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166

This is super vague at the minute, but I’m trying this anyway:

Title: The Dancers’ Dozen

Demographic: In theory, YA. In practice, maybe it’ll seem a bit… off, I’m not sure yet.

Genre: [name_f]Fantasy[/name_f]. If you couldn’t tell from the title — which I really like, for no particular reason — it’s a Twelve Dancing Princesses retelling.

[name_f]Kinda[/name_f] inspired by the concept of House of Salt and Sorrows, which I might get for my birthday or something. I don’t know.

Medium: I suppose a novel

Characters: I’m about to make a proper start on naming the characters, because… well, there’s a lot of characters that need names. I mean, twelve dancing princesses, you know? And sure, while they don’t have names in the original story, they’ll certainly need them for this.

Outside of the twelve ‘doomed dancers’, there’s the twin siblings — one boy, one girl — who move back to their old hometown (‘old’ meaning ‘they left when they were literal toddlers, just over a decade ago after their mother’s disappearance’) and learn about a literal family curse, our most prominent characters; awkward ‘might-be-a-witch’ boy who makes friends with the twins and then does his best to help the girl after things begin to go spectacularly wrong, our ‘sorceress’ who helps the ‘soldier’ if you will; there’s technically thirteen quote-unquote ‘suitors’ for the dancers and also our ‘dancers’ dozen’, but I’m unlikely to name all thirteen of them… and then the ‘I need to come up with a better way to refer to her’ [name_u]Midnight[/name_u] Enchantress — believed to be the origin of the curse, but something else might be at play there.

Oh, and some other random kids in the town and there’s also the dad of the twins. Then again, those are gonna be throwaway names.

I have like one name I’ve semi-settled on, which is to say ‘I’d like to name a character this, but I’m worried it won’t work for the character in question’. It should be fine, but I’ll make a proper decision later.

(Oh, yeah, I’m going alphabetical with my ‘princesses’, and so I have ‘Merle’ as a tentative brainwash name for when we actually reach the point of that title. Because it was like the only name in the vibe I liked for the girls, and it’s unisex — basically. Admittedly the only [name_u]Merle[/name_u] I’ve ever seen in a book was a woman, but I fell in love with the name pretty quickly. Which actually happened before I knew Nameberry existed, actually, I was like thirteen. It’s actually kinda crazy to think about… hm.)

‘Blurb’: I gave away like half the stuff in my character ‘summary’, go figure. Anyway, the short version from there is:

The Dancers’ Dozen
  • Twins start investigating the curse
  • Witch-boy tells them they’re idiots for doing that
  • (They ignore him.)
  • The boy (who I’m gonna call Y from now on) stumbles into the underground garden-y place and meets ‘suitor’ thirteen and they dance
  • Y starts acting a bit weird around people on the ‘surface’ and begins to talk about a boy nobody else knows
  • His twin (‘X’) and witch-boy grow suspicious quicker than almost anyone else, and begin a new investigation, which is really just the same investigation all over again but with a bit of added urgency
  • Y slowly begins to realise just how much trouble he’s in and tries to get out of it, but ends up being just a tiny bit too late
  • Brainwashing-kiss, pretty much. Y almost completely forgets who he actually is and starts losing the urge to leave the underground garden when the dancing is over
  • X and witch-boy quietly freak out
  • Then they freak out a little bit louder
  • Y disappears, and an empty portrait frame is suddenly not quite so empty anymore
  • X and witch-boy finally do that responsible thing called ‘telling an adult’
  • [name_m]Said[/name_m] adult — well, it’s actually adults, the twins’ dad and witch-boy’s parents, but this adult is the dad — is barely even surprised that one of his kids is missing now, although he’s a bit confused about the fact that it’s his son
  • A plan is made
  • And I’m currently muddling through the logistics of the ending, so let’s say chaos ensues, and there’s a happy-ever-after.

Uh. Yeah. Time to go name some characters…

I’m also very aware the phrase is ‘baker’s dozen’, but hey, it’s also apparently known as a ‘devil’s dozen’, it’s alliterative, and it is a much more obvious title for a 12DP story than something like ‘Smoke and [name_u]Steel[/name_u] and Ivy’, in my opinion.
Having said that, [name_m]Smoke[/name_m] and [name_u]Steel[/name_u] and [name_f]Ivy[/name_f] is a pretty good title, which I say mostly because I looked at the Amazon listing for it when I was actually looking for House of Salt and Sorrows.

