Prof Emily
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professoremily.bsky.social
Prof Emily
@professoremily.bsky.social
5.5K followers 2.6K following 13K posts
English teacher, writer, lover of cats & dogs, unpacking all my religious trauma on you from here in good ol Texas. 🥲

Member of hookandquillpress.com
Feed of my writing samples: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:br2rslmo7elrd3hp5dfsx3ye/feed/aaaksewrcngo4
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professoremily.bsky.social
#WIPSnips #amwriting #writingcommunity #writers #writesky

Nat just discovered that Kazuo writes poetry, much to Kazuo's embarrassment. Noah is not helping 😂

A little silly scene from #Tenement, my dystopian mystery about people living in an infinite building.
“My Granddad reads me poetry sometimes,” she went on eagerly. “He’s got whole books full of poems. I’m trying to learn them all by heart. Would you read me yours?” “Ah, er.” Kazuo had been scooching away from her little by little as she spoke, angling his body stiffly away as if she had some contagious disease. But Nat, oblivious, kept on scooting closer, closing the gap between them. I wondered if Kazuo was going to keep scooching until he fell off the end of the bench. “It’s um.” He coughed. “I mean—it’s not finished.” “That’s okay,” she said. “No, no—it’s not any good. Really.” “Oh, I’m sure that’s not true.” She gave him a gentle smile. “My dad says each of us is our own worst critic. You’re probably just being too hard on yoursel—” “No!” His voice cracked a bit. “No, it’s terrible. Just—hot stinking garbage. I only wrote it as a joke, see. It’s stupid.” “Well, I like jokes,” she pressed. “No, you wouldn’t like it, trust me,” he said desperately. “It’s not funny, it’s stupid. Just really gross, and—stupid. It’ll make your brain melt out your ears.” “Wow.” I grinned. “That sounds real bad.” “Yeah, it is,” he agreed. “Now you’ve built it up so much,” I said, “I feel like you have to read it to us, so we can see if it’s really as bad as you say.” Kazuo gave me a look that said he was going to make me suffer a slow, painful death at some point in the near future.
January 16, 2026 at 1:53 PM
professoremily.bsky.social
#JanuaryWorldbuilders 13

The climate of Atalantis is quite mild, so most clothing is made of light linen & leaves a lot of skin uncovered.

Casual clothes feature a skirt called a to'ok for boys/men, similar to an Egyptian shendyt, usually worn shirtless. Girls/women wear a top called a ka'am, 🧵1/6
Colored sketch of a few Na'aqal style outfits: a girl in a blue ka'am and uubit skirt, a boy in a red to'ok, a man in a yellow hibo with a wide purple belt, and a priestess in a multicolored kitaal with a headdress. Digital drawings of Mireia by me. First is 14yo Mireia wearing a red & green outfit with a casual wraparound top clasped on one shoulder and a layered skirt with a cloth belt. Second is older Mireia (17ish) wearing a long layered blue robe that clasps at her left shoulder & is tied with a wide cloth belt, and an elaborate coral-shaped silver headdress. Third is Mireia in a somewhat tattered dark gray/black skirt and cloak with woven leather armor covering her torso, arms & legs; her hair is cut shorter & she's wielding a khopesh
January 14, 2026 at 8:42 PM
professoremily.bsky.social
#WIPSnips #writingcommunity #writers #writesky

Sluggish today. I'm feeling a cold coming on 🤧

Kena is a pretty good swimmer, but he definitely underestimates how scary the ocean can be!

From my upcoming book THE GODS OF ATALANTIS, Part 1 of my #Atlantis trilogy.
#GoA
He started to walk farther out into the water. “What’s it like to swim in the sea? I’ve only ever swum in lakes and rivers.” “I’ve only ever swum in the sea, so I couldn’t tell you the difference,” she said. “I suppose the festival will be starting soon, ona?” He dipped his head into a wave as it came tumbling in and let out a whoop when he broke through the other side. Then he rubbed his eyes fiercely and swore. “Ha’utsa, that stings!” “Ata, it’s salt water, idiot.” Apparently eager for more punishment, he dove in again and began to swim further out. Mireia watched him impatiently, wishing he would come back. Between the volleys of foamy waves, his brown head bobbed up and down, going under and then resurfacing again. At one point he went under for so long she began to feel a little anxious, and when he came up again he was much farther out than she was comfortable with. She clambered up onto a boulder. “Ai, Kena! Don’t go so far out! You’ll be caught in the current!” He looked back at her—possibly might have started to say something—when a large wave crashed brutally over him. She waited for him to come back up again, but he didn’t. “Yaata!” she gasped out a curse. Frantically, she scrambled down off the boulder and plunged back into the waves, hibo and all.
January 14, 2026 at 4:56 PM
professoremily.bsky.social
I have two things for #WholesomeWednesday

