his family, a prince scorned by his people for shirking his royal duties and overindulging in worldly pleasures.

But no one knows of his curse—something he can never escape, not even in rest. Barely able to control it, he knows inevitably bloodshed will be had, whether by his intention or not.

taglist (ask to be + or -) | @starrywritingg, @ashdevereaux, @medusaswrites

{THE RELENTLESS MARCH OF MEMORIES RETRIEVED}

a wip by @bundledscarves

genre realistic fiction

pov first person, rotating narrator

status in progress

synopsis 

a tightknit group of freshly-graduated highschoolers embarks on a fast-paced journey around Europe in search of a life the members feel was robbed of them by their suburban childhood. the realization that they may never find what they’re looking for, however, begins to tear their friendship apart. 

excerpt

and I had made some offhand comment about how we were awful, all three of us, chasing after some destination we’d never reach, looking for a city we never find. And how if we did find it, we’d be drunk, wandering around its streets aimlessly, unaware, how it could be Paris, or even London, how we’d never know, because all we ever did was waste time. And she looked at me like I had solved it, but in solving it, stabbed her, liked I had ruined it all. But then she was off again, wiping her face and smirking at me as if to ask if I was insane, if she was, if we all were

CHARACTERS

laurel esposito highly guarded and sentimental. thinks poetry might save the world but is too scared to write any of her own. 

myrtle byrne sees herself as an underdog, and is therefore consumed by the idea that she must document the plight of the “smaller” members of society. 

                              MATTHEW NOVAK

                                       ﾟ ☆ ✧ A THOUSAND STARS ✧☆ ﾟ

funny, easy going, the one with the smile at ready on his face, always there to make you laugh and feel better, but with a shadow hanging over him, there’s a lingering shadow around matthew, he’s never really felt at home anywhere, is searching for solace, guitarist and pianist for finn, finn’s best friend

EXCERPT

Finnley laughs at something Matthew says, and I smile privately. I can see the tension go out of Finn’s shoulders, and he leans slightly against Matthew, a grin spreading across his face. “You’d like that, yeah?” Finn says, giving his best friend a playful punch in the shoulder. I am relieved at the humor shining in his blue-green eyes, and I glance up at Matthew, who is smiling softly at me.

I think of how horrible this night might have gone if Matthew hadn’t been here. Finnley already seems so much happier hanging out with the musician that I find myself beginning to relax a little bit too. Maybe tonight’s gig won’t be that bad. I can already feel the nerves emerging in my stomach, but Matthew sidles closer to me, a mischievous look. “Got any new tunes for us today, Scar?”

I roll my eyes at him. “Just sang one yesterday; is that not enough for you?”

He meets my gaze evenly, and I flush a little as I think of the conversation we had in the backroom after. Finn only tips his head back, smiling a little at the ceiling, oblivious of our exchange. “I think I’m going to sing something new.”

Matthew turns to congratulate Finnley, and I find myself watching the two boys together. Finn hasn’t sang anything new since he sang “Angel” last week. I know he’s not required to sing anything new every concert, but I know Mark wants his new album to be released right after this tour is finished. We only have two more months of this; I know how long songwriting takes sometimes.

As I watch the two friends, I realize that while Matthew always brightens the room with his jovial presence, there is something dark hanging over the boy. His smile never fully reaches his brown eyes, and I wish I could figure out what might be haunting him. I think about how he told me he was still finding his solace, and I remind myself of my promise to help him find it. I owed him that much for all he’s done for me on this tour.

i look for you in every face just trying to find my solace

A CASE OF LOVE                                                                                         wip introduction

a novel by Adela Rose

genre: romance

public: young adult (or anyone to be honest)

point of view: third person

status: first draft

themes: love, dysfunctional family, extreme sadness, self-love, self-discovery, betrayal, cheating, loneliness, fear of failure, fear of disappointment, intense love, slow burn romance, strangers to friends to lovers, marriage, divorce, healing together, growing together, learning to trust again, first times (of different varieties), love in Paris, kisses under the rain, drunken everything.

[ SYNOPSIS ]

    Lacey and Elliot were never supposed to meet. They were supposed to remain strangers their whole lives, blissfully unaware the other existed. But that’s what was supposed to happen and usually, in life, nothing goes as planned.

    When Lacey’s life comes crumbling down, there is no breath she takes where she doesn’t feel as if she is underwater, swimming towards the surface but never reaching it. She is suffocating herself with sadness. During a drunken night, she decides the best course of action is to get away, so she buys a ticket to Paris with a six-month return date. Hungover and afraid, Lacey packs a bag and hopes for the best. Maybe in the city of lights she can find herself again. 