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Here’s a different one:

Title: [name_f]Iisha[/name_f] and the [name_f]Secret[/name_f] of Zylraie
Demographic: Middle grade fantasy again
Medium: [name_u]Novel[/name_u]?
Characters: The main ones are Staeriisha “Iisha” Szeyia, Anaema Talleiroei, Tellav Thloa, and Taechkeeap, all of which I found in a notebook I had when I was either eight or five (reports vary). Also we have Aevia, the villain, Iisha’s sister Ivaakei, Taechkeeap’s sister Lailia, and Taanaizka, the annoying popular girl who always has to exit for some reason, among others. These names I made up more recently. I also elected not to use some of the other notebook names, for various reasons.

Blurb: Something along the lines of “Iisha Szeyia has no clue what’s going on. Apparently, she’s nowhere near as normal as she thought she was, which is saying something. The new kid at her school, a strange boy she barely knows, is insisting that she go on some sort of quest to defeat the evil queen of a kingdom that shouldn’t exist. Oh, and she’ll probably fail. [name_m]Just[/name_m] great. But [name_f]Iisha[/name_f] has her best (and only) friends, Anaema and Tellav, along with the mysterious new Taechkeeap, to help her. And at least failure won’t mean the end of the world, right? Wait, no. It will. Because Iisha’s life has never been easy-- why should it start now? Duh. The future of everything [name_f]Iisha[/name_f] has ever known depends on a goofy, relatively average girl who annoys everyone she meets, and her three friends. Also, she can apparently turn into a mermaid. Huh. All she needs now is a magic wand…”

for the record she does end up getting a magic wand lol

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168

Title: n/a
Age group: I’m not sure. 12+?
Genre: [name_u]Adventure[/name_u], I think
Characters:

  • [name_f]Juliet[/name_f] [name_u]Jules[/name_u] Marafi (15 years old, likes rules and structure)
  • [name_u]Lennox[/name_u] [name_f]Nox[/name_f] Marafi (13 years old, thinks rules are made to be broken)
  • [name_u]Valentine[/name_u] [name_u]Val[/name_u] Marafi (11 years old, very protective of Cressida)
  • [name_f]Cressida[/name_f] Cress Marafi (11 years old, hates to be in one place for too long)
    – (Only go by nicknames sometimes) –
  • [name_m]Caius[/name_m] Fermor (Magical warlock who has a weakness for broken people)

Blurb:
When the Marafis find a secret in their attic, they have to figure out what to do about it. Well, first they have to figure out what it means, but then they have to figure out what to do.
While they attempt to solve the mystery, [name_u]Lennox[/name_u] collapses at the hands of a supposedly incurable poison and [name_f]Cressida[/name_f] disappears. [name_u]Val[/name_u] and [name_f]Juliet[/name_f] have their work cut out for them.

Excerpt:
“Lennox!” [name_f]Juliet[/name_f] fell to her knees at her brother’s side. “Lennox, wake up!” She was aware of the eyes on her- curious passers-by, [name_u]Val[/name_u] and Cress, the black-clad bodyguards.
“Is he… ok?” [name_f]Cressida[/name_f] asked timidly.
[name_f]Juliet[/name_f] resisted the urge to snap at her that he was very clearly not ok. But she recognised the fear in her little sister’s voice, the need to help but not knowing how. “He’ll be fine. He has to be fine,” [name_f]Juliet[/name_f] said quietly. She carefully lifted [name_u]Lennox[/name_u] up in her arms, leading them down the winding streets until she came to a familiar door.
“Where are we?” Asked [name_u]Val[/name_u].
[name_f]Juliet[/name_f] didn’t reply, just lifted the brass knocker and let it fall, three times.
[name_m]Caius[/name_m] would know what to do.

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oh hey, that’s super cool! i would so read that

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Title: Ludens Igne
Age Group: Young/New Adult
Genre: Low fantasy dark academia, urban fantasy, magical realism
Characters: [name_f]Vivienne[/name_f], [name_f]Raphaela[/name_f], [name_m]Augustus[/name_m], [name_u]Sylvester[/name_u], [name_m]Herschel[/name_m], [name_f]Drusilla[/name_f]
Summary: There’s no harm in playing with magic…right?

Six students at an elite [name_u]New[/name_u] [name_u]England[/name_u] university discover a spell book while working on an assignment for Latin class. What first seems like a fun, harmless toy soon proves to be more dangerous than they’re prepared for. Once they’re in too deep, willl they be able to clean up their mess, or have they opened Pandora’s box?

