#non binary main character

Ballpoint pen

Other Concepts I didn't like:

I was tagged by @oliverferrie (go read his stuff !!) Gonna be using 'Alex's adventures in Wanderwen' for this one; a lil novella that's part of Puppet Club (a 1920s steampunk fantasy series I have in the works).

My words are: panic, defence, trust, and comforting

Only 5 uses of panic (surprisingly!):

They continued the rest of the journey in silence. Silence that was comfortable for Alex, but certainly not comfortable for Vincent. He still continued his nervous checks towards where Alex was sitting and would even sometimes occasionally whistle. Nonsense tunes. Little noticeable jingles from adverts and brands. Whatever was stuck in his head at the moment. It seemed like his internal playlist was on shuffle as he kept getting a new one on loop in there every few minutes. Alex didn't speak, but they enjoyed his panicked attempts to fill the void. They pursed their lips at times, compelled to join in with tunes they recognised; then they remembered they couldn't whistle, and quickly bit down on their lip to stop themself before they did something embarrassing.

Only 1 defence:

They repeated it over and over, under their tongue, slurred violent speech. The force as they limply shook Tommy made the loose bits and bobs in their pockets jangle, and the gun tucked into their suspenders glint. Tommy noticed it. He inhaled sharply. Wrapped in a sweet green ribbon, their revolver. A gift for self defence. The very gift that got them expelled. Hugo noticed it too and frantically pulled Alex off of Tommy; firm hands squeezing so tightly Alex felt like their bones could pop. Tommy slid down the wall.

3 instances of trust:

There was a sickly sense of pleading in his tone; he dropped his arms slightly, extending hands into a slight-shrug, an earnest pose of desperation. Underlining his words, his stance breathed ‘you know me, you trusted me, you still can trust me’.

I used comforting 4 times and comfort 16 times pahaha. That's more like it. Poor Alex. Funnily enough, two of the comforts are used in the excerpt I picked for 'panic' lol.

Alex awoke with a jolt. They’d fallen off the settee in Vincent’s office. They stayed wrapped in the blankets he'd given them and, although the remnants of the dream still choked them, that comfort grounded them.

Anyone who wants to read this its up for free on my toyhouse page ! <3 But be sure to read the warnings as it gets quite heavy.

It’s still hot, and i hate it. Still, more Synth

*Dies*