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C Alexandra

@nerdcactus.bsky.social

490 followers 310 following 980 posts

I'm a #writer of the three Gs: gods, ghosts, and (usually magical) girls. She/Her. Neurodivergent. Ace. Unapologetically leftist. I even write with my left hand. Say nice things about Detroit! #writingcommunity #amwriting #writesky

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C Alexandra @nerdcactus.bsky.social · Sep 2

Hey! Do you want to hear about the badass leftist lesbians who shaped Eleanor Roosevelt's politics and (almost) the entire FDR presidency?

I know you do! Because who doesn't love badass leftist lesbians? #womenshistory #mythsogyny #americanhistory #lgbtqhistory

www.buzzsprout.com/1855074/epis...

Eleanor Roosevelt 2: "You Gain Strength, Courage, and Confidence..." - Mythsogyny

“...by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face.” - Eleanor Roosevelt.In episode 2 of our Ken Burn's style odyssey about Eleanor, Chesnaye covers the roaring 20s. Flappers, t...

www.buzzsprout.com

C Alexandra @nerdcactus.bsky.social · 1d

10. I've discussed this a bit already, but Rei was sold to the Morsidae as an infant. While the life of a Morside can be opulent and powerful, it required a bloodthirsty ambition she never acquired. As such, she was emotionally abused her entire life until they murdered her. #PlotTober #writesky

Ange @gunsmile.bsky.social · 2d

#PlotTober Day 10: MC backstory & traumas

Answer the prompt on the card by quoting this post. Remember, answering a prompt is always optional. Even if you don't share it publicly, I hope the prompt encourages you to think about it privately.

#WritingCommunity #WritingPrompt #WriteSky

#PlotTober - a WIP plotting game by @gunsmile.bsky.social

10. What are some potential backstory or contextual reasons for your main character(s) having this kind of personality or behaving this way? In other words, what could have caused them to be the person they are at the start of your WIP?

Remember: Use the #PlotTober hashtag, engage with others, and have fun!

C Alexandra @nerdcactus.bsky.social · 2d

9. Kythe has games that are a lot like chess and backgammon, but they prefer dice games, boat races, & balance games based on running along narrow beams over the canals that link some of the smaller islands. That's as far as I've gotten on this one. #OctoberWorldbuilders #writingcommunity #writesky

Prompts for October Worldbuilders writing game. Day 9 is Board games in your book's world?

C Alexandra @nerdcactus.bsky.social · 2d

9. Rei's a bit extreme personality-wise. She lives & parties hard, but she values silence & solitude. She wants no tethers but collects devoted friends & children, & chooses to save the god she once hated. She wants to be a misanthrope but is way too empathetic to succeed at it. #PlotTober #writesky

Ange @gunsmile.bsky.social · 3d

#PlotTober Day 9: MC personality & behaviors

Answer the prompt on the card by quoting this post. Remember, answering a prompt is always optional. Even if you don't share it publicly, I hope the prompt encourages you to think about it privately.

#WritingCommunity #WritingPrompt #WriteSky

#PlotTober - a WIP plotting game by @gunsmile.bsky.social

9. What are some personality traits and behaviors, both positive and negative, that you think would suit your main character(s)? How do these traits affect your main character's goals and motivations?

Remember: Use the #PlotTober hashtag, engage with others, and have fun!

C Alexandra @nerdcactus.bsky.social · 3d

8. Rei doesn't play a sport in the sense that we might think about it, but she dominates at the gaming tables on Isol Marcira, and that's often how she earns her living. She is also a superb swordsman since her resurrection, so she will occasionally partake in a small tourney. #OctoberWorldbuilders

Prompts for October Worldbuilders writing game. Day 8 is Does your MC play a sport.

C Alexandra @nerdcactus.bsky.social · 3d

7. The Sarqani tell their history in a rhythmic chant, so it sounds like a Speaker is channeling the power of the earth itself when they recite. Their music is also rhythm-based more than melodic, connecting Sarqans to spirit using drums and voice. #OctoberWorldbuilders #writingcommunity #writesky

Prompts for October Worldbuilders writing game. Day 7 is Clothes/dance/music from desert society.

C Alexandra @nerdcactus.bsky.social · 3d

Thadis very much says yes when existence is at stake. There is also that mitigating factor.

C Alexandra @nerdcactus.bsky.social · 3d

Nope. That was the bargain when he brought her back to life. She accepted it knowing what she'd have to do. But she really, really wanted to live, Clarence.

(He usually chooses terrible people for her to kill, if that helps.)

C Alexandra @nerdcactus.bsky.social · 3d

8. The biggest complications for Rei are her deal with Thadis, which involves sacrificing twelve souls to him a year, and the fact that, in Kythe, being unaffiliated with any priesthood is tantamount to treason. Her bargain with Shade being secret, she can't afford to be caught. #PlotTober #writesky

Ange @gunsmile.bsky.social · 4d

#PlotTober Day 8: Conflicts for the MC

Answer the prompt on the card by quoting this post. Remember, answering a prompt is always optional. Even if you don't share it publicly, I hope the prompt encourages you to think about it privately.