Where to read it: On wattpad! [name_f]My[/name_f] account is larkspurdreams

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Title: Not sure, it’s called [name_f]Avis[/name_f] [name_m]Elder[/name_m] in my docs
Age Group: Middle grade, might skew older since the characters are 13-15
Genre: [name_f]Fantasy[/name_f]
Medium: [name_u]Novel[/name_u], although a TV show would also be cool
Characters: The main character is named [name_f]Avis[/name_f] [name_f]Imperatrix[/name_f] [name_m]Elder[/name_m], and her closest friend, who gets perspective chapters too, is [name_u]Theo[/name_u] [name_f]Coe[/name_f]. There’s also a group of villains, the Swirlingstar Society, the leader of which is named [name_f]Zella[/name_f] [name_u]Marie[/name_u] [name_f]Whisper[/name_f].

Plot: 14-year-old [name_f]Avis[/name_f] [name_m]Elder[/name_m], who lives in a magical society, discovers that she has a second magic power- an illegal one. Afraid that the world will find out, she runs away from her foster parents and joins a group called the Swirlingstar Society, where she meets a boy named [name_u]Theo[/name_u] (13) who becomes her best friend. But one day, [name_u]Theo[/name_u] discovers a concerning secret about the Swirlingstar Society and gets himself and [name_f]Avis[/name_f] thrown out. [name_f]Avis[/name_f] is furious that [name_u]Theo[/name_u] ruined her chances with the only people who’ve accepted her in years, but once the two join another group (I don’t have a name for this one yet-- maybe something to do with the daytime?), [name_f]Avis[/name_f] begins to see the error of her ways. But then the leader of the Swirlingstar Society throws the other group into chaos. [name_f]Avis[/name_f] and [name_u]Theo[/name_u] are sent on a quest to find the answer to the question that could save the world-- and perhaps learn more about the tragedies of each of their families.

Does anyone have ideas for the other group’s name?

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Hey, updates! I actually have :sparkles: information :sparkles: about The Dancers’ Dozen now!

One, it actually has a blurb. Two, some of the characters have names. And three… I’ve written a chapter.

By hand, and then typed it up onto my phone because it’s going up on Wattpad at some unspecified point in the future. And potentially also Quotev and ao3, just for good measure… who knows?

Anyway, blurb:

The Dancer’s Dozen

The old house overlooking the town of Clarenforte has stood empty for ten years when [name_m]Samuel[/name_m] [name_u]Hendrix[/name_u] returns.

Its curse hasn’t taken a life in almost twenty.

✦❘༻༺❘✦

[name_m]Alec[/name_m] and [name_f]Cora[/name_f] [name_u]Hendrix[/name_u] think little of it when they learn that they’re moving back to a town they’ve long since forgotten. Clarenforte doesn’t bring up any memories for the twins, but Wildridge Manor does provide a great way to while away the days before the [name_f]Easter[/name_f] holidays begin and they can start making new friends.

But when [name_f]Cora[/name_f] discovers an old family curse, everything the twins thought they knew about their lives is thrown into question.

In what was only meant to be a search for answers, [name_m]Alec[/name_m] finds himself drawn to Wildridge’s library and there discovers a place far stranger than he ever imagined - where long-lost girls from generations since forgotten dance all night under the watchful eye of a woman known only as the Enchantress, and where magic is stronger than all else.

A place where one wrong step ruins everything.

Twelve girls fell under the curse, even if they knew all there was to know about it. Nobody has ever been able to break the spell that draws them to their doom… but [name_f]Cora[/name_f] can’t let such a detail as that stop her.

In such a twisted tale as this, is an act of true love the only solution, or can she - and a new friend - fight fire with fire to end things once and for all?

I could probably improve it, but I think this is one of those things that’ll be read by about eight people and never thought about again. [name_f]My[/name_f] stories tend to be like that.

