#writingopp

I was tagged by @itslmdee, thanks a bunch for the tag, it was great to use this to get back into the swing of writeblr, and it was super fun!

Rules of the Game: This game is originally found here so please do check it out at the original author’s blog! Use your OCs for this game, and tag whoever you want when you’re done, OP suggests 5

I’m going to use six characters from Old Pepper Place for this, with Maya and five of her incredible friends to choose from. I’ve been gone for a little bit, so I’ll quickly summarize each character in case you forgot (no shame, I forget them sometimes too).

Characters:

Maya - (she/her) our local protagonist and narrator, always curious, desperately trying to solve the mysteries of the house she’s recently bought, a biologist and botanist, true academic

Carlos - (he/him) Maya’s bff, working hard to be a violinist, works in a tea shop, skeptical about magical happenings but always supportive, brings Maya groceries and visits frequently

Malaki - (he/him) rainbow dragon made of pure light, loves mac and cheese, very helpful and enthusiastic, majestic af, not very smart

Airl - (they/them) forest guardian, looks like an eldritch wood spirit, long snake/owl neck, owl face, long heron legs, cute little flowers on their wings, expert on human interactions with magic, knows the world will keep on chugging, even if humans big time mess it up

Relle - (she/her) flower gnome, grumpy as heck, wears a dope hat, 150 years old, a little condescending, makes sculptures out of flowers, intellectual

Avi - (he/him) summer fairie, very shy, not nearly as condescending as the other faeries, interested in human goings on, wears a cute little dress, very pretty, maybe has a crush on Maya?

Most Likely to be a Poet

Avi. He’s got a lot of feelings but he’s too shy to say them, so I think he’d write some great poetry. He’d need to get a tiny pencil first though.

Most Likely to Look Good in a Kilt

Relle. She already wears this funky red and purple pineapple looking hat and a wacky sweater, it’d totally go with her look.

Most Likely to Get Punched in the Face

Relle. She can be really obnoxious sometimes, and eventually someone might get sick of it. Although she probably will never get punched, because none of the other characters are the type to do the punching.

Most Likely to Drop Everything and Become a Sheep Herder

Maya. She already dropped everything and moved into a house in the middle of nowhere, a sheep herder really isn’t that big of a step.

Most Likely to be Found in a Library

Airl. But they’d be there to spy on some humans and learn about magic in the human world, not actually read anything.

Most Likely to Sleep Through an Earthquake

Relle. Gnomes hibernate through their off seasons, so a flower gnome like Relle is basically comatose for fall, winter, and spring. If the earthquake was in summer though, I’d have to say Carlos. That dude can sleep.

Most Likely to Steal Food From Other People’s Plates

Carlos. But only from Maya. He’s not comfortable stealing food from this weird magic folks.

Most Likely to Cheat on a Test

Malaki. But it’s extremely unlikely that he’d get in a situation where he has to take a test in the first place. And if he did, he’d probably cheat on accident, not purposefully.

Most Likely to Say ‘Oops’ After Setting Something on Fire

Maya. She is also the most likely to set something on fire. (aurora dragons can’t breathe fire, just lasers)

Most Likely to Open an Orphanage

Airl. But again it would be so that they could understand the magic of generosity and human emotion. They’re generous and kind, but would generally avoid the human world unless there was something to be learned from studying it.

Most Likely to Run Off With the Circus

Malaki. And he’d be really good at it too.

Most Likely to Fake Their Own Death

Avi. Out of embarrassment. He’d take the faking his own death way out instead of dealing with blushing for 24 hours straight.

Most Likely to Die and Haunt Their Friends

Carlos. But he’d only haunt Maya. This was super awesome, I had a blast. And I really like the idea of Airl in a library. Reminds me of Wong Shi Tong’s library in ATLA

Today I did some messing around in my notebook and came up with some recipes for various potions and foods in Old Pepper Place. They’re really random, but I had a lot of fun making them and I think that any worldbuilding is good worldbuilding, so check them out!

