#lydia clairborne

Current word count: 50,168

Plan: I’m going to go through the whole draft a couple more times, try to fix some of the pacing, and then put it away for a while (aka one of my friends bullied me into letting her read it so I’m going to do that and then see what her feedback is so I can work on my second draft.) 

HAVE A NICE FLUFFY PROJECT SPELLBIND SNIPPET I’M SO HYPE

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“What do you want to do with your 16th year?” I ask. It’s a family tradition. Mama asks me what I hope to do during my 7th year or 12th year or 15th year. It hurts that she won’t be able to ask me what I’m doing with my 16th year. But at least I can start the tradition over with someone else. Someone I care about. 

Lydia shrugs. “I don’t really know.” 

I nudge her shoulder with mine. “It doesn’t have to be anything important. Just small things that you want to do.”

“Fine,” Lydia says as though she’s annoyed. But I know her well enough to know that the scrunch of her nose means she’s joking. “I want more moonlit, rain-drenched dances on the rooftop.” She sways towards me to knock into my shoulder. “I want to hold your hand and run through the halls.” She takes a deep breath. “I want to feel a little less guilty. Maybe, just maybe, I want to try to use my affinity. I’m not sure though.” 

She smiles at me with mischievous eyes. “I’m certain of one thing, though.” She leans her head forward, blonde hair falling forward with her. “I know I want to kiss you.” 

I laugh and lean in. We pay no mind to the other students. There are no other people in this little world of ours. We’re on the grass, the air is perfumed with flowers, and Lydia’s lips taste like cream cheese frosting.

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taglist under the cut! comment or dm if you would like to be added or removed :)

i refuse to ever let this meme die 

taglist below the cut (please dm or comment if you’d like to be added or removed!)

TITLE

Project Spellbind (i have not finalized the title yet)

STATUS

outline is complete, writing first draft during July’s Camp Nanowrimo

GENRE[S]

fantasy, coming-of-age but with magic

POV

first person, narrated by Seren  

SETTING

an old boarding school turned day school, a remnant from the twentieth century (much like Seren).  it’s near the border of an unnamed city and from the rooftop you can see the city lights masquerading as stars, even as the light pollution dulls the night sky.

the shell of a beloved childhood home, overgrown and overrun.

a place you once knew well and now seem to not know at all. at least the smell of the flowers in the garden has stayed the same.

the mid-2020s, in a world where everyone has “affinities” to different kinds of magic

THEMES

loss

growing up

mourning

childhood

the meaning of truth

the meaning of lies

freedom

falling in love

AESTHETIC

holding her hand and feeling sunlight against your skin

overgrown roses

sitting on the roof and talking to the stars

a childhood home, abandoned

picnics on the grass

that awkward teenage feeling of not fitting in your own skin

sipping stolen champagne

the power of a misplaced word (especially when your affinity is the ability to control people with your words)

FEATURES

queer girls falling in love

queer girls fighting against homophobia

lots and lots of magic

it was originally a sleeping beauty retelling so maybe keep that in mind?

victors wrote the history books but maybe it's time to rewrite them

references to the america of the 1920s because i said so   

the question of whether or not we have to follow in our parents’ footsteps

LENGTH

one book, hopefully 50,000-75,000 words in length

comment or DM if you’d be interested in being on the taglist <3

See, I’m not evil to my characters all the time. 

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Lydia gets under the covers and turns to me, both of us on our sides. Her blonde hair is spread across the pillow and her skin smells like soap. 

Suddenly I’m swept up with the biggest yearning I’ve ever known. Lydia is right in front of me, covered in gentle shadows. 

“Lydia,” I ask, working up the nerve. “May I kiss you?”

Lydia nods timidly. I lean forward. My chapped lips touch hers and say what you will about affinities and the like -- this kiss is the closest thing to magic I’ve ever felt. Spellbinding has nothing on her. 

“That was nice,” Lydia says. 

Nice doesn’t even begin to describe it. 

Lydia turns over to turn off the lamp. 

“Goodnight Seren.” 

“Goodnight, sunshine.” Shoot. I did not mean to say that.

“Sunshine?” Even in the dark, I can hear her smile. 

I don’t say anything. 

“It’s fine. Actually, it’s quite sweet.” There’s that smile in her voice again, sleepy as she is. “Goodnight, Serendipity.” 

Serendipity? I quite like that. 

I lie there in the dark, staring at the ceiling and listening to Lydia’s even breaths. What feels like hours pass but I can’t fall asleep. 

I want to tell her something else, even if she can’t hear me. Heck, I’ve already called her sunshine. I might as well go for it. 

“I think I love you,” I whisper into the darkness. 

“I think I love you too,” Lydia mumbles. “Now go to sleep.” 

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taglist under the cut! comment or dm if you would like to be added or removed :)

I haven’t actually been tagged for this but I’m trying to get over my fear of actually talking about my WIPs, so here we go! 

Rules: for each of your OCs, rate how cuddleable they are on a scale of 1-10. Descriptions/elaborations are totally rad, but you do you, fam. Tag some people after!

I’m doing this tag for my WIP that’s half Sleeping Beauty retelling and half Harry Potter but without JKR being problematic. 

(And without further ado...)

Seren: She wants you to think that she’s a 5/10 but she’s really closer to a 7/10. She’s mourning her mom so she doesn’t really want any cuddles, but she needs them. (Especially from Lydia.) She was also raised very lovingly, so she definitely has a soft spot for hugs!

Lydia: My beautiful sunlight child!!!! She’s a good 9/10. She only loses a point on the scale because sometimes her body temperature is so warm that she feels feverish even though she never gets sick. 

Clarence: He is not a really touchy-feely person, but if you’re close enough to him to get a hug, his hugs are  d i v i n e. It doesn’t hurt that he always smells like wildflowers and the ground after it rains. Definitely an 8/10. 

Lydia Abella Clairborne - Character Introduction 

{Traits}: 5′3, blonde with brown eyes, soft-spoken, always knows the answer but doesn’t always share it, half wants to run away and half wants to hide in her room for the rest of her life, a smile like sunflowers blooming, skin so soft it’s almost uncanny 

{Role}: friend and love interest

{Nicknames}: Seren calls her Dee. Seren tried to call her Belle once (from her middle name) but Lydia almost had a breakdown. 

{Aesthetic}: flowing dresses, pink sunglasses, stolen champagne at midnight, kissing a bruise to make it better, picture windows flooding the room with sunlight, sitting on the roof to stare at the stars, mangos and strawberries, drinking tea before bed

taglist below the cut! comment or dm if you would like to be added or removed :)