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So this is something from the Title and Blurb Game thread that I actually really liked

Title: The title I was given was Starry Days, but if I can’t use that it’ll be Shining Days
Age Group: Middle grade, might skew older
Genre: Not sure… probably fantasy since dead people
Medium: Novel or short story
Characters: Main characters are Etta, Saski, and Evander. They all need surnames-- I was thinking something blood-related for Saski, for reasons that will soon be apparent. The other named characters are Etta’s sister Ruth, and a grandmotherly woman named Christabel.
Blurb: (mostly copied from the other thread) Etta contracted a mysterious illness on the morning of her thirteenth birthday, and was dead by the end of the day. When Etta arrives in the afterlife, no one can tell her anything except that “starry days become sunlit nights” (or “shining days become the brightest nights” if I can’t use Starry Days). The afterlife is even named after the old saying-- it’s a sprawling gated community called Sunlit Nights (or Brightest Nights). A grandmotherly woman named Christabel is appointed to be Etta’s guardian until she gets accustomed to living in Sunlit Nights, and Etta knows she could be happy here. But before she gets too drawn in to the world of the dead, Etta wants an explanation for the sudden and mysterious event that got her here in the first place. And the only people who can help her get it are a pair around Etta’s age who have clearly been switched. Saski is Etta’s neighbor in Sunlit Nights, but the things she’s done to the otherwise peaceful community make it obvious that she doesn’t belong there. Whereas Evander lives outside of Sunlit Nights’ gates, struggling to coexist with the malicious thieves and murderers who populate the area known as the Dark Side of the Moon, all the while knowing that he’s innocent of Saski’s crimes. Evander hates Saski, and with good reason, but he’s also one of the only people to have made it into Saski’s good graces, simply because he took her fall and let her through the coveted gates. When Saski discovers Etta’s search for answers, she takes the more naïve girl to the corrupted Dark and introduces her to Evander, who was an aspiring detective in life. In order to make contact with the living world, the “starry days” that the long-timers sigh about so fondly, Saski and Etta need to be approved for a Haunting Permit, and Evander must fight his way through the Tunnel of Glass. And once all three have achieved their goals, they’ll be haunting Ruth, Etta’s younger sister, to learn more, with Saski and Etta as approved ghosts and Evander as a poltergeist. But what, exactly, will they learn about Etta’s death? What will happen when Saski and Evander are forced to relive their own starry days? What is Saski’s real motivation, since she can’t possibly be doing this out of the goodness of her heart? And will Evander be forever trapped in the wrong afterlife, paying the price for the crimes he never committed? (Long blurb, I know… sorry about that)

Just to be clear, Saski is short for Saskia, but if you call her Saskia… well, watch out. Also, if anyone remembers Ash from a previous post on this thread: I think Evander makes Ash feel a lot better about his situation as one of my characters. Like, I’ve stuck Ash in some pretty unpleasant spots, but I’ve never made him pay an eternal punishment for someone else’s crimes grimaces as I realize how rude I am. And another thing-- Evander is actually one of the only people Saski truly cares about. At first, she just kind of felt sorry for him since he took her (well-deserved) place in the Dark, but once he guilted her into smuggling him books and they got to know each other, she developed something of a soft spot for him, and the feeling is almost mutual, but not quite. The most-reiterated sort-of-argument between them goes like this:
Saski: “…and thanks again for not reporting me to the authorities!”
Evander: “What authorities? The only rule here is that no one is allowed to be in charge!”
Saski: “Well, I imagine some of those big mob bosses would much rather have me as a potential underling than you, and they could maybe have gotten the attention of the Sunlit Nights people.”
Evander: “Nah, they couldn’t. Besides, what makes you a better underling than me?”
Saski: scoffs “Do you even have to ask? You’re a nerdy bookworm who, before he died, could count the things he’d stolen on one hand. Whereas I am a notorious criminal who’s robbed multiple banks and died in a literal high-speed motorcycle chase because one of the most infamous criminals of the city wanted the three thousand dollars I stole from a high-security vault! And they never found the body.”
At this point, Saski flips her hair and it continues from there xD

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Well I’m glad the title inspired such an awesome story! You’re free to use [name_u]Starry[/name_u] Days, I don’t mind.

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Thanks so much!!! Did you have anything else in mind for the title?

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No, I didn’t actually. It was just a spur of the moment thing!

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:smiley:

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this was my nano 2021 project, but as i’ve decided to revisit it, i realized i never posted about it here! also, you’ll notice few characters have surnames… just ignore that.

title: the rose order

demographics/ratings: an older YA audience

genre: fantasy

medium: novel

characters:

dianthe

21, she/her, shoulder-length wavy black hair, tan, freckled skin, thick eyebrows, lots of ear piercings, build of a dancer. she’s charming, smart, head-strong, impatient, hates morals, loves her family. is cis and possibly aroace??