First, my best friend's cat Cloud who is a cartoon marshmallow ❤️

Second, a good human story. Back in 2021 when Texas froze & everyone's power was out for a week, I was in my car trying to keep warm while charging my phone, & someone knocked on my window.🧵
Picture of a squishy cat boy with white & light brown fur like a toasted marshmallow, a little pink nose and mouth, and big round eyes. He's sitting on a blanket looking up with an adorable derpy face and a stuffed pumpkin in the background.
January 14, 2026 at 4:49 PM
professoremily.bsky.social
CHARAGMA

In a world where all people are marked saved or damned from birth, twins Clara & Mem Blake find themselves on opposite sides of an escalating war between the chosen Elect & the oppressed Reprobates - a war ultimately for the soul of humanity.

#Bluepit #Bluepit📖 #W #A #SFF
Moodboard for ARX LUCIS: CITY OF THE BLESSED, featuring an epic angel with a lot of wings, a forehead with a glowing mark like a cross, a sci fi light bike, a hot guy in a hood holding a knife, a stained glass window, a busy night street with old buildings and colorful glowing lights, a profile of a beautiful young woman, an overview of a flying city in the clouds with a huge angel statue in the middle Moodboard for TERRA TENEBRAE: LAND OF THE DAMNED, featuring a beautiful young woman holding a sword, a dark ramshackle hallway, a badass demon with a flaming head and sword, a devastated burnt landscape, a massive complex of crowded apartments, a lightning bolt striking the ground from a dramatic cloud, a gray apocalyptic landscape of beautiful ruins, two young women in love happily dancing with their foreheads together under some lights
January 13, 2026 at 4:22 PM
professoremily.bsky.social
TENEMENT

House of Leaves x The Giver

Inside, the Tenement is an infinite maze of halls.

Outside, there is... Nothing.

When Noah Walker's mom mysteriously goes missing, he vows to learn the secrets of his strange world. Even if it means tearing the whole thing down.

#Bluepit #Bluepit📖 #YA #M #D
A dimly lit frame with the first four Rules of the Tenement: RULE ONE Under no circumstances shall anyone leave the Tenement. RULE TWO The Front Door is to remain shut and locked at all times. RULE THREE Any windows that appear are to remain closed, with the curtains drawn, and should be avoided until they disappear again. Tenants are forbidden from looking upon the outside. RULE FOUR These Rules, being given to us by our Landlord and passed down unchanged from the founding of the Tenement, shall be inscribed into the heart and mind of every tenant for the wellbeing of all A mysterious photo of a woman in a dark hall and a scrap of paper are tucked into the bottom corner. The paper reads "Where is she?"
January 13, 2026 at 3:17 PM
professoremily.bsky.social
THE GODS OF ATALANTIS

ATLA x The Selection

When Mireia is chosen as the newest incarnation of the Sea Mother, her simple life is upended. Now she & her counterpart, the Sun Father, must navigate their feelings for each other amid rising religious & political turmoil.

#Bluepit #Bluepit📖 #YA #F
Atlantis Moodboard featuring: Ancient board games, temples with waterfalls pouring into pools, neat ancient fantasy cities, forehead kisses, frolicking in canals amid a palace, beautiful island coastlines, more ancient cities, and cool statues of strange gods. Center Quote: “From the day you left this village, you became more than merely yourself. You are the Sea Mother. This is the role fate has placed upon you. I told you when you left that I believed this path has opened up to you for a reason. I still believe that. You’ve been given a chance that few others ever have—the chance to change the world for the better. I’d even dare say it’s your duty to do so, now that you have the means.”
January 13, 2026 at 1:00 PM
professoremily.bsky.social
#WIPSnips #writingcommunity #writers #writesky

One of my favorite scenes 😄

Kena meets Mireia's family for the first time, namely her bondmother Calu'u, who can be a little extra 😂

