#miscast spells

Miscast Spells by Rose Corcoran

I was tagged by @pe-ersona for the words BITE, FRUIT, TWO, and CHANCE. :D

Bite:

“These are all from the same day?” Constance asked, incredulously pulling a few from the pile to confirm their dates.

“Mm-hmm,” Cherry replied, swallowing a bite of toast. “I subscribe to every paper locally available. Reading through the obituaries, classifieds, and event pages is crucial for getting a beat on the pulse of the city."

Two:

"My client said he was feeling better before going to sleep, then woke up dead as someone leaned over him without calling for help.”

“Can’t he identify her? Or… or have you or a medium do it for him?”

“There are two problems with that, I’m afraid. The first is that some ghosts, particularly those that are newly dead, don’t have the most reliable perception of time and physical matter. He said ‘someone’ was leaning over him, but he couldn’t tell who. Even if he could say exactly who killed him, that would count as spectral evidence, and that hasn’t been admissible in courts since the 1692 debacle.”

Chance:

Something sharp cut into Kitty’s bare foot as she ran through the downpour, but she ignored it, crushing the crumpled piece of paper to her chest, refusing to let a drop of rain touch it.

Why she was suddenly lucid, awake, she wasn’t sure. Maybe somebody, somewhere, was praying for her, even at this late hour. Whatever the reason, she knew that it would end at 3 AM, and she would never have another chance.

Fruit (I couldn't find this in my current WIP, so this is from my finished book, Miscast Spells):

“Well,” Emmaline began, “I guess all the people represent the different classes of goblins in Styx, and the pineapples represent wealth.”

“The pineapples represent fruit,” Delilah responded.

The marvelous @mvcreates came up with a tag game where you post your WIP chapter titles and explain as much or as little of them as you want. These are for Miscast Spells: The Styx Trilogy Book 1:

Prologue

In which Emmaline is turned into a rabbit

Chapter 1: The Butler Did It

In which Bostwick commits a crime, and becomes a butler

Chapter 2: A Confusing Crash Course in the History and Economics of Styx

In which we learn very little about the history and economics of Styx

Chapter 3: A Bomb Scare? 

In which a large bug accidentally sets off a bomb, but it’s okay

Chapter 4: Rare and Priceless Counterfeits

In which we encounter a magic map, a wishing stone, and some reasonably-priced memories

Chapter 5: Garden Variety Wyrms 

In which our cast has a sleepover, but Bostwick’s not invited. Also, they almost die of smoke inhalation. Also, there are wyrms. 

Chapter 6: Incantations, Explanations, Complications, and Charms 

In which we learn Millicent’s deep, dark secret

Chapter 7: Concerning Clarence 

In which Bostwick’s old roommate sweeps in, steals the show, then promptly exits

Chapter 8: The Forest of Infinite Horrors

In which Bostwick agrees to teach Millicent magic 

Chapter 9: Tarts, Trifles, and Tricks 

In which we don’t learn Sebastian’s deep, dark secret

Chapter 10: The Mad Bomber at Last 

In which a small gremlin intentionally sets off many bombs, and it’s not okay

Chapter 11: Thanks for the Memory 

In which Delilah does something extremely questionable

Chapter 12: Sebastian’s Transformation 

In which a beautiful man appears

Chapter 13: Free to Go

In which everyone is free to go... just not necessarily together

***

Many authors find faceclaims for their characters, but as a semi-faceblind weeb whose had my mind warped by anime, that doesn’t work for me. Thankfully, @ask-dr-knockout found this cute chibi maker (https://picrew.me/image_maker/9889), so here is (more or less) how I picture my characters (if they were chibi :3)

Millicent Minikin, the mild-mannered maid who serves in a goblin castle. Her hair wasn’t always green, but a spell went wrong and, well...

Bostwick von Dogsbody (circa his student days, as the number of male outfits was limited), a grumbling and gloomy court-magician-turned-(against-his-will)-butler.

Emmaline Camellia, a cursed princess who has it much more together than the rest of the cast. She’s not actually a bunny-girl; she’s just a regular old rabbit (well, for part of the story at least).

Here are some more chibis made with https://picrew.me/image_maker/9889), of my characters.

Delilah Glossolalia of Styx, the mad goblin queen who rules with capricious whim. Her hair should be spikier and her eyes should have slit pupils, but c'est la vie.

Sebastian, the beautiful white-haired dude with a mysterious past. Because every story needs at least one.

Alcea, another mysterious shadow goblin. The mark over her eye should be darker and lower and diamond shaped. I’m not sure if I ever say she has heterochromia, but I think it would be cool if she did.