(queen) melantha

23, she/they, long, black hair, light brown skin, always perfectly put together, elegant. almost seems devoid of emotions, runs on the tears of her enemies and revenge. patient, vengent, strong, calculated, haunted by grief and guilt. doesn’t want the crown. lesbian.

nox aquila

19, they/them, short, curly black hair, medium-brown skin, a short assassin. they run on their own time, do what they want, when they want to. very stubborn, independent, an exceptional liar, skeptical, and loves to state the obvious. they’re hiding an immense secret. nonbinary, bi.

(officer) theodosius gallateos

24, he/him, black braids tied into a bun, dark brown skin, tall, muscular. he’s devoted to his job and bound by loyalty, up unto the point that he has to peel off from his mission to protect the boy he loves (the prince). gay, cis.

nephele

22, she/her, brown micro braids and dark brown skin, always smirking. dianthe’s childhood best friend who now runs a sector of a mercenary group. she’s ambitious, perceptive, sarcastic, and sits on a thin web of trust. cis, panromantic + ace.

augustin

22, he/him, tall, lanky, shoulder-length curls, light brown skin. is also a mercenary, cocky, friendly, really smart, quiet sense of humor, quickly becomes friends with dianthe and nox. bi, trans.

other important people: sapphira, olympia, (prince) evander, kore

plot??
(it made more sense in my head)

  • after the death of the king and queen, melantha is pushed to the throne she doesn’t want, determined to find the person responsible for her parents’ deaths. and when she finds them, they are going to pay. but with the country on the brink of war and a mercenary group threatening rebellion, it’s easier said than done.
  • dianthe finds herself caught in her past, when she’s framed for murder, and goes into hiding. she’s quickly picked up by her estranged best friend and hit woman, nephele, now running alongside those that she’s tried so hard to forget.
  • teamed up with nox + augustin, a thief and an assassin with enough secrets to bury the entire group alive, the group is determined to prevent melantha from completing her task before the entire country is torn to shreds, and their bloody, bruised histories are unearthed. no one is innocent, and the conspiracy is bigger than everyone thinks.

excerpt:

Each stair she stepped up, [name_f]Melantha[/name_f] felt her composure slip more and more. Her legs were weak from standing so long, and god, these shoes were killing her. The weight of her gown was no help.
[name_f]Melantha[/name_f] finally made it to her room, sunlight dripping in the windows, her footsteps echoing on the quartz floors and walls. She braced herself against the washing basin. Her eyes stared back at her in the reflection, hollow and weary.
[name_m]Even[/name_m] though it was but her first official day as queen, she was exhausted. Hands shaking, she picked up the crystal pitcher resting atop the basin, and poured it into the bowl. She dipped her hands in the warm water. Her palm stung, but the pain was fleeting, only leaving the water a pale pink.
This was too much. Her parents were gone, and she was thrown into a world that she hadn’t asked for. Already, she was overwhelmed beyond reason. Her chest ached where her heart should’ve been and tears slipped down her cheeks from her closed eyes robotically.
She felt like a child.
A weak, pathetic child.
Her door creaked open, and [name_f]Melantha[/name_f] stumbled as she spun around.
[name_m]Evander[/name_m], her brother, strolled in.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” she snapped. Her hair fell into her face. It took every molecule within her to resist wiping the tears from her cheeks.
His face crumbled. She watched him sweep his eyes over the room, over her. She saw the pity wash over his face.
[name_f]Melantha[/name_f] had never felt more humiliated in her life.
He took a tentative step towards her.“Mel, what’s wrong?”
She bristled. She hated that he had walked in. She hated that he had called her [name_u]Mel[/name_u]. She hated that he had asked such a ridiculous question. [name_f]Melantha[/name_f] was in a place of embarrassing vulnerability, and he had seen her, and absolutely no one was allowed to see her vulnerable.
Obviously, she was not okay, and obviously, if he cared so much, he could’ve gathered that much. He wasn’t completely removed from the situation; his parents had been murdered, too.
“Read the room, Evander,” she said, her voice sharp and cold. It didn’t sound like her, and that in itself terrified her.
A shadow passed over his face, and his eyes flashed to the ground. “Well, pardon me, then,” he bit out, “for caring.”

extras:
it takes place in a mediterranean-inspired world, halcyone, but there actually isn’t much worldbuilding, which i’ve been working on. this was like the first fantasy i’d ever written, and it’s not bad considering that!
character-wise, it’s really fun, because melantha has a bit of a villain corruption arc. in the excerpt, they had just been crowned queen, and are still a decent person.

