Jess Slaven Scribes
@jessslaven.bsky.social
Writer and creative, currently in the progress of getting my first book published. More soon…
Hope everyone is having a cozy and safe time this holiday season! Look after yourselves this time of year and try to make the most of the rest and time off work if you have it.
Kind thoughts and good wishes to all!!!
Kind thoughts and good wishes to all!!!
December 25, 2025 at 10:32 AM
Hope everyone is having a cozy and safe time this holiday season! Look after yourselves this time of year and try to make the most of the rest and time off work if you have it.
Kind thoughts and good wishes to all!!!
Kind thoughts and good wishes to all!!!
Una would want any kind of weapon bigger and more effective than a boning knife and a clear way out of the Woods.
What's something your MC could be given that would change their life for the better? #WritingPrompt
December 24, 2025 at 10:23 AM
Una would want any kind of weapon bigger and more effective than a boning knife and a clear way out of the Woods.
Reunited with my sisters and they give book feedback very differently.
Older: Detailed bullet point list of what she liked, what she didn’t and what needs refined.
Younger: Highlighted sections based on her reaction. Mostly comments on which characters she loves, hates or that spook her.
#booksky
Older: Detailed bullet point list of what she liked, what she didn’t and what needs refined.
Younger: Highlighted sections based on her reaction. Mostly comments on which characters she loves, hates or that spook her.
#booksky
December 22, 2025 at 4:52 PM
Reunited with my sisters and they give book feedback very differently.
Older: Detailed bullet point list of what she liked, what she didn’t and what needs refined.
Younger: Highlighted sections based on her reaction. Mostly comments on which characters she loves, hates or that spook her.
#booksky
Older: Detailed bullet point list of what she liked, what she didn’t and what needs refined.
Younger: Highlighted sections based on her reaction. Mostly comments on which characters she loves, hates or that spook her.
#booksky
Heyo #DecemberWorldbuilders! Kind of? Peculiar creatures lurk within the Dark of the Woods, some a twisted mirror to everyday beasts and others odder still. All are best avoided unless you have no other option left.
It's the fourth week of #DecemberWorldbuilders! The theme is ANIMALS. I will ask for some very specific creatures, so if you haven't done any animal-related worldbuilding, feel free to take a break! No need to tell me you haven't done it!
Any magical animals in your world?
Any magical animals in your world?
December 22, 2025 at 4:44 PM
Heyo #DecemberWorldbuilders! Kind of? Peculiar creatures lurk within the Dark of the Woods, some a twisted mirror to everyday beasts and others odder still. All are best avoided unless you have no other option left.
Hey #DecemberWorldbuilders! There are specific people who prepare the sacrifices being offered up to the Woods. While it only has to be completed every 6 years, it is a heartbreaking task that you have to be particularly hardened to manage.
#DecemberWorldbuilders, one of the great things about writing SFF is making a world *different* from our own. Have these differences led to a task that only *your* characters have to deal with? Any magic or monster-related chores? Anything related to world-specific festivals or seasonal changes?
December 21, 2025 at 6:45 PM
Hey #DecemberWorldbuilders! There are specific people who prepare the sacrifices being offered up to the Woods. While it only has to be completed every 6 years, it is a heartbreaking task that you have to be particularly hardened to manage.
Hey #DecemberWorldbuilders! It’s pretty dark but I would not say dystopian. The deals and twisted magics of the beings in the Woods are horrific and can warp and change people in terrifying ways. Once agreed to these deals are binding and nothing known can break someone from them.
#DecemberWorldbuilders, tell me honestly: how dark and dystopian is your world? Do they have slavery there? Is it based on anything like race, sex, or class? Can a person be freed? How bad is it for them?
December 20, 2025 at 12:05 PM
Hey #DecemberWorldbuilders! It’s pretty dark but I would not say dystopian. The deals and twisted magics of the beings in the Woods are horrific and can warp and change people in terrifying ways. Once agreed to these deals are binding and nothing known can break someone from them.
Hey #DecemberWorldbuilders! Not in the setting my story explores. We’re not really at a stage where people are paying money for goods/services yet. People might do things for trade, but there’s not enough wealth disparity to justify servants in the village.
#DecemberWorldbuilders. Hello, friends! In your world, are there people who make a living by helping with everyday chores? Paid servants or some kind of employee of the state whose job is to do routine tasks other people don't want to do?
December 19, 2025 at 3:44 PM
Hey #DecemberWorldbuilders! Not in the setting my story explores. We’re not really at a stage where people are paying money for goods/services yet. People might do things for trade, but there’s not enough wealth disparity to justify servants in the village.