From my upcoming book THE GODS OF ATALANTIS, Part 1 of my #Atlantis trilogy.
“Haad faaroza, jah.” Kena gave Calu’u a quick bow. His voice was strangely small. “I’m sorry for imposing. I won’t be any trouble while I’m here, I promise.” Calu’u’s eyes were sparkling at Kena in a way that made Mireia instantly regret bringing him there. “Mimi!” she whispered, loudly enough for Kena to hear. “Is this him?” “You mean the Sun Father?” Mireia did her best to sound casual about it. “Iie, that’s him, but it’s not really—” “Ah, my dear boy!” Calu’u charged toward Kena. He reflexively darted back, as if he thought she was going to attack him. But she took his hands and squeezed them. “It’s wonderful to meet you! I’m so glad you came! No need to apologize, iidi, it’s no trouble at all! You may call me Calu’u. I’m Mireia’s bondmother.” “Oh—uh?” Kena blinked at her. “It’s nice to meet you too?” “The others will be so excited! We’ve all been so curious.” Calu’u gave his cheek a little pinch. “Ai milaza, aren’t you a cute one, though? Mimi, you lucky brat, you don’t deserve a boy like this.” Both Mireia and Kena turned the same violent shade of red. “Ma’atna!” Mireia growled. “Stop making everything uncomfortable!” “Oh—forgive me, Sun Father!” Calu’u let go of his hands. “I suppose it’s not proper to pinch a god’s cheek, is it?”
January 13, 2026 at 12:42 PM
professoremily.bsky.social
Hehe almost but with two horns, which is somehow less interesting I fear 😅

They're kinda zebra-shaped but with brown & white spots instead of stripes, and little horns like a dik-dik.
Colored drawing from Wikipedia of four brown spotted prehistoric horses galloping through some tall grass Photo of an African dik-dik, a little guy kinda like a deer with a tiny pointed nose and two small ridged horns on the top of its head.
January 12, 2026 at 8:12 PM
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#WIPSnips #writingcommunity #writers #writesky

Mireia & Kena's first day as the new gods includes a banquet with the monarchs, which gives us a glimpse at a few regional delicacies in Atalantis 🐙

From my upcoming book THE GODS OF ATALANTIS, Part 1 of my #Atlantis trilogy.
“Young gods,” said a gray-haired woman covered in tattoos and adorned by a necklace of shimmering dragon scales. She was joined by two equally tattooed and grandly dressed men. “My husbands and I bring you one of the North’s most delectable dishes: a stew of sweet ibex meat, prepared by the renowned cooks of the Culinary Guild of Oalaatis.” After they’d presented their dish and returned to their seats, Mireia leaned over and whispered to Kena, “Who was that?” “The Northern Queen Ha’uani. We met her last night. Don’t you remember?” “I wasn’t really paying attention.” Kena sighed. “Of course you weren’t.” Queen Ha’uani was followed by the other Northern Monarch, King Qaaluqet, with his three wives and nine children; they brought a dish of red stag meat skewered on long sticks and cooked with a variety of vegetables. He was followed by the Queen of the East Plains, who offered a platter of gelatinous mammoth foot; then the Queen of the West Plains, who brought another prized delicacy, the meat of the crested porcupine, roasted and served on flaky barley flatbread. After them, the two Kings of the Western Coast approached, the first offering a serving of cooked snails glistening with oil, and the other a succulent arrangement of fruits from the Nobah Forest. Finally, the two monarchs of the South presented their offerings: from the Desert King, a soup made from the bones of the horned desert horse; from the Queen of the Peninsula, a platter of golden-brown octopus tentacles. “We’re not really expected to eat all of this, are we?” Mireia whispered. “I think we probably should at least try a bit of everything,” Kena whispered back. “We don’t want to insult anyone.”
January 12, 2026 at 12:20 PM
professoremily.bsky.social
#SundaySnips

*Blows the dust off my Snow Queen adaptation*

One day I shall return to finish this one! Young Kai gets a nightly visit from a mysterious snowy figure who I'm sure isn't dangerous at all 🥶❄️