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Title: I dunno, it’s called [name_f]Silvy[/name_f] and [name_f]Hat[/name_f] in my docs
Age Group: Probably middle grade-- [name_f]Silvy[/name_f] would love to swear but I’m trying to stop her lol
Genre: [name_f]Fantasy[/name_f], definitely
Medium: [name_u]Novel[/name_u]
Characters: The main character is Silvestara “Silvy” Gloryhammer, a snarky 21st century Sorceress who lives in a nonexistent apartment. The other important character is a [name_m]Wizard[/name_m] from the 1400s who’s technically named [name_m]Tolkien[/name_m] but is referred to exclusively as [name_f]Hat[/name_f] by [name_f]Silvy[/name_f], because reasons. [name_f]Silvy[/name_f] also has friends named [name_f]Reiko[/name_f] and [name_f]Nydia[/name_f].

Plot: When a [name_m]Wizard[/name_m] from the 1400s shows up and asks for Silvy’s help, she’s not sure what to think. But as [name_f]Silvy[/name_f] and [name_f]Hat[/name_f] work to regain Hat’s lost magic, and [name_f]Hat[/name_f] teaches [name_f]Silvy[/name_f] spells in return, they grow to trust each other. Good thing too, what with the [name_m]Demon[/name_m] Wizard…

Excerpt

…few people could find [name_f]Silvy[/name_f] without at least some magical skill, due to the fact that her cozy downtown apartment didn’t actually exist. She lived in Apartment 934 of the Sphinx Building, which only had 500 apartments, and was located on a street called Grimwold, near the [name_u]Phoenix[/name_u] Used Bookstore and Café. [name_u]An[/name_u] ideal location, really. As such, [name_f]Silvy[/name_f] could deduce that [name_f]Hat[/name_f] was likely after her due to her reasonable prowess as a sorceress. And yes, she was a sorceress. Why else would she be washing Focus Stones in the bathroom sink? And she didn’t mean to say that the cloak didn’t look a tad worse for wear-- or, indeed, that anything about Hat’s appearance was neat. For one thing, it would have taken an hour just to comb through all of that flyaway golden-brown hair. But a Wizard’s cloak was something that [name_f]Silvy[/name_f] could recognize all too well…

Yes I know the excerpt was longer than the actual blurb lol

This is based on a role-play thing that I did with my friend last year (I was [name_f]Silvy[/name_f], she was Hat), so it has somewhat less of a plot than other things I’ve done, but I love Silvy’s narration, and hopefully that spices it up. The characters are fairly similar to my friend and I, or at least aspects of us, but they’re grownup-age, whereas we’re teenagers. I do wish I could achieve [name_f]Silvy[/name_f] levels of snark, but I don’t think my parents would like that lol

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Title: I’m not sure at the moment
Age Group: Middle grade-ish
Genre: Fantasy, or maybe magical realism (I really need to branch out more lol)
Medium: Novel or short story, probably, but I’d love a TV show
Characters: I named the dude! The main character is now named Magnus Alistair Eldritch, called Alistair. He has a cousin who he’s close to named Noeleia a Nieva, daughter of his one aunt, Octavia a Nieva, and six uncles, Olivier, Orson, Orlando, Omar, Owen, and Osbourne. His love interest, I guess, although she’s basically a main character too and so much more than a love interest, is named Cosima del Vera, and she has an (also important) sister named Eleonore. The del Vera sisters sometimes use the nicknames Cosy and Nellie.

Plot: When Alistair Eldritch, the son of wealthy manor owner Oswald Eldritch, finds a hidden book in the library, he reads it, of course. He’s never been one to turn down a good mystery. But this particular mystery is so much more than he bargained for. The book is a warning, telling the reader to leave Eldritch Manor immediately and never look back, something that’s somewhat difficult for the heir to said manor to do. But all the same, he’s so intrigued that he and his cousin, Noeleia a Nieva, set off to find the book’s author, Cosima del Vera, and her sister Eleonore. The del Veras prove rather difficult to locate, but eventually, Alistair and Noe find them, in the woods around the manor. And once she knows she can trust them, Cosima reveals what she’s learned about the foreboding plots surrounding the Eldritch family, and how a pair of sinister uncles are planning to take down their brother Oswald, as well as his sole living descendent (this being Alistair, of course), so that Alistair’s cousin, who they’ve been grooming specifically for this purpose, can take over the spooky mansion himself one day. The shaken young heir is thrown into a complex web of deception and intrigue, which he is in no way ready for, and to top it all off he seems to be falling for the quick-witted and mysterious Cosima. His only assets are Cosima’s wits, Eleonore’s bravery, Noe’s talent for pointing out traps, and his own limited charisma, none of which seem sufficient for successfully avoiding the many people who want them all dead…