Hi #DecemberWorldbuilders! Before the events of the story Una had a large variety of chores to tend to. She helps raise her younger brother, assists her Nanna around the house and generally, on top of her actual job. Once she has entered the Woods, all Una has left to worry about is survival.
#DecemberWorldbuilders. What tasks does your MC (or another important character) have to do on a regular basis? Do they have a house to keep clean? Adventuring gear to upkeep? Animals to care for? Or, perhaps they have other people to do all that work for them?
December 18, 2025 at 3:22 PM
Hi #DecemberWorldbuilders! Before the events of the story Una had a large variety of chores to tend to. She helps raise her younger brother, assists her Nanna around the house and generally, on top of her actual job. Once she has entered the Woods, all Una has left to worry about is survival.
Hey #DecemberWorldbuilders! People in Una’s village make their own clothes. The village weavers make the fabric which then gets sown and tailored by whoever trades for it. While the villagers don’t wear armour, some beings in the Wood do, although it is made more of magic than anything else.
Greetings, #DecemberWorldbuilders. This week we're talking about the routine chores our characters do. In your setting, who makes or repairs clothes/armor? Do you have tailors or blacksmiths? Have any of your main characters had to learn any of these skills?
December 17, 2025 at 4:22 PM
Hey #DecemberWorldbuilders! People in Una’s village make their own clothes. The village weavers make the fabric which then gets sown and tailored by whoever trades for it. While the villagers don’t wear armour, some beings in the Wood do, although it is made more of magic than anything else.
Hi #DecemberWorldbuilders! Una (my MC) is a fisher by trade, as was her father and his parents and their parents, etc. She also knows a decent amount about cooking, having learned from her Nanna and is quite capable of taking care of herself.
#DecemberWorldbuilders, what food-related chores do your characters do? Are any of them farmers, fishers, cooks, gatherers? Do they do the bare minimum they need while on an adventure? Or do they have other people to cook for them?
December 16, 2025 at 11:06 PM
Hi #DecemberWorldbuilders! Una (my MC) is a fisher by trade, as was her father and his parents and their parents, etc. She also knows a decent amount about cooking, having learned from her Nanna and is quite capable of taking care of herself.
Hi #DecemberWorldbuilders! The main environmental factor that affects my MC’s people is the Woods themselves. Venturing too far in is a death sentence, and that restricts the lumber they can gather, the game they can hunt and even how far the village itself can grow.
Hey there, #DecemberWorldbuilders! This week is devoted to more mundane worldbuilding: chores. This week, I'll ask how your worldbuilding affects the normal everyday lives of your characters. Today: how does the environment /climate affect their daily lives? What tasks to they perform?
December 15, 2025 at 4:23 PM
Hi #DecemberWorldbuilders! The main environmental factor that affects my MC’s people is the Woods themselves. Venturing too far in is a death sentence, and that restricts the lumber they can gather, the game they can hunt and even how far the village itself can grow.
Hi #DecemberWorldbuilders! Elders are the leaders in my MC’s village and very well respected, so any who need extra care it is considered an honour to aid. Kids are looked after by their parent(s) with few exceptions. For spoiler reasons, the onus of teaching/raising kids lies with the bio parents.
#DecemberWorldbuilders, hello! Does your world do anything special in regards to elder or child care? For elders: do they have group homes? Anyone who can visit to help them out? or are they in generational homes? For children: do schools exist? Daycare?
December 14, 2025 at 9:55 PM
Hi #DecemberWorldbuilders! Elders are the leaders in my MC’s village and very well respected, so any who need extra care it is considered an honour to aid. Kids are looked after by their parent(s) with few exceptions. For spoiler reasons, the onus of teaching/raising kids lies with the bio parents.
Hi #DecemberWorldbuilders! Surnames are not really a thing for those in the village my MC is from. Closest thing would probably be profession based titles, which if the story continued through centuries would probably evolve into surnames eventually.
Heya, #DecemberWorldbuilders! Does your world have any relevant family symbology? For example, crests, heraldry, flags, etc.? Or are surnames important to them? Do they take their surname from their father or do they have a different method? Do they believe in leaving a lasting legacy?
December 13, 2025 at 4:10 PM
Hi #DecemberWorldbuilders! Surnames are not really a thing for those in the village my MC is from. Closest thing would probably be profession based titles, which if the story continued through centuries would probably evolve into surnames eventually.