#writingcommunity #writesky #hqpress
White cyclones of snow dashed against the windowpane. The wind howled, and the pale blue light of the moon colored every surface of his bedroom the color of glacier ice. Tendrils of hoarfrost crept along the walls and floor and ceiling, closing in on his bed. On the other side of the glass, two eyes were gazing at him, empty and cold. They sparkled like the stars, but without a trace of rest or peace in their depths. A face seemed to take shape around those eyes, with a grim mouth and pale skin and cascades of long white hair. Come away, my darling. She placed her white hand upon his window, and it flew open. A gust of wind burst into the room, but she didn’t enter. She only stood there at the window, watching him. Kai saw himself sit up in the bed, rubbing his eyes confusedly. He could feel the sorrowful ache in his chest, and the icy needles that blazed in his hand. She reached out, beckoning for him. I can take your pain away. I can make it so you never feel pain again. Her mouth didn’t move as she spoke. Instead, the voice seemed to materialize from somewhere deep inside his own mind.   Kai watched himself, as if in a trance, climb out of bed and stumble toward her. Where are we going? he wondered. Somewhere far away, where we will be happy forever. Will you come, my dearest? Her words were tender, but the voice inside his head was dead and emotionless, as if she didn’t really understand the meaning of what she was saying. She was only reciting lines that she knew would persuade him to come.
January 11, 2026 at 4:42 PM
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#WIPSnips #writingcommunity #writers #writesky

Mireia makes a bet on a mysterious warrior at a tournament, but Kena suspects something more is going on... 🤔

From my upcoming book THE GODS OF ATALANTIS, part 1 of my #Atlantis trilogy.
As Mireia sat down, Aiamin said teasingly, “Are you trying to compete with me, Sea Mother?” “A little friendly competition, nothing more.” Mireia grinned. “It keeps things interesting.” “Ru’ul is still going to win,” the princess said with conviction. “Any reason why you chose that particular warrior to favor?” Kena asked. “He intrigues me,” Mireia said. “The mask and all. And didn’t Utepec say a good underdog is what makes a tournament worth watching?” Kena lowered his voice. “What’s the real reason?” She shifted her eyes toward him and whispered, “Not here.” King Utepec announced the end of the day’s events. Soon afterward, Mireia and Kena’s palanquin flew up to meet them on the platform, and after Aiaxi’s cage was loaded on, they climbed aboard. As soon as they left the arena, Kena launched into his interrogation. “Alright, Fisher-Girl. Who was that masked warrior? You do know who he is, don’t you?” “I don’t know why you would assume that,” she said innocently.
January 11, 2026 at 4:12 PM
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#WIPSnips #writingcommunity #writers #writesky

It's Mireia & Kena's ordination as the new gods, and already there's a fight breaking out. This does not bode well for the future... 😬

From my upcoming book THE GODS OF ATALANTIS, Part 1 of my #Atlantis trilogy.
A commotion had already begun near the west side of the plaza. Several members of the crowd were stirring and shouting. Faster than Mireia thought possible, fighting had broken out—a violent disturbance that was visible even from the temple. Guards that had been posted around the plaza made their way toward the scene at once, to bring the crowd back under control. Mireia’s hand shook violently in Kena’s. His eyes shifted between her and the disturbance, taking in the scene with troubled bewilderment. “Keep going, Mireia,” Icozoue ordered her again. “I… can’t,” she rasped. “Everything is under control. Finish the verse.” Mireia sucked in a quivering breath. Then, from somewhere deep down, she found the will to continue. She raised her voice up louder than before, out of sheer bitter defiance. I am the Sea! From me all things are born, And to me all things shall return! Xa’aba smiled and nodded, then turned to the crowd. “She is the Sea!” “She is the Sea!” the crowd thundered, matching Mireia’s defiant tone. “People of Atalantis,” Xa’aba declared, “we give you your forty-fifth Sun Father and Sea Mother, Raa Kena and Mu’u Mireia!” The sounds of the ongoing scuffle were drowned out by deafening cheers.
January 10, 2026 at 1:58 PM
professoremily.bsky.social
5/6 The result is methanol fire, which is ghostly blue in the dark & pretty much invisible during the day. Dragons can see & sense it at any time, however, & use it both as protection for their nests as well as communication, esp during mating season. So humans have to be careful in the mountains,
Two pictures of pale blue methanol flames burning against a black background
January 10, 2026 at 1:45 PM
professoremily.bsky.social
2/6 So I based them off the draco lizard, a real lizard species, but made them BIG!