There is no excerpt, since I haven’t actually written this yet. Also, here’s a list of uncles (and father and aunt), for clarity’s sake:
Oswald Eldritch: The eldest, the manor’s owner, and Alistair’s father
Olivier Eldritch: One of the uncles who wants to kill Oswald and Alistair. Also the one who suits the surname best, since he’s a Mage, a little-known fact that will greatly aid him
Orson Eldritch: One of the few nice ones, an altogether jovial fellow who rather likes Alistair and does not support the coup
Orlando Eldritch: A stern man who acts as a surrogate father to Alistair when Oswald is called away for work, due to being Oswald’s favorite of his brothers
Omar Eldritch: Oily and insincere. In support of the coup but lacking the brains for follow-through. Father of Basill, a cruel boy much more capable than his father who the coup plotters plan to have inherit the manor
Owen Eldritch: The other nice uncle, who is quiet and nervous and spends most of his time in the library. Always willing to offer helpful advice. Has young twins called Esme and Freya, and is a twin himself, to Omar
Osbourne Eldritch: The second coup plotter, who has always been envious of Oswald and is bitter that his diminutive birth order should place him second-to-last in the line of inheritance
Octavia a Nieva: The youngest child and sole daughter of Oskar and Oraline Eldritch, as well as Noe’s mother. She seemingly lives in a state of perpetual wide-eyed confusion (emphasis on seemingly)

Click here if you want to know the fates I have in store for these poor characters
  • The young Mr. Eldritch will die at age 16 in a train wreck. Cosima, also on said train, will survive, but…
  • Cosima will, upon her boyfriend’s death, lose the daring qualities she once possessed and become a paranoid recluse living in a series of labyrinthine tunnels and rooms made entirely of stone, packed with preparations for the apocalypse. Already a big reader, Cosima will begin to read near-constantly, and develop a habit of obsessively counting moldering loaves of bread as a coping strategy when she’s out of books. Her mental acuity will decline little by little until she dies an early death at age 30. All who knew her will agree that this behavior was entirely out of character, and that her mental faculties seemed incredibly strong before the train wreck. Some may even wonder if something more unusual was going on…
  • Eleonore will be saddened greatly by her sister’s mental decline, and will take to bringing her food and books every few days. She will, if anything, become more adventurous, possibly to make up for the utter lack of bravery from Cosima, and will take multiple cross-country road trips with Noe, her best friend, after receiving assurances from a clear-headed Cosima that she would be fine.
  • Noe will strike up an even closer friendship with Eleonore, and go on road trips with her. She will obtain some significant others, namely a girlfriend named Lilien Aberra and a boyfriend named Lochlan Storm, the latter of which she will eventually marry and have a daughter with-- Alice, named so because it means hope, except it doesn’t.
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I think that’s a wonderful idea, although the fates you have in store for the characters are a bit dramatic—at least for the young Mr. Eldritch and [name_f]Cosima[/name_f]. I would definitely read that kind of book if given the chance.

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Oh yeah definitely they didn’t deserve what I did to them lol

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Title: This Book Belongs to [name_f]Ivy[/name_f] [name_f]Alodia[/name_f] [name_u]Bryn[/name_u]
Age Group: Middle grade
Genre: Realistic fiction/coming-of-age-- could also qualify under magical realism or even fantasy but I wouldn’t call it a fantasy
Medium: [name_u]Novel[/name_u]
Characters: The main character is named [name_m]Valentin[/name_m] [name_u]Carter[/name_u], and his older siblings are [name_m]Astrophel[/name_m] “Astro” and [name_f]Gwenllian[/name_f], called [name_f]Gwen[/name_f] by family. He also has a best friend named [name_f]Beatrice[/name_f] [name_f]Agnesca[/name_f], who insists on the Italian pronunciation of bay-ah-TREE-cay and is as such teasingly (or not-so-teasingly) called Treacle by some people, and sometimes just plain Tree by [name_m]Valentin[/name_m] (I really need to get my calling-your-friends-by-ordinary-words thing under control…), She tends to be referred to as [name_f]Bee[/name_f] in the book, the sole nickname that she doesn’t mind and in fact rather likes. The aforementioned [name_f]Ivy[/name_f], while very important in theory, doesn’t actually show up in person until the end.