#WritingCommunity #WritingPrompt #WriteSky

#PlotTober - a WIP plotting game by @gunsmile.bsky.social

8. What are some potential reasons the main character(s) haven't, couldn't, and/or can't pursue these goals yet? Consider other characters, backstory events, circumstances, environmental factors, etc.

Remember: Use the #PlotTober hashtag, engage with others, and have fun!

C Alexandra @nerdcactus.bsky.social · 3d

7. She agrees to journey to Ithae b/c Shade tells her it will fulfill their bargain and she can finally be truly free. As the story goes on, she learns things about the world and about Thadis that change her worldview, but at the beginning, she just wants to be left alone, Donkey. 2/2 #PlotTober

C Alexandra @nerdcactus.bsky.social · 3d

7. Rei's goal of being left alone comes from being raised and ultimately discarded by the Morsidae. She was sold to them as an infant, raised in a traumatic environment, and ultimately murdered by them. Life has always meant suffering and rejection. Even now, it has strings. 1/2 #PlotTober #writesky

Ange @gunsmile.bsky.social · 5d

#PlotTober Day 7: Main character motivations

Answer the prompt on the card by quoting this post. Remember, answering a prompt is always optional. Even if you don't share it publicly, I hope the prompt encourages you to think about it privately.

#WritingCommunity #WritingPrompt #WriteSky

#PlotTober - a WIP plotting game by @gunsmile.bsky.social

7. Now that you've come up with some goals for your main character, ask yourself: why do they care? What are some potential motivations for pursuing these goals, even against their better judgment or self-interest?

Remember: Use the #PlotTober hashtag, engage with others, and have fun!

C Alexandra @nerdcactus.bsky.social · 5d

6. The Sarqani have both herding and farming communities, and they also engage in long distance trade with nations as far as the Kansamere to the north. They are known for being brilliant craftspeople, and their goods are extremely valuable as luxury items. #OctoberWorldbuilders #writesky

Prompts for October Worldbuilders writing game. Day 6 is How do they survive?

C Alexandra @nerdcactus.bsky.social · 5d

5. The Sarqani's whole religion is based on the nature of their landscape. Because there is so little precipitation, they receive a lot of sunshine, contributing to their belief in this world being the Sun's realm, representing life and existence. #OctoberWorldbuilders #writingcommunity #writesky

Prompts for October Worldbuilders writing game. Day 5 is Myth/legend/religion about desert.

C Alexandra @nerdcactus.bsky.social · 5d

Oh, very much so. Part of her bargain is also to murder people in his name. But she really wanted to live and be free of the Morsidae, so she accepted.

He is, to be fair, not as bad as she thinks.

C Alexandra @nerdcactus.bsky.social · 5d

6. Rei's goal is to be left alone to live her life. After years with the Morsidae, she was ritually murdered only to be resurrected by a god she believed was as evil as his priesthood. But in order to fulfill their bargain, she has to put herself in danger and save that very same god. #PlotTober

Ange @gunsmile.bsky.social · 6d

#PlotTober Day 6: Main character goals

Answer the prompt on the card by quoting this post. Remember, answering a prompt is always optional. Even if you don't share it publicly, I hope the prompt encourages you to think about it privately.

#WritingCommunity #WritingPrompt #WriteSky

#PlotTober - a WIP plotting game by @gunsmile.bsky.social

6. Main characters are driven by actionable goals, but not every goal is created equal. For your MC, they should be specific, tangible, personal, achievable, and urgent. Can you think of some goals for your MC that meet this criteria?

Remember: Use the #PlotTober hashtag, engage with others, and have fun!

C Alexandra @nerdcactus.bsky.social · 5d

Playing catch-up after birthday weekend fun!

5. Technically, Death Reborn has one MC: Rei. It's her story arc that involves the biggest growth and change, and she is instrumental in everything happen. But the trilogy has a fellowship's worth of characters. #PlotTober #writingcommunity #writesky

Ange @gunsmile.bsky.social · 7d

#PlotTober Day 5: Main character ideas

Answer the prompt on the card by quoting this post. Remember, answering a prompt is always optional. Even if you don't share it publicly, I hope the prompt encourages you to think about it privately.

#WritingCommunity #WritingPrompt #WriteSky

#PlotTober - a WIP plotting game by @gunsmile.bsky.social

5. How many main characters would suit your WIP? What are your initial ideas for them? What are some inspirations for them that you can draw on from existing media you enjoy?

Remember: Use the #PlotTober hashtag, engage with others, and have fun!