There are 2 breeds: the Earth Dragons which live in the laurisilva at lower elevations, & are about the size of cats. And the Sun Dragons which live high in the mountains, and can grow to the size of elephants!
A little draco lizard with its colorful wing flaps outstretched, gliding through the air A little draco lizard with colorful webbed wings, sitting on a person's fingers A small draco lizard resting on the side of a tree, with bright yellow webbed wings and a throat flap
January 10, 2026 at 1:45 PM
professoremily.bsky.social
#BluePitHype Day 2

I really need to make some new art 😂

Here are some characters from my upcoming book, THE GODS OF ATALANTIS (part 1 of my #Atlantis trilogy).

My bbs Mireia & Kena 💙🧡
My grouchy Shadow Mommy Icozoue 🖤
And our misguided antagonist, Jasana 💀
#writingcommunity #writesky
Digital painting by me of Mireia, the MC of my Atlantis trilogy, standing with her arms spread out in front of a carved wall relief of her goddess alter-ego, Mu'u the Sea Mother. Mireia is a teenage girl with light brown skin, long dark brown wavy hair, and gray eyes, wearing a blue garment that clasps at her left shoulder, a wide purple cloth belt, and a few pieces of gold jewelry. Mu'u is a feminine figure with a large coral-like headdress, obsidian eyes, and seven scaly arms holding various objects: a skull, a fish, a hammer, a lyre, a bundle of lightning bolts, a swaddled baby, and a small boat. Behind her is a background of cliffs and sea waves full of ocean creatures & human figures sunk at the bottom. A collection of colored digital sketches by me of Mireia & Kena, the MCs of my Atlantis trilogy, at various times (mostly when they're younger, 13-15). Mireia is a young woman with light brown skin and long dark brown wavy hair, gray eyes, and usually wears a blue wraparound top that clasps at her left shoulder and a darker blue layered skirt with a gold chain and a purple cloth belt. Kena is a young man with light brown skin, dark brown curly hair, amber eyes, freckles, and a red phoenix tattoo across his left shoulder and chest; he is usually topless and wears an orange/red skirt like a shendyt with a red cloth belt and a gold necklace with rays like the sun. Left-right, top-bottom: 1) Mireia and Kena are holding each other & looking a bit freaked out 2) Kena gives Mireia a sweet forehead kiss 3) Mireia & Kena are bickering over probably something stupid while their mentor Icozoue, an older woman in black robes, holds them apart and contemplates murder, 4) Mireia is about to squish a spider saying "SPIDER! KILL IT!!!" while Kena is on the ground sheltering it saying "This is a beautiful precious creature!" 5) Mireia & Kena grin mischievously at each other like they're sharing an inside joke, 6) Mireia & Kena practice with the magic crystals: Mireia is easily levitating a rock, surrounded by sparkles and the label "natural prodigy," while Kena is yelling censored curses at his non-levitating rock and surrounded by the words "crystal hates him," 7) Mireia & Kena lie side by side on the ground conspiring like little cuties Digital drawing by me of Icozoue, a middle aged woman with viking style braids and a stylized wolf tattoo across the left side of her face. She wears black robes, is holding a goblet of wine, and has resting bitch face. A small crystal hangs around her neck. She is Shadow Mommy. Digital sketch by me of Jasana, a beautiful teenage girl with long wavy dark hair. She is covered head-to-toe in a cloak and head wrap, and is holding out her hand to the viewer with an alluring sidelong smile. A small crystal hangs from her neck by a cord. She's pretty but don't be fooled, she's nothing but trouble. Wait, that makes her sound cooler...
January 9, 2026 at 5:42 PM
professoremily.bsky.social
#WIPSnips #amwriting #writingcommunity #writers #writesky

Just Mem being an awkward bean as she tries not to blow it with a hot guy she just met 😅