Plot: So this is less of a blurb and more of a word-vomit but like so:
When [name_m]Valentin[/name_m] finds a battered copy of A Wrinkle in Time with “This book belongs to [name_f]Ivy[/name_f] [name_f]Alodia[/name_f] Bryn” inscribed in the front cover, he assumes that [name_f]Ivy[/name_f] goes to his school. But when he asks the school secretary whose class she’s in, the confused secretary informs him that she’s never heard of any such person. Upon examining the book more closely, [name_m]Valentin[/name_m] discovers that certain letters have been colored with a green highlighter, and when he puts them together, it’s almost like a puzzle…
Fast forward two weeks, and it’s summer vacation. The puzzle in the book is actually a map (or a letter, or something) that supposedly leads to [name_f]Ivy[/name_f], and if [name_m]Valentin[/name_m] acts now, it says, he can save her life. [name_m]Valentin[/name_m] ropes his older siblings into taking a road trip with him to find her, and his best (and only) friend [name_f]Bee[/name_f] is of course coming too, because she’s like that. The [name_u]Carter[/name_u] parents have told their children how silly this is, but they haven’t been forbidden to go, and short of that, nothing can stop [name_m]Valentin[/name_m]. Because there’s no way [name_m]Valentin[/name_m] [name_u]Carter[/name_u] is turning down a chance to save a life-- and possibly, in the process, gain a friend.

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This project is in the very early days, so I’m afraid I don’t have everything figured out yet, but…

Title: (WIP)

Demographics: Either YA or ages 16/17+, depending on what happens while I’m writing

Genre: [name_f]Fantasy[/name_f] with some historical aspects

Medium/Format: [name_u]Novel[/name_u] (possibly with sequel. Again, depends on what happens)

Characters: The two main characters are [name_m]Helios[/name_m] “Elio” and [name_m]Calix[/name_m]. Elio’s family also has [name_m]King[/name_m] [name_m]Lysander[/name_m], [name_u]Prince[/name_u] [name_m]Alpheus[/name_m], and Alpheus’ wife [name_f]Princess[/name_f] [name_f]Sterope[/name_f].

Blurb: I’m just doing it in point form for now!

  • The kingdoms of Pyrisemia and Valucorium are on the verge of war. With both rulers unprepared and unwilling to reach this extreme, it is decided that they should unify the two lands in the strongest way possible; marriage.
  • [name_m]King[/name_m] [name_m]Calix[/name_m] of Valucorium is thus wed to [name_u]Prince[/name_u] [name_m]Helios[/name_m] of Pyrisemia (the “spare heir” and only unwed child)
  • [name_m]Elio[/name_m] goes back to Valucorium with [name_m]Calix[/name_m], and the two immediately do not get along. Despite this, [name_m]Elio[/name_m] starts working on improving the kingdom, tackling problems that have been going on for far too long.
  • As time goes by, the two start to open up to each other, and realize the work that the other is doing.

Slow burn, enemies to lovers, arranged marriage, I’ll make a better blurb eventually, lol

Excerpt:
[name_m]Elio[/name_m] had always been unsettled by storms. He had never been able to find the right words to explain it; perhaps it was the static electricity coursing through the air, enclosing his hair and shocking the universe. [name_u]Or[/name_u] maybe it was the thunder, with its aggressive voice, calling for all to listen. [name_u]Or[/name_u], and this was the explanation he tended to choose when trying to explain it, his nerves went back to those old tales he had been told by the governess he had in his youth. The ones that painted storms as bad omens and blamed them for the misfortunes of the characters children were inclined to love. The tales in which the heroes are forced into wretched situations while a storm brew overhead.

And yet, [name_m]Elio[/name_m] sat in the window seat of the library, knees to his chest as he watched the storm outside.

He longed to be out there, but dreaded getting wet. Yearned for the freedom, but refused to leave familiarity. And so, he placed a hand on the window, unbothered by the print that it left.

He supposed that, more than anything else, he just wanted the sun to come back. He liked the sun. Liked the way it warmed his skin. The way is welcomed him as he stepped outside, especially when he was doing his rounds of the gardens. Liked the way it shined light even during the darkest of times.

Extras: I thought it might interest you all that the royal family of Pyrsemia all has ancient Greek names, while the royal family of Valucorium all has Latin names. I wanted to use this to emphasize the divide and differences between the kingdoms.

Questions: I only have one right now: any tips for coming up with a title for this story? Titles are always one of my least favourite parts to figure out, lol

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I love it!! Greek and Latin inspiration? That’s my kind of story. I’d 100% pick that up. Good luck!! :grin:

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