Hello all! On the eve of my 200 follower landmark I have decided to make good on my promise to introduce you all to my newest WIP: Old Pepper Place.

The gist: Old Pepper Place is not like any of the works I’ve done before. First of all, the tone is a lot more happy and playful than my other projects. I’ve based it more off of things like Hilda or Gravity Falls than Star Wars or Percy Jackson. This makes it a lot easier to write for me, as whenever I’m in a good mood I actually want to write it (crazy how that actually helps). It’s also different because it takes place on Earth. I know, a totally original concept right? Well for me worldbuilding has always been more important than writing, so working with things that already exist like trains and colleges and pancakes is a refreshing change.

The premise: Old Pepper Place is a story about a 27 year old brand new biology professor who moves into a house in the Vermont wilderness. She’s there for the summer to conduct research and relax, but finds secrets and mysteries that aren’t conducive to either. She ends up discovering that in the wilderness lies life and magic beyond our wildest dreams (see what I did there?). She becomes entangled in the feud between hill trolls and mountain trolls, and the bureaucratic sludge of the squirrel parliament, and the wrath of a mushroom gnome after you accidentally step on their house. And she never wants to leave.

Characters: Old Pepper Place is kind of a unique project for me in that it all takes place in one setting. There’s no moving around and meeting various tavern keepers or traffic cops or intergalactic kings. While there are some exceptions like Mrs. Finkus the mysterious neighbor, Tilda the mushroom gnome, and Stand the train man, Old Pepper Place has a very limited cast of characters, with really only three being large focuses of the story. Maya: officially named Mycelium by her massively nerdy biologist parents, Maya is the main protagonist and first person narrator of the story. She’s a massive bookworm and finds out most of Old Pepper Place’s secrets by reading the hundreds and hundreds of books that line the shelves of the house. Her curiosity is insatiable, and it drives her past any doubts or fears she may have. When confronted with a magical creature Maya doesn’t doubt its existence, she tries to ask it questions. A huge fan of pants with pockets, Maya always has a notebook and pen on her, as well as some starbursts and a field guide of local plants. Carlos: Maya’s best friend since early college, Carlos lives in the nearby city of Burlington, only an hour trip away from Old Pepper Place by way of the Emerald Express. Carlos is Maya’s connection to the outside world, and he brings her supplies on a weekly basis, mostly consisting of groceries. He’s originally dubious of Maya’s claims of the valley’s magical residents, but he comes around soon enough when Maya convinces him to help her host a faerie tea party. Carlos is quick to smile, and even quicker to help whenever Maya needs it. On all of the things that he’s able to help with, that is. Malaki: Malaki is the help that Maya calls in whenever Carlos will be completely ineffectual. Malaki is a boreal dragon, named after his glowing rainbow body and iridescent skin, both of which are reminiscent of the aurora borealis. He is Maya’s connection and source of information on the magical world. She first attracts him to Old Pepper Place accidentally while making mac and cheese. Malaki loves mac and cheese. After that she’s always willing to make a pot of it for Malaki in exchange for a little information or advice. They quickly become very good friends. Mac and cheese will do that, ya know?

Setting: Old Pepper Place is a fascinating place. It’s actually based on a place I stayed with a camp once, but that’s besides the point. It’s a surprisingly large house, constructed seemingly randomly with extensions and additions tacked on until it looks like a mashup of four different houses overlapped on top of each other. It lies in a valley in the great Vermont woods, surrounded by mountains on all sides and without a road in sight. The only way to reach Old Pepper Place is by train, The Emerald Express to be precise. Behind the house is a breathtaking field full of butterflies and songbirds. Beyond that are the woods. They encroach on the house like outstretched arms, ancient and beckoning. This forest stretches on for countless miles, hiding a myriad of mysteries and many fun magical creatures that Maya is bound to stumble across eventually. They’re full of babbling brooks, and lakes surrounded by pine trees, and clearings carpeted with wildflowers, and old stone walls covered in moss, and trees that are more vine than tree, and patches of lilac bushes so thick you can’t see past their pale purple flowers. Hardwood trees tower above, their impenetrable canopies bathing everything in a dim, dusky, half-light. They give off an old, powerful energy that makes you feel very small. And really, in the forest, you are.