From #Charagma, my SFF dystopia where all people are marked saved or damned from birth. It's not all bleak, lol
“Look, it could be much worse,” Light pointed out. “I had a great aunt named Prudence.” “You didn’t!” Mem exclaimed. “So did I!” “Did you really?” “Well, still do,” she clarified. “We call her Aunt Prudy.” “Much kinder than us,” he smirked. “Ours was Auntie Prude.” “No, that’s awful!” Mem covered her face, laughing again. “I suppose everyone in this city has an Aunt Prudence somewhere in their lineage.” “It’s required,” he agreed with a nod. Mem realized she was leaning forward in her seat, both arms on the table, her left still resting against his right, only just touching. He was leaning forward too, green eyes gazing unapologetically into hers, and suddenly she was hit with the shock of where she was. What was happening? She never struck up conversations with random strangers like this. She’d never possessed the art of “peopling” like Clara did. Each time she’d ever tried connecting with someone new, at a party or a prayer service, she’d always found herself awkwardly struggling for something, anything, to say. But here she was talking and laughing with this beautiful stranger as if it was the easiest thing in the world. Where had this version of Mem been all her life? She prayed desperately it wouldn’t suddenly run out. And then she worried that just thinking about it might kill it. Like a self-fulfilling prophecy, Mem immediately found herself searching for something else to say, and coming up empty. Anxiety squeezed her heart. Desperately, she cast a look back at the door into the club, latching onto the one subject she always retreated to. “I hope Clara’s alright.”
January 9, 2026 at 12:59 PM
professoremily.bsky.social
5/5 I also can't say what's the weirdest thing they'll see in the story, because spoilers (and also most of the story is still very fuzzy to me still).

But I think it might be something like...
Photo of a black & white mountainous landscape with a single bright red door leading nowhere
January 9, 2026 at 1:10 AM
professoremily.bsky.social
Good morning #writingcommunity! Here's a snippet from my upcoming book, THE GODS OF ATALANTIS: Part 1 of my #Atlantis trilogy 🌊☀️❤️

Backed up by the crowd, Mireia has a moment of triumph against a tyrannical king.
#hqpress #writers #writesky
The crowd’s raucous yells began to coagulate into a chant that made the earth shake: “Let her live! Let her fight! Let her live! Let her fight!” Utepec, seeing the people were against him, finally shouted back, “Fine! She may fight. But when she loses, I will punish her as I see fit!” “And when she wins,” Mireia countered, “you will set her free!” At those words, the arena erupted into cheers loud enough to be heard even by the gods far off in the Deep World.
January 8, 2026 at 4:31 PM
professoremily.bsky.social
#WIPSnips #amwriting #writingcommunity #writers #writesky

I'm pretty sure I've shared this one before but my only other hit was a spoiler 😅

Noah finds a stash of his mom's old paintings.

From #Tenement, my dystopian mystery about people living in an infinite building.
The thrill of seeing so many of my mother’s artworks all in one place, after having not seen any for years, was enough to even drive the mystery of Lazarus from my mind. I gazed at them all in fascination, one after the other, absorbing their images hungrily. A woman sitting at a table, clutching a baby on her lap while she read a book. Three boys playing a game in a yellow-lit corridor. A young man who looked suspiciously like Mr. Gellar, standing amid shelves of books in the Library, shrouded in shadows. An empty corridor, seemingly stretching on and on and on forever. A woman with wild eyes kneeling before several brown-robed Collectors, as one of them raised up the Landlord’s Sword over her head. A group of people crowded into the Foyer, being pushed out the Front Door, which was flung open—revealing a deep blackness beyond, so black the paint seemed to make a hole in the canvas. Collectors were herding them out into the void. Some of the exiles looked frightened, some defiant. One man, the leader, held his head high, arrogant even in the face of the abyss. I lingered on that last painting, horrified and yet captivated. I knew the story behind it; it was one of the more famous legends in the Tenement’s history. But when the tale was usually told, the leader of the banished group was always portrayed as a villainous cult-leader, a lunatic. Yet in my mother’s painting, I read something distinctly sympathetic in his proud face. Something almost... heroic.
January 8, 2026 at 4:08 PM
professoremily.bsky.social
#Critterary 6

Two notable uses of canines in Atalantis, both from mythology:

1. The Trickster God Abaaxita wears many masks, but their most common face is a dog! They are also served by an army of spirits who appear like wolves. Canines are associated with honesty, & Abaaxita uses deception and🧵
Colored sketch of Abaaxita "the Unmasker," the Trickster God in the Na'aqal pantheon. They're a gorgeous & mischievous-looking humanoid with bronze skin, long dark brown wavy hair, four eyes, curved horns and a grinning mouth with fangs. They are wearing salmon-colored robes and gold jewelry with red feathers, and holding up a purple dog-shaped mask to partially hide their face. Behind them stands a large gray wolf.
January 7, 2026 at 3:10 PM
professoremily.bsky.social
#amwriting #writingcommunity #writers #writesky