    Elliot, on the other hand, is escaping love. More specifically, he’s escaping his mother’s attempts of marry him off to one of her friend’s daughters. It was his own fault really, what kind of son shatters a mother’s dream three months into wedding planning? To make matters worse, he’d left for Paris without explaining to anyone why his relationship had ended. Elliot just needed a break, and Paris was always a good choice. 

   None of them were planning to find each other. None of them even thought the other one was a possibility. And certainly, none of them thought they could ever fall in love again. But that is what happens when you get a case of love. 

WATTPAD / WIP PAGE / PLAYLIST

taglist (ask to be add or removed!): @ahowlinwolf

codename: hamlet. minor character reintroduction. 1.0.

                                                       ROMEO

real name: pablo orlandic.

↳  ❝ i’m fast, i’m silent, they’ll never be able to catch me because they’ll never be able to see me coming.  ❞

                                                      JULIET

real name: inoke vongsay.

↳  ❝ i was born in violence. i was born in war. dont you say i run after it, hamlet, don’t you dare. i can’t help it’s always walked with me.   ❞

                                                       MACBETH

real name: “christie” 

THE UNGODLY HOURS | JANE DUVAL a character (re)introduction

The fortune teller snaked behind her, her spindling fingers dragging across Jane’s shoulders. Her violet painted lips were just a breath away from the girl’s ear. “Tell me, child. What is it that you desire most?”

“I just want to be happy, but I feel like that’s what everyone wants.” Jane’s voice was quiet, unrecognizable even, a ghost pulled from the depths.

The face of the mirror wavered as the fortune teller plucked a string from the abyss behind the glass. She studied it for a moment, a moment that felt a little too long to Jane, and frowned. 

“What is it? Is there something wrong?”

“That boy, Bishop. There’s a shadow that follows him.” The woman paused before finally tearing her gaze away from the string that held the truths of Jane’s being. “I fear that your end is near. This boy, he will bring you nothing but pain. It would be best if you left him behind.”

Jane felt a fury building within her, a fire so scalding it hurt to touch. “So you’re telling me my fate is predetermined by a boy I hardly know? Well, I don’t accept that. In fact, I reject it. I reject my destiny. I’m tired of people telling me what to do and who to be. From now on, only I get to decide what happens to me. Not him. Not you. Me.”

—IN THE  H O L L O W OF THE LIGHT — c.g.p.

❛ In the event of the End, a child without a name shall be the catalyst for the beginning of the ceremony. Her blood shall purify the slate in which we will be wiped clean. Rosmiri will burn—and the world shall follow. ❜

GENRES dark fantasy, gothic, vaguely industrial DEMOGRAPHIC young adult/new adult THEMES & TROPES doomsday cults, human sacrifice, opposite ends of a war, what is left to loose, children are the chosen ones, blood magic, cannibalism keeps you young, priestesses of war, dysfunctional families, monsters & men & monster-like men, strangers to enemies to allies to lovers, bone crushers, baby sacrifice, secret society of cannibals, the time for action is now, abandoning morals to prevent the apocalypse, faithless companions, perversion of truth, sinister messages. STATUS outlining/drafting

SUMMARY

Corisande Lamere wasn’t surprised to find a doomsday cult in the Red City of Rosmiri, but she definitely wasn’t expecting to be dragged into it. Sucked into the underground of the city, Corisande struggles to understand the choice presented to her: secure the sacrifice to the end of days, or succumb to catastrophe that is coming.

Across the city, a young man named Lance Morana awaits a trial by sea. Condemned to drown for his crimes, Lance finds salvation in a child who claims to be the redeemer prophesized to stop the end of the world. She begs Lance for his help—and his protection.

At opposite sides of the same war, Corisande and Lance struggle to find their places amongst their ranks. But when a tragedy brings the two of them together—and the war to a tipping point—the two must decide whether or not the cursed city of Rosmiri is worth saving—and if their sacrifices are worth the hell that will come with them.

MAJOR CHARACTERS

Corisande Lamere — nineteen, a page turned nomad, and hellbent on finding out what happened to her half-sister, Corisande is the protagonist forced to determine whether or not the apocalypse should be stopped.

Lance Morana — eighteen, an apostle turned convict, and determined to finally do the right thing for once, Lance is the deuteragonist grappling with the fact that his new-found companion is the key to the end of the world.

PLAYLIST / TAG / BOARD

edit insp to my favourites — @montevena ; @onhou ; @gothemark

[ send an ask/reblog/express interest to be added/removed from the taglist! ]