Here’s a handy dandy pokedex for all the wonderfully weird creatures hiding in the woods, streams, lakes, mountains, and fields around Old Pepper Place. I’ll probably be updating this later as I add more quirks and corners to Estris Valley, but this is what I’ve got so far.

Boreal Dragons: Responsible for the brilliant dancing lights of the aurora borealis, boreal dragons live in the far northern parts of the world. Their bodies shimmer with rainbow light and they seem to be somewhere between physical and completely incorporeal. They don’t have wings, and resemble more of a Chinese dragon than your typical European or wyvern style. Boreal dragons can fly to incredible heights, and can travel immensely fast.

Fairies: An essential component to any cutesy forest based fantasy tale, fairies are tiny bundles of mischief and political mayhem. Fairies are split into four kingdoms/species, one for each season. On the equinox or solstice a festival is held where the last season’s fairies and their monarch step down and give way to the next season’s newcomers. This ceremony only results in bloody battles and attempted revolts a few times per year. Fairies are also widely known for being experts on tea, and will become offended if you pretend to know more than them on the subject. While all fairies have personal preferences, they all have a sweet spot for lilac tea.

Star Sprites: Star sprites are small spirits that occasionally appear on perfectly clear nights. They wear masks with intricate swirling patterns that glow with a pale white light. Their touch also leaves a pale glow behind, making their footsteps easy to follow. Star sprites will materialize on clear nights and walk to a designated meeting place, where they converse in sing song chimes. If their tracks are followed and their meeting is disturbed, star sprites will simply vanish into thin air.

Constellates: Some of the largest and most powerful spirits to roam planet Earth, constellates are mysterious beings. They blanket the night sky, shielding the Earth’s surface from the frigid void of outer space. They capture and channel starlight, sending it down to the ground by shining the stars through their pitch black skin. Constellates are drawn to wilderness, areas with a lot of magic. If they find a home in a distant corner of the world they’ll stay there as long as they can. I can understand that.

Gnomes: Like their fairy relatives, gnomes are seasonal creatures. Unlike fairies, however, they are solitary beings. They either live alone, or in small family units. They are also much more intellectual and relaxed. Gnomes are natural artists, particularly sculptors, who take great pride in their work. There are four different species of gnomes, one for each season. You’ll see flower gnomes in spring, mushroom gnomes in summer, leaf gnomes in fall, and snow gnomes in winter. When not in their season, gnomes will seal themselves in their burrows and hibernate until their time of year comes around again.

Trolls: Trolls are large burly creatures with stony skin, small black eyes, and large noses. They often have moss, grass, or wildflowers growing from their earthy bodies. Trolls are immensely boring creatures, if you let them they’ll drone on for hours about the weather, their extensive lineages, or the unique qualities of every type of stone. However, trolls are very self conscious about how boring they are, so no matter how much you feel the urge to yawn while talking to them, fight it. Trolls come in two varieties: hill trolls and mountain trolls. They are physically indistinguishable, the only difference being where they live. Both varieties are immensely offended by being mistaken for the other kind, so I highly recommend knowing the geographic difference between hills and mountains.

Lacuses: Frequently called lake serpents, lacuses are timid reptilian creatures that live in fresh water lakes.They closely resemble snakes, but have six turtle like fins that they use to propel them through the water at incredibly high speeds. Lacuses also have long sensitive tendrils that protrude from their noses which they use to feel and sense their surroundings, making up for their almost nonexistent sense of smell. They are easily startled, so before entering a lake containing a lacus it is always best to ask permission. Despite their timid nature, if you manage to befriend a lacus they will prove to be very friendly and helpful creatures, always happy to play or give someone a ride. 