Good morning #WIPSnips, I'm back after a short hiatus! 😁

Here's a little snippet from #Tenement, my dystopian mystery about people living in an infinite building.
We were about halfway down Marlon Hall, passing by a dead-end corridor which didn’t have an official name, since no one lived there. In fact, there was nothing down that hall except for a single door that was always locked, which bore the number #7777777. Because of this, we’d nicknamed it the Seven-Sevens Dead End, or “Dead Sevens” for short. Jon suddenly stopped, backed up a couple of steps. He stared down the dead-end hall. We glanced back at him. “Jon?” asked Kazuo. “What’s s’matter?” “Uh... you guys know the Seven-Sevens door?” he said. “The one that’s always locked?” “Yeah, what about it?” I asked. “Well, it’s, um—it’s, uh—not.” “Shut up!” Kazuo blurted, and both he and I rushed back to see for ourselves. Sure enough, there on the left-hand side of the dead-end hall, door #7777777—which had never once been unlocked in our entire lives—was standing ajar.
January 7, 2026 at 12:59 PM
professoremily.bsky.social
#WIPSnips #amwriting #writingcommunity #writers #writesky

The unexplained disappearance of Noah's mom changes the meaning of "home" to him forever...

From #Tenement, my dystopian mystery about people living in an infinite building.
The Tenement could make windows and chocolate truffles appear or disappear at random. Why couldn’t it do the same with people? For days—weeks—months after her disappearance, I was convinced she would come back at any moment. Even years later, I would sometimes come home to #2442 and expect her to already be there, working on a painting or making tea, her clothes spackled with paint, as if she’d never been gone at all. No one in #2442 ever talked about her after she disappeared, not even my father. Especially not my father. He never spoke to me about what could have happened to her. He never asked me how I felt, or told me how he felt. And the longer he remained silent, the more bitter I became. He didn’t know how to deal with the loss, and he didn’t know how to deal with me. All he knew was how to clean his glasses on his shirt and bury himself deeper into his projects. And a rift grew between him and me that would never fully close. But if the Tenement had meant to discourage me from my rule-breaking tendencies, it didn’t work. If anything, it only galvanized me more. The building itself became a living entity in my mind, a malicious creature with both a waking consciousness and a cruel agenda: to keep us all trapped here in the dark and make sure we never questioned why.
January 4, 2026 at 3:10 PM
professoremily.bsky.social
My reflex wants to say they're like those skinny Egyptian cats because Hepaia was somewhat inspired by Bastet 😅 But in actuality they'd be more fluffy stripey bbs like these sand cats ❤️❤️❤️
Photo of an Arabian sand cat, a little white and orange cutie with black stripes walking in the sand
January 3, 2026 at 3:42 PM
professoremily.bsky.social
#WIPSnips #amwriting #writingcommunity #writers #writesky

A man is exposed as having a fake charagma, and his wife *really* does not take it well 😬

From #Charagma, my SFF dystopia where all people are marked saved or damned from birth.
“It is a counterfeit,” he declared. “What?” Barbon’s wife dropped his hands and sprang to her feet. “Are you sure, Brother Hutchinson?” asked Will. “Completely,” said the old man. “A very good forgery. But a forgery nonetheless.” “No! No, it can’t be!” Grace Barbon shrieked. “I’m afraid it is, my daughter,” said the old Shepherd. “Your husband is a Reprobate.” “A Reprobate!” She backed away, wide-eyed. The children had begun to cry, clinging to each other. “Living in my house! The whole time, he was—!” “Grace...” Barbon murmured. “Ma’am, please try to be calm,” said Blake. “Elsword Barbon,” said the Paladin Integrity Sykes, as Will removed his immobilizing collar. “I’m afraid you will have to come with us.” “What’s going to happen to him?” cried the younger daughter. “Don’t take Papa away!” the little boy wailed. “The whole time!” Grace Barbon was still screaming. “A demon in my house! And the children! How did he—? How could I never realize—? The whole...!” Overwhelmed, she swooned and collapsed.
January 3, 2026 at 12:47 PM