C Alexandra @nerdcactus.bsky.social · 7d

3/4. The Sarqani are my least developed people, but there are towns. These are located near water sources and are fortified centers for trade and commingled relationships with their nomadic brethren.

As for plants and animals, this reminds me to figure that out. #OctoberWorldbuilders #writesky

Prompts for October Worldbuilders writing game. Day 3 is Desert town/architecture and day 4 is Desert animals/plants.

C Alexandra @nerdcactus.bsky.social · 7d

4. This story takes place in a secondary world of my creation called Getaera. There are definite touchpoints of comparison with our world, but they're jumping off points rather than direct corollaries. The important bits are related to religion, anyway. #PlotTober #writingcommunity #writesky

Ange @gunsmile.bsky.social · 8d

#PlotTober Day 4: Setting for WIP

Answer the prompt on the card by quoting this post. Remember, answering a prompt is always optional. Even if you don't share it publicly, I hope the prompt encourages you to think about it privately.

#WritingCommunity #WritingPrompt #WriteSky

#PlotTober - a WIP plotting game by @gunsmile.bsky.social

4. Is there a specific setting you'd like to use for your WIP? Would it work better in a contemporary world, secondary world, or a blend of the two? What characteristics of the setting are important for your ideas?

Remember: Use the #PlotTober hashtag, engage with others, and have fun!

C Alexandra @nerdcactus.bsky.social · 7d

Thank you!

C Alexandra @nerdcactus.bsky.social · 8d

3. I legitimately don't think any media of the type listed in the prompt went into southern Getaera. Just myth and history. The second story, set up north, was originally inspired by the old Soviet Snow Queen cartoon, but that is very loose these days. #PlotTober #writingcommunity #writesky

Ange @gunsmile.bsky.social · 9d

#PlotTober Day 3: Inspirations from other media

Answer the prompt on the card by quoting this post. Remember, answering a prompt is always optional. Even if you don't share it publicly, I hope the prompt encourages you to think about it privately.

#WritingCommunity #WritingPrompt #WriteSky

#PlotTober - a WIP plotting game by @gunsmile.bsky.social

3. Did other existing media inspire your ideas for your WIP? For example, any recent shows/movies you watched, books you read, games you played, or music you listened to?

Remember: Use the #PlotTober hashtag, engage with others, and have fun!

C Alexandra @nerdcactus.bsky.social · 9d

2. The idea of Death Reborn is what it says on the tin. It's about the god of the dead who needs to go through a rebirth cycle and, for reasons both divine and human, can't do so. I plan on playing around with politics a lot and how it intersects with religion. #PlotTober #writingcommunity #writesky

Ange @gunsmile.bsky.social · 10d

#PlotTober Day 2: Initial ideas

Answer the prompt on the card by quoting this post. Remember, answering a prompt is always optional. Even if you don't share it publicly, I hope the prompt encourages you to think about it privately.

#WritingCommunity #WritingPrompt #WriteSky

#PlotTober - a WIP plotting game by @gunsmile.bsky.social

2. What are your initial ideas for this WIP? Are there specific tropes, plot or character achetypes, and/or themes you'd like to explore?

Remember: Use the #PlotTober hashtag, engage with others, and have fun!

C Alexandra @nerdcactus.bsky.social · 9d

2. The Sarqani are based on the peoples of the Eurasian steppe. Their belief in a duel divinity is a tad Zoroastrian, but neither god is evil. Some are nomadic, others agrarian. They have only a basic alphabet, so their history is contained in oral & woven traditions. #OctoberWorldbuilders #writesky

Prompts for October Worldbuilders writing game. Day 2 is What's your desert society like?

C Alexandra @nerdcactus.bsky.social · 9d

Hey, fellow Mitten-er!

Thanks so much! I'll definitely be sure to follow what you're doing, too!

C Alexandra @nerdcactus.bsky.social · 9d

Thank you! This is all Getaera, but the various regions. The Sarqani are sort of my in-world 'Saracens' who have been at war with Kythe and Archyropol for a while. They're not Muslim, obvi, and are more like my version of the Steppe peoples.

C Alexandra @nerdcactus.bsky.social · 10d

Thank you for hosting!

C Alexandra @nerdcactus.bsky.social · 10d

1. Hello, I'm C! I'm a Detroit-based writer and boutique babe who also sits on the board of a local 501c3 for creatives. This month, I'm working on Dreams in Mosaic, book one of The Death Reborn trilogy(?) set in the Salbyssan Basin of my world Getaera. #PlotTober #writingcommunity #writesky

Ange @gunsmile.bsky.social · 11d

#PlotTober Day 1: Introduce yourself & your WIP

Answer the prompt on the card by quoting this post. Remember, answering a prompt is always optional. Even if you don't share it publicly, I hope the prompt encourages you to think about it privately.

#WritingCommunity #WritingPrompt #WriteSky