The Lord of Beetles: One of the smallest and most powerful residents of Estris Valley, the Lord of Beetles sits upon a throne of bits of glass and other shiny baubles in a deep, narrow cave. He has an intricate web of spies and informants, and is knowledgeable on almost all of the goings on around Old Pepper Place. However, the Lord of Beetles appreciates the act of learning information much more than using it, and often does very little with his information. Despite this, he is always happy to exchange information for a shiny trinket or two.

Forest Guardians: Ancient spirits that are charged with protecting the forest, forest guardians are often wise, but cryptic beings. They are full of personality, and it varies greatly from guardian to guardian. There will generally be a few operating in a given forest, and while they might not get along great, they will at least tolerate each other. While they have great understandings on topics like magic and the forest’s inhabitants, they try extremely hard to not get involved, and to leave let the situation solve itself.

Hi everyone! In honor of my springtime return to tumblr I’m going to post an excerpt from Old Pepper Place. I wanted to give you all a bit more, but if I include any more context for this scene it gets into major spoiler territory. Soooo here it is.

Airl looked at me skeptically. “Do you really think that humans are killing magic?”

“I don’t know. It seems hard to think that we’re not. We pollute. We litter. We abuse the Earth. We drive animals out of their homes. We cut down forests. We throw trash everywhere. We pave over just about everything. And we don’t even seem to notice when we do.”

“That’s true. You are very destructive beings. And if you could cut down on the trash and the pollution it would save a lot of innocent creatures and beautiful places. But the world had problems before humans were here, and it will have problems after you’re gone. And humans not being magical creatures is a ridiculous concept. You don’t just find magic in wild, far off places. Magic is everywhere, even if you don’t notice it. It’s in beauty, comfort, coziness, quirkiness, and love. There is magic in fireworks, live music, rainy mornings in coffee shops, late nights around a bonfire, cups of cocoa on cold winter days, mossy stone walls, and pancake breakfasts. It’s in goodbye kisses, Jack-O-Lanterns, snowball fights, carefree dancing, road trips, seashells, ice cream on hot days, giving gifts, picnics, and quiet streets. And if you don’t see that you’re just as blind as the people who are destroying it with their pollution and greed.”

So I introduced Old Pepper Place about a week ago and gave a brief overview of what it is and what it’s about. But I want to highlight what makes it different.

1. The tone. I mentioned this before, but Old Pepper Place is a feel good story. I actually switched to writing it because I needed something to lift my spirits. And this switch to a lighter tone really shaped the rest of the plot and what I wanted from it. The characters are quirky and fun, they laugh and eat pancakes and watch the sun rise over the mountains. And in a genre that’s usually full of death and despair I think that’s really important.

2. There’s no death. Like literally none. Not a single creature or character dies in the entire story, and if I make it into a series they never will. At first creating tension in a story without any death was hard, but I actually really enjoyed the challenge. It pushed my creative limits and made the story way more unique than it could have been.

3. There’s no villain. Literally none. I took a lot of inspiration from Hilda (the best TV show ever made) for this. The cast is mostly fighting against misunderstandings and unfortunate coincidences for the entire novel. Again, this really pushed my creative limits, and it also really affected my world. It’s not some sort of fairy tale utopia, there’s plenty of mischief and mayhem, but it’s not based on malevolence.

4. There’s no swords. When I set out to write this story I decided to either not include most elements of fantasy stories, or give them a major twist. Hence, no swords, or elves, or dwarves. Dragons are made out of shimmering light and ancient wood; fairies are split into four seasonal kingdoms in a permanent state of political upheaval, etc.

5. Complete lack of characters. This is one of the unique traits of Old Pepper Place that actually didn’t test my creativity. There’s basically nobody in the story. I have Maya, the main character and narrator, and Malaki and Carlos her two best friends. But the entire story takes place in the middle of nowhere Vermont, and there’s almost no other people. There’s no random guards or tavern keepers, faceless soldiers or briefly mentioned kings.The story is close and personal, with magical creatures making cameos to break up the social interactions.