Hi #DecemberWorldbuilders! I was feeling rubbish yesterday so I’ll answer now. Inheritance works pretty directly, any acknowledged children of the deceased get their things, and if not then it goes to wider family. Should none be around to claim, then the goods are redistributed around the village
#DecemberWorldbuilders, tell me about inheritance in your world. How does it work? When a person passes away, who gets their stuff? Do bastard children have a claim? Do they even have a concept of bastard children? For those of you writing monarchies, who inherits the throne?
December 13, 2025 at 8:48 AM
Hi #DecemberWorldbuilders! I was feeling rubbish yesterday so I’ll answer now. Inheritance works pretty directly, any acknowledged children of the deceased get their things, and if not then it goes to wider family. Should none be around to claim, then the goods are redistributed around the village
Hey #DecemberWorldbuilders! The beings in the Woods don’t have a traditional sense of family. Their young are raised communally by the Lyveri (spiritual leaders) until they are old enough to fend for themselves. The few “familial” bonds that exist between them are made by choice or deals/alliances.
Good mornevening, #DecemberWorldbuilders! Tell me about your villain's relationship with their family. If you don't have a villain, pick another character who is either antagonistic or maybe just a foil for the MC. Does their villainy get in the way of having a family?
December 11, 2025 at 4:07 PM
Hey #DecemberWorldbuilders! The beings in the Woods don’t have a traditional sense of family. Their young are raised communally by the Lyveri (spiritual leaders) until they are old enough to fend for themselves. The few “familial” bonds that exist between them are made by choice or deals/alliances.
Hi #DecemberWorldbuilders, my MC’s relationship with family is complicated. She is very close to her younger brother and Nanna, neutral towards her stepmother and had an antagonistic relationship with her father before he died. Now those feelings are even more twisted up by his passing six years ago
#DecemberWorldbuilders, our next questions about families asks about your characters specifically. Today's is for the MC, but you can pick any character. Be aware tomorrow's will ask about a villain, so choose who you want to answer for wisely! What is your MC's relationship with their family like?
December 10, 2025 at 9:58 PM
Hi #DecemberWorldbuilders, my MC’s relationship with family is complicated. She is very close to her younger brother and Nanna, neutral towards her stepmother and had an antagonistic relationship with her father before he died. Now those feelings are even more twisted up by his passing six years ago
Hey #DecemberWorldbuilders! Has not come up in my story, but given the regular sacrifices the village must make, keeping the population up is very much a concern. So at the very least I think there would be a certain amount of stigma around the issue. Maybe something I’ll address more in the sequel.
Good day, #DecemberWorldbuilders! How are reproductive rights and laws handled in your world? Remember, the ancient Romans had silphium which would prevent pregnancy. This is not too high-tech of a concept for 'low-tech' worlds (though perhaps not something that comes up).
December 9, 2025 at 3:58 PM
Hey #DecemberWorldbuilders! Has not come up in my story, but given the regular sacrifices the village must make, keeping the population up is very much a concern. So at the very least I think there would be a certain amount of stigma around the issue. Maybe something I’ll address more in the sequel.
Hi #DecemberWorldbuilders! Families in my MC’s village are slightly unconventional. Remarrying is very common and many people have some kind of “blended home”. Housing is limited, so decisions about who lives with who is often a matter of practicality more than anything else.
Hey there, #DecemberWorldbuilders! This week I'll ask you questions related to FAMILIES. Feel free to put it in the context of any characters you've made, or how your societies in general work. Today's Q: How do family units in general work? Are they generational homes? Who moves after marriage?
December 8, 2025 at 3:46 PM
Hi #DecemberWorldbuilders! Families in my MC’s village are slightly unconventional. Remarrying is very common and many people have some kind of “blended home”. Housing is limited, so decisions about who lives with who is often a matter of practicality more than anything else.
Hi #DecemberWorldbuilders! There is a loose concept for astrology but I haven’t worked on it in detail (might come up in sequel though). It is thought by most that The Spirits make their home in the skies, and the stars tell the stories of their time Above.
Last for for our SCIENCE week, #DecemberWorldbuilders! Does your world have astrology and/or astronomy? Is it ever useful for your MCs? Tell me about your stars, friends 👀 ✨
December 7, 2025 at 6:15 PM
Hi #DecemberWorldbuilders! There is a loose concept for astrology but I haven’t worked on it in detail (might come up in sequel though). It is thought by most that The Spirits make their home in the skies, and the stars tell the stories of their time Above.
Hi #DecemberWorldbuilders! Funnily enough the two peoples in my story kind of have both. The beings in the Woods demand regular sacrifices and in return the nearby village gets to live on/off the land. The cost of trying to go break the deal were so terrible that the village won’t risk it again
Howdy, #DecemberWorldbuilders! What are some symbiotic or parasitic relationships that occur in nature in your world? Feel free to interpret this one broadly and talk about a character with a parasitic personality, if you prefer😁 Don't worry, I'm not grading you on how much biology is in your world!
December 6, 2025 at 11:44 AM
Hi #DecemberWorldbuilders! Funnily enough the two peoples in my story kind of have both. The beings in the Woods demand regular sacrifices and in return the nearby village gets to live on/off the land. The cost of trying to go break the deal were so terrible that the village won’t risk it again
Hi #DecemberWorldbuilders! Now this is a hard one to answer for spoilers reason. I can say that some of the beings in the Woods can heal physical wounds with ease, should they have the time. And as for diseases… Let’s just say one plays a VERY prominent role in the story
Good day, #DecemberWorldbuilders. Does your fictional world have any notable or unique diseases, medicine, or vaccination processes? What is healthcare like in your setting? Have your characters had to deal with a disease?
December 5, 2025 at 4:06 PM
Hi #DecemberWorldbuilders! Now this is a hard one to answer for spoilers reason. I can say that some of the beings in the Woods can heal physical wounds with ease, should they have the time. And as for diseases… Let’s just say one plays a VERY prominent role in the story
Hi #DecemberWorldbuilders, low tech fantasy world here. Due to certain societal problems technological progress has somewhat stalled for the last several centuries, as innovation is put on hold in the name of survival and maintaining what they have.
#DecemberWorldbuilders! What is the "level" of technology in your fictional world? Is it a low-tech fantasy? A high-tech sci-fi? Or something in-between? Maybe something outside the tech progression of human history. Did they invent anything ahead of us in time? Any inventions suspiciously absent?
December 4, 2025 at 7:49 PM
Hi #DecemberWorldbuilders, low tech fantasy world here. Due to certain societal problems technological progress has somewhat stalled for the last several centuries, as innovation is put on hold in the name of survival and maintaining what they have.
Hi #DecemberWorldbuilders! Not anymore. Much knowledge was lost from my MC’s community and what alchemy was known has been long forgotten. And the beings who live in the Woods may practice magics, but they are not based in nearly as much logic or theory as something like alchemy
Yap at me, #DecemberWorldbuilders! Does your world have any chemists or alchemists? Are they living at the time of your characters' journey or are they ancient history? What did they discover? What *is* chemistry or alchemy in your setting?
December 3, 2025 at 7:31 PM
Hi #DecemberWorldbuilders! Not anymore. Much knowledge was lost from my MC’s community and what alchemy was known has been long forgotten. And the beings who live in the Woods may practice magics, but they are not based in nearly as much logic or theory as something like alchemy
Hi #DecemberWorldbuilders! Much is forgotten about the origins of my MC’s people. Some lost to time, the rest deliberately obscured by the Elders. All that is certain is that all life ends with the Spirits, so perhaps that too is where it began…
Hello, #DecemberWorldbuilders! Tell us about the creation of your people according to the in-world lore. Were they created by gods? Did they evolve from single-celled organisms? Maybe a bit of both? Maybe they don't know, and maybe they have stories about it. What are their creation myths?
December 2, 2025 at 9:07 PM
Hi #DecemberWorldbuilders! Much is forgotten about the origins of my MC’s people. Some lost to time, the rest deliberately obscured by the Elders. All that is certain is that all life ends with the Spirits, so perhaps that too is where it began…
Pre-Indy fantasy world, so more dealing with technologies. While anyone could learn to make/use them, there is intense competition for apprenticeships and the prestige that being someone with that skill set brings. And as resources are well monitored independent learning is not really a thing.
Welcome to the first week of #DecemberWorldbuilders! This week is about SCIENCE (broadly speaking) (you can play along even if you're writing pre-industrial fantasy!)
Today's Q: Can anyone in your world participate in scientific research? Or is it reserved for elites?
Today's Q: Can anyone in your world participate in scientific research? Or is it reserved for elites?
December 1, 2025 at 11:25 PM
Pre-Indy fantasy world, so more dealing with technologies. While anyone could learn to make/use them, there is intense competition for apprenticeships and the prestige that being someone with that skill set brings. And as resources are well monitored independent learning is not really a thing.